Within the industry, maintenance of machinery and plant is routine work. But not everyone is aware of how to minimize future costs and risks for downtime already from the start. Although it is so apparent! Everywhere in our society, machines are used for producing varying items, process materials, pump fluids, etc. These machines must be given the correct prerequisites to do the job for which they were designed.
ABB recently hosted Billions of Better Decisions – Empowering the Workforce with the Industrial Internet of Things, a panel moderated by Molly Wood, Climate Investor and Journalist, and Managing Director of Launch. There she interviewed three industry experts: Peter Terwiesch, President of Process Automation at ABB, Ahmed Hashmi, Senior Vice President, Digital at bp, and Michael Wade, Professor of Innovation and Strategy and Director of Global Centre for Digital Business Transformation at IMD. This article highlights what these experts address as the mega trends of digitalization and sustainability and how leaders can use the industrial IoT to make better decisions and tackle the massive threat of the climate crisis.
Did you know that an ABB large motor or generator is 98% recyclable, with the remaining 2% of materials available to be incinerated for heat recovery? ABB Large Motors and Generators in Sweden have recently joined forces with Stena Recycling to offer our customers an opportunity to recycle their old machines. The deal ensures that end-of-life motors/generators are recycled in an environmentally friendly way and the metals are reused in new products made in Europe.
With technological advancement and growing uncertainty amid the global pandemic, we have adapted to new ways of working, rehashed our priorities and business strategies with safety at the epicenter of our operations. Today, most large industrial companies facing workplace hazards have a devoted health, safety, and environment (HSE) management system that ensures safety for not only the employees but customers as well.
The safety requirements for mining machines are high; a long and complex process ensues before the machine is ready for use. To meet all the necessary safety specifications, the technology “behind it” must be programmed, tested and then installed on the machine.
The industrial applications of cobots are vast, and these smart machines have capabilities that virtually every manufacturing plant or production line can make use of. A cobot arm handles dull, dirty or dangerous jobs on behalf of their human colleagues and minimizes downtime by boosting round-the clock-capacity, if that is what the business needs.
The development of user-friendly technology continues to spark greater confidence among business leaders for the implementation of robotic automation. Highly flexible and capable of optimizing production, more affordable easy-to-program collaborative robots – or “cobots” – are quickly becoming the “go to” for a variety of tasks, including arc welding.
These days, we can’t build electronics quick enough. From the way our cars can sense their surroundings and the refrigerator that can order groceries when you run out to our ability to look up anything in the palm of our hand, electronics drive it all. Consumers and businesses alike want all of it—fast. Here are five examples of how electronics manufacturers are taking advantage of automation in their facilities.
In manufacturing environments, real estate is precious. One of the best and easiest ways to save space is through the machine control cabinets used in electric and pneumatic automation. Traditionally, control components — from the cables to the programmable logic controller (PLC) to valve terminals in pneumatic systems — existed in one or more large cabinets.
With demand for robots growing as companies in multiple sectors look for new ways to enhance their productivity and competitiveness post-pandemic, ABB has compiled a set of growth predictions, looking at key trends driving demand for robots in the coming year. Based on customer conversations, market research and a global survey of 250 companies across multiple industries, ABB has identified three key trends that will shape the demand for robots in 2022.
Mechatronics Canada had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Zoe Reeve, Analytic Product Manager at Endress+Hauser Canada. In this interview she discusses her journey to Endress+Hauser Canada and sheds light on what an Analytic Product Manager does. She also touches on some of the initiatives that have been taken to help women and employees in general achieve professional heights.
As we began 2022, global material shortages and rapidly increasing costs have now become the new reality. The types of materials that have suddenly become difficult to procure are wide-ranging and include computer chips for automotive manufacturing, wood for new construction, and electrical components – just to name a few. One of the major material components that affect the cost and availability of wire and cable is copper. This widely used metal, which traditionally has been a volatile commodity, has been steadily increasing in price, which is due to several supply and demand issues.
The James Webb Space Telescope promises to change the way we see the cosmos by collecting breakthrough observations of galaxies, stars, and planets. But to do this, Webb must have a precise and stable eye on the universe. The telescope’s Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS), one of Canada’s contributions, plays a critical role in this epic mission.
For customers seeking an Industry 4.0 solution for PCs, industrial panels, or embedded and mobile devices, AVEVA Edge provides a powerful, affordable, and user-friendly supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system that integrates seamlessly with Omron technologies, This is thanks to Omron’s partnership with AVEVA.
When choosing a motor for robotics, do you really need to compromise? Kollmorgen looks at three trade-offs commonly encountered when customers select a motor for a robotic application. In this article, they explore these challenges – and provide insights, so you do not necessarily have to make a compromise.
Marine vessel operators are increasingly commissioning electrically powered and controlled bow thrusters as an energy-efficient and environmentally safer alternative to hydraulic-based systems on boats. With 100 per cent more efficiency and little or no environmental hazards such as oil or other contaminants leaking from hydraulic lines, it has become cost-effective to build new or retrofit electric thrusters controlled by variable frequency drives (VFD).
