Industrial Factory Automation

Six 1250kW ABB industrial drives will be powering the UK's largest pumping station, protecting 700km2 of land in the Cambridgeshire Fens from flooding. The pumping station at Wiggenhall St Germans will protect more than 25,000 properties, businesses, conservation sites and extensive areas of high-grade agricultural land in an area called the Middle Level. Each of the six new pump sets will be able to raise 16.66m3/sec to a static head of 4.25m, giving a total capacity of 100m3/sec. This gives the station the capacity to deal with extreme events, although in a moderate year it is expected to run no more than three pumps at a time under normal conditions. A system of rotation will be introduced to ensure that the pumps get an equal amount of use. The ABB industrial drives will adjust the pumps to suit a wide range of flows. Each pump will operate to match the actual flow demand and can respond immediately whenever circumstances change. The pumps will also provide quicker response at ...

The Processvue alarm management and key performance indicator (KPI) reporting software from Asgard Technologies is now available in the UK through local distributor Mac Solutions. The software is targeted at process engineering industries, including energy and power, metal processing, nuclear, utilities, chemicals, oil and gas, transportation, and facilities management companies. Processvue, which features the latest communication, data logging and reporting technologies, can be used as a standalone application or to bring together multiple disparate systems into one common platform. Processvue reporting is based on EEMUA 191 guidelines. To establish an alarm management system based on these guidelines, or to ascertain whether a current system is operating effectively and within the guidelines, alarm data must be collected and analysed on a continuous basis. Collecting this data can be a challenge in itself. Bringing this data into a usable format for control room operators and report...

SICK UK's 'Efficient Automation for Food and Beverage Production' guide features sensors that have a positive effect on operating safety, availability and economic efficiency of facilities. The 72-page guide describes the best sensor or scanner for differing applications. It addresses hygiene design issues and resisting clean-in-place and sterilise-in-place regimes; hygiene legislation and certification; temperature; and environmental and ingress protection. Further sections cover the extensive support services provided by SICK for food and beverage manufacturers and a comprehensive overview of SICK sensor products.

Automated Packaging Systems (APS) is offering the option to UK businesses to hire - rather than buy - automated bagging and void fill solutions. The company has joined forces with nationwide tool and equipment provider HSS Hire to offer exclusive short- and long-term hire of its Freespace bagging system and Airpouch void fill system. The PS 125 Freespace is designed for low- to mid-volume operations. It is said to be highly productive and flexible and has been adapted for a range of applications, from splitting bulk-purchase fittings and craft items to dispatching goods from offices. Capable of operating at speeds up to 25 bags per minute, it weighs less than 40kg and has a footprint of 550mm x 480mm, which means that it can be used in small spaces. The quiet, all-electric design does not require compressed air. Freespace makes it possible for one person to sort and bag products at between four and six times their normal operating rate in a like-for-like bagging scenario, saving time ...

A range of zero-backlash speed reducers is now available to the UK market, as a result of the recent appointment of Precision Motion (Cofil) as agent for the Japanese manufacturer Kamo Seiko. Available in both co-axial and right-angle configurations, these speed reducers utilise precision ground steel balls as the transmission medium. According to the company, the speed reducers offer zero-backlash; rolling contact, therefore reduced noise; high efficiency; high torque capacity; and excellent accuracy. There is a choice of several input/output options to suit all applications, including a version to allow direct fitting of NEMA 11 to 34 frame motors. In addition, the housing is designed to facilitate the addition of custom-made flanges for special applications. Reduction ratios are available from 5:1 to 1600:1, with rated output torque capacity ranging from 1.6Nm to 98Nm. Precision Motion will also be responsible for sales and technical support for Kamo's range of miniature cam...