I am a massive believer in the application of 1st Principles, particularly when it comes to machine breakdowns and faultfinding. It has rescued me time after time on all sorts of problems, in all sorts of places. One of the first elements is being sure of exactly what the machine is supposed to do. There have been occasions where I have been asked to consult on a machine problem and have found that the ‘problem’ Read more
May 132012
Mar 042012
This important process enhancement, developed by my company for a leading softgel capsule manufacturer, was subsequently applied in all its facilities worldwide. Softgel capsules are used for packaging liquid products from bath oil to cod liver oil, and prescription drugs to paint balls. But have you ever wondered how they are made? Softgel capsules are made and filled on rotary die encapsulation machines. Hot liquid gelatine is continuously cast in two thin wide ribbons, or Read more
Feb 192012
This project was undertaken for Ridgway Machines Ltd, in Anstey, Leicester, for their customer in India. It was a quantum leap forward in the way complex taping lines are built. As part of our company remit, we used our expertise and the latest technology to revolutionise the electrical and control system, to achieve a degree of modularity that allows virtually any number of machines to be integrated into a line at the lowest equipment cost, Read more
Feb 192012
I had invented a simplified motion controller in which each separate axis has its own dedicated processor, or motion control chip. An ideal opportunity arose for developing the controller against a real application when Blackburn-based carpet tufting machine manufacturer, Thom Engineering Limited, approached my company with a requirement for controlling 2,000 individual yarn feed motors simultaneously. The first task was to make the prototype controller. At the core of the controller is a Digital Signal Read more
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