TechArchive

Original article date: May 1999 A fluid amplification technique from the oil and gas industry could soon be cleaning your lounge carpet. Alan Quinn reports on the latest Hoover development. No bags to buy…no replacement filters to buy…that’s the proposition offered by the Hoover Vortex vacuum cleaner available this month to the electrical trade. The [...]

Original article date: November 1999 We all know that ergonomics in the workplace is important. And you can leave the technicalities to the suppliers, as Bott tells David Norris There may be companies which are concerned only with avoiding prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive, with little regard for the well-being of their workforce. [...]

Original article date: February 2000 Are you considering using robotics for the first time, but don’t know where to start? Tommy Miller suggests one possibility: Edubot Taking the first steps towards using robotics can be a very daunting prospect for many people. The fear of the unknown, along with the possibility of spending thousands of [...]

Original article date: October 1999 The Government’s Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme says that tagging saves money. Tommy Miller reports on how it can Essentially, the tagging of products can reduce waste for companies through automation, distribution, production/product quality, recycling/ disposal, security and warehousing. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that tagging is now becoming more [...]

Original article date: November 1999 A new standard for electrical and fluid power installations on machines seems to be emerging. Tommy Miller investigates Desina is described as a fully comprehensive system to bring standardisation and decentralisation to the field of fluid power and electrical installations on machinery and equipment; the word itself is an abbreviation [...]

Original article date: November 1999 Sealed connectors have traditionally been too expensive or too bulky. But Tommy Miller finds a range that breaks the mould When specifying sealed connectors for use in industrial or harsh external environments, equipment manufacturers have always been faced with the question of whether to choose costly circular connectors approved for [...]

Original article date: September 1998 Interlocks can be incorporated into rotary switches control units exchange boxes and door locking devices to govern many types of industrial equipment. Here’s how to specify them correctly. Safe operation of plant and machinery can only be ensured by following a correct procedure. Actions carried out incorrectly or in ignorance [...]

Original article date: June 1999 A radically different approach to cabinet design by Willsher & Quick should bring accessibility and utilisation benefits for installers and end users The new Access system free-standing enclosure from Willsher & Quick dispenses with conventional construction techniques by incorporating square tubular top and bottom frame sections, linked by a pair [...]

Original article date: September 1999 Devicenet is becoming more popular and is being used on smaller plant and machines, as our man John McGreal finds out It is hard to believe that Devicenet was only launched in 1995. Since then, this open fieldbus system has matured, largely as a result of the wide range of [...]

Original article date: October 1999 Pilz has updated its well-known PC-based guide to its range of safety products. Tommy Miller tries out the latest version Having decided that your machine needs to be CE marked, and that it must therefore have the appropriate safety components, how do you choose what to use? Of course the [...]