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Achieving Matrimony Between Machine Vision and Motion Control in Lab Automation – A Case Study

As technological advancements become common-place and affordable, more industries look to implement motion control and machine vision systems to automate tasks that may be menial and time consuming. Many industries can benefit from automated systems but, the question is, how do they get started? Often, they know what they want to mechanize, but do not have automation experts on staff to make it happen. Mechatronics Canada had the opportunity to talk with Eric Rice, Product Market Manager – Electric Automation at Festo, to discuss a case study where a customer recently chose Festo to help them implement machine vision with a motion control system to automate their industrial application.

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ABB RobotStudio® Takes to the Cloud Enabling Real-Time Collaboration

 

ABB has enhanced its industry-leading RobotStudio® robot programming and simulation software with cloud-enabled functionality. The new RobotStudio Cloud enables individuals and teams to collaborate in real-time on robot cell designs from anywhere in the world, on any device. New features such as automatic version control increase transparency and productivity across teams. 

 

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Keeping Canals, Ports and Waterways Clear for Safe Passage

 

HELUKABEL partners with Callan Marie to power their floating dredge equipment and encounters some challenges. HELUKABEL initially started its development of the cabling system design with the underwater pump and cutter motors power section. The challenge was to provide high ampacity cables through a structural arm (the ladder) that submerges both motors. The next challenge was to assist in designing the necessary water-tight transition box for the system that would also terminate the braided shields of the VFD cables. This article describes the collaboration and expertise HELUKABEL provided to keep the canals, ports, and waterways clear for sage passage.

 

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Energy Efficiency Is the Best Way for Industry to Cut Costs and Reduce Emissions Right Now

 

With businesses around the world facing unprecedented pressure from the cost of energy and the urgency of climate change, a new report from the Energy Efficiency Movement shows that improving industrial energy efficiency is the fastest and most effective way for a business to cut energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The Energy Efficiency Movement is a global forum of around 200 organizations sharing ideas, best practices and commitments to create a more energy-efficient world.

 

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Glycol Chiller & Heater Solutions for the Wine-Making Industry

One of the most important factors in making wine is fermentation. The rate of fermentation can impact the flavors of the resulting wine. This rate can be manipulated by controlling the temperature during the fermentation process to achieve the desired flavor characteristics. Gems Sensors & Controls looks at an application challenge and solution in this article.

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Research from ABB Shows How Cities Can Tackle Water Stress by Reducing Carbon Emissions and Cost of Wastewater Treatment for Reuse

Recently, ABB published the first in a series of new reports for the energy and wastewater sectors to highlight the impact that technology can have in enabling industrial customers to reduce carbon emissions and manage the energy transition for a more sustainable future.

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How Festo Is Filling the Training Gap with Workforce Development

 

Labour and skills shortages are among the most pressing challenges that manufacturers face today. Access to a large, high-quality workforce is critical for manufacturing to be successful. In this article, Greg James, Regional Sales Manager – Festo Didactic Ltd. shines some light onto what is being done in Canada to help ensure there are enough skilled workers available to keep the factory of the future running.

 

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Lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage Systems – Making Storage Safe

The way we generate power has been undergoing a radical shift over the last few years as our attention has turned more and more toward decarbonization, primarily using solar and wind power on a large scale. For these renewable technologies to be efficient and cost effective, the intermittency supply with solar and wind must be dealt with. The energy from these renewable sources needs to somehow be stored and released when needed most.

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National Manufacturing Month and Beyond

 

Known as National Manufacturing Month, there’s no better time than October to reflect on the importance of building a sustainable workforce for a more resilient future. As manufacturers across the country host student tours, Yaskawa Motoman continues to take part in STEM-centric events that fuel optimism for careers in robotic automation, as well as offer comprehensive robot training through Yaskawa Academy.

 

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Q&A With HELU: Ferrules

 

A popular trend that is growing in the US market is the use of ferrules, also known as end sleeves, to terminate single and multi-conductor wires, e.g. in the terminal blocks within a machine’s control panel. For US equipment manufacturers that export to Europe, using ferrules is a requirement toreceive CE certification so that a company can do business within the European Union. Regional Sales Manager Bob Wells takes some time to answer a few questions he hears in the field about this cable termination technique.

 

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Thoughts On Running a Squirrel Cage Motor Above Its Rated Speed With A VFD

 

How fast can my Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) run my motor? This is a frequently asked question and the answer requires consideration. There are power and mechanical limits that will come into play with the design and performance of a typical squirrel cage motor. The VFD, itself, is usually capable of providing the necessary increased frequency. Actually, the VFD is capable of outputting 400Hz – 6.7 times the motors base design frequency

 

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Trash Compactors – PS61 Series Pressure Switch from Gems Sensors & Controls

 

Trash compactors are one way that we can improve the environment by reducing the volume of trash that goes into a landfill.  Smaller bags, smaller loads means that dumpsters can hold more trash and smaller loads entering the landfill.  This also yields fewer times the dumpster needs to be emptied which equals less use of fuel to dump the load. A pressure switch is needed to monitor the amount of hydraulic pressure in the compactor’s system. 

 

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A Box’s Journey: Understanding Palletizing from a Machine Safeguarding Perspective by Omron

 

Palletizing and depalletizing machines tend to be large and have several zones of control. They must also accommodate products of numerous different shapes and sizes. These factors create challenges when safeguarding these machines. To illustrate these challenges and the ways to overcome them, let’s follow a box on its palletizing journey – starting when it approaches the loading cell on a roller and ending when the pallet it gets incorporated into is wrapped up in clear plastic.