The Japanese motor-maker Nidec and the US private equity firm KPS Capital Partners are reported to be in a bidding battle to acquire Innomotics, the business that Siemens set up last year to spin off its motors and large drives activities. According to Bloomberg News, the bidders have been asked to make second-round bids for the business, which has sales worth €3bn and could fetch a similar sum if sold.
NSK is developing a "world-first" technique for diagnosing the remaining life of lubricant grease rapidly and accurately by monitoring changes in colour as it ages. It will offer the capability as a mobile app, allowing users to perform on-site analysis of the condition of the lubricants in their bearings and linear motion systems, thus reducing the need for grease inspections and cutting replenishment costs, and helping them to implement condition-based maintenance strategies.
Grease degrades over time, so on-site inspection of lubricants is essential to maximise uptime and OEE (overall equipment effectiveness). Industrial companies are increasingly switching from time-based to condition-based maintenance strategies. There is therefore a need for an accurate method of diagnosing grease degradation that can be deployed rapidly on site. It would also help to tackle labour shortages and to support carbon neutrality efforts.
Control Techniques has announced a variable-speed drive designed to maximise the efficiency of sensorless permanent magnet (PM) motors, cutting their running costs while optimising system performance.
Enginuity, a charity whose mission is to find new ways of closing the UK’s engineering and manufacturing skills gap, has published a roadmap aimed at securing the future of the sector. It is calling on employers, training providers, and policymakers to work together on five key priorities for building and maintaining a skilled workforce for the future.
Invertek Drives has launched two compact-frame HVAC-R drives aimed at OEMs who are having to move to R290 (propane) and R744 (CO2) refrigerants, as well as A2L and A3 types which support the F-Gas regulations. The new frame size 3 and 4 drives add higher current capabilities to the company's Optidrive Coolvert (HVAC-R) family, which is designed for use with brushless DC compressors, heat pumps and CDUs (condensing units), allowing HVAC-R OEMs to optimise their system performance in a compact space.
The British electric motor developer and manufacturer, Saietta, has entered administration after failing to find a buyer for a production line in Sunderland after a deal to manufacture electrical steering pumps there under contract fell through.
Siemens has developed a “revolutionary” multi-function circuit protection device that it says is to 1,000 times faster than conventional devices and needs up to 80% less space in distribution boards. If circuit faults occur, the Sentron ECPD (electronic circuit protection device) switches them off electronically and, if necessary, can trip mechanical isolating contacts downstream. Previously, such disconnections have needed electromechanical elements.
Collaborative UK projects to develop advanced motors, inverters and silicon carbide power modules are to receive Government funding as part of a £360m package of support for the UK manufacturing sector announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, in the run-up to his Spring Budget. The package includes £200m of joint industry and government in zero-carbon aircraft technologies, £92m for medicines and diagnostics products, and £73m for electric vehicle technologies, including motors and inverters.
The Chinese motor manufacturer Moons Industries has set up a UK subsidiary based in Reading, Berkshire.
Schneider Electric has launched a hardware-agnostic digital platform that collects and aggregates data across industrial operations to develop KPIs (key performance indicators) for short-interval management (SIM) meetings, where shopfloor teams review production cycles and identify issues and actions that need to be implemented.
The German sensor-maker Sick has unveiled what it claims in the world’s first photoelectric proximity sensor with a touchscreen display. The W10 sensor’s swipe-up touchscreen technology, combined with simple icons, makes set-up and teach-in “intuitive”, the comopny says.
Almost half of all machine-builders in the UK and Ireland have no strategy in place to embark on a digital transformation of their businesses, according to a survey conducted by Siemens. Moreover, just 17% of them are planning to implement smart and connected technologies in the coming two years, despite many of them having assets that are already IoT-ready and sensor-enabled.
Germany’s SPS automation mega-show is showing signs of returning to its pre-pandemic scale, despite difficulties in its domestic industrial market. We look at some of the trends and technologies at the 2023 event which took place in November.
On its stand at the 2023 SPS exhibition, the safety specialist Schmersal was demonstrating several of its technologies including a recently launched 3D camera which uses time-of-flight (ToF) technology to measure infrared (850nm) light pulses reflected from objects being monitored. The AM-T100 camera creates a millimetre-accurate 3D image of the scene at high speed that is available as a point cloud. It can be used to determine the position and the dimensions of objects or detect fill levels of containers, for example.
SEW-Eurodrive says it is redefining what “standard” means with a compact frequency inverter that can be used for applications from open-loop speed control and encoder-free torque control, to dynamic positioning. Its new Movitrac Advanced inverter offers a high degree of standardisation and is suitable for use in more than 50 countries.
Phoenix Contact has a new Profisafe safety controller that operates as an expansion module for its AXC F 2152 or AXC F 3152 PLCnext controllers. The AXC F XT SPLC 3000 controller adds a safety PLC for Profinet networks to PLCnext. It can be used in applications up to SIL3 or PLe.
The Chinese automation giant Inovance is continuing to push into the European market and at SPS demonstrated a selection of its technologies including AC drives, servodrives and motors, motion controls, CNC controllers, PLCs and HMIs. Although still having a relatively low profile in Europe, Inovance claims to lead the Chinese servodrives market (with 3.4m drives sold in 2022) and to be just behind ABB in the Chinese LV AC drives market (with 4.4m LV and MV drives shipped in 2022).
Sumitomo Drive Technologies has released a new generation of its E Cyclo (ECY) precision cycloidal shaft gears with higher torque densities and modular plug-and-play connectors that fit any motor. It claims that the ECY 203 and ECY 205 gearboxes deliver at least 30% more rated torque, acceleration torque, and emergency stop torque, compared to previous models. The maximum drive speed is up to 8,500 rpm.
Elmo Motion Control, the Israeli controls manufacturer owned by Bosch Rexroth, unveiled several new ranges at the 2023 SPS exhibition in Germany including the first AC servodrive in its Platinum family to offer full functional safety. The Platinum Bassoon delivers up to 10A at 230V, and up to 3.25kW of continuous power. It can drive brushless, DC brushed and linear motors, or voice-coil devices.
A new organisation has been launched to champion the uptake of automation in UK manufacturing. Called the UK Automation Forum, it brings together industry experts, end-users, policy-makers and technology suppliers to discuss the adoption of automation technologies in the UK.
The German drives and automation supplier Baumüller says it is offering one of the fastest drive-integrated PLCs on the market with its new b maXX 6000 servodrives, which deliver field bus cycle times of up to 250µs. The b maXX PLC di drive-integrated controller can handle scalable control tasks up to high-performance synchronous multi-axis applications. It can replace central process loop controls because the PLC can also be used as EtherCat master for controlling other servo converters.
The German sensor specialist Sick has unveiled an all-in-one system for automated goods receipt. Using a digital platform to gather, process and prepare package-relevant data, it employs cutting-edge scanning technologies to manage shipments of any size. The system is scalable from manual to fully automated package recording, and can be integrated with handling and sorting systems.
A new small controller from Lenze (the c430) offers basic motion control for compact machines and uses the same code as other members of its latest generation of controllers (the c520 and c550), allowing machine-builders to switch between without sacrificing any code. This makes it possible for them to automate their machines in a much more targeted and efficient way and to scale up (or down) performance if necessary. Prefabricated software modules can reduce time-to-market.
B&R has launched an AI-enhanced online community where users of its automation technology can collaborate and share knowledge. The B&R Community brings together machine-builders, systems integrators, end-users and others interested in harnessing the power of collective automation know-how. Users can connect with a global network of experts and peers, forming a “repository of collective wisdom”.
At the 2023 SPS show in Germany,, Beckhoff announced several new motor developments. For example, there was a series of modular servomotors with integrated water cooling, resulting in extremely high power densities, and delivering rated powers of up to 40kW in the smallest installation space
The German engineering group Schaeffler has joined forces with two Korean organisations – the robot developer Rainbow Robotics, and the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (Keti) – to co-develop AI-powered mobile dual-arm robots aimed at autonomous manufacturing applications.
UK Research and Innovation has awarded grants totalling £3.7m to 11 late-stage robotics and automation collaborative projects aimed at improving productivity, sustainability and resilience. The 9-15-month projects, covering areas such as process control, machine vision and gripper technologies, have each secured £107,000–£535,000. The winning projects involve a total of 30 organisations.
Saudi Arabia has embarked on an ambitious programme to make it a global leader in robotics and industrial automation. It has set up a company called Alat which has formed a strategic partnership with the Japanese investment group SoftBank to develop “groundbreaking” industrial robots and to create a next-generation industrial automation infrastructure with the aim of establishing 32,000 “leading edge” factories in the Kingdom by 2025. An investment budget of $100bn has been allocated to Alat (which will also be promoting other high-tech activities). The robotics project is predicted to be contributing $1bn to Saudi GDP as soon as 2025.
A UK start-up has emerged from a period of stealth to announce that it has developed a patented switched reluctance motor (SRM) technology which reduces torque ripple by 50%, making it significantly smoother and quieter than other SRMs. Monumo, based in Cambridge and Coventry, recently raised a £10.5m in seed funding and says it has signed NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) with numerous tier one engineering companies and OEMs.
The German engineering plastics specialist igus is developing a new generation of flange bearings with built-in miniature wireless sensors that allow their state of wear to be monitored and predictive maintenance to be implemented to help prevent machine breakdowns.
Siemens has bought the German visual inspection start-up Inspekto from its venture capitalist owner, D11Z Ventures, for an undisclosed sum. Inspekto has developed an AI-driven, machine-vision-based QA (quality assurance) technology that can be installed “within minutes” without needing systems integrators or the lengthy processes usually associated with setting up QA systems.
Siemens Digital Industries has announced simulation software that helps developers of electric vehicles (EVs) and their supply chains to predict the performance of e-machines, including axial-flux drives. The Simcenter E-Machine Design software brings together electromagnetic and thermal simulation, helping to reduce reliance on physical prototypes, and to accelerating innovation.
The British electric motor developer and manufacturer, Saietta, has abandoned plans to manufacture electrical steering pumps at a former ZF Automotive plant in Sunderland. It says it has been unable to reach commercial agreement on a contract to manufacture the pumps for a customer and that it has received a £600,000 offer for the production line. Following the news, Saietta’s share price fell by more than half.
The German robot-maker Kuka has developed an AR (augmented reality) app that visualises robot cells live on a smartphone or tablet, helping to achieve fast, safe start-ups. The free KUKA.MixedReality Assistant app does not need an AR headset or other dedicated hardware.
Following record orders in both 2021 and 2022, sales of industrial robots fell by 30% in North America during 2023, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). North American companies bought a total of 31,159 robots in 2023, compared to the 44,196 they ordered in 2022, and 39,708 in 2021.
ABB has launched a liquid-cooled version of its SynRM (synchronous reluctance) motor, combining the benefits of IE5 energy efficiency with effective cooling. The motors, which were first previewed at the SPS exhibition in 2022, can save energy and cut emissions in new projects or as drop-in replacements for less efficient motors.
Senseye, the UK-based condition monitoring specialist acquired by Siemens in 2022, has added a generative AI (artificial intelligence) function to its predictive maintenance Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), making it more conversational and intuitive to use. Siemens says the development will make human-machine interactions and predictive maintenance faster and more efficient by enhancing proven machine-learning capabilities with generative AI.
Schneider Electric has collaborated with Intel and the open-source software developer Red Hat to release a Distributed Control Node (DCN) software framework that, they say, will help to drive open automation. The framework, an extension of Schneider’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert, will allow industrial companies to migrate from vendor-specific hardware to a software-defined, plug-and-produce model, allowing them to enhance their operations, ensure quality, reduce complexity, and optimise costs.
More than 20 million low-voltage AC drives, worth more than $14bn, were shipped globally during 2023 as the market continued to expand, new data from Interact Analysis shows. But the pace of growth slowed during the year and is expected to continue to do so in 2024, before steady growth returns to the market in 2025. IA is predicting a CAGR of 4% over the period to 2028, in line with expectations for the manufacturing economy as a whole.
An online tool that helps people assess their prospects for a career in drives, controls, power electronics and machines, has been launched by the Electric Revolution Skills (ERS) Hub – the UK Government-backed platform that provides a national skills resource to help attract people into the “electrification” sector.
A Greek automation start-up has announced an IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) controller that can be programmed and monitored via a smartphone, and avoids the need for programming expertise. Erqos says that the €145 EQSP32 controller can be used for industrial or home automation applications, as well as for instrumentation and for remote monitoring and control.
Mitsubishi Electric has developed an AI tool that analyses manual tasks on production lines in a few minutes and visualises how the tasks could be performed more efficiently to improve productivity. The company says that tool can cut the time needed to analyse such tasks by up to 99%.
There were more than 420 million cyberattacks on the world’s critical infrastructure last year – equivalent to 13 attacks every second, and a 30% increase on 2022 – according to a new report by the cyber-research organisation, Forescout Research.
Aerotech has launched a series of slimline single- and multi-axis digital PWM servodrives for use with its Automation1 motion control platform, at a lower cost than its higher performance drives. The two-axis XA4 and the single-axis iXA4 drives are both cost less than €2,000. Both versions are available either as standalone motion controllers or as part of PC-based systems with I/O expansion options. A four-axis version will follow later this year, as well as I/O expansion and DC motor supply input for the entire series.
A US company, Molg, which is developing robotic microfactories that can autonomously assemble and disassemble complex electronic products such as variable-speed drives, is one of three winners of ABB’s 2023 Accelerating Circularity Startup Challenge. The competition attracted entries from more than 100 start-ups from around the world. Each winner receives $30,000 to develop their concept in collaboration with ABB.
A European project has developed an iron silicon powder which can be used to 3D-print components for electric motors. This could increase their efficiencies and reduce the consumption of materials compared to the standard practice of cutting and moulding sheet metal to create motors. The powder, produced using a laser-based bed fusion technology, could also cut motor weights “significantly”, without affecting their performance.
A variable-speed drive is the first industrial product to be certified for use in the US after some of the required tests were conducted using digital simulation. The simulation was verified and validated with physical testing.
Siemens and Sony are joining forces to combine a new head-mounted display with Siemens software to create a new technology that will allow designers and engineers to create and explore design concepts in borderless immersive workspaces. The development was unveiled at CES – the Consumer Electronics Show – in Las Vegas this month, where Siemens also announced partnerships with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Red Bull Racing and others, aimed at propelling its vision of the industrial metaverse.
The US motor-maker Infinitum has unveiled the next generation of its Aircore EC high-efficiency motor system with the claim that it is 20% lighter than the previous version, and is easier to install and service. The motor, which has a built-in variable-frequency drive, delivers system efficiencies upwards of 93%, as well as “class-leading” power and torque density in a low-footprint package.
The German drive and automation specialist Baumüller has developed a smart energy monitoring function which can be incorporated into its servodrives, allowing users to analyse energy consumption per cycle without needing external hardware, thus saving both space and costs of wiring and hardware.
The Brazilian motors and drives manufacturer WEG has announced a new series of lift drives that, it says, “redefine elevator technology”. The ADL500 drives use a technology called EBC500 (Electronic Brake Control) that eliminates the need for contactors in what WEG calls a “zero contactors concept”.
ABB is buying a majority stake in the Bosnian software service provider Meshmind to expand its R&D capabilities in AI, industrial IoT and machine vision. Financial details of the deal have not been released.
German researchers are developing a large mobile robot that, they believe, could bring much more flexibility to industrial applications than conventional fixed-base robot systems. The mobile platform, built by the German firm Broetje-Automation, carries a six-axis Comau robot arm with a 150kg load capacity.
Siemens has upgraded the hardware and software of its Sinamics S210 servodrives, making them more suitable for applications with high dynamics – such as packaging and pick-and-place machines – with ratings from 50W-7kW. The new-generation drives have a second encoder interface, making it easier to control individual axes, and they can connect to direct-measuring systems to compensate for mechanical looseness and tolerances. This increases precision, says Siemens, opening up new applications.
The German encoder specialist Heidenhain has developed a rotary encoder with a built-in accelerometer that allows position measurements and vibration analysis to be performed by a single component, thus simplifying condition monitoring and maintenance planning in high-wear automated systems.
Omron has launched a motor condition-monitoring device that automates the detection of abnormalities in servomotors or induction motors that change speed or load rapidly. By analysing more than 400 parameters derived from current and voltage measurements, the K7DD-PQ device can detect failure modes such as worn blades, chip entanglement, or deteriorating bearings. It eliminates the need to rely on the experience and senses of skilled workers, reduces inspection efforts, and avoids unexpected equipment failures.
Growth in the global market for low-voltage AC motors market slowed from 16.4% in 2022 to 4.2% in 2023, and will fall back even further in 2024, according to a report by Interact Analysis. It expects worldwide revenues to reach almost $16.6bn this year, with average sales prices for motors increasing by 1.2%.
Easyfairs, which describes itself as the world’s largest privately owned exhibition organiser, is buying European Trade & Exhibition Services (Etes), which organises the UK’s annual Southern Manufacturing & Electronics exhibition. The 2024 event, which takes place at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre from 6–8 February, will be run by Etes, but Easyfairs will take over after that. The details of the transaction have not been revelaed.
ABB is buying the Swiss AI-based AMR navigation specialist Sevensense, for an undisclosed sum. ABB, which has had a minority stake in Sevensense since 2021, says that the acquisition makes it the leader in next-generation AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) that integrate Visual Slam (simultaneous localisation and mapping) technology with hardware and software. In 2021, ABB bought the Spanish AMR developer, ASTI Mobile Robotics.
The Japanese bearings-maker NSK claims that it can revise the basic dynamic load rating of many of its rolling bearings to double their rolling contact fatigue life without any changes to their design or materials, following a “breakthrough” in the way bearing lives are calculated – the first significant change to these calculations in more than 60 years. The development will help end-users to improve productivity, cut the frequency with which they need to replace their bearings, and reduce waste.
The Scottish engineering services provider Edwin James Group has bought Burton-on-Trent-based Automated Control Solutions Holdings and its subsidiaries Automated Control Solutions and ACS Electrical Engineering (together trading as ACS), for an undisclosed sum.
British manufacturers are viewing the UK as a more competitive place to locate their activities than they did 12 months ago, with an growing number believing they are moving ahead of their European rivals. However, they remain wary of the threats posed by the US, India and China.
The Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades (AEMT) is working with the British Standards Institute (BSI) and Innovate UK’s Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge, to develop an AI-powered tool to help electromechanical repairers ensure that they repair hazardous area motors to the correct standard.
A consortium of German organisations, led by Schaeffler, is developing techniques that will allow electric motor components to be re-used at the end of the motor’s life, rather than being shredded and recycled, as happens at present.
The German engineering plastics specialist igus has developed a humanoid hand gripper that allows its ReBeL family of low-cost collaborative robots (cobots) to take on human-like tasks. The hand, made of lubrication-free plastics, has been designed to imitate human hand movements, and costs from £2,668 ($3,367) in the UK.
The UK motors and gearboxes manufacturer, Parvalux, has officially opened a new £30m headquarters building in Poole, Dorset, which brings together operations which were previously spread across three sites. The company, which was acquired by the Swiss motor-maker maxon in 2018, is hoping to double in size by 2030.