A Swedish start-up has developed an innovative wave power technology that uses heavy-duty ballscrews to convert the linear up-and-down motion of sea swells into rotational motion that drives a generator.
The soaring demand for hygienic products for use in the fight against Covid-19 means that machine utilisation and uptime are a critical to the global wet-wipe manufacturer, Nice-Pak. When the company needed to upgrade a converting machine at a plant in Wales, it had to install a safety system within a strict timeframe.
India’s biggest car-maker, Maruti Suzuki, is turning increasingly to the CC-Link open network to help it cut its automation costs, to share data, and to make its operations more efficient.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is using an automated testing machine to ensure that tennis balls meet its tough standards. The machine performs a battery of tests without needing any human intervention.
Automation technology is being combined with the ancient craft of barrel-making at a Scottish cooperage, where two robots and a purpose-designed lathe are being used to refurbish traditionally built oak barrels.
Visitors to the renowned Venice Biennale art festival this year can see a striking exhibit in which a sketch drawn on an iPad is transferred in real time into a version scratched onto a glass surface by a diamond ring. Developing the mechatronic positioning system that turned artist Ron Arad’s vision into a practical reality was a daunting task with tough time limits.
The Swiss engineering consultancy FiveCo has developed a system that can move and rotate computer monitors and TV screens in a co-ordinated manner with images being displayed on them, opening up new opportunities for advertising and other public displays.
A 15MW direct-drive permanent magnet motor weighing around 300 tonnes is being installed at a UK facility to test and develop the next generation of wind turbine components.
A Scottish company has supplied the heat pump system for the world’s largest natural heat pump district heating installation, which is being commissioned in Norway. The installation includes six ammonia compressors driven by large water-cooled MV motors whose waste heat is being recovered to maximise efficiency.
A 3MW medium-voltage drive and a 3.26MW 12-pole motor are providing the motive power for the world’s first facility dedicated to testing drivetrains for marine-based renewable energy systems.
At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover unveiled a range of seven electric research vehicles powered by a switched reluctance (SR) motor and drive system developed in the UK.
An innovative system for testing railway point-changers using a linear actuator has cut testing times by two thirds while enhancing operator safety.
Monitoring the positions of bottle caps is a challenge for the beverage industry, usually demanding intricate inspection systems. A German company has developed a system that uses just one smart camera, thus cutting costs and simplifying installation, while achieving a detection rate of almost 100%.
A tiny satellite, due to be launched in March, will be Scotland’s first spacecraft. It is relying on slightly modified miniature DC motors to keep it stable in orbit.