Case Studies
Hybrid centre/surface winder for metal foilThis project was undertaken for Machinery Development Services Ltd (MDS) in Whitminster, near Gloucester, a leading UK manufacturer of converting machines for paper, foil and film. My company provided…Read more |
Breakdown support: first aid for machineryBirmingham-based health products manufacturer Cuxson Gerrard & Co Ltd had a major breakdown on one of two machines making sticking plasters. I responded to the call when arrived at the machine, one I had not seen before,…Read more |
Reaching new heights in the world of film and TVWhen professional cameraman, Matthew Gladstone, wanted some shots of sporting events from high angles, he couldn’t find anything to get his camera to….Read more |
Giving an old machine a new lease of lifeTelford-based manufacturer of toothed timing belts, Bondabelt, had problems with a special purpose machine for grinding slots in the back of its belts. The machine was more than 10 years old, its Trio Motion Technology MC1 controller was obsolete, and the stepper motors…Read more |
Automating production of savoury pancakesThe original project to automate the production of savoury pancakes was undertaken in conjunction with Gainsborough Craftsmen who built six machines in the mid-1990s for Findus Ltd, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I was responsible for programming and commissioning these machines…Read more |
Servos revolutionise packaging machineryFlow wrapping machines, also known as horizontal form-fill-and-seal machines, are widely used for packaging a huge variety of consumables that are sold wrapped individually, in multiples or on trays, from chocolate bars to biscuits, and dishwasher tablets to sausages….Read more |
Needling machine for Carbon disc brakesCarbon brake discs typically take about 6 months to make. The discs are made from layers of high purity carbon fibre matting ‘stitched’ together into a wad to form a blank roughly the size and shape of the finished item….Read more |
Programming a push-pull machineTo Birmingham-based GKN Driveline, a major supplier of drive shafts to the world’s automotive industry, it is a machine used for pressing a shaft into a constant velocity (CV) joint – this is where the push comes in – then testing the integrity of the assembly by trying to pull it out again….Read more |
Pathology lab sample preparation machineThe British life sciences company, Genial Genetic Solutions, asked my company to design and programme the control system for their revolutionary new machine, the MultiPrep CellSprint™ for…Read more |
Bottle Capping MachineThis project for the Japanese life sciences company, Olympus Diagnostica, in Ireland, was to replace an existing machine that was unreliable with a new machine designed and built by for consistently screwing caps onto bottles to a precisely-controlled….Read more |
Developing a networked process control boardWhen AWE Newtech Limited, a leading manufacturer of resin impregnation machines for electric motors, realised that significant savings could be made in the cost of their flagship machines by introducing distributed control, they approached my company to develop a suitable process control board….Read more |
Variable speed drive reduces energy costsPeter Grant Papers, in Telford, is the UK’s largest independent soft tissue manufacturer, converting 15,000 tons of tissue paper per year produced by its Lancaster mill into toilet paper, hand and face towels, and wipes for the healthcare, catering and industrial sectors…Read more |
15-axis Taping Machine for large diameter pipesThis highly innovative project was undertaken for Ridgway Machines Ltd, in Anstey, Leicester, a leading UK manufacturer of taping machines for electrical conductors and large diameter tubes. Ridgway supplied the Taping Machine to a customer in China. The machine is used for wrapping continuous lengths of extruded plastic pipe with steel tape….Read more |
Developing a motion controller: how?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…Read more |
Taping Lines for Copper ConductorsThis 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. |
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