I’m going to veer off the normal engineering focus of this column for a month to dabble in a scientific field that’s close to my heart: astronomy. We’re a month out from this year’s big heavenly spectacle in the U.S., the total solar eclipse on April 8th. This eclipse will sweep across the country from…
ABB and CERN find energy-saving opportunity in heating and ventilation motors
ABB and CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, have identified significant energy-saving potential through a strategic research partnership focused on the cooling and ventilation system at one of the world’s leading laboratories for particle physics institutes, located in Geneva, Switzerland. The study included energy efficiency audits which have helped to identify a savings potential…
CDP honors Delta with double A scores for contribution to climate change and water security
Delta Electronics Inc, a global provider of IoT-based Smart Green Solutions, today announced it has achieved double “A” scores in the 2023 Climate Change and Water Security reports of CDP for the third time. This year’s double “A” score was granted to only 61 companies out of over 21,000 worldwide based on their superior contribution…
Aerotech invests in Korean manufacturing facility
Aerotech Inc., a global leader in precision motion control and automation, is expanding its partnership with Korean distributor ANI Motion Tech. Their latest joint venture is a new manufacturing and research facility that will be located in Korea’s Songdo Knowledge Information Industrial Complex. The new facility, which will be owned and operated by ANI Motion…
DigiKey launches Season 3 of its “Farm Different” video series
DigiKey, a leading global commerce distributor offering the largest selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, has launched season 3 of its “Farm Different” video series, sponsored by Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) and Amphenol Industrial. Season 3 features three episodes that provide a look into the future of farming to…
Trends in artificial intelligence for 2024
According to Gartner’s research, up to 25% of organizations surveyed annually since 2019 said they plan to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) within the next 12 months. However, only up to 5% have deployed AI to production. Companies know that generative AI can dramatically improve operations, but inexperience and potential risks postpone the benefits. Predictive maintenance,…
Advances beget advances in laboratory automation
According to Global Market Insights, laboratory automation’s market size was 6.7 billion (USD) in 2023. The site also reported an expected CAGR of over 6.7% between 2024 and 2032. What’s expected to account for this growth? What specific trends will act as the catalyst for bringing the laboratory automation sector into the double-digit billions? We…
Trends: Drives and controls incorporate more safety and feedback
The last decade has seen advancements in controls and motor drive technologies to boost efficiency, safety, and ease of use. Now commonplace are drives that: Let end users leverage autotuning functions for faster commissioning Detect and correct for vibration issues — including the shaping of power into motors to avoid resonances Spur increasingly compact motors…
Emerson switching things up for Hannover Messe 2024
Emerson is changing some things up for this year’s Hannover Messe trade fair, scheduled for April 22-26 in northern Germany. The engineering and automation company is moving to Hall 11, known as the Automation, Motion & Drives area, to better represent its vast product and solution range. Last year, Emerson invited attendees to see how…
PTDA welcomes three new members
The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA), the association for the industrial power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) distribution channel, welcomes three new members. PTDA Distributor Pacific International Bearing Inc. has been a leading supplier of bearings and related products to OEMs in the aerospace, miniature, commercial, military, and industrial sectors for more than 30 years. The company…
Beckhoff looking to AI advancements at Hannover Messe
At the official Press Preview for the 2024 Hannover Messe tradeshow this week, Dr. Fabian Bause, Product Manager, Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG was the keynote speaker, discussing how AI in automation is something that will affect the entire manufacturing process. Bause noted that AI is simply a tool that can be used to…
Technical thinking: We still don’t know everything about ice
I recently saw my first icicle of the year. It was a small, wiggly thing. I know why thanks to some of the ice-related discoveries of the past year. Written by Mark Jones In an example of curiosity driven research, the observation that icicles aren’t perfect cones led researchers to ask why. No one had…
Motion to acquire two Canadian fluid power companies
Motion Industries Inc. signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the operating assets of Perfetto Manufacturing and SER Hydraulics. Subject to customary closing conditions, the transaction is expected to be finalized at the end of February. The affiliated organizations are well-established, with Perfetto in business since 1986 and SER Hydraulics since 1978. Located in Sudbury,…
Hannover Messe focusing on AI’s impact for 2024 trade fair
This year’s Hannover Messe trade fair (said to be the world’s largest industrial trade show) takes place from April 22-26 in this northern German city, and some may say the outlook for manufacturing is uncertain. For sure, in his opening remarks, Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairperson of the Managing Board, Deutsche Messe AG listed many reasons…
DigiKey to highlight power solutions from leading suppliers at APEC 2024
DigiKey, a leading global commerce distributor offering the largest selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, will be highlighting the latest in power solutions from leading suppliers at APEC 2024, Feb. 25-29 in Long Beach, Calif. Conference attendees can visit DigiKey at booth #1821 for demos of innovative power technology…
Cybertruck — not Tesla’s best design
When the first deliveries of Tesla’s long-awaited Cybertruck began last November (and frankly even well before that point), it was widely panned across social media. People called it ugly, expensive or overpriced, even useless. Some of the funniest observations were that it looked like something a grade schooler would draw when assigned to design a…
Danfoss seeking nominations for 15th EnVisioneer of the Year award
Danfoss has announced it is now accepting entries for its 15th annual EnVisioneer of the Year award competition. Launched in 2010, the competition recognizes North American original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), building owners, municipalities, contractors, and end users that have introduced a new product, opened a new facility, or invested in a building or system upgrade…
Technical thinking: Use AI — but with care
By Mark Jones ChatGPT can write code. All who have written code likely thought it required human creativity. It can now be done by a computer. I’ve played with ChatGPT. I’m growing less impressed. ChatGPT is not creating code; it is copying code. It simply regurgitates what it finds on the internet. It turns out,…
New Renishaw TEMPUS technology achieves up to 50 percent reduction in additive manufacturing build times
Renishaw’s new TEMPUS technology enables users of RenAM 500 series metal additive manufacturing (AM) systems to reduce build times by up to 50 percent. The technology uses advanced scanning algorithms that sequence the layer data in a way that maximizes productivity while maintaining part quality. The optimization suits some part geometries more than others, but…
Neugart has a new management structure well positioned for the global future
In response to the challenges of the international mechanical engineering industry, the gearbox specialist Neugart, headquartered in Kippenheim, Baden, is adjusting its management structure: for the first time in the company’s almost one-hundred-year history, Swen Herrmann and Holger Obergföll are the company’s two managing directors who are not members of the owner families. The reorganization…
Hyson’s new turning machine provides faster, more diverse manufacturing solutions
Hyson, a Barnes Group Inc. business, maker of nitrogen gas systems for metal forming operations, announces the upgrade of its Brecksville, Ohio, facility with two new machine tools to provide faster and more diverse gas spring solutions. These new machines are state-of-the-art CNC mill/turns that efficiently produce precision high-quality metal components. With the addition of…
Beckhoff USA promotes Alec Abkemeier to software product manager
Alec Abkemeier is taking on a new challenge at Beckhoff USA as a software product manager focused on test and measurement technologies. With a background in measurement software and hardware, Abkemeier will grow Beckhoff’s test and measurement market share in rapidly evolving industries that require next-generation data acquisition and power monitoring capabilities. Abkemeier reports to…
DigiKey added more than 450 new suppliers and 1.7 million new parts in 2023
DigiKey, a leading global commerce distributor offering the largest selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, announced today that it expanded its portfolio in 2023 by adding more than 450 new suppliers across their core business, DigiKey Marketplace and Fulfilled by DigiKey program. The company added more than 1.7 million new accessible…
Hannover Messe cooperating with German Robotics Assoc.
At this year’s Hannover Messe industrial trade show in Germany, visitors will be able to experience the Application Park in Hall 5, which has a strong partner in the German Robotics Association (DRV). The DRV has made it a mission to promote and foster the use of robotics in Germany. Given the shortage of skilled…
Dorner appoints new business development manager
Dorner has hired Dave Giffels as business development manager. Giffels will work with the sales team to grow Dorner’s industrial and automation conveyor business into new markets and customer bases. Giffels joins Dorner after spending most of his career in automation sales, including 12 years with Bosch selling palletized conveyor systems. His experience spans across…