Hydrogen is an increasingly popular energy carrier. It can be readily produced from water using renewable electricity, and it burns without any greenhouse gas emissions. It is colorless, odorless, and does not spill. It’s no wonder there is a great interest in hydrogen engines as a part of destination zero. In this article, Cummins explains how hydrogen fuel can power a vehicle by comparing the similarities and differences between hydrogen and diesel and gas engines and provides some examples of hydrogen engines in mobility and transport.
Stefan Lehnert recently discussed functional safety in hydraulics with Lukas Marschall. In their presentation, How to Successfully Implement the Requirements from Functional Safety on Your Hydraulic System, they consider regulations, product offerings and application examples with respect to hydraulic systems. The IH04 modules are the latest product offering from Bosch Rexroth. These modules are not yet available in North America; however, Bosch Rexroth is exploring how quickly they can make a certification for the US. Still, the applications and information in this article are relevant for those who work on presses or other machines and want to implement functional safety.
A premier manufacturer of moving stage displays for A-list entertainers was tasked with designing an overhead lighting device that transforms from a globe, into individual petals forming a flower. Each “petal” needed to be actuated independently. The entire structure needed to be as lightweight as possible to attach above the stage in diverse locations, and to minimize shipping costs. High ticket prices and large concert revenues at each event required a highly reliable actuator solution with 100% safety and no risk of failure.
Read more: Creating a Series of Animatronic Flower Petals...
ABB has been awarded two major contracts by Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of turnkey solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, to provide the electrical systems for two new hydrogen plants in North America, set to collectively produce 60 tons of green hydrogen per day. Green hydrogen is produced with renewable energy sources and emits zero carbon when used as fuel.
Read more: ABB to Electrify Two Plants in North America Set...
Data has always existed in the manufacturing environment - in the temperatures, pressures, sounds, and appearance of machinery - but is has not always been easy to access it. Manufacturing professionals would spend years, if not decades, gaining the expertise that would help them understand the meaning of certain measurements and observations. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) promises to revolutionize this learning process by turning such observations into quantitative trends that can be leveraged for decision-making. Consequently, many manufacturers are eager to figure out the best way to dip their toes into the water of IIoT. In this post, Omron looks at some of the overarching strategies for making the most of this new way of using data.
Read more: Four Steps to Getting Your First IIoT Projects...
ABB has released its Sustainability Report 2021, outlining the achievements of the company under the four pillars of its ambitious 2030 sustainability strategy. Some hightlihgts of the report include (1) Strong start to achieving 2030 goals of sustainability strategy, (2) ABB cuts own CO2 emissions by 39% in 2021 vs. baseline year of 2019, and (3) ABB one of the first companies in its industry to disclose the eligibility of its offerings in new sustainability classification system “EU taxonomy”
Servo systems are widely used in many precision applications. While careful deliberation on the optimum servo motor, servo drive, and feedback elements is the norm, the cables that connect the power and feedback are often an afterthought that compromises the desired system performance. The four key specifications that must be considered when choosing the right cable design for a servo system are voltage, current, shielding, and flexibility.
A global manufacturer of sanitary conveyor systems used in food and pharmaceutical industries recently began exploring the next generation of variable frequency drive technologies available to power its platforms. A need for better communications for IoT and remote access, improved quality and reliability, and global access to supplies were critical to ensuring the manufacturer could satisfy its customers. This is where Invertek Drives and its Optidrive E3 NEMA 4X / IP66 range of VFDs came in.
Read more: Sanitary Conveyor Manufacturer Opts for Invertek...
Royal HaskoningDHV is pleased to announce that Schneider Electric is now a global preferred supplier for its Nereda® wastewater treatment solution. As a preferred supplier, Schneider Electric will combine the capabilities of its EcoStruxure™ Automation Expert solution, the world’s first universal automation system, with the Nereda technology to develop the next generation of Nereda Process Control. The control system will improve plant process efficiency and allow wastewater customers to have complete lifecycle management, seamless integration of IT/OT services, and improved system diagnostics for their automation systems. and industrial sites.
In today’s industrial manufacturing space, it’s never one thing. Processes are connected, workflows are unified, and decisions in one arena have ripple effects that can impact an entire industrial ecosystem. No one knows this better than systems integrators, who are tasked with coming up with new and better industrial automation solutions every day.
Read more: Why Motor Control Panel (MCP) vs. Motor Control...
Editor's Pick: Featured Article
Put to the Ultimate Test – Part 1: Torsion Tests by HELUKABEL
Cables and wires in industrial robots and other moving machine parts are often required to withstand extreme stresses caused by torsion. Constant repetitive movements put materials under considerable strain. At the same time, operators expect components to function perfectly and reliably throughout their entire service life to avoid disruptions, outages and safety hazards.
For this reason, at HELUKABEL, we simulate intensive and continuous torsion stresses under realistic conditions with our high-tech testing equipment in Windsbach. We have several types of apparatus for doing this because some of our customers, for example those in the automotive industry, have very precise specifications for how a torsion test is carried out. The tests show that our cables and wires withstand speeds up to 1,000°/s, accelerations up to 2,000°/s² and torsion angles up to 720°. Hence, we make sure that each product always meets our customers’ high standards, and that they receive the impeccable quality they rightly expect from us as a leading supplier of cables, wires and accessories for more than 40 years.
What Is Torsion?
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Festo Didactic at the Forefront of Developing Canada’s Future Work Force
With Canadian manufacturing suffering from a growing labour shortage, the participation of industry in skills development is emerging as a vital component in hiring and retention.
The needs are stark: The Canadian Exporters and Manufacturers Association says almost 40% of its members have jobs they can’t fill. Five years from now, 60% expect to be short-staffed, especially when it comes to skilled trades. Statistics Canada forecasts the country’s labour force growth rate will remain below 0.2% for the rest of the decade, below replacement levels.
This growing shortage is affecting companies of all sizes. Already, some manufacturers acknowledge losing out on contracts because they can’t find the manpower to fulfill them.
In reality, the challenge is two-fold: to replenish and expand the workforce to help close the gap between the number of job seekers and vacancies through 2030 when the last baby boomers reach age 65, and ensure workers get opportunities throughout their careers to upgrade or add to their skillset as current technologies evolve and new ones emerge. Festo, through Festo Didactic, one of the world leading provider of equipment and solutions for technical education, intends to help Canada meet this challenge on both fronts. In essence, the approach Festo has always taken is that the learning never stops.
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Product News
New Emerson Valves Deliver Proportional Flow Control Performance in Exacting Applications
Emerson recently introduced the ASCO™ Series 209 proportional flow control valves, which offer the highest standards of precision, pressure ratings, flow characteristics and energy efficiency available in a purpose-built, compact architecture. With this combination of size and performance, Series 209 valves allow users to precisely regulate the flow of fluid in a wide range of devices that require exacting performance, like those found in the medical equipment, food and beverage, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industries.
Accuracy, response time and repeatability are critical in high-precision flow control applications, such as controlling tool speed in dental chairs, the flow of steam in coffee makers, water flow in cooling systems and hydrogen flow in fuel cells. Series 209 valves have low hysteresis (less than or equal to 5%), excellent repeatability (less than or equal to 1%) and high sensitivity (less than or equal to 0.2%) that contribute to their precision.
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Featured Product
Teledyne Announces New Ladybug6 Cameras for High Accuracy 360-Degree Spherical Image Capture
Teledyne FLIR Integrated Imaging Solutions is pleased to announce the all new Ladybug6— the latest addition to its field proven Ladybug series. Ladybug6 is the leading high-resolution camera designed to capture 360-degree spherical images from moving platforms in all-weather conditions. Its industrial grade design and out-of-the-box factory calibration produces 72 Megapixel (MP) images with pixel values that are spatially accurate within +/- 2 mm at 10-meter distance.
“The new Teledyne Ladybug6 is designed for mobile mapping and all-weather inspection projects requiring excellent image quality and high resolution,” said Mike Lee, Senior Product Manager at Teledyne FLIR. “With the addition of Ladybug6, we are now pleased to offer a wider variety of spherical cameras with higher resolutions ranging from 30 MP to 72 MP.”
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