Industrial Factory Automation

The latest pre-printed cable ties from Partex are said to offer convenient and durable marking solutions in a wide range of applications. The ties can be used to add serial numbers to equipment, provide tamper-evident sealing and confirm that electrical installation and similar work has been carried out by an approved contractor, for example. To provide its customers with a wide range of options, Partex offers printing not only on the tag area of marker ties, but also along the length of standard cable ties. The printing is carried out with an advanced hot-foil stamping system that resists abrasion and attack by common chemicals, and almost any legend, including company names and logos as well as sequential numerical or alphanumeric sequences, can be printed. For marking options that are even more flexible, the printed ties can be used in conjunction with oval marker sleeves from the Partex range. Standard pre-printed cable ties from Partex are available in black and natural Nylon 6.6...

ABB drives have helped a UK holiday park operator save GBP77,000 a year on energy bills for its swimming pools. Bourne Leisure, which owns brands such as Haven, Butlins and Warner Leisure hotels, has swimming pools at a number of its properties. ABB Drives Alliance partner APDS was asked to investigate the energy-saving potential for the swimming pools and a trial was conducted on two of the three filtration pumps at Bourne Leisure's Devon Cliffs site. The pump was monitored for a period before a variable speed drive (VSD) was installed. Monitoring with a temporary VSD fitted demonstrated that considerable energy savings could be made. The direct-on-line pumps were working at 50Hz drawing an average of 30A. When the drive was introduced, this figure was reduced to 23A during the day and 15A at night, with no effect on water quality. APDS and ABB recommended fitting VSDs to the pumps feeding the pool filters. The pump filters operate by trapping dirt and debris in the sand filte...

Connectors Unlimited has worked with RTP Company to formulate and supply plastic materials for a shielding solution for analogue cable and circuit connectors. Several static dissipative and conductive compounds were chosen for the improved static control they provided. 'The fundamental reason for using RTP Company's conductive plastics in our analogue connectors is to minimise noise interference in the electronic signal, which is primarily caused by static charge,' explained Marty Ignasiak, president of Connectors Unlimited. 'By effectively reducing static charges, we're able to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in our connectors and thus upgrade overall performance of devices,' he added. When selecting a supplier of conductive plastic compounds, Connectors Unlimited engineers kept three critical requirements in mind: thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and structural rigidity. Maintaining dimensional stability of the analogue circuits during manufact...

ABB Group's Variable Speed Drives have won an award for cutting energy usage and extending the life of refrigerators. The Food and Drink Innovation Network Clegg Food Projects Award for New Process and Environmental Awareness was presented to ABB at a gala dinner at the National Space Centre, Leicester. More than 60 per cent of industrial electrical energy is used to power electric motors, the majority of which are used on fans, pumps and compressors. These devices are used in refrigeration equipment. The motors driving these applications usually run at a constant speed, even though the load is varying. Using variable speed drives (VSDs), the speed of the motor can be slowed down, thereby reducing the amount of energy consumed. A VSD can be retrofitted to most existing systems. The mechanical controls are simply locked fully open and the VSD directly controls the speed of the electric motor. Since cold storages and fridge plants typically run for 24 hours, most refrigeration dr...