Food Manufacturing

Vibration sensors with industry-standard M12 connectors

Variohm EuroSensor is offering three new vibration sensors with industry-standard M12 connectors from its USA distribution partner Meggitt Wilcoxon Research. Aimed at vibration monitoring for preventative maintenance on motors, pumps and other rotating equipment, the general-purpose accelerometers are based on proven 786A and 787A piezoelectric accelerometers but now include the universal four- and five-pin M12 connector that is commonly used across food, beverage, pharmaceutical and many other industries.

9th April 2010

Inverter addresses beer filling problem

Leeds based Microdat is an innovative supplier of keg and cask handling machinery in the brewing industry. Its entry level filler is based around a peristaltic pump that is speed controlled by a Lenze SMV inverter. With IP65 enclosure, the SMV inverter is mounted directly onto the machine without the need for a panel. This minimises costs and is convenient for the operators of the fillers who gain easy access to the inverter's control keypad.

28th March 2010

Bearing extends equipment life in washdown applications

Baldor Electric has launched a new Dodge-brand mounted ball bearing incorporating sealing and lubrication innovations that can substantially extend equipment lifetimes in harsh, washdown-duty environments such as food and beverage processing. Dodge ULTRA KLEEN ball bearings employ a 100% stainless steel bearing insert and feature a patented new sealing system and a ball retainer that retain lubrication and prevent washout in wet operating environments.

27th March 2010

Sustainability: what does it mean to engineers?

From housings for automotive parts to cases for mobile phones and beyond, hardly a day goes by without someone mentioning the 'S' word but what exactly does sustainability mean to engineers? Peter Atterby, managing director of technical compounding and recycling specialist Luxus, offers his view.

18th February 2010

Energy efficient servos now in stainless steel

Inmoco has extended its high performance servo motor range into hygienic processing environments, with the introduction of the S-Series of stainless steel servo motors from Cleveland Motion Controls (CMC). The energy efficient S-Series is designed specifically for sterile or high pressure wash-down environments found in food processing, beverage and pharmaceutical applications.

15th February 2010

The Art of SEO

Even after more than a decade of putting information into the public domain on websites - either for information or commercial reasons - some designers still don't grasp basic principles. Usefulness isn't determined by technology or appearance, but by understanding what the client wants a site visitor to be able to do. In addition, a well-designed, easy-to-navigate website is useless if no one can find it.

8th January 2010

Energy-efficient IP67 stainless steel servo motors

Inmoco is extending its range of high-performance servo motors for hygienic processing environments with the introduction of the energy-efficient S-Series stainless steel servo motors from Cleveland Motion Controls, Inc (CMC). These motors are designed specifically for use in sterile or high pressure wash-down environments as found in food processing, beverage and pharmaceutical applications.

5th January 2010

Adjustable bag gripper end-of-arm tool for robots

SAS Automation is introducing an adjustable bag gripper for a variety of bag handling applications. This is said to eliminate the need for costly custom tooling and it can be adjusted in minutes for different production runs using a simple handwheel. It is suitable for plastic, woven cloth and paper bags containing heavy products including grain, chemicals, dog food, minerals and plastic resins.

7th December 2009

Reduce energy costs with new compressor

Atlas Copco has introduced a Carbon Zero range of air compressors equipped with advanced heat recovery systems proven to recover 100% of the electrical energy input in the form of hot water. The compressors can, as a result, dramatically reduce energy costs for a wide range of industries. The unique compressors are the first in the world to be certified by the TÜV institute as having net zero energy consumption.

16th November 2009

Bearings increase machine availability

The demand for rolling bearings that are able to withstand extreme operating conditions is on the increase, including dry-running and media-lubricated bearings. This demand is being fuelled by tighter legal requirements in many industries, an increased awareness of scarce resources and the need for companies to become more energy-efficient. Now the Schaeffler Group has launched a high performance stainless steel for rolling bearings that helps companies achieve these goals. Cronitect provides maximum corrosion resistance under extreme operating conditions, including dry running applications or when bearings come into contact with aggressive media.