Industrial Factory Automation

Etching is a controlled corrosive process and Inconel has been developed with a high nickel and chromium content, specifically to resist corrosion. The Inconel 617 nickel-chromium-cobalt-molybdenum superalloy offers excellent high-temperature strength and oxidation resistance It also exhibits excellent resistance to a wide range of corrosive environments, which to date have largely prevented the material being photo etched Etching is a controlled corrosive process and Inconel has been developed with a high nickel and chromium content, specifically to resist corrosion. Processing thin sheet Inconel by conventional means (punching and slitting) has always given cause for concern as parts tend to come out wavy and the material has a tendency to roll at the edges after processing. Now, thanks to this by the Precision Micro Technical Team, perfectly flat, precision parts can be produced from 0.006in Inconel sheet, economically and with outstanding repeatability.

The new additions to IFM Electronic's efector T series are probably the only all-stainless steel sensors with an operating temperature as high as 100C. FM Electronic has released inductive proximity sensors with housings made from stainless steel, including the sensing face. They suit the food industry, as they can be used in wet areas and survive aggressive cleaning and high temperatures The new additions to IFM Electronic's efector T series are probably the only all-stainless steel sensors with an operating temperature as high as 100C. The IFM devices suit true flush-mounting and normal spacing between sensors. Complemented by the IFM EVT range of M12 stainless steel food-grade connectors, these stainless steel sensors are available in M12, M18 and M30 versions with sensing ranges optimised on stainless steel targets of 3, 5 and 10mm respectively. These food-grade sensors carry IP ratings of both 68 and 69K.

The digital output from the SX8273 allows manufacturers of industrial pressure/temperature sensing equipment to provide a cost-effective and complete solution to their customers. Solid State Supplies has released an ultra-small sensor interface device that uses low-power ZoomingADC signal amplification circuitry to connect directly to a wide variety of pressure, temperature and magnetic sensors Enabling electronics to be co-located with the sensor, the digital output from the SX8273 sensor, whether it is magnetic, pressure or chemical, allows manufacturers of industrial pressure/temperature sensing equipment to provide a cost-effective and complete solution to their customers. Capable of operating from a single Li-Ion battery without loss of its 16bit precision, even with a depleted battery, the device features ZoomingADC, a 10bit preamplifier with a programmable gain of between 0.1 and 1000 and a 16bit ADC. The preamplifier delivers the highest possible gain, giving designers the ...

Cures to a tough, strong solid with excellent long term durability and chemical resistance even when exposed to adverse environmental conditions. Master Bond has developed a high-temperature-resistant epoxy-resin system called EP121CL for service up to 260C The two-component optically clear low-viscosity epoxy-resin system features high thermal stability, superior electrical insulation properties and outstanding dimensional stability for casting, sealing, potting, encapsulation and impregnation applications. Especially noteworthy are its mechanical properties of 83MPa in tensile strength, 119MPa in compressive strength, and its exceptional electrical insulation properties including, a volume resistivity greater than 30Tohm-cm, a dissipation factor of 0.020 at 1MHz and a relative permittivity of 3.34 at 60Hz. EP121CL is an elevated temperature curing epoxy resin system that passes NASA's low-outgasing test. It cures to a tough, strong solid with excellent long term durability an...

Dan Schimelman explains how innovative miniature solenoid valves and diaphragm pumps enable advances in portable medical devices. Medical therapies are being driven to reduce hospital costs by administering treatments at home or even on the go. This demand has launched new generations of portable devices. Since most of these systems incorporate modules consisting of miniature diaphragm pumps and solenoid valves, these fluidic components need to be tailored according to the system criteria that best achieve the market demand objectives. Medical Device developers benefit from understanding how these components can be optimised to best meet their specific application requirements. Both employers and payers have exerted pressure to contain health care costs by shifting skyrocketing hospital care to less costly outpatient procedures. There is an increase of procedures that are being performed in an outpatient and ambulatory procedures that once were performed only on an inpatient basis. ...

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...