March 2013 When developing a new pneumatic valve, the most unlikely solution turned out to be the best. Developers Christophe Champouillon and Wolf Gerecke report on why the AV03 valve unit can be close both to the actuator and to the customer. The products now on the market have in the meantime become quite similar. [...]
November 2012 High productivity in a small package. SMI satisfies this demand, put forth by the solar collector industry, with an automation concept devised by Rexroth and incorporating a number of different technologies. The welding line is the heart of the manufacturing process for thermal collector panels. This is the line where the two main [...]
November 2012 Chinese engine manufacturer CSSC-MES Diesel has adopted modular systems and halved delivery periods for its large marine diesel engines. Large ships need powerful drives such as those built by Chinese engine manufacturer CSSC-MES Diesel Co. Ltd. (CMD) in Shanghai. That firm manufactures slow-running, high-power diesel engines – boasting cylinders 980 millimeters in diameter, [...]
November 2012 The largest yacht ever built with lightweight materials is pointing the way to the future of shipbuilding. Also on board are leading-edge hydraulic systems made by Rexroth. Baltic Yachts, specializing in high-performance cruisers, long kept developments under wraps. The only leak from the dockyards at Pietarsaari, Finland, on the Gulf of Bothnia, was: [...]
March 2012 On Lake Lucerne, a catamaran sets course for tomorrow. One key to its success is Marex OS II. When most people speak of the “Swiss fleet”, they are usually making a joke about this land-locked Alpine nation. But Ralph Erb is serious when he talks about the future of Swiss shipping. Traffic is [...]
July 2011 GB Glace, an ice cream manufacturer in Sweden, has slashed costs and boosted process quality with a decentralized pneumatic concept. Making ice cream would seem to be a recession-proof business – since that treat is both a tasty pleasure in the summer and a source of comfort on dreary days. In addition to [...]
March 2011 High-tech entertainment electronics – from diminutive MP3 players to large LED screens – are what Blusens Global Corporation manufactures on its new, automated line. And it has to be one thing above all: flexible. At Blusens, located in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, the spirits are high. This manufacturer of modern entertainment electronics [...]
October 2010 Pneumatic equipment installed in roller coasters from Switzerland makes for more fun and greater safety. The roller coasters built by Bolliger & Mabillard are genuine attractions at amusement and adventure parks. Dizzying heights, tight curves, steep drops and high speeds. That’s also true for the hyper coasters. Barely has the rider entered the [...]
October 2010 New packing lines built in Norway stack milk cartons twenty percent faster. Milk straight from the cow and into the glass? That might be possible, but only on the farm. Consumers in towns nonetheless want their milk just that fresh. This requires quick filling and packing. The Norwegian automation specialists at Advanced Machine [...]
October 2010 Electric, hydraulic, pneumatic: How do the different types of drives work, and which drives are the best choice for a specific purpose. Electric drives How they work Electrical energy is converted into mechanical kinetic energy. Two magnetic fields, one each at a stator and a rotor, interact. As the magnetic fields constantly try [...]