Mike Santora

Lettuce is a valuable crop in Europe and the USA. But labor shortages make it difficult to harvest this valuable field vegetable, as sourcing sufficient seasonal labor to meet harvesting commitments is one of the sector’s biggest challenges. Moreover, with wage inflation rising faster than producer prices, margins are very tight. In England, agricultural technology […]

With the new TF6105 function, Beckhoff now offers direct integration of OPC UA Pub/Sub communication into the TwinCAT 3 runtime. This new capability establishes straightforward and secure machine-to-machine (M2M) and device-to-cloud (D2C) scenarios based on the OPC UA Pub/Sub specification. With a new extension of the OPC UA specification, which Beckhoff played a prominent role…

EXAIR now offers static eliminating Super Ion Air Knives that range from 3-in. (76 mm) through a maximum length of 108-in. (2743 mm). One-piece construction ensures seamless airflow and eliminates coupling multiple short-length air knives together. One-piece construction also decreases overall height by ½-in. making it better for tight spaces. The Long Super Ion Air…

Newly expanding to an 18,000 sq. ft. facility in the scenic, bustling seaport city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, IPSUMM is a growing multi-divisional product development company. IPSUMM’s business units serve the manufacturing sector with equipment and services including die-cutting, capital machinery, automation support, and a full-service machine shop. According to company President & CEO John…

A wear-resistant bearing material produced by Vesconite Bearings, Hitemp 150, has been certified for drinking water use by the Water Regulations Approval Scheme (WRAS). WRAS is an independent UK certification body for plumbing products and materials. It informed Vesconite that Hitemp 150 “is suitable for contact with wholesome water for domestic purposes”. Hitemp 150 components […]

A full line of miniature high-precision sapphire and ruby balls for use in instruments, metering equipment, and other precision mechanisms where low friction bearings, long-life, and dimensional accuracy are important, have been introduced by Meller Optics, Inc. of Providence, Rhode Island. Meller Sapphire and Ruby Balls are single crystal materials with zero porosity, that are […]

Demand for qualified employees is outpacing the labor supply and quit rates are near all-time highs. Providing a competitive total reward packages is vital to attracting and retaining key employees. The results of this study provide the steps and resources for evaluating the competitiveness of your compensation levels and benefit offerings. The PTDA Foundation has […]

VBG Group has through its subsidiary Ringfeder Power Transmission US acquired all shares in The Carlyle Johnson Machine Co., LLC. Carlyle Johnson employs 50 people and has a turnover of USD 10.5 million with an adjusted EBITA-margin of 17% for 2021. VBG Group has acquired all shares in the US company The Carlyle Johnson Machine […]

Commoning possibilities with WAGO’s TOPJOB S continuous jumpers have expanded with the introduction of new 3 and 5-way continuous jumpers. As with previous jumper introductions, these variants use the exclusive jumper retention spring designed into TOPJOB S terminal blocks to ensure a vibration-proof connection every time. This offering provides additional options when circuit designs need…

Rollon has upgraded its Telerace family of linear rails to help designers simplify projects and enhance the efficiency of automated systems. Two Telerace families of cold-drawn steel rails now feature induction hardened and ground raceways along with double-row ball bearings for greater load handling capability, longer life, and reduced maintenance requirements. The newly enhanced rail…

TwinCAT/BSD Hypervisor, a powerful new feature of the TwinCAT/BSD operating system from Beckhoff, enables simultaneous execution of virtual machines and TwinCAT real-time applications on an Industrial PC (IPC). Optimized hypervisor integration in TwinCAT/BSD, plus matching configurations of Beckhoff hardware and software provide maximum performance for virtual machines – often called VMs – while maintaining TwinCAT…

Voith has achieved an ambitious sustainability goal: As of the beginning of 2022, Voith has successfully reduced the CO2 emissions at all its sites to “net-zero”. Therefore, the Group’s operations will be climate neutral from January onwards. This success confirms Voith’s pioneering role in the decarbonization of industrial production. All Voith sites worldwide undertook enormous […]

The recently-elected 2022 Board of Directors and Manufacturer Council of the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) begins their leadership terms. JP Bouchard, vice president, General Bearing Service Inc. (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) assumes the leadership of the association as PTDA President. Bouchard has been active in PTDA since 2015 when he served on the editorial board […]

Launching a new product line is always fraught with challenges and unexpected learning experiences along the way. When Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. became involved with Hunter Fan’s undertaking into the industrial fan market, the two companies’ synergy led to some impressive breakthroughs. In 1886, Hunter Fan Company invented the first ceiling fan, which was originally…

The Measuring Division of Kaman Precision Products, Inc., highlights the availability of its SMT 9700 position/displacement system, which provides high-resolution noncontact position/displacement feedback of virtually any electrically conductive target. Kaman’s flexible SMT 9700 features easy, cost-effective performance customization that provides an excellent fit for customer applications — and at significant cost savings for volume applications. […]

New igubal pillow blocks are a maintenance-free, economically effective alternative to classic cast iron housing bearings Nature is frequently a model for engineering materials, and the new igubal pillow block from igus – based on the design principles of a tree – provides an alternative to classic cast iron housings. Flattened radii ensure maximum resistance […]

MISUMI, a global supplier of configurable components, has announced it is the recipient of a Comparably Award for the second year in a row, in recognition of having one of the “Best CEOs” for 2021. Comparably’s top 100 highest-rated CEOs of 2021 is based on anonymous employee feedback on Comparably.com over the past 12 months. Comparably Award rankings were […]

SKF has developed a tool that simplifies the critical task of lubrication. The SKF Lincoln dual-piston lever-action grease gun (Model 1154) has a thumb-operated switch that allows it to toggle between high-volume and high-pressure. This makes it easier for technicians to quickly adjust the tool to match the equipment’s lubrication requirements. “Lubrication jobs are effortless […]

MW Components’ servo couplings are produced using Helical Flexure Technology and are offered in many different attachment styles as well as a vast array of sizes and materials to suit your specific application and/or custom requirements. Maintaining optimum system performance relies on properly matching a shaft coupling based on your specific performance and application requirements […]

Vesconite Hilube low-maintenance low-friction 3D printer bushings played an important part in the fabrication of a fossil giant wombat skeleton (Phascolonus sp.) for an exhibit on Australian Megafauna. Phascolonus was two to three times larger than modern wombats, and had a bodyweight of up to around 200 kg. The project consisted of over 100 components, […]

Designed for precision rotating components. Six short thin double tapered curved beams — two sets of three beams resulting in light radial loads for precision bearings. Misalignments up to 5°. If you need help in selecting the correct part number or do not see your part number listed, please contact Rocom. All couplings have an […]

In case of overload the KTR-SI FRA overload couplings uncouple driving and driven side while protecting the drive train from damages. After eliminating the overload the KTR-SI FRA can automatically be re-engaged by reversing the direction of rotation for a short time. As a result, this version is optimally suitable for positions difficult to access. […]

Vesconite wear-resistant sleeve bearing replacements have been fitted as standard components in a range of Powerstart hydraulic and turbine starter motors, with some 550 of these motors in the field at the end of May 2021. These plain bearings replaced internal and external needle-roller bearings, which are a special type of roller bearing with thin […]

Where torques as low as 0.05 Nm are to be transmitted and shaft diameters as small as 1mm are to be connected, miniature bellows couplings (MK series) from R+W are the right choice. As a result of the trend toward miniaturization – for example, in medical technology, laboratory equipment, and micro-pumps – this product plays […]

A time-lapse video proves that Vesconite Superlube low-friction, high-load-carrying bearings perform well as sliding bearings in large structures, including soccer stadiums. The video starts shortly after 7 pm and shows structural movement throughout the evening when the stadium concrete beams contract due to cooling and continues past mid-day when higher temperatures result in expansion. These […]