December 2015

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December 2015 (Complete Issue PDF)

Feature Articles

Chains and Belts Play to Their Strengths
As with just about everything else in the manufacturing world — and all which that universe entails — it depends. After all, that’s why the art of manufacturing is a process — not a one-system-fits-all discipline. Yes, once that process has been properly designed and correctly implemented for a given manufacturing production need, it may well run like the astest, smoothest cookie-cutter-type operation ever devised.

Steps Towards Revolution
The revolution goes by many names: machine-to-machine communication, smart manufacturing and the Industrial Internet, to name a few. In Europe, the prevailing term is Industry 4.0. In Germany, where that phrase was coined, the government is putting down €200 million to cultivate a lead in the industry. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that its potential economic impact will be almost $4 trillion (or more) by 2025. Enthusiastic evangelists will tell you that the Industrial Internet is the most important advance in their industries that they’ve seen in their decades-long careers.

2015 PTE Buyers Guide
This years Buyers guide

Motor Management - Best Practices
Energy costs and downtime can be greatly reduced by instituting a motor management plan. Part II of this three-part series specifically addresses the establishment of a motor failure policy and the development of purchasing specifications. Part I addressed the general aspects of a motor management plan, including the first steps of creating a motor inventory and guidelines for motor repair and replacement. Part III will examine motor repair specifications as well as preventive and predictive maintenance.

Technical Articles

Effect of Assembly Errors in Back-to-Back Gear Efficiency Testing
As gear efficiency is improved in small steps, it is important to be able to distinguish actual improvements from scatter that can occur while testing. An FZG back-to-back gear test rig was used to investigate how the assembly and re-assembly of the same test setup affects the measurements. A spread in torque loss between one assembly and another of the same test setup were observed. Rig conditions also affected the spread in input torque. With knowledge of how the spread in torque loss varies due to assembly, test results could be distinguished between changes due to assembly and actual differences between tests.

Departments

Dont Blink (Publishers Page)
Sometimes I feel like I blink and another year is gone. By the time most of you read this, it will be at or near the end of 2015. If you’re like us, you’ll be reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the next.

Product News (Product News)
News about latest products

Calendar (Events)
Calendar of Events

Industry News (Industry News)
News from around the industry

Hovercraft Technology Taking Us Back to the Future (Power Play)
There are few things in this world that elicit such a gleeful, childlike sense of wonder as does the word “hoverboard”.