This Week in Power & Motion:

There is much going on in the world of hydraulics, pneumatics and electronics motion systems, from technology introductions and industry advancements to new trends and industry leaders. Each week the Power & Motion team collects some of the latest industry news to help keep our readers up to date on what's happening in the fluid power and electronic motion control sectors as well as the industries they serve.

Timken Gains Industrial Filtration Solutions with Des-Case Acquisition

The Timken Co. has acquired Des-Case Corp., a manufacturer of specialty filtration products for industrial lubricants. Its products include breathers, filter elements, condition monitoring, lubrication storage and filter systems which are used throughout the entire lubricant lifecycle to help maintain machine performance.

Des-Case products are sold by many of the same distributors used by Timken, providing complementary offerings to customers from both companies.

"Des-Case is a technical leader in branded filtration solutions that sit adjacent to our automatic lubrication systems," said Christopher Coughlin, Timken executive vice president, president of Industrial Motion, in the company's press release announcing the acquisition. "Des-Case is known for innovative products and services that improve equipment reliability, increase profitability and provide environmental benefits. By adding new products that complement our existing portfolio, this acquisition provides strong synergy opportunities, including cross-selling and international expansion."

Volvo Collaborating with Swedish Metals Producer on Autonomous Vehicles

Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) is collaborating with metals provider Boliden to deploy autonomous transport solutions at Boliden's quarry in Garpenberg, Sweden. V.A.S. will provide vehicles, hardware, software for autonomous transport as well as control room technology, repair and maintenance, and training.

All provided technologies will be based on V.A.S.' in-house developed virtual driver solution which enables fully autonomous operation of vehicles; in this case trucks from the Volvo Group. The companies plan to begin with a testing and development phase followed by implementation and fully autonomous operations.

Automation solutions like this are growing in use to help overcome labor challenges by enabling companies to remain productive even with fewer workers. "Whether it is removing people from hazardous environments, 24/7 operations unencumbered by working hours or reducing emissions through better utilization of resources and assets—autonomy offers several benefits that can help the mining and quarrying industry address its most pressing challenges," said Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions, in the company's press release announcing the collaboration.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions will provide the necessary vehicles and technologies to enable fully autonomous operation of trucks at a quarry in Sweden.

Regal Rexnord to Sell Industrial Motors and Generators Businesses

Regal Rexnord Corp. has entered into an agreement to sell its Industrial Motors and Generators businesses to WEG. The company sees the sale benefitting its future growth goals.

"After a thorough strategic review, we believe this transaction with WEG will be a true win-win for both companies' principal stakeholders. The sale of our Industrial Motors and Generators businesses is consistent with our strategy of focusing the portfolio on products, sub-systems, end markets and/or applications where we can achieve GDP-plus growth rates and gross margins above 35%. While we have made significant progress improving the growth prospects and margins at these businesses, we believe that WEG is in a better position to accelerate their performance going forward," said Louis Pinkham, CEO of Regal Rexnord, in the company's press release announcing the sale.

igus Linear Guide Aids Automatic Beer Tapping System

The igus hygienic and dry-running threaded dryspin spindle plays an important role in the mobile tap head of an automatic beer tapping system developed by One Two Beer GmbH. Use of the igus technology enables the tap to quickly drive to the bottom of cups and fill them within in 5 seconds without foaming, helping to ensure a decent pour while reducing wait times at festivals or other events.

igus dryspin linear guides with the safe and quick dispensing of beer in an automatic beer tapping system.

As igus explained in its press release announcing use of its technology in the beer tapping system, it works by allows festival staff to place cups side by side, then, with one press of a button, the mobile tap heads descend to fill the cups from below. This bottom-up approach prevents foaming, enabling pouring to happen more rapidly.

One Two Beer chose the dryspin technology as it met the stringent requirements for food safety, durability and accuracy. As it is a lubricant-free solution, there is no worry of dirt or other debris coming into contact with it or having to re-lubricate parts.

igus said its linear guide system for the automatic beer tapper is relatively simple – the tap is mounted on an FDA-compliant flange lead screw nut from the dryspin JFRM series, and moves up or down when the NEMA 23 lead screw stepper motor rotates the lead screw.

Hexagon Selects Startups for Manufacturing Cohort

Digital technology company Hexagon, through its Manufacturing Intelligence division, has selected nine startups to take part in its Sixth Sense cohort. The selected companies are from seven countries and were chosen for their unique solutions which aim to address critical manufacturing challenges.

An emphasis was placed on startups whose technologies could aid with sustainability and digitalization efforts in the manufacturing industry, such as:

improving product sustainability,
eliminating waste,
capturing real-time data,
automating design, and
incorporating cobots into production lines.

As part of Hexagon's Sixth Sense cohort, the startups will have access to the company's expertise in developing solutions for the manufacturing sector. The program takes place over 16 weeks during which time the startups will have the chance to work with Hexagon to refine their technologies. Three winners will then be chosen and granted access to the various company resources which could include funding, office space and more.

"For this third cohort, we've been on the hunt for new innovations that enable manufacturing leaders to lead the net-zero transition – especially with sustainable product design – and we're thrilled with the caliber of the startups we've found to participate," said Josh Weiss, president of Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division, in the company's press release announcing the cohort selection. "Sixth Sense is designed to pinpoint emerging opportunities for greater innovation, and we're thrilled to give these companies that are poised for high-growth access to resources and customers that they typically wouldn't have at this stage in their lifecycle."