Drives & Controls Magazine November/December 2022

50 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 Media Group 2022 NEXT ISSUE The January issue of Drives & Controls will contain our annual supplement on variable-speed drives, and a look at what’s been happening in the worlds of gears and gearboxes, and packaging, printing and paper. UPDATE 14 Comment 15 ABB Back to Basics 45 Gambica column 46 New Products 48 Design Data and Multimedia 49 Products & Services IN DEPTH Follow us onTwitter @DrivesnControls Drives MagazineWeb site www.drivesncontrols.com Follow us on LinkedIn @ Drives & Controls Join us on Facebook Drives & Controls Drives & Controls REGULARS D f A mediagroup 33 28 16 8 47 DRIVES & CONTROLS November/December 2022 Vol 38 No 10 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 Project Liaison Manager Emma Floyd t: 01732 370340 e: emma.floyd@dfamedia.co.uk Marketing Executive Hope Jepson t: 01732 370340 e: hope.jepson@dfamedia.co.uk Financial Caren Brown t: 01732 370340 e: caren.brown@dfamedia.co.uk ADVERTISING Sales Director Damien Oxlee t: 01732 370342 m: 07951 103754 e: damien.oxlee@dfamedia.co.uk Sales Manager AndyWylie t: 01732 370341 m: 07939 607855 e: andy.wylie@dfamedia.co.uk DFA Direct Ian Atkinson t: 01732 370340 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 Media Group 192 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1BE t: 01732 370340 f: 01732 360034 e: info@dfamedia.co.uk www.drivesncontrols.com 38 5 News A round-up of the latest business and industry developments from around the world. 16 Technology Cutting-edge innovations in motion, power transmission, controls and related technologies. 28 Smart Factories The digitalisation of manufacturing is changing the way that we run our production plants. An expert in industrial networking and communications examines eight of the key technologies that are driving these changes. 30 Controllers and Software As semiconductor shortages disrupt the production of PLCs, we examine an alternative software-based approach that can reduce your dependency on hardware. Plus how the PLC market is faring the post- Covid era, and we look at the reality of applying artificial intelligence to industrial applications. 34 Safety How an EtherCat-based guard locking system is being used to ensure safety in a robotics cell at a UK research centre, plus a look at who will be responsible for complying with the Machinery Safety Regulations for the UKCA marking scheme, and how a German machine-builder is ensuring that carboard blanks are fed safely into its packaging machines. 41 Controlgear and Enclosures Cooling systems for large enclosures are a well-established technology that can achieve energy savings of around 75%. But is it worth applying similar systems to smaller enclosures? Plus, how soft-starters are helping to clean the River Ganges in India, and we consider what differentiates one EMC filter from another. 46 42 41 45