Mike Gulliford, MD of Apex Dynamics UK, has written a book on servo gearboxes and how to apply them. It draws on his more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Called Servo Gearbox Secrets 2025, the free book provides information on servo gearboxes, their history and usage. It covers gearbox types and geometries, applications, and operating conditions. It offers advice on issues such as sizing, safety, performance and maintenance, as well as supplier selection, procurement and ROIs. It explores how the gearbox market could evolve.“As far as I am aware no one else has done this before,”says Gulliford. “I have tried with this book to include all the things I wish I’d known sooner.” The guide is available via Apex’s Web site. www.apexdynauk.com Online tool helps to configure heavy-duty connectors Phoenix Contact has launched an online tool for the simple, fast and secure configuration of heavy-duty connectors. The Heavycon configurator helps to select, validate and visualise connectors, and avoids incorrect combinations. Configurations can be named, saved, and shared. There are three levels: ready-made proposals that users can order directly or customise to suit their needs; an assistant mode that guides the user to the ideal 3D configuration; and an expert mode that allows users to decide whether they want to configure the entire connector, or just one side. The tool is available via Phoenix Contact’s Web site and needs no installation. www.phoenixcontact.com/en-gb Paper explores AI’s impact on automation The International Society of Automation (ISA) has published a position paper on the opportunities, risks and standards-driven pathways for implementing AI safely in industrial environments. Called Industrial AI and Its Impact on Automation, the paper traces AI's evolution and highlights how it is accelerating advances in robotics, maintenance, digital twins and optimisation. It also emphasizes the role of standards such as ISA/IEC 62443 in ensuring AI systems are transparent, secure, reliable and aligned with OT needs. The paper use cases for AI, from data governance and risk assessment, to integration with controls. www.isa.org/position-papers Report aims to cut through the AI hype The organisers of the Advanced Engineering UK show have produced a report that provides an “AI reality check” for UK manufacturing. The document aims to cut through the hype and reveal where adoption is really happening and where barriers remain. Called AI Reality Check: The True Impact of AI in Manufacturing and Engineering, the report highlights both the promise and the pitfalls of AI. Without the right skills, cultural readiness and ethical safeguards, it says, even the most advanced tools can only go so far. It is available via the show’s Web site. www.advancedengineeringuk.com 48 n NEW PRODUCTS n DESIGN DATA AND MULTIMEDIA November/December 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com JVL has revised the software and hardware of its MAC404 integrated servomotors, improving their performance, efficiency and adaptability, as well as cutting costs. The motors, available from Mclennan, deliver 400W (1.2kW peak) in a 63 x 63mm frame. With a new absolute multi-turn encoder, they can sustain 100% duty cycles and 24/7 operation. A built-in Ethernet interface supports six protocols. Options include brakes, IP67 protection, STO connectors with SoE, wireless interfaces, CANopen and IO-Link. The integrated drive and controller is powered from a 115/230V AC supply (with 48V DC as an option). With speeds of up to 3,000 rpm (3,600 max), the rated torque is 1.27Nm (3.83Nm peak). The distributed design eliminates the need for large control cabinets. www.mclennan.co.uk Yokogawa Test & Measurement has added the added an harmonic output option to its LS3300 AC power calibrator. The instrument produces accurate, stable power calibration signals – now including harmonics – for improved power meter calibration. As high-power inverters, drives and switching supplies become more common, harmonic distortion is a growing concern, affecting efficiencies, causing overheating and failures in sensitive equipment, as well as non-compliance with power quality standards. The enhanced instrument provides stable, accurate voltage, current and phase outputs, thus helping to calibrate more types of device using one instrument. Yokogawa says it will help users to meet increasingly strict power quality testing demands, and improve productivity and ROI. https://tmi.yokogawa.com Free book demystifies servo gearboxes Universal Robots has launched a compact, heavy-duty cobot (collaborative robot) built for speed and strength. With a 950mm reach, the capacity to handle large end-effectors, and speeds of up to 4m/s, the UR18 is aimed at fast pick-and-place, assembly and material-handling applications in industries such as logistics, automotive, and food and beverage. Its 39kg weight is said to make installation easy on most gantry systems. The cobot has UR’s upgraded freedrive and motion capabilities, including OptiMove and MotionPlus – UR’s advanced motion control technology designed to offer better control and smoother movements. The UR18 has UL1740 certification, allowing safe human–robot collaboration, simplifying compliance with industrial safety requirements, and ensuring faster integration. Universal Robots www.universal-robots.com ABB Robotics has announced three large industrial robots capable of handling payloads of up to 350kg. Together with other robots that it has launched since 2022, ABB is claiming to offer the widest line-up of industrial robots on the market, consisting of 11 families and 60 variants. The IRB 6730S and IRB 6750S shelf-mounting robots allow increased robot densities on production lines. They can be installed at a height and can work with floor-mounted robots to boost productivity. They provide full vertical and horizontal motion to increase their downward reach, making them ideal for applications such as die-casting, injectionmoulding and spot-welding. The IRB 6760 press-tending robot is said to be the highest performance robot for mid-sized press lines. When combined with ABB’s carbon-fibre tooling boom, it can boost output to a“marketleading”rate of up to 15 strokes per minute – or 900 parts per hour. All three new robots are powered by ABB’s OmniCore controllers, said to deliver classleading performance, with 20% lower energy consumption. ABB Robotics www.abb.com Trio of large robots handle loads of up to 350kg Compact cobot is built for speed and strength
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