It wasn’t too long ago that hazardous zones and production zones were reasonably well separated. The areas where explosive gases, vapors, or combustible dusts were present tended to stay in their own very specific environments, and the equipment operating in those areas was specified accordingly. Today, however, that distinction is less clear.
In many conveyor systems, worn coatings cause unnecessary failures – whether in the food and beverage industry or in material handling. For this purpose, igus offers powder coatings made of high-performance polymers called iglidur coating, which make surfaces significantly more wear-resistant and durable. To make it easier for users to retrofit existing systems, the company now also offers coated plates and wire mesh that can be flexibly cut to size and installed. The range is complemented by IC-05PF, the first PTFE‑free coating, which is intended in particular for applications with high hygiene requirements.
At a specialist aerospace equipment manufacturer in Portsmouth, an initiative to reduce energy costs identified steam energy usage that could be optimised. Dart Aerospace involved Bürkert’s engineering team to develop a system that could automatically close steam flow during non-operational periods. This custom-developed flow control system was set live in January 2025 and achieved return on investment in a matter of months.
Robust and precise flowmeters for dispensing of aggressive media
Maintaining wind turbines and identifying potential vulnerabilities is expensive and time-consuming, especially when they are located offshore. As a result, rotor blades are often simply replaced, a costly process, when damage is merely suspected. The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, working in concert with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, has developed a solution that can be used to identify cracks and breakages inside the blades remotely at an early stage.
Solution to deliver analysis and support for hygienic process equipment
For compressed air and nitrogen, simultaneously measuring volume flow, flow rate, consumption and temperature
To help engineers and operators meet the challenges of precision batching and ensure accurate measurements and smooth process operations, the editorial shares some key insights.
Supply chain optimization with wireless level measurement: The IIoT radar sensor measures fill levels in mobile tanks, containers and silos. The values are sent to the cloud so that they are available at any time and from anywhere. Close cooperation with users of the innovative sensor has led to further expansion of its fields of application since its market introduction three years ago.
Hermetically-sealed sensors for process control
As a pillar of the global economy, the process industry is facing major challenges: high energy consumption and high use of fossil fuels, rising energy costs and stricter legal regulations make the decarbonization of the industry increasingly urgent. In order to achieve CO2 reductions and higher energy efficiency in their own operations, it is essential that companies drive the digitalization and automation of their entire production process. Author: Axel Lorenz, CEO Process Automation, Siemens
Certification according to SIL 1 (IEC 62061) and PL c (EN ISO 13849-1) standards for a wide range of applications
Optical sensor with easy-to-configure sensor and indication functions
Enhanced process variable and diagnostic standardization for different field device technologies.
For smart devices, use in the oil industry, for example on an offshore oil platform, represents a real endurance test. The Pepperl+Fuchs brand ECOM Instruments subjected the Visor-Ex® 01, the first system consisting of smart glasses and smartphone certified for use in hazardous areas, to this endurance test during its development phase. The practical test reveals great potential for rollout in future applications.
Pharmaceutical powders form the basis for numerous antibiotics that are essential for comprehensive medical care. However, margins are low and production conditions are complex. This has led to a shift of manufacturing capacities to lower-cost markets. With this development in mind, how can supply bottlenecks be avoided? And what does it take to revive local production?
Process plants are often very extensive. Many of the plant components are interlinked and their functions coordinated. People who work in this area of plant construction know that there is generally less effort and expense involved in building a new plant, rather than adapting the existing one to meet new requirements. Despite the numerous challenges – and the restrictions imposed by the Corona pandemic and its consequences – the new and renovated production reactors went into operation again right on schedule.
Titan Enterprises have released video tutorials illustrating correct wiring of their pulse precision flow measurement devices to support customers with the installation of flow meters into their applications.
“Size changeover” is not necessarily a term that immediately makes people stop and pay attention in the pharmaceutical industry. However, considering the challenges in pharmaceutical manufacturing, which are characterized by cost and competitive pressure as well as strict regulations, intelligent size changeover means competitive advantages in terms of efficiency, product quality and process reliability.
The increasing variety and complexity of parenteral drugs calls for new dimensions in quality assurance. Fully automated inspection technology with a combination of visual inspection and container closure integrity testing (CCIT) offers the highest product and hence patient safety. Pharmaceutical manufacturer CDM Lavoisier decided to change their inspection processes for no less than 30 products in four different packaging formats. They are now all inspected on the new AIM 3000 from Syntegon.
How can a feed silo or a glass recycling container be transformed into a smart asset? With the battery-operated WILSEN.sonic.level IoT sensor from Pepperl+Fuchs. The autonomous device is connected to the internet via LoRaWAN.
3-in-1 biogas measurement with Ex certification up to zone 0
Delivering safety and environmental protection, educating the workers involved in plain and simple terms to guarantee the understanding of major hazard risks, it’s fundamental when dealing with process safety management
Holistic modernization of the compressed air system engineered by Ingersoll Rand resulted in significant energy cost reduction and low capital expenditure solutions for TEKFOR Italy, thanks to the implementation of IR Global Air Solution
They help reduce downtime
Featuring Chip-in-Oil technology
The latest technology from Emerson helps operators maximise tank capacity, while reducing the risk of overfilling and potentially hazardous spillages, even in remote installations
in confectionary process
for steam applications ensures reliable and efficient operation
for automatic gentle feed
enhances process reliability
for major soup maker
features tubular heat exchangers
for gas flow down to 0.03m/s
prevents costly shut down of critical units
increase update rates on wireless instruments
keeps compounding line clean
chosen for Norwegian Goliat FPSO project
for Norwegian Goliat FPSO project
for high-viscosity fluids
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