In a constantly changing and evolving world, the need for new technology and innovations is as crucial as ever. With every shift in the political, environmental, economic, and social atmosphere, businesses need to innovate to stay with the times. Some have even taken it a step further than a new product or marketing strategy. There…
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What are the differences electronically between an AC and a DC drive? DC Drives: In general, a DC drive converts an Alternating Current (AC) into Direct Current (DC) to run a DC motor. Most DC drives use a couple of thyristors (also known as SCR’s) to create a half cycle of DC output from a…
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When recently touring one of our customers facilities I noticed the term “sustainability” on posters and signs in the conference rooms and hallways. They stated the importance of everyone’s participation for overall success. This term struck my interest, I had to learn more! sus·tain·a·bil·i·ty – avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to…
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New technologies are starting to find their footing in the crowded 21st century manufacturing landscape. Along with robotics removing a good portion of manual labor in traditional manufacturing roles, these high tech industries are bound to change the manufacturing landscape. Here are a few industries that could take off in the next several years and…
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If you approach it carefully, automation can be a win-win for everyone, especially maintenance supervisors, production managers, and plant supervisors. The caveat is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution because decisions regarding what to automate and when to automate them are not so simple. To maximize benefits, you need to organize a concerted team effort. Automation benefits…
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With regard to machine engineering, it is hard to say that one segment has changed as rapidly over the years as the human machine interface (HMI). Born from the humble mechanical levers of the early 19th century to the fully digital computer controls we have today, machines have become more and more complex and the…
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Although we can expect big changes in the manufacturing industry in the next four years, what about the components that go into manufactured electronics? In the past five to ten years, electronic component mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have been increasing. Often driven by the high cost of developing new and advanced technology as required by…
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In the service center we see a lot of failures and they all have their cause. Failure modes range from environmental factors and age of the device to just plain bad engineering. For now I want to cover the careless mistakes that we see most commonly. These are the ones we see again and again…
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With today marking the beginning of Donald Trump’s term as president, many are wondering what specific parts of the U.S. job market will change under his watch. While many of the details remain to be solidified and put into action, we can create a scenario for the U.S. manufacturing industry based on Trump’s past comments…
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You took the motor off your assembly line. You broke it down, found the problem, and repaired or replaced the part … but the motor still isn’t working properly — even though you tested it before reinstallation. The shaft was spinning properly, so of course the motor was running properly, right? Not necessarily. A spinning shaft is…
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