The road to energy efficiency starts here

Did you know the invention of robots dates back to XVth century? When Leonardo da Vinci explored the idea of the human body as a machine, he came up with a robotic knight - medieval armour designed with gears, wheels, pulleys and cables that allowed it to move its arms and legs. Premature inventions like this one populate the engineering landscape to this day, often when it comes to energy-saving technologies such as regenerative braking.

Here, Tony Young, owner director of CP Automation, explains how easy it can be to make industrial applications more energy efficient by using regenerative braking.

One solution suitable for many industrial applications, particularly in heavy engineering, transport, mining, the elevator market and other applications that involve a lot of braking and restarting is regenerative braking. When braking, an electric motor generates energy that can be used immediately in the local grid and thus reducing the draw from the mains supply.

In effect, this means turning your motor into a generator, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy, which can be fed back to the local network. The mechanism is extremely common in electric and hybrid vehicles where the energy is stored in the batteries and works particularly well in urban environments, where drivers tend to brake often enough to generate a lot of energy.

Lesser known applications of regenerative braking can also be found in industry. By using a regen unit like RevCon in engine test stands, transmission, escalators, power plants and many other applications that use continuous braking, you can regenerate the braking energy of the driven system, and feed it back into the network.

Regen power can be sized to the application; for a 90kW drive, for example, a 30kW regen unit could be suitable - because it rarely brakes at full capacity. The capacity range of regen can vary anywhere between 4kW and 300kW – the higher the capacity, the bigger the savings and the faster the payback. A good regen unit should work with any AC drive and should be easy to retrofit to any inverter, irrespective of design or manufacturer, due to its non-software driven installation protocol - plug and play so to speak.

RevCon can use a feed-in tariff similar to the ones found on domestic and semi-commercial wind turbines, to allow companies to charge the electricity supplier for the excess returned power, should the building not use the energy locally.

So why isn’t regen braking used in more industrial applications? Although the cost of regen units has gone down significantly over the last few years, they are still much more expensive than some of their alternatives. Like many other technologies that were ahead of their time, regenerative braking is likely to increase in popularity in the next few years. To stay ahead of the curve, companies should investigate the benefits of the technology sooner rather than later.

Think outside the box for cranes and hoists

Systems integration complexities in cranes and hoists market

When contemplating entering the cranes and hoists market, panel builders and system integrators need to think outside the box - not only laterally but vertically as well. Mainstream horizontal applications like conveyors cannot be shoehorned into the same category as cranes and hoists. Tony Young, owner and director of CP Automation explains the complexities of vertical lift applications. 

Cranes and hoists is a specialised market requiring expertise in variable speed drives (VSDs) and inverters, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), motion control, braking, safety systems and last but not least, best practices.

The latter is important when working at height and systems integrators need to be fully insured when taking on this specialised environment. They need to be ISO-registered and carry out risk assessments on all crane installations.

If one considers moving a heavy object on the end of a length of cable, there are lots of complexities involved, like using anti-swing program software for example, when setting motion ramps and profiles in an inverter or PLC.

The systems integrator needs to make sure that whatever the weight of the object, the crane or hoist should not be stopped so suddenly that the object starts swinging back and forth to the point of losing control and causing potential damage as well as delaying the actual hoisting.

This is not the same thing as a soft start because the problem is one of controlling motion along several axes at the same time. For example, where a load needs to be lifted from a ship while the boom of the crane is also rotating, the load is swinging around and needs to be slowed down correctly to avoid the crane operator losing control of the load.

A crane’s load suspended from a cable creates a pendulum that swings in motion. Anti-swing control calculates and compensates for this motion. The trade-off is between reducing load oscillations and transferring the load in a reasonable time.

Anti-swing software
In the past, before proprietary anti-swing software was available, this required considerable skill on the part of the crane operator. Controlling the load position and its swing may be implemented in a proportional derivative (PD) tracking controller to follow a prescribed trajectory.

Then, another controller may need to be added to the control loop to damp the load swing using techniques like time-delayed feedback of the load swing angle and an anti-swing fuzzy logic control. A mapping method used for generating the rules can be applied to mimic the performance of an expert crane operator.

Other functions may also need to be programmed in an IEC 61131-compliant PLC language like ladder diagram (LD).

By partnering up with electrical and automation companies, systems integrators and panel builders can increase their technical capabilities and understanding of the market. A good industrial automation supplier should be able to provide both in house and on site commissioning, servicing of inverters and ancillary products used for motors in cranes and hoists.

Systems integrators need to kit out workshops that are fully equipped to rapidly identify faults and components failures. They also need to employ experienced and highly trained engineers to provide both in-house and on site services for all types of drives. Furthermore, they should offer a complete industrial electronic service.

Training instructors need to be industry experienced engineers with current hands-on application experience, whose technical skills are annually assessed and updated. They should provide a comprehensive selection of first class industrial automation training products, assessment services and courses to meet customers’ changing needs.

So when designing panels for cranes and hoist applications, it pays to think outside the box. 

When bigger means better

~ Business growth gets repair and replace specialist a new home ~

Euroserv, the sister company of supply and repair specialist CP Automation, has expanded its North East office to a 6,200 square feet facility on the Armstrong Industrial Estate in Washington, near Newcastle upon Tyne. The new premises will allow Euroserv to stock, test and repair a larger number and variety of industrial automation equipment.

Euroserv specialises in the repair and new sales of robotic, CNC, servo, electric, spindle and axis motors, braking resistors, pumps, drives, encoders, harmonic filters and more. The company works with clients of all sizes in the North East area, from one-man bands to international leaders, such as Nissan and Rolls-Royce.

“This expansion will allow us to tap into new markets,” explains Martin McGuffie, service manager of Euroserv. “Our new workshop and warehouse facilities will house testing solutions for bigger equipment and more complex projects. The move allows us to make full use of our industry experience and turns Euroserv into a one-stop shop for industry in the area.”

Euroserv’s workshop is fully equipped with test and repair facilities for all types of industrial electrical equipment. The company also has the ability to re-magnetise magnets, returning them to full strength, which helps manufacturers reduce maintenance costs.


“Euroserv and CP Automation are helping industry cope with increasing financial pressure, especially when it comes to minimising downtime and reducing operations and management budgets,” points out Tony Young, director at CP Automation. “Increasing the space we operate in and improving our testing facilities emphasises our commitment to helping our customers across all industrial sectors.”  

Automation supply prioritises trust

Customers of the automation supply and maintenance firm, CP Automation, can now enjoy a whole host of new features and information at their fingertips thanks to the launch of its new website. The UK firm's new website, not only provides detailed product information but also allows the customer to buy there and then with a heavy emphasis on trustworthy supply. 

While it's not difficult to buy a motor, inverter or PLC online, trustworthy online purchasing is a rarity. A lot of products for sale on the internet seem to come from the grey market, without a safety certificate or any guarantee of reliability.

CP Automation specialises in the sale, repair and maintenance of industrial electronic boards, PLC's, AC drives, resistors, DC drives and inverters.


The product range extends from simple general purpose drives to mission critical systems requiring uncompromising control, enhanced intelligence, and high-speed communications capability.

The new site provides more detailed information on the products CP Automation integrates, with individual downloadable product spec sheets. The company's brochures are segregated into product types and are also downloadable from the site.

After the customer has found the information they need to make a buying decision, they then have the option of making a purchase from the online shop. CP Automation's online buying function stands out in the automation maintenance and supply industry, in which ecommerce is a rarity.  

"The new website provides an abundance of relevant information and allows customers to ask specific questions with our new feedback feature," explained Tony Young, a director of CP Automation.

"Our new products are highlighted on the home page and links to our blog keep visitors up to date with new developments. I think it's interesting that even though many automation components have almost become commodities, particularly in the replacement market, very few businesses have invested in e-commerce.

"The consumer  and more advanced B2B markets are already developing and using mCommerce (mobile commerce) solutions and yet few people in engineering are thinking on that level yet.

"It's ironic that the automation sector has countless mobile monitoring and bring-your-own-device apps, for everything from simple inverter or PLC communications all the way to SCADA and DCS management, and yet it's still difficult to buy a trustworthy motor online."

The new website comes just months after the company opened a branch in South Africa after receiving a record number of inquiries coming from the Sub Saharan continent. 

Dynamic brake chopper handles retrofit to any power rating and duty cycle

Following Pikatron's 2011 acquisition of TAE Antriebstechnik GmbH, CP Automation now stocks the company’s complete range of Brake Chopper Units (BCU). TAE Pikatron BCU’s provide an ideal retrofit solution for variable speed drives (VSDs) and inverters in a market where VSD manufacturers are increasingly reluctant to offer and stock add-ins to their core products. 

A key benefit of TAE Pikatron BCU’s is that they are rated at 100 percent duty of the VSD, which not all brake choppers are. Some cheaper units only provide duty as low as 30 percent. CP Automation holds in stock up to 100kW continuously rated or 360kW peak.

Using the TAE BCU’s, multiple drives on a system can all be connected to one brake chopper and resistor combination. Another benefit is that TAE Pikatron BCU’s are compact ‘fit-and-forget’ units with nothing to set up and configure. This is a strategy CP Automation has adopted with other products they specialise in including resistors, regenerative units, RFI filters and passive inductive components.

“Our product range is now very wide,” explains CP Automation business development specialist John Mitchell. “Unlike other solutions today, the TAE products don’t need multiple units configured in a master/slave design, using up valuable panel space. However, the units do have the option to be configured in master/slave mode for applications larger than 100Kw continuous.

CP Automation’s engineers help ensure each design is the most effective for the end-user application. No separate control voltage is necessary for the control board and emergency stop is possible even after a power failure because control is powered by the DC bus.

Variants of the TAE product include Fault output modules and options for 230VAC VSD’s and motion control systems, with a future range due to be released shortly for 600V AC VSDs.

The unit currently available can be used worldwide, with input bus voltage from 200-440V DC or 450-800V DC. It can also be set in the factory to switch at a pre-specified custom required voltage.

An external dynamic brake chopper can be connected to the positive and negative terminals of the DC bus of a variable speed drive (VSD), protected by ultra-fast fuses. The resistor terminals on the chopper are in turn connected to the brake resistor terminals.

The compact unit has operating, fault and standby indication using LEDs and exploits state-of-the-art insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). Featuring easy start up with no adjustment necessary, the rugged metal case provides the high levels of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance and is earth and short circuit protected. When the chopper is active, minimal voltage ripple appears on the DC bus.

Brake choppers for a 230VAC Inverter with 200-440V DC bus come in nine models, which will handle continuous power from 5.5kW to 41kW, peak power from 16kW to 185kW, continuous current from 15A to 110A, and peak current from 45A to 500A.


Brake choppers for a 380-460V AC inverter with 450-800V DC bus also come in nine models to handle continuous power from 11kW to 100kW, peak power from 33kW to 360kW, continuous current from 15A to 110A, and peak current from 45A to 500A.

Automation expert acquires Midlands workspace

Tony Young and Simon Dean
outside the brand new offices in Stone.

Industrial Automation expert Euroserv Ltd has acquired an additional workshop facility in the Midlands and hired Simon Dean as workshop manager. Located near Stone, Staffordshire, the new premises will allow the company more room to grow as a business. Euroserv is the sister company of sales and service specialist CP Automation.  

Euroserv will be able to offer its services to large OEMs, including those with which the company already has business relationships in the Midlands, as well as new customers in the area. The company chose organic growth instead of acquisition.

“The original plan was to look at buying a business, but then it was decided with the team at Euroserv in Sunderland that we would strategically follow this route instead,” explained Tony Young Managing Director of CP Automation.

“In the last seven years, Euroserv has grown dramatically. We were looking at moving into an additional unit next door or to a new unit altogether because we have completely outgrown the current space in Sunderland.

“A new unit in Stone made perfect sense. After having discussions with the team in Sunderland, we decided that the long term aim is to generate more business here in the Midlands that we have not been able to service to our high standards before - due to locality.

“I'm sure we're going to be repeating the success we had when we started up in Sunderland and, in the longer term, increasing the size of the workshops in Stone,” concluded Young.

Simon Dean adds: “Having worked in the servo motor repair industry for many years, I plan to bring several customers on board. We've got good relationships with big OEMs in the country that have facilities in the Midlands.

“We want to make customers aware of what we do and to target the Midlands with our message about service and repair.”

Control Techniques UK appoints Integration Partner for cranes and hoists market

Control Techniques UK appoints Integration Partner for cranes and hoists market

Control Techniques UK has appointed electrical and automation maintenance company CP Automation as its Integration Partner for the UK cranes and hoists market. 

Control Technique's VSDs 

The aim of the integration partner agreement is to allow Control Techniques to improve on and standardise its levels of sales and service across the UK in specific sectors. The company sees technical capability and a thorough understanding of the market, in this case cranes and hoists, as the key requirements for a new integration partner.   

“CP Automation is a services-led supplier of products specialising in repair and field service for industrial electronic boards, PLCs, AC drives, resistors, DC drives and inverters,” said Shaun Prinsloo, UK and Ireland regional sales director for Control Techniques. “Its workshops are fully equipped to rapidly identify faults and component failures and to provide a speedy professional service.

“Customers of Control Techniques will benefit from CP Automation’s experienced and highly trained team of engineers, who can provide both in-house and on-site commissioning and servicing of inverters and braking resistors such as those typically used for motors in cranes and hoists.”

Tony Young, managing director of CP Automation said, “I am delighted to have signed an Integration Partner agreement with Control Techniques. CP Automation offers a complete drive repair service. Our workshops are fully equipped to rapidly identify faults and components failures. Our experienced and highly trained engineers can provide both in-house and on site services for all types of drives. We also offer a complete industrial electronic service. 

“Our training instructors are industry experienced engineers with current hands-on application experience, whose technical skills are annually assessed and updated. We provide a comprehensive selection of first class industrial automation training products, assessment services and courses to meet customers’ changing needs.” 

Shaun Prinsloo added: “Control Techniques encourages customers to work with Integration Partners, whose staffs get exactly the same training as our own.  As far as the customer is concerned, our Integration Partners can be considered as being a full extension of Control Techniques.  My goal is for Control Techniques to work alongside Integration Partners in order to provide the best service and support of any drive manufacturer in the UK.”

Keen motorcyclist understands the customer’s ‘need for speed’ in manufacturing

Electrical supply, repair and field service provider CP Automation has appointed Paul Butterfield as sales manager for the company’s power transmission products.  The new recruit plans to put his expertise to good use providing solutions across industry, with the converting sector a particular focus.

Paul Butterfield

CP Automation is a specialist in the repair and replacement of automation equipment including electronic boards, PLCs, AC and DC drives. The company’s continued growth and increasing number of customers has created the need for this new appointment in the management team.

With almost thirty years experience in the electromechanical engineering sector, Butterfield started his career as an apprentice at William Lamb, a footwear manufacturer. He then progressed from apprentice engineer to a variety of sales roles within the industry.

In his new position at CP Automation, Butterfield hopes to introduce a range of gearboxes, motors and tension control devices for the converting industries, such as paper, film, foil and textiles.

“One challenge for us is to build long term relations with other European suppliers and thus increase the electromechanical portfolio of the company. Giving clients more options ultimately translates to a faster repair and maintenance service. There is always a need for speed in manufacturing,” concluded Butterfield.

Butterfield, a keen motorcyclist, is no stranger to speed; he enjoys riding his Honda FireBlade as often as the weather permits. When not flying through the scenery on his bike, Butterfield takes a more laid back approach and relaxes by hill walking in the countryside.

Compact worm gear enables heavy-duty fixed machinery or portable lifting equipment to five tonnes

Electrical and automation maintenance and repair company, CP Automation, is now distributing Chiaravalli’s failsafe spring-applied motor gearboxes. The devices are ideal for heavy duty applications such as printing and paper converting, as well as applications like portable lifting equipment when coupled to a battery-operated DC motor.

Compact worm gear enables heavy-duty fixed machinery or portable lifting equipment to five tonnes

Available from stock within a week, with optional 24-hour despatch service, the Chiaravalli CH and CHM worm gearboxes could represent a rapid solution for industries where downtime can prove expensive.

“We can fit both AC and DC motors to a CH or CHM gearbox whereas most gearboxes are only suited to AC motors,” said Tony Young, director of CP Automation.

“This allows OEMs and machine builders to expand into new markets where portable equipment may be required. By fitting a 12V, 24V, 48V or 90V DC motor they are ideal for portable battery-operated lifting devices up to five tonnes. Because worm gearing has such a high ratio it will not back-drive. However, because the motor’s brake is applied by a spring it is failsafe. Once the equipment you are lifting is in position, the brake safely holds the motor.”

The CH gearbox has a motor mounting flange that can separate from the housing which incorporates the oil seal. This avoids the risk of damaging the oil seal in case of replacement of the input flange and allows the O-Ring to be eliminated.

The worm screw has a ZI involute profile providing a gear ratio up to 1:300 as well as better performance at reduced temperature. The gearboxes and motors are painted with RAL 9022 aluminium colour epoxy powder to protect the parts from oxidation and the micro-blowholes that can come about from die casting pressure.

The CHM gearbox has a square shape, making it considerably more versatile for mounting. The machining of the components, carried out using numeric control machines, guarantees maximum precision for restricted tolerances, resulting in a product that will remain reliable over time. The groups are constructed with aluminium casings from sizes 025 to 090, while the sizes 110 and 130 are made from cast iron.

The gears are supplied with at least one filling plug that is also used during testing to check for possible leaks. A connection flange allows two gearboxes to be combined in order to obtain high gearing ratios.