TechArchive

Original article date: April 2000 Ian McLeod of Papst, explains why doubling the number of fans doesn’t always produce the desired results The idea of mounting two fans in series or parallel often arises when one fan isn’t up to the task of cooling and a larger one just won’t fit. The only time two [...]

Original article date: April 1999 Technical support is becoming more of an issue these days. With computers, this is partly because the advent of Windows 95, etc, has made computers more complex behind the scenes – while apparently more accessible to total non-techies. This is pretty apparent when you look at the new crop of [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 When networking devices together in a plant environment, what are the options? Echelon LONWorks is a peer-to-peer networking system which has many advantages. Intelligent control networks have until now been costly or limited in applicability. Communications protocols are difficult to design and implement and tools for [...]

Original article date: March 1998 Monitoring the load on a motor that is driving a machine or process can give valuable information. On a mixer or agitator for example as the viscosity increases it will take more power to stir the mixture. When cutting metal as a tool gets dull it takes more power to [...]

Original article date: February 2000 Need a flexible coupling? Worried about longevity? Tommy Miller has been finding out about a coupling that indicates the applied torque and whether wear is starting to occur Flexible shaft couplings come in many shapes and sizes. Some are cumbersome and heavy, whilst others are complex, expensive affairs that are [...]

Original article date: July 1998 Phil Mould Managing Director of TRAQ Fasteners introduces the Bi_Fix range of quarter-turn fasteners ideal for use in most industries where access reliability and aesthetics are equally important. The Bi-Fix quarter-turn fastener is used for securing panels and components where accessibility is important. It can be used wherever two elements [...]

Original article date: October 1998 The TwinCAT is an open universal automation system offering PC-based processing without add-on processors. It can also be used for axis position control replacing conventional positioning modules and NC controls. PC-based automation systems are currently being implemented as either a PLC process control computer or NC control system combined with [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 David Milborn of British Steel Engineering Steels explains the latest developments in air-cooled forging steels Air-cooled carbon and micro-alloyed steels are steels which instead of being heat treated after forging, are cooled in controlled conditions, either in still air or in an air-stream created by a [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 Every piece of equipment or machinery which incorporates rotating elements has a number of frequencies at which it tends to vibrate. These are known as eigen or natural frequencies. Designers have to try and avoid running machinery close to these points as this can result in [...]

Original article date: March 2000 Press fit terminations have several benefits over soldered joints, argues STEPHEN SMITH of Cambridge Connectors. And health and safety considerations are high on the list. Soldering invariably creates fumes associated with the rosin (colophony) based fluxes used in the process. When heated to temperatures in excess of 200degC, rosin-based solder [...]