Spares management is a complex issue for manufacturers, almost regardless of the sector in which they are operating. Rapid access to spares is of course vital to maintaining continuity of production and avoiding costly downtime.However, not only are the required spares often of low value and required infrequently, but the sheer range of components to which a plant needs to have access can be daunting. And, for many, that range of products means dealing with a multitude of suppliers across different product areas – from bearings and mechanical power transmission to hydraulics, pneumatics, tools and personal protective equipment (PPE).
New catalogue includes UniSlide, BiSlide and XSlide™ linear dovetail slide stages plus complementary rotary and vertical elevating stages – for the first time LG Motion Limited, the Basingstoke based motion and positioning systems specialists has launched a new catalogue covering a large part of its range of medium to high precision positioning mechanics. With complete engineering specifications and dimensions for the UniSlide, BiSlide and XSlide™ dovetail-slide linear tables plus complementary rotary and vertical elevating stages, the 40 page catalogue provides detailed information for manual or motorised positioning applications in all areas of manufacturing and research.
Battery powered vehicles have been with us for many years and acknowledged as the workhorses for the milk delivery industry, as golfing buggies and in many other niche or specialist applications.Latterly the impact of two major drivers has focused greater attention on the acceptability and benefits of electric vehicles, thrusting them once more into the headlines; these being the rocketing price of hydrocarbons and city pollution.
It was in 1816 that the Revd. Robert Stirling propounded the idea of a heat engine which he termed an ‘Economiser’ now universally known as a ‘Stirling Engine’. The operational concept is that it acted as a heat exchanger, retaining heat from the hot portion of the engine as air passed to the cold side, and released heat to the cooled air as it returned to the hot side and in the process converting energy to mechanical work, with near perfect efficiency.
Bombardier Transportation has its global headquarters in Berlin, Germany with a presence in over 60 countries. It has an installed base of over 100,000 vehicles worldwide. 
Steelmakers Corus (Port Talbot) had been experiencing problems with their 42” edger drive system. The existing gear units were only providing 41 rpm when a drive speed of 59 rpm was required. Added to this, Corus’ Area Engineer Craig Dummer stated that “they were experiencing heavy vibration and ultimately, damage to the gear units”.
Softstart UK has recently completed the development of a new range of Digital Medium Voltage Soft Starters, designed suitable for all types of induction motors, including synchronous and slip-ring types. The new Digitstart range covers both 3.3kV and 6.6kV in ratings from 60A to 700 Amps and features a completely new programming and monitoring regime. Clearly starting motors in this category needs well considered programming and sensitive protection. 
When BOC Gases Ireland decided to update the inefficient existing worm and wheel drives for their cooling tower fans in Cork and Dublin, the question of which supplier to approach was easily answered 
Energy and fuel conservation has been one of the worlds most talked about topics for a number of years. Whether it be the need to conserve fuel and increase the MPG from your car, or simply turning off the lights and appliances when you go to bed to save energy, companies, organisations and governments the world over are all pushing efficiency initiatives and their green credentials. This drive has stimulated the growth of innovations for UK based manufacturer Midland-ACS.
The Schaeffler Group has launched a new range of synchronous linear motors that offer peak loads of 13,000N and deadweight of 45kg, ideal for use on large machining centres.
