Industrial Factory Automation

On-line viscometers from Hydramotion are helping to ensure that the chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand Chocolate consists of fine cocoa powder and sugar particle dispersed in a continuous fat phase (usually cocoa butter or equivalent). During production, molten chocolate must be cooled in a controlled way in order to promote the formation of small, stable fat crystals, a process known as "tempering". Stable cocoa butter crystals provide the right qualities of texture, surface gloss and melting behaviour in the finished product. If the crystals are small enough the chocolate will taste smooth and melt in the mouth (at a temperature of about 35C) but not in the hand (at about 20C). The viscosity of melted chocolate depends directly on its fat content and the degree of tempering, so monitoring viscosity gives an immediate window into the production process. With this in mind, a UK manufacturer of chocolate products recently installed Hydramotion XL7 on-line viscome

Eltel Networks has been awarded a contract by the Danish utility EnergiMidt to deploy Echelon 's Networked Energy Services (NES) system to all of its 170,000 residential customers. Gorlitz is providing its EDW3000 software, a meter data management system (MDMS) and integration platform which runs on top of the NES system software to provide a rich set of utility applications. Revenue to Echelon for the project, including meters, data concentrators and software, is expected to total approximately US $18 million. Volume shipments should begin in the fourth quarter of 2008 and to continue into 2010. The NES advanced metering infrastructure from Echelon consists of a family of highly integrated, advanced electronic electricity meters accessed via a web services based network operating system over an IP networking infrastructure. Unlike systems with a dedicated radio per metering point, multiple NES meters can share a single IP connection through the use of Echelon's proven standard

Lenze’s new 8400 series inverter drives offer impressive, consistent scaling. The clear functional grading of the BaseLine, StateLine and HighLine versions makes selecting the right inverter for the drive axis a very simple process – and the value for money is spot on too. Lenze will presentthe 8400 Inverter Drives as the newest member of the L-force drive and automation platform at the Hanover Fair from 21 to 25 April in Hall 14, booth H36. All versions share the same kind of handling, operation, programming, logistics and service options. This makes working with the inverters incredibly simple. The cost savings available in all life cycle phases of a machine increase the value-added in the long term. In conjunction with matching geared motors, Lenze also suplies complete drive axes from one source. Lenze, the specialist in drive and automation technology, is initially launching the 8400 inverter drives as BaseLine, StateLine and HighLine. The