Drives & Controls Magazine November/December 2025

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 system without 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 2025 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 on X @DrivesnControls Drives Magazine Web site www.drivesncontrols.com Follow us on LinkedIn @ Drives & Controls Join us on Facebook Drives & Controls Drives& Controls REGULARS DfAmedia group 32 28 26 24 5 47 DRIVES & CONTROLS NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2025 Vol 41 No 10 Editor Tony Sacks t: 01732 465367 e: tony@drives.co.uk Production Manager Sarah Blake t: 01233 770781 e: sarah.blake@dfamedia.co.uk Marketing Manager Hope Jepson t: 01732 370340 e: hope.jepson@dfamedia.co.uk Financial Finance Department t: 01732 370340 e: accounts@dfamedia.co.uk ADVERTISING Sales Director and DFA Direct Damien Oxlee t: 01732 370342 m: 07951 103754 e: damien.oxlee@dfamedia.co.uk Sales Manager Sara Gordon t: 01732 370341 m: 07505867211 e: sara.gordon@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 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 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. 24 Manufacturing Manufacturing faces problems that can't be solved by small tweaks. There’s an urgent need for control systems that are dramatically better. An expert explores some of the issues, and identifies five big challenges that every manufacturer has to deal with. 26 Software-Based Automation Factories can’t compete on hardware alone anymore, argues Dr Hans Krattenmacher, chief innovation officer at SEW-Eurodrive. He explains why the next wave of manufacturing competitiveness will depend less on hardware, and more on intelligent software. 28 Electric Motors ABB recently set a new world record for industrial motor. But what's behind this breakthrough, and how close are we to reaching the limits of electric motor efficiency? Gunnar Porsby, ABB’s R&D lead for high-speed synchronous machines, examines the issues. 30 Controls and Software Specialised AI tools are being developed that understand the language of engineering, bringing true industrial intelligence to manufacturing. Plus, which type of AI tool is better for your applications: machine learning or neural networks? 36 Safety Radar-based safety sensors offer non-contact protection of installations and, unlike other types of safety sensor, can also monitor volumes. But when should you use this type of sensor and what potential advantages does they offer? Plus, an IO-Link Safety specification has been certified recently: what does this mean? 40 Electrical and Enclosures Overheating equipment is often to blame for production line failures. So what can you do to tackle the issue? Plus why custom control panels are becoming increasingly popular, and how Ethernet-based cabinet wiring cut costs, and saved time and weight for a Brazilian panel-builder. 36 Average net circulation January to December 2024 42 45 Subscribe for your FREE copy now 20,514 16

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