August 2021

50 41 CONTENTS n Drives&Controls is a controlled circulation publication. If you live in the UK and want to subscribe phone 0333 577 0801 or fax 0845 604 2327. Alternatively for both UK and overseas subscriptions please subscribe online at www.drivesncontrols.com. If you have any enquiries regarding your subscription, please use these numbers. The content of this magazine, website and newsletters do not necessarily express the views of the Editor or publishers.The publishers accept no legal responsibility for loss arising from information in this publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced or stored in a retrieval systemwithout the written consent of the publishers. Paid subscriptions UK: £110 per annum Europe: £145 per annum Rest of World: £180 per annum Printing: Warners Midlands PLC., PE10 9PH ISSN 0950 5490 Copyright: DFA Manufacturing Media Ltd 2021 NEXT ISSUE The September issue of Drives & Controls will contain a special section on energy efficiency, as well as a feature covering developments in the food and beverage industry, and a look at what’s been happening in the world of service and repairs. UPDATE 15 Comment 17 ABB Back to Basics 18 Switching into Safety Engineering 58 Gambica column 60 Design Data and Multimedia 61 New Products 208 Products & Services IN DEPTH Follow us onTwitter @DrivesnControls Drives MagazineWeb site www.drivesncontrols.com Drives ShowWeb site www.drives-expo.com Join us on Facebook Drives & Controls Drives & Controls REGULARS 67 ANNUAL BUYER’S GUIDE This issue contains the 2021/2022 edition of the industry “bible” for power transmission, automation and motion engineers, telling you who sells what and how to get in touch with them. 28 20 5 60 57 DRIVES & CONTROLS JULY/AUGUST 2021 Vol 37 No 7 Editor Tony Sacks t: 01732 465367 e: tony@drives.co.uk Consultant Editor Andy Pye t: 07808 137312 e: andy.pye@dfamedia.co.uk Production Manager Sarah Blake t: 01233 770781 e: sarah.blake@dfamedia.co.uk Operations Manager Ewa Hodden t: 01732 370340 e: ewa.hodden@dfamedia.co.uk Project Liaison Manager Emma Floyd t: 01732 370340 f: 01732 360034 e: emma.floyd@dfamedia.co.uk Financial Caren Brown t: 01732 370340 e: caren.brown@dfamedia.co.uk ADVERTISING Sales Director Damien Oxlee t: 01732 370342 f: 01732 360034 m: 07951 103754 e: damien.oxlee@dfamedia.co.uk Sales Manager AndyWylie t: 01732 370341 f: 01732 360034 m: 07939 607855 e: andy.wylie@dfamedia.co.uk DFA Direct Ian Atkinson t: 01732 370340 f: 01732 360034 e: ian.atkinson@dfamedia.co.uk Italy Oliver & Diego Casiraghi e: info@casiraghi.info t: +39 031 261407 f: +39 031 261380 Managing Director Ryan Fuller t: 01732 370344 e: ryan.fuller@dfamedia.co.uk Chief Executive Officer Ian Atkinson t: 01732 370346 e: ian.atkinson@dfamedia.co.uk Reader/Circulation Enquiries Perception-MPS Ltd t: 01825 701520 e: cs@perception-sas.com HEAD OFFICE DFA Manufacturing Media Ltd 192 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1BE t: 01732 370340 f: 01732 360034 e: info@dfamedia.co.uk www.drivesncontrols.com 30 5 News A round-up of the latest business and industry developments from around the world. 20 Technology Cutting-edge innovations in motion, power transmission, controls and related technologies. 30 Talking Industry The theme for the sixth in our series ofTalking Industry online panel discussions was Maintenance 4.0 – the digital approach tomaintenance and servicing intended to make our plants runmore reliably, efficiently and cost-effectively.We pick out some of the highlights of the lively discussion between the four experts who took part. 32 Robotics and Automated Manufacturing A leading industry figure strikes a positive note on the future of robotics and automation in the UK; a systems integrator looks at how cobots are actually being used in industry; andwe examine how the pharmaceutical sector has turned to automation to help it cope with the pressures of the pandemic, citing two examples. 40 Transportation Industrial automation and motion technologies are increasingly being applied to all forms of transportation, on roads, in the air and on the water. We report on some recent developments, including a plan to power electric trucks from overhead lines on a motorway near Scunthorpe, an airship propelled by electric motors, and the world’s fastest battery-powered speedboat. 46 Insight Building safety functions into variable-speed drives offers many attractions over using traditional external hardware and software. An expert explains how drive- based safety works and highlights some of its benefits. 50 Renewable Energy We examine some of the ways that automation and motion technologies are helping to capture energy from renewable sources such as the sun and the wind, including how the IIoT is helping to run floating solar plants more efficiently, how MV converters are key to the world’s biggest wind farm being built in the North Sea, and a new approach to harvesting wave energy on a smaller scale. 57 Safety Covid-19 has had a profound effect on the way we run our factories and warehouses to ensure that workers remain safe. An expert looks at some of ideas and technologies that have been adopted. 54 32 64