Editor's Pick: Featured Article
HELUKABEL's Critical Keys to Selecting the Right Cable Manufacturer
As we began 2022, global material shortages and rapidly increasing costs have now become the new reality. The types of materials that have suddenly become difficult to procure are wide-ranging and include computer chips for automotive manufacturing, wood for new construction, and electrical components – just to name a few.
These shortages have created great uncertainty, which is reflected in a recent poll of contractors in the U.S. by the Chamber of Commerce. They reported:
- •83% are experiencing product delays.
- •71% are struggling to meet schedule requirements.
- •68% are experiencing delays expected into 2023.
- •58% are putting in higher bids on projects.
- •53% are saying major project shutdowns/delays are a top concern.
- •41% are saying material shortages continue.
- •39% are turning down work opportunities.
One of the major material components that affect the cost and availability of wire and cable is copper. This widely used metal, which traditionally has been a volatile commodity, has been steadily increasing in price, which is due to several supply and demand issues.
Latest Articles
Motors for Robotics: Do You Really Need to Compromise?
Tradeoff 1: Torque Density vs. Size
When calculating the torque requirements for robotic joints, you may run into the first tradeoff: How can you increase the torque in a robotic motor without increasing its size?
In the frameless motors used in robotic joints, torque increases in direct proportion to an increase in motor length, or as the square of an increase in diameter. In other words, doubling the diameter produces a fourfold increase in torque, known as the D2L rule. In order to achieve the torque required to move and hold substantial loads, the most common approach is to use a larger-diameter robotics motor rather than a longer one, which would make the joint too large and difficult to integrate into your overall design.
How Do Hydrogen Engines Work? Cummins Explains
Hydrogen is an increasingly popular energy carrier. It can be readily produced from water using renewable electricity, and it burns without any greenhouse gas emissions. It is colorless, odorless, and does not spill. It’s no wonder there is a great interest in hydrogen engines as a part of destination zero.
In this article, Cummins explains how hydrogen fuel can power a vehicle by comparing the similarities and differences between hydrogen and diesel and gas engines and provides some examples of hydrogen engines in mobility and transport.
Product News
New Product
EZ Ops Announces the Second Release of its Augmented Intelligence Platform for Oil and Gas with Dynamic Routing
EZ Ops, the provider of oil and gas operations software that identifies top priorities to produce the cleanest and most profitable hydrocarbons in the world, has announced the second release of its augmented intelligence operations platform with new capabilities for dynamic routing and day scheduling.
EZ Ops latest platform release helps operators efficiently plan their daily schedule in under three minutes with certainty they are doing highest value work during their shift, with the least drive time and lowest greenhouse gas emissions. Intelligent schedules and routing draw on algorithms that compute millions of internal and external data including production data, inspection schedules...
Latest News
Omron Whitepaper - MVRC: Mark, Verify, Read and Communicate
Utopias are common in fiction, from Plato’s The Republic to The Federation in Star Trek. For manufacturers, a world without unplanned downtime would be the perfect utopia. The question is, is abolishing unplanned downtime a far-fetched dream, or is it closer than we think? Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of obsolete industrial equipment supplier, EU Automation shares his vision for a downtime free age.
According to research by Oneserve, machine downtime is costing British manufacturers over £180 billion a year. Unplanned downtime halts production, but can also lead to wasted raw materials or damage to the system itself – amplifying the cost beyond loss of production. Further research conducted by GE Digital found that 70 per cent of companies lack full awareness of when equipment is due for maintenance, upgrade or repair..
Read More: MVRC: Mark, Verify, Read and Communicate< ...
Daily News
In March 2022, the new edition of the installation standard IEC 61918:2018/AMD1:2022 Amendment 1 - "Industrial communication networks - Installation of communication networks in industrial premises" has been published. The standard describes the installation of communication networks in industrial premises. In the new version, it now also includes important key points on cabling structures based on Single Pair Ethernet. This makes it an important basis for all users who want to bring their production into the IIoT.
The new edition of IEC 61918:2018/AMD1:2022 Amendment1 is the installation standard for communication networks in industrial plants, machines, and automation islands.
