The ThermaCAM® T400 is the most innovative, feature rich infrared camera available! The T400 now has FUSION! FLIR's new FUSION fuctionality allows for easier indentification and interpretation of infrared images. This advanced technology enhances the value of an infrared image by allowing you to overlay it directly over the corresponding visible image. The functionality combines the benefits of both the infrared image and visual picture at the push of a button. The T400 camera does this in real-time and the overlay function can be easily adjusted to suit any application such as electrical surveys, building diagnostics, and mechanical inspections. Read the rest of this article »

Healthy business growth in highly competitive markets with small profit margins requires a great deal of innovation, research and development. In many cases, success depends on a company’s ability to adapt to changes in existing markets, while looking for ways to cater for and branch out into new areas and to seek and create markets of the future.

The technology manufacturing industry is highly competitive, but offers a great deal of scope for product and application innovation. Having a cutting edge technology is the first step, but a crucial second is identifying the strengths of this technology and where it can be implemented to improve or refine existing manufacturing processes. A company producing manufacturing technology is not only in competition with others producing competing equipment, but also with existing legacy manufacturing techniques. Read the rest of this article »

WRAP funded research provides breakthrough in plastic recycling.

Italian white-goods manufacturer Indesit has become the first electrical goods maker to incorporate recycled materials into mass-produced merchandise after a successful research and development program carried out with WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Program).

The company can now take plastic from the UK waste stream, specifically Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), and make cover plates out of it for two of its washing machines.

The material has been produced using shredded plastic waste recovered from domestic fridges, and made into a high grade polymer that has a similar weight to the virgin plastic it is replacing. As a result, the CO2 emissions, cumulative cost and raw material savings from this activity are significant.

Peter Maddox, Head of Manufacturing at WRAP said: "This groundbreaking project has demonstrated that closed-loop recycling in electrical equipment from UK WEEE is commercially viable on a large scale for the first time, with no negative effect on performance. We encourage other manufacturers to follow this example.

"Our recent research has also demonstrated that some consumers are willing to buy products that contain some recycled content over those that do not - further strengthening the business argument for this approach."

WRAP, a non-profit government funded organisation committed to lowering carbon emissions, says it has market research that suggests consumers are ready to favour products made from recycled materials. To find out more about the organisation and the services it offers manufacturers, visit www.wrap.org.uk/manufacturing.

Pictured: Mike Birch, environmental manager at Indesit, and Gerrard Fisher of WRAP with the plastic

Source : TheManufacturer.com

The lightweight Extech i5 is able to monitor and detect the thermal condition of electrical system components to address problem areas before failures occur, and can inspect areas that can't be reached with thermocouples or other contact-based instruments. High resolution thermal images instantly pinpoint problems in need of repair, critical for condition monitoring of thermally sensitive targets. The Extech i5 delivers high accuracy of 2% and thermal sensitivity of 0.18°F/0.1°C, which provides compliance to NETA testing requirements.

The i5 allows users to check for overheating in electrical panels and transformers, to spot electrical faults before it is too late, and to identify faults in cooling and heating systems, and problems with motors, fans and bearings. The Extech i5's QuickReport PC software makes it easy to download standard jpeg thermal images with radiometric data, and to generate reports, analyze, and document findings. Read the rest of this article »