spot_img

Emirates SkyCargo heads into...

Throughout 2024, the demand for Emirates SkyCargo’s specialist product portfolio, extensive global network...

Eazi Access Provides Fit...

The Mining industry is a pressured industry with strict adherence to safety standards...

Noah S.L.M. Salakae visits...

Botswana’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Noah S.L.M. Salakae, recently visited the Kazungula...

Zambia and the Democratic...

Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reached an agreement to...
Home Blog Page 77

Atlas Copco’s new range of GHS VSD+ vacuum pumps offer intelligent networking of vacuum pump and process

0

With the GHS 1402 – 2002 VSD+, vacuum manufacturer Atlas Copco is launching a new model of speed-driven screw pumps in three pumping speed classes. In rough vacuum applications, the oil-injected pumps deliver a continuously high pumping speed – from atmospheric pressure to ultimate pressure. Commenting on the first of many new features, Product Manager Yuri Vanderveken explained, “The GHS 1402-2002 VSD+ features the new Atlas Copco oil-injected screw element. It’s innovative compression optimization valves allow for high pumping speeds at rough vacuum.” This makes them ideal for use in central vacuum systems, for vacuum cooling, for the production of food packaging and thermoformed plastic components as well as for vacuum chambers for altitude simulation.

“This is also a forward-looking pump. It is equipped with HEX@, Atlas Copco’s revolutionary new vacuum controller, making this pump ready for industry 4.0. With a new control system, users of the speed-driven pump type are also well equipped for the comprehensive digitalization of industrial processes”, continued Vanderveken.

Higher vacuum performance, lower consumption

Compared to the previous models, the innovative design of the three models GHS 1402, GHS 1602 and GHS 2002 VSD+ results in better vacuum performance, a 15 percent smaller footprint and longer maintenance intervals. “The footprint of the GHS 1402-2002 VSD+ is smaller than 2 square meters. The design is compact due to the vertical drive train design,” commented Vanderveken.

The new GHS VSD+ screw pump also contributes significantly to saving energy costs. This is based on the one hand, on the combination of the Neos inverter with a setpoint control. This means that the GHS 1402-2002 VSD+ deliver exactly the pumping speed required for the respective process. Moreover, an energy recovery system helps recover up to 80 percent of the power in the form of hot water. In addition to saving costs and water, this also results in lower CO2 emissions.

High efficiencies at all speeds and demand levels

The increased efficiency is also due to the new permanent magnet motor. In its IE5 efficiency class, it has high efficiencies and produces an increase in efficiency of about two percent over the entire speed range. “This new technology ensures higher efficiency at all speeds when compared to classic motors. These new motors are oil-cooled, with oil lubricated bearings that provide optimal cooling at any speed,” elaborated Vanderveken.

Oil cooling maintains the optimal motor temperature at all speeds. The motor bearings are also lubricated by oil, which eliminates the need for regular relubrication. “We have in fact have dispensed with an additional fan, which reduces energy consumption and the noise level,” he continued. The motor is enclosed in a housing with IP66 protection. This makes it very resistant, especially in rough and dusty application environments.

Intelligent functionalities

One of the more exciting features of the GHS 1402 – 2002 VSD+ series is its intelligent functionalities. “For this purpose, we have integrated our new Atlas Copco HEX@ controller, which ensures high vacuum performance and user-friendliness,” underlines Product Manager Yuri Vanderveken. “HEX@ has a configurable user interface. You can tailor the information you see to your own needs and priorities.” Via the controller, users can visualize and set the parameters of the pumps from any smartphone, laptop, PC or tablet via a web browser, regardless of location. This allows the vacuum pumps to be configured even more specifically and sustainably for the respective applications. Other smart functionalities vary from intelligent scheduling over pump down optimization to leak detection.

Atlas Copco’s new GHS 1402 – 2002 VSD+ delivers efficiency by design and combines the best of several technologies that ease of use, peace of mind and next-level innovation.

Key insights on software and automation solutions from Solwr at Robotics and Automation 2022

0

At Robotics and Automation 2022, Solwr will offer attendees exclusive insights into the Norwegian company’s range of software and automation solutions for warehouses and factories.

With offices in Ålesund, Oslo and Trondheim, Solwr specialises in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, integrations, automation and robotics that support logistics organisations across the trade industry to ensure their operations remain modern and efficient.

Sort handles all types of pallets and reduces the need for

human pallet handling

A number of the company’s solutions will be on display at the exhibition, presented via a combination of videos and images, with Solwr technical experts on hand to offer key insights into the technologies and their range of applications.

Among the innovations visitors can learn about is Sort, a sortation solution for reusable packing, such as pallets. It has been developed to sort pallets on both type and quality requirements, with a mechanical and software framework – designed for easy adaptation – to handle other items.

Grab picking robots reduce strain

on employees by performing

heavy lifting in warehouses

According to Solwr, Sort is area efficient, scalable with an organisation’s needs and can be delivered with a standard capacity of 400 pallets an hour.

Also set to be showcased is Solwr’s Grab solution, which, as attendees to the exhibition in November will learn, is an autonomous pick-and-place robot for order picking of SKUs in warehouses.

Reportedly demanding little-to-no infrastructural changes, Grab is said to be well-suited for reducing both operational costs and HSE issues related to heavy and/or repetitive work.

Big news for IntraLogisteX – UK’s biggest intralogistics event moves to the NEC

0

IntraLogisteX is a free exhibition and conference, taking place on the 28th & 29th March 2023, at the NEC Birmingham. IntraLogisteX is your chance to see an unmissable showcase of the latest and best in intralogistics!

IntraLogisteX is for logistics professionals who are looking for solutions to their current and future challenges, from the latest materials handling technologies to full-scale warehouse automation options. This event is designed for end-user practitioner logistics professionals only….

Meet 140+ industry-leading exhibitors to discover the latest in Storage, Warehouse Automation, Robotics, IT & Software, Materials Handling, Packaging and more… Discover how the latest technology can be applied to your operations to provide massive improvements in productivity and accuracy.

Alongside the exhibition, the IntraLogisteX Conference offers visitors practical insight on technological innovations, so you can get the real-world insight you need. This free learning opportunity means you can hear directly from the minds behind the latest technology. Listen to industry leaders as they share their insights and give real world examples of how they have automated their own, and their customers’ operations.

You also get the opportunity to create new business relationships, with those same industry as you! All of our visitors are qualified professionals, so you will get to meet senior-level decision makers from the biggest companies! Companies that have registered for IntraLogisteX 2023 includes…

What’s more, IntraLogisteX 2023 will be co-located with Robotics and Automation 2023!

Robotics and Automation launched in 2017 at Milton Keynes Arena. With its huge growth in its first few years it too moved first to Hall 1 at the Coventry Building Society Arena and then went on to occupy both Halls 1 and 2. There is a synergy between both IntraLogisteX and Robotics and Automation and though the visitor crossover is actually very low, with the increasing amount of automation in warehousing and the increased interest in everything robotic, it makes sense for us to have these two shows happening at the same time at the same venue.

The net effect of having both IntraLogisteX 2023 and Robotics and Automation 2023 taking place at the same time and at the same venue gives both shows an immediate gain in terms of numbers of qualified professionals attending the show!

What’s more, having IntraLogisteX 2023 and Robotics and Automation 2023 take place on March 28th & 29th 2023 means that both shows will not only have room to grow, but it means we can organise truly industry-best conferences for both exhibitions with the subsequent increase in quality, qualified professionals to both events.

See the obvious benefits:

  • Great location with more facilities
  • A comprehensive multi-theatre conference programme
  • Co-locating with Robotics and Automation 2023
  • Combined attendance of over 4,000 visitors
  • The same ticket for more than twice the show!

IntraLogisteX 2023 is set to be our biggest and best show yet! Don’t miss this opportunity, where all the companies you need to talk to are gathered in one venue… There’s no way better way of doing business than meeting face-to-face! Get more value from your interactions with potential suppliers and ensure they really understand your organisation’s complex needs.

IntraLogistex – the UK’s biggest intralogistics event – to move to the NEC for 2023

0

In 2015, Akabo Media, organisers of IntraLogisteX, took the decision to merge the three Logistics Link shows into one, brand-new event and locate it in Hall 2 of, what was then called, the Ricoh Arena (Coventry Building Society Arena today). Thus IntraLogisteX was born.

Akabo Media took that decision following feedback from the market as a way of bringing a better show to the industry – both buyer and supplier. Over the years the show moved from Hall 2 to Hall 1 and, in March 2022, occupied both Halls 1 and 2 having sold out in both of the past two years. This has inevitably led to a squeeze on space for the show and meant that the organisers weren’t able to offer the industry some of the features and additional dimensions they wanted to bring and that are expected of shows, plus, of course, not everyone who wanted to exhibit could do so.

Consequently, Akabo Media are moving IntraLogisteX 2023 to the NEC in Birmingham. The dates remain the same – March 28th & 29th 2023, the prices remain the same and the organisers expect exhibitors and floorplan will also be very similar – except that they are able to now introduce additional conference facilities.

The history of other exhibitions making a similar move suggests that this will not only increase the range and flexibility of services offer both to exhibitors and visitors to the show – e.g. better transport links, parking and onsite facilities – but also lead to increased attendee numbers.

What’s more, having IntraLogisteX 2023 take place at the NEC means that the show has room to grow and host sector-leading conferences, driving an increase in quality, qualified professionals visiting the event.

RARUK to showcase manufacturing-boosting solutions at Robotics and Automation 2022!

0

At this year’s Robotics and Automation exhibition, RARUK Automation will focus on easy automation solutions to suit different needs and budgets, irrespective of company size or level of automation experience.

As visitors to the Coventry Building Society Arena on 01-02 November 2022 will discover, solutions on show will extend from flexible, plug-and-play cobots that can be quickly integrated to boost productivity or eliminate repetitive tasks through to dedicated, application-specific systems for upscaling the manufacturing process.

Universal Robot (UR) six-axis collaborative robot arms will be featured in all four main stand displays that respectively demonstrate automated feeding and sorting, machine tending, screwdriving, and sanding.

A key element of the first automation example is FlexiBowl, RARUK Automation’s automatic bulk parts feeder, that allows families of parts to be fed into the assembly process regardless of their shape, fragility, material composition, weight and surface characteristics.

The FlexiBowl automatic bulk parts feeder will be on display at Robotics and Automation 2022

FlexiBowl now has a specific URCap, a platform upon which shortcuts can be introduced that enable Universal Robots to work with accessories on many different tasks. The new FlexiBowl URCap connects the feeder and the UR controller, enabling applications to be set-up via the UR Teach Pendant.

Automation solutions from RARUK Automation are designed to give manufacturers uncomplicated and inexpensive means to automate common tasks and boost productivity. For example, its latest introduction – the Robotiq Machine Tending Solution – is designed to make it viable for SMEs to introduce automatic parts loading in two-to-three hours.

The Robotiq Machine Tending Solution can be applied to any brand or type of CNC machine without modification

The solution, which visitors will see it in action at the show, can be applied to any brand or type of CNC machine without modification. Instead of hard-wiring the machine, as is required with conventional automation, non-invasive modules manage communication with the machine’s interface, greatly reducing deployment time.

Furthermore, URCaps plug-and-play allows the Robotiq package to be integrated with a choice of Universal Robot arm, also available from RARUK Automation.

Also on display from RARUK at the UK’s largest exhibition dedicated to robotics and automation technologies will be the Robotiq Screwdriving kit, which enables this otherwise dull and repetitive yet crucial manual process to be automated quickly, thereby ensuring the quality and durability of the end product.

The cobot-based Robotiq Screwdriving kit is extremely compact and can be set-up on a bench top

Comprising all the elements needed to convert a Universal Robot into a highly productive screwdriving cell, the cobot-based solution is extremely compact and can be easily set-up on a bench top, if required.

Completing the application-specific demonstrations is automated surface finishing, which increases both quality as well as productivity. The Robotiq Surface finishing kit is suitable for use on a range of different materials including wood, plastic, metal, fibreglass, solid surfaces and carbon fibre.

The Robotiq Surface finishing kit is suitable for use on a range of different materials

In combination with the Universal Robot cobot, the system can be customised for woodworking applications, for example, auto-programming of sanding and/or polishing paths for complex parts, to ensure consistent surface finishes for each product.

ITT’s new i-ALERT3 sensor expands machine health protection against unplanned downtime

0

ITT Inc has launched a new generation of technology for its i-ALERT total machine health monitoring ecosystem. The i-ALERT3 sensor is designed to monitor and log the vibration and temperature of any rotating machine more quickly, accurately, and cost-efficiently. It identifies and diagnoses mechanical and electrical failures in pumps, motors, and other industrial machines before they occur by using a wider vibration frequency range.

The i-ALERT3 sensor upgrades i-ALERT’s condition-based monitoring solution, including the i-ALERT mobile app, i-ALERT gateway, and i-ALERT Ai Platform, with best-in-class automated machine health diagnostics.  The new sensor includes a field-replaceable battery to minimize replacement time and cost. Other features include robust wireless software updates that seamlessly add new features and enhance existing ones, a new magnetic flux sensor that includes electrical health analysis capabilities for motors, accurate run speed and load trending, and faster wireless data speeds using the latest Bluetooth technology (BLE 5.0) to reduce data download times with the mobile app.

“With unpredictability at an all-time high in industrial facilities, it’s important for plant managers to stay agile, proactive, and productive when managing equipment and processes,” said Bo Jaynes, executive director, Strategy and Monitoring & Control. “i-ALERT3’s expanded capabilities enable our customers to diagnose electrical and mechanical issues much earlier, significantly improving their plant reliability and reducing unplanned downtime.”

Unplanned downtime decreases productivity and drives up costs within industrial facilities. The i-ALERT solution, an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) asset intelligence platform, solves these challenges using proprietary automated diagnostics to securely monitor and assess the health of machines. Either locally or remotely, the system analyses vibration, temperature, pressure, and other data to detect and resolve issues that can cause equipment breakdowns.

The i-ALERT3 sensor is a seamless upgrade for customers using i-ALERT2 sensors with easy, secure integration with existing processes and capabilities and with no data lost. The i-ALERT solution extends the practical reach of in-plant monitoring systems to all types of machines, empowering everyday users to safely monitor their equipment from a distance.

SSI SCHAEFER LAUNCHES INTRALOGISTICS FUTURE WITH 5G TECHNOLOGY

0

With the integration of the new mobile communications standard 5G at the in-house Technology Center in Giebelstadt, SSI SCHAEFER is setting new standards and is underlining their claim to shape the future of intralogistics as technology and innovation leader. For future customer projects based on 5G technology, this means seamless roaming, highest connectivity and optimized value-added processes. This paves the way for company-wide networking on a uniform platform along the whole supply chain.

Celeros Flow Technology injects new life into 40 year old SAGD pump to increase heavy oil production for customer

0

Heavy oil deposits are extremely viscous and require the injection of high pressure, high temperature steam to improve fluidity and allow the oil to be pumped to the surface. In order to boost extraction on this project, the customer needed to increase water temperatures from 90° C to 140° C. However, there were concerns that the existing pump may not be able to deliver this requirement. Nozzle loads were a particular concern. They turned to Celeros Flow Technology brand ClydeUnion Pumps, their preferred supplier of some 20 years, for assistance.

Mather & Platt is one of several heritage pump brands for which Celeros Flow Technology offers full lifecycle support1. Their aftermarket engineering team undertook a thorough examination of the quadragenarian Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) boiler feed water pump used in the heavy oil extraction process. The investigation revealed that the pump had suffered a number of seal failures over time that had damaged the stuffing box and affected operational efficiency. There had also been no maintenance interventions for decades – but the pump had never actually failed.

Says Mike Golds, Global Upgrade and Rerate Programme Manager for ClydeUnion Pumps: “It is testament to the quality of the original pump that it had continued to operate in such harsh conditions and with no regular maintenance over such a long period of time. More importantly, it gave us confidence that a thorough overhaul could achieve the desired improvement in performance, saving the customer the cost and lost production time that can be associated with sourcing and installing a new unit.”

Celeros Flow Technology overhauled the SAGD pump and performed a mechanical seal upgrade and Plan 23 seal flush to optimize pump performance. In addition, finite element analysis was undertaken to confirm that the nozzle loads would withstand the desired temperature increase. As a result, the pump is now capable of delivering steam at the higher temperatures required. The seal upgrades ensure it meets the latest specifications.

Concludes Mike Golds: “We are really pleased with the outcome of the SAGD pump upgrade. It has not only achieved the desired production increase for the customer, but also provided a more sustainable and cost-effective solution than total pump replacement. Using modern engineering and analysis, we have been able to give the existing pump a new lease of life and ensure it will continue to perform well for many more years.”

SSI SCHAEFER ESTABLISHES ENTERPRISE LAB TOGETHER WITH FRAUNHOFER IML

0

Neunkirchen/Siegerland May 31, 2022 – The logistics industry faces many challenges: Urbanization and increasing traffic are making deliveries in city centers more difficult. At the same time, more and more people are ordering products online for subsequent delivery as quickly as possible and, at best, sustainably. The pandemic has further intensified this development. These megatrends require sustainable, technologically innovative solutions for logistics. In the newly founded Enterprise Lab, SSI SCHAEFER, one of the world’s largest providers of intralogistics solutions, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, want to jointly research innovations for the future of logistics.

PLUG & PLAY SOLUTION FOR RAPID PICKING

0

To speed up logistics processes and reduce costs, partial automation options are worth considering. SSI SCHAEFER stands by as an advisory partner in this situation. The intralogistics specialist, offering intelligent system combinations for typical requirements in smaller and medium-sized companies, with a straightforward Plug & Play approach and at attractive prices. SSI mobile robots are a good choice for faster picking in combination with shelving systems.