TechArchive

Original article date: September 1997 National Instruments has announced the first six products in its DAQ instruments family of PCI, ISA and PCMCIA interfaces, designed to turn a PC into a measuring instrument. ED MCCONNELL, Data Acquisition Product Manager of National Instruments, explains the philosophy. We have reached the point where plug-in boards have most [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 Alan Griffiths is a design consultant to the plastics industry. He offers his personal and thought-provoking views on rapid prototyping. At the moment it does not seem to matter which engineering journal one reads, the headline “Rapid Prototyping” so often stands out. The expression seems to [...]

Original article date: November 1997 A new form of small, low speed, high torque drive is now available in the form of an ultrasonic micromotor. The principle of ultrasonic motors has been known for some time, but it is only very recently that motors have been able to be made commercially. By harnessing the characteristics [...]

Original article date: May 1998 Have you access to a true Open Area Test Site (OATS)? If you are one of the vast majority that do not how much are your measurements worth? David Mawdesley of Lapalce Instruments explains the principles of self-testing for EMC emissions. Any radiated emissions measurements you make without calibrating the [...]

Original article date: July 2000 Industrial manufacturing sites typically represent the worst electrical environments. So what problems can you expect, and what protection measures can you take? This guidance comes from Advance-Galatrek Uninterruptible power systems (UPS) and power protection devices are fundamental to preventing IT and telecoms equipment damage associated with electricity. However, choosing the [...]

Original article date: May 1998 Ingersoll-Dresser Pumps has developed a new impeller with double row vanes for its CPX range of chemical process pumps. JOHN BOWER Engineering Manager explains why it’s important. Though single stage centrifugal end suction pumps are widely used and are available in many different types none are specifically designed to meet [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 The latest induction cap sealers have added considerably to the flexibility offered by this process for sealing packaging containers. Although there is a wide range of closures available, the traditional bore seal has, to date, been the most widely used method of sealing containers in a [...]

Original article date: June 1998 JACQUI BLAKEMORE, servo product specialist at Mitsubishi shows how increased software power has taken the hard work out of setting up servo drives It has been said that if experimentation involves more than seven variables it is an art not a science. Tuning servo drives has traditionally been seen as [...]

Original article date: June 1999 We’ve seen it done over the web with software, music and even said it with flowers. But now an e-commerce site from which industrial users can select order and pay for low power drives? Alan Quinn considers its value. The new ABB Industrial Systems e-commerce site which can be reached [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 Although produced primarily for the rubber industry, Be On Your Guard is a publication which is relevant to many other manufacturing industries. Be on your guard, a guide to the importance of risk assessment on machinery safety and accident prevention, was prepared by the Rubber Industry [...]