News and Articles

With support from its members, the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades (AEMT) has launched a committee which aims to drive, support and promote equality, diversity and inclusion within the electromechanical sector.

Wear and tear, unbalance, looseness and misalignment are the most commonly found vibration issues in machines. Timely detection of vibration can help avoid downtime and enhance the lifespan of machines. Machine reliability specialist, Reliability Maintenance Solutions, explains how precision balancing and alignment practices help minimise forces acting on a machine’s bearings and shaft seals, resulting in the improved reliability of these key components.

THE ASSOCIATION OF ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL Trades (AEMT) has published a new guide designed to help users calculate their industrial motors' total cost of ownership (TCO). With a focus on assisting organisations to reduce costs and improve their motors' environmental impact, the free guide can be downloaded from the AEMT website.

With support from Fluke Reliability, Jack Daniel’s cooperage is supporting its barrel manufacturing with predictive maintenance, as Renew found out.

RECENT FINDINGS BY THE CHARTERED Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), found that the downturn in UK manufacturing accelerated at the end of 2022. Moreover, the rate of decline was among the steepest during the past 14 years.

A Canadian oil producer is undertaking a project to use local canola (rapeseed) oil to create renewable diesel on an industrial scale. At the heart of the plant will be a number of precision pumps from Sulzer that have been designed to handle challenging process conditions. The expected outcome of the initiative is a reduction in carbon emissions by three million tonnes annually, equivalent to cutting the number of vehicles on the road by 650,000.

BEARINGS FIRM, BEARINGS & DRIVES Ltd (BDL) has become the sole UK distributor of CeramicSpeed Insulate ball bearings, strengthening their offering and introducing to the UK market the latest technology in operational efficiency, allowing UK customers day-to-day direct access to these products from their warehousing facilities.

James Stevens, Global Sales and Marketing Director of Preformed Windings, explains how HV Diamond coil specification and design can tackle the challenges presented by an ageing and constrained installed base of hydro generation infrastructure.

THE DAWN OF 2023 MARKED A DISTINCT PARADIGM shift that few could have predicted. As we waved farewell to the previous year, whispers of a technological innovation known as ChatGPT by OpenAI began circulating in the halls of social media. Now, in retrospect, it seems we may have underestimated the transformative potential of this revolutionary software.

Willian Santos from Repair, Don’t Waste, an international movement created by ABI Electronics to emphasise the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of repair over replacement, asks what companies will do while UK, EU, and US projects aimed at reshoring semiconductor manufacturing are in their infancy for the next 10-15 years. Whilst chips are scarce, and net-zero pressures are continually mounting the movement believes that repairing and maintaining existing electronic circuit boards offers the perfect solution.

WEBB ELEC RECENTLY OVERHAULED and rebuilt a 287kw ABB DC motor for one of its metal processing customers.

TYPICALLY, INSPECTING IN ZONE 2 hazardous environments requires getting a hot work permit signed off by a manager. This can consist of extensive manual paperwork and requires that work ceases for at least one hour prior to inspection. It also requires that all potentially explosive materials (such as combustible dust and gases) are carefully measured and monitored to reduce the possibility of ignition.

Time is running out to prepare and submit nominations for the 2023 AEMT Awards Programme. With the final entry date set as 5.00pm on Friday, 8 September, the AEMT again looks forward to recognising and rewarding excellence across the electrical and mechanical repair sector.

THE GIBBONS ENGINEERING maintenance team recently attended Colchester Zoo to remove a pump from the sea lion enclosure which was due for its annual inspection and refurbishment.

Often used to improve starting performance of large induction motors, magnetic slot wedges are not without their reliability and maintenance challenges. Mike Davis from Electrical Machine Knowledge Exchange, discusses the function of stator wedging, the historical development of magnetic wedge material, their advantages and key maintenance considerations.

ERIKS UK has launched an app that enables its customers to digitally replenish their stores, ensuring they experience fast, efficient and reliable next-day delivery with full digital traceability.

THE TEAM AT BOWERS ELECTRICALS has recently carried out a full overhaul of a 160kW, 2 Pole, IP23, drip-proof motor, one of three motors that run an ammonia compressor used in a food processing factory at a UK supplier of frozen chicken and turkey meat.

Marek Lukaszczyk, Marketing Manager for Europe and the Middle East at geared motor manufacturer WEG, explains the requirements of ATEX-certified geared motors.

Engineering services specialist, RJW Engineering explains why it became the first customer worldwide for Megger's new ADX fully automatic static motor analyser, when it purchased the first two test sets to come off the production line through distributor P.A.R. Insulations and Wires.

Renew discovered how a replacement variable speed drive from TEC Electric Motors, installed in an extreme operating environment, has reduced downtime and repair frequency for a metal recycling company.