Feb/Mar 2013 IndustrialAutomationAsia
www.iaasiaonline.com
Feb/Mar 2013
MICA (P) 010/07/2012 | ISSN 0219/5615 | PPS 1561/06/2013 (022960)
Manufacturing Insight | Industrial Robotics | Machine Vision | Electronics Manufacturing
Improved Manufacturing In Sight pg 54
! W E NeBOOK
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SIVE U L C EX
C
Versatile Robotics
For Plants pg 36
Process Control In
Petrochemicals pg 40
A Sight For
HE L ICK
RE T
O RE
AD
Greater Efficiency pg 44
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Profitable collaboration. Operational excellence can only be achieved through collaboration between people and systems. ABB’s System 800xA Extended Automation platform provides the collaborative environment necessary for various organizations and departments to work as one. Utilizing System 800xA’s patented Aspect Object Technology, information is integrated from various plant systems, applications, and devices and presented as one plant-wide view enabling informed, real-time decision making. That’s the power of integration. For more information visit www.abb.com/controlsystems
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>
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RSVP @ info.ysp@yaskawa.com.sg
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Learn more @
www.e-mechatronics.com/en/
Attend IA, from March 20 - 23, 2013, at the KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for insights into the Industrial Automation sector in ASEAN
ISSUES & INSIGHTS
30
Simulation Driven Design
34
Weld Immune Inductive Sensors
Accurate and comprehensive design is important to all manufacturers and they have many faces in the automation and machine building industry. By Jan Larsson, marketing director, NX EMEA marketing, Siemens PLM Software
34
To ensure the quality of manufactured components during production, it is desirable to monitor the position of targets not only before and after, but also during the actual welding process. However, this presents major challenges to the sensors used. By Albert Van Wyk, Contrinex
Process CONTROL
36
Shifting Paradigms: Wheel Balancing Finally Gets The Automation Treatment
With ABB robots and a new material from 3M, Esys Automation is changing the important-but-often-ignored world of wheel balancing. By Nick Chambers, ABB Robotics
36
38
Case Study: Agile Power Cells
A standard cell from EGS Automatisierungstechnik, and a KR Agilus six-axis robot from Kuka Roboter join forces to improve quality, performance, and flexibility. By Ralf Högel, Kuka
SOFTWARE & NETWORKS
40
Executive Interview: Honeywell’s Inpex Project
IAA spoke with Marc Kroll, sales director (Japan), Honeywell Process Solutions, on the company’s operations in Japan and its project with Inpex Corporation. By Mark Johnston
Instrumentation & Measurement
44
44 2 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Manufacturing: Quality In 'Sight'
Technology upgrades in machine vision can help manufacturers to be prepared and ready for a positive turn in the global economy. By Didier Lacroix, Cognex
Anywhere in the world you need electrical measurements, HIOKI is there. Established in 1935, HIOKI E.E. Corporation has grown to become a leading manufacturer of electrical measuring instruments listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Power quality analysers, memory recorders, data loggers, power meters, battery testers, DMMs, current clamps, and safety testers are just some our products serving the global industry. From high-speed flying probe testers to rugged field clamp meters, we have won multiple prestigious design awards. Visit www.hioki.com to see what we can do for you.
NEW
For more information about our new “Clamp On Power Logger PW3360-20”, please refer to the Products & Services listing in this issue of IAA or visit us at www.hioki.com.sg
ENQUIRY NO. 535
HIOKI Singapore Pte Ltd Tel: +65 6634 7677 ■ Fax: +65 6634 7477 Email: info@hioki.com.sg Website: www.hioki.com
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energy
48
Back-Up Power: Healthcare
Gold Coast University Hospital uses Cummins Power Generation to sustain critical patient care. By Greg Monteith, Cummins Power Generation
48
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
50
An Electric Vision
54
Electronics Industry: Magnetic Positioning Sensors
Electronics manufacturers are employing automated vision systems for PCB inspection, in response to the need for tighter tolerances and greater productivity. By Sherlyne Yong
Automation tasks using pneumatic cylinders equipped with Magnetic Position Sensors (MPS) are gaining popularity in the electronics industry, especially the manufacturing sector. By Chris Chan, Sick
Industrial Automation Asia (IAA) is published 8 issues per year by Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road #02-05 EPL Building Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 • Fax: (65) 6379 2805 Website: www.iaasiaonline.com Email: iaa@epl.com.sg
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FEATURES
58
Cover: Sick
Baumer Senses Potential In Indonesia
At the recently concluded Manufacturing Indonesia show in Jakarta, IAA caught up with representatives from Baumer to talk about their business endeavours in Indonesia. By Joson Ng
Event
60 61 62
61
OSEA 2012 Industrial Automation 2013 RFID World Asia 2013
Regulars
Copyright. Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced in any form or means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, taping, etc – without the written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher and editor.
Refer to pg
08
Industry News
28
EtherCAT Technology
22
Profibus
64
Products & Services
24
CAN in Automation
7 1
Calendar of Events
26
Fieldbus Foundation
4 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
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EDITOR’s PAGE
Automate to Innovate
Published by:
EASTERN TRADE MEDIA PTE LTD (A fully owned subsidiary of Eastern Holdings Ltd) Managing Director
Kenneth Tan editor
Joson Ng josonng@epl.com.sg Assistant editor
Mark Johnston markjohnston@epl.com.sg
Computing technology has improved by several orders of magnitude
Editorial Assistant
over the course of decades, giving us the ability to analyse complex
Audrey Ang audreyang@epl.com.sg
algorithms and models of the physical world, with accuracy and
Graphic Designer
speed. We now manufacture, analyse, and make adjustments on-
Peh Loon Chin pehloonchin@epl.com.sg
the-fly at a rapid rate, greatly improving efficiency of operations,
Senior Sales Manager
safety, and lowering cost.
Derick Chia derickchia@epl.com.sg
Improving quality control is also a target many manufacturers
SALES MANAGER
aim to achieve by employing a computer to monitor the production
Sanny Chia sannychia@epl.com.sg
process. Quality control is not just about detecting defects in production, but also in ensuring efficiency, and in maintaining the
senior CIRCULATION EXECUTIVE
Brenda Tan brenda@epl.com.sg
products desired goal throughout the production process. As developments continue to be made in computer technology the complexity of tasks intelligent machines will be able to accomplish will increase, allowing humans to focus more on critical
Contributors
Jan Larsson, Albert Van Wyk, Nick Chambers, Ralf Högel, Didier Lacroix, Greg Monteith, Sherlyne Yong, Chris Chan
design issues and devote more effort to product and process
Editorial Consultants
innovation. Cost will also be saved, and efficiency greatly increased,
Industry Analyst
Jim Pinto
processes will become more collaborative, enabling a more unified
Alastair Ross
effort centred around innovation.
Director, Codexx Associates Ltd
Processes that already employ machine vision, and intelligent operations are already here, benefiting our production lines. In the
supported by:
not too distant future the tasks they will accomplish will increase, as they become more autonomous and capable of handling greater complexity and uncertainty. In this issue of IAA, we have articles on Manufacturing, examining ways to improve efficiency in a products manufacture, but also to improve and maintain quality at the end of the production line. Other articles in this issue include Industrial Robotics, Remote Monitoring & Control, Machine Vision, Energy Management Systems, and Electronics Manufacturing. We also have a show review from OSEA 2012, together with previews for upcoming events, such as, RFID World Asia 2013, and Industrial Automation 2013. As always, we look forward to your comments and feedback, keep automating!
Mark Johnston Assistant Editor
EASTERN HOLDINGS LTD executive Board Chairman
Stephen Tay GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Kenneth Tan
etm
Eastern
Trade Media Pte Ltd an Eastern Holdings Ltd company
Head Office & Mailing Address: Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road #02-05 EPL Building Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 • Fax: (65) 6379 2805 Website: www.iaasiaonline.com Email: iaa@epl.com.sg MICA (P) 010/07/2012 ISSN 0219/5615 PPS 1561/06/2013 (022960) Co Reg No. 199908196C Printer: Fabulous Printers Pte Ltd
6 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
ENQUIRY NO. 530
Industry News
Attend IA, from March 20 - 23, 2013, at the KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for insights into the Industrial Automation sector in ASEAN
Singapore: For the third year running, Arieso has unveiled the latest trends in mobile data usage in a new report. Using ariesoGEO to provide insight into the nature of billions of mobile connections, the company’s most recent analysis reveals challenges for the world's operators from 2013 onwards. Despite a surge in the market for tablets, smartphone users have overtaken tablet users in their thirst for mobile data for the first time. As overall mobile data consumption continues to increase, driven by new devices and richer content, the study suggests that extreme users are beginning to move to new LTE networks, but there is no let up on existing networks.
"Yet again we found that novel usage patterns, new technologies and regional idiosyncrasies are conspiring to make life increasingly difficult for mobile operators trying to meet evolving customer expectations. The ability to conduct detailed analysis such as this is critical in giving operators a rich source of intelligence to help boost network performance and enrich user experience," said Dr Michael Flanagan, study author & CTO, Arieso. The company is finding that to effectively meet the needs and expectations of LTE customers and extreme users, a different approach to network design is required. Small cells will be important, but the placing and
Lora Williams, North Andover, US
Arieso Analysis Of Mobile Data Use Reveals New Challenges For Operators
management of these assets must be undertaken with even greater surgical precision. The company has published findings of its latest studies, conducted utilising its ariesoGEO location intelligence solution, together with analysis in its report ‘Smartphones Trump Tablets: Recent Trends in Extreme Data’.
Intertek Expands Singapore Oil Condition Monitoring Laboratory With Advanced Robotics Automation
Singapore: Intertek, a provider of quality and safety services to a range of industries around the world, has expanded and enhanced its lubricant testing and Oil Condition Monitoring (OCM) services in Singapore, with a new automated, robotic sampling handling system. The robotic system improves analysis productivity and quality while allowing for faster reporting to clients. The company’s lubricants testing facility is strategically
8 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
located in Singapore, providing local and regional customers with accurate and reliable data. The newly installed automated robotic facilities have further enhanced this process. Heavy equipment manufacturers, aviation parts suppliers, and machinery suppliers to service providers such as theme park operators, among others, use the company to perform quality assessment of lubricant oils. Routine testing of lubricant samples by Intertek can help to identify potential quality problems before they become serious. By making recommendations for preventive solutions, the company helps clients avoid costly breakdowns and repair costs. The lubricants laboratory provides various analytical programs, including lubricant chemical analysis, failure analysis, gear lubricant testing, and oil condition testing. Lubricants consultancy is offered for diverse industries. Customised Oil and Equipment Condition Monitoring Programs are designed for Marine and Maritime operators to match their operating schedules.
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Industry News
Supply Chain City Inspires The Future Of Supply Chain In Asia Singapore: YCH Group has launched Supply Chain City, located in a 6.5 hectare site in Wenya, Jurong West, Singapore. This development aims to be a supply chain nerve centre for Asia, and a knowledge ecosystem with the intent to accelerate industry best practices and set standards for supply chain excellence. Sustainable landscaping and community-centric elements are incorporated into the design of this project in a ‘Work, Learn and Live’ concept unique from conventional logistics hubs and environments. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Guest-Of-Honour deputy PM and minister for finance for Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The project will deploy the world’s first Fusionaris (a patent-pending fusion of Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) and Ramp-up Integrated Solution), which takes into consideration optimum floorplanning, use of automation and integration of warehousing capabilities that support LOgistics Value-Added (LOVA) and white glove activities to boost regional manufacturing and fulfilment. It will also offer flexibilities in customisable office and storage facilities for SCM-related businesses and partners, made possible by various modular configurations. The vision for this project is to foster innovation and collaboration among the supply chain talent community and to lead the evolution of the supply chain industry in the region. Apart from the warehousing and logistics components, the facility has been designed with multiple
Chairman and CEO of YCH Group, Dr Robert Yap, giving a tour of Supply Chain City’s tabletop model with Guest-of-Honour Singapore deputy PM and minister for finance, Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
lifestyle spaces for interaction and knowledge exchange, encouraging the sharing of best-practices and combining office and amenities within a human-focused environment. It is expected to facilitate the activities of a 10,000 strong community. The development is aligned with Singapore’s objectives of boosting productivity and innovation, sustainability and knowledge creation. With several supply chain eco-systems housed under one roof, the project aims to stimulate innovation through collaboration in the same environment.
Siemens’ JT Data Format Approved By ISO For Viewing And Sharing Lightweight 3D Product Information Singapore: Siemens’ JT data format, a lightweight data format that makes it possible to view and share digital 3D product information in real-time throughout all phases of the product’s lifecycle, has been approved by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) as an International Standard. JT enhances collaboration by enabling manufacturers to move 3D product data seamlessly and instantly among the large number of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) 10 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
software applications supporting the standard. With its acceptance as the world’s first ISO International Standard for lightweight 3D visualisation, JT will enable manufacturers to free themselves from dependence on vendor’s proprietary formats and more extend the use of 3D visualisation and collaboration throughout their business. The company worked closely with ProSTEP iViP, a global consortium committed to advancing open standards, to complete the process of gaining ISO International Standard status for JT. The consortium was also instrumental
in the publication of the JT File Format Reference document as a Publicly Available Specification (ISO PAS 14306) in October 2009, which was the first step towards becoming an International Standard. ISO IS14306 provides a detailed and comprehensive description of the JT data format enabling corporations and software vendors the ability to further leverage JT in their PLM workflow and software applications. JT acceptance was coordinated through TC 184 / SC4, the ISO body responsible for Industrial Data, through a global ballot process.
Industry News
Yang Kee Group Opens Doors To S$120 Million Chemical Logistics Hub Singapore: Yang Kee Group has opened the doors to its S$120 million (US$98 million) chemical logistics facility, the Chemical Logistics Hub at Jurong Pier Road, Singapore. Singapore senior minister of state for trade and industry Lee Yi Shyan was present to launch the facility which is positioned to help address the rising demand for chemicals in the booming emerging markets in Asia. Ken Koh, deputy MD, Yang Kee Group, said: “The country’s comprehensive infrastructure and production synergies combined with the region’s growing demand for chemical products makes Singapore an ideal base for global players expanding their presence in Asia. With the support of SPRING Singapore, Yang Kee is proud to be able to contribute towards enhancing Singapore’s position as a global business centre that designs and delivers solutions that create value for investors and companies in Singapore.” The five-storey hub with a site area of four hectares will centralise current operations from the company’s various
existing warehouses. The hub features specialised chemical storage capabilities as well as technologies to improve productivity, reduce carbon footprint and increase its foothold in the sector. The company has reduced costs by S$2.7 million a year and has achieved a 20 percent productivity gain. The organistion is one of the SMEs which benefited from SPRING Singapore's support geared towards helping SMEs cultivate innovation and reinforce existing competencies. “Local logistics companies play an important role in strengthening Singapore’s position as a worldclass logistics hub to support key manufacturing activities and the services sector in Singapore,” commented Choy Sauw Kook, assistant chief executive, SPRING Singapore. “The opening of Yang Kee’s Chemical Logistics Hub today showcases the capabilities of a logistics SME, which has successfully transformed its business model to meet the challenges of the current business environment. With strong human capital development
Lee Yi Shyan, senior minister of state for Singapore, giving a speech at the new chemical logistics hub opening ceremony.
strategies at its core, Yang Kee is able to raise its overall productivity by consolidating resources, streamlining operations and adopting automation. We hope to see more logistics enterprises move in this direction and take up similar initiatives to build long-term capabilities for growth,” said Ms Choy. The company has also implemented a smart inventory management system that helps generate real-time warehouse inventory reports, job sheets, tally sheets and delivery orders. The facility is designed with safety features to ensure the safe storage of chemical cargoes.
Yokogawa Wins Control System Order For Maibarara Geothermal Power Project In The Philippines Tokyo, Japan: Yokogawa Electric Corporation has announced that its subsidiary, Yokogawa Philippines, has concluded an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with Maibarara Geothermal Inc (MGI) for the design, supply, delivery, installation, testing, and commissioning, of the instrumentation and control systems for the Maibarara geothermal power plant and steamfield facilities. The contract was awarded on December 4, 2012. The Maibarara power plant will have a total output of 20 MW and is being constructed in Batangas province, which is on Luzon Island. This is the first renewable energy project to be carried out under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, and the first geothermal power station to be constructed on Luzon in 16 years. The initial commercial
approval for this project was granted to MGI by the Department of Energy in November 2011, and MGI is targeting initial testing of the integrated power facility by July 2013, with commercial operations by the fourth quarter of 2013. For these new facilities, Yokogawa Philippines will deliver the Centum VP integrated production control system and field instruments such as Foundation fieldbus-compatible DPharp differential pressure/pressure transmitters for the Balance Of Plant (BOP) facilities and the Fluid Collection and Reinjection System (FCRS). In addition, a PRM field device management package will be provided to enable remote, real-time management of these instruments.
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 11
Industry News
Beijing, China: Hollysys Automation Technologies, a provider of automation and control technologies and applications in China, has signed a contract to supply the ground-based signaling system to Xiamen-Shenzhenhighspeed rail line Guangdong Section with a designed traveling speed of 200 km/h and 357 km in length. The contract is valued at approximately RMB 67.60 million (US$10.75 million). As per the terms of the contract, the company will provide the ground-based high-speed rail signaling system, including Train Control Centres (TCC), Lineside Electronic Units (LEU), Balises and other auxiliary equipments, which are expected to be delivered and installed by October 2013. Xiamen-Shenzhen line Guangdong section will start from the border between Fujian province and Guangdong province, and then go through Chaozhou-Shantou region, Shanwei city, Huizhou city and other cities all the way to Shenzhen city with 12 stations. After the completion of
Shho, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Contract Win For Hollysys Automation Technologies
this section, it will take three hours from Xiamen city to Shenzhen city with 502 km in total length. It is believed that this line is of utmost importance to the local economy, because it brings three important special economic zones, Xiamen, Shantou, and Shenzhen together in a much more convenient, economic and faster way.
Aten To Penetrate Deeper Into Singapore Taipei, Taiwan: Aten International has announced the appointment of Simply Connect as the Exclusive Distributor of the company’s products in Singapore from January 1, 2013. Selected for its level of customer service, technical capabilities and network expertise in the connectivity and Pro A/V industry, Simply Connect
was granted exclusive rights to sell its range of solutions across Singapore, giving customers in Singapore a new and convenient way to purchase its products. With the partnership with Simply Connect, the company intends to effectively formulate an improved local service structure in Singapore
wherein customers with any technical issues can expect to get a reply within 24 hours. This partnership is the latest expansion for the company in the Asia Pacific market. The organisation will further expand its growing presence and product availability in other markets worldwide.
CC-Link Partner Association Establishes Branch In India India: CC-Link Partner Association has established ‘CLPAIndia’ in Pune and Delhi, India, the seventh overseas branch for the association. The establishment of the new branch is for manufacturers from industrialised countries continually extending their business in India. With the new branch, CLPA accelerates the promotion on CC-Link and supports development and sales promotion of CC-Linkcompatible products in India. The demand for diverse products and services has been getting stronger in India due to its population and growing economy. As such, there is a growing need for arranging efficient systems at production sites in India. Therefore, CLPA decided to support the development and
12 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
sales of CC-Link-compatible products to provide more options for users in India with a new branch, as well as to accelerate the promotion of CC-Link. To acquire overseas CC-Link users, CLPA has established branches in four countries (South Korea, Taiwan, US, and China) and two regions (Europe and ASEAN) and has conducted promotion activities on CC-Link since 2001. In South Korea, US, Europe, and China, the conformance test centres, where if products the partner companies develop satisfy the CC-Link standard is assessed, are located. A system with rapid assessment is arranged at each of these places. Hence, there is no need to bring products to the headquarters of CLPA in Japan.
Industry News
Harting Expands AutoID Solution Business Espelkamp, Germany: Harting Technology Group is expanding its solution business. “The foundation of our new company, Harting IT Systemintegration, which commenced its activities on January 1, 2013, enables us to provide our customers with AutoID solutions from a single source,” remarked Claus Hilger, MD of IT Services, Harting The term AutoID refers to all
processes concerning the automatic recognition of objects. The company is focusing on RFID technology here but also offers its customers alternative solutions, such as barcode-reading. The new company will cover all areas of AutoID from individual components, such as transponders, readers and software, through to complete system implementation, staff training and
service provision. The solutions are deployed in industrial production and goods logistics. “We also utilise the technologies within our own company in order to continually improve our processes. AutoID components also enable the digital enhancement of our connectors as additional functions can be provided thanks to the incorporation of transponders,” explained Mr Hilger.
Hannover, Germany/Chicago, US: Deutsche Messe is continuing to expand its activities worldwide and is now organising the first-ever MDA North America from September 8 – 13, 2014. It will take place parallel to the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, US. Another event in the trade fair portfolio of the organisation was Industrial Automation North America, which celebrated its premiere there in 2012. “The success of Industrial Automation North America showed that the core competence from the Hannover Messe portfolio complements the machine tools fair IMTS. Nothing demonstrates our commitment to developing our activities in North America better than MDA North America, which will serve as a platform for exhibitors from power transmission and control technology
Sanja Gjenero, Zagreb, Croatia
Expansion Takes MDA To North America
on one of the biggest markets in this sector,” said Dr Andreas Gruchow, member of the managing board, Deutsche Messe.
Belkin Announces Intent To Acquire Cisco’s Home Networking Business Unit California, US: Belkin has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Cisco’s Home Networking Business Unit, including its products, technology, Linksys brand and employees. With global operations, Linksys’ main office is located in Irvine, California, US. The company intends to maintain the Linksys brand and will offer support for its products as part of this
Visit us on our website at
transaction. All valid warranties will be honoured by the company for current and future Linksys products. After the transaction closes, the organisation will account for approximately 30 percent of the US retail home and small business networking market. Both companies intend to develop a strategic relationship on a variety of initiatives including retail distribution,
strategic marketing and products for the service provider market. Having access to Cisco’s specialised software solutions across all of Belkin’s product lines will bring a more seamless user experience for customers. Merging the capabilities of Linksys and Belkin provides a powerful platform from which to develop the next generation of home networking technology.
www.iaasiaonline.com Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 13
Industry News
Yaskawa To Acquire Majority Shares Of VIPA
(L-R) Manfred Stern, president of Yaskawa Europe; and Wolfgang Seel, CEO, VIPA
E s c h b o r n , G e r m a n y : Ya s k a w a Electric Corporation has signed an agreement between its European subsidiary, Yaskawa Europe (‘YEU’) based in Eschborn, Germany, and VIPA Gesellschaft für Visualisierung und Prozessautomatisierung mbH (‘VIPA’), based in Herzogenaurach, Germany, whereby YEU will acquire a majority of the shares of VIPA. With the integration of VIPA into the YEU organisation, the company is implementing its plan to complete
its product portfolio with a view to becoming a ‘Total Solution Provider’. A combination of VIPA’s product portfolio of PLCs, I/O modules and HMI, with Yaskawa’s inverter, AC servo and robot product lines, integrated in the new VIPA software suite, will enable the company to offer an automation solution portfolio for a diverse set of markets. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary merger control clearance by the relevant competition authorities.
London, UK: With the introduction of stringent safety requirements in developed countries, demand for machine safety solutions is expected to rise significantly. The growth of manufacturing sectors in emerging countries fuels further adoption. Manufacturers world-wide recognise that machine safety can give them a competitive advantage and a good public image, and therefore, opt for machine safety systems despite the economic downturn. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Analysis of Global Machine Safety Market, finds that the market earned revenues of over US$1.27 billion in 2011 and estimates this to reach US$1.75 billion in 2016. "Safety systems monitor health of plant equipment to reduce its exposure to damage and lengthen its lifecycle," said Anna Mazurek, research analyst, Frost & Sullivan. "In addition, they decrease the probability of work-related injuries, allowing machine operators to work more efficiently. This drives end users to employ machine safety solutions," she added. Moreover, regulations require employers to create a safe working environment for employees. Manufacturers, especially in developed countries where law enforcement is high, are aware that it is more cost-efficient to use machine safety devices than bear the penalty for noncompliance. Improvements in safety solutions also offer business opportunities for machine safety vendors among conservative end users. However, the recent downturn has forced manufacturers to concentrate on reducing operating and maintenance costs, leading to declining investments in areas not crucial for plant operation. Unfortunately, this can cover safety solutions as well, which many end users still view
14 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Tolgar Kelleci, Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey
Manufacturing Boom In Emerging Economies Offers Huge Potential For Global Machine Safety Market
as non-critical. In developing countries, poor execution of policies curbs investment, which leads to lower sales and slower development of technology. A change in perception is vital to market penetration. End users need to realise that a safe working environment is not an optional production process improvement, but a necessity and an obligation to employees. "To drive adoption, suppliers need to educate potential customers on the full range of safety benefits offered through the advancements in plant networking devices and control systems," concluded Ms Mazurek. Adding: "To optimise their investment, end users must know how to assess the risk of injury and opt for solutions that can address those specific needs."
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Industry News
Cleveland, US: ChanTest has acquired the capability to perform a bioassay in conformance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). The in vitro assay involves higher throughput Ussing chamber experiments for measuring inhibition of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) chloride ion channel short circuit current, a measure of chloride ion secretion. ChanTest passed its first regulatory inspection related to this cGMP bioassay at the end of last month. In 2000, the company began initiating assays related to hERG potassium channels in accordance with FDA Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies (21 CFR Part 58). The new cGMP testing capability allows it to offer a particular service to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. The company will offer cGMP bioassays for release of natural products (ie: botanicals) and any drug working via ion channels, G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) or transporter targets for which analytical testing is not possible. Dr Arthur Brown, CEO, ChanTest said: "ChanTest is extremely excited to bring this cGMP testing service to the pharma community. This means that we can now partner with pharma and biotech companies to bring safe medicines to market from the beginning to the very end of the drug development process."
16 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
California, US: Agilent Technologies has opened a calibration and repair service centre for electronic test instruments in Hanoi, Vietnam. The new Agilent Advantage Services facility will offer local calibration and repair services, adding to more than 50 service locations around the world. The service centre technicians and engineers, who speak the local language, are trained and have access to the company’s factory engineers. Their calibration and repair processes incorporate the same automated procedures used at service centres and mobile calibration labs around the world.
Universal Robots Enters US Market New York, US: Universal Robots’ collaborative robots aims to open up a new market for robotics in North America. The distributor list of the Danish robotic arms is expanding as resellers show the robots to end customers with production processes previously that were deemed too costly and complexity to automate. The company showcased its robotic arms at the Automate Show in Chicago from January 21–25, 2013. Since the company sold its first robot in 2009, it has seen growth in more than 40 countries worldwide. Thomas Visti, chief commercial officer, Universal Robots, anticipates this trend to continue in North America: “We have created a strong lineup of distributors that are all well positioned within our target markets, so we are off to a very promising start.”
Lionbridge Announces Global Marketing Partner Program Massachusetts, US: Lionbridge Technologies has launched a partner program for its Global Marketing Operations (GMO) solution. With the program, the company will integrate marketing technology solutions from partners including ActiveStandards, BrightEdge, Dotsub, PlyMedia and Sitecore with its GMO services. As a result marketers can now work with a single partner to access technologyenabled solutions for producing, managing and delivering multichannel digital marketing campaigns and content in local markets worldwide. Initial partners in the GMO partner program include ActiveStandards, BrightEdge, Dotsub, a provider of systems for creating and viewing subtitles for videos in multiple languages, PlyMedia, involved in the development, deployment and service of technology platforms for digital advertising and online media content and Sitecore, a web content management and customer experience management software company. "Delivery of a successful digital strategy in today's highly competitive and increasingly complex global marketplaces requires underpinning by good quality websites and digital interactions," said Simon Lande , CEO, ActiveStandards. "By integrating ActiveStandards Web Quality Management, Lionbridge is ensuring their customers continuously benefit from industry best practice and create high quality user experiences, helping them to achieve successful global customer engagement programs," he added.
Jeff Prieb, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada
ChanTest Achieves First
Agilent Technologies Opens Calibration And Repair Service Centre
Industry News
Fuel Tech Awarded Air Pollution Control Orders Totaling US$3.2 Million Illinois, US: Fuel Tech has announced it received four air pollution control contracts in China, along with several orders in the US and Europe. The first award is for an SNCR system on a cement kiln in China. SNCR technology can provide NOx reduction from cement production processes without the challenges associated with the application of SCR technology. The cement produced from a kiln can affect SCR catalyst life or may require system design changes or additional components. Equipment delivery is scheduled for the second quarter of 2013. The other three awards in China, two of which are from new utility customers, represent Ultra systems for six medium-sized coal-fired units that are being retrofitted
with NOx reduction technology. The company’s Ultra process provides for the safe and cost-effective on-site conversion of urea to ammonia for use as a reagent in the selective catalytic reduction of NOx, eliminating the hazards associated with the transport, storage and handling of anhydrous or aqueous ammonia. Equipment deliveries for these projects are expected to occur in the second quarter of this year. Other contracts include an engineering study for NOx control technologies from a utility in Europe, a project in the Western US to demonstrate the application of SNCR technology, and several CFD modeling projects associated with the evaluation of SCR technology.
Chicago, US: Phoenix Cardiac Devices, a medical device company with a novel method of repairing leaky heart valves without open-heart surgery, has enrolled its first patient in a clinical trial aimed at achieving CE Mark approval in Europe. The trial will assess the safety and efficacy of the BACE device, an adjustable tension band that encircles the heart and supports the mitral valve leaflets so they close properly to prevent the backflow of blood into the heart. Known as mitral regurgitation, the leakage of blood backward into the left atrium contributes to the development of congestive heart failure. Previous studies of this device, including a proof of concept study in 12 patients and a feasibility study in 14 patients, demonstrated a significant reduction in mitral regurgitation and no device-related serious adverse events following implantation. Results of the proof of concept study were published in the Australian journal, Heart, Lung and Circulation in December 2009. The current study will enroll 60 patients in India and Europe who have
moderate to severe functional mitral regurgitation. Patients will undergo implantation of the device, which is designed by a cardiothoracic surgeon to prevent many of the complications that occur with traditional surgical repair of mitral valves. Such complications are due, in part, to open-heart surgery, which requires temporarily stopping the heart and pumping blood through a heart lung by-pass machine during the procedure. "Our device sits outside the heart, so there is no need to open the heart and no contact with blood flow, both of which are associated with an increased risk of thrombosis, stroke and infections," said Dr Jai Raman, inventor of BACE. "Moreover, BACE alleviates the root cause of functional mitral regurgitation - dilated and weakened heart muscle - whereas current surgical treatments focus on replacing or repairing valves that are structurally normal," said Dr Raman, professor of surgery, director of adult cardiac surgery, and surgical director of transplantation at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Among its features, the device can
Jean Scheijen, Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Phoenix Cardiac Devices To Start Clinical Trial For Treatment Of Mitral Regurgitation Without Open Heart Surgery
be remotely adjusted from an external port, and its efficacy can be assessed through real-time echocardiography, allowing for immediate adjustments in tension and pressure. The goal of BACE is to provide a more effective and less invasive method of treating mitral regurgitation that reduces complications and as such lowers the risk of mortality, according to Gopal Muppirala, CEO and co-founder of Phoenix Cardiac Devices. As a closed heart procedure, implantation may also reduce operating times and hospital stays, resulting in significantly lower costs than with open-heart procedures. Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia  17
Industry News
California, US: Actuate Corporation has announced two alliances in the region with Carrington Associates Asia Pacific in Australia, a software service business, that sources and manages IT solutions for organisations, and NuVista Technologies in Singapore, a provider of integrated outsourcing and consulting services in IT, engineering, human resources, Cloud ERP and BI solution. These alliances will create new market opportunities for the company and stimulate further expansion across the Asia Pacific region where the demand for BI solutions is growing. “Actuate’s alliances with Carrington Associates and NuVista Technologies will strengthen our presence in the region by delivering more holistic solutions with high-performance business analytics to a larger base of customers across Asia Pacific,” said James Conway, regional director (Asia Pacific), Actuate. “These alliances will also benefit our customers with better integration with their business, driving greater productivity,” he added. The alliance with Carrington Associates will see Actuate support and enhance Carrington Associates’ ERP offerings with its enterprise solutions, open-source model and BI specialisation. Carrington Associates’ strength in Manufacturing, Education, Utilities, and Banking and Finance, and Actuate’s BI capabilities has made this partnership a right fit to deliver tailored
David Ritter, Phoenix, Arizona, US
Actuate Strengthens Presence In Asia Pacific
offerings to customers. Carrington Associates will drive Actuate’s overall services, maintenance and training for Australia, New Zealand and the rest of Oceania, giving Actuate more of a local presence. Aligning itself with customer needs, Carrington Associates will provide Actuate’s solutions as a SaaS model by hosting it in the Oceania region, which is more compliant and comfortable to local businesses. The alliance with NuVista Technologies will enable the company to leverage NuVista Technologies’ knowledge in key industries including Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) as well as the Government Sector to better integrate its solutions for businesses in these industries.
Targeting M2M And Value-Added Services Critical For Success New York, US: Wireless communications and mobility applications and services are permeating the enterprise, but the fragmentation in hardware, software and suppliers makes implementation and management of wireless and mobility a huge challenge. According to ABI Research the time is right for an enterprise MVNO if they target the right industry verticals. Dan Shey, enterprise practice director, ABI Research: “Successful enterprise MVNOs need to target not only the right industries but also offer a range of value-added services - services for which they have more control and offer greater margins.” Value added services include telecom expense management, mobile device management and mobile application development and 18 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
management services. Analysis shows that just these services can contribute as much as 25 percent of revenues per employee. Revenue contribution rises as high as 34 percent when M2M connections and management services are added. Industry verticals that provide opportunity based on their mobility and M2M needs include utilities, transportation and warehousing, finance and insurance, and healthcare. B2B MVNOs have a smaller addressable market but can glean higher margins. B2B2C MVNOs have a larger addressable market. For example, a healthcare MVNO targeting seniors has a worldwide addressable market of nearly 600 million sexagenarians in 2010 rising to over 1.1 billion by 2050. Mr Shey concludes: “Brazilian
insurance company Porto Seguro is an example of an MVNO that could be very successful. They are an M2M MVNO for their car insurance customers and are adding personal mobility services for its employees and customers.” ABI Research’s report, ‘Enterprise MVNOs and MVNEs’ examines the current supplier environment and market conditions fueling the need for the enterprise MVNO/MVNE. It quantifies the potential revenue opportunities and provides market sizing for B2B and B2B2C MVNOs. B2B MVNO subscriber estimates are provided for seven geographic regions and 20 industry verticals. It concludes with industry-specific recommendations and review of ICT suppliers who will have the most influence on this market.
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Industry News
Texas, US: Belgium-based UCB h a s a w a rd e d E m e r s o n P ro c e s s Management, a US$6.1 million contract to provide integrated process automation and operations management systems for a new biopharmaceutical production centre in Bulle, Switzerland. The company is investing US$228 million to construct the first phase of a new plant, its first biopharmaceutical project in Switzerland. The 20,000 sqm facility, which will be one of the largest in Europe, will be the main production centre for Cimzia (certolizumab pegol), which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. “The largely automated facility at Bulle will be a model for the industry when it opens in 2015,” said Michele Antonelli, executive VP, UCB. The company’s integrated solution includes its Syncade Smart Operations Management Suite, DeltaV digital automation system, and AMS Suite predictive maintenance software. The organisation will also provide related engineering services, including
design, installation, testing, and commissioning. The Syncade Suite software integrates real-time plant floor data with business processes, decisions, and asset management – a key advantage in managing complex operations and documentation required in pharmaceutical production. The Suite manages workflow processes, including electronic work instructions, equipment status and material tracking, recipe-driven operations, automated weigh and dispense operations, and exception reporting. “Typical biotech manufacturing can involve thousands of pieces of paper that can affect the ability to produce ‘right-first-time’ batches,” said Lorenzo Zampini, automation project manager, UCB. “With Emerson’s integrated operations management and control systems, we can automate the reporting process as well as gain tighter process control for increased productivity and smoother regulatory compliance,” he added. The software integrates with
Flavio Takemoto, Brazil
UCB Chooses Emerson Automation And Operations Management Technologies For One Of Europe's Largest Biotech Plants
Emerson’s DeltaV automation system to facilitate operational activities and information flow from the plant floor up to UCB’s SAP system. In the plant, the DeltaV system will control 163 process units including fermentation, purification, filtration, and bottling. The company’s electronic marshalling technology with CHARMs (characterisation modules) will help minimise installation time by eliminating up to two-thirds of the wiring and connections needed with traditional control systems. The company’s AMS Suite predictive maintenance software that will be supporting HART instrumentation will make it easy for technicians to calibrate critical instruments, check their status, and even detects potential problems before they affect operations.
Juniper Networks Announces Expansion Of Its Partner Advantage Program Las Vegas, US: Juniper Networks has expanded its Partner Advantage program to incorporate services and cloud solutions, at its second annual Global Partner Conference in Las Vegas, US. The program, which launched in 2012 and now supports more than 12,000 partners, is designed to reach, reward and accelerate partner offerings. To help partners deliver incremental value to their customers, the company outlined its partnering strategy for cloud offerings, and a range of new support, maintenance and professional partner services. The Services program will enable partners to go-tomarket with a range of value-added services across the entire infrastructure that help drive improved efficiency,
20 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
incremental revenue and build customer loyalty. In addition, the integrated product and services offering from the company will simplify and reward partner efforts across professional and services specialisations. The Cloud program will help enable partners to bring valuable, cloud-ready solutions to market. The company’s strategy is to acknowledge partner cloud service and infrastructure capabilities and connect them with the organisation’s technology partnerships to create cloud-ready bundles that are easier for providers to deploy and manage. Partners in the program will receive relevant assets, tools and resources to drive cloud differentiation and growth.
ENQUIRY NO. 540
Industry Updates Profinet:
Broadly Positioned The move to Ethernet-based communication systems is in full swing. This is true especially for Profinet as proven by the latest figures on installed Profinet devices. By Dr Peter Wenzel, executive director, PI (Profibus & Profinet International) With 1.3 million new Profinet devices sold on the market in 2011, the total installed base has now risen to 4.3 million devices. Factor y automation projects account for almost all of these figures. It is the goal of Profibus & Profinet International (PI) to make Profinet up the task for the full range of industrial automation applications. As a result, the Profinet V2.3 version has been supplemented in two respects. First, advanced functions for integration and parameter assignment of devices (for Configuration in Run), scalable redundancy, and time stamping (for determining Sequences of Events) have been added that open up the market for processing automation applications. Second, a performance upgrade has been implemented with the addition of the Fast Forwarding, Dynamic Frame Packing, and Fragmentation functions that extends the market all the way to high-end motion control applications, while still ensuring its coexistence with IT applications.
friendly operation, protection of investment for the end user is an essential requirement because instrumentation in a process control system typically has a life cycle of several decades. This ensures that plant owners using Profibus today can rely on a future-proof system and change to Profinet at any time. The requirements that apply to Profinet for process automation mainly include the functions for cyclic and acyclic data exchange, integration of fieldbuses, integration and parameter assignment of devices (Configuration in Run), diagnostics and maintenance, redundancy, and time stamping (Sequence of Events).
Innovation Of Profinet For Process Automation In its quest to make Profinet fit for use in process automation, the organisation collaborated with users to develop a set of requirements. In addition to user22  industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Innovations of Profinet
Market penetration of Profinet
F o r t w o - w i re c o n d u c t o r systems used both in standard applications and in applications involving energy-limited bus feed of devices in hazardous areas, the Profibus PA is still used. The question then arises as to what the optimal gateway from Profibus PA to Profinet is. A proxy concept for the integration of fieldbuses in the latter, is available for this. This concept can be used to integrate the three communication systems used in the process industry, namely Profibus PA, HART, and Foundation Fieldbus. Standardised mechanisms are used for mapping the fieldbusspecific properties onto Profinet. The bus systems are integrated using gateways (proxies) that link
the higher-level network to the fieldbus system to be integrated. The proxy becomes responsible for implementing the physics and protocol and ensures the exchange of all I/O and diagnostic data, as well as alarms with the field devices. The availability of automation systems is of critical importance in continuous processes, particularly because plant operation often must not be interrupted under any circumstances. To avoid automation failures caused by wire breaks, short circuits, and the likes, a scalable redundancy concept was developed for Profinet, which can be structured optimally to meet the specific requirements of the application.
Performance Upgrade For Machine Building With the latest Profinet V2.3 specification, a performance upgrade is available to users, a result of incorporating intelligent functions like Dynamic Frame Packing, Fast Forwarding, and Fragmentation. P ro f i n e t R e a l - Ti m e ( RT ) communication uses the prioritisation methods of Ethernet and can therefore be implemented
Fieldbus integration in Profinet
on standard Ethernet controllers. The accuracy of the firmware implementation determines the jitter of the transmitter clock, just like on other Ethernet systems. With a data rate of 100 Mbps and full-duplex transmission, bus update times that are faster by several factors compared to today’s fieldbuses are possible. As a result, RT is usually fully sufficient for typical factory automation applications. For applications whose requirements include the need to synchronise nodes to within 100 µs or less or to form a highly dynamic control loop via the bus, additional measures become necessary. The highly accurate Isochronous Real-Time (IRT) synchronisation process of Profinet eliminates Ethernet transmission delay times of differing and fluctuating lengths. Profinet enables parallel TCP/ IP communication for standard data, diagnostics, or parameter assignment purposes alongside both RT and IRT communication, without the need for additional modules or firmware measures. This is due to a free time slot in the update cycle. Data access, diagnostics, and parameter assignment are the same with RT
and IRT communication. While Profinet V2.2 meets the requirements of more than 95 percent of applications, applications involving specific configurations, in which many n o d e s w i t h f e w b y t e s a re connected in a line topology, may have more stringent performance requirements. For example, the possible bandwidth utilisation is not optimal when padding is used, ie: filling of frames to the minimum 64 byte length in compliance with standards. As such, the updated version has additional measures, which at different starting points, produce high-performance communication with exact deterministic behavior at update rates as fast as 31.25 μs, without affecting the openness for TCP/IP communication.
Summary Ultimately, this technology development paves the way for developing cost-optimised automation solutions and is especially important for meeting the demand for investment protection, both for existing plants and expansions to existing plants. ENQUIRY NO. 1101
Functionality of Dynamic Frame Packing
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 23
Newsdesk
CANopen Protocol Stack With A Small Footprint
CANopen Protocol Stacks With LSS Fastscan Emtas (Germany) has released version 1.1 of their CANopen Network Management (NMT) slave and NMT master stacks. The latest feature is the support for the Layer Settings Services (LSS) to handle the node-ID assignment and the configuration of the bit-rate via CANopen, as defined in the CiA 305 specification. Among the LSS functions, the detection and addressing of non-configured devices is the main task. Besides the traditional LSS mechanism, the offered stack supports the LSS Fastscan service, which is the latest introduced function in the CiA 305. This is recommended to be used in some CANopen specifications (eg: in application profiles such as CiA 447 for add-on devices in special-purpose cars) released by CAN in Automation (CiA). Using the LSS Fastscan services, the non-configured devices can be detected faster as with the usual LSS procedure. This accelerates the start-up of a dynamic CANopen network. The CANopen Slave Basic stack version is meant for the development of CANopen NMT slaves with basic functionality. According to the company, the Master/Slave version can be used to develop CANopen NMT slave or NMT master applications with all features defined in the CiA 301 (CANopen application layer and communication profile) and NMT master features according to the CiA 302-2 (additional CANopen application layer functions — network management). The stack is written in ANSI-C and conforms with Misra. To ensure that the products meet the current state of standardisation, the company is a member of CiA. As in the past years, the software developers from the company are active in various CiA working groups to participate in the development of the CANopen specifications, especially the CiA 301, CiA 302 (additional CANopen application layer functions) and CiA 305. ENQUIRY NO. 1102
24  industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar May 20092013
Simma Software (USA) has introduced a CANopen protocol stack featuring all mandatory functions and some optional features. The software requires about 4 KiB memory and can send a CANopen message in about 200 processor cycles. The software supplier claims a small footprint and The software a fast execution time for its CANopen protocol stack. In abstracts away addition, the protocol stack the technical provides a simple Application details and many Programming Interface (API) for sending and receiving complexities CANopen messages. The associated with software abstracts away the message timing technical details and many complexities associated with and interfacing message timing and interfacing to the CANopen to the CANopen networks. networks. It supports multiple CAN channels with a maximum of 512 Transmit Process Data Objects (TPDOs) and Receive Process Data Objects (RPDOs). Also supported are expedited Service Data Objects (SDO) transfers, NMT messages, heartbeat producing, and Process Data Object (PDO) event/inhibit timers. The software company has a long experience in J1939 protocol stacks, device drivers, and boot-loaders. They are used in more than 200 real-time designs; this totals to more than a million embedded systems. The CANopen software complies to Misra C, the automotive C programming standard. It runs on 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit microcontrollers. This means the protocol stack written in ANSI-C is hardware-independent. It is the ssCAN device driver that is target-specific and incorporates the details for a given micro-controller. The device driver has been ported to over 40 different micro-controllers (from Atmel, Freescale, Infineon, Intel, Microchip, NXP, Silicon Labs, ST-Microelectronics, TI, and Xilinx). The ssCANopen and ssCAN software packages are available for Linux and Windows as well as for embedded software environments. ENQUIRY NO. 1103
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ENQUIRY NO. 526
Collaboration Delivers Backhaul Architecture Model The Fieldbus Foundation has given approval of a backhaul architecture model, developed in collaboration with the International Society of Automation standards committee ISA100, that provides a common framework enabling multiple industrial communication protocols to run over a shared wireless backhaul network in process automation systems. Completion of this work is a key milestone supporting implementation of the Fieldbus Foundation’s wireless High Speed Ethernet (HSE) backhaul included in Foundation for Remote Operations Management (ROM) technology. In June 2008, ISA100 leaders established a new working group, ISA100.15 — Wireless Backhaul Networks Working Group — to develop standards and technical reports to address one or more dedicated or shared wireless backhaul(s) to support technologies running multiple applications. At the same time, Fieldbus Foundation end user members identified the wireless backhaul as critical for Foundation for ROM development. To expedite the work, the Fieldbus Foundation and ISA began joint collaboration on wireless networks combining Fieldbus Foundation application protocol expertise with ISA100 communication networking resources to complete the architecture model. ISA will publish the work as technical
Update For Safety Instrumented Functions Interoperability Test Kit The Fieldbus Foundation has released the latest version of its Foundation for Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) Interoperability Test Kit (ITK). This test solution has been updated with new test cases to verify the functionality of H1 (31.25 bit/s) fieldbus devices based on the current Foundation for SIF technical specifications, including the H1 dual-mode device capability employing field diagnostics. Foundation for SIF ITK 1.2 is designed for troubleshooting and debugging fieldbus instruments, and provides all hardware and software required to ensure a manufacturer’s complete device interoperability as specified by the Fieldbus Foundation’s official registration testing procedure. By using the test kit, device developers can run tests identical to those used by the foundation before submitting their device for registration.
26 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Completion of this work is a key milestone supporting implementation of the Fieldbus Foundation’s wireless HSE backhaul included in Foundation for ROM technology. report ISA-TR100.15.01, Backhaul Architecture Model: Secured Connectivity over Untrusted or Trusted Networks, within the ISA100 family of standards. Foundation for ROM was designed to enable fieldbus connectivity to remote I/O and the leading industrial wireless protocols, and is the first successful integration of ISA100.11a, WirelessHART, wired HART, and wired H1 protocols into a single standard environment without sacrificing the diagnostic capabilities of existing wireless devices. Instead, these capabilities are mapped into the Foundation block structure to provide a standard environment for data management and quality, eliminating techniques which are highly customised and much more costly to maintain throughout the plant lifecycle. ENQUIRY NO. 1104
The Foundation for SIF ITK includes a host of test cases verifying the functionality of a fieldbus device and its conformance with the Foundation fieldbus function block and transducer block specifications. It also incorporates a DD ‘Super Viewer’, allowing examination and verification of a device’s DD, and a conformance test procedure for the Physical Layer. Device developers can ‘walk’ their DD, execute methods, and render visualisation elements supported by DD 5.1 technology. The interoperability test suite can be paired with an ITK automation tool, designed to eliminate several manual intervention steps required, when performing pre-registration testing of fieldbus devices. The tool improves ITK schedule efficiency and provides a direct reduction in the person-hours needed to complete the testing phase. It is available with a maintenance agreement to keep the test suite software up to date with the latest enhancements. Foundation for SIF ITK 1.2 is available to current users with maintenance agreements, as well as for new purchases. ENQUIRY NO. 1105
ENQUIRY NO. 531
EtherCAT Technology Group Reasserts Its Success In Asia
... and Singapore
Impressions of the EtherCAT Seminar Series in Malaysia...
With EtherCAT roadshows held in Malaysia and Singapore, the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has concluded its latest tour through Asia with success. After seminars in China and Japan earlier in 2012, more than 100 participants took advantage of the opportunity to learn about EtherCAT and came to venues in Selangor, Penang and Singapore. Attendees learned more about the benefits and challenges of Industrial Ethernet and how to best e x p l o re a n d u n d e r s t a n d E t h e r C AT technology in general. The presentations held at the events provided information explaining how EtherCAT is the fastest Industrial Ethernet
28 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar June/July2013 2012
technology. Due to its operating principle of processing ‘on the fly,’ EtherCAT technology overcomes the limitations of other Industrial Ethernet solutions by reading and inserting process data while the Ethernet frame passes through the node. With EtherCAT, the complete protocol processing takes place within hardware and is as such fully independent of the run-time of protocol stacks, CPU performance or software implementation, which results in the robust network performance of the technology. Additionally, EtherCAT supports almost any network topology and is therefore flexible when it comes to control
architectures that could not be realised previously with legacy fieldbus systems. In addition to the presentations a b o u t E t h e r C AT t e c h n o l o g y, t h e system’s competitive advantages and various application examples, the participants had enough time to have face-to-face discussions with EtherCAT experts about their individual EtherCAT implementations. Martin Rostan, executive director, EtherCAT Technology Group and one of the roadshow presenters, knows why the EtherCAT seminars are a success: “We don’t accept any product promotion during our events — the focus is on EtherCAT itself. The participants receive clear and concise information on the technology and its application and therefore receive real value that can be applied to their individual projects.” To push EtherCAT even further in the future the EtherCAT Technology group already plans more Asian EtherCAT seminars in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in 2013. ENQUIRY NO. 1106
Approximately One-Third Of The ETG Members Come From Asia
From left: Dr Florian Kusche (ZF), Martin Rostan (ETG) and Rüdiger Ammann (ZF) during the official announcement of ZF as ETG member number 2,000.
Even after nine years the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) continues to grow. As of today the association has attracted more than 2,200 member companies from 56 countries worldwide — and for two years it has been the world’s largest
fieldbus organisation. With about one-third of all ETG member companies having their headquarters in Asia, this continent contributes an enormous part of the ETG success story. Within the last 12 months another 400 companies have joined in the ETG, underlining the fact that growth is accelerating even further. Looking at the manufacturers of EtherCAT devices, the distribution here is global too. Adopting EtherCAT directly as their system bus, 150 manufacturers worldwide offer EtherCAT masters — control systems based on EtherCAT technology. A symbolic highlight emphasising the success of the association was the distinction of ZF Friedrichshafen, an automotive supplier, as official ETG
member, number 2,000. During his visit in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Martin Rostan, executive director, ETG, presented an award and certificate to those responsible at ZF: “We are happy to welcome ZF to the EtherCAT Technology Group. That we broke the 2,000 member mark is clear evidence for the acceptance EtherCAT has reached during the last 10 years.” Rüdiger Ammann, head of FC Test Bench Management, ZF Group, explained why ZF selected EtherCAT: “We joined the ETG due to EtherCAT’s flexibility and performance. EtherCAT is becoming an important part of our automation system for control and data acquisition on our test benches.” ENQUIRY NO. 1107
Grand Opening Of EtherCAT Conformance Test Centre In Beijing In January 2013 the EtherCAT Technology Group officially opened an EtherCAT Test Centre at the Laboratory of Numerical Control and Automation (LNC), which is part of the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Beihang). The ceremony was attended by the dean and the vice dean of the Beihang School of Mechanical Engineering & Automation, Professor Zhao Gang and Professor Zhou Zhenggan. The LNC is an acknowledged EtherCAT Competence Centre and is led by Professor Huan Ji, a researcher in the field of CNC controls and communication. Together with Dr Liu Yanqiang, who supervises the Test Centre, Professor Huan is the author of the Chinese EtherCAT textbook. Fan Bin, ETG representative (China): “The fast growing number of EtherCAT device vendors in China requires a local
From left: Xing Chunxiang, associate Professor Dr Xia Jiqiang, Dr Liu Yanqiang, vice dean Professor Zhou Zhenggan, dean Professor Zhao Gang, Professor Huan Ji, Fan Bin, Liang Liqiang, Cheng Geng and AN Huimin at the opening ceremony of the EtherCAT Test Centre in Beijing.
EtherCAT Test Centre. We are particularly glad that we can establish this Centre at Professor Huan´s Laboratory of Numerical Control, since he and his team have
expertise in EtherCAT. Dr Liu even spent six months in Germany to study EtherCAT in detail.” ENQUIRY NO. 1108
June/July Feb/Mar 2013 2012 | industrial automation asia 29
issues & insights
Accurate and comprehensive design is important to all manufacturers and they have many faces in the automation and machine building industry. By Jan Larsson, marketing director, NX EMEA marketing, Siemens PLM Software
Simulation Driven Design F
or manufacturers today, the pressure to shorten time-to-market is significant. By allowing for more design options to be considered in shorter time frames, digital simulation has proven to be an effective alternative to physical testing. Companies are seeking to further expand the use of simulation by bringing it forward even earlier in the design process. Throughout the design cycle, organisations race to create a design so they can analyse, build and test physical prototypes to confirm intended product functional performance. As a result, many changes occur along the way and design problems are often not found until the testing of the physical prototype. This leads to development schedules slipping, costs skyrocketing and products often falling short of market and business requirements, increasing the risk of customer dissatisfaction and/or recalls. In many instances the design team and the analyst team are working almost entirely independently. Early on, this was often because the simulation team was only brought in to test something if it failed, or as a final analysis step in the approval process before a product went to market. Even when bringing simulation into the process earlier, teams are using an array of disparate, specialised tools that are disconnected from each other, which creates redundant data and workflows and ultimately impedes the speed of simulation. Not only is this process slow and cumbersome, but it also sets a precedent for ‘good enough’ product 30  industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
design. This ethos is outdated and companies need to move to the next level of product development, integrating simulation more deeply into the design process by utilising better and more synchronised tools across both the design and analyst teams that enable a concurrent design and analysis process.
Bringing Simulation To The Core Of Design Historically, simulation has often been out of step with the design schedule; results have come too late to be useful. This, in turn, has created a lot of the frustration, waste and confusion associated with Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) software. According to a report by the AutoSim Consortium, of the total time needed by engineers to perform a full simulation for a system or subsystem, 80 percent is devoted to generating the model. To speed things up, every step in the simulation process must be aligned. The goal is to get to a point where simulation is in sync with design and in some cases, leading design so analysis results can be fed back into every design decision. Simulation models (ie: finite element models) with detail matching the accuracy desired at a particular design stage must be available. Today, a wide range of applications are used in product development. Designers have a variety of CAD applications and analysts have a number of CAE software technologies at hand including multi-physics simulations, electromagnetics, fluid dynamics, structural finite element analyses, fatigue
and failure analyses, acoustic predictions and and integrated design, simulation and manufacturing design optimisation. solutions that helps companies increase productivity In a simulation driven design process, engineers across their product lifecycles. have access to powerful geometry editing tools, By turning to a simulation-driven approach to like direct modelling and dimension-driven design. product development and introducing it right in The most recent advance comes in the form of the concept stage, product developers can reuse synchronous technology, a capability that combines existing models and design geometry instead of the speed and flexibility of direct modelling with rebuilding them from scratch. This allows them the precise control of dimension driven design. to explore alternatives, spot flaws and optimise These tools allow engineers and analysts to edit and obtain the geometry they need without having to wait for designers to perform these tasks. This enables them to respond to design changes or suggest changes to the design based on simulation results. Because models and data can be shared easily, this level of integration can provide confidence for a manufacturer’s decision makers, while delivering a more consistent interface and feature set that allows more flexibility between the roles of the designer and the analyst. Whether you have a highly sophisticated preventive and This is not to say that one predictive maintenance program or are just getting started person could ever replace the on becoming more proactive with your maintenance role of the other, but through a programs, Fluke can provide you with the tools and centralised hub, it is possible to knowledge to help you prevent major problems before deliver tools — skinned versions they occur. of the applications that meet the individual requirements of the different teams — which allow designers to run basic simulations, and analysts to make any necessary tweaks to a model’s geometry. This helps garner greater synchronicity and trust between Fluke Fluke 773 Fluke 289 Fluke 190–204 Fluke 381 Fluke 435 Series II Thermal Milliamp True-RMS Series II ScopeMeter Clamp Meter Power Quality and the designers and the analysts Imager Ti32 Process Clamp Industrial Logging Test Tool Energy Analyzer Meter Multimeter and gives both teams the ability to make alterations without having to go through a complex Go to http://sg.fluke.com/iaa2013EPDM to download and time consuming back and a series of Predictive Maintenance application notes that focus on helping you to implement proactive maintenance forth process. techniques that will save you time and money. This high level of coordination between designers and analysts can be achieved through the Fluke South East Asia Pte Ltd implementation of a complete Tel: +65–6799–5575 Fax: +65–6799–5577 suite of integrated process Email: ig-ad@fluke.com Website: www.fluke.com.sg automation tools, such as Fluke. The Most Trusted Tools in the World. Siemens PLM Software’s NX software. NX is a suite of managed
ENQUIRY NO. 545
®
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 31
issues & insights
design reviews and enables multiple departments to review and approve or reject the design.
Simulations’ Role In Innovation
The integrated design and analysis environment in NX reduces the time you spend preparing analysis models and enables you to achieve faster design-analysis iterations to deliver better products faster.
product performance before the physical prototype or detailed design is created. The process allows important decisions to be made on functionality, geometry and materials early in the cycle based on simulation results.
Changing The Culture To Enable Simulation Driven Design The simulation driven design process described above represents a cultural change for many companies. In addition to new technology, these requirements will also call for dramatic changes in processes and attitudes. It may mean reorganising the way groups work together and it is likely to mean changing old habits. People that used to hold data for as long as they could to get as much context from other groups and to minimise their chances of revision, have to be encouraged to release preliminary information early to support a more rapid process. Each group working on the design has to learn the needs of the other groups. As an added benefit, by ensuring this process is properly synchronised and centrally managed, companies can more easily adhere to all compliance and regulations around tracking and traceability. By using software like NX, that integrates analyst modelling tools with geometry capabilities, and combining it with data management software, such as Siemens PLM Software’s Teamcenter, users are able to develop analysis models faster than with traditional CAE workflows. This kind of concurrent and collaborative engineering — where 3D models, data and results are shared so everybody is able to see the geometric model in real time — creates workflows that help facilitate 32 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Simulation guides critical trade-off decisions to balance competing product objectives such as reliability, cost and weight requirements. But it also plays a major role in product and process innovation. New ideas have to be tested, qualified and refined before they can be put into practice or introduced into the market. Usually hundreds of concept alternatives are evaluated before detailed design is begun. In the past this required physical testing, and so very few design alternatives or radical ideas were tested and products evolved slowly. Advances in technology and processing power, combined with the coherence of a centralised design and analysis hub mean that there is much greater scope for experimentation. Experimentation is crucial to innovative product design, and it is imperative to make experimentation and testing part of the design and development process right from the beginning. If the simulation and feedback process is fast enough, even radical but infeasible ideas can reveal useful information and increase insight into a design. This is especially true early in the design process when you want to eliminate potential ‘losers’ and focus subsequent efforts on a smaller set of potential ‘winners’.
Conclusion The message is clear — by putting simulation at the heart of the design process, engineers are better able to understand, predict and improve product performance digitally. More design concepts can be explored, which in turn reduces direct costs associated with expensive physical prototypes and enables faster, more informed decisions. Product development organisations not taking steps in the direction of simulation-driven product development are behind and falling further back every day. Development leadership is achieved by adopting tried and true simulation-driven development methodologies. The implementation of a synchronised and automated central data management and control system, combined with a willingness to embrace change can bring experimentation into the heart of the design process and help create better performing products and higher margins, delivering the return on investment that manufacturers need to be competitive. ENQUIRY NO. 1201
Synchronise For Better Workflow What is Synchronous technology?
How has Synchronous technology improved in NX 8.5?
Rajiv Ghatikar (RG): Synchronous technology, now in its fifth release, allows the designer to do history free modelling, meaning you do not have to go back to a part that was designed in a different version or in a different product Rajiv Ghatikar, VP and GM, Siemens PLM Software and try and retrieve all the history. Basically, you can pull it into NX and manipulate it as though it was part of what you were doing. The advantages of this is that your workflow is very fast, quick to adapt, and change. If you were to pull the old part in and get all the geometry, and make changes, it would take a long time. The idea with Synchronous technology, as we say, it is synchronous with your mind, allowing you to make changes straight away.
RG: Firstly, as with every new version we put out, we have improved in areas of speed, and flexibility. Also, previously solutions were/are dependent upon history, and now we have broken out of that. Also, in this edition of the product you begin to see an increased focus on one new industry that we, as a company, are looking towards strengthening our presence, which in this case is ship design. We have reached this point over several years of work and research into ships, and we now believe we have a product that caters to this industry. The other thing that this edition is positioned to handle is a lot of complex drafting of high part assemblies. So, in this edition complexity is managed better. We have upgraded design, simulation and manufacturing functionality across the board. ENQUIRY NO. 1202
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Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 33
issues & insights
34 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
To ensure the quality of manufactured components during production, it is desirable to monitor the position of targets not only before and after, but also during the actual welding process. However, this presents major challenges to the sensors used. By Albert Van Wyk, international product manager, Contrinex
Weld Immune Inductive Sensors and rough tools, without suffering any damage (Figure 1a & b). But if the sensing face is made of metal, conventional sensors have an inherent problem. Here, only an alternative operating principle has enabled the sensor to be mounted in a full-metal housing.
Guy-Claude Portmann, Crissier, Vaud, Switzerland
A
ny technology used in the context of welding processes is immediately presented with a number of challenges. Harsh environmental conditions, high temperatures and strong magnetic fields are some of the problems that inductive sensors must surmount during a welding process. If their purpose is to monitor targets during welding, they will be sited directly in the danger zone. Robust full-metal sensors can take the knocks. However, until now the problem of electromagnetic compatibility h a s b e e n u n r e s o l v e d . To circumvent it, the PLC triggering conventional sensors will switch them off during welding or disregard their signals. Now a new evaluation method allows sensing to continue during welding, thereby increasing quality and extending the lifetime of the sensors used. Production costs are increased not only when faulty parts are produced, but also whenever sensor failure results in unplanned, usually very expensive plant downtime. To avoid the latter, inductive sensors normally exposed to welding spatter are mostly Teflon coated. This makes the welding spatter roll off more easily. However, each bead of weld spatter generally has a temperature of about 800 deg C, whereas a Teflon coating is only resistant up to 240 deg C. If beads of weld spatter fail to cool sufficiently before hitting a Teflon-coated sensor, the coating will be damaged and no longer fulfill its function. Sensors made o f stainless steel are a good alternative. Practice has shown that they are up to 100 times more robust than comparable Teflon-coated sensors. Their stainless-steel surface is also weld-spatter repellent. If soiling still occurs, these robust sensors can, however, be cleaned using aggressive agents
‘Seeing’ Through Stainless Steel To allow inductive sensors to operate inside a full-metal housing, the company has developed the ‘Condet’ process. Such sensors work in principle like ordinary transformers, with their behaviour
Figure 1a & b: Robust sensors can be cleaned using powerful agents without running the risk of damage
following the law of induction. Behind the sensing face is a coil that functions as the primary coil during each transmitter current pulse. This induces a voltage in the conductive sensing target, causing a current to flow. If the transmitter current is switched off abruptly, this current will decay, operating in turn as the ‘primary coil’ and inducing a voltage back in the sensing coil, which now functions as the secondary coil. The device analyses this induced reverse voltage. The transmit/wait/receive time takes 100 to 200 microseconds, which is about 20 to 100 times lower than the frequency range of conventional devices. This lower frequency greatly increases the penetration depth of the magnetic field in conductive materials. In non-magnetic materials with high resistivity, such as stainless steel, penetration depths of up to 2 mm can be achieved. So, these sensors can see through steel walls (Figure 2). The sensing face can therefore be made of metal, like the entire device.
Reliable Sensing, Even During Welding This operating principle is the basic requirement of a new method that now allows sensors to detect continuously, even during
welding. Conventional sensors work with an LC oscillator, whose oscillating frequency has a very narrow bandwidth, thereby simply filtering out any interference outside the bandwidth. However, external magnetic fields may saturate the ferrite core, the effect of which is similar to a core breakage. While there are also sensors on the market without a ferrite core, these will generally only offer reduced operating distances. The price of immunity to magnetic fields is therefore reduced operating distance, which increases the risk of mechanical damage, as sensors must be sited closer to the danger zone. Since the ‘Condet’ process relies on a pulse generator rather than an LC oscillator, these sensors are not prone to losses in the ferrite core. However, external magnetic fields may lead to sensor malfunction by coupling with the coil. Malfunction is dependent on the external magnetic field: DC fields cause saturation of the ferrite core. This, however, does not lead to malfunction for this new type of sensor, which at worst only suffers a reduction in operating distance. I n t e r f e re n c e i n t h e l o w frequency range, ie: below 500 Hz, is suppressed automatically due to the bipolar measurement.
Condet sensor is said to be able to see through steel walls
High frequency noise (above 100 kHz) can be filtered electronically. However, medium-frequency interference is problematic for these sensors, because it lies in the frequency range of the signal to be amplified. During welding at 50 Hz, this interference only occurs when the welding current is powered on or off. However, during mediumfrequency welding, the welding frequency falls within the same range as the sensing frequency. Noise signal amplitudes therefore exceed the useful signal by a factor of up to 1,000. One possible solution would be to insert a filter in front of the amplifier chain, but implementation would be complicated. The company’s solution therefore was to put the filter after the amplifier chain. Here, a process of analysis suppresses interference caused by welding currents. These are found in the millisecond range and are produced by oscillations between the fundamental frequency of the sensor (duty cycle), and induced noise from the welding apparatus. This evaluation process ensures that the sensor can continue to detect reliably, even during the welding process. ENQUIRY NO. 1203 Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 35
process control
With ABB robots and a new material from 3M, Esys Automation is changing the importantbut-often-ignored world of wheel balancing. By Nick Chambers, content & editorial manager, ABB Robotics
Shifting Paradigms:
Wheel Balancing
Finally Gets The
Automation Treatment I
n tire and wheel assembly there are not a lot of gamechanging advances you can point to that have completely altered the paradigm for how wheels get fastened to cars and trucks at the factory. “Indeed, wheel balancing is not something that gets a lot of publicity,” says Scott Taylor, Automotive Market Technology manager, 3M, “but when it does you can be sure it is for a good reason,” he adds. Mr Taylor has a reason to be celebrating: it is his company’s new wheel balancing material that finally enabled the full automation of something notoriously known for being a costly bottleneck in the automotive industry. Along with Esys Automation, the two companies have developed a simple, fast, and compact system
36 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
that relies on robots such as ABB’s IRB 140 to reduce wheel balancing cycle times while increasing ride quality for the end consumer. “3M’s product was really the enabler for us,” says Chris Marcus, CEO, Esys Automation, the company responsible for developing the AutoW8t wheel balancing system. “Their metali m p re g n a t e d p o l y m e r t a p e gave us the ability to bulk store balancing material and feed it to a line,” he added. Traditional clip-on weights are pounded onto the flange of the wheel by hand, introducing cracks and chips that can easily lead to corrosion. The process is painfully slow — at least in automotive manufacturing terms — and has always been one of the biggest bottlenecks in the assembly
plant. Automation of this process has long been considered one of the ‘Holy Grails’ of bottleneck reductions.
Benefits Of AutoW8t Robotic Wheel Balancing System • Better for the environment: lead-free, corrosion-free, reduced waste, recyclable. • Improved worker safety: no risk from repetitive hammering or deflection injuries. • Increased speed: complete elimination of traditional wheel assembly bottleneck. • R e d u c e d c o s t : s m a l l e r footprint, elimination of duplicated stations, smaller inventory, reduced waste. • Incr eased per for mance: incredible ride quality, sleeker look.
Robot-Based Automation Solves The Conundrum “The industry has been trying to automate wheel balancing for 15 to 20 years,” says Mr Taylor. “In some cases they were getting close, but the problem lay in the way the traditional wheel balancing materials were coming in. Traditional weights were supplied in discrete increments made from materials that could not be cut. 3M’s new material gave them a product that could be easily cut and not have any issues with corrosion,” he adds. In addition, with the ban on lead weights the industry has moved to steel which is not as malleable as the old weights. While better for the environment, the trickier-tohandle steel weights have caused the carmakers and suppliers to inventory a tremendous amount of parts to conform to the large variety of weights and wheel dimensions required. Even then the wheels can only be balanced to within one quarter ounce — far from being a true balance. In addition, as the manufacturers move towards a sleek, flangeless look the question of where to clip on the weights becomes a conundrum.
With this robotic system all of these issues in the traditional wheel balancing process have been dealt with succinctly. Using compact 181-pound rolls of the conformable, polymer composite, corrosion-free, adhesive balancing tape, the system feeds the material from a central storage location to a small three by four foot cell. “In the manufacturing world that kind of footprint is tiny,” says Mr Marcus. He continued: “We are able to take this little system and slide it in right behind the balancer in an existing plant without much modification. In addition, our feed system allows the 3M material to be loaded in a safe location in the aisle and then fed overhead to the balancing cell to avoid any need for workers to enter potentially hazardous and space-limited areas.”
precision cut strips of material and then, using calculations performed by the balancer at the upstream balancing station, places the adhesive-backed weight strips with on the interior rim of the wheel. The result is increased quality, reduced waste and much lower costs — not to mention increased throughput and a much sleeker look. “When we first started using 3M’s material we created a semiautomated system without robots,” says Mr Marcus, adding that they quickly realised the biggest benefits would be from a fully automated system using a robot applicator. “An average operator in the semi-automated system might be able to apply one weight in 15 to 20 seconds, while the robotic applicator can apply two weights in 10 seconds.”
Balancing Weights Placed With Precision
Conclusion
While the feed system and material are news in their own right, it is inside this compact cell that the true automation happens. The polymer tape is fed to a specialised magnetic gripper placed on the end of an IRB 140 robot. The gripper receives two
The wheel balancing system has a very small footprint.
In an industry that jumps when it hears improvements on the order of one to three percent, the ability to reduce cycle times by more than 65 percent is a leap forward. In fact, the accomplishment earned both 3M and Esys Automation one of the automotive industry’s most prestigious honours: a 2012 PACE Award. “It’s rare in our industry to get recognised for anything, so we certainly did not expect a PACE Award,” says Mr Marcus. Continuing, he stated: “AutoW8t is a change to the paradigm of tire and wheel assembly. Now that a few major manufacturers have implemented it, what we have found is that all of them are moving quickly to do trials and tests and get the equipment in their plants. I see our AutoW8t system as the way all wheel balancing will ultimately be done by every manufacturer if they want to remain competitive.” ENQUIRY NO. 1301 Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 37
process control
Case Study:
Agile
Power Cells
A standard cell from EGS Automatisierungstechnik, and a KR Agilus six-axis robot from Kuka Roboter join forces to improve quality, performance, and flexibility. By Ralf Högel, Kuka
T
he standard cells from EGS Automatisierungstechnik go by the name of SUMO and have been used as automation tools for many applications. The integration of the KR Agilus sixaxis robot from Kuka Roboter has produced an all-German combination that improves quality, performance and flexibility. However, the decision in favour of the robot was far from being a foregone conclusion. Before committing itself to Kuka, EGS carried out a detailed survey of the entire global robotics market.
38 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
The Metal And Plastics Industry Since 1996, EGS has specialised in the production of standard cells and has gradually built up a program of flexible universal systems that are suited to typical applications in the metal and plastics industry. The KR Agilus is available for integration into the SUMO series Ecoplex2, Ecoplex3, Duplex and Multiplex. These standard cells, whose name is not intended as a reference to the Japanese style of wrestling, but stands for ‘Standardised,
Universal, Minimum space, Optimised’, vary in their size, workpiece supply and overall p e r f o r m a n c e . W h e re a s t h e smaller SUMO systems Duplex and Multiplex are designed for use with the quarter-size Europallet format, the large automation systems of the Ecoplex series can handle a range of pallet formats, mini-load containers, and special customised formats, and the high flexibility of the cells does not stop at the workpiece supply, either. Depending on the application, loading can take place via
pallets, conveyors, push-in trolleys or drawers. The term ‘loading and unloading cells’ is not favoured by EGS, however. Of course, the loading and unloading of machines still constitutes one of the core functions of the cells. But today they can do far more, thanks to the integration of a wide range of additional work processes. The spectrum extends from finishing and measuring tasks right up to the complete machining of the parts. Thanks to the robot’s flexibility, there is hardly a task that cannot be integrated into the cell. Nonetheless, the designation
‘standard cell’ remains appropriate, despite all the different possible applications, as Heiko Röhrig, marketing manager, EGS explains: “The consistent use of the robot, a modular cell layout, the intralogistics — all this is standard and saves time and money when designing a new system. All that is then needed is to solve the application-specific task; for the rest, we can rely on standards that have proved their worth in thousands of applications. A solution which allows us to offer cost-effective, turnkey implementation of even
The standard cell and six-axis robot combination from EGS and Kuka, respectively.
complex complete systems within 14 weeks.”
Benchmark: SUMO And KR Agilus With nearly all applications in the metal or plastics industry, cycle times play a decisive role. Here, the robot scores with its velocity potential across all axes. The company specifies a cycle time of 150 cpm for the Agilus model KR 6 R900, thereby advancing into areas that used to be the sole preserve of SCARA and delta kinematics. This makes it possible to increase the overall performance of the SUMO cells to an even greater extent. It was not only the robot’s speed which convinced EGS, however, but also the overall package. “Given the wide spectrum covered by our applications, we need a robot that is good in all disciplines. And that is where the KR Agilus comes into its own: the six-axis robot is compact and therefore suitable for work in narrow machines, while offering a payload capacity of 6 kg and a reach of 900 mm. Thanks to its accuracy, we can also implement it for precision work,” says Mr Röhrig. With the use of this robot, operation of the standard cells is set to become simpler than ever. All the functions run on the new KR C4 compact controller, eliminating the need for a separate system controller. This is good news for the user — as is the price of the SUMO cells, which remains virtually unchanged despite the increased performance of the systems. Greater performance at an attractive price: one reason for this is the restraint shown by the Augsburg robot makers, who are offering the KR Agilus at the standard market conditions of their Japanese competitors. ENQUIRY NO. 1302
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 39
software & Networks
Executive Interview:
Honeywell’s
Inpex Project IAA spoke with Marc Kroll, sales director (Japan), Honeywell Process Solutions, on the company’s operations in Japan and its project with Inpex Corporation. By Mark Johnston
I
npex Corporations has plans to implement Honeywell’s Experion Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Experion Process Knowledge System (EPKS) in its new Pipeline Control Centre which will process natural gas from domestic and overseas sources for local distribution and consumption. Experion SCADA will be used to integrate and manage data coming from more than 160 monitoring and control stations along a 1,400 km gas distribution network spanning nine prefectures, and also manage the delivery of gas to homes and businesses in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The software’s ability to handle multiple servers and switch over to a standby server in case of failures will enable the organisation to continue operations safely and without disruption in the event of equipment or system failures. The production of natural gas is managed from the Minami-Nagaoka field, which accounts for as much as 40 percent of the country’s total natural gas production, as Mr Kroll
40 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
explains below. This project plans to go operational by 2014, creating a new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal and Pipeline Control Centre in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture.
t h i s o rg a n i s a t i o n h a s n o w extended its relationship with this particular SCADA project as it is a major system order for the company in Japan.
What is Honeywell’s involvement in the Japanese Market?
MK: The organisation had been using its own in-house SCADA software since the early 1990s. The system is already about 20 years old and it had to decide whether to continue to maintain and enhance this software or to migrate to a new SCADA software. To put this project into perspective, we need to understand what it is facing and where the company is headed towards. Inpex is an energy provider in Japan, a country that is still recovering from the earthquake which struck in March 2011. It is aiding in efforts to rebuild the national energy policy. The company manages the production of natural gas from MinamiNagaoka, the field which accounts for about 40 percent of Japan’s total natural gas production.
Marc Kroll (MK): Honeywell, as a company, invents and manufactures technologies to address challenges linked to global macro trends such as safety, security, and energy. We have been in Japan since 1982. Honeywell Process Solutions is part of the Automation and Control Solutions business unit. Our customers are in industries such as oil refining, petrochemical, chemical, gas and energy, paper and pulp, and plant engineering.
What is Honeywell’s relationship with Inpex? MK: Inpex has been a user of the company’s UniSim Design Suite since 2009. We are very pleased
What solution did the customer use?
With the growing demand for natural gas in Japan ranging between 2.5 to 3.0 billion cubic meters annually, it is planning to tap gas from overseas to supplement the domestic demand. The company has put forth a medium and long term plan, and its operations have expanded to include more than 70 projects in 26 countries. The primary mission is to supply energy to its domestic customers in a stable and efficient manner. Within Japan, the organisation has increased capacity for its core Shin Tokyo Line and in April 2012 began to develop its Toyama Line, extending from Itoigawa City in Niigata Prefecture to Toyama City in Toyama Prefecture. It has also enhanced supply capacity and reliability
A critical consideration, having seen the effects of the March 2011 earthquake, was the need to have redundancy built into critical operations. through the reinforcement of pipeline network expansion and the introduction of LNG from Shizuoka Gas in 2010. Also, the company is building a new LNG terminal and Pipeline Control Centre in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture that is scheduled to be operational in 2014. This Pipeline Control Centre will process natural gas from domestic and overseas sources for local distribution and consumption.
The company plans to manage and control its network from this centre. Naoetsu Control Centre will oversee more than 160 monitoring and control stations along a 1,400 km gas distribution network spanning nine prefectures, and manage the delivery of gas to homes and businesses in the Tokyo metropolitan area. A critical consideration, having seen the effects of the March 2011 earthquake, was the need to have redundancy
SENSORS • SAFETY • IDENTIFICATION
Contrinex (S.E.A) Pte Ltd
MTA 2013
ENQUIRY NO. 537
Booth 3G3-05 Hall 3
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 41
software & Networks
Precise control and monitoring of plants are a necessity, not just for safety, but for their efficient running, long-term maintence, and cost reduction too.
built into its operations. That meant having a total hardware and software solution that can handle redundancy and offers quick failover capabilities. The aim is to ensure that it can continue operations safely and without disruption in the event of equipment or system failures. The company also wants to ensure that it continues to meet safety standards for its gas distribution network as well as to ensure reliable and stable supply of energy to its customers daily Honeywell Experion SCADA will be used to integrate and manage data coming from the monitoring and control stations, and to manage the delivery of gas to users in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The SCADA’s ability to handle multiple servers and switch over to a standby server in case of failures will enable the company to continue operations safely and without disruption in the event of equipment or system failures.
What were the key features of the Honeywell solution 42 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
that the company liked, and how will these help in achieving its goals? MK: At the core of the solution is the company’s SCADA software which is able to handle redundancy. This software platform has applications for HMI and SCADA. It is also scalable which means that it can support customers on their growth journey. It is an integrated and multi-server SCADA system which is important in complex operations. Added to that is the EPKS. This integrates an automation platform a n d s o f t w a re a p p l i c a t i o n s to improve users’ business performance. This DCS helps customers in the process industry by integrating disparate data across facilities and feeding it all into a unified automation system, offering users an operation that is more proactive, efficient and responsive than before. Together in this implementation, EPKS and SCADA offer the company an established, industrystandard DCS technology platform on which it can support the its
growth and expansion for years to come. Also, Experion SCADA’s Backup Control Centre Solution provides the ability to control room disaster recovery. Honeywell has leveraged the disaster recovery features and capabilities built into virtualisation and created a solution developed specifically for disaster recovery. This solution simplifies and automates the key elements of disaster recovery: setting up SCADA disaster recovery plans, testing those plans, executing failover when a control centre disaster occurs or as the event requires and failing back to the primary control room. Other benefits from the Honeywell solution includes safety and security technologies for Abnormal Situation Management (ASM) and cybersecurity, gas management applications, easy integration with technical applications such as simulation and business applications, such as ERP and SCM, as well as long-term support for the organisation’s future growth.
How will Experion PKS and Experion SCADA fit into Inpex’s operations? MK: The company expects to implement operations and switch over from its current system in the fall of 2014.
Please share more on the implementation of Experion PKS and Experion SCADA into the organisation’s operations? MK: Experion PKS and Experion SCADA use the standard DCS technology which allows for easy integration. In this way, data from its existing monitoring units at each centre can all be fed into Experion which serves as a unified automation system. ENQUIRY NO. 1401
Knowledge
Based Systems Take Control
The software’s ability to handle multiple servers and switch over to a standby server in case of failures will enable the organisation to continue operations safely and without disruption.
EPKS is a Distributed Control System (DCS) designed to control processes at petrochemical plants, power plants, paper mills, and so on. The DCS concept was born in 1975, were the company introduced the TDC2000 in the same year. EPKS was introduced in 2002, were the process knowledge system evolved from the traditional DCS, which had been used only for process
controls. It is designed to be the nextgeneration process knowledge system that integrates peripheral systems and aims to improve business efficiency.
Experion SCADA Experion SCADA is a software platform that incorporates applications for HMI and SCADA. It also provides a scalable, integrated, multi-server SCADA system with a focus on reliability, safety and security.
ENQUIRY NO. 527
Experion Process Knowledge System
ENQUIRY NO. 1402
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia  43
instrumentation & Measurement
Manufacturing:
Quality In ‘Sight’
Technology upgrades in machine vision can help manufacturers to be prepared and ready for a positive turn in the global economy. By Didier Lacroix, senior VP, international sales and services, Cognex
A
s the world moves cautiously into the new year, all eyes are on the economic landscapes of the US and Europe. Despite the bleak events that have cast a dark cloud over much of 2012, certain developments are indicating a possible turnaround in the US economy. According to a report by Bloomberg on Christmas day, consumer spending, durable-goods orders and industry output rose in the month of November. The report also stated that the economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in Q3 2012.
Performance Evaluation It is important to note that consumer spending which accounts for two-thirds of the economy, was the largest driver of growth in Q3, as stated by CNN Money on December 20, 2012. Other sources of growth also came from government defence spending and the sales of homes. Business spending on the other hand, saw a contraction of 1.8 percent. This is further supported by a report from The Detroit News that companies reduced their spending on industrial equipment, computers and software in Q3, 2012. 44 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
The Eurozone saw a shrinking of 0.1 percent in Q3 compared to Q2, according to English.Eastday.Com. As Europe wrestles with its technical recession, the European Central Bank (ECB) has scaled down its forecast for Eurozone’s growth from a positive 0.5 percent to a negative 0.3 percent. Hopes rise toward the Eastern front as China’s manufacturing appears to be taking a somewhat positive turn. Economic data released by HSBC has indicated that the country’s manufacturing activity hit a 14-month high in December 2012, according to Asiaone. However, whether the recovery is sustainable in the long term still remains to be seen. This is especially true when the country’s exports in November rose by only 2.9 percent year-on-year. These indicators seem to point towards the world’s dependence on the growing Eastern economies for a brighter 2013. The Economic Times stated on December 25, 2012, that India and China are the main players for global economic growth of just three percent in the year ahead. During such times of uncertainty, businesses normally take on a careful approach towards
Prepared For Change An important area that manufacturers need to look into is their Quality Control (QC) systems. Existing QC processes may still be able to cope with current levels of demand. Yet, a rise in corresponding production volume when the global economy recovers, could place stress on QC. This is especially true if a facility’s QC processes are still heavily dependent on manual inspections and human judgements to decide on what makes the grade on the production line. Moreover, the human-eye is unlikely to perform 100 percent effective inspections. In many situations, effectiveness in QC tends to decrease as production speed ramps up. This becomes a major issue especially in highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals and Food & Beverage (F&B). ‘Accidents’ such as metal objects being discovered in food products can prove detrimental to a company’s hard-earned reputation. In the event that the products cause harm or death to consumers, lengthy and resource-draining litigation could result. Machine vision can assist F&B manufacturers in raising the quality of their products. It can help to prevent the abovementioned situation by reliably detecting nails, pieces of metal and other foreign objects in food products, before the items are sealed and have a chance to move out of the facility. Food allergens are also another area of concern. For example, peanuts can cause a major (and even deadly) reaction
in certain individuals. This makes it extremely important for the packaging of food products to carry the right labels. In manufacturing facilities that produce a number of different products, there is a possibility that the labels could be mixed up, resulting in an incorrect label being attached on a product. Needless to say, such a mistake could present a potential health hazard or at the very least, be a cause of embarrassment for the company.
ENQUIRY NO. 538
expansion. However, it is also the periods of lower market activity that provide windows of opportunity for manufacturers to upgrade their production capabilities — in preparation for a turnaround in global markets.
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 45
instrumentation & Measurement
Vision cameras ensure product consistency on the production line.
Thorough Inspection Vision-based cameras can be trained to recognise legitimate labels on a particular product and will be able to identify those that have been incorrectly labelled. Multiple cameras deployed at various angles can simultaneously check a bottle for various inconsistencies. For example, the first camera ensures that the bottle cap has been correctly positioned on the bottle, while the second checks the label. Another can be used to verify that fill-levels are correct. In the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, vision systems are designed to check tablets for defects, for example, to pick out tablets that are broken or damaged. They can also check that capsules are not dented or out of shape. The quality of tablet/capsule printing too, can be verified by vision technology. In accordance with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, each printed tablet has to be clearly identifiable. Machine vision can be employed to fulfil this need. A machine that uses this technology can typically print and inspect more than 400,000 tablets/capsules per hour. And unlike other competing technologies on the market, it can reject individual tablets instead of an entire batch. Machine vision can also be applied to check for the absence and presence of tablets in blister packs. This ensures that every blister contains a corresponding tablet/capsule. Where required, machine vision can be trained to recognise colours on the production line. For example, it can prevent mix-ups by ensuring that the correct colour of tablet has been packaged, besides checking that it is of the right shape and size. All of these QC processes can go a long way in protecting consumer health, as well as the manufacturer’s brand name.
On Guard Given the growing challenges of global terrorism and counterfeit products, manufacturers are faced 46  industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
with the task of ensuring that their supply chains are secure. Both 1D barcodes and 2D codes, coupled with image-based technology can fulfil this vital role. ePedigree is an important application that is used by the pharmaceuticals industry. It basically performs product authentication to verify that a medical product is genuine and that it originates from the manufacturer or another legal source in the supply chain. The application requires coding, marking, serial number aggregation. It also needs multiple vision systems and ID readers for barcode reading, offline verification and online mark quality assessment along the production line. These applications require item-level serialisation on every bottle, carton or blister pack and that Data Matrix has been adopted as the standard. Serialised items are associated with larger case and pallet lots in a parent child relationship. Image-based technology is used to ensure that the correct information has been printed (a US FDA requirement). It also determines the overall quality of the printed characters or codes. Print quality verification is performed to diagnose printing problems with equipment or substrates. The In-Sight vision systems make use of a patented algorithm called PatMax, to locate and verify printed characters even when the latter are moving within the field of view. Each character can be consistently and reliably verified, as the algorithm is able to tolerate wide positional and size variances in the characters.
Age Of Miniaturisation Product traceability is also an important factor in the electronics manufacturing sector. Yet, with the shrinking sizes of electronics devices such as MP3 players, DVD recorders and laptop computers, their corresponding Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are inevitably being downsized as well — in terms of overall design and form factors. These trends present challenges to manufacturers. Firstly, smaller PCBs mean that there is less real estate for barcodes to be printed on them. Second, the increasing demand of product traceability requires more manufacturing-related information to be labelled onto every PCB. Information such as lot code, vendor ID, product number, and serial number, needs to be encoded onto a smaller label size. One method of resolving this issue is to migrate from 1D linear and stacked codes to a 2D Data Matrix ID code. While this sounds simple in theory, it is the implementation of such systems that may be complicated. Certain facilities are equipped with in-circuit and functional testers with different reader configurations. Many of the existing readers on the market
however, have trouble reading such small codes in a harsh production environment. Besides, some systems require custom cabling to handle various triggering inputs from the PCs and Input/Output (I/O) modules, while others may be configured to communicate with different protocols for nonstandard outputs. In environments where electrostatic charges are a concern, manufacturers have to wrap handheld scanners with an ESD-safe jacket — which can be awkward and non-International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) compliant. With the Dataman image-based readers however, engineers can perform a direct replacement of ineffective technology without alteration of any existing software programming or hardware wiring configurations. To meet requirements on the production floor, certain readers come equipped with an electrostatic discharge safe device that conforms to the specifications published in the IEC 61340 standard. It is not uncommon for facilities to experience dramatic improvements of 100 percent successful read rates in their QC processes, after moving to image-based technology. This in turn, translates into higher production yields and a reduction of waste.
Reliable Storage In order to increase the character content and to store the information in smaller spaces, companies have developed 2D codes. Data Matrix has been adopted as a standard. It places square or round cells in a rectangular pattern. Its borders are made up of two adjacent solid sides (the ‘L’) and the opposite sides comprise of equally spaced dots. This symbology enables information to be stored on components, subassemblies and finished goods. For example, up to 50 characters can be stored within a 3 mm square. For such codes to be useful, it is necessary to be able to read them at rates that meet or exceed what has been achieved with barcode technology. Ensuring that in turn, means establishing a reliable standard procedure to verify the code’s quality. Since the labels where the codes are printed on may become defaced or fall off, manufacturers required more effective methods. A solution to the problem is found by applying the code directly onto the product being identified. Several methods of achieving this are available, such as dot peening, laser etching or ink-jet printing. ENQUIRY NO. 1502
in small volume
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FAULHABER SINGAPORE PTE LTD 25 International Business Park #04-102 German Centre Singapore 609916 Singapore info@faulhaber.com.sg www.faulhaber.com ENQUIRY NO. 539
ENQUIRY NO. 1501
Higher Power
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 47
energy
Gold Coast University Hospital uses Cummins Power Generation to sustain critical patient care. By Greg Monteith, regional sales manager, Cummins Power Generation
Backup Power:
Healthcare T
he Gold Coast University Hospital, currently one of Australia’s largest public health infrastructure projects, employs Cummins Power Generation’s emergency backup power to support 24-hour patient treatment and care. Built by Lend Lease at Southport, the US$1.76 billion 750-bed hospital will deliver a range of medical and healthcare services when it opens in mid 2013, including additional operating theatres, an expanded intensive care unit and emergency department, greater capacity in medical imaging, pharmacy and pathology services as well as new ser vices like cancer radiotherapy, neuroscience, neonatal intensive care, trauma
response and cardiac therapy. The new hospital will also have 300 additional beds and more than triple the floor space of its predecessor, the existing Gold Coast Hospital. The hospital will comprise of seven main buildings each requiring reliable power for their operations. As one of the country’s largest public health projects to date, the Gold Coast University Hospital will provide medical services to meet rapid regional growth and an ageing population. The hospital will be a specialist facility providing tertiary level services and will therefore play a pivotal role as one of Queensland’s largest clinical teaching and research facilities in training the healthcare professionals of the future.
48 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
A Holistic Approach To support its wide variety of medical functions, the hospital required an emergency power system which could be relied on for continuous generation and supply — even throughout a grid-wide blackout or other catastrophic outage. When building the hospital, managing contractor Lend Lease sought an emergency power supplier who could deliver a fully-integrated system to sustain both patient load and core medical services. The emergency power system at the hospital runs on four C3000D5 generator sets powered by Cummins’ biggest lowemission diesel engine, the 78-litre QSK78G9, with each generator having a continuous rating
Artist impression of the new Gold Coast University Hospital, which is scheduled to open mid 2013.
of 2.2MW. The fully integrated system also incorporates a single DMC300 digital master control system and PowerCommand digital paralleling equipment, which provide mains paralleling to ensure uninterrupted transfers between main supply and the hospital’s generators. Mains paralleling also provides the high degree of voltage stability required for hospital operations
where unregulated fluctuations in power output can result in damage to patients’ or sensitive medical equipment. The digital master control system allows operators to monitor and rapidly respond to any potential disruptions in output, either during testing or in a live outage situation.
A Collaborative Procedure
for their record in delivering emergency power reliability, as well as, their reputation for technical collaboration on largescale infrastructure projects. The project saw the team working alongside Lend Lease personnel to meet systems requirements with its independent power solution. The project was a success due to both the standard of technical deployment and the collaborative capabilities of its service team. The reliability and ease of deployment associated with the solution means Gold Coast University Hospital is well-placed to meet growing medical and health ser vices demand in Queensland and broader Australia. ENQUIRY NO. 1601
The company was selected
Accurate performances and compact size for the Smart Modular Power Analyzers
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Carlo Gavazzi Automation Singapore Pte. Ltd. 61 Tai Seng Avenue #05-06, UE Print Media Hub, Singapore 534167 Tel: +65 67 466 990 Fax: +65 67 461 980 e-mail: info@carlogavazzi.com.sg
ENQUIRY NO. 534
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Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 49
sector spotlight
Electric Vision
Electronics manufacturers are employing automated vision systems for PCB inspection, in response to the need for tighter tolerances and greater productivity. By Sherlyne Yong
T
echnology has become ubiquitous, permeating our surroundings and lives. In turn, technology’s main medium, the electronics industry, has flourished as well. According to research from the Pew Internet Project, the use of gadgets in the US has been steadily increasing. In 2012, it was found that 85 percent of American adults now have a cell phone, while 45 percent own a smartphone, 25 percent a tablet, and 61 percent a laptop. Meanwhile, market research company GfK Asia has revealed that in the first three months of 2012 alone, 7.7 million smartphones were sold across Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Singapore and Malaysia were also found to have a smartphone penetration rate of 88 percent. As advancements in technological products continue to reach greater heights, electronics
50  industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Tim Simpson
An
manufacturers are expected to keep up with these changes as well. Timeliness is paramount to such an industry that rolls out new products on a regular basis. Staying relevant has never been more important when lapses may lead to the loss of market share. One way of achieving this is by using automation, which speeds up the entire process and allows for a greater throughput. It leads to a shorter time to market, which means a lot in the extremely competitive electronics industry. Due to short product lifecycles, missing a launch window could potentially cost a lot for a company.
Automated For Success Apart from providing speed, automating the production process also brings about reliability, consistency and lower costs as it does away
spectrum. Some systems may use infrared sensor with the need for manual labour. It provides a for component defects that are not visible to safer workplace and reduces the probability of the eye or below the surface of the component,” human errors, leading to greater productivity while reducing operational costs. he explains. “Since a machine vision system does not Regardless of what the system is based on, suffer from the problem of fatigue as faced machine vision in PCB assembly is generally used by using human operators, they can improve to perform three main functions: solder paste the productivity without demanding more on inspection, component placement, and postmanpower. The machine systems can perform reflow inspection. consistently so that the quality of the product is Measurements for solder paste inspection are better controlled. The machine vision systems can mostly carried out through laser triangulation. also perform repetitive tasks faster than humans,” However, this method faces the perennial problem said Dr Chan Kap Luk, associate professor of the of occlusion, resulting in a need for multiple School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at light sources. This creates an additional load on Nanyang Technological University. mechanical systems which some manufacturers are “Hence, such systems are mostly found on the unable to accommodate. production floor in the manufacturing lines and At the same time, vision systems may also assist human operators in different stages of the encounter difficulties due to the reflective surface manufacturing process, doing defect inspection and of the solder. An alternative solution is to use pick-and-place guidance,” he added. structured light instead. While it can be slower, Machine vision for instance, is utilised for depending on the computing power used, this inspection purposes in PCB manufacturing and technique produces acceptable repeatability and supply chain management. When components reproducibility. Systems for component placement assembled on the PCB are becoming smaller, the risks of defects, misalignments and orientation errors are higher and tolerances are tighter. With designs becoming more compact and complex, it is also harder for - taking gripping to new dimensions human inspection to take place as well. Automated vision systems are therefore used to minimise piGRIP with these risks and uphold product bag handling lip quality while reducing inspection time. Generally, such systems are preferred as they enhance productivity.
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Inspecting PCBs
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ENQUIRY NO. 541
There are multiple types of machine vision systems that can be used for electronics manufacturing. According to Dr Chan, “machine vision systems may use different types of sensors to acquire images from various bands of the electro-magnetic spectrum for the dif ferent inspection or guidance tasks.” “There are systems that use illumination in the visible light spectrum for inspection tasks that can be done in this
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 51
sector spotlight
Nicolas Raymond, Montreal, Canada
on the other hand, make use of grey-scale featurebased template matching. Post-reflow measurement differs from the other two processes, in that it is not an in-line inspection process. Instead, the PCB is inspected after all components are electrically and mechanically bonded. During this stage, the machine’s main task is to detect the presence of components and inspect solder joint characteristics using image processing based on reflected light, 2D X-ray imaging and 3D X-ray laminography. Inspection also includes looking out for skewed components, wrong polarity, wrong part numbers, insufficient solder, or misaligned and shorted leads.
Building A Better System Creating a reliable and good vision system is crucial as the inspection process significantly affects the quality of the end product. A robust 3D metrology is therefore required for detecting solder integrity. It should provide local object-centred measurements rather than viewer -centred measurements. Dr Chan has explained that while a viewer centred image reveals the distance between a point in the 3D space and the camera, and an object-centred image measures the position of a point with respect to another point in the 3D space, “such measurements can be derived from the viewercentred measurement.” The system should also be able to reliably characterise and compare different objects, regardless of shapes, geometry or reflectance levels. These characteristics are integral to building an accurate system. Because a PCB assembly involves many small components, it is important for the vision system to include high resolution cameras that can locate and determine each feature on the board. The ability to capture images of the component while it is moving will be beneficial as well. Due to the high throughput typical in electronics manufacturing, it is impractical and infeasible for the line to stop each time an image needs to be taken and processed. Apart from these considerations, a good system must also account for solder joint detection, which comes with its own set of difficulties. To begin with, solder joints may appear or disappear at will due to reflections caused by changes in viewing directions. The variability of soldering conditions has also affected its readability. Solder joint shapes differ depending on the amount of solder paste used and the level of heating that occurred during soldering. However, it must be noted that what makes 52 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Soldering can be a source of defects in circuitry, requiring close attention during quality control.
up a good vision system is still very much task dependent. “Very often, we conduct studies to explore the features on a PCB to determine what are features needed to perform the tasks best,” said Dr Chan. Nonetheless, he shares that “things such as fiducial marks are printed on PCB to help determine the orientation of components and PCBs. These marks are known and they are different from other features seen on the components or the boards. Bar-codes or characters of a particular type of fonts can also be used to identify the components or the boards.”
Existing Techniques There are a variety of vision systems used for PCB inspection that are based on different working principles, all of which are aimed at optimising the detection and processing of solder joints. Bearing in mind the reflective properties of solder joints, one method makes use of uniformly diffusive light to prevent saturated images that are caused by the reflections. However, this turned out to be sensitive to illumination conditions. Another approach used structured highlights for the illumination and imaging of reflective surfaces. This technique uses high contrast 3D images to extract features of solder joints, and uses the Extended Gaussian Image (EGI) which made use of multiple point light sources to highlight the joints. The amount of light sources eventually led to an image scanning and processing system that was too inefficient and time consuming.
Squeezyboy, Suffolk, UK
Keeping an eye on quality is the basis of a successful production line, especially in ensuring reliable products from electronics organisations.
Thereafter, the use of a multiple tiered ring light was suggested as an improvement to the previous method. This involves a circular tiered illumination system that utilises three different coloured lamps eg: red, green and blue. The joints were represented by the three different colours according to their surface slopes and 3D shapes. Defects could also be recognised with this system. Other methods include structured lighting and laser inspection. The former uses an LED array to detect defects, and is placed on the lighting system to project light onto the joint surface from different positions. Meanwhile, laser inspection can be used to get 3D measurements directly, but its limitations are a low inspection speed and high costs.
developed an automated optical inspection system that comprises a high resolution CMOS camera and a coaxial light, a two dimensional moving platform, and software that performs template training and defect detection. However, operators first have to specify the locations of key features during the training process before the system automatically determines regions of interests and collects the required information. Meanwhile, Dr Chan has also said that although machine vision systems accord various benefits, “there are inspection tasks or other tasks that a machine vision system is not suitable for. The reason could be the limitation of sensing technology, or the complexity of the inspection that a machine vision system cannot perform consistently. Human labour is still needed.” To this end, it can be concluded that while detection software is important in machine vision systems, hardware and the rest of the factors in the production cycle (ie: skilled labour and technical expertise) are equally, if not more, important. ENQUIRY NO. 1701
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Despite forays into new and innovative methods, most vision techniques are still using algorithms and principles that are centred on the likes of edge detection, blob analysis, feature extraction using greyscale and gradient signatures, classification and segmentation. Dr David Vernon, senior researcher at the Institute for Cognitive Systems, has said that it “will remain key to the success of PCB applications.” According to Dr Vernon, the actual image processing and analysis takes up only five percent of a complete machine vision system. Instead, the rest lies on production and mechanical engineering factors. For instance, researchers at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology have
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Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 53
ENQUIRY NO. 461
Back To Basics
sector spotlight
Automation tasks using pneumatic cylinders equipped with Magnetic Position Sensors (MPS) are gaining popularity in the electronics industry, especially the manufacturing sector. By Chris Chan, product manager, Sick
Electronics Industry:
Magnetic Positioning Sensors 54 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
U
nlike cylinders using a standard magnetic sensor that detects only an On-Off status position, the MPS can measure the linear position of a piston in cylinders. A s m a n u f a c t u r i n g p ro c e s s e s g e t m o re demanding, an On-Off status is no longer adequate. The system needs continuous feedback of pneumatic piston positions for a tasks realisation, such as sonotrode control in ultrasonic welding machines, requires a pneumatic system with MPS to operate effectively. Traditionally, designers use various types of linear measurement sensors. These sensors are mechanical parts that follow, and measure directly the piston stroke. Firstly, industrial ingress protective IP can become an issue with displacement sensors. Besides, such sensors are often designed for a vast number of applications, and as such special mounting brackets are required. Most importantly, linear sensors are mechanical moving parts which are subjected to operating wear and tear. Using MPS in measuring piston linear displacement is gaining popularity due to its accuracy, simplicity, robustness and cost effectiveness. Robustness-wise, MPS involves no moving parts, and are therefore not subjected to mechanical wear and tear. Simplicity-wise, the sensors are designed to be mounted on most cylinders, directly through the housing slots, thereby obsoleting the mounting brackets. More interesting, the sensors are optimised for cylinder linear measurements, and therefore can be cost effective. Other notable features are that they are rated IP67, which means that they can be used in harsher environments within the electronic industry. Technology-wise, the sensors discussed here are advanced microprocessor based sensors for pneumatic cylinders, electrical cylinders, grippers and slides. Inside the sensor is housed a row of Halleffect sensors that ‘monitors’ the cylinder’s piston. Raw analogue inputs from each hall sensor are sampled and converted by the internal conversion circuitries, and then an internal microprocessor will compute the magnetic piston head position in two steps: 1 Compute the external elements or stray noises in the immediate vicinity, and suppress them. 2 Then calculate the piston head position with a complex algorithm, and provide a linear output to the mother system in an analogue voltage output of 0…10V, and analogue current output of 4…20mA.
belt that the blank PCBs travel. The concept is straightforward. The sensors are calibrated to detect the thickness of each PCB. Prior to component placement, each PCB is sampled by reading the sensors value to check the PCB thickness, which correlates to the piston position. If an abnormal pneumatic piston’s position is detected, the corrective action processes of the system can be triggered to prevent further faults. This concept provides a cost-effective solution to prevent costly machine downtime or material damages due to a ‘sticking PCB’.
Analogue Output
4096
SMT Pick & Place 0000
Stroke
Correlation between piston stroke and analogue output.
The MPS resolution, or smallest step change, can be represented in 4,096 steps. Suppose we have a piston stroke of 40 mm, the resolution of the MPS can be as tiny as 0.010 mm which is 40 mm/4,096 steps. Suppose another MPS of a 64 mm measuring range is used, then the resolution will be 64 mm/4,096 steps, which is 0.015 mm/step. Application-wise, the sensor is able to measure a cylinder stroke ranging from 32 mm to 256 mm. It can be mounted on a T-slot pneumatic cylinder, and no additional adaptors are required. For other slots, mounting accessories are available in the market. Site commissioning is straightforward as indicative LEDs are present to guide the designers on triggering points. Additional teaching functions are available to designers to calibrate the required operating range. Applications for these sensors in pneumatic systems for the electronics industry are plentiful, and increasing. Some common tasks of MPS-based pneumatic systems includes orientation and positioning, thickness measurement, assembly, inspection. Common applications in the electronics industry are:
SMT component placement systems are robotic machines which are used to place Surface-Mount Devices (SMDs) onto PCBs. They are used for high speed, high precision placing of a broad range of electronic components. These systems normally use pneumatic suction cups, attached to a plotter-like device to allow the nozzle head to be accurately manipulated in three dimensions. Here, the sensors are used to acquire rapid and accurate dimensional feedback of the pistons’ position, which correlates to the SMD placement on the PCBs. In addition, the sensors can
• PCB detection • SMT component placement • Ultrasonic welding machines ENQUIRY NO. 384
Printed Circuit Board Detection In Surface Mount Technology (SMT) component assembly machines, a simple application using these sensors is to detect if two Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) are ‘sticking together’ on a conveyor Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 55
sector spotlight
MPS mounted on a pneumatic cylinder
provide a high sampling rate of upto 1.5 milliseconds for partial-stroke piston operation.
Ultrasonic Welding In the electronics industry, ultrasonic welding is often used to join wired connections and to create connections in small, delicate circuits. Junctions of wire harnesses are often joined using ultrasonic welding. It is also often preferred in the assembly of storage media such as flash drives and computer
disks because of the high volumes required. In MPS-based ultrasonic welding systems, the position sensor provides detailed feedback so that high accuracy control of the sonotrode is ensured. This is very important for high quality connections of the materials. With the position sensor, no mechanical adjustment for tolerance of the workpiece is needed. In addition, users have the flexibility to implement sophisticated tasks as they can adjust the control ranges from 32 mm to 256 mm.
In Conclusion
MPS used to detect if two PCBs are ‘sticking together’ on a conveyor belt.
56  industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
With an increasing number of tasks in the electronics industry demanding more rapid and precise inputs rather than an On-Off status, the MPS is set to enable many standard automation systems to perform more sophisticated tasks at another level. Using the dimensional feedback signals from the sensor, many standard automation systems can be programmed to perform more precise, or more accurate, or more speedier roles. Many key applications in the electronics industry can benefit from adopting this sensor in their automation tasks. Examples are ultrasonic welding, SMT assembly, and so on. In addition, designers, who traditionally use the more costlier displacement sensor solution, can reap the cost-reduction benefits by switching to this MPS. ENQUIRY NO. 1702
ENQUIRY NO. 522
eBOOK EXCLUSIVE
Maximise Benefits
With Virtualisation And Cloud Computing
W
ithout question, IT virtualisation — the abstraction of physical network, server, and storage resources — has increased the ability to utilise and scale compute power. Indeed, virtualisation has become the very technology engine behind cloud computing itself. While the benefits of this technology and service delivery model are well known, understood, and increasingly being taken advantage of, their effects on the DCPI are less understood. The purpose of this paper is to describe these effects while offering possible solutions or methods for dealing with them.
industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
The Rise Of High Density While virtualisation may reduce overall power consumption in the room, virtualised servers tend to be installed and grouped in ways that create localised high-density areas that can lead to ‘hot spots’. This cooling challenge may come as a surprise given the dramatic decrease in power consumption that is possible due to high, realistically achievable physical server consolidation ratios of 10:1, 20:1 or even much higher. As a physical host is loaded up with more and more virtual machines, its CPU utilisation will increase. Although far from being a linear relationship, the power draw
of that physical host increases as the utilisation increases. A typical non-virtualised server’s CPU utilisation is around 5 to 10 percent. A virtualised server, however, could be 50 percent or higher. The difference in power draw between 5 percent and 50 percent CPU utilisation would be about 20 percent depending on the specific machine in question. A d d i t i o n a l l y, v i r t u a l i s e d machines will often require increased processor and memory resources which can further raise power consumption above what a non-virtualised machine would draw. Grouping or clustering these bulked up,
Michelle Byrd, Louisville, US
IT virtualisation, the engine behind cloud computing, can have significant consequences on Data Centre Physical Infrastructure (DCPI). Higher power densities, reduced overall energy consumption, dynamic loads, and the fault-tolerant nature of a highly virtualised environment, are some of the areas discussed in this paper. By Suzanne Niles, senior research analyst and Patrick Donovan, senior research analyst, Schneider Electric
virtualised servers can result in higher power densities that could then cause cooling problems. Not only are densities increasing, but virtualisation also allows workloads to be dynamically moved, started, and stopped — the result can be physical loads that change both over time and in their physical location.
Reduced IT Load Can Affect PUE A widely touted benefit of virtualisation has been reduced energy costs as a result of physical server consolidation. And, indeed, these savings are often not trivial. Consider a 1 MW data centre with 1,000 physical servers that draw 250 W each at a cost of US$0.11 (S$0.14) per kilowatt/hr. The energy cost per year to operate just the servers would be about US$240,000 (250 W/1,000 x 0.11 x 24 hr x 365 days x 1,000 servers). Virtualise these servers at a conservative consolidation ratio of 10:1 with each remaining physical server operating at a CPU utilisation of 60 percent (instead of the typical 5 to 10 percent) and you now get a total energy cost of about US$60,000 (600 W/1,000 x 0.11 x 24 hr x 365 days x 100 servers). That represents
an energy savings of 76 percent for the servers. So it is no wonder that virtualisation is widely viewed and promoted as a ‘green’ technology for the data centre. Compute capacity remains the same or is even increased while energy use drops sharply. It may come as a surprise, then, that in such a ‘green’ scenario the most commonly used metric for data centre efficiency, PUE, could worsen after this server consolidation took place. Perhaps some might see this as a shortcoming of the metric. That is, an efficiency metric must be deficient if it is not intended to reflect the obvious environmental benefit of lower energy use. But the reader must remember that PUE is a metric designed to only measure efficiency of the data center physical infrastructure (ie: power and cooling), and not the IT compute power efficiency. PUE should never be used or thought of as a direct indicator for how ‘green’ a particular data centre is. The purpose is to show how efficient the power and cooling systems are for a given IT load.
Dynamic IT loads The sudden — and increasingly automated — creation and
The high-density ‘pod’ is an option for dealing with high density equipment in an existing, virtualised data centre.
movement of virtual machines requires careful management and policies that contemplate physical infrastructure status and capacity down to an individual rack level. Failure to do so could undermine the software fault-tolerance that virtualisation imbues to cloud computing. Fortunately, tools exist today to greatly simplify and assist in doing this. The electrical load on the physical hosts can vary in both time and place as virtual loads are created or moved from one location to another. As the processor computes, changes power state or as hard drives spin up and down, the electrical load on any machine — virtualised or not — will vary. This variation can be amplified when power management policies are implemented which actively power machines down and up throughout the day as compute needs change over time. The policy of power capping, however, can reduce this variation. This is where machines are limited in how much power they can draw before processor speed is automatically reduced. At any rate, since DCPI is most often sized based on a high percentage of the nameplate ratings of the IT gear, this type of variation in power is unlikely to cause capacity issues related to the physical infrastructure particularly when the percentage of virtualised servers is low. A highly virtualised e n v i ro n m e n t s u c h a s t h a t characterised by a large cloudbased data centre, however, could have larger load swings compared to a non-virtualised one. And, unless they are incredibly wellplanned and managed, these could be large enough to potentially cause capacity issues or, at least, possibly violate policies related to capacity headroom. Increasingly, managers are automating the creation and Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia
eBOOK EXCLUSIVE
gets somewhat better with virtualisation
But will get much better if physical infrastructure (PUE) is optimised too
PUE gets worse with virtualisation alone
gets much better with virtualisation
Typical effect of virtualisation on data centre efficiency showing context of PUE within overall data centre efficiency.
movement of Virtual Machines (VMs). It is this ability that helps make a virtualised data centre more fault-tolerant. If a software fault occurs within a given VM or a physical host server crashes, other machines can quickly recover the workload with a minimal amount of latency for the user. Automated VM creation and movement is also what enables much of the compute power scalability in cloud computing. Ironically, however, this rapid and sudden movement of VMs can also expose IT workloads to power and cooling problems that may exist which then put the loads at risk.
Lowered Redundancy Requirements The reduced need for power and cooling capacity is a commonly known benefit of IT virtualisation as described in the prior section, Reduced IT load can worsen PUE. A lesser known benefit, however, is that IT virtualisation can lead to a reduced need for redundancy in the physical infrastructure. Relying more on the faulttolerance of well-managed VM (and the applications that run on them), and less on higher levels of industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
infrastructure redundancy could simplify design, lower capital costs, and save space for other needed systems or for future IT growth. A highly virtualised environment is similar to a RAID array in that it is fault tolerant and highly recoverable. Workloads, entire VM, and virtualised storage resources can be automatically and instantly relocated to safe areas of the network when problems arise. This shifting of resources to maintain uninterrupted service occurs at a level that is essentially transparent to the end user. However, depending on the quality of IT implementation and the level of integration of the VM manager software, the end user may experience momentary latency issues while this migration takes place. But, generally speaking, service levels can be maintained in a highly virtualised environment even when some ser vers or racks become unavailable. Given this fault tolerance, there may be a reduced need for a highly redundant
(ie: 2N or 2N+1) power and cooling system in a highly virtualised data centre. If, for example, the failure of a particular UPS does not result in business disruption, it may not be necessary to have a backup, redundant UPS system for the one that just failed. Those planning to build a new data centre with
virtualised IT environment is another form of the rightsizing described earlier. Rightsizing in this way can further reduce energy consumption, capital costs, and fixed losses all while improving the data centre PUE.
Conclusion Virtualising a data centre’s IT resources can have certain consequences related to the physical infrastructure. If these impacts and consequences are ignored, the broad benefits of virtualisation and cloud computing can be limited or compromised, and in some cases, severely so. Areas of high density can develop after server consolidation takes place which may result in hot spots that can then lead to hardware failure. Various methods exist to ensure the cooling system has the means and capacity to reliably cool high density equipment. PUE can significantly worsen after consolidation occurs. By optimising the power and
cooling systems to better match this now reduced IT load, PUE can be improved. This optimisation is made much easier if scalable and modular systems are used. Dynamic IT loads which can change automatically in both time and location may unintentionally be put at risk if power and cooling status is not first considered at an individual rack level. Careful planning and ongoing management is required to ensure VMs are only placed where healthy power and cooling exists. By constructing sound VM policies and by integrating DCIM software with the VM manager, this on-going management can be automated. Finally, the high level of fault tolerance that is possible with today’s VM manager software makes it possible to employ a less redundant power and cooling infrastructure. Such a strategy can save time, space, energy and significantly lower capital costs.
Effect Of Reduced Power Consumption On Energy And Service Contracts
Salman Ali Ehsan, Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan
‘2N’ redundant power and cooling systems, perhaps could consider building an N+1 data centre instead. This would obviously reduce capital costs and simplify the design of the infrastructure. It is the fault tolerance of a highly virtualised network that allows organisations to consider this reduced infrastructure redundancy as a real option now. Before making these types of decisions, of course, IT and facilities management should always fully consider the possible impacts to business continuity if the physical infrastructure system or component being considered fails or becomes unavailable. This means IT management systems and policies should be reviewed and monitored to ensure they are capable of providing the level of service and fault tolerance that permits having less redundancy in the physical infrastructure. This matching of physical infrastructure redundancy to the fault-tolerant nature of a
An abrupt reduction in power consumption may have unintended consequences with regard to utility and service contracts. Such contracts will need to be reviewed and renegotiated where necessary, in order not to forfeit data centre savings to the utility provider, building owner, or service provider. • Utility contract – Agreements with utility providers may include a clause that penalises the customer if overall electrical consumption drops below a preset monthly consumption amount. • Energy clause in real estate agreement – Some real estate agreements include the cost of electricity as a flat rate, typically billed on a cost-per-square-foot basis. This agreement may need to be renegotiated, otherwise the savings from virtualisation will accrue to the building owner. • Equipment service contracts – Service contracts should be reviewed to remove unused power and cooling equipment, to avoid paying for service on equipment that has been taken out of service through down-sizing.
Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia
features
At the recently concluded Manufacturing Indonesia show in Jakarta, IAA caught up with representatives from Baumer to talk about their business endeavours in Indonesia. By Joson Ng
Baumer
Senses Potential
In Indonesia
W
ith the population of about 240 million, the manufacturing industry of Indonesia is one with considerable potential. As such, many companies have flocked to the country in recent years. While some are now firmly established in the country, others are just making their way in. Although they no longer have the FMA or First-Mover Advantage, there is this belief that there are still plenty of opportunities and more so, if they are targeting a niche market segment. One of the companies is Baumer. It is a family owned Swiss company that supplies sensors, encoders, measuring instruments and components for automated image-processing. The company combines technology and service
58 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
into solutions for factory and process automation, and offers a range of related products and technologies. “Measuring instruments sales in the process automation segment is responsible for some 50 percent of our overall turnover,” said Kenny Ng W K, MD of Baumer (Singapore), covering Southeast Asia markets including Australia and New Zealand. “Our sensors, encoders and image-processing products have in recent years established their footprints in discrete applications found in the factory automation field. We sell largely to OEMs machine builders and system integrators. This group of players supply to end users covering the electronic and semiconductor industries. The other group is the
Kenny Ng (L) with Andy Wong
Food and Beverage (F&B) segment, which includes packaging,” he added. IAA understands the company is also active in the pharmaceutical industry.
Products On Show IAA asked Andy Wong, product marketing manager (sensor solutions), what the new products or technologies on show at the exhibition are. “The O500 is our next generation sensor. Its ‘OneBox’ design stands for the new housing design. It features the same dimensions, through holes, and control elements for all sensor principles and technologies within the series. It is built for ruggedness and accuracy,” he said. According to the manufacturer, the sensor comes with the ‘q-target’ function.
This eliminates individual part tolerances providing the entire sensor with a light beam that is aligned with consistent accuracy. Another feature of the O500 is the ‘q-teach’ function. It is a convenient and wear-free teach procedure. Finally, the sensor also comes with a metal sleeve for sturdy fastening. Also at the show is the SmartReflect sensor. It allows object detection using the light barrier principle while eliminating the reflector as a weak spot. “SmartReflect can use machine wall as a reflector. As such, there is no need for a reflector.” This technology is said to help reduce cost because the traditional method of using a reflector involves cleaning, alignment and the eventual replacement, which all incur machine downtime.
Indonesia Market Indonesia is a diverse market with the automotive and energy sectors arguably garnering the most attention. IAA asked how engaged Baumer is in these sectors and if there is a particular sector that they would like to penetrate in Indonesia. Said Mr Ng: “In Indonesia, we are still growing in segments
The sensors are built to last.
Operating cost is reduced when no reflector is needed.
We have to look at areas where we can carve a niche for ourselves based on our strength. Therefore, we go into areas where we think we have a high chance of success. - Kenny Ng like factor y automation, ie: packaging and bottling in the F&B industr y. These are all related to the consumer industry, which will be the largest growth segment with the rise of the middle income group.” When asked about the company’s lack of involvement in the burgeoning automotive industry in Indonesia, he said: “The automotive industry here is already largely dominated by leading well-known competing sensor brands. Being a mid-size company, we have to look at areas where we can carve a niche for ourselves based on our strength. Therefore, we go into areas (like F&B) where we think we have a high chance of success.”
Sensing The Market With the Indonesia GDP forecasted to grow by some 3.5 to 6.4 percent in 2013, IAA asked how the sensor market fared in Indonesia in 2012 and how it will fare in 2013. Mr Ng revealed that the company has a history in the country’s oil and gas segment with its measuring instruments. However, their entry to the Indonesia sensors market is not early. They started promoting their sensor products in 2009. Before that, sales were conducted through trading companies. Majority of these sales are attributed to replacement parts for German made machines. However, things will start to change in 2013 for its factory automation activities. The optimism is attributed to the appointment of a competent distributor for sensor products. The company also have a partner for their vision products because they are starting to see increasing applications in the F&B sector. Concluding, Mr Ng said: “We are optimistic about the manufacturing outlook in the Southeast Asia region, especially in Indonesia. We have had success in Indonesia in the niche area. In 2013, we will see a double digit growth of 15 to 20 percent through our partners compared to this year (2012) because our base is relatively small.” ENQUIRY NO. 1801 Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia 59
EVENT REVIEW
OSEA 2012
• F o l l o w i n g t h e i r r e c e n t acquisition of Fire Sentry earlier in 2012, Honeywell showcased FS24X for the first time. OFFSHORE Southeast Asia (OSEA) 2012 took place from November 27 to 30, 2012, at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. This edition made the show the biggest to date, with 26,713 attendees from 75 countries/ regions. The 2012 edition saw visitors checking out the latest products, technologies and innovation across 31,720 square metre of show floor. Exhibitors were busy networking and closing deals, with some choosing to launch their latest products and services at the event.
Exhibitor Announcements: • Menck, part of the Acteon Group 60 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
of companies, announced the launch of its Singapore branch office. The office, located at Tuas, Singapore, plans to open in mid-2013. • K i s w i r e a n n o u n c e d t h e opening of their Malaysian factory. The official opening ceremony of their wire rope plant located on the Malaysian coast of Johor was held on November 28, 2012. • Leeden demonstrated the full range of specialised welding, cutting and pipe-handling e q u i p m e n t f o r o f f s h o re , subsea and pipeline activities on the show floor.
An Interactive Exchange Of Opinions And Ideas The event came to a successful close after four days of exchanges of knowledge and know-how. Speakers and delegates altogether were treated to a range of new ideas and diverse opinions covering issues in offshore development and production, HSE, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and engineering challenges. OSEA will be back in 2014, from December 2-5, and will be located at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. November 27-30, 2012 Marina Bay Sands Singapore ENQUIRY NO. 1901
EVENT PREVIEW
Industrial Automation 2013
ASEAN Elenex (AE) 2013, the 10th International Exhibition of Transmission & Distribution and Electrical Engineering for the ASEAN region, and Industrial Automation (IA) 2013, a showcase for automated manufacturing process systems and components providers are coming back in 2013 to Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Malaysia from March 20 to 23, 2013. The shows are expected to bring together professionals from the respective industries sharing their experiences and expertise.
The Exhibitors L o c a t e d a c ro s s f o u r h a l l s , comprising over 7,000 sq m of gross exhibition space, AE 2013 & IA 2013 will bring together more than 500 industry players in the region. Some of the confirmed exhibitors includes Alpha Automation, AR Global Engineering, Autonics, Axis Electrical Components, CMS Supplies, Doeka Asia, DPI Industries, Econix Hi-Tech Comp, Encompass, FA Control, Harting, Jati Combustion, KVC Industrial Supplies, Metal Work Pneumatic, Mikro, Onesto, Rockwell Automation, SamKoon, SM Cyclo, Sun Power Automation, Toshiba Transmission & Distribution, Total Metering Solutions, United
U-Li Corporation, Universal Cable, VSD Automation and WEG-Watt EuroDrive to name a few. At both events there will be industry pavilions from Tenaga N a s i o n a l B e rh a d Ve n d o r s Development Programme (TNB BVDP) and The Electrical & Electronics Association of Malaysia (TEEAM). Together with International Pavilions from China, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan and UK.
Target Audience B o t h e v e n t s a re a i m e d a t professionals with an Electrical & Electronic or Manufacturing background to meet industry players, gather information, and network. March 20-23, 2013 Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ENQUIRY NO. 1902 Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia  61
EVENT PREVIEW
RFID World Asia 2013 RFID World Asia will be back for its 10th edition at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from April 24 to 25, 2013. The event aims to showcase technology and innovations the industry has to offer for Asia. In 2012, there were close to 200 exhibitors and more than 7,500 visitors, making it the only dedicated platform for RFID technological in Asia. Attendees came from across a wide range of industries such as construction, retail, manufacturing, government, healthcare, logistics, and IT. Into its 10th edition in 2013, the event will provide delegates and visitors an opportunity to interact with experts and professionals who will be sharing information regarding RFID solutions and their strategies. It aims to be a platform for exhibitors to explore new business opportunities.
Co-Located Events The event itself is co-located with Cards & Payments Asia, Future Bank Asia, NFC World Asia, Information Security World Asia, Retail World Asia and Digital Signage World Asia. In terms of exhibitors, the exhibition hall will encompass over 200 international exhibitors who aim to showcase their latest technological innovations. 62 industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
A Word From The Exhibitors “We have seen new customers from Indonesia, Vietnam, etc and we are pleased about this as we want to address more markets in SEA. We see this event as a platform where new players in other countries come to learn from us,” stated Daniel Lim, VP, BU Cards Sales Asia & Pacific, Smartrac Technology Group “We have been here for five years. RFID World Asia is a key
show for most of the RFID vendors in Asia. It is a focused show where vendors and prospects from the region come to. It is a good place to learn about new technology and look for new business,” commented Michael Oh, founder and MD, TCM RFiD April 24-25, 2013 Marina Bay Sands Singapore ENQUIRY NO. 1903
ENQUIRY NO. 529
products & Services ABB: Welding Robot
Ametek: Vane Axial Fans
ABB Robotics has introduced the IRB 1520ID, a robot with integrated process dressing designed specifically for arc welding. All cables and hoses are routed inside the upper arm, simplifying programming and providing protection for all media, including welding power and wire, shielding gas and pressurised air. The integrated dressing design increases accuracy, extends hose life by 50 percent, and allows for more flexible movements, such as those needed for single-motion welds around cylindrical objects or hard to reach weld seams.
Two ultra-compact Vane Axial Fans with brushless DC induction motors for high-reliability spot cooling in tightly packaged electronic and optical equipment have been introduced by Ametek Rotron. The Minimax and Nanos II/3 fans employ a new form factor with integrated DC electronic drives, allowing for direct operation from a 28 VDC power supply. Applications include: military and commercial electronics, aerospace, commercial aircraft, optics, and computers. The fans are designed for years of use in demanding processcritical military and commercial applications. Examples include dissipation of high heat loads within ruggedised enclosures and directing small amounts of air over sensors, such as smoke detectors on commercial aircraft. Their small size and minimal weight make them suitable for use in portable equipment.
Enquiry no. 1904
Enquiry no. 1906
Adlink: Embedded Computer
Banner Engineering:
Adlink Technology has released the MXC-6300, a fanless embedded computer. Equipped with third generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors and a QM77 chipset, the product delivers computing power and graphic performance for up to three high-resolution independent displays, with expansion capability from three PCI/PCIe expansion slots accommodating a variety of I/O cards. The products combined features make it suitable for any application requiring a compact profile, maximum computing power and graphic performance, and strong I/O capability in environmentally challenging applications, including machine vision, factory automation, maritime automation and video surveillance.
Banner Engineering has expanded its line of emergency stop buttons with the Surface Flush Mount E-Stop. The 40 mm emergency stop buttons are designed to mount to a wall or other flat surface without disassembling or individual wiring. Available with a non-illuminated base with four actuator styles: standard, illuminated actuator, lockable actuator and an illuminated lockable actuator; or an illuminated base with a standard or a lockable actuator. To meet diverse application requirements, the illuminatedbase of the product feature the company’s Ez-Light logic and are available with two colours (yellow or green and red lighting) or one color (red lighting).
Enquiry no. 1905 64  industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Emergency Stop Buttons
Enquiry no. 1907
ENQUIRY NO. 499
products & Services
Baumer: Measuring
Fuji Electric: Vector
Baumer has developed tailor-made alarm management for the process industry with the introduction of the CombiSeries. These measuring instruments with programmable displays provide for practical options in process monitoring. With the CombiPress pressure gauge and CombiTemp temperature gauge, the company has introduced the first two products of this series which can optionally be configured with a CombiView display. The company’s displays provide an overview of the current status of individual processes directly on site. The measured values do not have to be analysed first because the display indicates at a glance whether the preset measuring values are exceeded and immediate intervention is required.
The Frenic-VG Series of stacktype, vector control inverters from Fuji Electric are able to handle up to a maximum of 3,000kW, with inverters and converters combined in an optimum way to suit the capacity needs of each facility. Because several inverters are used, when a direct parallel system is used to drive one motor, even if one of the inverters breaks down, the other inverters will continue running, and because it is possible to slide the components into the inverter board, installation and maintenance is easy. Also, replacement with devices of 132 kW and above is easy due to the attached casters. Applications for this series include, conveyer cranes at seaports, iron and steel plants, large-capacity fans, and largecapacity pumps.
Instruments
Control Inverter
Enquiry no. 1908
Contrinex: Inductive Sensors
The MiniMini measures just 12 mm in length and 3 mm in diameter. The reduction in size was made possible by using mixed-signal ASIC technology. This technique combines analogue signal processing with digital computing power on a single chip, making it suitable for all applications where signals are recorded in analogue form, but must be digitised for transmission. It has a switching frequency of 8 kHz and temperature stability from -25 deg C to +70 deg C. Enquiry no. 1909 66  industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Enquiry no. 1910
Hioki: Clamp On
Power Logger Hioki has developed the Clamp On Power Logger PW3360-20 for measuring energy savings. This product can record power variations for up to one year at one-minute intervals, providing a source of data for verifying energy-saving benefits. The built-in Quick Set navigation feature allows users to start measurement by following a series of step-by-step instructions. When used together with a clamp leak sensor and power measuring clamp sensor, it can measure power and test for electrical leaks at the same time. Enquiry no. 1911
Track and manage everything with RFID 24 – 25 April 2013, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Asia’s leading RFID industry event – RFID World Asia will be back for its 10th edition in 2013! The exhibition will congregate key stakeholders from industries such as Retail, Oil & Gas, Logistics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Transport and many more looking for the latest RFID technologies and solutions to drive business growth. The event is a showcase of the latest RFID innovations and a valuable platform where stakeholders from the entire RFID ecosystem will share their winning strategies, best practices and explore how to assess business opportunities in this industry. Hear & learn from RFID veterans:
Johnny Ang Assistant Director GS1 Singapore
Sign up now for the free educational seminars Scan the QR pattern with the camera on your smartphone to view the seminar topics. Don’t have a QR reader app? You can download one for free from the App Store. Don’t have a smartphone? You can also visit the website on www.terrapinn.com/IAAVP
Mark Rance ICT Manager ANZco Foods Ltd
10th annual
2013
www.terrapinn.com/IAAVP Media partner
Organised by
ENQUIRY NO. 542
C.F. Huang Professor of Institute of Communication Engineering Tatung University
products & Services
ICP DAS: PAC Controller
JJ Lapp: Cable Glands
The WISE-5801, from ICP DAS, is an Intelligent Data Logger PAC Controller with an SMS function. The device provides an convenient web page for users, with no programming required. With the microSD card, the device also provides a Data Logger function for real-time recording of I/O data from the controller before sending back the data files by FTP or Email at a scheduled time to the control centre for further administration management or data analysis. The device also integrates with SCADA software or HMI devices to control or monitor I/O channels on controllers in real-time through the Modbus TCP/ RTU Protocol. Also incorporated is a two-way SMS message interactive control function.
In food production, there are stringent requirements for production facilities and every component they contain, and criteria such as easy cleaning, materials suitable for use with foodstuffs and good corrosion protection are the top priority. To meet these demands, JJ Lapp have introduced the first stainless steel Skintop cable gland. This product is currently undergoing its initial field test. In which selected customers in the industry are testing its design and performance. The product is designed to be easy to clean and minimises the possibility of residue or even bacterial contamination forming in cavities or open threads.
Enquiry no. 1912
Enquiry no. 1914
ifm electronic: Compact
Keyence: CMOS Laser
ifm electronic has released an industrial quality 3D sensor, that detects objects in 3D at a glance. Enabling evaluation of geometrical characteristics such as Volume, Distance, Level or Surface area. These functions are suited for missing goods applications. The geometric characteristics of an object are interpreted via two output options. The first a switch. The other may be set as a second switch point, or configured as an 4-20 mA / 0-10 V analogue output.
Detection is often difficult with reflective sensors for a variety of reasons, particularly in regards to colour, materials, surface finish and environment. In order to solve these issues, Keyence created the LR-Z series to combine the stability of a CMOS laser sensor with the versatility of a self-contained sensor in a heavy duty metal body, as such ensuring uncompromised detection ability. Its stainless steel body resists damage from over-tightening or strong impact from tools, and its IP rated enclosure ensures that it is resistant to oil, acid and other harsh conditions.
Industrial 3D Sensor
Enquiry no. 1913 68  industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Photoeye
Enquiry no. 1915
ENQUIRY NO. 546
ENQUIRY NO. 516
Calendar Of Events 2013 February
28 – 2 Mar IIC China Conference & Exhibition 2013 Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center Shenzhen, China Email: dgu@globalsources.com Web: www.english.iic-china.com/
March 4 – 6 SIAF Guangzhou 2013
China Import and Export Fair Complex Guangzhou, China Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd. Email: sps@china.messefrankfurt.com Web: http://www.siaf-china.com/english/
13 – 16 Automation World 2013
Coex Center Seoul, South Korea Coex Co Ltd Email: mintkiss@coex.co.kr Web: http://automationworld.biz/
20 – 23 Industrial Automation 2013
Kuala Lumpur Covention Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Malaysian Exhibition Services Sdn Bhd Email: enquiry@mesallworld.com Web: http://www.asean-ia.com/
20 – 23 Propak Vietnam 2013
Saigon Exhibition Center Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Bangkok Exhibition Services Ltd Email: arayabhorn@besallworld.com Web: www.propakvietnam.com
26 – 29 Inatronics Jakarta 2013
Jakarta International Expo Jakarta, Indonesia PT Global Expo Management (GEM Indonesia) Email: info@gem-indonesia.com Web: http://www.inatronics-exhibition.net/
april
9 – 12 MTA Asia 2013
Singapore Expo Singapore Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd Email: gillian@sesallworld.com Web: http://www.mta-asia.com
24 – 25 RFID World Asia 2013
Marina Bay Sands Singapore Terrapinn Pte Ltd Email: enquiry.sg@terrapinn.com Web: http://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/rfidworld-asia/index.stm
may
2 – 5 MTA Vietnam 2013
Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd Email: mta@sesallworld.com Web: http://www.mtavietnam.com
3 – 5 Clean Energy Expo China 2013
China National Convention Center Beijing, China Koelnmesse Co Ltd Email: j.chiah@koelnmesse.com.sg Web: http://www.cleanenergyexpochina.com/
august
21 – 25 Metaltech Malaysia 2013
Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Trade-Link Exhibition Services Sdn Bhd Email: info@tradelink.com.my Web: http://tradelink.com.my/metaltech/
june 5 – 8 Renewable Energy Asia 2013
BITEC Bangkok, Thailand UBM Asia (Thailand) Email: info@cmpthailand.com Web: http://www.renewableenergy-asia.com/
12 – 15 Propak Asia 2013
BITEC Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok Exhibition Services Ltd. Email: piyaporn@besallworld.com Web: http://www.propakasia.com/
18 – 21 CommunicAsia 2013
july
Marina Bay Sands Singapore Singapore Exhibition Services Email: pin@sesallworld.com Web: http://www.communicasia.com/
28 – 30 Electronics Assembly and Packaging Technology Expo 2013
Shenzhen International Convention & Exhibition Center Shenzhen, China Reed Exhibitions Email: vera.ng@reedexpo.com.hk Web: http://www.atexpochina.com/en/
september 4 – 6 Semicon Taiwan 2013
Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall Taipei, Taiwan Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Email: jtsai@semi.org Web: www.semicontaiwan.org/en/
october 2 – 4 Power Gen Asia 2013
IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Centre Bangkok, Thailand PennWell Conferences & Exhibitions Email: exhibitpga@pennwell.com Web: www.powergenasia.com
8 – 12 Hannover Messe 2013
Hannover Fairground Hannover, Germany Deutsche Messe AG Web: http://www.hannovermesse.de To be considered for inclusion in the Calendar of Events, send details of event (name, date, venue, organiser contact) to: The Editor IAA Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd. 1100 Lower Delta Road, EPL Building, #02-05, Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 • Fax: (65) 6379 2805 • Email: iaa@epl.com.sg
Advertising Index
64
|
IndustrialAutomationAsia
ADVERTISING I N D E X
ADVERTISER
PAGE NO ENQ NO
ABB PTE LTD
IFC
173
ADVANTECH CO SINGAPORE PTE LTD
33
532
AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES SINGAPORE (SALES) PTE LTD
21
540
BANGKOK EXHIBITION SERVICES LTD – PROPAK ASIA 2013
70
516
BECKHOFF AUTOMATION PTE LTD
5
528
CARLO GAVAZZI AUTOMATION SINGAPORE PTE LTD
49
534
CONTRINEX (SEA) PTE LTD
41
537
EPSON SINGAPORE PTE LTD
15
521
FAULHABER SINGAPORE PTE LTD
47
539
FLUKE SOUTH EAST ASIA PTE LTD
31
545
FUJI ELECTRIC ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD
7
530
HIOKI SINGAPORE PTE LTD
3
535
ICP DAS CO LTD
43
527
IFM ELECTRONICS PTE LTD
45
538
IGUS SINGAPORE PTE LTD
53
461
JJ LAPP CABLE (S) PTE LTD
55
384
MALAYSIAN EXHIBITION SERVICES SDN BHD – IA 2013
63
529
MESSE FRANKFURT (HK) LTD – SIAF GUANGZHOU 2013
57
522
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC ASIA PTE LTD
OBC
543
NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS
25
526
PANDUIT
19
505
PIAB ASIA PTE LTD
51
541
SICK PTE LTD
27
531
SINGAPORE EXHIBITION SERVICES PTE LTD – MTA 2013
65
499
TERRAPINN PTE LTD – RFID 2013
67
542
UBM ASIA (THAILAND) CO LTD – RENEWABLE ENERGY ASIA 2013
69
546
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
9
536
YASKAWA ELECTRIC (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD
1
533
ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES HEAD OFFICE SINGAPORE EASTERN TRADE MEDIA PTE LTD 1100 Lower Delta Road #02-05 EPL Building Singapore 169206 Tel: 65-6379 2888 Fax: 65-6379 2805/6379 2806 SINGAPORE: salesIAA@epl.com.sg
MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES JAPAN:
Ted Asoshina Echo Japan Corporation Tel: 81-3-32635065 Fax: 81-3-32342064 aso@echo-japan.co.jp
KOREA:
Young-Seoh Chinn JES Media International Tel: 82-2-481 3411/3 Fax: 82-2-481 3414 jesmedia@unitel.co.kr
TAIWAN:
Robert Yu Worldwide Services Co Ltd Tel: 886-4-23251784 Fax: 886-4-23252967 sales@wwstaiwan.com The closing date for placing advertisements is not less than FOUR WEEKS before the date of publication. Please contact our nearest advertising office for more details.
This index is provided as an additional service. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions.
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industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013
Ad Index FebMar2013.indd 72
1/31/13 8:58:20 AM
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