March 2021

38 n STRAP March 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com BELTS, BEARINGS AND CHAINS Home shoppers and wind turbines prompt €1.6m investment in belt production T he belt-maker Continental is investing around €1.6m to boost capacity at its Dannenberg drive belt production site in Germany. It says that the investment is needed to satisfy increased demand from two very different markets: warehousing and wind turbines. The mushrooming of online retailing as a result of the Covid pandemic has led to substantial investments in logistics capabilities, including belt systems, in warehouses and fulfilment centres. The belts, are needed for example, in automated high-bay warehouses, where they work alongside automated driverless transport systems to help meet the burgeoning demand frm home shoppers. At the same time, some wind turbine manufacturers – notably the large Chinese wind turbine producer Xinjiang Goldwind Science and Technology – are turning from using gearboxes and hydraulics to adjust the angles of their rotor blades, to low-maintenance, abrasion- resistant belt technologies. Wind turbines are often installed in in warm and humid locations which encourage corrosion. To protect drive belts from these conditions, Continental plans to cover them with protective layer. Part of the new investment will go on expanding the belt manufacturing process to add a coating process. “The markets relevant to us are recovering faster than initially expected after the production interruptions in 2020,” says Rolf Marwede, who heads Continental’s industrial drive belts division in Danneberg. “To cope with the increasing number of incoming orders, we are looking for workers who would like to get involved in the technical work environment.” n Continental is ramping up its capacity to produce drive belts for adjusting wind turbine rotor blades without using gears or hydraulics. n DESIGN DATA AND MULTIMEDIA Weekly podcasts explore the world of robotics ABB has launched a series of weekly podcasts in which a panel of experts look at the cutting edge of robotics, analysing how advances in automation are benefitting society and business, and what the future holds. They will cover collaborative as well as industrial robots. Each episode of the Robot Podcast will take an in-depth look at case studies, with themes including healthcare, food, electric vehicles and sustainability. The podcasts are hosted by TV presenter and engineering enthusiast, Fran Scott who has worked with the BBC and Channel 4. http://smarturl.it/therobotpodcast Online cobot knowledge bank offers ‘how to’ guides Universal Robots (UR) has established a free online knowledge bank containing on- demand webinars and articles on collaborative robots. The library covers subjects ranging from how to automate specific processes – including sanding, polishing, packaging and palletising – to manufacturing challenges. It also covers sectors where automation is currently underutilised – such as Coronavirus laboratory testing. The webinars were originally conceived to support new and existing UR customers during the Covid pandemic, but the library now serves as a“how to’”guide for common automation challenges. https://events.universal-robots.com/semea/online-events Online tool simplifies the choice of profile linear guides Thomson Industries has launched an online tool that simplifies the selection and purchase of profile rail linear guide components and allows engineers to find and configure the best profile rail for an application in“less than five minutes”. They can filter the results on parameters such as load, length, carriage style, accuracy and corrosion resistance. Pricing and lead times, as well as user-prompted live assistance, are also accessible from the product page. Once a configuration is complete, visitors can add it to a shopping cart for immediate purchase, download a 3D model into a CAD program, or access a PDF containing product features, benefits and specifications. www.thomsonlinear.com/en/products/profile-rail-products Sensor details are accessible via online showroom or in print The Swiss sensor manufacturer Contrinex has announced its 2021 catalogue, as well as a virtual showroom, and a brochure covering its new Smart range of inductive sensors withmultiple sensingmodes. The catalogue covers the company’s inductive and photoelectric sensors with IO-Link comms, as well as its ultrasonic, RFID and safety sensors (including light curtains) which are set up and diagnosed via Bluetooth. The virtual showroom, available via Contrinex’s UK distributor, PlusAx , allows visitors to find out more about the sensors, and to download brochures. The 16- page Smart sensors brochure explains how the inductive sensors can help to measure, monitor and predict, and includes application examples. www.PLUSAx.co.uk www.Showroom.PLUSAx.co.uk