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Better and faster machines through automation technology

There is hardly any industry that does not rely on machines. Machines with automation technology and test and measurement technology are used in the metal industry as well as by textile manufacturers.

No machines without automation technology

Automation technology allows machines to carry out certain work processes on their own. This saves the owner of the company not only time, but over the long term also money since fewer employees are needed. When machines employ a high level of automation technology, the degree of automation is perceptible. These processes still need people to monitor the machines and replenish the supplies. The finished products also have to be transported by hand. Automation technology achieves its goal more effectively through innovations that stem from electronics research. Although problems are solved much easier with automation technology, workers who monitor the machines face more difficult tasks. They must learn a variety of requirements by heart and always be in a position to intervene in the automation technology of the machines.

Even automation technology has its limits

The limits of automation technology were once readily apparent. Large machines were the only benefactors of automation technology and test and measurement technology. Automation technology can meanwhile be used inlarge, medium and small scale machines . Today, the limits of automation technology have more to do with whether the automation technology and test and measurement technology will pay off. If the automation technology is deployed to produce only a single component instead of thousands, then it becomes a question of the return on the investment.

Many things can be calculated and accomplished through test and measurement technology

In machines, test and measurement technology involves not only methods, but also equipment, which are used to determine a variety of values. With test and measurement technology, machine values such as pressure, length, time and temperature become visible and easy to understand.

Automation technology in machines - technologies that work hand in hand

Test and measurement technology would hardly function by itself in machine engineering were it not for control technology and automation technology. Production engineering is a good example of how test and measurement technology works alongside these other two technologies. That basically means that test and measurement technology is already being used together with automation technology in machine engineering.

Achieving the goal through various fields of test and measurement technology

Test and measurement technology involves not just one, but several interdependent fields. If engineers fail to enhance current test and measurement systems and methods, advances in test and measurement technology will come to a halt. Miniaturization, modeling and capturing methods are also helping to keep test and measurement methods on the leading edge. In the area of test and measurement technologies, especially test and measurement technology in machines, the focus is always on alignment and adjustment. When machines do not meet the desired goal, improperly calibrated test and measurement technology could be the cause. Test and measurement technology and machines are used together mainly in the area of production engineering. The underlying standards for test and measurement technology are not uniformly interpreted in every country. Germany, for instance, relies on the DIN 1913 standard, which sets the guidelines for test and measurement technology. In contrast, Austria uses OENORM M 1330, where the OE in front of the designator stands for Austria.

Automation technology is therefore a vital element of test and measurement technology and vice versa.

Machine Engineering

Machine engineering is one of Germany's key industries. The importance of this segment has led to the creation of new university degree programs in fields such as production and logistics, process engineering, vehicle/automotive engineering, production engineering and aerospace engineering among others.

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Insulation monitors secure power supply

For early detection and correction of insulation faults, the Siemens Building Technologies Division now offers two new rack-mounting units: the 7LQ3 354 and 7LQ3 355 insulation monitors. They monitor non-grounded power supplies in medical premises, detect insulation faults as soon as they occur, and output warning signals.

Mains-dependent medical equipment must remain in operation even when threatened with a short-circuit to frame, or when the general power supply fails. The 7LQ3... 05.03.2008 |

How windproof are cable cars?

A measuring system deals with the question as to the effects different wind loads have on cable cars.

Two researchers from the Vienna University of Technology (TU) have thrown light on vibration-control problems, an area little researched up to now and were... 10.12.2007 |

SGT-400 gas turbine fleet achieves more than half a million hours in commercial operation

The SGT-400 industrial gas turbine fleet has exceeded 500,000 hours of commercial operation, confirming the SGT-400 as a well proven machine with wide acceptance by industry.

Individual lead packages have completed more than 54.000 operating hours, equivalent to more than six years of continuous operation.

More than 100 units have... 31.05.2007 |

Radical engine redesign would reduce pollution, oil consumption

Researchers have created the first computational model to track engine performance from one combustion cycle to the next for a new type of engine that could dramatically reduce oil consumption and the emission of global-warming pollutants.

"We're talking about a major leap in engine technology that could be used in hybrid cars to make vehicles much more environmentally friendly and fuel stingy,"... 14.05.2007 |

Safer and more cost-effective control units for cleaning machines

These days, floor cleaners and scrubbing machines include more and more state-of-the-art equipment which is controlled by several engines, requiring a complex and costly construction process. Furthermore, mechanical control units provide less agility, create more wear and tear and can cause physical stress to machine operators.

EUREKA project E! 3592 CLEANCONTROL has developed a compact electronic control unit to challenge this. Mainly targeted at cleaning machine manufacturers, it is... 02.05.2007 |

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