Cabinet-free automation is ‘changing machine-building’, plus VSD digital twins can test drives apps
Drives & Controls
The UK's leading magazine for automation, motion engineering and power transmission
One bit of good news in the Chancellor’s recent budget was the announcement that the Government is planning to spend ￡16m to expand the Made Smarter Adoption programme to cover all nine regions of England. The decision means that hundreds of thousands more SME manufacturers could get access to technology advice and skills training, as well as grant funding for digital internships and technology projects. Made Smarter says that these will boost productivity, growth, create high-value jobs and decarbonise SME manufacturers across the country. Since the programme was launched in the North West in 2019, around 2,500 manufacturers have benefitted from Made Smarter. The scheme has funded 379 technology projects, which are predicted to create more than 1,700 new jobs, upskill 3,200 existing roles, and expand the economy by ￡267m over the coming three years. Since 2022, the programme has been extended to four other regions, and a locally funded programme has started in the West of England. The extension to the whole of England is welcome news, although we await the details.
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A German machine-builder has adopted a cabinet-free form of automation for a profile-processing machine used to produce parts for windows. It has found that the new system saves time and…?
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Siemens has joined forces with the AI-based business transformation specialist ServiceNow to enhance industrial cybersecurity and to integrate generative AI into shopfloor operations. They plan to combine Siemens’ Industrial Copilot…
The EMpro energy measuring device product family from Phoenix Contact is now paving the way for the “Internet of Things”. The energy data can be integrated into local networks with just a few simple commands from any browser through the integrated REST interface. “REpresentional State Transfer” is a user-friendly software architecture that uses all common Internet protocols. Special knowledge of industrial communications protocols is not needed. In addition, versions with direct cloud connection allow interaction with the devices from anywhere, at any time. Therefore, operators can access measurement and component data anywhere in the world without using an additional gateway.
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BMW has implemented a cloud-based traffic control system at its Regensburg plant in Germany to control a fleet of 140 smart transport robots (STRs) and 50 tugger trains that handle…
ABB has teamed up with Typhoon HIL – a US-headquartered company that specialises in real-time digital simulations that interact with physical prototypes to replicate thousands of possible conditions – to…
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Machines are the most important piece in the puzzle because automation, when properly implemented, delivers efficiency and productivity. Because of this, machine builders must respond with increasingly powerful designs that deliver new levels of performance.
We partner with successful machine builders in order to:
In our recent podcast, Richard Allen, OEM Manager at Mitsubishi Electric, shares his expert insight in overcoming the productivity barriers affecting machine builders.
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Motor buyers around the world regard total cost of ownership (TCO) as the most significant factor when buying new electric motors, according to a new survey of nearly 2,400 businesses…
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Siemens has announced a “future-proof” motor management system that is tailored for motor control centres (MCCs). The Simocode M-CP system can be adapted to different applications by buying licenses that…
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The Brazilian motor-maker, WEG, has announced a high-voltage (HV) flameproof motor which, it claims, the highest power density in its class, making it possible to produce more power from smaller,…
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German-headquartered Thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering is planning to roll out the Industrial Copilot – the AI-based industrial assistant developed jointly by Siemens and Microsoft – globally from early 2025 in a…
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