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SKF develops sealing solution in record time

SKF has supported Swedish floor grinding machine manufacturer, Scanmaskin, by developing a tailored radial shaft seal for its latest, most high-performing machine, in a record lead-time of four months. The Scanmaskin World Series was developed with support from SKF’s application engineering team in Sweden and has an expected service life of up to 20 years. Paolo Bergstrand, CEO of Scanmaskin, says: “Professional floor grinders operate in harsh conditions, with dust a major issue for machine reliability and performance. The machines need to withstand being used on rough and uneven sources, without compromising on efficiency, calculated by the amount of surface area one can grind per hour of operation.” Anders Jönsson, Sealing Specialist at SKF, says: “Requests to help develop tailored solutions are part of our daily work but what made this request so special was the short lead-time. We only had about four months to design, develop and manufacture a solution that met Scanmaskin’s demanding needs. Our application engineers proposed a Heavy Industrial Seal with an SKF Duralip sealing lip. Made from nitrile rubber, this type of radial shaft seal is also used in chemical mixers, steel mills and other construction applications.” Nils Manne, Application Engineer at SKF, explains: “We needed to find a sealing solution that would protect the driveline from contamination. It also needed to withstand damage which can occur during drivebelt changes as well as the high temperatures associated with continuous operation of the machine over long periods of time.” Seals have a crucial impact on system performance. Life and reliability of what is often considered a simple component can make all the difference to a product and its efficient operation. SKF’s industrial sealing solutions include power transmission seals, hydraulic seals, fluid handling seals and machined seals.

Hypertherm introduces new consumable kits for XPR cutting systems

Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, is shipping consumable kits for its XPR X-Definition Plasma systems. These new consumable starter kits are available with or without a torch for mild steel and non-ferrous cutting applications. The kits include a variety of consumables to allow for cutting at different amperages, using all of the gas process types supported by the XPR170 and XPR300 bsystems. The consumables contain several patent pending technologies to improve consumable life and cut quality. Examples include Cool nozzle and Arc response technology, the latter of which protects consumables from the negative impact of ramp down errors, a regular occurrence in real-life cutting. By reducing the impact of ramp down errors, XPR consumables can last up to three times longer than those on older generation systems. In addition, XPR consumables are designed with ease of use in mind. An EasyConnect feature allows operators to quickly plug the torch lead into the torch connect console without the use of tools, while a patent pending QuickLock electrode delivers easy quarter turn tightening to further reduce setup time. Another new design feature is a quick change torch that enables an operator to rapidly change torches with just one hand. “Whether you are cutting mild steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, these new starter kits will make it easy for XPR customers to get all of the consumables they need in one convenient kit,” said Martin Geheran, product manager for plasma torches and consumables. “We think customers will also enjoy the convenience of the kits that come with a torch as it will give them the option of having a second torch, or even multiple torches, pre-loaded with consumables for even faster change-outs.” Hypertherm designs and manufactures industrial cutting products for use in a variety of industries such […]

MainMan service enhances uptime, safety and maintenance efficiency

Without Konecranes’ efficient cranes and time-saving maintenance programmes, ARC’s business wouldn’t be able to function. Steel reinforcing specialist, Australian Reinforcing Company (ARC), is benefitting from comprehensive, time-saving maintenance programmes and enhanced safety provided by Konecranes’ MainMan Planned Maintenance technology. ARC uses three cranes in its Launceston facility, with lifting capacities from 3t to 6.3t, to move heavy steel products of varying shapes and sizes, including reinforcing bars, reinforcing mesh, pipe cages and a huge range of customised fabrications. ARC’s products are used in industries as diverse as building and construction, infrastructure, civil engineering, energy and water and waste. “Our cranes are essential to our business. Without Konecranes’ efficient and outstanding service, we wouldn’t be able to function,” says ARC Launceston Branch Manager, Ms Wendy Emanuel. “We’ve used Konecranes right from the beginning and it’s not just the maintenance they perform that sets them apart – it’s their staff. The technicians are well-equipped, knowledgeable and polite. Their managers and support staff are easy to talk to and provide valuable feedback after a project has been completed,” she said. With more than 600,000 pieces of lifting equipment under service contract worldwide, Konecranes is the world’s leading crane service organisation. It is constantly introducing new technologies and innovations to improve maintenance efficiency, enhance safety and minimise downtime. MainMan Planned Maintenance Konecranes’ MainMan Planned Maintenance service is designed to provide an in-depth picture of the condition of all cranes and related equipment, as well as routine maintenance work, such as adjusting and lubricating, with the intent of satisfying the manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations. This service includes a preventive maintenance inspection, visual checks, routine maintenance, and operational and functional testing of your lifting equipment. Konecranes’ MainMan Planned Maintenance technology is part of its Lifecycle Care Preventative Maintenance Program, which looks at the whole life of the […]

How much do robots affect jobs and productivity?

Robots’ capacity for autonomous movement and their ability to perform an expanding set of tasks have captured writers’ imaginations for almost a century. Recently robots have emerged from the pages of science fiction novels into the real world, and discussions of their possible economic effects have become ubiquitous (see e.g. The Economist 2014, Brynjolfsson and McAfee 2014). But a serious problem inhibits these discussions – there has so far been no systematic empirical analysis of the effects that robots are already having. Industrial robots increase labour productivity, total factor productivity, and wages. At the same time, while industrial robots had no significant effect on total hours worked, there is some evidence that they reduced the employment of low skilled workers, and to a lesser extent also middle skilled worker. A first glance What exactly are industrial robots? A machine is an industrial robot if it can be programmed to perform physical, production-related tasks without the need of a human controller. (The technical definition refers to a “manipulating industrial robot as defined by ISO 8373: An automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes, which may be either fixed in place or mobile for use in industrial automation applications”.) Industrial robots dramatically increase the scope for replacing human labour compared to older types of machines, since they reduce the need for human intervention in automated processes. Typical applications of industrial robots include assembling, dispensing, handling, processing (for instance, cutting), and welding – all of which are prevalent in manufacturing industries – as well as harvesting (in agriculture) and inspecting of equipment and structures (common in power plants). From 1993-2007, the ratio of the number of robots to hours worked increased on average by about 150%. The industries that increased robot use most rapidly were the producers of transportation […]

Demand for higher quality parts and products to drive generative design

Generative design enables the design of lighter, cheaper components while maintaining strength and solidity, ultimately creating a higher quality product. For that reason, the adoption of generative design software is taking off in aerospace and defence, automotive, footwear and clothing, furniture, industrial machines, and oil and gas industries and leading to an uptick in engineering throughput in each of them, finds ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies. “The rise of the sharing economy and additive manufacturing will drive both demand for and the ability to produce higher-quality goods,” explained Pierce Owen, Principal Analyst at ABI Research. “Generative design expands design possibilities by creating shapes different from those that humans would create. It idealizes the design by creating something that best fits the constraints to optimise the products for various requirements.” For several years now, industrial companies have used geometric topology optimisation – eroding the geometric shape of a product given a set of constraints to improve performance – and are using it more as the use cases for additive manufacturing have increased. Generative design takes that another step by creating, or generating, the geometric shapes from an engineer’s requirements rather than changing existing shapes. Also, unlike topology optimisation, generative design creates many iterations, variations and/or alternatives for engineers to compare, rather than simply removing unnecessary pieces or particles. Additive will drive both generative design and topology optimization as it provides greater build freedom to fulfill a wider variety of designs. Traditional Computer-Aided Design (CAD) vendors such as Dassault Systèmes, Siemens and recently, PTC, already have or will have embedded generative design capabilities within their CAD environments as plug-ins or kernels. PTC acquired Frustum in November 2018 to do exactly that within Creo. Several of Siemens products, including NX, NX Nastran, HEEDS, […]

TIC-TOC technology moves Tactile Internet a step closer to reality

Researchers in South Korea have developed extremely fast information processing technologies that can help usher in the next generation of the Internet. The technology is capable of sending packets of digital information at 25 Gb/s (giga-bit per second) – 10 times faster than currently available speeds. Researchers at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) in South Korea have developed technology capable of sending packets of digital information at 25 Gb/s (giga-bit per second) – 10 times faster than currently available speeds. The technology, named TIC-TOC, is a critical component of the future Tactile Internet, in which information is sent and received at speeds on par with human perception. The technology operates at a speed fast enough to download a 3 GB movie within one second. Furthermore, the TIC-TOC system enables more urgent data to jump ahead of other information packets and be transferred in one milli-second (1/1000 of a second), the same speed at which the human sense of touch works. TIC-TOC stands for “Time Controlled Tactile Optical Access” and is designed to work on 5G networks. The researchers anticipate the TIC-TOC technology will help advance virtual reality and augmented reality in all sorts of sectors, from education and healthcare, to entertainment and public safety. For example, it could be possible to deploy and operate robots in dangerous or disaster areas with instant sight and feel communication between human controllers and machines. When the machine sees something, the humans sees it, and when the human remotely controls the robot’s hand or head, the motion will happen immediately. The same could be true for telesurgery, with a doctor remotely controlling a robot performing the surgery, but the doctor feels as if she were in the operating room because the response is instantaneous. “The Tactile Internet is expected to be the […]

Historian berates billionaires at Davos over tax avoidance

Rutger Bregman tells panel that the real issue is the rich not paying their fair share Martin Farrer A discussion panel at the Davos World Economic Forum has become a sensation after a Dutch historian took billionaires to task for not paying taxes. In a video shared tens of thousands of times, Rutger Bregman, author of the book Utopia for Realists, bemoans the failure of attendees at the recent gathering in Switzerland to address the key issue in the battle for greater equality: the failure of rich people to pay their fair share of taxes. Noting that 1,500 people had travelled to Davos by private jet to hear David Attenborough talk about climate change, he said he was bewildered that no one was talking about raising taxes on the rich. “I hear people talking the language of participation, justice, equality and transparency but almost no one raises the real issue of tax avoidance, right? And of the rich just not paying their fair share,” Bregman tells the Time magazine panel on inequality. “It feels like I’m at a firefighters conference and no one’s allowed to speak about water.” Industry had to “stop talking about philanthropy and start talking about taxes”, he said, and cited the high tax regime of 1950s America as an example to disprove arguments by businesspeople at Davos such as Michael Dell that economies with high personal taxation could not succeed. “That’s it,” he says. “Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is bullshit in my opinion.” A member of the audience, former Yahoo chief financial officer Ken Goldman, challenged his comments and said it was a “one-sided panel”. He argued the fiscal settings across the global economy had been successful and had created record employment. But another panel member, Winnie Byanyima, an Oxfam executive director, took up the fight and said […]

Grundfos honoured as ‘Top Best Supplier’ by Taiwan’s M-Team for third consecutive year

M-Team Chairman Jui-Mu Hsieh (left) hands the ‘Top Best Supplier’ award to John Pien, Grundfos Taiwan’s Plant Director Grundfos Taiwan has been named by the Taiwan Machine Tool Manufacturers Alliance, or M-Team, as ‘Top Best Supplier’ for the third year running, the highest accolade recognising exceptionalperformance and industrial excellence amongst its members from the machine toolsindustry. Grundfos Taiwan first joined the M-Team as a supplier in 2012. After winning the ‘Best Supplier’ award for three consecutive years in 2014, 2015, and 2016, Grundfos Taiwan was conferred the title of ‘Top Best Supplier’ first in 2016, and then subsequently again in 2017, and recently 2018. The award ceremony was held in conjunction with M-Team’s annual general meeting. The ‘Top Best Supplier’ award was inaugurated in 2016, with the aim of recognising outstanding suppliers who have won the ‘Best Supplier’ award for three consecutive years, distinguishing themselves as being amongst the industry’s very best. Grundfos Taiwan’s Plant Director Mr. John Pien said, “We are honoured to be recognised once again, by an industry alliance, as a leader in supplying pumping solutions to the machine tool market. This award is testament to our commitment in leading industry innovation by focusing on local infrastructure and technology development.” “We are proud that our solutions continue to rank among the top in the world, not only in terms of quality, but also in terms of serving the needs of the industries and people in the markets we operate in.” Mr. Pien added. In selecting this year’s winners, M-Team auditors visited all of its suppliers and evaluated their performance based on criteria around lean operation, business, technology, and service. For 2018, Grundfos Taiwan was the only multinational supplier to receive the “Top Best Supplier’ title. The M-Team first began as a collaboration between four major machine tools […]

Low GI sugar sweetens Malaysian tastebuds

Sunshine Sugar’s Low GI Sugar, which commenced production in the Northern Rivers in mid-2018, has now attracted international attention. Following initial enquiries made some eight months ago by Central Sugars Refinery based in Kuala Lumpur, significant tonnage of this all-Australian and Bonsucro certified sustainable product has already made its way to Malaysia, with ongoing supply arrangements in place. Central Sugars Refinery (CSR) is one of Malaysia’s most popular brands providing sugar and specialty sweetener ingredients for consumers, retailers, foodservice distributors, food manufacturers, culinary professionals and specialty markets across Malaysia. Sunshine Sugar’s Low GI sugar has helped to fulfil one of CSR Malaysia’s commitments to the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that it has signed with the National Diabetes Institute of Malaysia (NADI). This MOA collaboration is focused on the promotion of a healthier lifestyle among Malaysians; with a commitment to spread awareness of consuming sugar responsibly, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and fighting diabetes. CSR Malaysia’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Hishammudin Hasan, commented “Low GI sugar, sourced from 100% Australian-owned Sunshine Sugar, will play an important role in our contribution to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and in fighting diabetes and other associated diseases alongside NADI.” CSR Malaysia is packaging the Low GI sugar sourced from New South Wales as ‘Better Brown’, and has supported its introduction with a major advertising campaign pitching a wholesome and tasty sugar that is suitable for every Malaysian looking to lead a healthier lifestyle. It’s successful launch in the Malaysian market has led to ongoing orders of Low GI sugar into 2019. Sunshine Sugar’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Chris Connors said; “The enthusiastic response we have had from CSR Malaysia is testament to the quality and innovation that our Low GI Sugar represents.” He went on to say; “Like many countries, Malaysia has increasing rates […]

Better together: Secutech Thailand to return in October alongside Digital Thailand Big Bang

In a boost to Thailand’s smart city and digital infrastructure sectors, the organisers of Secutech Thailand, Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd, have announced that the 7th edition of the fair will be co-located with Digital Thailand Big Bang 2019. The two fairs will take place from 28 – 31 October 2019 at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre, providing trade visitors with plenty of cross-sector sourcing opportunities. With a special focus on security solutions for intelligent security, fire & safety, smart living, and info security, Secutech Thailand is widely recognised as a must-attend trade fair for security industry professionals from across the ASEAN region. Owing to its wide ranging coverage of all things security, the show has experienced steady year-on-year growth since its first edition in 2011. At the previous edition, the fair spanned 7,000 sqm and attracted a record 250 exhibiting brands (2017:150), as well as 8,420 visitors (2017: 8,326). With a shared interest for digital security innovations, Digital Thailand Big Bang was launched in 2017 to aid the development of Thailand’s digital infrastructure. Organised by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), the fair receives strong government sector backing, and promulgates technologies that improve urban living standards, city management systems, digital agriculture, fintech and the digital economy. The B2C platform aligns with the government’s push towards Thailand 4.0 by creating social awareness of new innovations and technologies that are driving Thailand’s digital transformation. The Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd, Ms Regina Tsai, spoke about how running the upcoming edition of Secutech Thailand alongside Digital Thailand Big Bang will deliver positive outcomes for participants of both trade fairs: “The unique positioning of both shows will ensure that trade visitors with complex sourcing requirements are accommodated, particularly with regards to […]

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