Green Is in the Air

By Katherine Bonfante, Managing Editor, Digital Media

What industrial machine builders and designers are currently suffering from is Green Fever. Today, we all try to do something to save the planet. I recycle and try to use my car as little as possible. At home, I use energy-saving light bulbs and, whenever I can, I try to teach others how they can help save the planet as well.

This month's cover story, "More Than an Add-On," explores the latest efforts by machine builders, system integrators and suppliers to develop more sustainable, energy-saving equipment and processes from scratch. Executive editor Jim Montague also details the control and automation innovations needed to help end users manufacture more environmentally friendly products. Read the article online at www.Control-Design.com/greenmachine.

Visit "Technology Goes Green" at www.ControlDesign.com/greentechnology to see what some members of Machine Builder Nation are doing to make their plants, machines and products as green as possible. Building green machines isn't just about producing machines that save energy. Customers today want equipment that emits fewer pollutants, can be repurposed to produce other products, cuts waste and scrap, cuts cycle and idle time, and uses automation to replace materials.

If you want to know how you can grow a sustainable company, read Schneider Electric's white paper "Growing a Green Corporation." This paper explores the environment as a disruptive force in business. It examines the consequences of inaction and proposes the benefits of a proactive environmental policy. The paper presents a roadmap that can lead you from today's "business as usual" to a long-term, sustainable approach to growing a green corporation. Read this paper at www.ControlDesign.com/greencorporation.

In our article, "Stacker Turns Green With Energy," Loren Werneke from MoCo Engineering and Fabricating writes about regenerative drive systems in servo-driven lumber machines. Werneke touches on how MoCo Engineering uses motion technology to produce energy while creating efficient machines. To learn more, read the article at www.ControlDesign.com/greenenergy.

Stop by our multimedia library to watch our video "Focus On: Green Manufacturing and Sustainability." In this video report, our staff interviews Greg Hyatt, vice president of engineering at the North American headquarters and technical center of Japanese machine tool company Mori Seiki, to illustrate how one company has met the challenges of going green. Watch it now at www.Control-Design.com/focusongreen.

Lastly, did you know that you also can be fake green? Fake green is a technology that promises environmental benefits while neglecting to mention the excessive financial and environmental costs. Visit our machine builder forum at www.Control-Design.com/fakegreen to learn more about being fake green and let us know what you think.