Every machine builder knows that they have to meet stringent safety requirements to protect workers from the risk of injury. If they build machines for the EU market, they should know that the European regulatory landscape is more advanced than in most other regions, with newer and more rigorous requirements for safety design and testing.

EU-equivalent safety capabilities are also being adopted by many non-European manufacturers despite the lack of specific in-country regulations. Sooner or later, every machine builder will need to offer functional safety capabilities or be left behind. Let’s look at what that means.

The Orbex Group, a manufacturer of high-performance electric motors and slip rings, introduces standard slip rings with an IP65 protection rating, providing washdown tolerance in many food, beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturing applications.

Bosch Rexroth will expand its presence in North America: A new plant is being built in Queretaro, Mexico. Bosch Rexroth has been successfully operating in Mexico for 40 years. In Queretaro, local production capacities for the manufacture of products and components for mobile applications as well as for factory automation will be increased from summer 2023, and there is space for further growth. Bosch Rexroth will invest some 160 million euros in the new site. The aim is to strengthen local production for the North American market and thus be able to serve customers even better and more efficiently in the future.

Emerson announced the recipient of its 2022 ASCO Engineering Scholarship Program, which recognizes and rewards U.S. college and university students studying in the fields of engineering, instrumentation, systems, and automation, for their academic excellence, service to others, and leadership potential.

Motion Industries, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of the new Motion Ai website, https://ai.motion.com. Announced in February 2022, the Motion Ai business group unifies acquired technical companies, including Applied Machine and Motion Control (AMMC), Axis New England/Axis New York, BRAAS, F&L Industrial Solutions, Integro Technologies, Kaman Automation, Meier Transmission and Numatic Engineering.

Bonfiglioli presents the new high performant 800 series which comes in five sizes from 25,000 to 160,000 Nm in marine-resistant paint, suitable for blast cleaning. Easy and fast assembly of the 800 series gearboxes into the winch drum is a key feature of their design. Maintenance requirements are made as simple as possible, e.g., with an easy access to the brake, ready-made brake replacement kits as well as easy access to oil filling, draining plugs, and oil level pipe/indicator. 

Portescap is pleased to announce the release of the 20ECF brushless slotted flat motor, which is the latest motor to join the flat motor platform. The 20ECF is characterized by a flat architecture, as well as a compact package size that is a hallmark of Portescap’s existing brushless motor portfolio.

KMC Controls is delighted and saddened to announce the retirement of Chris Kreuter, an innovator whose career spanned more than 50 years with the company. 
Chris' career started 52 years ago when his father, Ken Kreuter, founded Kreuter Manufacturing - today called KMC Controls.