A conventional plant has numerous pH measuring points, often fitted by different manufacturers. This article shows that by replacing your analogue measuring points with Memosens technology, there is the potential to reduce cost, time and human error - thereby increase accuracy of pH measurement.

High power applications such as automotive, wind, solar and standard industrial drives require power modules which fulfill the demand for high reliability, thermal and electrical ruggedness. These demands are met by deploying state-of-the-art packing technologies such as solder-free pressure and spring contacts - but also sinter technology. The development engineers in the new technologies department at SEMIKRON in Nuremburg were challenged to develop, optimise and employ this new packaging technology.

AC induction motors come in various sizes and forms, windings and connections can be done in many ways and often repair facilities change and modify these, regrettably not always understanding the effect his will have on the characteristics and performance of the motor. Do not assume a connection configuration and if the OEM winding data is changed ensure all the basic requirements are met - changing wire size, coil mean turn length, connections etc could change the operation conditions and reduce efficiency.

Wireless communication allows the wear-free and reliable communication of data and signals as well as fast and cost-efficient installations. As a consequence, wireless communication is increasingly being used in industrial automation. In addition to the WLAN 802.11b/g standards, which are especially used as wireless LAN infrastructures in factory buildings, Bluetooth is establishing itself as an optimal solution for numerous automation tasks. It is universally useable and standardised wireless technology which is reliable and stable.

Wireless communication allows the wear-free and reliable communication of data and signals as well as fast and cost-efficient installations.
As a consequence, wireless communication is increasingly being used in industrial automation. In addition to the WLAN 802.11 b/g standards, which are especially used as wireless LAN infrastructures in factory buildings, Bluetooth is establishing itself as an optimal solution fornumerous automation tasks.

Up to now, optoelectronics has always been primarily associated with a single light beam - whether it is in a fixed position or scanned to cover an area - which is somehow interrupted and used to detect the presence of an object. In 2005, ifm electronic won the Hermes Award for its innovative photonic mixer device incorporating Smart Pixel technology O1D-series to measure distance. In 2009 ifm electronic took this innovative technology a quantum leap further with its industrial three dimensional sensor, the 03D-series.

This article reviews some of the challenges we face inadequately growing the engineering team. It also challenges industry to recognise that it is their input that will assist institutions such as Colleges, Universities of Technology and Universities, in continuing to meet the needs of the economy regarding the production of skills, and indeed to grow their capacity to do this.

The infrastructure that underpins contemporary society must operate with very high reliability. In contrast to the advanced technology deployed in the data storage centres, internet server farms and communications central offices, most of them rely on near-100% uptime, or system availability on a very mature technology - the lead-acid battery. It is standard practice to provide such critical nodes and many other essential services with back-up power, and the first layer of that back-up is usually an inverter that draws on banks of valve-regulated lead acid (VRLA) cells, or the closely related sealed gel-cell types.

It may seem unlikely, but the choice of batteries for your uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or standby power system is critical and could spell the difference between such a system functioning dependably or otherwise. It could also mean the difference between profitable business continuity or costly disruption in the event of a power outage.

South Africa has received the first major World Bank loan since the end of apartheid despite objections from NGOs, churches, civil society and even political parties. The loan will lock the country into debt repayment for the next thirty to forty years. In addition, this will lead to increasing South Africa's greenhouse gas emissions and will place added pressure on water and environmental resources.

Eskom has admitted many times in the past three months that even if all the projects go according to plan, there will be a shortfall in generating capacity in 2012 and the next crisis in 2018. This article asks, "Is corporate South Africa not partly guilty of contributing to why we are where we are in the energy crisis?