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VOICE CONTROL FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS: IN LOCAL LANGUAGE, EASY TO INTEGRATE AND WITHOUT INTERNET CONNECTION

4 VERSATILITY OF VHX7000 BRINGS ACADEMIC AND COMMERCIAL BENEFITS TO LEADING UK UNIVERSITY

62 AGAMEDE REVOLUTIONISES BIOTECHNOLOGY AND FIGHTS COVID-19

COGNEX PRESENTS PREMIUM DECODING TECHNOLOGY IN A NEW COMPACT BARCODE READER

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

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S M A R T FA C TO R Y

MONTH’S PRODUCT

VOICE CONTROL FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS: IN LOCAL LANGUAGE, EASY TO INTEGRATE AND WITHOUT INTERNET CONNECTION

vicCONTROL go is a small hardware module measuring only 3 x 6 cm, which enables voice control to be quickly and easily integrated into devices and systems. © voice INTER connect

Voice control is booming: Alexa, Siri and others are showing what is possible. Industrial applications can also benefit from this technology, for the intuitive and hands-free control of devices and systems used to automate complex processes, for example, or in medical apparatus. For such applications, vicCONTROL, the embedded voice control solution from voice INTER connect is available in 30 languages including the Scandinavian and Benelux languages. It is easy to integrate, user-friendly and meets the highest standards of security and data privacy. Voice processing is entirely local, with no need for an Internet connection.

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icCONTROL is the result of more than 20 years of experience in the fields of communication, audio signal processing and voice control. The solution is available either as a software package (vicCONTROL industrial) for installation in the many embedded systems based on ARM or X86, or as a kit consisting of both hardware and software. It supports all the necessary functions, ranging from activation via wake word to recognition of voice commands based on Natural Language Understanding (NLU) and control of each function of the target application via the MQTT protocol. Real-time capability, AI-based semantic analyses and sophisticated algorithms for beamforming and noisecancelling ensure maximum ease of use and optimum audio quality. In addition, vicCONTROL industrial can generate audio feedback in the form of prompts or text-to-speech for voice output.

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Quick and easy integration of local language voice control The vicSDC development environment allows customized vicCONTROL industrial voice applications be created quickly and easily. In the GUI-based web tool, voice dialogues can be created and compiled for all operating systems. More than 30 national languages are available, including Norwegian (Bokmål), Swedish, Finnish and Danish as well as the languages of the Benelux countries. The extensive parametrization functions of the speech recognizer and the open system architecture, ensure that it can be optimally adapted to individual requirements. Thanks to comprehensive beamforming technologies, voice control also works in noisy environments. Highest standards of security and data privacy The private accounts on the server hosted by voice INTER connect in Germany when creating the voice dialogues,

Comprehensive solution, simple setup: vicCONTROL offers all the necessary functions, from activation via wake word, to recognition of voice commands based on Natural Language Understanding (NLU) and control of the target application via MQTT protocol - in more than 30 national languages and easily programmable via web GUI. © voice INTER connect

meet the highest standards of security and data privacy. The finished voice applications are then implemented on the target hardware. There, they are off-line and can be executed locally without requiring an Internet connection. Sensitive information and voice data input stay within the voice controlled device, as do the number of interactions, etc.

Support from first concept to series production voice INTER connect supports customers from the initial concept of their voice control solution to the integration and development of voice dialogues, selection of hardware component and the handover to series production. The voice INTER connect company has a track record of more than 20 years of experience and numerous successful projects in sectors such as the automotive industry, automation and medical technology, and work in cooperation with wellknown international manufacturers of embedded systems and industrial PCs. https://www.voiceinterconnect.de/en/

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vicCONTROL go - voice control via plug and play In addition to the vicCONTROL industrial software solution, voice INTER connect also offers a DSP-based hardware module to implement voice control in any product. vicCONTROL go is a board that is only 3 x 6 cm in size and can be used to control devices and systems via serial interface or GPIO with no additional development effort. The tiny hardware module can be quickly and easily set up using a PC-based tool and also requires no connection to the Internet. vicCONTROL go is available in the same 30 national languages as vicCONTROL industrial. In contrast to the industrial version, however, the module is only suitable for voice control commands which have not more than a single parameter. However, it offers additional controllable GPIOs to combine sensors and actuators with the voice control.

household appliances, for industrial systems in areas where gloves and work processes make control difficult, or in the medical field, where important events can be documented and functions activated by voice without taking hands or eyes off the ongoing activity.

A host of potential industrial and consumer applications The possible applications of vicCONTROL are virtually unlimited - whether as a convenient control option for 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

AU TO M OT I V E

SOFTING AUTOMOTIVE AND KVASER OFFER JOINT DIAGNOSTIC SOLUTION WITH CAN INTERFACE

The vehicle diagnostics expert Softing Automotive Electronics GmbH is once more bundling its expertise with the leading provider of Controller Area Network (CAN) vehicle interfaces, Kvaser AB. Together, they offer a sturdy plug & play solution for diagnostic tasks in after-sales which can withstand even the toughest requirements in the repair shop environment. The combination of intuitive diagnostic software from Softing and the high-performance vehicle interface (VCI) from Kvaser is the ideal solution for error localization, repair and commissioning of individual components as well as entire vehicle systems, including electric vehicles and mobile working machinery.

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he individual after-sales tester Softing TDX.workshop, developed by OEMs and suppliers, supports service technicians in the efficient repair and maintenance of vehicles and their components. The Kvaser U100 fits in perfectly with this, flexibly and intuitively enabling highperformance vehicle communication using CAN and CANFD.

The repair shop tester Softing TDX.workshop is the ideal tool for service technicians all over the world for use in repair shops and in the field as well as during commissioning and vehicle testing. It offers a range of diagnostic functions for this purpose, such as: • Creating vehicle reports • Reading out and clearing the error memory • Parameterizing, programming and exchanging ECUs • Displaying measurement values • Testing actuators • Running test sequences • Guided troubleshooting Additional information, such as repair instructions, exploded drawings, videos and web content, support the user in maintenance and repair of the vehicle or component.

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Softing TDX workshop Kvaser U100

The current version 2.5 of the repair shop tester Softing TDX. workshop already supports Kvaser’s U100 CAN interface. With its reinforced galvanic isolation and a vibration, shock and drop-proof housing compliant with IP67, users now have a combined software and hardware package at their disposal. The solution is ready for immediate use and has no trouble coping with the harshest environmental conditions.

perfectly complements our software for use in the repair shop and test area. Plug n’ play and high-performance diagnostics – from start to finish.” https://automotive.softing.com/

Lars-Berno Fredriksson, President of Kvaser AB, is excited by the benefits of this shared solution path: “Softing and Kvaser have been working together for some time now. Kvaser is particularly well known for its high-performance CAN interfaces. Our new U100 series in particular has been developed for use in harsh environmental conditions. When integrated in Softing TDX, automotive and machine manufacturers now have an end-to-end solution for aftersales diagnostic tasks.”

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Julian Mayer, Product Manager of the software solution Softing TDX, highlights advantages for the daily work of service technicians in particular: “With the Softing TDX Toolbox, our customers simply create their software solutions for service themselves. The result is a highly individual, intuitive and high-performance diagnostic tester that is specifically tailored to the needs of the repair shop. Thanks to the robust housing, IP67 rating and reinforced galvanic isolation, the new Kvaser U100 CAN interface 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

CO R P O R AT E

A NEW CEO AT AGILOX

Helmut Schmid takes over the helm at AGILOX.

GILOX makes new top management appointments. Helmut Schmid takes over as CEO in January 2022, as successor to the previous CEO Franz Humer. Schmid will continue the AMR manufacturer’s ongoing strategy to expand its global market share. As the sole managing director of AGILOX, he also adds three new authorized signatories to the management team, Josef Baumann-Rott, Klaus Pucher and Robert Mayer.

Helmut Schmid, who was the head of Germany and Western Europe at cobot market leader Universal Robots for many years, is now taking over as CEO of AGILOX. With Schmid, an internationally experienced managing director and robotics enthusiast, the company is continuing on its path of further expansion. In his previous appointment Schmid was Managing Director of the German cobot pioneer Franka Emika GmbH in Munich.

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New leadership for AGILOX Helmut Schmid is a specialist in growth strategies, business development, change management, internationalization, sales and marketing. In his long career, he has already founded several companies, managed them profitably and, in particular, implemented scalable business models, often developing new sales processes and structures and implementing new go-to-market strategies in a targeted manner. The graduate aircraft engineer has also made a name for himself as co-founder of the German Robotics Association and Robotics Ventures GmbH. Now, the new CEO of AGILOX wants to drive forward the company’s further development and internationalize it. “AGILOX is a brand with a strong base and an equally high market potential. I look forward to contributing my experience to the company in 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

Spécialiste du segment de la robotique, Helmut Schmid s’appuiera sur sa grande expérience du secteur pour donner à AGILOX l’élan nécessaire à la poursuite de son développement. Le nouveau PDG souhaite s’attaquer à l’internationalisation d’AGILOX.

order to continue to develop it profitably and position it durably on the market,” says Schmid.

The AGILOX Company Since 2009, AGILOX has stood for intelligent automated guided vehicles with added value that meet the highest quality criteria. The aim of the company, a specialist in intralogistics robots, is to enable customers to flexibly design their intralogistics with the help of its products. To do this it developed the industry’s most manoeuvrable pallet AMR, the AGILOX ONE. In 2021, the company added an autonomous counterbalanced forklift, AGILOX OCF to its product portfolio. The intralogistics robots are developed and produced exclusively at the company’s headquarters in Austria, which currently employs around 100 people. https://www.agilox.net

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Seamless transition “With his years of experience in the robotics environment, Helmut Schmid brings in-depth technical as well as management expertise, and now as CEO of AGILOX, can further develop the company from its excellent starting position and support our planned growth with the goal of becoming the world’s leading AMR provider,” said Dr. Thorsten Dippel, Managing Director of the Carlyle Group, which has been involved as key partner of AGILOX since June 2021. Daniel Haider, Managing Director of Raiffeisen Invest Holding GmbH & Co KG, likewise highlights the international industry experience of the new CEO: “We are very pleased that such a renowned expert in robotics is putting his trust in AGILOX. With Helmut Schmid as our new CEO, we are continuing the drive for dynamic growth at an international level.” The company’s previous CEO, Franz Humer, is also pleased with the new top manager: “It was particularly important to us as founders that the new CEO continues AGILOX’s successfully established strategy for the future, while furthering our brand DNA. In Helmut Schmid, AGILOX is getting a CEO who will develop the company progressively and keep us on the right track for the future.” Schmid is also looking forward to the new challenge: “I am looking forward to continuing the good preparation work with the entire team and from now on, become a contributor to the AGILOX success story. Internationalization and the further

expansion of the headquarters in Neukirchen near Lambach are just a few of the major topics I am looking forward to addressing.” Franz Humer is joining the Board of AGILOX as Executive Chairman and will prepare the company’s next strategic steps, notably in the area of product development and organisation in the US. Dirk Erlacher is moving to China and will build up the Asian market from Shanghai.

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

CO N S U M E R E L E C T R O N I C S

VIEWSONIC’S X1000-4K LED SOUNDBAR PROJECTOR SCORES IF DESIGN AWARD FOR SMART AND MINIMALISTIC DESIGN

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, has scored a prestigious honour at the iF Design Awards 2022 for the company’s innovative X1000-4K Ultra Short Throw Smart LED Soundbar Projector.

elected from a field of more than 10,000 products from around the world, theprojectorwon plaudits for its boundary-pushing design and advanced visual and audio capabilities. “We are incredibly proud to have received this recognition at the iF Design Awards 2022, especially given the competitive nature of the field this year,” said Dean Tsai, General Manager of Projector & LED Display Business Unit at ViewSonic. “ViewSonic has been working to reimagine what’s possible with projection solutions that can blend into consumers’ lifestyles and living spaces seamlessly, the X1000-4K is a combination of these efforts. The projector combines phenomenal visual detail and an immersive audio experience in a sleek industrial design, transforming a tech device into a meaningful interior artifact.”

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The X1000-4K is the latest string of ViewSonic products to have been recognised at the iF Design Awards. Previously, the company received accolades in 2018 for its M1 LED Portable Projector, in 2019 for itsX10-4K, X11-4K Smart LED Projector, and in 2020 for the M1 mini LED Pocket Projector.

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The X1000-4Kis an elegant solution for home cinemas — an aesthetically pleasing yet minimalist centrepiece that fits perfectly in a room. The iF Design Awards recognised the design as combining projector and soundbar in a package that blends interior design elements with high-tech appeal and having blended geometric forms and fine detailing that embrace a convergence between device and living space. The projector boasts 4K UHD visuals and 0.25 ultra short throw ratio that allows a 100” image to be projected from just 38cm away. It also packs in a 40W Harman Kardon soundbar that delivers an immersive sound experience. Featuring industry-leading LED technology, the X1000-4K offers more than bright and vivid images but also a 30,000hour lifespan — 6 times longer than traditional lamp-based units. Designed with an intuitive user interface, the projector features a range of smart features such as built-in WiFi for wireless screen mirroring, and Bluetooth connectivity for flexible audio needs. https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/project/viewsonicx10004k/334333

CO N S U M E R E L E C T R O N I C S

VIEWSONIC UNVEILS COLORPRO VP76 SERIES, THE WORLD’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL COLOR MONITOR WITH AN EXTENDED COLORPRO WHEEL

“When it comes to design, color is king, and calibration is key. We are proud to introduce our flagship model – the ColorPro VP2776, which takes color accuracy and creator-forward design to the next level,” said Oscar Lin, General Manager of the Monitor Business Unit at ViewSonic. “With its advanced features and pro-creator tools, we aim to be the first choice for professionals and prosumers.”

nstant, Comprehensive Color Control, and Ultra-Fast Speed Designed for Pro-Creators.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, launches the award-winning ColorPro™ professionalgrade VP2776 monitor. Crafted with precise color in mind, it features an exclusive ColorPro Wheel™, which includes a built-in color calibrator for long-term color accuracy, and a wide Mac-compatible color gamut.

The exclusive ColorPro Wheel gives creators instant access to the compatible Adobe Creative Suite, Capture One editing software, and accurate color calibration and control of OSD settings right at their fingertips. For deeper screen

Outstanding Visual Performance and Color Capability Compatible with Mac and VESA DisplayHDR™ 400, the ColorPro VP2776 boasts a film-standard wide color gamut of 98% DCI-P3 and is Pantone®-validated. Users can gaze upon spectacular colors that are consistent across different screens. Blessed with a superbly fast refresh rate of 165Hz and the Nano IPS technology, every frame delivers crisp, fine details even for slow-motion captures. Ideal for animators, video editors, and game developers, the VP2776 pushes out buttery-smooth visuals and pin-points color accuracy for more minute edits and movements.

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Award-Winning Design that Elevates the Creative Workflow Lauded with multiple accolades from global authorities and esteemed media titles, the prized VP2776 monitor was awarded for its minimalistic design, user experience, and design-enhanced features. Some of the awards include the prestigious iF Design Award 2021, GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2021, and Wallpaper* Magazine’s inaugural Smart Space Award 2021 for the “Smartest Design + Tech Collaboration” category.

immersion, the detachable Magnetic Shading Hood blocks out external glares for higher contrasts and sharper details. Videographers and pro-colorists will find the built-in ambient backstage light perfect for darkroom environments.

For more information on the ColorPro VP2776 professional monitor, please visit ViewSonic’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-PCb4UIsQk https://www.viewsonic.com/colorpro/ 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

CO N S U M E R E L E C T R O N I C S

VIEWSONIC REVEALS STUNNING COLLECTION OF IMAGES FOR “A YEAR OF COLOURS” 2021

January: Ergen from Albania

February: Aaron Walls from Mexico

March: Py Tran from Vietnam

Submission opens for 2022 starting with “Teal”.

iewSonic1, a leading global provider of visual solutions, concludes the “A Year of Colours” campaign for 2021. Each month, we encouraged everyone to create artwork based on a pre-selected colour. At the end of each month, submissions were evaluated, and a winner was chosen. Over the last year, participants from all over the globe submitted their artwork to the year-long campaign, fostering a digital hub of creativity and inspiration. By the end of 2021, a beautiful palette of colours occupied ViewSonic ColorPro’s Instagram account. The “A Year of Colours” campaign will continue into 2022, kicking off with the January colour, Teal.

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“With ‘A Year of Colours’, we wanted to bring a sense of wonder and consistency to our community through vibrant colours,” said Oscar Lin, General Manager of the Monitor Business at ViewSonic. “Even though we could not meet in person, with the help from creators, we were able to create a digital hub of positivity, energy, and inspiration. We are excited to see more colorful submissions in 2022.” The latest, December 2021, winning artwork features a person overlooking a frozen lake in Grindelwald, Switzerland. In this photograph, the person became a speck within the vast snowscape, truly capturing a sense of serene isolation. 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

This submission joins the cast of incredible winners of 2021. The winning entries featured a wide spectrum of subjects – from a cosmic elephant to a flying car, and a quiet lagoon to a chaotic city with “cube virus” – the entries guarantee no shortage of excitement. For their efforts, each winner was given a ColorPro VP27852K professional display. This will assist them in creating more spectacular artworks. In 2022, ViewSonic will continue to give out ColorPro monitors to artists and creators. Apart from the monthly selections, ViewSonic will also invite renowned influencers to create stunning and color-accurate images. These influencers will share their insights on the meaning of colors through a series of talks, live interviews, and podcasts. For more information, please visit the campaign website. To view more of the latest submissions, please visit the official ColorPro Instagram account. https://www.viewsonic.com/global/ 1 The Contest is hosted and sponsored by ViewSonic International Corp., located in New Taipei City, Taiwan. ViewSonic International Corp. is a subsidiary of ViewSonic Corp. located in California, USA.

June: Cosmik Madness from Argentina

April: Jordan Singh from India

May: Ersin Acir from Turkey

July: Ozart from Turkey

August: Kuldeep Kumar from India

September: Umut Recber from Turkey

October: Raiyani Muharramah from Indonesia

November: Gokul Krishna from India

December: Robin Denisse from Switzerland

D ATA C E N T E R

PRESSING SECTOR CHALLENGES NECESSITATE IMMEDIATE ACTIONS, SAY KEY DATA CENTRE PROFESSIONALS

Ensuring viable green energy technologies and alleviating risks from fluctuating power and unplanned downtime remain vital priorities for data centre professionals building hyperscale and edge data centres, according to new insights from temporary utilities specialist Aggreko.

etailed in a series of reports – The Inside View – industry professionals explain the challenges they face in the management and maintenance of data centres, following a number of in-depth interviews. Aggreko’s two reports look in detail at concerns around power provision and risk management in the booming hyperscale and edge data centre markets from those who run the day-to-day operations of the facilities.

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To form the reports, Aggreko interviewed 10 key industry professionals, including energy managers, facilities managers, managing directors, consultants and those involved in the day-to-day operations of a hyperscale facility.

The reports identify issues around facilities not always having the right provision for consistent power in the wake of growing national grid strain, and implementing maintenance strategies that pre-empt disruptive events rather than in response post-incident. It also highlights issues around sustainable energy sources when building due the construction phase of both edge and hyperscale data centres, including the practicality of implementing green technologies cost-effectively and at scale. “Data centre construction continues to boom throughout Europe, but with more demand comes more questions about what issues may arise as additional facilities are built,” says Billy Durie, Global Sector Head for Data Centres for Aggreko. “In such an in-demand market, it is crucial that key stakeholders working within it are aware of ongoing and upcoming trends, and nowhere is this more apparent than in utilities provision.” “Put simply, if there is no contingency plan in place for power provision or appropriate maintenance strategies, data centre uptime can be threatened. Yet alongside this, sustainability poses a similarly existential issue, especially

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with the regulatory landscape expected to tighten further in the coming years. In such a challenging situation, the sector needs to have suppliers that can provide agile and effective equipment solutions.” Alongside power and equipment upkeep concerns, The Inside View reports examines issues professionals working on hyperscale and edge facilities face scaling up existing data centres to meet skyrocketing demand. Issues raised include ageing infrastructure and how it can cope powering modern IT equipment, and how to expand existing facilities quickly and effectively.

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“Our research has clearly shown that the data centre market is continuing to struggle with ever-increasing latency requirements, balancing inefficient existing plant against rapidly advancing data-intensive technologies. As well as this existing, insufficient energy infrastructure and unclear regulations can result in situations where stakeholders are not willing to upgrade existing equipment to meeting pressing challenges. However, as these new reports demonstrate, if the sector is to meet decarbonisation demands while meeting growing service levels, innovative strategies must be explored around the provision of key site utilities.” To download Aggreko’s new data centres reports, The Inside View, click here. https://www.aggreko.com/ 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

ELECTRONICS

DELTA HONORED AS A TOP 100 GLOBAL INNOVATOR BY CLARIVATE FOR ITS INNOVATION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROWESS

Our relentless commitment to ingenuity in the development of smart energy-saving solutions attains world-class recognition.

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elta, a global leading provider of power and thermal management solutions, today announced it has been selected as a Top 100 Global Innovator 2022 by Clarivate™, a global leader in providing trusted information to accelerate innovation. Over the years, Delta has built an environment that rewards employees’ ingenuity, such as the Delta Innovation Award, which currently recognizes the Company’s most game-changing intellectual property (IP), new product, manufacturing practice, as well as business model or process every year. As of 2021-end, IP authorities in North America, Asia, Europe, etc. have granted over 13,000 patents to Delta, with over 1,200 applications submitted in 2021 alone.

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Ed White, Chief Analyst and Vice President of IP and Innovation Research, Clarivate, said, “We congratulate Delta Electronics for the first-time inclusion, as predicted in our Innovators to Watch report in 2020. Delta showcases success footprints and coverage in the world economy, as well as the influences on other innovations. The Top 100 Global Innovators 2022 exemplify above-the-bar excellence in innovation. They demonstrate the capabilities, consistency and creativity that are delivering new value and ingenuity for the world.” Ping Cheng, Delta’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “It is a privilege for Delta, not only to be selected as one of the world’s 100 top innovators by Clarivate, but also to learn from their report that we are the first power systems and industrial automation company within the Greater China region in this selected group. This recognition further validates our commitment to innovation and IP, both nurtured through strategic investment of approximately 8% of Delta’s annual revenues into R&D (9% in 2020). Our 74 R&D centers, which employ over 9,000 engineers worldwide, have accumulated a rich patent war chest in power, industrial automation and building automation technologies, as well as a growing

patent portfolio in e-mobility, energy infrastructure and ICT infrastructure. These resources are pillars of our IoT-based smart green solutions for sustainable cities.”

footprint, globalization, and technical distinctiveness. Learn more about Top 100 Global Innovators 2022, its methodology and who features on this year’s list here.

Since its foundation in 1971, Delta has been devoted to innovation, especially in the development of nextgeneration high-efficiency power electronics and energysaving products and solutions, in line with its commitment to sustainable development and to lower global CO2 emissions. The Company has also fostered a culture that rewards ingenuity. For example, it initiated the annual Delta Innovation Award in 2008, which currently selects and rewards the most promising intellectual property, new product, manufacturing, business model or process within the organization.

https://www.delta-emea.com/en-GB/index

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Clarivate™, a global leader in providing trusted information to accelerate innovation, identifies organizations at the pinnacle of the global innovation landscape by measuring excellence focused on exceptional consistency and scale in innovativeness. The Top 100 Global InnovatorsTM 2022 come from 12 countries and regions. As global ideation patterns change and the way they are measured evolves, the composition of the Top 100 Global Innovators changes too. Clarivate analysts use informatic techniques targeting innovation excellence to compare 50 million ideas, across thousands of baselines, through billions of calculations, to discover the 100 innovators at the very top. The selection criteria include the number of patents, influence, success 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

ELECTRONICS

HIGH SPEEDS IN EVER-SMALLER FOOTPRINTS: NEW CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS FEATURING HIGH-DENSITY MINIATURIZATION POWER UP DATA TRANSMISSION IN REDUCED-SCALE ELECTRONICS

The Swiss-headquartered Fischer Connectors Group continues to push the boundaries of high-density miniaturization in connectivity. Its ultra-miniature, rugged series of connectors, cable assemblies and electronic solutions has been extended to help engineers add more functionality and meet high-speed data acquisition and transmission requirements in applications with extreme limitations in space, even in harsh operating environments.

he flagship product line Fischer MiniMax™ Series, which already includes one of the smallest and densest connectors in the world, now includes three connectors and their associated cables with new options in pin layout, body size and data speed:

• New pin-layout configuration: 7 contacts (4x signal, 3x power) in Ø 10 mm receptacle (Fischer Connectors reference ’size 06’) with a configuration offering up to 22 AWG and a choice of three locking mechanisms (quickrelease, push-pull, screw), as a perfect alternative for designing even smaller equipment for the Nett Warrior connectivity ecosystem and for other rugged applications

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• New body size: Ø 14.0 mm (size 10) with 12 signal and power contacts offering USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbit/s, 1 m) and high power up to 8A, suited for high-speed intercom boxes and next-generation hubs • New ultra-high density: 30 contacts (24x signal, 6x power) in Ø 14.0 mm (size 10), supporting multi-protocol data transmission (such as HDMI, USB, Ethernet) and extending the popular high-density layout offering for instrumentation applications, unmanned systems, and sensor and IoT interconnections. 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

YellowScan’s Mapper uses three Fischer Minimax™ connectors: 4 pins for the external power port; 24 pins (RJ45 and Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter, UART) for the LiveStation port; and 19 pins (USB and General Purpose Input/Output, GPIO) for the optional camera port

Increased density and optimized packaging factors for design flexibility The increased density and optimized packaging factor offered by the MiniMax series apply to a varied array of lightweight and compact solutions, from various connector configurations, through cable assemblies with straight, right-angle or 60° overmolding, to electronic solutions including hubs, flash drives and flex PCB circuits tailored to the size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements of entire electronic systems and ecosystems. This provides OEM engineers with more flexibility in terms of design when it comes to choosing from different connectivity solutions in line with specific system-level and field-application engineering requirements, harsh operating environments, as well as cost-efficiency criteria.

One of the smallest and densest connectors in the world is a Fischer MiniMax™ connector. The connector in size 06 includes up to 12 power and signal contacts in a footprint of just 10 mm. This represents a density factor of 0.83, a unique technological feature for a connector with standard 0.5 mm contacts. The density factor is equal to the receptacle diameter divided by the number of contacts available in that receptacle size.

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Smaller connectivity yields big advantages in terms of design integration. For example, the 12 mm diameter receptacle (size 08) with up to 24 power and signal contacts represents up to a 45% space saving compared to standard receptacles with a similar number of contacts. The external dimensions of electronic devices are affected by the growing demand for sensors and mobile (or wearable) electronics as well as for autonomous robotics and vehicles. This implies ever-lighter components. With up to 75% weight saving, the Fischer MiniMax™ Series achieves both size and weight reduction, maximizing performances while minimizing the integration burden.

When ruggedized for durable life cycles, lightweight and ultra-miniature solutions further increase flexibility and facilitates design integration for demanding applications. The main reliability features of the Fischer MiniMax™ Series 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

ELECTRONICS

The 6-axis force sensors of ME-Meßsysteme use the powerful, robust MP11 connectors in the Fischer MiniMax™ Series.

are 5,000 mating cycles, 360° EMC shielding, IP68 sealing -20m/24h, gas tightness to 10-6 mbar l/s, high corrosion resistance, operating temperatures from -40 °C to +135 °C, blind mating, three secure locking mechanisms (quickrelease, push-pull, screw), and cable assemblies with straight or angled bend relief overmolding.

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Two use cases: Robust, high-density miniaturization applied Lidar (laser imaging detection and ranging) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). YellowScan, based in southern France, designs lightweight UAV-lidar mapping solutions for surveying operations such as a survey of ruins, topographic studies of road and rail corridors, and an airborne survey of the Amazon in French Guyana that maps both canopy and terrain to study the impacts of climate change. The key connectivity requirements for lidar systems such as the YellowScan’s Mapper using three Fischer MiniMax™ connectors are: space and weight, rugged material, vibration resistance, dust and rain proofing with high IP sealing, large pin count and EMI shielding. Strain gauge sensors. To ensure that machines and systems in robotics, medical technology or the automotive industry are operated safely and precisely, the forces and torques need to be monitored constantly. One proven methodology for obtaining reliable results is strain gauge technology. Since the sensors are very small, connectivity also has to be suitably minimized, and data transmission must remain 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

stable even when there are high vibrations. The engineers of ME-Meßsysteme based in Germany have chosen the compact and robust Fischer MiniMax™ Series to meet these requirements in data transmission and vibration resistance. CEO and CTO quotes Jonathan Brossard, Fischer Connectors CEO: “Special know-how, skillsets and miniaturization and ruggedization processes and techniques are required from our R&D and Operations teams to design and manufacture our ultraminiature, high-density and high-speed connectivity solutions. We are very proud we can provide the design engineering community with some of the smallest and densest connectivity solutions in the world, combined with unparalleled ergonomics and robustness.” Jérôme Dabonneville, Fischer Connectors CTO: “The multiplication of sensors – reflecting a growing need for data acquisition and transmission – as well as the constant scale reduction of electronic components are the two main innovation drivers for ever-smaller, lighter and more capable high-density, ultra-miniature connectors, cable assemblies and electronic solutions. Demands for connectivity tailored to electronic devices and systems ensuring signal integrity and maximizing power & data functionality, performance and reliability, while containing or maintaining footprint to a minimum, are on the rise. The new solutions we are now making available to the market completes our Fischer MiniMax™ range in this direction. Tested to IEC, EIA and MIL-

Left to right: Fischer MiniMax™in size 06 – 7 pins, size 10 – 12 pins, size 10 – 30 pins

SPEC quality and reliability standards, they allow design engineers to accelerate innovative designs for various challenging applications in defense & security, UAVs and industrial instrumentation, to name just a few of the harsh operating environments for which our ultra-miniature connectivity solutions are particularly well suited.” More info • Fischer MiniMax™ Series with full technical specifications • YellowScan’s lidar and Fischer MiniMax™ in Connector Supplier’s article “Lidar Systems Give Vision to Vehicles” • ME-Meßsysteme’s 6-axis force sensors and Fischer MiniMax™ in case study “Smooth data transmission even with vibrations” • Miniaturization technology on Fischer Connectors NEW WEBSITE with new tech insights

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33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

ELECTRONICS

ELECTRO RENT BRINGS ONLINE PURCHASING TO THE CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED (CPO) TEST EQUIPMENT MARKET IN FRANCE AND THE UK

Simple, efficient and effective: the easier way to buy CPO test equipment online.

lectro Rent, a provider of test and technology solutions and services, has introduced a new e-commerce feature to its website in France and the UK. This user-friendly feature provides current and new customers with the ability to purchase certified pre-owned (CPO) test equipment directly online. Supporting the company’s reputation as an easy trading partner, the customer purchasing experience just became even more efficient and effective. Providing the customer with added value, Electro Rent’s e-commerce feature brings self-serve functionality and convenience to the CPO test equipment marketplace. Customers can now take advantage of straightforward, automated purchasing in just four steps. Available 24/7, e-commerce allows test professionals, engineers and project/programme managers to secure equipment in stock with immediate effect.

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At the Electro Rent website, simply click on “Buy Used Test Equipment” (under the Services tab) and browse the extensive range of fully calibrated and ready-to-ship CPO products available. A number of filters are available to refine each search, including manufacturer, product group and sub-product group. Full product details, specification and price are clear to view for each selectable product.

A shopping cart facility and the potential to create an account and track/view all order information makes for an experience that will be familiar to many who benefit from online retail shopping. Furthermore, secure and verified transactions provide complete peace of mind for finance coordinators, with all major credit cards accepted. Every order for CPO test equipment comes with free delivery. “Electro Rent is constantly looking for ways to provide market differentiation and deliver genuine added value to customers,” says Gavin Lessing-Caller, the company’s Senior Vice President and General Manager EMEA and Technology Products. “The retail market has for many years utilised e-commerce, simplifying the entire online purchasing experience. We want to ensure that industry professionals benefit from the same level of convenience for their CPO test equipment needs. More and more companies are turning to CPO test equipment as a cost-effective yet reliable means of meeting the requirements of budget-conscious, lead-time restricted projects. The Electro Rent e-commerce feature simplifies that journey for our customers in France and the UK.” https://www.electrorent.com/uk/services/buy-used-testequipment https://player.vimeo.com/video/704064963

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

ENERGY/POWER

FIT FOR OFFSHORE RENEWABLES GRANTED STATUS ACHIEVED BY CMP

Leading manufacturer of cable glands, cleats and accessories, CMP Products, has been granted “Fit for Offshore Renewables” (F4OR) status through ORE Catapult and Nuclear AMRC’s program.

he F4OR program, developed in conjunction with the offshore renewables energy industry, is aimed at gearing up supply chain businesses with the skills required to supply into the sector. To kick-start the program, CMP was audited against a criteria covering areas such as sector knowledge, QHSE, excellence, readiness for the market and product offering. An action plan was devised following this to engage all areas of the business in activities relating to the offshore renewables energy sector. Following successful completion of the action plan, and engagement in various webinar modules, CMP was reaudited and presented for F4OR granted status on the 18th February 2022.

CMP’s Director of Quality, Health & Safety and Environment, Francisco Dominguez said: “Our F4OR status signifies our commitment to supplying greener sources of energy and demonstrates that we have the skills and capabilities required to supply to the offshore renewables energy sector.” “Not only this, but we are the first company within the North East to achieve F4OR granted status and we are extremely proud to be flying the flag for the program within the region.” Shortly, CMP Products will appear in the list of F4OR granted companies on the F4OR website: https://ore.catapult.org.uk/what-we-do/supply-chaingrowth/fit-4-offshore-renewables/granted-companies/ www.cmp-products.com MORE INFORMATION

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

I N T R A LO G I S T I C S

A 40 TONNE OVERHEAD CRANE WITH A SPAN OF 34 METERS FOR HANDLING SINGLE MOULDS

Heripret, partner of Verlinde and member of the after-sales and Europont networks, designed, produced and installed a 40-tonne overhead crane with a 25-tonne auxiliary for handling 35-tonne moulds at a metallurgy works. The lifting and handling parts of such weight requires lifting equipment with absolute reliability and a very high degree of positioning precision.

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eripret has become over 40 years a widelyacknowledged specialist for the manufacture and maintenance of overhead cranes for overhead handling using rotating hooks, for loads from 125 kg to 120 tonnes and spans of up to 35 meters. Based in the Pas de Calais (62) department, an industrial basin for metallurgy and the automobile industry, Heripret works with numerous subcontractors in this field. Its initial offer of services and its after-sales, maintenance and repair services are essential for manufacturers whose factories operate 24/7.

A large-scale project The metallurgy company was looking for a technical solution for lifting and turning a new 35-tonne mould used for stamping parts for the automotive industry, the two existing bridges now at the limit of their rated load. For its new stamping unit, the company renovated an old steel industry facility which was part of its building stock. The large empty building had the capacity to accommodate an overhead crane. The manufacturer chose Heripret, which has fully maintained all of its lifting equipment since 2018, took account of the quality of its service offering and that of Verlinde equipment that are acknowledged by these industries for their precision and reliability. Heripret proposed a 40-tonne bridge together with a 25-tonne auxiliary trolley with an exceptional reach adapted to the existing 34-meter structure. They are fitted with EUROBLOC VT 512 twin rail electric wire rope hoists, customized as necessary.

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Delicate handling The 40-tonne trolley lifts the 40-tonne steel mould and then the 25-tonne auxiliary trolley tilts it. This turning upside down is necessary for the opening of the mould and its maintenance. Such manipulation requires very precise control of movement. That is why the variable speed drive of the VT hoist as well as its load calculation mode between the two trolleys are essential. The speed allowed by the hoist is very slow: on average between 0.1 meters/minute and 5.1 meters/minute. The positioning of the load in the press is thus extremely precise.

during public holidays. This availability perfectly meets the constraints of the company. Since their installation in 2020, operation of the bridges has been faultless. The customer, fully satisfied with services provided to date, has continued its collaboration with Heripret for the retrofitting of existing transfer trolleys. www.verlinde.com

The structures of the overhead crane are equipped with a maintenance gangway. The switch cabinet brings together all the electrical equipment in a single cabinet. A walkway on the overhead crane provides easy and safe access to the travel motors and steering trolleys. It also allows rapid repairs and maintenance in complete safety. MORE INFORMATION

A lifting system that operates continuously As the parts produced are intended for an automotive subcontractor, the cranes are used fully loaded 6 days a week. The equipment must therefore be reliable. Heripret matches the installation with its express maintenance and repair service contract 24/7, even 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

INNODISK BRINGS ADVANCEMENTS TO THE OOB SPACE WITH INNOAGENT

As AIoT systems become increasingly more advanced, and the systems they power become ever more crucial to our daily lives, it is as important as ever to ensure high availability, and have reliable management tools.

or this reason, Innodisk is proud to announceInnoAgent, an exciting new hardware module that allows out-ofband remote management of systems, even if they have crashed, or are completely offline. Out-of-band remote management technology allows system operators to manage and maintain devices even when a device’s hardware, or software is malfunctioning. In InnoAgent’s case, this is possible through an independent UART, RS232 or GPIO connection to the system from the module. Even if the device’s regular network connection is completely unavailable due to a system crash, the device remains accessible through InnoAgent’s separate communications channel.

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Without an out-of-band solution like InnoAgent, during connection failures, device shut downs, and OS crashes, the device is unable to be monitored remotely through the main device’s LAN port, or Wi-Fi connection.

On devices with an InnoAgent module, even if there is a major issue, whether it be hardware, or software, monitoring applications such as Innodisk’s iCAP can still access the device’s information. Additionally, remote commands can be sent to the device, like power reset, all via the module’s LAN port. This powerful ability to restart, and send other useful commands to crashed devices eliminates the need to have engineers on site 24/7. InnoAgent has two main use cases in the field, as a backup to in-band management for increased availability, or as the only form of remote management, for increased security. Both use cases are served well by InnoAgent’s vast feature set, and integration options, which include an API, allowing easy unification with existing systems. In addition, InnoAgent also supports -40° to 85°C wide temperature technology, and complies with the electrostatic protection specification EN61000-4-2 (ESD) Air-15kV, and Contact-8kV. InnoAgent is slated for distribution in Q2 2022, and will offer a stable long-term supply. https://www.innodisk.com

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

SEEQ RECOGNIZES CRUCIAL SOLUTIONS & SERVICES AS ITS 2021 EMEA PARTNER OF THE YEAR CSS is selected for its excellence in delivering the next generation of process manufacturing improvements to Seeq customers in the Middle East.

eeq Corporation, a leader in manufacturing and industrial internet of things advanced analytics software, today announced Crucial Solutions & Services (CSS) as its 2021 EMEA Partner of the Year. The award recognizes CSS for its excellence in providing value to customers, their continued investments in technical expertise with their Seeq-certified employees and training professionals, and for creating awareness of Seeq through collaboration in marketing activities and events. Seeq enables engineers and scientists in process manufacturing organizations to rapidly analyze, predict, collaborate, and share insights to improve production outcomes. Seeq customers include companies in the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, mining, food and beverage, and other process industries. Investors in Seeq include Insight Ventures, Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, Altira Group, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Cisco Investments. In 2021, Seeq announced a $50 million Series C funding round led by Insight Partners, was recognized by Frost & Sullivan’s North American Technology Innovation Leadership Award for Seeq Data Lab, and expanded its products and capabilities, including support for machine learning innovation. “We are pleased to recognize CSS as the Seeq 2021 EMEA partner of the year,” says Will Knight, Seeq’s Head of Worldwide Partner Sales. “This award demonstrates the impact of our partner’s CEO Sulaiman Alzuhair and his team in empowering our customers to create advanced analytics insights and the standards they have set for worldwide excellence in delivering the next generation of process manufacturing improvements.” CSS was selected for its support and leadership of Seeq’s customers in the Middle East, notably its collaboration on Saudi Aramco’s industrial digitalization initiatives. The company provides a variety of technology offerings to its clients in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and power and utility industries.

On Microsoft Azure, Seeq has been available as a SaaS application in the Azure Marketplace since 2019, with support for many Azure cloud services including Synapse, Azure Data Lake, and Active Directory. Seeq also supports connectivity to Azure Data Explorer, Time Series Insights, and Power BI. In addition to cloud partnerships, Seeq connects to an extensive set of data storage platforms from vendors including OSIsoft, Siemens, GE, Honeywell, Inductive Automation, AVEVA, AspenTech, Yokogawa, InfluxDB, Snowflake, and others. https://www.seeq.com/

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“CSS is dedicated to providing customers with gamechanging services and solutions that optimize their efficiency and enhance business growth,” says Sulaiman Alzuhair, Founder and CEO at CSS. “Seeq’s complementary products and capabilities enable CSS to achieve this mission and we are honored to be selected as the Seeq Partner of the Year for EMEA.”

Seeq’s worldwide growth is fueled in part by its partnerships and commitment to cloud-based computing. Seeq is available in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) marketplace, is an AWS Industrial and Energy Competency Partner, and supports many data storage services, including Amazon Redshift, S3, plus machine learning in SageMaker, and others.

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

TRANSELEC, CHILE’S LEADING SUPPLIER OF HIGH-VOLTAGE SYSTEMS, STRENGTHENS ITS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND IMPROVES THE ROBUSTNESS OF ITS OPERATIONS

Alto Jahuel Substation

PcVue SCADA platform has been selected to control Alto Jahuel substation, the largest one of Chile National Electric System. The company With almost 10,000 kilometers of lines and more than 60 substations, from the Arica y Parinacota Region to the Los Lagos Region, Transelec is the main supplier of high voltage systems in Chile. More than 70 years of experience in the energy sector support its vast expertise, allowing them to provide jobs to more than 500 workers. They also represent a fundamental piece in the country’s progress, since they are the main electric power transmission company in Chile and transport the energy that reaches 98% of the population living from the north to most of the south, with an 84.5% share of the National Electric System.

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Transelec’s work is a continuous reinforcement of the electrical system in order to make it increasingly robust and thus enable the connection of renewable energies, while advancing towards the decarbonization of the energy matrix. Transelec is owned by a consortium made up of the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, British Columbia Investment Management Corp., Public Sector Pension Investment Board, and China Southern Power Grid International.

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Transelec’s main task is to provide an uninterrupted electrical system in which energy is transported through high voltage transmission lines from generation sources to cities and industrial and mining users. Substations convert the energy to low voltage for distribution to end users, contributing to the improvement of their quality of life and by extension to the country’s development. Among its various substations, the Alto Jahuel substation stands out, located in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, it is the substation with the largest capacity in the National Electric System, with an installed capacity of 2,554 MVA. It also has yards with all the voltage levels that exist in the Chilean transmission system: 500kV, 220kV, 154kV, 110kV, 60kV and 13.2kV. Electrical SCADA Project Being specialists in the development and implementation of SCADA systems, SCADATECH was chosen by Transelec for this project. As part of its comprehensive engineering solutions for electrical power systems, the company selected the versatile platform of PcVue Solutions for the automation of the Alto Jahuel substation, allowing the monitoring and control of its 7 yards.

View of HMI communications

Initially, the customer did not have local HMIs to monitor the yards from the control rooms associated with each of them, so the operations had to be performed directly on the control equipment. Due to this, SCADATECH proposed PcVue’s SCADA solution to provide a scalable and multifunctional platform that would allow the integration of future requirements and reduce the risk for operators when executing maneuvers by transferring operations to the control rooms of each power yard. Technically, the application allows direct integration in MMS protocol standard 61850, in addition to the DNP 3.0 protocol, which was chosen as the basis for the project, as well as the use of existing adaptable programming within the PcVue platform. It provides the flexibility to display the dynamic coloration of the voltage levels in the substation’s single-line diagrams according to the standard used by Transelec, in which different types of alarms are indicated according to the aforementioned coloration.

Within this supervision project, the DNP 3.0 and MMS under the IEC 61850 standard protocols were used and Touch screens were placed in each of the yards, which allow the deployment of the applications built in the PcVue software. The application collects data from NTX-U57 equipment used for the retrofit of the TELEGYR RTUs, that allows sending the RTU database in DNP 3.0 protocol to each of the associated displays. As an architecture, a star connection was chosen, where the displays have an independent connection per yard, which has the advantage of not depending on the fiber optic links to the substation server room to collect data, but they work as STAND-ALONE equipment within each yard. Among the equipment integrated into the local HMIs are GE D25 bay controllers, protections (ABB-Siemens-General Electric, MICOM), CISCO communication switches and Schneider Electric ION meters. One of the great benefits of PcVue is that it is a multi-brand platform and easily adapts to equipment from any manufacturer.

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Likewise, the HMI stations allow the visualization in real time of status and measurements of the electrical system. It also carries out the remote control or operation towards the IED field equipment, having total control and supervision of the existing electrical system. For the control and supervision of the different displays: general unilinear, alarms and events panel, communications diagram and other areas, a menu was configured on the right side of the screen that

facilitates navigation between the different areas, allowing the operator to execute his tasks locally.

SCADATECH, the company integrating this project, states that they chose PcVue Solutions’ proposal because it has native support for various electrical protocols. This feature considerably increases the availability of the system, eliminating points of failure and reducing development 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

General one-line diagram on Touch Screen

time, since it is not necessary to configure different applications and interfaces, as it is generally done in the integration of communication protocols in the electrical sector. Among other elements, the PcVue platform has the highest quality standards within a highly competitive price, which made it easier for SCADATECH to be favored in the bidding process. For Transelec, the commitment to the operational excellence of the electric transmission system and mainly the safety of collaborators and contractors of the company was a priority and PcVue has important elements to guarantee the computer security. So, it represents a key factor to facilitate the increase of the security level for the people and to improve the telecontrol in a significant way for all the voltage yards.

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SCADATECH is currently developing an application with PcVue to extend local control to general monitoring of the entire substation from a centralized SCADA in Alto Jahuel, which will allow operators to make control decisions in the event of failure of Transelec’s main SCADA. The application has a general display of the substation, in 3 total screens, including the 7 voltage yards, local monitoring of the networks through SNMP protocol, monitoring of all control equipment associated with the system (temperature and status of each of the more than 90 NTXU57 cards installed between all voltage yards) and general status of 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

communications between the substation Gateway and the voltage yards. IEC-60870-5-104 is being used as the communication protocol, since the monitoring is carried out with the same existing databases in Transelec’s centralized SCADA, which will also allow verifying the correct operation of the communications within the system. In fact, Transelec, together with its systems integrator SCADATECH, continue to bet on the reliability provided by the PcVue software for the electrical control and monitoring of the Alto Jahuel substation. Given its capacity to adapt to different ranges of computer architectures and the ease with which PcVue provides data analysis and, therefore, quick decision-making for the operators, the platform was expanded to other corners of the company.

NTXU57 cards

Project highlights The Challenges • The largest capacity in the National Electric System with an installed capacity of 2,554 MVA • 7 yards with all the voltage levels that exist in the Chilean transmission system: 500kV, 220kV, 154kV, 110kV, 60kV and 13.2kV • No local HMIs to monitor the yards from the control rooms associated with each of them, so the operations were performed directly on the control equipment

Learn more on PcVue Energy Management SCADA System and how to be more sustainable https://www.pcvuesolutions.com/index.php/markets/ energy Download the brochure “Solutions for Power”

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The Benefits • Scalable and multifunctional platform allowing the integration of future requirements • Reduce the risk of operators • Direct integration in MMS protocol standard 61850, in addition to DNP 3.0 protocol • Visualization in real time of status and measurements of the electrical system • Remote control of the IED field equipment and existing electrical system • Displays with independent connection per yard, working as STAND-ALONE equipment • Guarantee of computer security for operational continuity and safety of collaborators and contractors • High system availability • Quick decision-making for operators 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

MAINTENANCE

ELKEM SILICONES ORGANISES MULTI-SITE APPLICATION MAINTENANCE AROUND DIMO MAINT MX

A global leader in silicone, Elkem Silicones offers a comprehensive range of technologies to different specialist markets in multiple fields including aeronautics, automotive, construction, consumer products, energy, healthcare, stationary, personal hygiene and textiles.

n terms of maintenance, as each site has specific features, a unifying project was developed at Group and Division level, taking into account a considerable amount of existing variables: use of SAP, multitude of external service providers, monitoring shutdowns and failures, large equipment and taking normative challenges into account (ISO 9001, 14001, 13485, 50001, cGMP).

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The Industrial Applications Manager for the whole division says there is a multitude of medium-sized and small sites with smaller teams which need application maintenance and simplified stock management. The Joinville Elkem Silicones site in Brazil served as a pilot to develop detailed specifications for multi-site deployment.

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Choosing DIMO Maint MX: the flexibility of a packaged solution The project team identified the most integrated CMMS solutions and chose DIMO Maint MX, a tool that matched Elkem Silicones’s needs closely. It was more beneficial to have integrated products where everything comes in a package: the team is therefore buying a service with mobility and tried and tested application features. The cloud solution is easy to implement and there is a whole panel of features available instantly. Finally, the budget was taken into account: an optimised product was needed without superfluous features. Four expected points covering a broad functional scope Four major points were expected from the digitalisation of maintenance, in particular to reduce technicians’ unavailability, improve product quality and anticipate preventive actions:

1. Traceability and cost control: better visibility in terms of planning work and its cost, equipment and stocks. 2. Improving the reliability of maintenance by automating tasks and developing a preventive approach. 3. More efficient activity by accelerating daily processes and improving machine availability. 4. Security guaranteed by easy access to information (feedback and machine documentation). Carrying out application maintenance for many small group sites was problematic because of SAP’s lack of flexibility, which prevented certain processes from being digitalised. Lean methodology, in particular the “As Is To Be” model implemented by Ulysse Chalvon-Demersay enabled us to design comprehensive specifications based on the observations of the Brazilian maintenance technician, listing everything that could be improved or removed. A call for tender emphasised flow processing.

All these countries were looking for a more flexible and rigorous solution than the existing tools to manage their maintenance. “The idea is that each site will operate with the same base and with specific configurations if necessary. We

Work order management served as a starting point for Leno da Silva. The Maintenance Manager explains that the 5 maintenance technicians processed 800 WOs/year in all fields (mechanics, electrics, instrumentation, automation, welding, etc.). He had many expectations: reduction of losses, corrective maintenance and machine failures; improved communication. He needed a flexible and intuitive CMMS to manage equipment and stocks, monitor performance via indicators, mobility and the possibility of carrying out regular updates. Developing preventive maintenance was key in Germany The Lübeck site handles many operations involving chemicals and in compliance with QHSE regulations, its maintenance and security operations must be tracked. There were multiple challenges: information relating to preventive maintenance and security checks was scattered across several Excel files, using lots of paper. It needed an overview of the workloads and the stock levels as well as to optimise the management of paper and electronic media and define KPIs.

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Brazil as the pilot of multi-site deployment The Joinville Elkem Silicones site in Brazil was used for the pilot from March 2020. For the EMEA part, deployment then took place in Germany (October 2020), Italy (December 2020) and is scheduled in Spain for 2021.

are not starting from zero at each launch: the Brazilian base has been translated and adapted,” explains the Applications Manager.

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Work order management and the associated costs were also critical points for Michael Farjat, Production Manager on the German site. “Maintenance was carried out by external partners, in particular in terms of the preventive and curative aspects, as well as the compulsory settings on machines and laboratory equipment and building management. The CMMS has proven to be very flexible and easy to use when roaming. The implementation required coordination with all the sites and collecting and formatting data. DIMO support’s expertise was a great aid, without affecting normal service operation”. Streamlined, seamless maintenance and many benefits The Elkem Silicones Applications Manager observed first of all that the stock management features adequately met the initial requirement. Sites can make purchase requests directly in the CMMS. “In DIMO Maint MX, we know the stock status. The solution is above all much more functional than Excel where you cannot do MRP or set alerts”. Furthermore, the Orders part, the work requests, preventive maintenance and the OT flow now provide great visibility over the maintenance activities. Furthermore, there are multiple benefits for Elkem Silicones’s international sites: Dimo support has enabled us to convert the original Excel data transparently in Joinville. Stock management has been improved and the Brazilian entity now has a clear overview of the allocation of its resources. The maintenance department now relies on equipment analysis tools for its preventive maintenance using reliable data and is envisaging locking and labelling tracking features, as well as the study of energy measurements.

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In Germany, we can see many improvements, for preventive maintenance and spare parts management as well as the monitoring of work orders and access to documentation. The CMMS has proven to be very flexible and easy to use when roaming.

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Medium-term upgrades via connectivity Elkem Silicones’s vision for all these features is resolutely forward-looking: it is studying connectivity to SAP in the medium term, in particular for the costs and budget analysis aspects. Data extraction via a Power BI connector will enable us to give users control so they can create their own reports. KPIs can then be integrated into more general dashboards to offer a greater overview of maintenance activities on a group scale. www.dimomaint.com

MAINTENANCE

KONTAKT CHEMIE LAUNCHES NEW LOOK AND FEEL FOR ITS AEROSOL CANS

KONTAKT CHEMIE will introduce a new design for its products. The brand is proud to present the new look and feel, which comes with a host of novelties.

ext to the design, the rebranding also includes a new colour system, which indicates the type of product at hand, helping the user out. KONTAKT CHEMIE takes proud in its regulatory leadership, and is already compliant with all upcoming regulations, such as UFI and UKCA marking.

Colour system as part of a new design The new KONTAKT CHEMIE look comes also with new colours for the aerosol cans. We introduce 8 different colours that indicate the functionality of the product. For example red will represent the “contact cleaners”, Brown will represent the “Air Dusters”, etc. This will be a huge benefit for the users of the brand to immediately identify the type of product they require. The formulation of the product will remain unchanged, the same high level of performance and quality will be guaranteed for all the products in the KONTAKT CHEMIE range. http://www.crceurope.com MORE INFORMATION

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

MEASUREMENT

ROHDE & SCHWARZ 5G MMWAVE SMALL CELL TEST SOLUTION VALIDATED BY QUALCOMM TECHNOLOGIES

Rohde & Schwarz has upgraded the R&S CMP200 radio communication tester with a new option for small cell testing. Qualcomm Technologies has validated the solution, and it is now supported by the Qualcomm® Development Acceleration Resource Toolkit (QDART) for Small Cells. Manufacturers of small cell infrastructure who integrate the Qualcomm® FSM100 5G RAN Platform in their products can expect that the R&S CMP200 fulfils all necessary hardware development and production test requirements.

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ohde & Schwarz, a leading supplier of test and measurement equipment for wireless applications, today announced that the new option for small cell testing for the R&S CMP200 radio communication tester has been validated by Qualcomm Technologies. Now, OEMs of small cell infrastructure equipment operating in mmWave range (FR2) can use the QDART for Small Cells and benefit from the unique features of the R&S CMP200 like ultrafast measurement speed and parallel testing of multiple DUTs.

Small cells offer network operators the possibility to increase the capacity of existing wireless networks and meet the demands for data capacity that come with 5G use cases. They can be used in public and private networks within buildings or in outside scenarios, resulting in a growing demand for small cell infrastructure. The Qualcomm FSM100 5G RAN Platform has been adopted by many manufacturers and cellular infrastructure providers around the world due to its scalability and cost-effectiveness. Its form factor and power level are designed to address indoor and outdoor densification requirements for 5G networks and fast-paced network upgrades to 5G. The R&S CMP200 is a non-signaling solution for 5G mmWave RF parametric testing. As an IF tester it combines vector signal analyzer and ARB based generator functionality. The compact integrated solution can be customized with up to three R&S CMPHEAD30 remote radio heads (RRH),

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The R&S CMP200 radio communication tester has been validated by Qualcomm Technologies for small cell testing.

for up and down converting signals to 5G FR2 frequencies. The separate one-box tester and the R&S CMPHEAD30 RRH concept allow short RF cable lengths for an optimal link budget in radiated test environments. This approach enables testing of fully assembled FR2 devices and RFICs with both IF and mmWave RF interfaces. Designed for R&D and production environments, the R&S CMP200 is optimized for user equipment testing, and has been validated by Qualcomm Technologies accordingly. With the added testing functionality for small cell testing and support by QDART for Small Cells, the R&S CMP200 test platform is designed to be a future-proof investment for OEMs.

enabling OEMs and cellular infrastructure providers to efficiently and cost effectively scale 5G networks. With the Qualcomm FSM100 5G RAN Platform’s unmatched data speeds, capacity, power efficiency and global band support, vendors that integrate with this solution, for which the R&S CMP200 is optimized, will be better prepared for the next generation of connectivity.” https://www.rohde-schwarz.com

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Christoph Pointner, Senior Vice President Mobile Radio Testers at Rohde & Schwarz, said: “OEMs worldwide rely on Qualcomm Technologies’ platform for their small cell products. Our R&S CMP200 is a tried and tested solution for 5G NR device testing. With its new functionality specializing on small cell testing, which is already validated for QDART for Small Cells, OEMs can be confident that our test solution is ready to fulfil their testing needs, whether for in the lab or production line.” Gerardo Giaretta, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., said: “With the QDART for Small Cells validation of the R&S CMP200, both Qualcomm Technologies and Rohde & Schwarz are further 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

MEASUREMENT

THE EMITECH GROUP IS EXPANDING ITS ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY WITH TEST FACILITIES DEDICATED TO HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS AND EQUIPMENTS

The Emitech Group offers a variety and a number of unique test facilities in France, constantly evolving with the aim of supporting its customers’ innovation, in particular in the field of electric mobility.

he Group already has significant test facilities available in this field. For example there is the EMCEM facility, which aims to characterize an electric vehicle motor from the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) point of view, as well as test benches for high-voltage (HV) batteries, power electronics, calculators etc. It announces new equipment and facilities for tests in the field of hydrogen (fuel cells systems, tanks + valves). The implementation of the hydrogen sector by several stakeholders and regions in France is a strong axis of the energy transition.

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Hydrogen activities: EMC, electrical, mechanical, climatic and fire testing Hydrogen fuel cell testing requires complex facilities that incorporate a large number of constraints. These installations must be secured because hydrogen (H2) is a potentially explosive gas when it reaches a concentration of 4% in the air. Moreover, a power equivalent to 50% of the electrical production of the hydrogen fuel cell system is also dissipated as heat. This is why Emitech, after having selected a hydrogen supplier and installed H2 supply systems, had to fit out its laboratories to secure its installations with H2 sensors and to equip laboratories with dedicated cooling units.

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The Emitech Group has now two laboratories in France adapted to receive all kinds of equipments, including high power hydrogen fuel cells (45kW testing capabilities now, 100kW in mid-2022). A third laboratory installation more specialized for H2 tank applications testing is also in preparation. The EMC and electrical test laboratory in Chassieu (69) has a 70m² semi-anechoic Faraday cage (H>5m) with facilities dedicated to hydrogen: an H2 supply unit connected to four V18 cylinder racks (4x158m3 of H2 compressed to 200 bars/15°C), hydrogen detection sensors, an ATEX extractor hood for any vapors and a 45kW cooling unit. In the mechanical and climatic test laboratory of ENVIRONNE’TECH in Bourgoin Jallieu (38), the climatic chamber has been completely adapted and secured to receive a complete fuel cell system with a H2 supply unit connected to two V18 racks of cylinders (H2 compressed to 200 bars at 15°C) and detection sensors. The LEFAE mechanical and climatic testing laboratory in Saint-Chamond (42), has a unique expertise in fire testing as well as tank testing capabilities (hydraulic and pneumatic testing: endurance, pressure resistance, bursting, puncture, impact, overloading). It is currently being adapted to become a type IV H2 tank testing center.

Testing: a first complete 45kVA fuel cell system Emitech is currently working with one of the leaders in Fuel Cell System in France and Europe on a project for utility vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The equipment supplier provides the manufacturer with the electrical energy, a fuel cell, for integration into a conventional electric vehicle architecture. It is a complete and complex system that includes cooling system as well as regulators for humidity, air compression, etc. In addition, the fuel cell is completed by a high-voltage battery for transient power requirements such as acceleration and for energy recovery storage, especially during braking. The system is tested in EMC, climatic and mechanical domain in Emitech laboratories according to the automotive manufacturer’s specifications involved in this project. Emitech is the only one French laboratoy to offer these campaigns and the qualification of the system regarding environmental parameters.

At the same time, Emitech actively monitors standards and technical normative working group in order to keep on developping its facilities and adapt them to the customers’ future needs while meeting test standards requirements. This is the case, for example, for the use of hydrogen in ports, whether for recreational boating or for the merchant marine in the long term, but also for automotive or aeronautics and its green aircraft. Emitech is also referenced as H2 testing laboratory in the “Guide for conformity assessment and certification of hydrogen systems”, a reference synthesis document on the subject published in July 2021 by INERIS (National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks) on behalf of ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency) and FRANCE HYDROGENE.

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Emitech was able to adapt its laboratories in a few months to meet its customer’s needs regarding hydrogen and to conduct these tests. Testing began in autumn 2020 for mechanical and climatic, and then in January 2021 for EMC. Other campaigns are planned and international customers have already expressed their interest for these installations. In order to support the sector’s development and the increase in the power of the various equipment manufacturers’ fuel cell building blocks, laboratory upgrades are already planned for 2022 to enable tests performance on 100kW FCS (Fuel Cell System).

An expansion of the developing skills Emitech has become a member of two major networks in France in the field of hydrogen. Emitech has been a member of FRANCE HYDROGENE since january 2021, an association federating the actors (more than 400) of hydrogen and fuel cells in France. EMITECH also belongs to the general H2 circle within the NEOPOLIA network, which brings together more than 250 companies mainly from the French region Pays de la Loire.

www.emitech.fr/en

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

MECHANICS

KENNAMETAL INTRODUCES LIGHTEST WEIGHT VERSION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE TOOLING SOLUTION SAVING SET-UP AND MACHINING TIME

The 3D printed stator bore tool with carbon fiber body weighs 7.3kg.

Award winning 3D printed stator bore tool weighs just 7kg, ensuring fast tool changes and spin-up on machining centers.

ennametal has introduced its next generation 3D printed stator bore tool for the machining of aluminum engine housings for electric vehicles. This latest version of the tool features a newly designed arm structure, a larger center tube made of carbon fiber, and a further weight reduction of greater than 20 percent over the original design. The complex tool is capable of machining three large diameters in just one operation, saving setup time and machining time for automotive component manufacturers and delivering the highest accuracy and surface qualities.

The newly redesigned tool recently won MM MaschinenMarkt’s Best of Industry Award in the Production and Manufacturing category based on votes by readers and industry experts. “As our automotive customers expand their offerings of hybrid and electric vehicles, we continue to respond to their need for lighter weight tooling solutions. By leveraging advanced manufacturing techniques like 3D printing, we’ve reduced weight a further 20 percent over the firstgeneration tool, while improving chip control and increasing tool rigidity—innovations that help our customers machine faster and more efficiently,” says Ingo Grillenberger, Product Manager, Kennametal.

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Machining three diameters in one operation, the stator bore tool ensures the alignment and concentricity of the machined surfaces whilst reducing the cycle time significantly. The lightweight 3D printed combination tool enables a faster tool change and spin-up even on less powerful machines. The surface specifications and component tolerances are achieved without constraints. 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

First-generation design (9.5kg) on the left, and latest tool design variants (less than 8kg) on the right for hassle free tool changing.

The airfoil shaped arms with through coolant and RIQ reaming technology. Complex internal and external features enabled by additive manufacturing.

Hassle-free chip removal is ensured by means of airfoil shaped arms that are through coolant featured to ensure precise and powerful coolant supply to the cutting edges and guide pads. This would be difficult or impossible to economically produce with traditional manufacturing, but 3D printing enables us to realize even such complex internal features. Additionally, the Kennametal RIQ reaming system features easy diameter adjustment and a trouble-free setup of new inserts. https://www.kennametal.com

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33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

MECHANICS

INCREASING LAST MILE DELIVERY SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE

The biggest issue facing logistics firms, as identified by Barclays, is delivering goods when recipients are not present, with over 63% of carriers stating this as a concern.

he last mile plays a pivotal role in the supply chain, as recent research indicates that the last mile accounts for approximately 28% of the total cost of delivery.

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Industry challenge Consumer pressures concerning time to delivery and overall experience have forced logistics firms to invest in new innovative solutions to manage their delivery operations, in particular to improve operational efficiency in the last mile. Southco has been working with the postal and delivery industry to help achieve these goals by improving critical areas of delivery solution performance, including security and operating costs. The challenge is to reassure customers that receiving purchased items via “new” technologies, such as parcel lockers for example, will not present a risk to the product and is a convenient, secure alternative to home delivery. Southco’s proven locking and latching technology is enhancing security and intelligence at various points of delivery within the last mile, helping to build consumer confidence.

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The solution At the core of every locker, delivery box and delivery vehicle sits a robust latching system and this is where Southco adds real value. By replacing the traditional mechanical latch with an electronic one, Southco products offer an array of features which go beyond the industry’s established requirements for security, reliability and durability. However, while keeping customers’ systems secure is fundamental, their demands are increasingly shaped by innovation, transforming the “latch” from a security feature to something that adds real value, not just to the application itself, but the entire delivery chain. R4-EM 9 Series Electronic Rotary Lock For example, Southco’s R4-EM 9 series electronic rotary latch, was developed alongside parcel locker manufacturers to deliver a secure, flexible solution specifically for networked self-service postal units. Offering maximum security, the R4-EM 9 series boasts supreme functionality through its compatibility with a range of access control devices such as numeric keypads, smartcard reader devices, Bluetooth, NFC and biometric devices. Furthermore, its intelligent locking mechanism helps ensure traceability and security for all

parcels, while its low power usage drives reduced energy consumption costs for the company or individual running the locker unit. The R4-EM is being used to secure parcel locker networks around the world, increasing last mile success rates and supporting the need for innovation in the industry.

first time delivery rate and reduction in the cost of the last mile. www.southco.com

Achieving high cycle life is also an obstacle when designing Last Mile delivery equipment, as storage areas are accessed several times a day and must reliably perform after several thousand cycles. Choosing an electronic latch system that can perform up to 500,000 cycles is of importance to ensure your application can withstand repetitive access.

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Southco has also been able to make an impact on the domestic delivery business, designing and developing a self-contained lock which interfaces seamlessly with the carrier’s logistics portal. End users can then access these boxes through a variety of smart technologies such as mobile phone apps or NFC tags. Moreover, logging the whole audit trail of delivery, collection and user credentials is all controlled within the system. Conclusion Delivering enhanced security, reliability and locking intelligence, electronic access solutions are helping to revolutionize the way parcels are delivered and stored. Improved locker security can benefit all parties in the supply chain, resulting in greater customer satisfaction, improved 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

MECHANICS

ROBUST 36 MM ENCODER FROM WACHENDORFF

IP69K and Heavy Duty Upgrade.

achendorff Automation now also has a heavyduty variant in the very compact 36 mm design in its range of incremental encoders in the WDGP series, as well as absolute encoders in the WDGA series. This version is characterized by a very high bearing load of 300 N axial and radial, as well as the increased protection class of IP69k. This makes these encoders fit for high pressure/steam jet cleaning. They are specially designed for applications in harsh environments, such as mobile machinery, in the food industry or even car washes.

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Incremental encoder WDGP36J: • Protection rating: IP67 + IP69K, (high pressure/steam cleaning) • Due to high quality electronics any number of pulses up to 16.384 • High output frequency up to 1 MHz • Reverse polarity protection and short-circuit protection at 4.75 VDC to 32 VDC www.wachendorff-automation.com/wdgp36j

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Absolute encoder WDGA36J (CANopen, SAEJ1939, SSI, RS485) • Protection rating: IP67 + IP69K (high pressure/steam cleaning) • EnDra®: maintenance-free and environmentally friendly • CANopen, Single-turn and Multi-turn • Communication Profile according to CiA 301 • Device Profile for encoder CiA 406 V3.2 class C2 • Single-turn/Multi-turn (16 bit/43 bit) • Forward-looking technology with 32 Bit processor • 2-colour-LED as indicator for operating condition • Error message appropriate CiA 303-3 www.wachendorff-automation.com/wdga36jcan

PUMPS

BEL VALVES INVESTS £250,000 TO FUTURE PROOF BUSINESS

North East manufacturer BEL Valves has invested £250,000 over the last 18 months to future proof the business as part of its sustainability plans.

he changes in the oil and gas industry and worldwide goal of achieving net zero has challenged the business to reassess the long term future of the deep sea oil and gas industry. Following an extensive restructure in 2020, the valve manufacturer aims to generate up to £20 million in sales by 2025 as part of a five year plan, targeting the energy transition market, as well as traditional markets. By introducing a multi-skilled workforce, where employees are encouraged to take on new responsibilities, the Newcastle based business has improved its lead time to cater for an increase in fast track orders sending bespoke products in as little as 24 weeks from enquiry. With over 50 years’ experience, the business has developed a large portfolio of topside and subsea applications, specialising in high integrity, complex valve solutions for applications including subsea high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) and high pressure and high temperature ultra-deep applications for critical service conditions, including the first subsea gate valve in 1985.

Richard Turner, CEO, said: “The last 18 months have been hard for many businesses but we are performing well and are in a much better place to take part in the transition towards a zero carbon world.” “We recognise that our employees have played a significant role in reshaping the business, which is why we have launched an employee led sports, social and charity fundraising committee. It is important to us that our employees know they are appreciated and enjoy working at BEL Valves. Members can apply for donations to clubs they are affiliated with, or organise company funded trips.” “The business is delivering on time, especially on fast track orders, and we’ve seen an increase in sales over the last six months. All of which puts BEL Valves in a strong position in the market for the future.” To further contribute towards a net zero world, BEL Valves has committed to sending no waste to landfill and plans to rewild an unused area of its site to attract natural habitat. Employees have also either transferred or been offered the opportunity to lease an electric or hybrid vehicle as part of the British Engines Group Tusker car scheme.

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As part of the plan, BEL Valves has introduced a “one team environment” where employees meet daily to ensure they are working towards the same targets. The business has also opened opportunities for employees who would normally be based at the St. Peter’s site to work offsite or offshore at an installed base.

The business has invested in two state of the art automated storage and retrieval units which have transformed the stores and stock handling process. Additional work to upgrade the assembly and test offices, testing bays, lighting and paint work has started.

https://www.belvalves.com/ 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

SAFETY

IN-HOUSE MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE DRIVES QUALITY AT TELEDYNE GAS AND FLAME DETECTION

Industry-certified processes, stringent quality control, dedicated workforce skills and the latest production technologies underpin manufacturing excellence at Teledyne Gas & Flame Detection. Comprising the Teledyne Oldham Simtronics, Teledyne Gas Measurement Instruments and Teledyne Detcon brands, the company’s meticulously designed and controlled production operations help impart its core product attribute: safety.

obust and quality-centric manufacturing processes ensure that products perform their designated function, be it site protection, area monitoring or personal protection, in a failsafe manner. At three highlyspecified manufacturing sites in France, the UK and the US, Teledyne produces a market-wide range of gas and flame detection solutions to meet the requirements of customers across all industry sectors.

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Product quality and reliability equate to customer trust. But delivering these attributes relies on robust manufacturing processes. At Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection, production operations leverage the experience of a history in manufacturing that dates back more than a century. Of course, locations and facilities have changed over the years, but production capacity today is a global concern that embraces Teledyne Oldham Simtronics (Arras, France),

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Teledyne Gas Measurement Instruments (Renfrew, UK) and Teledyne Detcon (Cypress, US), with each facility supported by expert staff and a commitment to customer satisfaction. Made in Arras, France The Arras headquarters and manufacturing plant of Teledyne Oldham Simtronics is located in the Hauts-deFrance region. Market leader in France for gas detection, the brand is also strong across Europe, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries, Africa and Asia. Covering an area of 5,552 m2, the Teledyne Oldham Simtronics’ plant includes 3,379 m2 of workshop and warehouse space. Manufacturing class-leading products since 1948, the factory’s track record of production excellence centres on its accreditations, which include ISO9001 for quality, ISO14001 for environmental management and ISO45001 for health and safety. The plant benefits from an advanced in-house manufacturing engineering team that creates the software, tools and machines required by production. With over 100

highly capable employees on site, some 75,000 gas and flame detectors and controllers are “Made in Arras” every year. Each one provides customers with highly capable and dependable performance to ensure complete protection. UK manufacturer Teledyne Gas Measurement Instruments is the number one supplier of gas leak detectors to the UK natural gas distributor sector, and a key player in the industrial portable gas detection market with over 300,000 high-quality instruments delivered. Ideal for use in challenging industries such as gas utilities, chemical, shipping, brewing, construction, defence, nuclear, petrochemical, papermaking, refining and telecoms Teledyne Gas Measurement Instruments is also prominent across Europe and North America. Producing trustworthy, proficient products is key to building further on the brand’s established reputation for providing customers with assured protection. The company’s production facility is located in Renfrew, near Glasgow, where its portable gas detection and measurement devices have been manufactured in the UK since 1947. Spanning 2,230 m2, the site boasts ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO45001 accreditations. Additionally, Teledyne Gas Measurement Instruments is an active member of many global gas associations, including the Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers (UK), the American Gas Association (USA) and the Canadian Gas Association. The company was also a founding member of the Council for Gas Detection and Environmental Monitoring (CoGDEM) in Europe. There are around 80 knowledgeable employees at Renfrew including 35 fully cross-trained assembly operators. In particular, the site is notable for its high-end production technologies.

professional relationships with customers, adding value with their know-how and market awareness. Furthermore, throughout the Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection business, inherent flexibility means the team can react accordingly to customer requirements as they evolve. Offering one of the most extensive gas and flame detection portfolio on the market, Teledyne has in-country approvals and certifications for most products. A proven range of accomplished and convincing measurement, detection and wireless technologies, alongside the unrivalled skills and innovation of employees, ensures Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection can meet the safety and protection requirements of all applications. The company’s rugged yet reliable and precise gas and flame detection products offer fast response times, durability and intrinsically safe instrumentation. With excellence in manufacturing at the heart of its customer offer, Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection will continue providing products that support and protect workforces, assets, operations and the environment. For more information, visit www.TeledyneGFD.com or contact gasandflamedetection@teledyne.com www.TeledyneGFD.com

US manufacturer Teledyne Detcon has its 2,929 m2 headquarters in Cypress, near Houston, from where it manufactures over 15,000 industry-leading fixed gas detectors, control systems and analysers every year. The advanced site is ISO9001-certified and carries accreditations to IECEx and Intertek.

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Extremely proud of its “manufactured in the US” heritage, which extends back to 1983, the brand is well known in North America, the Middle East, CIS countries and Asia. With 32 expert employees, Teledyne Detcon also has extensive experience in cell manufacturing and wireless technology. Proven design (and manufacturing) Each Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection manufacturing site houses its own customer service, technical support, engineering and R&D functions, all staffed by personnel with considerable industry experience and long service within the business. These employees nurture established 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

S M A R T FA C TO R Y

AGAMEDE REVOLUTIONISES BIOTECHNOLOGY AND FIGHTS COVID-19

The AGAMEDE project is an interdisciplinary project that combines the worlds of robotics, computer science, industrial design, mathematics, biology and chemistry.

Developed at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, alongside Mitsubishi Electric, Labomatica and Perlan Technologies, the AGAMEDE robotic system was designed to significantly speed up the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. Thanks to state-of-the-art automation technology combined with artificial intelligence, the system can test 15,000 individual samples per day. Other applications include researching new drugs, developing individualised cancer therapies or even creating cosmetic formulations.

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gamede is considered the first female scientist in history and therefore a fitting namesake for the laboratory automation system developed at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IBCH PAS). While automating laboratory work is a common practice, the AGAMEDE robotic system combines automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to form a unique “closed loop” setup. Here, the robots prepare experiments, read the results at a specified time and interpret the data using Labomatica’s Gene GameTM software to

independently prepare the next experimental cycle. This means that operators simply need to define the question, design the experimental system and then monitor the correct sequence and operation of the system. AGAMEDE can then conduct experiments 24 hours a day and deliver results. The combination of AI and automation in a high-throughput system is a breakthrough. Most automated high-throughput systems still require an operator to read the results and plan the next series of experiments after a cycle is completed. AGAMEDE can do this independently. “Thanks to the AI module, AGAMEDE interprets the experiments without human involvement, based on mathematical models,” explains Radosław Pilarski, PhD, the inventor and chief engineer of the system. “The system can be used by central diagnostic laboratories, pharmaceutical companies in drug development, oncology laboratories in

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The robot from Mitsubishi Electric is the central component of the system. It continuously operates the analysers according to the specifications. [Source: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences (IBCH PAS)] [Source: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences (IBCH PAS)]

search of personalised therapies for patients, but also in R&D departments of chemical and biotechnology companies to optimise bioprocesses.” EPICELL project Work on AGAMEDE began at the IBCH PAS in 2015. The system was originally developed for the EPICELL project, which was funded by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR) as part of the STRATEGMED programme ’Prevention and Treatment of Civilisation Diseases’. The aim of the project was to develop optimised media for the culture of induced pluripotent stem cellderived (iPSC) cardiomyocytes.

15,000 tests per day At the end of March 2020, the situation changed. Since its foundation, the IBCH PAS has been dealing with RNA and DNA nucleic acids, so it had all the facilities to deal with SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics. “Our institute was the first in Poland to develop a test to detect SARS-CoV-2. We soon decided to combine AGAMEDE’s automation capabilities with our tests and developed a high-throughput diagnostic protocol that allows us to test 15,000 samples in one day. At least this is the potential, because IBCH PAS as a scientific entity does not have an accredited diagnostic laboratory. This is an outstanding result, because when analysing samples manually, one person can at most process a few hundred samples a day,” says IBCH PAS director Prof. Marek Figlerowicz. Robots, PLC and software from Mitsubishi Electric The AGAMEDE project was created alongside technology partners Mitsubishi Electric, Labomatica and Perlan Technologies. Mitsubishi Electric provided a 6-axis robot, PLC controls and its MELFA Basic software. The industrial robot with its long arm reach is the central component of the system. Using an integrated set of robotic tools, it can perform microscale experiments on 96- and 384-well

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The EPICELL consortium consists of the IBCH PAS, the Institute of Human Genetics PAS as well as three hospitals from Poznañ. Combining expertise in small molecule epigenetic modulators and experience in cell reprogramming, it conducted studies leading to the future development of methods for transforming induced iPSCs for the purposes of regenerative medicine. In particular, they looked at targeted implantation in the hearts of patients after heart attacks. The idea was to restore cardiac output to its pre-infarction state. The challenge was the number of experiments required to design a suitable mix of small molecule epigenetic modulators. For example, a recipe with ten components and ten different concentrations requires 10,000,000 experiments. “AGAMEDE was used to search for the right combination of compounds in a multidimensional

system of solutions. From this, the composition of the reprogramming medium ’EPICELL One’ was developed,” explains Prof. Wojciech T. Markiewicz, head of the EPICELL project.

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Mitsubishi Electric’s industrial robot offers a long arm reach as well as an integrated set of robot-controlled tools for microscale test series on 96- and 384-well microassay plates.

microassay plates, reproducing the work of a laboratory technician who continuously operates the analytical equipment. It does this according to the experimental protocols entered by the operator into the control software.

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The application further includes industrial cell culture incubators, plate and tip feeders, pipetting stations, labellers, barcode scanners, plate sealers, fluorescence readers and spectrophotometers. As a particular highlight, AGAMEDE is equipped with an automated confocal microscope HCA with four fluorescence channels. For the biotechnology community, this instrument is the equivalent of the Hubble telescope brought into the microcosm. Instead of astronomical objects, it photographs and analyses millions of cells and tissue structures with similar quality and efficiency. The device is complemented by an acoustic dispenser that releases quantities of liquid in the nanolitre range (millionths of a millilitre). Rapid dispensing of such small volumes of solution reduces research costs and increases throughput. It allows experiments to be conducted using a collection of over 115,000 chemical compounds available. Working under high pressure “In implementing the first such advanced system in Poland – combining robotics with laboratory equipment – we benefited from our international experience. The support of Mitsubishi Electric’s global organisation dedicated to innovative projects was very helpful,” says Roman Janik, coordinator of solutions for the life science industry in 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

Poland. However, he also emphasises the tight deadline of the project. “We all worked under time pressure to develop a solution that would relieve the lab technicians as quickly as possible. We were able to deliver a weekly throughput of 100,000 samples, which is scalable. This is a phenomenal result!” Bringing many worlds together Tomasz Scholz, Robotics Engineer at Mitsubishi Electric further recalls: “The task would have been complicated even without the time pressure. The AGAMEDE project is an interdisciplinary project that combines the worlds of robotics, computer science, industrial design, mathematics, biology and chemistry. The solutions we used in it are innovative and unique. As with many projects, the biggest challenge was to define the goal and how we would achieve it. The key to this was to find a common ’technical language’ so that people from different areas of expertise could communicate on the same level and make their expectations clear. It was often difficult to bridge the gap between the academic world, which thinks in abstract terms, and the industrial world, which typically follows a fixed pattern.” New approaches for laboratory planning The result is a system that not only works well, but also looks interesting. “Its design refers to ancient Greece and is a tribute to the beginnings of scientific thinking in

Thanks to Labomatica’s Gene Game software, which interprets the data, the system is a ’closed loop’. It prepares and reads the data, interprets it and then independently adjusts the test series.

Agamede, the world’s first female scientist, is the namesake of this high-throughput system that combines artificial intelligence with automation.

our civilisation, especially to women in science,” explains Radosław Pilarski, PhD. He further emphasises that the planning also paid attention to the laboratory space in which the installation was placed. A clean room for aseptic cell culture, windowless in most labs, was given a completely new look, breaking with previous standards. It is well lit thanks to large, carefully sealed windows. Glass panes were added to allow constant observation and control of the system without having to wear cleanroom suits. The work is facilitated by highresolution 4K monitors and cameras that allow remote monitoring of AGAMEDE and experiments from anywhere in the world. https://emea.mitsubishielectric.com/en/

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33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

S M A R T FA C TO R Y

THE IDS SOLUTION FOR LARGE LAUNDRY

Intelligent robotics for laundries closes automation gap.

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he textile and garment industry is facing major challenges with current supply chain and energy issues. The future recovery is also threatened by factors that hinder production, such as labour and equipment shortages, which put them under additional pressure. The competitiveness of the industry, especially in a global context, depends on how affected companies respond to these framework conditions. One solution is to move the production of clothing back to Europe in an economically viable way. Shorter transport routes and the associated significant savings in transport costs and greenhouse gases speak in favour of this. On the other hand, the related higher wage costs and the prevailing shortage of skilled workers in this country must be compensated. The latter requires further automation of textile processing. The German deeptech start-up sewts GmbH from Munich has focused on the great potential that lies in this task. It develops solutions with the help of which robots - similar to humans - anticipate how a textile will behave and adapt their movement accordingly.

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The German deep-tech start-up sewts GmbH from Munich has focused on the great potential that lies in this task. It develops solutions with the help of which robots - similar to humans - anticipate how a textile will behave and adapt their movement accordingly. In the first step, sewts has set its sights on an application for large industrial laundries. With a system that uses both 2D and 3D cameras from IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH, the young entrepreneurs are automating one of the last remaining manual steps in largescale industrial laundries, the unfolding process. Although 90% of the process steps in industrial washing are already automated, the remaining manual operations account for 30% of labour costs. The potential savings through automation are therefore enormous at this point. Application It is true that industrial laundries already operate in a highly automated environment to handle the large volumes of laundry. Among other things, the folding of laundry is done by machines. However, each of these machines usually requires an employee to manually spread out the laundry and feed it without creases. This monotonous and strenuous loading of the folding machines has a disproportionate effect on personnel costs. In addition, qualified workforce is

difficult to find, which often has an impact on the capacity utilisation and thus the profitability of industrial laundries. The seasonal nature of the business also requires a high degree of flexibility. sewts makes IDS cameras the image processing components of a new type of intelligent system whose technology can now be used to automate individual steps, such as sorting dirty textiles or inserting laundry into folding machines.

“Beyond that, we need 2D cameras that are light sensitive, deliver high dynamic range and are suitable for use in a multi-camera system.” The founders found what they were looking for in the IDS portfolio: For the VELUM multicamera system, the choice fell on the new Ensenso S10 3D camera as well as models from the uEye CP camera series. Their task is to identify, both in 2D and 3D, interesting features and gripping points of the textiles that are fed into the system after washing and drying in an unordered manner in a container or on a conveyor belt. The shape and position of the individual objects cannot be predicted. The cameras capture the different textures of the materials. They distinguish which hems there are on a towel and where corners are.

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“The particular challenge here is the malleability of the textiles,” explains Tim Doerks, co-founder and CTO. While the automation of the processing of solid materials, such as metals, is comparatively unproblematic with the help of robotics and AI solutions, available software solutions and conventional image processing often still have their limits when it comes to easily deformable materials. Accordingly, commercially available robots and gripping systems have so far only been able to perform such simple operations as gripping a towel or piece of clothing inadequately. But the sewts system VELUM can provide this. With the help of intelligent software and easy-to-integrate IDS cameras, it is able to analyse dimensionally unstable materials such as textiles. Thanks to the new technology, robots can predict the behaviour of these materials during gripping in real time. It empowers VELUM to feed towels and similar linen made of terry cloth easily and crease-free into existing folding machines, thus closing a cost-sensitive automation gap.

The software suite developed by sewts combines commercially available robots, grippers and cameras into an intelligent system. In the search for the right camera modules, several criteria were decisive for the Munichbased company in addition to uncompromising industrial suitability: “We need a 3D camera that is cost-effective because we use two to three 3D cameras depending on the system configuration. In addition, it must above all ensure high accuracy of the depth data,” explains Tim Doerks.

We match the images from the 2D and 3D cameras to have a higher 2D resolution together with the 3D data. So we use the respective advantages of the 2D camera, in this case the higher resolution, and the 3D camera, i.e. the precise depth 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

data”, Tim Doerks, co-founder and CTO at sewts mentiones. Equipped with a 1.6 MP Sony sensor, the Ensenso S10 uses a 3D process based on structured light: A narrow-band infrared laser projector produces a high-contrast dot pattern even on objects with difficult surfaces or in dimly lit environments. Each image captured by the 1.6 MP Sony sensor provides a complete point cloud with up to 85,000 depth points. Artificial intelligence enables reliable assignment of the laser points found to the hard-coded positions of the projection. This results in the robust 3D data with the necessary depth accuracy, from which VELUM extracts the coordinates for the gripping points.

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The complementary GV-5280CP-C-HQindustrial camera with GigE Vision firmware is equipped with Sony’s IMX264 2/3” global shutter CMOS sensor. It delivers near-noise-free, high-contrast 5 MP images in 5:4 format at 22 fps at full GigE speed in applications with fluctuating lighting conditions. The uEye CP camera offers maximum functionality with extensive pixel pre-processing and is perfect for multicamera systems thanks to the internal 120 MB image memory for buffering image sequences. At around 50 g, the small magnesium housing is as light as it is robust and predestines the camera for space-critical applications and for use on robot arms. Software Depending on customer requirements or configuration, two to three uEye 2D or Ensenso 3D cameras are used both models can be seamlessly integrated into VELUM. “We are experts in preparing the generated data, which is especially important when working with 3D point clouds. 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

This pre-processing is an important component of our systems in order to generate suitable input for our artificial intelligence,” Tim Doerks emphasises. The AI developed by sewts processes the data supplied by the uEye CP or Ensenso S cameras. The intelligent software analyses the topology of the textiles using features such as the course of the seam, local elevations or the relative position of seams, classifies them according to textile type and class using various textures and embroidery patterns and translates these findings into robot commands. The data is processed via Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and classical image processing. “We useIDS peak, the software development kit from IDS. We connect to our system via Python and the IDS Library,” reveals Till Rickert, co-founder and CPO of sewts. “The added value of the IDS software package for us lies primarily in the ease of calibration and integration into our High Tech Vision System,” he continues. “AI is at the core of our technology. Intelligent algorithms are needed to build adaptive systems that can cope with non-deterministic automation processes. That’s why we use the latest findings from AI research, refine them for our needs and finally put them together into a big whole,” adds Till Rickert. It receives various sensor data (e.g. optical information), draws conclusions from them on a human-like cognitive level and translates them into robot commands. In this way, systems like VELUM perform tasks that previously required the human mind. This is exactly what sewts’ corporate philosophy is all about: “Our goal is to transform complex manual work into smooth automation”.

Cameras Ensenso S: 3D laser point triangulation with artificial intelligence • Ultra-compact and cost-efficient • High 3D data rate and accuracy through AI support • Robust 3D data even in low ambient lighting • Structured light with AI-based laser dot pattern triangulation • Suitable for applications in logistics automation, robot vision, obstacle detection, monitoring and horticultural automation, etc.

Outlook With systems like VELUM, laundries can significantly increase their throughput regardless of the staffing situation and thus increase their profitability. “By closing this significant automation gap, we can almost double the productivity of a textile washing line,” assures CEO Alexander Bley. IDS cameras can also be used for clothing such as shirts and trousers in the future. “It is important to understand the properties of these materials in order to implement robust processes. We achieve this through sophisticated material simulations. In order to simulate the behaviour of textiles, we create special FE simulations using the finite element method,” explains Alexander Bley. But the Munich-based company has an overarching vision: “We want to make it possible to automate the production of clothing and move it back to the point of use in a cost-efficient way. In this way, we shorten transport distances, create more reliable supply chains, save CO2 emissions and combat the problem of overproduction.” Additionally applications with materials that are not textiles are also planned for the future.

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There are many potential use cases for technologies like these, and image processing will always play a significant role. Artificial intelligence will accelerate this development.

Incredibly fast, incredibly reliable, incredible sensors: The uEye CP • Interface: Ethernet • Model: GV-5280CP-C-HQ • Sensortyp: CMOS • Sensor type: CMOS • Manufacturer: Sony • Frame rate: 24.0 fps • Resolution (h x v): 2448 x 2048 • Shutter: Global Shutter • Resolution: 5.01 MPixel • Dimensions: 29 x 29 x 29 mm • Weight: 52 g • Connector: GigE RJ46, screwable • Applications: e.g. industrial image processing, mechanical engineering, surface inspection, medical technology, traffic & transport, quality assurance, etc. https://en.ids-imaging.com/

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

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IO-LINK VIA MODULAR PRINCIPLE

The new IO-Link function modules from Leuze simplify the integration of device data into PLC programs. This saves the users time and enables error-free installation.

ith their IO-Link function modules, the Sensor People at Leuze are introducing a powerful tool: it makes the integration of IO-Link device data into PLC programs significantly easier. Users can simply and quickly transfer the function modules to the control program. Common control systems from manufacturers such as Siemens, Beckhoff, and Rockwell Automation are supported. The innovative modular approach makes reading and writing device parameters significantly easier. The function modules can be downloaded free of charge for all IO-Link products from Leuze.

Fast and reliable integration Each function module is tailored to an IO-Link sensor from Leuze. The software-based modules save the users time. It is no longer necessary to waste time looking for data types, parameter indexes, and process data structures. It also prevents possible errors in the integration of IO-Link device data. Users can even obtain diagnostic data while the process is running and use them for optimizing the set up. Individual components of the process data are easily accessible thanks to the process data parser function.

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Format and recipe changeover during operation Another advantage for users is the format and recipe change during operation: Recipes stored in the PLC can be switched easily in the sensor by the control program while the process in ongoing. Free download Leuze offers the IO-Link function modules as free downloads. Further information is available at www.leuze.com/io-link-fb

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Leuze tests every function module extensively before release. This facilitates fast and error-free integration of IO-Link device data

Different recipes can be easily stored in the PLC. Depending on the desired format, the PLC makes the switch in the IO-Link device – even while operation is ongoing

The process data parser function makes individual components of the process data easily accessible

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PRECISION MICRO UNVEILS MAJOR INVESTMENT AT “PHOENIX” FACILITY FOLLOWING 2019 FIRE

Two-and-a-half years after a fire broke out at market-leading chemical etching manufacturer Precision Micro’s Birmingham site in Autumn 2019, the company has reached the end of a major £5.1 million refurbishment.

he refurbishment has seen a 10% increase in capacity (with scope for a further expansion), nine new process machines installed and a new Quality Centre of Excellence establishedCrucially, thanks to a well-considered crisis management plan, Precision Micro maintained business continuity throughout – even when the COVID-19 pandemic struck just months after the fire.

The challenge began on 24th November 2019, when a fire broke out as the result of an electrical fault. While the fire was contained to only two production areas, ironically these are at the heart of Precision Micro’s core process of photochemical etching. Using this process, the company produces millions of precision-etched products every year, including safety-critical automotive components through to high-performance parts for the aerospace industry.

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Accordingly, establishing continuity of supply was critical, despite some specialist equipment being damaged in the fire. Within hours, Precision Micro’s team got hands-on with the recovery effort, identifying what could be salvaged and devising a strategy which would enable them to minimise disruption to customers. Central to this was the construction of two industrial annexes just weeks after the fire, into which critical machinery was relocated to keep the business moving and minimise the fire’s impact on customers. Mick Taylor, Commercial Director of Precision Micro, says: “To be able to get back to some sort of normality so soon 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

after the fire goes to show just how committed we are as a business to delivering the very best levels of service to our customers, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. By acting so quickly, we were able to maintain production which meant our customers could continue to rely on us, even in the most challenging of times.” The longer-term site refurbishment began in 2020, as Precision Micro began not only the process of rebuilding damaged areas but taking proactive steps to futureproof the business and further strengthen the service its customers receive.

suppliers – has been incredible. Thinking back to 2019, it was impossible to foresee either of these obstacles, but how our team has pulled together has been nothing short of inspirational. It’s this unbeatable team spirit which reinforces the resilience of Precision Micro, not just to keep the business running smoothly, but to do so in the most challenging of times.” https://www.precisionmicro.com/

This involved a £5.1 million investment in which Precision Micro reconfigured its processes, to introduce more specialist machinery, increase space in the factory and buildin additional fire mitigation initiatives to de-risk any future repeats of the 2019 incident. Elsewhere, the commercial team has been moved into dedicated nearby offices in the iconic Fort Dunlop, freeing up further space for additional production and stock holding.

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All of this has taken place against the backdrop of COVID-19, with the arrival of lockdown in March 2020 delaying – but not deterring – progress. “Of course, we had to revise the timeline for our recovery programme, but we were determined not to let the pandemic affect our business when we had already made so many advances in the short space of time since the fire,” confirms Mick Taylor. “How the team has responded to these challenges – backed by the support of a number of stakeholders including key 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

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HMS PRESENTS COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS FOR BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS

HMS Networks is now presenting several communication solutions for the rapidly expanding battery market. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) require communication capabilities to connect to batteries and peripheral components, communicate with the power grid, monitor systems remotely and much more.

attery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) may be one of the keys to solve the energy crisis and make the world more sustainable. Since green energy sources such as wind and solar are not always available, large battery parks can make it possible to store the energy to use when there is less sun or wind.

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BESS need to communicate Battery Energy Storage Systems are made up of battery cells which are combined into battery packs which can then be combined into containers which in turn can make up battery parks the size of several football fields. The systems can use new or recycled batteries and combine many different components. However, these large battery parks need a lot of communication capabilities in order to work. HMS now presents a comprehensive package of communication solutions catered for this application area.

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Error prevention and networking of CAN-based devices Since the battery market has been spearheaded by the car industry, CAN is the com-munication standard of choice in many systems. Here, HMS offers an extensive portfolio of communication solutions via the Ixxat brand – for PC connection, networking, line extension, galvanic isolation and more. In networking, the protection of components is crucial, both from external sources (like lightning strikes) and from system-related issues (AC/DC noise). Device protection is a must to avoid damage. Networking gateways Battery Energy Storage Systems often combine a variety of different equipment from different industries within a single application – batteries, BMS, PLCs, fire detection units or air conditioning. To combine different equipment, it is necessary to interconnect various protocols and network standards. CAN, Modbus, BACnet, KNX and other protocols can be easily linked via intelligent gateways from HMS,

Networking gateways from HMS are well-suited for use in BESS.

Ixxat products from HMS for CANbased networking and device protection. Ixxat® SG-gateways handle communication between energy and industrial protocols whereas WEBfactory i4SCADA allows highly adaptable data visualization.

which handle the all-important data exchange while also enabling centralized control. In addition, these gateways can selectively filter, map and, if necessary, manipulate the data in order to realize the best possible data exchange.

portfolio of industrial communication solutions to solve the communication issues at hand in these systems.” Learn more in this HMS TechTalk More about communication for Battery Energy Storage Systems: www.ixxat.com/bess

Cloud/SCADA connectivity and remote access Intelligent networking is also required in order to connect to cloud solutions or SCADA systems. This connection can be made by using SG (Smart Grid) gateways from HMS that support both energy and industrial fieldbus protocols, as well as protocols required for cloud connection.

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The SG gateways enable centralized control as well as remote access for predictive maintenance, logging or data visualization using the i4SCADA® solution from the HMS-owned company WEBfactory®. The SG gateways also provide robust cybersecurity fea-tures, such as firewall, OpenVPN®, TLS encryption and user management. These pro-tective measures are indispensable to protect against cyber-attacks. “We see a rapidly growing demand for communication solutions in Battery Energy Storage Systems as society as a whole is turning to more sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar,” says Alexander Hess, General Manager at HMS Business Unit Ixxat. “Communication is needed to get BESS systems to work and HMS offers an extensive 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

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VERSATILITY OF VHX-7000 BRINGS ACADEMIC AND COMMERCIAL BENEFITS TO LEADING UK UNIVERSITY

Wasp eye

World-leading microscopic technology from KEYENCE is enabling a major UK research institution to carry out highly detailed observation, analysis and measurement on projects in fields ranging from microbiology and invertebrate biology to mycology, forensic science and geological thin section analysis.

he University of Derby is a teaching and research institution dedicated primarily to undergraduate students, and researchers for Masters degrees and PhD’s. To aid students in their studies, the University has invested in a KEYENCE VHX-7000 Digital Microscope, which combines high magnification and precision with versatility and ease of use.

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The all-in-one microscope, boasting an impressive ultrahigh accuracy 4K camera and monitor, is being employed across all levels of undergraduate degree teaching, where it provides a fully automated system for students to carry out their own sample observation and analysis in up to 6000x magnification.

In particular, it is seeing extensive service with final year undergraduate students during their independent study projects, where they work largely unsupervised on a research topic of their choice. Although these projects vary significantly in nature, many require the availability of a microscope and image capture software, and the VHX-7000 combines both functions in a convenient and compact package. One recent example involved a student who was seeking to analyse mucus flow rates from coral samples. Here, the time lapse photography and video features of the VHX7000 proved invaluable, providing detailed high-resolution images. Another project was for a geology PhD researcher working with micro-fossils. The multi-lighting capability of the VHX 7000, as well as the depth composition and flexible stage and tilt features, allowed the capture of high-quality images on a non-destructive basis. The VHX-7000 is even being used in commercial projects undertaken by the University. A local company approached

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

Fusarium culmorum

Fly

the team with a request to use the VHX-7000 and scanning electron microscope to solve a problem with its production processes. The company was a producer of titanium aerospace fasteners, and a problem with the forging of these items was resulting from contamination in the process. The VHX-7000 captured highly detailed images of the contaminated areas and, in conjunction with the University’s electron microscope, ultimately enabled the company to identify where in the process this problem was occurring – and take appropriate remedial action. Previous winner of an R&D 100 award, the primary advantages of a KEYENCE solution are speed, image quality, image enhancement and the user-friendly operating system, which offers images, prompts and short “how to” guides – making even technically complex features simple to use.

A combination of optics, digital camera, electronics, software, and a wide choice of motorised XYZ and rotating stages, allows performance of all types of inspection and analysis via a single system. This means applications traditionally performed on stereoscopic, metallurgical, measuring and even SEM microscopes can be transferred

Penicillium fungus

Lichen

Coral

Coral invert

to the VHX-7000, as it combines the features of these four types of microscopes in one. The ability to use the optical shadow effect mode also enhances the quality of sample analysis in research, as this function makes it possible to detect surface defects and inconsistencies, rivalling images obtained by a SEM. Richard Duff of the University of Derby commented: “The VHX - 7000 is extremely beneficial to our operations here. It is rapid, repeatable, high-resolution and has a wide variety of image enhancement features, yet is also very easy to use and very quick to train a new user. This is particularly beneficial as we frequently need to train new students to use the system, and its intuitive operating system makes this very straightforward.” “We selected KEYENCE as they are industry leaders and have the best product available in the VHX-7000, along with excellent support. This is our first KEYENCE product – we are delighted with this purchase and when we need to expand our capability in this area, we’ll no doubt be looking to KEYENCE again.” http://www.keyence.co.uk/uniofderbyvhx

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The VHX-7000 allows both 2D and 3D measurements to be carried out in a matter of seconds, swiftly switching between surface features, contamination and grain size among others. The data is saved on the integral 1TB hard drive, with the system then able to generate automatic reports. Millions of images can be saved, then shared via LAN or USB as needed.

Butterfly scales

www.keyence.co.uk

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

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MOXA UNVEILS ITS NEXT-GENERATION INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING SOLUTIONS TO HELP FUTUREPROOF INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION

Moxa Inc., a leader in industrial communications and networking, announced the launch of its next-generation industrial Ethernet switches, the EDS-4000/G4000 Series. The EDS4000/G4000 Series includes 68 models that will help Moxa’s customers build futureproof industrial networks to strengthen operational resilience in industrial spaces such as power, transportation, maritime, and factory automation.

ccording to IDC’s Worldwide IT/OT Convergence 2022 Predictions1, by 2024, 75% of new operational applications deployed at the edge will leverage containerization to enable a more open and composable architecture that is necessary for resilient operations. As industrial automation applications continue to evolve, OT architectures require enhanced networking capabilities and network security.

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“Recently, we have observed that our customers find it more challenging to connect their devices while fulfilling a variety of requirements for critical infrastructure,” said Gary Chang, Product Manager at Moxa Networking Co. Ltd. “Critical infrastructure requires advanced networking solutions that strengthen operational resilience and futureproof networks. Our EDS-4000/G4000 Series portfolio of switches transforms the networking-evolved concept into tangible networking capabilities in order to empower our customers to build secure, reliable, and high-bandwidth industrial networks with ease.”

Evolved Networking Solutions That Strengthen Operational Resilience While OT/IT convergence is accelerating, enhanced network security, high performance, strong reliability, and advanced usability become paramount to building next-generation industrial networks that strengthen operational resilience. • Industry-leading Network Security: The EDS-4000/G4000 Series was the world’s first IEC 62443-4-2 certified Ethernet switches to be certified by IECEE due to the built-in hardened security that was developed by following the stringent software development lifecycle described in the standard. Along with Moxa’s extensive network security portfolio, Moxa helps create a secure network foundation to safeguard and futureproof industrial operations. • Unprecedented Performance for Mass Deployments: As the number of connected devices in industrial operations grows exponentially, the EDS-4000/G4000 Series provides multiple interface combinations with up to 14 ports and a range of options including fast Ethernet, Gigabit, 2.5GbE uplinks, SFP, and IEEE 802.3bt PoE connectivity. This enables customers to connect more devices especially in applications such as intelligent transportation systems that require high-power and high-bandwidth networking. • Multiple Industrial Certifications: The EDS-4000/G4000 Series is certified for NEMA TS2, EN 50121-4, IEC 61850-3/

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IEEE 16132, DNV2, ATEX Zone 23, Class I Division 23, to fulfill the needs of a wide variety of industrial applications. The EDS-4000/G4000 Series also features Turbo Ring and Turbo Chain fast network recovery to ensure smooth operations. • Advanced Usability: The improved web GUI provides a more intuitive way for users to perform configurations and network management. The rotatable power module offers flexibility to field engineers when they are installing devices and maintaining the network. In addition, the LED indicators on two sides of the device help engineers easily identify the status of networking devices, making their job easier. Customer Testimonial “We particularly appreciated the intuitive user interface, the innovative mechanical design with the rotatable power supply module, and the robust DIN-rail mounting kit. The EDS-4000/G4000 Series gives us more confidence to provide futureproof, robust, and secure industrial automation and navigation solutions to our customers on their digital transformation journeys,” said Christian M. Skytte, Head of Product Management, Automation, at Wärtsilä Lyngsø Marine A/S.

EDS-4000/G4000 Series Industrial Ethernet Switch Highlights • Comprehensive portfolio with 68 models, ranging from 8 ports to 14 ports • Multiple interface combinations including fast Ethernet, Gigabit, 2.5GbE, SFP, and IEEE 802.3bt PoE • Developed according to the IEC 62443-4-1 and compliant with the IEC 62443-4-2 industrial cybersecurity standards • Turbo Ring and Turbo Chain (recovery time < 20 ms @ 250 switches4), and RSTP/STP for network redundancy • Rotatable power module to simplify installation and maintenance • Wide range of power input options for flexible deployment • Compact and flexible housing that fits into confined spaces • Supports MXstudio for easy installation, operation, maintenance, and diagnostics To learn more about the EDS-4000/G4000 Series, please refer to the following materials: • EDS-4000/G4000 Series Microsite • Futureproof Networking and EDS-4000/G4000 Launch Video • EDS-4000/G4000 Series Product Introduction Video • Unboxing the EDS-4000/G4000 Series Video I DC FutureScape: Worldwide IT/OT Convergence 2022 Predictions, Doc #US47131521, October 2021. 2 Certification is expected in Q2, 2022. 3 Certification is expected in Q3, 2022. 4 If the port link speed is 1 Gigabit or higher, the recovery time is < 50 ms. 1

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https://youtu.be/v2hqgqUobF4 https://www.moxa.com 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

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AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION – WITH MILLIMETER PRECISION

In the age of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0, intralogistics plays an increasingly important role. The precise transport of goods and materials will become a key factor in efficient production. The mobile transport systems from Evocortex perform this task with unusual means. Also decisive for the realization of their creative technical concept is the power density of the used FAULHABER motors.

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oday, “production” is another word for “complexity.” Products are increasingly being manufactured according to the specifications of individual customers; with IoT integration, even fully automated production with a batch size of just one is possible. Such a large number of variants requires tightly meshed processes that are, at the same time, very flexible. The right parts and components – in a nearly infinite number of variations – must be ready at the individual production stations at the right time.

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AMR on the advance The transport of the material, e.g. between supply points and production systems, is becoming increasingly individualized and should, at the same time, be performed as automated as possible. Mobile robot platforms – known in the industry as autonomous mobile robots (AMR) – are, therefore, on the advance in warehouse and production halls around the world. Focusing on this market is the Nuremberg-based startup Evocortex, which was founded in 2016 with the participation of experienced robot experts. Closely associated with neighboring Nuremberg Tech (Technische Hochschule Nürnberg) and other educational and research institutions, the company entered the market with an entirely new AMR concept. With its products, the company offers creative and innovative solutions for the requirements of modern logistics.

“Conventional AMR often require spatial adaptations to the travel paths or even technical changes to the processes,” explains Managing Director Hubert Bauer. “Optical markings, for example, are needed so that the vehicles can orient themselves; paths and intersections must be of the specified dimensions and curve radii. We, on the other hand, wanted to create transport robots that adapt to the needs of the customer and not the other way around.”

During the initial teach process, the robot moves across the hall floor in a grid pattern. With the help of complex algorithms, a highly precise map is produced from a pattern of individual points. In the future, this will also be performed using self-learning artificial intelligence. In addition, the controller detects the vehicle’s own movement. By

The AMRs can optionally be equipped with additional LIDAR sensors on one or two fronts. These scan the room in the direction of travel and detect obstacles – including those that are moving, such as people who cross the travel path. The vehicle stops immediately to ensure the safety of employees. Unrestricted mobility with Mecanum wheels A normal wheel moves in only the same direction as its axis. To precisely position a vehicle with such wheels, one must maneuver in the same way as when parking a car. To avoid this, the developers at Evocortex opted for the Mecanum wheel. Instead of a closed running surface, barrel-shaped rollers are mounted on its rim. They are fastened at an angle of 45 degrees to the axle of the wheel and can turn about their own angled bearing axis. The shape, size and spacing of the rollers are selected to give the wheel a continuous rolling surface.

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The “fingerprint” of the hall floor indicates the exact position The autonomous mobile robots (AMR) from Evocortex require absolutely no preinstalled guidance system to determine their location and find the right way. They orient themselves simply using the irregularities in the hall floor. Such irregularities can be found even on typical smooth concrete floors and are registered by the robot’s highresolution camera. The camera is located on the underside of the vehicle, captures an area of 10 x 10 centimeters and uses the image data to produce the equivalent of a fingerprint of the hall floor. Behind this ingenious system is the selfdeveloped Localization Module (ELM) from Evocortex.

combining the data, it can – on a theoretical area of one square kilometer – position precisely to within a millimeter. To do this, just three identified points are needed. Even if 50% of the floor is covered with sawdust, the ELM remains unfazed and ensures robust, precise and exact navigation. Permanent new scratches in the floor are added to the map; features that disappear are removed after a certain time.

When the Mecanum wheel turns, two force components arise: in the direction of rotation of the entire wheel as well 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

as at a right angle to the wheel’s direction of rotation. Thus, the resulting direction of movement lies in between: the Mecanum wheel “wants” to move at an angle of 45 degrees to the axial direction. Due to the mobility of the rollers, however, it has no directional stability. If there are additional forces, its own direction of movement can be deflected in any direction. On a vehicle with four Mecanum wheels, each of the 45 degree angles are arranged with a 90 degree offset. Thus, each wheel tries to move in a different direction. By varying the direction of rotation and speed of the individual wheels, the vehicle can be steered in any direction from a standstill or rotated on the spot. On the horizontal plane, it can thus move as freely as a hover car. The Mecanum wheels thereby enable agile and omnidirectional movement of the robot.

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Scalability in millimeter increments The AMR from Evocortex offer yet another dimension of flexibility: they enable a practically unlimited selection of sizes. “If desired, we can adapt our robot to our customers’ requirements in millimeter increments,” emphasizes Hubert Bauer. “Every external dimension between 400 by

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480 and 800 by 1200 millimeters can be realized.” With the EvoRobot R&D and EvoRobot Industrial product lines, these also correspond approximately to the external dimensions of the load-bearing platform. All technology – sensor, controller, lifting unit and wheel drives – are housed beneath the platform. The wheel drive module is a decisive element for this scalability. It is located directly above the wheel and, together with the wheel, forms a standardized, independent function unit. As a result, the wheels can be mounted at any distance from one another. The decisive prerequisite for this arrangement is a powerful motor with very small dimensions. “We took a very close look to determine which motors on the market were candidates for this application,” says Hubert Bauer, recalling the development phase. “Only with FAULHABER were we able to find the power density that we needed. The motors from the competition had no space left for the required torque.” Enormous power, minimal size The wheel modules of the EvoRobot are equipped with DCmotors of the 3257… CR or 3272…CR series. Each is fitted with an IEF3 encoder and a 38/2 S gearhead. For fast stopping and to ensure the wheels remain locked in position once stopped, the wheel motors are also equipped with a brake. “Thanks to the enormous power of these micromotors, the

EvoRobot can transport up to 200 kilograms. Larger loads will be possible soon,” explains Hubert Bauer. “The transport also functions on a ramp with a slope of up to five degrees and a speed of one meter per second.”

from FAULHABER were also very helpful in finding the optimum parameter settings for series production.” https://www.faulhaber.com

The EvoCarrier product line is designed for transporting small load carriers. In the inner workings of this AMR, things are even tighter than with the EvoRobot. Its ground clearance is less than 100 mm. As a result, it can move into extremely low openings below a transported good. Two or four EvoCarriers can also work together to transport pallets or an entire shelving unit. The developers selected a socalled “flat rotor motor” as the drive here – a brushless motor of the 4221… BXT series measuring just 21 millimeters in length. This allows the EvoCarrier to transport floor rollers loaded with small load carriers (KLTs) weighing up to 120 kilograms in total. In the long term, the managing director believes there will be a transition to brushless motors with the EvoRobot as well and the modules will be further standardized. MORE INFORMATION

In addition to the ratio between power and volume, it is above all the zero maintenance and the reliability in continuous operation that play an important role in the operation of the AMRs. “Our requirements in terms of service life are more than satisfied by the FAULHABER motors,” says Hubert Bauer. “In addition, it is of advantage that the drives function with all common industrial controls. The experts 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

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FUZZY LOGIC MAKES ROBOTICS AGILE AT MBDA

MBDA is a leading European manufacturer in the aerospace and armaments sector, specializing in the design of missiles and missile systems for the operational needs of the three branches of the military (army, navy and air force). MBDA France’s Bourges site specializes in the manufacture of tactical missile equipment utilising several key technologies: mechanical manufacturing (metal and composite materials) and electromechanical assembly.

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he company wanted to robotise certain processes in small series or even single unit production, by allowing an operator with no programming skills to teach the robotic system, in just a few seconds, the process to be carried out, and then to execute the cycle with complete confidence without human supervision. Fuzzy Logic’s Repplix™ application software module addresses all aspects of this requirement in a cost-effective manner. The first use case selected was the tedious, manual cleaning of the moulds used to manufacture composites.

Vincent RAFIN, Head of the Factory of the Future Project at MBDA explains: “At MBDA we look for agility when it comes to robotisation. We want to robotise tasks which cause muscolo-skeletal disorders in our operators, and which occur in certain cases in the production of very small series or even single parts, so we need to keep the non-recurring costs of programming as low as possible. Programming a robot to define the trajectories of a laser is not the right approach for small series production, it is time-consuming and costly and has to be done by a roboticist.”

MBDA France’s Bourges site produces numerous small series of composite parts that have to be moulded. Each mould is manually stripped clean before being used in production. This operation is complex: the parts to be treated are diverse and numerous and in each series, the level of residue to be stripped off, and its location may vary. This method of operation is tedious, and it also requires protecting the operator from exposure to toxic substances.

For advice, MBDA turned to Meliad, a recognized expert in the aerospace industry for surface preparation and laser stripping, and to Staubli. The latter recommended Fuzzy Logic for its universal, visual programming solutions.

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

Programming a laser stripper on the fly, with a nonroboticist operator Fuzzy Logic developed Repplix™, an extension of its Fuzzy Studio™ software, in cooperation with MBDA.

not directly linked to the robot. The operator manages the execution and planning of the movement himself using the software and the parametrized alerts. The time needed to programme the mould cleaning operation is slashed from several hours to only a few minutes. Productivity is increased by automating the cleaning operation and the risks for the operator are reduced. This makes robotising this operation profitable, both in terms of HSE and economics. Ryan LOBER, CEO of Fuzzy Logic adds: “With Repplix™, the robot becomes a precision tool in the hands of the operator. Our solution allows him to automate his task in complete autonomy, without any intervention from a specialist. Another advantage is that Repplix™ is designed to start being used immediately, with no real training required. Our solution allows the robotisation of processes where this has previously been impossible. What’s more, we have barely finished the initial application, and already, Repplix™ is being deployed by other users in Europe.”

A portable learning device, controlled by the operator using his knowledge of the application task, teaches the Repplix™ software the first laser alignment. A monitoring function, performed via a real-time digital twin of the robotic installation created in Fuzzy Studio™, takes into account collision monitoring and trajectory feasibility in the robot’s environment. Alert parameters are set up. Trajectory capture combines several process parameters such as laser triggering and power. The operator, who is not a roboticist, is also able to modify the trajectory and process parameters via the graphical interface, even after the learning phase. Then, from this digital twin, the cycle is launched and the robot moves with the laser, guided by the accurate capture of the trajectory learned from the operator. The speed at which the robot operates is set directly in the software, it can differ from the speed in the learning phase. The cycle is performed autonomously by the robot, without the need for operator supervision. The same process, which takes only a few minutes, is done for each new series of moulds.

Jean-Michel DUCHAZEAUBENEIX, CEO of Meliad, details how Repplix™ opens up new perspectives for laser stripping applications: “we offer robotic laser stripping solutions, but this robotisation remains complicated because it has to be done by specialists. Programming a trajectory for a small series, as is the case at MBDA, generates prohibitively high non-recurring costs that directly kill the project. Repplix™ offers us the possibility of rapidly and easily deploying our laser solutions across a wide range of repair or maintenance applications which have been difficult to implement until now, whether they be the aeronautics industry or nuclear or defense.” As Denis GARDIN, MBDA’s Director of Innovation and Future Technologies concludes,“This innovation is the achievement the vision of MBDA engineers and operators who, working in close collaboration with innovative SMEs, have succeeded in taking the first step towards implementing a robotic solution which breaks the cost barrier for a wide range of use cases thanks to programming by non-invasive capture of the operators’ know-how.”

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Repplix™ is a different software solution, uniquely suited to robotising industrial processes like these The solution developed in this way, is executed with millimetre precision, and is capable of extension to even more demanding applications in the future. The manual operation can be reproduced with ease because the learning device is the representation of the real tool and is

Nicolas GAUTIER, Robotics Technical Lead at MBDA, explains: this technological building block is duplicable, it will become available for this first use case in the first quarter of 2022. As well as this, MBDA are already working on extending it to cover new applications. For example, sandblasting, painting, welding or waterjet cutting. These applications all have complex trajectories that need to be programmed. With conventional tools, we would need highly qualified personnel and a great deal of time and so programming them would be very costly. Fuzzy Logic, with Repplix™ has now removed this barrier, which prevented the cost-effective automation of such applications.”

https://www.flr.io/

33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

S M A R T FA C TO R Y

COGNEX PRESENTS PREMIUM DECODING TECHNOLOGY IN A NEW COMPACT BARCODE READER

DataMan 280 series combines modular design, ease of use and latest algorithms for higher throughput.

ognex Corporation introduces the DataMan® 280 series of fixed-mount barcode readers, engineered to solve a broad range of ID applications, including tough 1D, 2D, and Direct Part Mark (DPM) code applications in manufacturing and logistics. “Cognex specializes in decoding the most difficult to read barcodes at the highest speed and accuracy,” said Carl Gerst, Cognex’s Executive Vice President of Products and Platforms. “Optimized with our latest patented decoding algorithms, the DataMan 280 combines advanced technology from Cognex’s premium ID platforms into a compact and costeffective housing.”

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A powerful and operator-friendly reader to speed up production and throughput The DataMan 280 features a high-resolution sensor combined with a dynamic image formation system to improve code handling and coverage. This technology, along with connectivity options for today’s Industry 4.0 manufacturing needs, allows users to read complex barcodes reliably while improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and throughput. Combined with Cognex Edge Intelligence (EI), DataMan 280 provides advanced Industry 4.0 features like easy web browser connectivity, device management, performance monitoring and fast image offload. It allows users to 33 | Industry EMEA | May 2022

configure multiple devices at once and begin trending important system performance metrics in minutes. Facility managers can identify trends and intervene quickly when dips in performance are spotted. Modular configurations and future-proof design for any code reading application The modular hardware including field-interchangeable lights and lenses and latest software algorithms can be configured to solve any barcode reading challenge. DataMan 280 can be configured straight or in right angle for tight spaces and is compatible with most accessories of the DataMan 260 series for easy upgrading. For applications with increased field of view and multi-side scanning at high speeds, multiple readers can be deployed together. The DataMan 280’s modular hardware and software make it ideal for label-based and DPM code reading applications in a wide range of industrial environments. Examples include decoding difficult DPM codes on challenging surfaces of automotive parts, reading and tracking small DPM codes on medical devices or reliably reading barcodes on high-speed packaging lines. Other typical tasks of the DataMan 280 include simultaneous reading of multiple codes, presentation scanning and label-based 1D and 2D code reading on pallets behind reflective foil. www.cognex.com

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