Original article date: November 1998
A tool failure in production can stop the production line which is very costly. Robotic tool changing provides flexibility to robot applications by allowing the robot to change end-effectors (grippers pneumatic and electric motors weld guns) automatically.
There are several robotic tool changers now available on the market differing principally in the [...]
Original article date: February 2001
Last week I received a CD across my desk. I haven’t really played with it yet, but if it contains what it says it contains, it deserves a serious mention. At first glance it looked like just another in a long line of catalogue CDs (or coasters, as I tend to [...]
This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000
Folk have said “Sometimes Griff, your column sounds like you’re ranting!”. Ah well, in for a penny, in for a Euro. Here’s this month’s warm-up rant.DYJHIW (Don’t you just hate it when) you go to a show like Manufacturing Week, trog round all day and collect a [...]
Original article date: February 2002
Life as a road warrior, travelling from hotel to hotel with little more than a laptop and a modem, is supposed to have got easier from a connectivity-with-home-base point of view. But for the most part, it seems, it’s still not really sorted.
If you’re part of a huge company with Lotus [...]
This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000
I’m going to get called a Luddite again for this, I can see it. Funny how whenever I talk about getting on with down-to-earth stuff rather than the `bleeding’ edge, I get e-mails saying I have no sense of adventure.Anyway, on with the rant. Someone was telling [...]
This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000
Energy-efficient motors cost more than the standard, so can they always be usually justified on a payback basis? This advice from Allen-Bradley.
All major manufacturers produce both standard motors and high efficiency motors. Although energy-efficient motors cost more than the standard line, they are usually justified on a [...]
Original article date: July 2000
Allegro Microsystems has introduced a new Hall-effect switch: a low cost device that offers the added benefit of consuming minimal power. DOMINIKIS MAISL put it through its paces
The key design requirements for modern consumer electronic equipment are high reliability, small size, low cost, and low power consumption. One result of these [...]
Original article date: June 2000
InPHorm is an odd name – and we still don’t know how to pronounce it – but it’s a boon for selecting hydraulic cylinders and other components too!
Traditionally, the accurate specification of a hydraulic cylinder has involved searching through tables, locating dimensions, and identifying cushion presses and buckling forces. And when [...]
Original article date: July 1999
Introducing the photoelectric sensors that allow the user to tailor the sensor to suit the application
With more and more demands placed on components for today’s high speed production techniques, engineers are faced with a vast array of different sensors to detect product in the latest complex packaging designs.
Pepperl + Fuchs offer [...]
Original article date: July 1999
Designing safety circuits needs a methodical approach and the application of some basic principles. DEAN TERRELONGE of Erwin Sick guides us through the steps involved.
To design a machine control system that performs efficiently, is cost effective and is safe, is extremely demanding. A designer will usually attend to the function then [...]