January 2020

ANALOG DEVICES (ADI), the global analogue technology company, is buying Test Motors, a Spanish company specialising in predictive maintenance technologies for electric motors and generators. The acquisition will expand ADI’s growing condition-based monitoring portfolio. The terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed. Barcelona-based Test Motors offers products and services to detect faults in electric motors before they cause damage, and advises on how and when to repair them. Its technologies include low-cost, IoT-connected smart sensors which attach to low-voltage motors to monitor their behaviour. Test Motors will join ADI’s Automation and Energy Group. The new deal builds on ADI’s 2018 acquisition of OtoSense, a start-up that has developed “sensing interpretation” software that learns and recognises sounds or vibrations and identifies potential problems in machinery before they become severe. ADI plans to combine the OtoSense software with Test Motors’monitoring capabilities to produce snapshots of machine health and identify a wider range of potential faults. ADI’s condition-based monitoring applications will tackle a shortage of machine maintenace experts by providing users with systems that can perform early detection of anomalies and thus avoid unexpected and costly machine downtime. IGUS HAS COMMISSIONED an automated assembly line for its readycable drives cables at its UK headquarters in Northampton. The line uses automated machines and lean manufacturing methods to streamline its manufacturing processes, and can have fully-harnessed drive cables ready for shipping within 24 hours of an order being placed. “A few years ago, our sole focus was on selling plastic bearings, energy chains and cables with little assembly work,”says igus UK managing director, Matthew Aldridge.“More recently we have stepped into robotics and automation based on our component parts and are now investing in automation ourselves to enable us to move into assembly within the UK.” Historically, igus used to assemble cables manually in a laborious process that involved cutting the outer jacket, teasing out the shielding, then stripping the jackets off each of the inner cores and adding crimps. These operations have been fully automated on the new line, which is also said to ensure 100% quality of assembly. “We have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on machines to automate this process, cutting lead times from six, or even 10, weeks down to 24 hours,” Aldridge reports. “The chainflex cable is cut to length from our extensive stock held in Northampton and all common connector components are available ex-stock. “Customers will usually receive their readycable the next working day, fully-tested with a guaranteed service life,” he adds. “All this automation does not mean that we will be shedding jobs. The automated assembly line will enable us to grow our business, creating more jobs for the area.” • igus has launched a service that will recycle plastic energy chains made by any manufacturer. Users can send their old chains to igus, thus eliminating disposal costs. They will also receive a voucher for £0.25/kg of recycled chain that they can use to make purchases from igus. Recycling of energy chains is rare because it costs too much to separate the materials and recycle them into usable granulates. Old chains are therefore usually thrown into skips and incinerated. In its“green chainge”recycling programme, igus will re-use the plastic from energy chains in new products. The recycling service is being rolled out worldwide, starting in the UK and Germany. www.igus.co.uk/readycable www.igus.co.uk/recycling Igus’automated cable assembly line will allow 24-hour turnarounds n NEWS 6 January 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com p Harting , TE Connectivity and Hirose which joined forces last year to champion the idea of carrying industrial Ethernet on twisted-pair cables, have been joined by Würth Elektronik , Leoni, Murrelektronik and Softing IT Networks to form an organisation called Single Pair Ethernet – Industrial Partner Network . Together, they will promote SPE (Single-Pair Ethernet) as a future infrastructure standard for IIoT applications. p Mitsubishi Electric and Schaeffler Technologies have formed a global strategic partnership that will build on existing collaborations between them under Mitsubishi’s e-F@ctory Alliance. Schaeffler will contribute expertise in mechatronic products, condition- monitoring systems and digital services, while Mitsubishi will contribute its factory automation and processing knowhow. Together they will help end-users to integrate machine and plant data into MES and ERP systems. One of the first results of their collaboration will be a Web- based predictive maintenance tool that avoids the need for new IT equipment. The product is due to be launched later this year. p West Midlands based PP Control & Automation , which specialises in carrying out outsourced manufacturing for machinery builders, has added £3m to its sales in the past year to hit a record level of £26m. The company is now exploring to possibility of making acquisitions and a joint venture to establish manufacturing in North America. p Siemens Digital Industries Software has acquired Atlas 3D , a US-based developer of software that works with direct metal laser sintering printers to provide a simple, automated way to optimise the orientation of 3D printed parts and to generate support structures. p The UK has the potential to be a world leader in applying AI (artificial intelligence) to manufacturing, with more than 200 SMEs operating in this area, compared to just 80 in Germany, says Dr Nandini Chakravorti, technology manager for data and information systems at the Manufacturing Technology Centre . But she warns that industrial take-up of AI in the UK is being held back by factors including a lack of leadership knowledge and awareness, a lack of support for start- ups, and a lack of clarity on ROIs. p The plastic bearings manufacturer BNL , whose headquarters are in Knaresborough has expanded its operations in Thailand, moving to a new 50,000ft 2 facility which will double its production capacity. There is an option to expand by a further 50%, tripling the workforce and the number of injection-moulding machines, and expanding the site’s assembly services. Automation slashes drive cable lead times from weeks to 24 hours ADI buys motor-testing firm to broaden its activities