Opportunities in the growing Indian aerospace engineering industry Volume 9 Issue 10 April 2013 Pages 68 `100
Change and Different Thinking Support Winning Record Latest Tooling and Surfacing Technology Advance Ganassi and Kennametal Partnership for Indy Cars
How to make a business fly
MECHATRONICS: Automating the world Gateway to the National Development
The Right Tool at the Right Time Surface Preparation Regulating Wheel Blasting Process
Human-beings tend to invent solutions serving the necessity and aspiration of the entire mankind. In manufacturing sector, one such rapid change in modern times can be seen through the innovations and developments in the Aerospace Industry. By the middle of the last century, global aviation sector had already marked its impression in the economy worldwide. Since the beginning of the last decade, India started reaping the advantages of Aerospace and Aviation Industry in its economy, courtesy to economic liberalization bearing its gradual results. Still much way to go!
Foreword
Dear Readers,
Gone are the days when boarding a flight was a dream for a common man. These days, someone with a fairly decent earning can take a flight by paying for a ticket readily available. But, how many among us give serious thought about the machine that makes the experience a luxury and the arrival a pleasure? The deliberated design, associated aerodynamics, intricate components, extensive testing which make the entire journey comfortable with higher subsonic speeds at elevated altitude are the results of continuous hardships taken by some design and manufacturing facility.
Now-a-days every manufacturing is more or less connected to Mechatronics and therefore, it is taking its position with stark firmness in the manufacturing industry. Almost every device is a result of Mechatronics and in different segments of manufacturing like Material Handling, Automation etc, Mechatronics is being used to get quality products. Miss Anjali Kulkarni, Senior Research Engineer of Centre for Mechatronics, IIT Kanpur has given you an interesting read mentioning slokas from Bhagwad Gita. Also Mr. Jaymin Desai of Hindustan Mechatronics has written an informative article which I am sure that you will enjoy reading. Surface Engineering is playing a pivotal role in the manufacturing process. In the Leader Speak segment, we have explored the latest developments and innovations of Blasting, Painting and Coating talking with the industry people. Much detail inside will definitely keep you duly informed. Apart from this we are having the regular columns, On Face, Case Studies, Corporate Mart, Feature articles and news, views and analysis to keep you updated with the happenings globally in the manufacturing sector. We want your valuable comments and feedback to make MART ‘SMART’! Please do write to me at hiya@martinfotech.in. Keep changing with MART!
Hiya Chakrabarti Associate Editor
MART, in its April issue delves into the Aerospace Industry- the advantages, pitfalls as well as the opportunities in India. Mr. Sridhara Ramachandran, General Manager, Indo-US MIM has given you a detailed overview on this.
Volume 9 Issue 10 April 2013
Cover Feature 8
Mechatronics: Automating the world
12 Mechatronics: Gateway to
the National Development
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Round Up 24 30
Important tips for regulating Wheel Blasting Process
Leader Speak Anand Kishore Modi, Director, Mec Shot
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Spot Light
How to make a business fly
On Face Gautam Ahuja Managing Director Dormer Tools India Pvt Ltd
Regular Columns
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Profit Improvement
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Managing a SME in India
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The New Driver of Today’s Human Capital
A S Shetty
P S Satish
Amith Prakash
Articles 44
Change and Different Thinking Support Winning Record
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EPLAN Data Portal on the up on an International scale
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New: Extrusion-coated ESD plug-type Connectors from Igus
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Worldwide success for new Rotary Axis Calibrator MultiCon = Meter + Controller + Recorder + HMI in one package
Associate Editor Hiya Chakrabarti hiya@martinfotech.in +91 9038 104104 Editorial Advisory Board
A S Shetty Saravjit Singh Manoj Kabre P S Satish
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Surface Preparation, Painting-Coating to Prevent Corrosion in Oil & Gas
Managing Editor Hari Shanker hari@martinfotech.in +91 9743 181818
MRO Dedicated to Quality Chooses FARO
Opportunities in the growing Indian Aerospace Engineering Industry Sridhara “Sri” Ramachandran Vice President & General Manager Aerospace Products Group, Indo-US MIM Tec Pvt Ltd
Annual Subscription `1200 Member INS
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Change Management
Venkatesh B Kabra
Corporate Mart
Baumer Technologies India: Customers benefit of advanced production processes
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Mart Update
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The Last Leaf
J R Mahajan LD Bhakre Mahesh R P
Siji Nair
Assistant Editor
Nilanjan Mitra
Content Editor
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Art & Creative
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Creative Assistant
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Accounts Suresh accounts@martinfotech.in Manager Customer Support
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Edited, Printed, Published and Owned by Hari Shanker A G and Printed by him at Lotus Printers Private Limited, No:32/25, 2nd Main Road, Sir M V Industrial Town, WOC Road, Bangalore – 560 044 and Published from No: 217, 3B Main, OMBR Layout, Bangalore – 560 043. Industrial Business Mart is a monthly journal published from Bangalore. Views and opinions expressed in the journal are not necessarily those of the Publishers. Industrial Business Mart reserves the right to use the information published here in any manner whatsoever. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information published in this edition, neither the Publisher no any of its employees accept any responsibilities for any errors or omissions. © All Rights Reserved
COVER FEATURE
Jaymin Desai
Mechatronics: Automating the world
desai_jaymin@yahoo.com
Mechatronics is an integration of multidisciplinary engineering sciences, that combines Mechanical engineering, Electrical engineering, Control engineering and Computer engineering. French standard NF E 01-010 gives the following definition: “approach aiming at the synergistic integration of mechanics, electronics, control theory, and computer science within product design and manufacturing, in order to improve and/or optimize its functionality”. History:
Artificial Intelligence:
Tetsuro Mori, the senior engineer of the
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the intelligence of machines or software, and is a branch of computer science that studies and develops intelligent machines and software.
Japanese company Yaskawa introduced the term “mechatronics” in 1969. Originally, mechatronics just included the combination of mechanics and electronics; hence, the word is a combination of mechanics and electronics; however, as technical systems have become more and more complex the word has been “updated” during recent years to include more technical areas. Application areas: Robotics: Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application
Major AI researchers and textbooks define the field as “the study and design of intelligent agents”, where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success. John McCarthy, who coined the term in 1955, defines it as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines”.
AI involves the latest generation of the programming language software. One can find good information on this by visiting the web pages shown in the references.
of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing.
Product design and development:
commercial softwares. Following are some of the examples for automobile product.
Product design and development is the
Complete assembly with individual parts is
Robotics finds its place at many of the
crucial stage of any product at any stage
prepared to maintain the master bill of the
areas like industrial robotics, humanoids
of its life cycle. Modern product design
parts.
(Human like robots), surgical robots
process involves following stages:
etc. Robots are very good alternatives of the human beings where hazardous environments are involved or the precision in the work are necessary.
1.3D CAD modeling CAD Model is prepared using various
Air conditioning effect simulation
2.Analysis using virtual simulation and optimization Before actual manufacturing, various virtual analysis techniques are used with the help of commercial softwares like Car assembly line with industrial robots
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CAD modeling
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Automotive: Automobile is the vast implementation domain for the mechatronics systems. In above paragraph, we have seen the involvement of mechatronics for design applications for the automotive domain. It has also a large involvement in the manufacturing processes in the automotive. Robotics assembly lines, manufacturing process like welding, spray painting also are the examples of mechatronics integration. Following figs. help understand the application of mechatronics in automotive domain.
Robotic chassis assembly
Robots programmed to perform a certain task will repeatedly continue the precise operations. This will increase the production rate and production quality.
Robotic chassis assembly
Robotic welding
ANSYS products, for optimization. 3. Model making and testing
optimization, finally the actual model is made and it is tested on the test bed Cooling system simulation for circuit boards
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involving various sensors for data collection
Engine testing bench
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and transfer. Following fig. shows example of engine test bed. Industrial automation: Industrial automation or process automation is the key requirement for mass production or continuous production of the high quality products. A central computer controls the peripheral components like machines, sensors, drives,
Plant automation layout
below and is known as Da-Vinci robot. Artificial limbs and organs are hope for the new life for the disables. It involves mechanical design of the kinematics
robots. These components are connected
system, electronic control system, and
with each other through a central network
communication in between.
containing routers, cables and a data storage device. Following layout gives
Artificial muscles are one of the examples
an insight into the industrial automation systems along with the peripheral devices
systems. 3D imaging devices and surgical
and network.
robots are some of them. It is possible
shown below.
now for a surgeon to operate the patient An automated material handling system is
from remote place with surgical robot and
shown below which includes a conveyer
telemetry system.
system with pick and place robots. Automated material handling
Biomedical and healthcare:
Artificial muscles
Biomedical and healthcare is one of
There are various pneumatic actuators like
the emerging application areas for the
components bunched together to form an
mechatronics systems. Two main inclusions
operating muscle. These components are
are biomedical instrumentation and
flexible and they can expand and contract
artificial limbs. Biomedical instrumentation includes development of equipments with various control mechanisms and vision
Aerospace: Space explorations involves highly precise, automated, robotic mechanisms.
Mars Exploration Rover
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An example of surgical robot is shown
to give a resulting movement similar to human muscles.
A Mars rover is an automated motor vehicle which propels itself across the surface of the planet Mars after landing. Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: they examine more territory, they can be directed to interesting features, they can place themselves in sunny positions to
operated Mars rovers. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory managed the Mars Pathfinder mission and its now inactive Sojourner rover. It currently manages the Mars Exploration Rover mission’s active Opportunity rover and inactive Spirit, and, as part of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, the Curiosity rover.
weather winter months and they can advance the knowledge of how to perform very remote robotic vehicle control.
References: Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaURLs:http://www.journals. elsevier.com/artificial-intelligence/http:// www.aaai.org/home.html
There have been four successful robotically
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COVER FEATURE
Mechatronics: Gateway to the National Development
Anjali Kulkarni anjalik@iitk.ac.in
The word Mechatronics was first coined by a senior engineer of a Japanese company; Yaskawa, in 1969, as a combination of “mecha” of mechanisms and “tronics” of electronics. Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary area and it encompasses various fields of science, engineering and technology. It is a design practice in applying mechanical engineering, electronics, control theory, computer science, electrical engineering, sensor and actuator technologies to improve products or processes. This technology has produced many new products and provided powerful ways of improving the efficiency of the products. Most gadgets and equipment today are a mechatronic device. The applications of mechatronics lies in the fields such as automotive, aerospace, medical, military, rescue operations, transportation, consumer products, material handling, industry automation, etc. Figure 1 best describes mechatronics as is defined and gives its span and presence in various fields of applications. Though the terminology is new, the philosophy has been present in our ancient scriptures. In chapter 18 of Bhagvad Gita, verse 61 presents somewhat the concept
of mechatronics as below. Iswarha sarva bhutanaam, hrudeshey Arjun tishthatibhramayan sarva bhutani yantrarudhaNi mayaya**18.61** Meaning: The Supreme Lord (Controller) is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the travel (motion) of all living entities by material energy (actuator), who are seated on a yantra (machine). The choice of mechatronics is due to its pivotal role in the development of modern mechanical systems as these provide
reliability, functional complexity, efficiency and speed (in productivity and operation). Diploma, UG and PG courses are offered in this field at various polytechnic and engineering colleges across the country. The education system is slowly gearing up to include this emerging course into their curriculum stream. Mechatronics students can choose courses from various fields such as: Mechanical engineering, Materials sciences, Electronic engineering, Computer engineering, and Systems & Control engineering, vision & image processing, embedded systems, microcontrollers,
Iswarha sarva bhutanaam, hrudeshey Arjun tishthatibhramayan sarva bhutani yantrarudhaNi mayaya**18.61** Meaning: The Supreme Lord (Controller) is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the travel (motion) of all living entities by material energy (actuator), who are seated on a yantra (machine).
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Mechatronics being the applied subject is very challenging with many entrepreneur potential. Many small scale business can be initiated in one of the many aspects of the mechatronic product, these are: process design, mechanical design, manufacturing, programming, electronics and electrical control, sensors design and fabrication, to name a few. Due to multidisciplinary nature, mechatronics can form the basis for a wide range of outreach programs. Continuing education programmes, skill development programmes, training and information dissemination, development of a reference library, which will prove good means for improving employability and for training in various priority industry sectors of economy, such as food processing, pharma and chemical products, auto components, textiles, etc.
MEMS design, etc. The graduates are intended to be qualified to work in a number of industries: Automation and robotics, Sensing and control systems, Automotive engineering, Biomedical systems design, Energy and power systems, Machine vision and intelligence, Aerospace engineering, Security systems design, and manufacturing, etc.
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Another aspect of mechatronics being explored is in providing the hands-on technical education for students. This is proving to be fruitful in generating the technological awareness and interest. Competitions at national and international levels, organization of conferences will also help in promoting the knowledge and know-how in the field. Government of India is also promoting by actively supporting these kinds of activities. In my opinion, national development in every sense is through the use and development of technologies and the gateway to this progress leads through the ‘Mechatronics’. The author Anjali Kulkarni is Senior Research Engineer with Centre for Mechatronics, IIT Kanpur.
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SPOT LIGHT
Sridhara Ramachandran sri.r@indo-mim.com
Opportunities in the growing Indian Aerospace Engineering Industry The aerospace industry in India is still in a nascent stage of growth even though aerospace majors from the West have been operating in India for close to a decade now. A number of articles have been written on the changes needed in the industrial approval policy and tax regulatory framework to enable growth. This article will skip these often-covered areas and focus on the opportunities in the manufacturing aspects of the industry.
There are many reasons for the prolonged development stage of the aerospace industry in India. These include lack of understanding of aerospace quality management systems, scarcity of mentors who can bring the best practices from the West to India, scarcity of readily-available talent pool at the operator level and lack of aerospace approved raw materials, machine shops and treatments houses.
a result the Indian aerospace industry is dependent on US and European mills.
Like in any industry which is in the early stages of growth, the above-mentioned gaps offer abundant opportunities in aerospace.
This is beginning to change now with a few distributors building stocking locations in India. A significant catalyst for growth will arise when a mill in India focuses on aerospace and receives quality approvals from the majors.
The size of aerospace business in India in the last decade did not justify stocking locations within India for the distributors. As a result of this chicken-and-egg situation, the industry was not competitive when it came to prices of the finished products they could offer.
located in developed countries. Similar to approvals for manufacturing processes, the Western majors approve laboratories that are focused on material testing. There are no privately-owned laboratories in India that have received approval from the likes of Pratt and Whitney. Quality Management Systems:
Raw Materials: In the aerospace industry, due to the lack of scale in most segments, raw materials have to be procured from distributors who source their supplies from aerospaceapproved mills. There are no mills in India that are certified for aerospace, and as
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Materials Testing: The cost of importing raw materials is high. This is driven even higher when the materials require further testing to aerospace specifications at laboratories
In aerospace, a thorough understanding of quality requirements and a strict adherence and execution to aerospace quality management systems (QMS) determines success. Though aerospace itself originated from the automotive sector, the quality management systems are significantly different in many areas. Many companies fail as they view the QMS as a checkbox and policing entity instead of making it a part of the manufacturing DNA.
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Manufacturing: Within core manufacturing, there are many opportunities in medium to large sized precision machined components, metal fabrications, on-board electronics, manufacturing and machining of composite materials. As machine costs are roughly the same whether it is the US, Europe or India, the economics for manufacturing in India is justified only if the labour content in the value add is much higher than the machine content. When the engineering content in a package is high, Indian companies excel when compared to other Eastern or Far-Eastern competitors. Special Process or Treatments: A majority of aerospace components including structures require chemical treatments to meet the functional and aesthetic requirements called out in the specifications. Various forms of chemical processing, non-destructive testing, heat treatment, welding and plasma coating services are needed in the industry. Aerospace customers would prefer a
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fully-finished component i.e., including treatments, to be supplied at their inbound docks. Again, understanding the stringent requirements and operating to quality standards in the special processes area is a challenge but therein lies the opportunity. Packaging: Packing requirements are stringent in aerospace. After all the value addition and attention to quality, the last leg of manufacturing is even more important. Packing materials approved by aerospace original equipment manufacturers are not easily available in India. Similar to raw materials for manufacturing, raw materials for packing often have to be imported from developed countries.
and Medical industries over the last fifteen years.
Contributions of Indo-US MIM Tec in the Aerospace Industry:
Within six months of operations, we received AS 9100 revision B certification through Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Ltd. We were successfully upgraded from revision B to the more stringent revision C certification last year. In addition to AS certifications, we are also NADCAP approved for various special process services that we offer the industry.
Indo-MIM, as we are referred to by our customers, is the world-leader in the metal injection molding (MIM) industry both by sales and installed capacity. We have successfully penetrated Industrial, Automotive, Sporting Goods, Commercial
After careful industry research and analysis, we set up the aerospace business unit a couple of years ago to offer precision machining and special processes to the aerospace industry. Quality Management Systems:
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India for the Aerospace and Aviation Industry?
Sridhara “Sri” Ramachandran Vice President & General Manager Aerospace Products Group Indo-US MIM Tec Pvt Ltd
What is the scenario of Aerospace Industry globally? The defense budgets are being cut in the US and Europe. At the same time, India and China are increasing their defense spending. It’s a different story in commercial aviation. Commercial aviation all over the world has come back in full force since the slowdown in 2008. IATA has just revised upwards the 2013 profit forecast for commercial airlines throughout the world. Both commercial and defense aviation growth portends well for companies involved in aerospacerelated manufacturing. Which are the weaker links you feel in
Manufacturing: To eliminate the uncertainties and to simplify the supply chain, Indo-MIM has established the precision machining and treatments on one campus. Hence, it offers fully finished components to the aerospace industry through a one-stop shop solution. We have successfully delivered many work packages from the machine shop and treatments plants to aerospace customers in India, Europe and USA. In addition to machining and treatments,
Lack of a critical mass in distributors of aerospace grade raw material, no aerospace certified mills and scarcity of talent pool at the shop level are the weaker links in Indian Aerospace and Aviation industry. Major steps have been taken by IndoMIM to uplift the Aerospace Industry in India. When do you feel India will become eligible to compete with the global giants in Aerospace sector? We have to first walk before we run and we have to run enough and train intensively to compete in a marathon. Indian aerospace industry is at the early stages of walking. This does not mean the industry is not attractive to work in. It is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of shaping the aerospace future in India. To be ready to compete with the global giants in aerospace will take another 10 to 15 years. Tell us about your future plans as a manufacturer in Aerospace Industry in
we have introduced the advanced metal injection molding technology to the aerospace industry. Material and technology certifications for MIM’s acceptance in aerospace are in progress.
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Indo-MIM is already working with and getting the attention of a number of aerospace majors from India, US and Europe. Our focus in the short-term is on perfect execution in all the projects in progress. In the medium-term, our goal is to enter into key programs in aerospace that are being driven by the OEMs. With solid execution in our short-term and medium-term goals, we are confident we will be the supplier of choice for various long-running aerospace programs. We will continue to expand our capabilities in the manufacturing and special processes domains. How is the economic slowdown hitting the Aerospace Industry? What are the preventive measures taken by Indo-US MIM Tec to combat the current slowdown? We are not seeing a slow down. Aerospace industry in the West as well as in India is growing and will continue to grow over the next decade. Indo-MIM’s objective is to contribute to the success of aerospace industry in India and the world.
Whitney USA and from tier one companies including Meggitt PLC and Rafael (Israel). Indo-MIM is the first company in India to be approved by Pratt & Whitney’s Materials Control Laboratory for NDT (FPI and MPI) and Chromic Acid Anodizing processes.
Special Processes: To address the one-stop shop strategy, we have invested significantly in the special process lines. We offer NDT, chemical processing, painting and surface enhancement technologies to the aerospace industry. The special processes shop is open to third-party work and is not captive to to Indo-MIM’s aerospace machine shop. The NDT, chemical processing (chromic acid, sulphuric acid and conversion coating lines) and painting lines are NADCAP approved. We have also received the prestigious quality approvals from OEM aerospace major Pratt &
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India.
To add to the above services and contributions, we have undertaken and delivered assembly services relevant to the work packages we are currently manufacturing at Indo-MIM. For the aerospace industry to be successful in India, it is necessary to develop an ecosystem of aerospace companies, with each member in the ecosystem having a significant critical mass of business. The Indian government’s purchases in the defence sector have generated billions of dollars in offset obligations for aerospace companies in the Western hemisphere. But, the aerospace ecosystem in India is not yet ready to absorb the offset spending. The investor’s mindset in aerospace needs to be long-term and requires patience. Indo-MIM, through its operations, is doing its best to contribute to the success of aerospace industry in India. April 2013
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SPOT LIGHT
enquiry-india@faro.com
MRO Dedicated to Quality Chooses FARO “The support that we have received from FARO has been exceptional. From the very beginning, FARO has gone out of their way to answer any question and help solve any situation we have had,” said Brad Heath, AMES’ Director of Component Repair & Overhaul. “I would highly recommend FARO to anyone.” Solution In looking for a better solution, AMES was primarily interested in mobility, in a portable solution. They wanted a solution that they could not only move around, but one they could take to the different parts and even different locations where they needed an inspection tool. After doing a market search, AMES decided to go with a FARO solution due to the reputation of FARO’s products and because FARO’s portable CMMs are both mobile and versatile. After seeing a product demonstration at their facility and on their specific parts, AMES acquired an 8-ft FaroArm Quantum withPolyWorks® software. The FaroArm is very easy to use and the technology was quickly accepted. In fact, AMES continually finds new uses for their FaroArm in their dayto-day operations. They utilize their arm for inspection purposes and for reverse engineering. The portability, automatic reporting, and accuracy are key features that they rely on. Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services (AMES) is a one-stop, total solution aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) provider. AMES (www.airbornemx. com) provides heavy maintenance, line maintenance, engineering and manufacturing, component repair and overhaul, and material sales. As a state-of-the-art repair station AMES has all of the equipment necessary to provide a total quality product. Operating out of Wilmington, Ohio with line maintenance stations in Erlanger, Kentucky and Miami, Florida, AMES is a FAA/EASA 145 Repair Station. The AMES Component Repair & Overhaul Facility as well as theirEngineering & Manufacturing Departments are AS9100:2004 and ISO9001:2008 certified. Built on a 30-year airline maintenance legacy, AMES offers the experience, equipment, and efficiency critical to delivering highquality, cost-effective MRO services.
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Problem As you can imagine, AMES works with aircraft parts and components. These parts range in size from 2-3 inches up to 8 feet. AMES deals in so many different parts because they are received through repair orders and/or the parts are received during Heavy Maintenance visits. This makes it difficult because the parts have to be turned quickly. Often these parts would be measured and inspected using traditional tools such as calipers, micrometers, and dial bore gages. The problem with these types of tools is that they just aren’t fast enough for AMES’ needs and did not provide an easy reporting ability. “We were very limited in the type of inspections we could perform due to the hand measuring devices we were utilizing,” said Brad Heath, AMES’ Director of Component Repair & Overhaul.
Return on Investment “The FaroArm has made a great improvement in our ability to reduce our scrap rates,” said Mr. Heath. “It has reduced setup and tear down times with its ability to measure parts directly on the machine. I would say our overall quality has increased using FARO. For AMES, deciding to switch to FARO has meant reduced scrap, time and money savings, and new capabilities and customers gained.” Inspections for most parts have been reduced from one and a half hours down to only thirty minutes. Best of all, AMES was able to see a total return on their investment within nine months. From that point, it’s about continued efficiency and savings. “The support that we have received from FARO has been exceptional,” said Mr. Heath. “From the very beginning, FARO has gone out of their way to answer any question and help solve any situation we have had.
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SPOT LIGHT
How to make a business fly
Matt Bailey press@mbmc-uk.com
Over the last 15 years, UK based SA Group has carved a niche in the aviation maintenance field. Its success depends on specialist knowledge, diversification, and a willingness to invest in people and technology, including Haas CNC machines, as founder and managing director Duncan Hammond, explains. spares for lots of different clients and airframes – we were no longer restricted to servicing the 146 RJs. “However I knew we couldn’t compete just doing basic machining work. This was clear from the major machinery auctions at the time, where all I kept seeing were the same old machines we were already running. Very rarely did I see any modern 5-axis machines. That convinced me that to compete we needed to go as cutting edge as we could afford. Thankfully, it turned out that two of our employees knew the local Haas salesperson, Danny Sullivan.
When Specialist Aviation (now SA Group) started in 1995, it specialised in sourcing spare parts for the BAE 146 Regional Jet (RJ). “I used to work in BAE’s purchasing department,” says Duncan, “so I have contacts around the world: I know who is in the market for parts and, more importantly, who has aircraft leases expiring. That matters because when contracts end there are often spare parts left over for sale. “We therefore provide a valuable service for aircraft companies who can’t afford to deal with numerous suppliers. We consolidate their orders and deliver the parts wherever they need them; whether to aircraft grounded at airports because of a fault or in maintenance for their C-check (which is like an MOT). Our clients have included Flybe in Exeter, Marshalls in Cambridge and British Aerospace (which became BAE Systems in 1999). “It was partly thanks to BAE that we moved into manufacturing. We supplied spare parts for their ground support equipment but we didn’t make anything in house.
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However, we had the opportunity to acquire a local company called Bowman and Sanderson (B&S), who made the parts that BAE needed, so we bought their stock and took on their employees and machinery. We asked BAE to audit the company and give it manufacturing clearance. It was then that we started getting asked to quote for 5-axis work and I discovered the benefits of Haas CNC machines.” Opportunity in diversity By his own admission, Duncan “knew nothing about machining.” However, the B&S deal had equipped SA with over 20 very skilled employees including two people who could operate CNC machines. “B&S had two CNC machines and their systems were ISO approved, with very good traceability, which is what BAE wanted. So B&S did the manufacturing, and SA did the project management, including handling the finishing process and the paperwork. This was a good way to diversify because we could start making
“Danny was great. He came to see me and showed me the Haas machines on the internet. Then he arranged for me to visit a customer in Birmingham who had a 5-axis machine. That customer was very helpful: in particular, he gave me valuable advice on the CAD CAM package to use – DELCAM. Apparently, his team had tried two or three others but couldn’t get on with them, so that was good to know. He also said that although they had had a couple of issues with the machines, mainly things they had done wrong, Haas had sorted them out very quickly – in fact, he couldn’t say enough good things about Haas. Investing for the future “Naturally, we got competitive quotes from other machine tool suppliers, but the Haas machines turned out to be quite exceptional value for money – and the service was excellent. So we bought our first Haas 5-axis in 2009 and haven’t looked back. That’s not to say we didn’t go through a massive learning curve with the software and the machines in our first year, but our CNC programmer went on the DELCAM and Haas training courses and just picked it up. It was an investment that
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paid off because one of our guys had won some work from the Force India F1 team (formally Jordan F1). They needed some help and we were able to step in and make a few components for them. “The second year was a very different story. We did some 50 to 60 jobs in a quarter of the time – we just ploughed through them. These were still mould tool components but we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Since then we have really strengthened our skills set. We’ve worked on plastic injection mould tooling, aluminium components for aerospace clients, and titanium pieces for Force India, which they use in the composite parts for the front of their cars. We are also experimenting with honeycomb machining, which is very difficult to hold securely. We freeze the part in ice, which helps to preserve the thin walls of the honeycomb while it’s being machined. The ice melts very quickly, so we have a matter of minutes to take the cuts. “We mainly use the 3-axis capabilities on the Haas machines for our aviation industry work but they have also enabled us to offer new services to important customers like BAE and the MOD. For example, BAE April 2013
doesn’t have models for many ground support components that they designed over 30 years ago but we can use Haas CNC programs to reverse engineer and re-model them. We do the same for the MOD with their obsolete stock. So we’ve gone from being a novice to being a very competent and confident manufacturer in just over two years. Skilled people, advanced technology, robust systems “That diversification has been very important for our business, particularly in these difficult times. We now have two main business units – manufacturing and spare parts – and don’t rely on either one. We have continued to develop the spares business and last year started buying old aircraft to tear down for parts. We broke down two aircraft in 2010 and are already on to our second for this year, with another ‘waiting in the wings.’ “As a result, we have been able to continue growing. We now employ 25 people; we are working towards gaining SC21 supply chain approval from the Society of British Aerospace Companies, and last year we moved to new facilities. With more space, and a pick-up in business, we have been able to invest
in three more Haas machines: two VF3SS 5-axis Vertical Machining Centres and a TM1 Toolroom Mill. These complement our existing machines: a Haas VF4SS, an SL10 Turning Centre and three other mills. Our plan is to upgrade our old machines gradually, until we use only Haas. “The increased speed, flexibility and accuracy of the Haas machines will help us do more prototype work in the developing aerospace industry, which is very interesting and has a lot in common with our F1 work. More importantly,” concludes Duncan, “our long-term investment in people and technology should help us achieve European Aviation Safety Agency recognition as a Part 21J Design Organisation would enable us to manufacture air-worthy components. Now that would really give our business a lift.”
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ON FACE
“The Right Tool at the Right Time” Dormer is one of the world’s foremost producers of solid carbide and high speed steel rotary cutting tools, with a reputation for quality, innovation and brand leadership. A comprehensive and ever-evolving product range covers a wide range of applications within the operations of drilling, reaming, milling and threading. A key member of the Sandvik group, Dormer has operations in more than 40 markets serving over 100 countries worldwide. Gautam Ahuja, Managing Director, Dormer India talk to MART about the current market and future plans.
“Corruption is still one of the major evils of society, and it is the responsibility of every citizen of India, to help curb it” Goutam Ahuja
India is striving hard to expand its capabilities in Automobile, Aerospace and various other new segments. How the Cutting Tools Industry is taking up the challenges? What are the strategies taken by Dormer? As India is expanding its capabilities in Automobile, Aerospace, and the Energy sector, we are getting new materials, which are generally difficult to machine. The Cutting Tool Industry is very innovative and is always taking up the challenge. Various combinations of chip geometry with base materials and special coatings are being evolved to meet up to the expectations of the industry. Dormer is one of the world’s foremost producers of solid carbide and high speed steel rotary cutting tools, with a reputation for quality, innovation and brand leadership. Dormer has newly launched a large range for different materials, and is expanding its range on a regular basis. Dormer has operations in more than 40 markets serving over 100 countries worldwide. How well India is playing the role in the company’s growth? Dormer has a large global network serving over 100 countries worldwide, and is celebrating its centenary year in 2013, being very proud to have completed 100 years. India is a high potential market, and that is the reason, we have had the Global launch in India for the indexable range of cutting tools – Carboloy. You have a wide range of products. Which are the major products sold in India? A comprehensive and ever-evolving product range covers a wide range of applications within the operations of drilling, reaming, milling and threading. Most of the products are sold in India, and now we are focusing on the Carboloy range also. Dormer SmartChoice is a simple and highly efficient online application to help you to select the most suitable tool from the extensive Dormer range of products Your Sales Network and Product delivery Logistics? We have already doubled our sales network of distributors in India and have appointed distributors in most of the Industrial towns in India. By harnessing the very latest communications technology, Dormer provides e-commerce ordering functionality, interactive training programmes and extensive technical support. The pan-continental logistics systems ensure unrivalled product availability and delivery lead times. Our slogan “The Right Tool at the Right Time” is most apt.
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known for this and some machines coming from Europe are tooled up by Dormer. Can you please brief about your manufacturing plants worldwide? Dormer has a large no. of manufacturing facilities, mainly concentrated in Europe. Carboloy, a world-class facility has been launched globally from India during IMTEX 2013. Tell us something more about this?
What are the essential factors in empowering Machine Tools Industry? How Dormer is successful in implementing this? The Machine Tools Industry is quite developed in India. Most of the world’s largest machine manufacturers are also operating in India. However, they have to be cost conscious and have to compete with machines coming from Korea, Taiwan, China etc. The machine tool industry needs innovative tools, which reduces cycle time and produces consistent quality. Dormer is
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Carboloy is known for solving customer’s ever-increasing demands for greater productivity, quality and cost-effectiveness. Carboloy secures a consistent product quality through rigid methods and quality standards in its production facilities in Europe. Carboloy is getting a very good response from customers, since the tests are outperforming most competitors. What about your plans of manufacturing facilities in India? Having a manufacturing facility in India is what Dormer will look forward to in the near future, after gaining a reasonable market share. What are the next expansion plans for Dormer in India? Dormer is very keen to expand its market share in India. With a vision to be a major player in the Indian Cutting Tool market,
the sales team is being strengthened to support the distributors. What’s your say on current global economy? The current global economy is very weak, and uncertain. In the initial months of 2013, one does not expect it to be better than the previous year. In India, Car Sales have recorded negative growth in 2012-13. The fall has come after a decade, due to the slowing economy and continuance of high interest rates, which kept the buyer sentiment at its lowest. The second half of 2013 is expected to be better, and there are chances of revival of the economy though at a slow pace. According to you what are the weaker links in the Indian Industry while comparing globally? While compared globally, the weak links in the Indian Industry are the high interest rates, compounded with inflation. The infrastructure needs to be upgraded at a very fast pace, to bring it at par with other nations. Though, there has been improvement in the way of doing business in India, still a lot needs to be done, to simplify the procedures at every level, and bring in more transparency. Corruption is still one of the major evils of society, and it is the responsibility of every citizen of India, to help curb it.
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ROUND UP
Surface Preparation, Painting-Coating to Prevent Corrosion in Oil & Gas
Santosh Gupte santosh@icoasiapac.com
In recent years the importance of surface finish-roughness, painting-coating has gained attention in Oil & Gas field significantly. Most of the equipment manufactured for various applications during drilling oil wells or exploring it, or transporting or refining are required to follow very stringent norms of standards and specifications. These standards and specifications are becoming far more particular about surface finish, painting and coating requirements. These all stringent requirements are contributing to increase the life of equipment by protecting wear, corrosion and damages due to environment. This article is aimed to give an overview of corrosion, it’s prevention and how surface finish or surface coating helps to prevent the corrosion or detrimental effects of corrosive environment specifically in Oil & Gas Industry. Corrosion:
Types of Corrosion:
Corrosion is defined as the destruction or deterioration or oxidation or dissolution of a material because of its reaction with environment. It can also be defined in simple terms as “getting rusted”.
A. Direct Oxidation B. Atmospheric Corrosion C. Electro Chemical Corrosion D. Galvanic Corrosion E. Bacterial Corrosion F. Stress Corrosion G. Corrosion resulting from differential aeration. (O2 deficiency)
Iron or Steel, oxidizes into iron oxides which are weaker than steel. Please bare in mind that the rust of metal (in case of Iron, its Iron Oxides, are the equilibrium state of the metallic reaction circle) Both moisture and air (oxygen) are required for the corrosion of steel to take place. The corrosion of steel is an electrochemical reaction between steel and the surrounding medium. The Iron (Steel) acts in life circle as follow:
Now let us talk about Oil & Gas Industry and it’s operational conditions in various phases such as Upstream, Downstream and Transportation.
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Typical Examples of Corrosion in Oil & Gas Industry: 1. H2S corrosion – metal loss –Formation of a thin protective FeS surface film often means general corrosion rates are low on steels –Main risk is localised pitting corrosion where film is damaged –Pitting will be galvanically driven
Typical UPSTREAM & DOWNSTREAM Conditions: •Temperature –Typical E&P process temperatures range from 100ºC to >200ºC –Corrosion rates increase with temperature •Pressure –Pressure: up to 10,000psi –Increase partial pressure of dissolved gases
In Oil & Gas industry, the total loss due to Corrosion and Erosion (Wear) is calculated approx US$ 500 Billion. In India it is approx 36,000 Crores of Rs. Which is, huge and with proper care (preventive actions) it can be minimized to 50% of it was in the year 2010.
•Flowrate & flow regime –High-flow: erosion and corrosion-erosion. –Low-flow or stagnant conditions promote bacteria
Chemical Reaction: H2S is soluble in water –Produces a weak acid and lowers the pH H2S » H+ + SH–At low concentrations, H2S helps form protective FeS film –Main risk is localised pitting corrosion which can be rapid H2S also poisons combination of atomic hydrogen into molecular hydrogen H+ + e- H H + H H2 April 2013
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STEEL STRUCTURES Corrosion in structural elements is important depending upon environment. The rate of corrosion of depends upon how long the steel remains wet. The protection problem arises from rain rapidly saturating the outer skin, particularly through mortar joints, and wetting the exposed steelwork. The design should ensure adequate drainage the steelwork. Various parts of connections need to be protected by a coating system including high performance paint systems. Based on need stainless steel, weathering steel or hot dip galvanized connections/fasteners are to be considered.
2. Sulphide stress cracking (SSC) Key parameters: •pH and pH2S –Domain diagrams for carbon steel •Material hardness –High strength steels and areas of high hardness susceptible. •Temperature –Maximum susceptibility at low temperatures for carbon steels (15-25°C), higher for CRAs (5-70°C). •Stress –Cracking promoted by high stress levels e.g. residual welding
Flow regimes with particles in the gas show higher erosion rates than those with particles in the liquid phase. Apart from above 4 types of corrosion, there are many other corrosion mechanisms such as Galvanic Corrosion, Pitting, High Temperature Corrosion, CUI, Crevice Corrosion, Biological Growth Corrosion, Chemical Corrosion, etc. It will not be possible to discuss all of the types of corrosions, in this article. CORROSION PREVENTION & CONTROL
3. CO2 CORROSION •CO2 always present in produced fluids –Corrosive to carbon steel when water present –Most CRAs have good resistance to CO2 corrosion. Mechanism CO2 + H2O H2CO3 H2CO3 + e- HCO3- + H 2H H2 Fe Fe2+ + 2eFe + H2O + CO2 FeCO3 + H2 4. EROSION & EROSION-CORROSION Various multi-phase flow regimes possible; −erosion characteristics −distribution of phases −carrier phase for solids
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Generally, the metal selected or protective system applied to the metal should be such that no corrosion occurs at all, but this is seldom technologically or economically feasible. It is necessary, therefore, to tolerate a rate and a form of corrosion that will not be significantly detrimental to the properties of the metal during the anticipated life of the structure. Generally corrosion rate up to 225 m/year in case of bare plain carbon structural steel and up to 100 m/year in case of stainless steel are tolerated. However, suitable protection must be employed, if corrosion penetration in bare condition exceeds 1,500 m/year for mild steel and 500 m/ year in case of stainless steel.
Nowadays hollow sections are used very efficiently for steel structures and Inner surface of these sections need protection if the section is sealed. Completely open sections, e.g. box girders, may require internal protection. Galvanizing, fusion bonded epoxy coatings or chemical resistant paints are all possible solutions. Sheet profiles used, as cladding is available with hot dip zinc or zinc/aluminium coated for protection
PROTECTION OPTIONS Design Stage: Designs can never be absolute and often there is a tendency for compromise based on cost and availability of materials and resources. The prevention of corrosion should be taken into account during the design and detailing stage of a project itself. The following points are to be taken into consideration. Figure 3 provides typical design tips. • Entrapment of Moisture and Dirt/ Radius edges and corners • Provide vent-holes and drain-holes for items to be hot-dip galvanized • Provide adequate access for metal spraying, paint spraying, etc. • Flat surface, Ease of maintenance • Contact with other Materials &Coating Application Material selection - At ordinary atmospheric temperatures oxidation of steel takes place in the presence of moisture. Therefore the only way to prevent the atmospheric oxidation is to
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create a barrier between the steel surface and the atmosphere. Weather resistant steel rusts at a much lower rate than plain carbon steels and under a favourable climatic condition develops an impervious adherent rust layer of hydrated iron oxide over the surface of steel. This acts as a protective film, which with time causes the corrosion rate to reduce reaching a terminal level usually between 2-3 years. Paint systems suitable for conventional structural steel are equally applicable for weather resistant steel, whenever painting is required to further enhance corrosion resistance. MAJOR PROTECTION METHODS Quite apart from the simple fact that the methods of protection are by no means universally applicable, choice is partly governed by the actual environmental
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condition, air movement, etc. The protection methods can be divided into the following categories. 1. Controlling electrode potential by applying cathodic/anodic protection. 2. Addition of corrosion inhibitors to the environment 3. Applying organic or inorganic protection coatings. 4. Inorganic/Metal Coatings or Organic/ Paint Systems Sacrificial metal coating/cathodic protection is used extensively and coating material is zinc, Al, Mg and their alloys whose electrode potentials are more negative than Fe or steel. Al/Zn/Mg provides cathodic protection to iron and
steel. For many applications metal-spray coatings are further protected by the subsequent application of paint coatings. A sealer is first applied which fills the pores in the metal spray coatings and provides a smooth surface for application of the paint coating. SURFACE PREPARATION Metal surface is covered with a paint system, which is able to prevent or delay the corrosion of the metal surface. Durability of each paint system is a function of surface preparation and this may be done by various methods depending upon the situation/locations. There are several standards like SSPC, Sa, NACE etc corresponding to Hand and power tools, Blast cleaning, Flame cleaning, Wet (Abrasive) blast cleaning, Commercial metal cleaners and Acid Pickling.
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Surface preparation also gives a proper surface for bonding in case the next process is surface facing or lining for making the surface harder. To protect from wear or erosion.
–Binder or resin forms the bulk of the dried paint film. It gives of its mechanical and weathering properties.
Surface finish also plays an important part in surface wear and fatigue cracking.
–Pigment is the colored part of the coating. It is dispersed into fine particles with the binder.
Grades of surface finish The following four preparation grades (in accordance with ISO 8501-1) are recognized: • Sa 1 - Light blast-cleaning • Sa 2 - Thorough blast-cleaning • Sa 21⁄2 - Very thorough blast-cleaning • Sa 3 - Blast cleaning to visually clean steel Following are the typical standards and their requirements for surface preparation. SURFACE PROTECTION METHODS
2. Pigment
3. Solvent –Solvents are used to dilute the Binder. There are normally several solvents in one coatings, each performing a different task. 4. Additive –Additives are chemicals which when used in small quantities can improve certain properties of a wet paint or a cured film. TYPES OF PAINT Organic
1. PHOSPHATING
a. Epoxy b. Phenolic Epoxy c. Poly Urethane d. Acrylic
2. ACID PICKLING
Inorganic
3. PLATING
1. Silicone 2. Ethyl Zinc Silicate
4. PAINTING
GENERIC PAINT CHARACTERISTICS For ease of reference a generic description of the paints with a specific characterization of some of their properties, is given below. High solids, amine-cured epoxies : Polyamine-cured epoxies generally have a good resistance to chemicals and solvents. High build, polyamide-cured epoxies: Polyamide-cured epoxies exhibit a longer potlife, superior flexibility and durability compared with amine-cured epoxies. They possess adequate chemical resistance. High build, aliphatic polyurethanes: Two component isocyanate-free urethanes produce extremely hard, resistant and durable coatings. Aliphatic urethanes are preferred over aromatic urethanes because of their excellent durability and gloss retention.
PAINTING Paint normally contains 1. Binder 2. Pigment 3. Solvent 4. Additives 1. Binder
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Phenolic epoxies: Two component, high build, amine-cured phenolic epoxy coatings have excellent resistance to a wide range of solvents and (organic) acids. (Alkyl) zinc silicates: Two component, moisture curing, zinc (alkyl) silicate coating, containing a minimum of 87% metallic zinc, is a hard, abrasion resistant coating that can withstand temperatures up to 600 °C.
Aluminium pigmented silicates: One component, (alkyl) silicate, zinc-free coating is suitable for temperatures up to 600 °C. Aluminium silicones: Aluminium pigmented, silicone resin-based paint. Heat resistant up to 450 °C. A minimum temperature of 200 °C is required for 2 hours to obtain a sufficient cure. Silicone acrylics: One component, aluminium (or colour) pigmented acrylicmodified silicone resin. Heat resistant up to 350 °C. Full cure can be achieved at ambient temperature. Zinc-rich epoxy primer: Solvent free epoxies: Two component, epoxy-based primer. Developed to provide sacrificial protection to steel surfaces. Solvent free epoxies: Two component, amine-cured, modified epoxies without solvent. They can be applied as a heavy duty coating up to 700 m thick. Polysiloxane: Two component, inorganic polysiloxane. Used for heat resistance (continuous and cyclic) up to 1110 C. Current experience with this coating is good but still very limited. Thermally sprayed metal coatings: Thermally sprayed metallic coatings may be used in applications where organic coatings are ineffective or cause product contamination. INSPECTION AND TESTING The following coating inspections and tests is carried out in Oil & Gas Industry: 1. SURFACE CONTAMINATION Tests indicating the extent of substrate contamination as a result of iron, chlorides and dust are specified in ISO 8502-1, ISO 8502-2 and ISO 8502-3, respectively. 2. WET FILM THICKNESS, WFT Spot checks shall be carried out during the course of the painting operation to ensure that film thickness is being maintained. These shall be performed according to the procedure described in ISO 2808, Method No. 7B. 3. DRY FILM THICKNESS, DFT ISO 2808, Method No.6, describes the test techniques suitable for measurement of the dry film coating thickness. 4. HOLIDAY TESTING Holiday testing shall be conducted in accordance with ASTM D 5162 on April 2013
equipment where the continuity of the coating is important, for example internal tank linings which are subjected to corrosive conditions. The Principal shall specify the maximum number of holidays permissible. 5. ADHESION The adhesion of the primer to the steel substrate and the intercoat adhesion of the subsequent coat(s) after curing shall be determined by the application of either a cross-cut test in accordance with ISO 2409 or a pull-off test described in ISO 4624. 6. INSPECTION RECORDS AND REPORTS Generally following reports are included for reporting and review: General o- Names of personnel and their certifications. o- Dates when work was carried out. Materials preparation - Equipment and techniques used. - Materials receipt condition. - Type and calibration of instruments used. Environmental conditions - Weather and ambient conditions. - Painting periods
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Surface preparation - Condition of surface before preparation. - Tools and methods used to prepare surface. - Condition after preparation. Paints and painting - Information on systems being applied. - Mixing and testing prior to application. - Paint application techniques. Testing - Type of quality control checks carried out, and results. - Compliance or otherwise with specification. Some of the International Standards used in Oil & Gas Industry. AMERICAN STANDARDS 5162
ASTM D
Standard practice for discontinuity (holiday) testing of non- conductive protective coating on metallic substrates Issued by: American Society for Testing and Materials 1916 Race Street Philadelphia, Pa 19103 USA.
BRITISH STANDARDS BS 4800 Paint colours for building purposes Issued by: British Standards Institution 389 Chiswick High Road London W4 4AL England, United Kingdom. GERMAN STANDARDS RAL - colour cards Issued by: RAL BornheimerstraĂ&#x;e 180 D-5300 Bonn 1 Germany. ISO Paints and Varnishes - Cross-cut test for adhesion ISO 2409 Paints and varnishes - Determination of film thickness ISO 2808 Paints and Varnishes - Pull-off test for adhesion ISO 4624 Issued by: International Organisation for Standardisation, 1 Rue de Varembe CH-1211 Geneva 20 Switzerland. Copies can also be obtained from national standards organisations.
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ROUND UP
Important tips for regulating Wheel Blasting Process
Chirag Modi sfec@sify.com
Wheel blasting machines have very high outputs and it is very important to maintain a consistent degree of efficiency. The following points, if kept under constant supervision, will ensure a consistent degree of efficiency in the centrifugal blasting process. 1. The Abrasive Feed : It is important to understand that shots continuously break down during the blasting process. The broken Shots and fines are removed through Separator and Dust Collector. Hence it is a must to replenish abrasive at regular intervals. Any drop in abrasive feed will lead to a longer blasting time or incomplete finish. It is advisable to install shot level indicators interlocked with an Auto Shot Replenisher. This will ensure that there is consistent feed of abrasive to the Blasting Wheel. 2. Control Cages : It is one of the most vital components which ensures that the abrasive is thrown in the right direction. However, most Users
do not pay any attention to its adjustment. A worn out Control cage will not only effect the efficiency of the machine but will cause severe damage to the very fabric of the machine.
subsequent operations such as machining, bonding or painting etc. Effective and economical abrasive mixes contain a size range from small, medium to large particles.
3. The Abrasive Type :
The choice of an abrasive for a particulate application is that of finish. Hence, it is very important to carry out the sieve analysis of operating mix and ensure that the desired percentage of each grade is maintained. It is a good practice to have a procedure of inspecting incoming abrasives.
One of the most important factors for blast cleaning efficiency is selection of the right kind of abrasive. Before selecting the type and size it is advisable to seek an Expert’s opinion. Once the correct abrasive is chosen, care must be taken to ensure the proper operating mix. An improper operating mix can adversely affect the efficiency of blast cleaning efficiency. A balanced work mix size distribution produces a better, more uniform surface profile, best suited for
4. The Separator : A very critical component of any blast cleaning machine, its main function is to remove debris and contaminants from the abrasive and maintain the proper operating mix. The separator should be inspected regularly an improper separator can increase abrasive consumption as good usable abrasive will be moving out of the system. One should regularly carry out sieve analysis of the refuse from the trash tube and ensure that good abrasive should not find its way to the trash pipe or the dust collector. In such a situation a thorough inspection of the separator and dust collector should be carried out. Possible reasons could be bags burst in the dust collector thereby disturbing the line balancing or may be a leakage between the abrasive hoper and the expansion chamber. 5. The Ammeter: The amperage reading of the motor indicates the volume of abrasive thrown. Once the correct amperage reading is ascertained the endeavor should be to ensure constant amperage. To achieve this, it is necessary to ensure proper abrasive feed as spell out in Sl. No. A
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higher amperage reading may lead to over blasting and lower amperage reading will lead to longer cycle time. This situation is inefficient and in consequence expensive. It is best to have a system wherein if the ampere drops below the set ampere the machine aborts setting off an alarm. 6. Wheel Efficiency : Wheel efficiency is defined as below : Wheel efficiency = Actual wheel amperage – Amperage when the wheel is running free ____________________ Wheel motor rating – Amperage when the wheel is running free Based on the above, one can determine the wheel efficiency. An important factor is the value of amperage when the wheel is running free, the higher the value the less potential energy available to drive the abrasive. It is very important to monitor both the no load current and load current. An abrupt increase in the no load current is an indication of a bearing failure in the motor or the wheel bearing unit. 7. Housing Keeping : One has to accept the fact that spillage of abrasives around machines is inevitable.. It could be because of carry over or it could be a hole worn in the fabric of the machine or it could be a worn out vestibule. Flying abrasives can be very serious in nature if the holes are at eye level. Proper care and attention should be taken to ensure that there are no flying abrasives because of a worn out fabric or vestibule. As regards the carry over these have to be regularly put back into the machine to ensure that proper operating mix is maintained.
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8. Wheel Hour Meter: This unit indicates the running hours of the wheel in blasting time. It however does not indicate the change in the volume of abrasive. However, if a constant volume of abrasive is maintained then the wheel hour meter reading will indicate the number of hours of efficient running. From the start, it is important that the machine should be designed to maintain a constant volume of abrasive and in case of any eventuality the process should abort and alarm set in. The wheel hour meter can be co-related to productivity, wear parts life and abrasive life. This is one of the best tools to monitor the overall efficiency of a centrifugal blasting machine. However, users rarely use this tool to monitor the centrifugal blast cleaning process. 9. Routine inspection & Preventive Maintenance : The life of any centrifugal machine is determined by the way it is used. The machines, being self destructive, require constant attention. It has been observed that blast machine maintenance is usually the last priority until it becomes essential. By this time the damage is so severe that it calls for a major overhaul. Hence it is important to carry out the routine inspection at the start or end of the shift as per Manufacturer’s guidelines. 10. Blast Stream Control : As we have seen in the earlier paragraphs we can control the ampere, control the abrasive quality and also the volume of abrasives but one of the most critical controls is the accuracy and direction of the blast stream on the components. An incorrectly directed shot stream can cause a fourfold loss: •The work pieces are not fully blasted.
•The abrasive is thrown to waste. •The fabric of the machine is needlessly worn. •The abrasive is broken down unnecessarily A misdirected blast stream can be caused by any of the below: • Wrong setting of control cage. •Worn out control cage • Worn out impellor •Worn out blade. Of the above, the worn control cage contributes the max. for a misdirected blast stream., In actual use, it becomes difficult to ascertain when the direction of blast stream has shifted since the entire operation is carried out in concealed condition. To control the blast stream condition, we need a special test coupon called Almen Strips that reacts to any change in the following : •Change in media size. •Change in media hardness. •Drop in wheel amperage. •Shift of the blast pattern because of wheel parts wear. From the above, it s very clear that if we maintain constant wheel amperage, carry out sieve analysis regularly we can control the wear of wheel parts. If the above points are controlled, there is no reason why a centrifugal blasting machine cannot be run at its full efficiency. For more details, please contact Surface Finishing Euipment Company, E-100, M.I.A., Phase II, Basni, Jodhpur – 342 005 Tel: 02912740128/3296344/5120021 Website : www. sfecindia.net
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LEADER SPEAK
“Competent Solution For Complicated Application” - A Challenge Anand Kishore Modi
MECSHOT accepts the challenges and capable to provide solution to need of every industries.
What challenges do you face in the manufacturing & design of machines? In any manufacturing facility, the design plays a pivotal role. The products should be designed in such a way, that it becomes easy to manufacture with low service & maintenance with low breakdowns. Now-a-days it is a biggest challenge, with manufacturer’s face to meet huge demand of delivering high quality product at very competitive prices for various applications. Every enterprise need to increase their productivity and as a pioneer we provides design support of the product and also offer long time sustainability in terms of maintaining and servicing the products. We provide solutions by adding more and more productive tools. We have a competent team of design engineers using latest software to design the customized machines to meet the customer requirement, keeping in view the different pollution norms and safety measures. What are the key strategies to remain ahead of times in such a vast competition?
Design efficiency is one of the major aspects for the OEMs. The best of the design in products come from the systems and process and one of them is modular design concepts. Apart from automation, it is important to make the machine modular in nature so that one can adopt the changing requirements with least and minimal engineering efforts. We offer complete suite of building blocks so that one can solve any puzzle with least reengineering effort.
This is how we contribute towards efficiency and time to market a product. If one lacks in systems and processes and processes and follows a rudimentary way of designing, he may either lose the opportunity or spend too much of his time on it. And hence, becoming non competent. What are the products that you offer & its applications? We have been competent solution provider for complicated application and accept as a challenge for designing and manufacturing. Recently for the aeronautical Engine components we have supplied “Dry Indexing Type Shot Peening Machine”, for Automobile Worm Gears we have supplied “CNC Shot Peening Hi-Pressure Multi Indexing Machine” with multi
It is important to be contented and rich in engineering business we have strong network in India and distributors around the Globe. We are open for the joint ventures and strong business standards for technical collaboration as well as to establish and manufacturing facilities also. By collaborating with the giants of the industries, new developments have been exchanged to develop high efficiency machines for the industries. Recently for the aviation industry a new concept have been developed of peen forming. From a Partnering point of view we have a very close eco-system. Who do you help the OEMs ?
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recognized test centers. The standards and directives are being followed of the country around the globe, where we supply the machine to maintain product quality. Any technical collaboration with the overseas companies We are collaborating with overseas companies to implement the latest developments & technology which are taking place. Recently we have collaborated with German firm for the exchange of technology and manufacturing facilities. We are very much open for the joint ventures What are the future plans? Present scenario of the industries is to meet the delivery schedule of the ordered equipments in least time demand of the market. sensors interlocks, 4 Nos. Magana Valve for the shot flow control for uninterrupted operations. For Coil Springs of Locomotive Industry a “Stress Peening Machine” was developed 1st Time in India. For Rail Coaches, we have supplied “Automatic 12W Airless Blasting Plant having 27” Hi-Speed Turbine with Oscillation & Rapid System” to blast clean moving SS coach. A Micro Blasting machine was developed for Defence Research where 0.5 Micron blasting media was used. We have supplied a machine for the surface preparation of Ceramic Plate which is used for the bullet proof Jackets application. Airless Continuous Hanger Type blasting machine for Agriculture Tools. For renewable energy (Wind Mill) number of turnkey solution given for automatic blasting, painting and baking system as a Turnkey Project have been successfully installed. For Boiler Tubes and Strips, Airless Surface Preparation Machine has been installed with automatic material handling facility. Brief about Research and Developments? The facility replicates a variety of blasting environments using different type dedicated pieces of equipment in order to understand the customer better blasting options and the results of the various blasting methods. Besides, a CNC programmable demonstration machine increases the number of blasting
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conditions that can be replicated within the facility. Our research is carried out to upgrade the performance of the machine & to reach a level of Zero Maintenance; this will increase life & performance of machine. Our Research also foster in the field of environment & pollution control by using total comprised solution for pollution control system & various risk assessment equipments. We developed the proven pollution control technologies with environment & pollution control technology development centre by using resource and flexibility to develop new technologies to keep pace with the requirement and environment safety. To become more authentic in our results, we got our R&D approved by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), India.
We are advancing in the field of manufacturing with state-of-art at new facilities with automation to serve best quality product with latest technology in the related field in cost effective and delivery in scheduled time to our valued customers. The layout has been spread in the 45,000 sq. mtr. (approx) area with 4 individual activities shed, well equipped R&D Center and well elevated corporate office equipped with all modern facilities.
What are the measures taken for the quality product? To enhance our product quality as well as to reduce the delivery period, we have induced additional automation from conventional manufacturing tools like: Plasma Cutting Machine, CNC & VMC Machines, Robotic Welding machines for the pressure vessels, MIG welding Machines & UTM machine for the material testing. At regular intervals we get our certain products third party inspection from the
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CORPORATE MART
Baumer Technologies India: Customers benefit of advanced production processes After Waaree Instruments Ltd. having been acquired by the Swiss Baumer Group, new Baumer Technologies India Pvt Ltd offers their customers multiple benefits by a substantially enhanced product and service portfolio.
Now member of a global player in process instrumentation, Baumer Technologies India avails itself of the technology transfer provided by the worldwide operating Baumer Group. In parallel, the Baumer team in India brings all its experience and know-how of a local market insider. Production will remain at the established Vapi facilities, but now with top-of-theline technology. Consistent high product quality, no compromising on reliability and short-term supply readiness are the results of most modern production processes at Baumer Technologies India.
sensors, encoders, measuring instruments and components for automated imageprocessing. Baumer combines innovative technology and customer-oriented service into intelligent solutions for factory and process automation and offers a uniquely wide range of related products and technologies.
the family-owned company is always close to the customer. Industrial clients in many sectors gain vital advantages and measurable added value from the worldwide consistency of Baumer’s high quality standards and its enormous innovative potential. For further information, visit www.baumer. com on the internet.
With more than 2,500 employees and production plants, sales branches and agencies in 36 subsidiaries and 18 countries,
The highly qualified staff, the implementation of the Lean Six Sigma methodology for lean and flawless processes and KAIZEN for continuous improvement combined with the U-cell production concept result in increased efficiency and flexibility at consistently high product quality. Customers, for their part, benefit of quickly available products and utmost reliability in adherence to delivery dates. Besides the previous product range, the expanded portfolio now is available in the Indian market under the Baumer brand. In particular, these are electronic pressure, temperature and filling level transmitters for process instrumentation. The Baumer Group is an international leading manufacturer and developer of
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Cutting edge technology in production processes at Baumer Technologies India
April 2013
April 2013
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35
DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS
A S Shetty
Profit Improvement
sedvik@vsnl.com
In this thirty seventh series of articles on machine design fundamentals let us discuss about some more aspects of cost reduction techniques which the engineering designer adopts for profit improvement in the design stage itself. Realistic Specifications The engineering designer must always bear in mind the fact that he is responsible for directing expenditure of a good amount of employer’s funds. Hence unnecessary close tolerances or fine surface finishes are to be avoided. It must be ensured that workmen manufacture the components with confidence accurately within the tolerances specified. Otherwise, it would lead to considerable production cost, costly inspection procedures, a high rate of scarp and rejection of the components. To cite an example- The production of a cylindrical surface of 100 mm dia. with a tolerance of say 0.005 mm on a shaft or a part that can be ROTATED is an everyday occurrence. Accurate cylindrical grinding machines capable of carrying out this operation are easily available in the market and they involve relatively low overhead costs. On the other hand, production of a hole of this 100 mm dia. in a workpiece that cannot be ROTATED involves relatively high cost and is practically impossible unless a precision horizontal borer or a jig-borer is used. These require a great degree of operator skill with high overhead costs. Further, the percentage of possible scrap would be higher. It is not always possible for a designer to know all about production engineering but a lot can be achieved by
maintaining a close relationship with the production engineers. Increased Plant Utilisation Plant utilization is an important aspect in designing for efficient production. A designer having a sound knowledge of his company’s facilities, workshop -loading and the way they are financed can affect further economy. It is advisable to ascertain the availability and capacity of machines and process plants in these circumstances and when possible to design accordingly, even though there might otherwise be marginal improvements by the use of other methods. If however, a different decision was taken, extra machines and operators may be required to meet the demand leaving the underutilized department as liability upon the company. Levels of skill, wage costs, labour availability and shop loading will have a bearing on the choice of manufacturing method at design stage. Efficient Material Usage. It has been found that material cost constitutes up to 60 per cent of the total cost of the components in our country and it is here that the greatest opportunity for cost reduction presents itself. The main aim of the engineering designer is to make efficient use of the available resources and especially materials. With the knowledge of strength of materials, mechanics and mathematics, it is possible to know how the flow of stresses and stress concentration occurs in the component to be designed. He will try to shape it in such a way that the material is stressed and utilized to the optimum level. That means, he would try to reduce the amount of material at places which are least stressed or not stressed at all. Increased use of closed sections, sections with greater depth and wider flange bring
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greater economy in material usage. The shaping of the component should also be such a way that the cost of production should be taken into consideration and a compromise be arrived at. Use alloys, right heat-treatment at the right place contribute to the material economy. With the reduced material weight, cost of transport, handling and erection will also get reduced. The cost of the material purchased and not the net weight of the finished product. It should also be taken into consideration that the material that has to be machined away costs a lot of money to collect, remove, store and transport. Standardisation The principle of improving the design by simplification and reducing the number of component parts is the first step in reducing overhead costs. Fewer parts required in the product mean fewer drawings, reduction in tooling, purchasing, and storage and inventory costs. A reduction in the number of manufacturing operations and processes means less overhead costs for tooling, machine setting, transport, handling, controlling quality etc. For example, a good design can reduce the variety of drilled hole sizes and tapped hole sizes and this results in automatic reduction in drill and tap stocks, less thread gauges, drill grinding machines, storage space and also better procurement process. What is not there cannot go wrong. Discussions revealed that the greatest number of factory rejections and rectification arise from assembly faults and therefore a reduction in the number of parts is invariably advantageous. The author A S Shetty , CEO of Sedvik Industries, manufacturer of Rollforming machines , Bangalore can be contacted at Tel: +91 80 25452669. April 2013
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37
MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE
Managing a SME in India - Part IV
P S Satish gotopssatish@gmail.com
ERP gives visibility to the whole company on operations, real time data etc. There is a myth that highly skilled employees are required to operate ERP. It is not true. Depending on size of the company and complexity involved, right modules within ERP to be selected. As a continuation of last article, we will discuss on few more points to manage SME’s better in India 10. Define targets
achievable, relevant and time bound.
We find many SMEs working without a direction. The importance of defining goal or target is not fully understood. They seem to be of a thinking mode where keeping busy with something or the other take them to success. Common questions I come across are how we can define targets for a small company, these are concepts only for big corporates, our employees do not understand etc.
I will give an example for this related to quality. Improving quality is not a target. It is a wish. As a SMART target, I define quality improvement as – Reduce overall internal rejection from 7000 ppm (parts per minute) to 3000 ppm by end of December 2013. It looks better and drives actions.
Defining goal or target will make employees to work towards a direction. They develop a sense of ownership. Start with yearly targets – define few critical things that should be achieved in that year. Example it could be sales volume growth, acquiring few specific customers, improvement of quality, locating a new place for the company, hiring a CEO Etc. Better will the clarity of actions when targets are defined well. While fixing company targets, discuss with key employees and debate a lot. Let it be a SMART target. i.e. specific, measurable,
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Assign the target to a person. He may not have full control to influence the number but should take lead in that direction. CEO or owner also should have few targets where he drives personally. Make sure targets cover few related to customers as well- like customer complaints, satisfaction etc. That is to say go beyond typical financial targets. Have quantitative as well as qualitative targets. Enhancing skill of employees is an example for qualitative target. Once annual targets are defined and persons are identified, allow employees to split annual targets into micro targets either month wise. In the above SMART
target example, quality manager may not know what to do next. If split of target is done as – collecting existing Data, analysis of Data, identifying major contributing factors as micro targets and achieving them will lead to achieving final target. Encourage employees to strict to activities towards achieving the targets. It may be difficult in SMEs as employees do multitasking. At least attempt that employee spends 80% of time towards target. All these looks complicated to start with. But start once the people sees the taste they will follow. Take support of an external mentor if possible to define targets after detailed analysis. Have monthly review of targets to see the gap and to have action plan for closure. Support fully the employees to achieve their targets. The fulfilment of targets one of the great motivator for the employees and they will stay in company for long. 11. ERP (Enterprise resource planning) Hundreds of debate is going on everywhere on whether an ERP for
April 2013
SMEs is required or not and if required what type of ERP is required and how to identify the right service provider. ERP as the word defines supports companies to plan their resources better. The success of Business lies in how resources are used to get results. This is a differentiating factor between one company to another company. We think the way we are planning our resources from our experience is best. This might be true if you are talking managing 1-2 machines or Equipment and very few persons. As the company grows with more machines, parts, Customers, persons the complexity will increase. To manage this complexity ERP is very useful. ERP gives visibility to the whole company on operations, real time data etc. There is a myth that highly skilled employees are required to operate ERP. It is not true. Depending on size of the company and complexity involved, right modules within ERP to be selected. Suppose in a business, success factor is how supply chain is managed, then module of SCM (Supply Chain Management) is a must. Discuss with service provider and debate internally the minimum modules in ERP required for the company to start with. There should be provision in ERP to add
other modules later when the complexity of the company grows. You find in the market dozens of players as ERP developers. Before zeroing on one, check on their track record, onetime cost, recurring costs, provision to add other modules, user friendliness, experience, implementation time, adoptability to existing processes, quick service in case of problems, brand name in the market etc. Insist on your visit to some companies where they have implemented to see for yourself and also take input from users on their experience. If you are discussing with big players like SAP, Microsoft, Oracle, TCS check on their experience in dealing with small companies of your size. Since their overheads are high, to keep cost low, they typically try to push standard modules and processes to small companies. The cost of customization by them is very high. Implementing a standard modules will be a challenge since you may have to redefine some of the processes you are doing now. Also be clear on fees involved over period apart from one time cost. One question that repeatedly comes up is what happens if smaller ERP player vanishes after few years?. This can happen. For this, insist
smaller player to share source code in the contract. With this, should there be a problem with one player, you can switch to another one. Bigger players do not share source code. Make sure you have a clear agreement with the ERP service provider which addresses above mentioned points. CEO or owner has to personally involve at the beginning to define processes and to ensure that employees are provided with resources and training. One of reason why many ERPs have failed in SMEs is because of lack of owner commitment. His/ her thinking will be that when money is paid to ERP service provider it is their job to implement. It does not work this way. To see taste of success of ERP, start discussing options available and identify 1-2 starting modules for implementation. Slowly build up and focus on training. ERP will slowly become almost mandatory as many customers have started insisting. Be prepared. I will continue the article in the next issue. Please send your inputs, remarks, suggestions to P S Satish, Mentor and Trainer, Saraswati Industrial Services, Q-103, Mantri Paradise Apartments, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076. Visit www.satishps.com Wishing good day to you all.
Modular high performance assembly
High-speed assembly with integrated rotary motion from Schunk As a leading expert for clamping technology and gripping systems, SCHUNK has long been known for its rapid pick&place units. Now the innovative family-owned company has added the pneumatic DRL 025 stroke/rotary unit as an additional pace maker to its range of modular high performance assemblies. The rotary loader enables highly dynamic and steady pick&place operations with rotating angles of either 90° or 180° for the assembly of electronics, medical technology and con-sumer goods. The movement of the vertical cylinder and the rotary drive is positively dri-ven by a cam roller, which allows both units to be switched earlier, which significantly re-duces the cycle time in comparison to conventional stroke/rotary units. This enables up to 90 cycles per minute at minimal loads and a rotating angle of 180° (ad-ditional switching and gripping times). To additionally increase system productivity and process stability, the April 2013
versatile control can be used to stop the effector directly over its tar-get position and enter the standby position until the feed or the depositing unit is ready. At an operating pressure of 5 bar, the stroke/ rotary unit achieves a torque of 3.7 Nm and a piston force of 320 N.
versatility with a variety of gripping, rotary and linear modules to create complete functional units or assembly groups. For further details write to Info@in.schunk. com or visit www.schunk.com
The vertical stroke is 40 mm, with 20 mm of that being linear. In order to compensate for tolerances and system-dependent deviations in the collection and deposition positions, the rotating angle can be adjusted by +/- 2°, and the vertical stroke can be adjusted by up to 10 mm per side. The compact unit is designed for mass moments of inertia up to 0.03 kgm2. In the 180° version, it can fully replace linear pick&place units in which the parts must be turned 180° using a rotary module. As part of SCHUNK’S modular highperformance assembly systems, which offers the world’s largest selection, the DRL 025 can be combined with ease and www.issuu.com/mediamart
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Employee Engagement
Amith Prakash
The New Driver of Today’s Human Capital
Amith.Prakash@hcl.com
From this edition we are starting a new column on Employee Engagement by Amith Prakash, Regional Head for Employee Engagement at HCL Technologies Ltd. This column will talk about different facet about Employee Engagement in each issues commencing this month.
1. The essence of engagement Organizations are social entities. An organization might aim at achieving profitable growth with the help of streamlined operations, robust finances and aggressive marketing. However, it is the human resources within the organization that carry out these functions. Hence, if any business enterprise wants to truly maintain its stronghold in the market, it must nurture and develop its human capital. A happy and committed workforce can steer an organization to success, while demoralized and demotivated employees can paralyze the enterprise’s growth. New age organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of human capital management which would in turn enhance their brand value in the long run. A key aspect of this Human Capital Management is ‘employee engagement’. The term ‘employee engagement’ means different things to different people. Some equate it with job satisfaction while others see it as the employees’ emotional commitment to the organization. While for others it conjures a notion of offsite parties
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and picnics, birthdays and anniversaries cricket matches, quizzes and painting competitions, cultural festivals, Friday bashes etc. Broadly speaking, employee engagement is a positive attitude held by the employee towards the organization and its values. In his book, Getting Engaged: The New Workplace Loyalty, author Tim Rutledge explains that truly engaged employees are attracted to, and inspired by, their work (“I want to do this”), committed (“I am dedicated to the success of what I am doing”), and fascinated (“I love what I am doing”). Engaged employees care about the future of the company and are willing to invest the discretionary effort – exceeding duty’s call – to see that the organization succeeds. Consider the case of Karambir Singh Kang, the then General Manager of the Taj Mahal Hotel that was struck by terrorists in Mumbai on 26/11. When Karambir (whose name literally means ‘a person who does brave deeds’) heard about the attacks, he immediately left the conference he was attending at another Taj property. He took charge at the Taj Mumbai the moment he arrived, supervising the evacuation of guests and coordinating the efforts of
firefighters amid the chaos. His wife and two young children were in a sixth-floor suite, where the general manager traditionally lives. Karambir thought they would be safe, but when he realized that the terrorists were on the upper floors, he tried to get to his family. It was impossible. By midnight the sixth floor was in flames, and there was no hope of anyone’s surviving. However, this did not deter Karambir from supporting the rescue efforts after the 60-hour siege on the hotel. Only then did he call his parents to tell them that the terrorists had killed his wife and children. His father, a retired general, told him, “Son, do your duty. Do not desert your post.” Karambir replied, “If it [the hotel] goes down, I will be the last man out.” 2. Engagement – the differentiator Mike Johnson, in his 2004 book entitled The New Rules of Engagement wrote, ‘The ability to engage employees, to make them work with our business, is going to be one of the greatest organizational battles of the coming 10 years’. Almost a decade later, Mike’s statement holds tremendous importance in today’s context. Research
April 2013
has shown that committed employees perform better than their peers. In this sense, engagement can also be seen ‘onestep up’ from commitment. Many aspects of working life are strongly correlated with engagement levels – the strongest driver of them all is creating a sense of feeling valued and being involved. Line managers have the most crucial role to play in driving engagement levels up or down, all of which point to the critical importance of employee-manager relationship. Employers too are interested in engaging employees since it leads to improved business performance. When Sergey Brin and Larry Page had to select a chef for their Google campus they interviewed close to 25 candidates before settling on Charlie Ayers. For a company founded by two mathematicians who owe their stupendous success to a culture of innovation and creativity, they understood early that it was employee engagement that set them apart from the thousands of other technology companies. Free, healthy and well cooked food is a key ingredient of its employee engagement strategy even today. Charlie’s work there was widely publicized in the media, and David Vise’s corporate history ‘The Google Story’ contains an entire chapter about him
The author Amith Prakash is currently the Regional Head for Employee Engagement at HCL Technologies Ltd; a leading offshore IT & software development company since 2010. He is responsible for online and offline engagement initiatives; integrated reward and recognition programs, leadership development and onboarding initiatives amongst others. Amith is also an active member of All India Management Association - Centre for Management Education (AIMA-CME) at Bangalore and regularly interacts with their students on a myriad of subjects. He has also received the Accredited Management Teacher certification from AIMA in the areas of Corporate Strategy and Organization Behavior. A dynamic speaker,
Leaders must demonstrate that they value their employees. Employeefocused initiatives such as profit sharing and implementing work–life balance initiatives are important. However, if employees’ relationship with their managers is fractured, then no amount of perks will persuade employees to perform at top levels.
How can leaders engage employees’ heads, hearts, and hands? There are several avenues for action; we summarize these as the Five C’s of employee engagement. April 2013
Connect
Collaborate Congratulate
Contribute
Credibility
ii. Collaborate
iii. Congratulate
3. The Five C’s of engagement
Prior to his current role, Amith worked for a leading Japanese automobile manufacturer for over 8 years and was based out of Gurgaon. His areas of expertise were Government Affairs and Corporate Communications. Amith is an avid reader and writes extensively on various aspects of Employee Engagement. He holds a masters’ degree in Human Resources, Economics and Marketing and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in the field of Employee Engagement from AIMA – New Delhi.
i. Connect
Great leaders are team builders; they create an environment that fosters trust and collaboration. Surveys indicate that being cared about by colleagues is a strong predictor of employee engagement.
called “Charlie’s Place”. Interestingly, the day the Google went public the celebration was not a series of senior management speeches about its vision and bright future - but a free ice cream station for employees.
Amith is sought for his diverse views on contemporary subjects, ‘connect unusual dots’ and present thought provoking messages in his characteristic spontaneous style.
Surveys show that, over and over, employees feel that they receive immediate feedback when their performance is poor, or below expectations. These same employees also report that praise and recognition for strong performance is much less common. Exceptional leaders give recognition, and they do so a lot; they coach and convey. iv. Contribute People want to know that their input matters and that they are contributing to the organization’s success in a meaningful way. Good leaders help people see and feel how they are contributing to the organization’s success and future. v. Credibility Leaders should strive to maintain a
company’s reputation and demonstrate high ethical standards. People want to be proud of their jobs, their performance, and their organization. In the evolving marketplace, every company strives to achieve a competitive advantage of its own to ensure its survival. Employee engagement is emerging as one such avenue and is on the priority list of most CEO’s today. However, one question still challenges many organizations in their quest to improve performance – what can be done to significantly impact employee engagement? As seen above, employee engagement can be nurtured through an environment that fosters two-way communication, commitment to employee wellbeing and having an inspiring leadership at the top. Improving levels of employee engagement does not have to be expensive; it just takes some time and energy. And organizations which are committed to engaging their employees will see these benefits outweigh costs in the long run. www.issuu.com/mediamart
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MANAGEMENT
Change Management
Venkatesh B Kabra venki_kabra@yahoo.co.in
Change is the transition which occurs between one state to another. It is something which not everybody is fond of. It tends to change the comfort zone of the person working in an organization and sometimes creates fear in the mind of the person. Change is required when all the factors for working of an organization do not work well to achieve the desired tasks in the organization within the deadlines pre-defined for it.
Change Management is a systematic process of dealing with the change, both in accordance of the organization and also at individual levels, within organization. It is the set of processes ensured to create significant changes within organization amidst controlled and systematic planning. Change Management comprises of the following steps: • Adapting the change • Controlling the change • Effects of the change Change Management is also done in an organization to deal with the changes in the business arena and to make profit with those changing opportunities. It is mandatory to go for Change Management in any organization considering the emerging times. Change is awkward in the beginning. However, it changes the speed of time. It is a process which cannot be implemented spontaneously. The process can be achieved with controlling the current process, making necessary changes till getting the desired results. It includes important steps like ‘When’ to change, ‘How’ to change, ‘Who’ to change and ‘What’ not to change. An individual or an organization must know why a specific change or series of changes are needed. Either the individual or members of the organization must have the desire to participate in formation of
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the change. An individual or organization members must also know how to change. An individual or organization members must have the ability and skill to implement the necessary changes happen as per desired change management. Political skills, Analytical skills, Business skills, Human Behavior skills, Techno savvy skills are needed to implement Change Management. In individuals, decision making may prove to be a powerful tool for modeling new culture and for gaining tremendous employee commitment to organization’s change effort. Good decision making increases the speed of change, lowers other costs, reduces employee resistance and promotes individual initiatives thus resulting in sustainable high performance culture. Mindset of individual may prove effective in implementing Change Management. In any organization, managing change is the process of planning and implementing change such that minimum employee resistance and cost is borne by the organization and maximum effectiveness of change-effort is felt. Organizational change may be felt as a result of performance gap. Sometimes technological development leads to updation of an organization, resulting in organizational change. Mergers and major collaborations may also lead to organizational change. Changing the way an organization operates is tough. The requirement for success can
be achieved by keeping realistic goals. Effective communication is needed to update people involved in change. Training skills can be provided to operate the change proposition. Incentive strategy be implemented for the concluded desired change. It should be noted that minimum cost be incurred within the process. Successful Change Management requires a lot of skills to be taken by Executives, Managers and their subordinates wherever the change occurs – in individual department or complete organization. The key in change process is to find the area of concern both on individual’s or organizations’ perspective. For successful Change Management, transformational change strategy has three equally important components - Content, People and Process. Change is best carried out as a teamwide effort. Communication about change should be regular and within all organization members. To sustain change, the structure of the organization itself should be modified, including strategic plans, policies and procedures. Changes are an essential part of any growing organization operating in competitive market. At last, ‘To think is easy, to act is hard, but the most difficult thing is to act according to your thinking. Change does not happen when circumstances improve, it happens when you decide to improve your circumstances.’
April 2013
Hypertherm introduces new quick disconnect torch for Kaliburn Spirit and ProLine systems New quick disconnect torches from Hypertherm’s Centricut brand are now available for Kaliburn Spirit and ProLine series plasma systems, providing owners of those products with an affordable alternative. The Centricut torches leverage more than two decades of Hypertherm engineering work with two-piece torch technology. This technology makes it easier and faster to switch torches and change out consumables. Hypertherm engineers have also optimized gas and coolant flow so the Centricut torches perform better and more reliably. In addition, the torches are manufactured with a specially designed coupler ring that improves an operator’s grip on the torch, allowing for a better, tighter connection between the torch head and the base. Finally, the torches feature a dust seal to keep metal chips and other debris from collecting on the coupler threads. “As the inventor of quick-disconnect torches, Hypertherm has really perfected the technology through the years,” said Martin Geheran, product marketing manager for Hypertherm’s Centricut
April 2013
brand. “We feel fortunate to share this technology with Kaliburn owners so they too have an affordable, and high performing option for their systems.” Complementing the new quick disconnect torch, Hypertherm also offers a full line of Centricut performance consumables for the Spirit and ProLine cutting systems which offer twice the life and improved cut quality compared to the OEM, all at a competitive price. Centricut brand torches and consumables, like all Hypertherm products, are designed with critical-to-function tolerances to deliver the best quality product every time. Hypertherm’s Centricut brand engineers and manufactures advanced plasma and laser cutting consumables. Its product line includes consumables that deliver increased value to people who own most
any non-Hypertherm cutting system including systems by ESAB, Kjellberg, and Trumpf. All Centricut brand products are engineered and manufactured to exacting standards and incorporate the latest technological advances that help to reduce operating costs, while delivering increased cut speed and quality. Centricut products include free technical support and come with same-day shipping.
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43
MACHINE TOOLS
Change and Different Thinking Support Winning Record
Satish S MELINAMANI satish.melinamani@widia.com
Latest Tooling and Surfacing Technology Advance Ganassi and Kennametal Partnership for Indy Cars high-tolerance finishes that eliminate the need for grinding, or new five-flute HARVI II™ solid-carbide end mills for roughing and finishing titanium. “Our engineers are confident in specifying more intricate parts with high tolerances and surface finishes because they know we can meet the numbers in-house,” Huffman says.
Excellent productivity allows the Ganassi Indy shop to process titanium parits in house at less cost than purchasing steel alternatives.
In the wake of Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon’s dramatic first and second-place finish at the 2012 Indianapolis 500, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) announced a multi-year renewal of its machining technology partnership with tooling and engineering services leader Kennametal Inc. “We’ve been in business for 23 years and for 19-plus of those, Kennametal has been a partner,” said Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams. “We are a 100-percent Kennametal-tooled shop and their logo is on every one of our cars across all our teams and series. But what really makes the partnership even more valuable to the race team is how their expertise helps us perform, even on race day. They come to us with many solutions for different mechanical challenges we face. It is great when you have a partner that can do that.” Right People, Right Equipment, Right Tools Tour the Target Ganassi machine shop in Indianapolis and you’ll find a concentrated hive of activity consisting in part of four CNC machines (two multi-axis machining centers and two CNC turning centers, one with live tooling and a sub-spindle).
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“Ninety-nine percent of our necessary machine work is done right here inhouse,” says John Huffman, machine shop supervisor in his 14th season with the team. He points out a steel tripod cover formerly purchased as a factory part now made in house out of titanium for extra strength at reduced weight. “Because of our tooling and machines, it’s actually cheaper to make titanium parts in house than to purchase ready-made steel components,” he says. High-tolerance parts, too, down to 0.0002” on average.
Ganassi team member Alphonse Girard loading the Kennametal Extrude Hone machine.
Kennametal has expanded its 19-year partnership by providing Ganassi’s Indy machine shop with proprietary Precision Surface Management Technology by Kennametal Extrude Hone. Finishing processes like abrasive-flow machining (AFM) have evolved from pure deburring functions to polishing and radiusing within very close tolerances. Add new developments in machine controls, abrasive media, and flow targeting, and the
The nature of part production at the Ganassi Indy shop is low-volume, requiring high variety and tight time constraints, or “different parts in a hurry,” as Huffman puts it. His team readily points to the various Kennametal tools providing process advantages, such as PCB tooling for hard From left to right: John Huffman- machine shop manager, machinists, Curt turning, resulting in Saunders, Zack Robertson, Scott Stukenborg, and Jay Marshall. April 2013
The Target Chip Ganassi Racing assembly area is a hive of activity for multiple Indy racing teams.
results continue to get much more precise. Critical Needs Machined holes, including intersecting holes, in many high-performance applications require surface improvement, usually a lot of polishing to achieve required tolerances. Any smeared metal or micro-cracks at the surfaces created
in conventional or non-conventional machining processes increase the risk for diminished performance or failure. To eliminate that risk, engineers factor AFM surface finishes into many component designs, especially where laminar flow, boundary layer turbulence, compressive residual stresses and edge conditioning are important factors. Even in inaccessible areas, surface-finish improvements from an original 120µ inch to 16µ inch or better are possible. AFM machines can be operated as standalone stations or integrated into production systems. Typically, a part is fixed between two opposed media cylinders, and the machine extrudes abrasive media from one cylinder to the other. The tooling works together with the abrasive media and characteristics of size and viscosity to perform the finite honing of the part. When the media is forced through a restricted passage, its viscosity rise and that holds the abrasive material in place. The media abrades only in this restricted state, so once it exits the restrictive passage, viscosity returns to normal and abrasion is suspended to protect threads and seal surfaces.
A full-size Indy car and numerous first-place trophies greet visitors to the Target Chip Ganassi Racing Indianapolis shop.
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Further research and development in AFM at Extrude Hone has resulted in MicroFlow
AFM™, where lower-viscosity media and smaller abrasive particle size allows finishing and edge radiusing of holes down to 50 μinches. Fuel-spray nozzles in fuel injectors, for example, can have defined edge radiuses that diffuse fuel microspray for better engine performance. Huffman adds that because titanium represents a growing portion of his shop’s work, in addition to aluminums and alloy steels, he gleans a number of performanceenhancing ideas from Kennametal’s aerospace-focused “Innovations” catalog, from complex 3D shapes to solutions for deep-hole drills that can reach up to 30 X D. “Our capacity to produce parts in-house will only continue to grow because of this ability to hold tighter tolerances on part dimensions and surface finishes.”
Advanced surfacing technology poses an opportunity to improve performance on many HHIndy car components.
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MANUFACTURING IT
EPLAN Data Portal on the up on an International scale
Ramji Singh info.eplan@rittal-india.com
Now 48 manufacturers, 43,000 users and 225,000 units of data The Eplan Data Portal has grown massively since its launch in 2008. The number of manufacturers has in-creased to 48 with component manufacturers Sick and Saia-Burgess among the new additions. Data and mac-ros relating to more than 225,000 parts can be simply imported into the project by means of Drag & Drop. This saves the time-consuming independent development of device macros. Users can benefit from standardized, up-to-date data and efficient configuration with no changes in media format.
Around 800 records for reflector light sensors and light barriers from Sick are now incorporated into the EPLAN Data Portal, which provides access to over 225,000 parts.
The Eplan Data Portal is a web-based portal which provides Eplan users with component data from numerous manufacturers. The constantly expanding parts database now incor-porates more than 225,000 parts from 48 manufacturers. Sick, with around 800 records for reflector light sensors and light barriers, is one of the latest additions. Swiss manufac-turer Saia-Burgess is also represented with 260 records and macros in the portal. The controllers, modules and energy meters are an addition to the portal, as is the data from Aus-trian company Mersen, which has now incorporated its NH fuse circuit breakers. In 2012, the Eplan Data Portal has added around 12,000 new parts and 14,000 macros to the portfolio. This component database guarantees users time-saving configuration and standardized, high-quality, up-to-date data. On the up on an international scale For a few years, component manufacturers
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and Eplan have been working together to produce solutions to make engi-neering easier for customers. The Eplan Data Portal has now become a fixed part of configuration using Eplan solutions even beyond Europe. Solution provider Eplan sees one of the reasons in the data format, which incorporates not only order information and technical details on the components but also graphical and logical aspects for configuration purposes. This provides integrated data for product development. On its route towards internationalization, Eplan has collected over 43,000 registered users at more than 30,000 customers around the world. The portal is also increasing in popularity in North and South America, where it now has a significant market share. Expansion eastwards is also in full swing, going via Russia into Central Asia, where Eplan is hoping to provide a sus-tainable increase in quality in terms of
Just under five years ago, the EPLAN Data Portal started life with 15 manufacturers on board. Positive reactions from the market surpassed all expectations. It is beneficial to the manufacturers too, as they can distribute their products among the customers and ensure they are always up to date and in line with the applicable standards. The solution, which is available in up to 17 languages (the latest is Japanese), stands out thanks to its high levels of availability. On average, around 4,300 users are added every week with more than 10,000 downloads. EPLAN Software & Service develops engineering solutions that accelerate the product engineering process. Interdisciplinary expert systems ensure a maximum of productivity and data integration. The solution provider develops tailor-made PDM and PLM concepts customerspecifically and provides comprehensive services such as customizing, consulting and training. Innovative development competence, a consistently practical approach, and international presence are the success factors. EPLAN is part of Rittal International and thus of the Friedhelm Loh Group with 11,500 employees worldwide and generated revenues of about € 2.2 billion in 2011. EPLAN is therefore synonymous with continuity and investment security. The company’s presence in 50 countries support 30,000 customers with more than 90,000 installations worldwide. ‘Efficient Engineering’ - the corporate motto underlines the consequence of optimized, efficient processes which keep companies competitive in the long term. Visit www.eplan.in March April 2013
norm-compliant data.
more than 10,000 downloads.
factors.
Just under five years ago, the EPLAN Data Portal started life with 15 manufacturers on board. Positive reactions from the market surpassed all expectations. It is beneficial to the manufacturers too, as they can distribute their products among the customers and ensure they are always up to date and in line with the applicable standards. The solution, which is available in up to 17 languages (the latest is Japanese), stands out thanks to its high levels of availability. On average, around 4,300 users are added every week with
EPLAN Software & Service develops engineering solutions that accelerate the product engineering process. Interdisciplinary expert systems ensure a maximum of productivity and data integration. The solution provider develops tailor-made PDM and PLM concepts customer-specifically and provides comprehensive services such as customizing, consulting and training. Innovative development competence, a consistently practical approach, and international presence are the success
EPLAN is part of Rittal International and thus of the Friedhelm Loh Group with 11,500 employees worldwide and generated revenues of about € 2.2 billion in 2011. EPLAN is therefore synonymous with continuity and investment security. The company´s presence in 50 countries support 30,000 customers with more than 90,000 installations worldwide. ‘Efficient Engineering’ - the corporate motto underlines the consequence of optimized, efficient processes which keep companies competitive in the long term.
Red Lion brings Versatility to Industrial Networks with the Modular N-Tron NT24k Managed Gigabit Ethernet Switch Series Delivers Ultimate Flexibility with up to 24 Gigabit Ports and a Wide Range of Connectivity Options Red Lion Controls, the global experts in communication, monitoring and control for industrial automation and networking, during the end of last month announced the modular NTron NT24k managed Gigabit Ethernet industrial switch series. With up to 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports and a flexible modular format for different configuration options, the NT24k switches are designed to handle the most challenging industrial environments with high reliability and wire‐speed performance. Available in rackmount and DIN rail models, the NT24k switches provide versatility to customers through Gigabit and 100Base connectivity options in both copper and fiber. With all Gigabit capability and a versatile array of connectivity options, the NT24k switches deliver configuration
flexibility that meets industrial networking requirements across industries such as factory automation, utilities, video surveillance, security, transportation and alternative energy. “The NT24k is built with maximum flexibility in mind, giving customers many choices for media type, form factor and module combinations,” said Diane Davis, director of Ethernet networking at Red Lion Controls. “This versatility means that customers in several different industries can customize a solution to fit their particular environment, while taking advantage of Gigabit speeds, high port densities and a full range of management features that bring network‐based communications to some of the most rugged scenarios imaginable.” The NT24k includes expanded shock and
vibration tolerances and an extreme operating temperature range. It also offers redundant power input options, configuration backup and an onboard temperature sensor to ensure maximum reliability. Its full set of management features include Web browser management, SNMP, Jumbo Frame support, port trunking, port mirroring, DHCP client, 802.1Q VLAN, 802.1p QoS and other features. In addition, N‐Ring advanced ring technology restores network communication within ~30ms of fault detection. Robust remote monitoring capabilities make management easy. For more information on the Red Lion N‐ Tron NT24k, including a full set of features and specifications, visit www.redlion.net/ NT24k or contact Naveen Kumar Mote at +91 – 9844876540.
Differential Pressure Transmitter, X’Bee Wireless from Katlax Controller and Instrumentation Group (CIG) of Katlax Enterprises have introduced a new range of Differential pressure transmitter, X’Bee Wireless. The company has adapted the technology and developed some innovative products which are using X’bee Wireless technology to transmit or receive the data to or from remote location. Whether you are monitor inches of water or psi, the Katlax Differential Pressure transmitter with LCD, X’bee wireless does the job. Choose a sensing head from one of six available ranges to suit your requirements. Complete, gage or differential pressure just
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specifies the type. he applications are: Industrial Control & Automation, Medical Data collection, Smoke and intruder warning, Building automation, Variable air volume systems (VAV), HVAC, Filter pressure drop, Fan/ventilator control, Duct air flow measurements, Room/cabin pressure control, Burner control, CPAP equipment and Sleep apnea monitors. For specifications and further information write to Katlax Enterprises Pvt Ltd, (Controller Instrumentation Group) Mobile: + 91 – 96897 83922 E -mail: sales@katlax.com
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CONNECTORS
New: Extrusion-coated ESD plug-type Connectors from Igus
Sreejith Menon sreejith@igus.in
Pre-assembled “Readycable” lines for energy chain systems are now also available with extrusion-coated “SpeedTec” round plug-type connectors from Intercontec The new pre-assembled extrusion-moulded SpeedTec plug-type connectors with cable from igus and Intercontec: manipulationproof, fast and tested - e.g. as (left to right): M23 “Signal”, ESD variant in slate grey, as M23 “Power” (size 1) or in size M40 (size 1.5). All the current standard Intercontec pole patterns arepossible, the connectors can also be ordered as conventional screw-type variants.
ESD material. The igumid ESD material is dyed slate grey (similar to RAL 7015) to clearly distinguish it from other versions, and has been certified by the PTB (Federal Physico-Technical Institute) since May 2002 (see: http://www.igus.eu/esd).
igus, specialist in the field of moving energy chains and clever plastic solutions, has expanded its range of pre-assembled cables by a special variant: in cooperation with the connector experts at Intercontec Produkt GmbH, Niederwinkling, an extrusion-coated variant of the quickclosure system “SpeedTec” has been developed suitable for ESD applications. This plug&go solution fits in perfectly with the range of custom-made “Readycables” and is available from stock now.
cable which, when inserted, is compliant with protective rating IP 66/67. SpeedTec ensures connection times are reduced by about 50 per cent, because a small turning movement is all that’s needed to set up a safe connection. The extrusion coating is available in both standard plastic and in a special conductive
Since then, igumid ESD has been proving itself successfully in the igus ESD/Atex energy chain variants. The pre-assembled cables are available as SpeedTec or conventional screw-type variants in the versions M23 Signal, M23 Power (size 1) and M40 (size 1.5). All the currently standard Intercontec pole patterns are possible. For further details visit www.igus.in
Manipulation-proof, fitted quickly and conductive Extrusion-coated connectors are increasingly in demand e.g. by customers from the automotive industry. They should be quick and easy to install, durable and safeguarded against manipulation. In order to develop a product which meets these requirements, long years of experience in handling injection moulded plastic had to be combined with a suitable plug-type connector system. The fulfilment of these preconditions was no problem for igus, as a specialist for injection-moulded plastic products, or the connection experts from Intercontec. The result:, a manipulation-proof unit made up of a plug-type connection and
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SpeedTec ensures connection times are reduced by about 50 per cent, because a small turning movement is all that’s needed to set up a safe connection. The extrusion coating is available in both standard plastic and in a special conductive ESD material (slate grey colour).
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MEASUREMENT
Worldwide success for new Rotary Axis Calibrator
Samina Khalid Samina.Khalid@Renishaw.com
Renishaw’s XR20-W rotary axis calibrator has proven to be a hit with customers since its launch in November 2011. Recognising the change in user requirements since the original RX10 was designed almost 20 years ago the new product promised easier set-up and use in a smaller and more compact package. was previously possible; giving a better return on investment and offering a more attractive service to their customers. This is already proven to be beneficial for service and maintenance provider Morley Machine Alignment Inc, USA, as explained by their President Tony Morley:
The combination of these features has resulted in many users finding that the XR20-W enables them to test a wider range of machines and to do so more quickly. Now, applications flexibility has been further extended by the addition of Renishaw’s new ‘Off axis rotary software’. This allows the XR20-W to be used even when it cannot be positioned directly on the rotary axis under test. Users can now test more and different machine tools than
shop floor activity, a great attraction to our operations and quality procedures” -
C S Venkatesh, DGM – Machine Building, Quality and Service, Machining Solutions Group, Kennametal India Limited, India (machine tool manufacturer)
Manager, Quality Assurance – Machine tool Division, Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd, India (machine tool manufacturer)
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He continues, “XR20-W can even be used in “off centre” applications such as trunnions and head type 5-axis machines. Thanks to a new methodology developed by Renishaw
“The new Renishaw XR20-W rotary axis calibrator has transformed the way we calibrate rotary axes on machine tools. Before XR20-W, our technicians relied on a combination of two devices; the old Renishaw RX10 and our inhouse designed “Morleyometer” for applications where the calibrator could not be mounted on the centre of rotation. While these devices got the job done, they were heavy, cumbersome and slow. Set-up could be challenging, and the associated cables and fixturing meant that great care had to be taken to ensure that the test proceeded smoothly. The new wireless XR20-W has
“This particular XR20-W is used in the calibration of all rotary axes, as per international standards. The machine calibration accuracy and the confidence level within our team have both increased immensely following the introduction of the XR20-W and it saves significant time (compared to alternative methods). I believe this is an essential quality tool for all machine tools”
“With the features of the XR20-W (easy and flexible set-up due to its size and weight, wireless operation and userfriendly software), we have reduced our test setup time by 40% and test run time by 20%. An added benefit is that Bluetooth® wireless technology has allowed safer testing making supervision a non issue. As a result we do not disrupt
changed all that. Set-up is now quick and easy and the new RotaryXL software is a pleasure to use.”
Luke Wang, Assistant General Manager of Quality Control Department, Hurco, Taiwan (machine tool manufacturer)
“XR20-W rotary calibrator is very compact and easy to align. It allows us to calibrate any angle with accuracy and reduced our calibration time by 50%” - V Saravanan.
“XR20-W rotary axis calibrator with Bluetooth® wireless technology has improved our productivity and working safety. Simplified alignment methods and user friendly software has increased the flexibility” Satheesh Jayanna, Assistant Manager, Quality Assurance, Starrag India Private Limited, India (machine tool manufacturer)
and their optional off axis rotary software, mechanical set-ups can be done quickly with just a simple generic mounting fixture, allowing the fully automatic test routine to proceed without delay.” Mr Morley concludes, “XR20-W has been one of the tools that has enabled us to offer our customers (typically high end aerospace component manufactures) an exceptionally high standard of service and helped our company grow from just 4 employees a few years ago to the 20 strong team we have today.” The XR20-W is a totally wireless accessory for use with Renishaw’s XL-80 and ML10 laser measurement systems. Together, they enable the automatic measurement of rotary axis positioning performance, with traceable ± 1arc second accuracy. More information about Renishaw’s calibration and performance monitoring products can be found at www.renishaw. com/calibration. April 2013
April 2013
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MEASUREMENT
MultiCon = Meter + Controller + Recorder + HMI in one package, Part III
Arvind Gupta india@simexcontrols.com
In the previous articles we presented the device design and options of presentation of results and operation using the touch panel. To have a full picture of huge potential of MultiCon, now we will focus on processing measurement data, control functions and possibilities of cooperation in network systems. The distinguishing feature of MultiCon is its capability of simultaneous implementation of tasks related to measurements, processing, control and recording of data. To make this possible, the designers have used the concept of “logical channels” which are virtual bridge between physical inputs/outputs and control and visualization processes. An expanded configuration menu of logical channels allows for a very precise configuration. It will not suffice to mention
the names, units of measure, precision of displayed data or ranges of indicators and graphs. The designers provided for easy rescaling of collected data, as well as filtering or data hold controlled by another channel. In the MultiCon devices, it is the user who decides how to use the available logical channels. The parameter which allows to select the channel function is the “operation mode”. It can be set so that the logical channel: •represents the data from physical inputs and outputs, •processes the data from other logical channels using the mathematical and logical functions,
•generates constant values (set points) or sequence diagrams (profiles), •works in the PID controller mode, •constitutes a virtual function key. Relationships between channels (including mathematical operations on the values) can be set directly in the device and it is not necessary to know any programming language. As the essence of any data processing is mathematical operations in the device, many standard functions have been provided to build complex algorithms. In addition to the basic mathematical functions, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, the device allows, amongst others, to use trigonometric functions, calculate the mean or maximum or minimum value from any number of channels, as well as logical functions or comparison and election. The source of data in mathematical functions can be of course other logical channels and constant values set in the menu. One of the most important functions of MultiCon is a controlled configuration menu of built-in outputs (e.g. relays) which allows to use them directly as so-called two-position controllers. Free combination between inputs and outputs allows to create easily multichannel controllers operating totally independently. In addition, the concept of logical channels provides an opportunity of making many outputs (including outputs of different types) dependent on a single input channel, and introduction of mathematical operations significantly expands the control options. In addition to ordinary ON/OFF control using binary signals, MultiCon allows
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PID control using built-in and external analogue outputs or SSR outputs in the PWW mode. Each of 60 logical channels can be set in the PD, PI, PID controller modes with an independent set point, input and output. The user can choose from 8 sets of PID control parameters (available in the “Controllers” submenu) each of which can be assigned to many logical channels operating in the controller mode. This is a perfect solution when many similar processes need to be controlled. The MultiCon can work then as a unique multichannel PID controller. A necessary supplement to the control functions of the device is a possibility of automatic change of the set value – timers/ profiles – which allow for generating signals of a user-defined waveform and duration. What’s important, the MultiCon allows to define profiles even 100-section long, and the duration of each of them can be different. Additionally, looping can be introduced. You can also define the trigger moment and method (e.g. by a state of another channel or a RTC clock). Thanks to such flexibility the selected process can be launched cyclically, e.g. on a set day of the month at a set time, with additional conditions. Undoubtedly, an advantage of MultiCon is that it can cooperate with other devices and systems. The basic configuration includes a single RS-485 port with the Modbus RTU interface. It is however sufficient to add an ACM module to April 2013
increase the application potential many times. This module is equipped with isolated RS-485 and RS-485/232 ports, an Ethernet interface and an additional USB Host port. Each of serial ports is a separate interface with Modbus RTU protocol and can operate independently of the others, both in the Master and Slave modes.
distant sources.
a programmable network hub.
Via Modbus RTU, MultiCon can use external inputs/outputs (i.e. inputs and outputs for other devices) just as it uses the built-in modules – it can read data and control the outputs of other devices present in the network.
Expanded communication possibilities are particularly useful when it is necessary to control a very high number of physical execution units or collect data from many
In addition, in the Slave mode it is possible to write data in individual MultiCon logical channels (up to three at a time). Combining these options, MultiCon can be
The Ethernet interface was described in more detail in part II, so let us just turn your attention to implementation of the Modbus TCP protocol which allows to connect the device with other systems via Internet. Using the world wide web, you can also control the device and download data on-line using dedicated software. More importantly, all tools are available free of charge right on the manufacturer’s website.
Microsite food.nord.com is optimized for mobile devices NORD DRIVESYSTEMS manufactures high-performance, cost-effective drive technology for the food and beverage industries that fulfills strict hygiene requirements. Especially developed for this area of industry, the drive manufacturer’s microsite – http://food.nord. com – has now been optimized for mobile use (iPhone, Android smartphones, Blackberry etc.). An adapted layout ensures excellent readability and straightforward navigation. The dedicated microsite, which presents sector-specific solutions and products, provides quick access to all food industry suitable drive systems. NORD’s product portfolio includes wet cell versions of geared motors which are 100% oil-tight, hygienic, and reliable. In 2011, NORD introduced washdown models of several gear unit types. The washdown design is based on smooth surface transitions with large radii, without undercuts and dead spaces. These housings therefore accumulate less dirt than conventional gear units. Cleaning liquids wash off easily in all installation positions. Combined with cost-efficient smooth-surfaced aluminum motors, the gear units turn into complete hygienic solutions that can benefit from additional corrosion protection with NSDtupH surface treatment. Through the NSDtupH treatment, aluminum products acquire corrosion resistance similar to April 2013
stainless steel models. Moreover, special feature modifications are available for the complete product range, including suitability for extended temperature range operation, protective finishes with a five-year guarantee, and special lubricants. NORD DRIVESYSTEMS develops produces
and sells drive technologies with around 2,800 employees, and is one of the international leaders in the industry. In addition to standard drives, NORD supplies application-specific concepts and solutions, even for special applications, for example with energy-saving drives or explosionprotected systems. Gross sales amounted to approx. EUR 450 mn in the 2012 business year. The company founded in 1965 now has over 35 subsidiaries worldwide. The closely meshed sales and service network ensures optimum availability for short delivery times and customer-oriented services. NORD produces a wide variety of drive units for torques from 10 to 200,000 Nm, electric motors with powers from 0.12 kW to 200 kW as well as the necessary power electronics in the form of frequency inverters and servo controllers. Inverter solutions are available for classical installations in the switch cabinet and for decentralised and fully integrated drive units. For further details write to jyoti. mishra@nord.com or visit www.nord.com www.issuu.com/mediamart
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MART UPDATE
RFID - new, compact, and robust UHF read/write head from Pepperl+Fuchs UHF read/write heads offer a higher range than LF and HF read/write systems, since the UHF technology communicates in the far field using “detached” waves and the LF/HF systems work in the near field. The range can be varied by changing the antenna design and the transmitted power. In addition to the existing F117 UHF antenna with a range of up to 6 m, Pepperl+Fuchs now offer a very compact solution, the new F190 UHF, specifically tailored to applications in production technology and intralogistics where the read distance of the LF and HF systems is not sufficient. The new F190 UHF read/write head is the ideal solution for applications where installation space is limited. The typical read range of 0.2 m to 1.5 m can bridge most distances to tags and cover additional tolerances. Since the detection range is adjustable, this permits selective reading of the required tag. The design of the UHF read/write head is not only compact but also extremely robust thanks to its metal lower section with encapsulated electronics and the antenna bonded into the upper part.
devices to be parameterized, diagnostic data to be retrieved, and test mode to be started if no controller is available yet. The multicolored and redundant LED displays make commissioning easier by providing information on the current device status.
This is confirmed by the industrial connection via M12 plug and the high IP67 protection. The UHF read/write head can be used in applications where reading multiple tags simultaneously is required, for example, to identify multiple individual products with tags in a container. This significantly reduces the reading effort. UHF tags are available as low-cost adhesive labels, providing a cost-effective way to integrate suppliers into the process sequence.
At a glance:
The new UHF read/write head has a similar command structure to all other read/
The compact and robust F190 UHF read/write head from Pepperl+Fuchs) write heads that can be connected to the IDENTControl, which makes integrating it into the control software very simple. To assist with commissioning, we will be offering our customers the free RFIDControl software, which enables
• For RFID, IDENTControl is the gateway to commonly used fieldbuses • NEW: Compact UHF read/write head • With a typical range of 0.2 m … 1.5 m, the compact UHF head closes a gap in LF and HF systems and enables new applications • Consistent command and operating structure • Extremely robust thanks to the metal housing with IP67 rating • As easy to install as a sensor
Balluff Smart Light instead of stack light The new IO-Link Smart Light from Balluff is equipped with all features for fundamentally revolutionizing the signal light sector. It is the first light that can be flexibly adapted to nearly every requirement without complex configuration via hardware. The otherwise typical costly combination of different-colored modules to form a light is no longer needed as this device can also be adapted to its new task ad hoc on-the fly via the controller. Even solutions that can be set by means of DIP switches are not much of an alternative as they cannot be changed during running operation. The Balluff Smart Light is a true multitalent, as it can do much more than signal the system operator certain predefined operating states with just three colors. Even tendencies, developments and trends
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of physical values can be represented. Temperature states, fill levels of systems or even the position of a carriage via a position sensor system can be visualized on the column, which may be up to 20 LEDs tall. For connection and installation, just one simple, unshielded, three-wire sensor cable – as is typical for IO-Link – is needed, and already the LED signal column offers maximum functionality and previously unimagined possibilities with its three operating modes “Stacklight”, “Level”
and “Run”. For further details visit www. balluff.co.in
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April 2013
THE LAST LEAF Dear Readers, Communication, today, has become a very powerful tool of progress. Not just the devices of communication that have been challenging their own predecessors, but also there are abundant examples of soft skills being developed across various communities, aimed at progress and growth. I recently read about the new 2013 BMW 750 LXI Car with features of Dragon Drive and Siri Eyes Free. The Dragon Drive feature lets you speak any new text message or e-mail and listen to incoming messages. The Siri Eyes Free service means you can connect your iPhone and use Siri. When you ask about the weather or search the Web, your phone screen automatically dims. One of the other most obvious improvements in speech tech has to do with natural language control. In this upcoming iPad app, which is a combined effort between Adobe Research and University of Michigan, you can speak commands like “make the image heavenly” to produce a photographic effect, or say “make John lighter” to lighten a person in the photo. The main benefit is in reducing the steps for editing and making them easier to use. Recently released for Android, with a Windows Phone 8 smartphone version in the works, this personal assistant responds to questions about the weather ala Siri. But the app ties into the Google Calendar on your Android phone so you create a new meeting by speaking, then get an audible reminder before the meeting. You can also search for nearby landmarks and eateries, speak a status message, compose an e-mail and control your music. There is yet another dimension to the reach of communication in form of advertisements and promotions, which is now hot with the IPL season starting this month. Acquisition of IPL by Pepsico is a long term bet, as per Deepika Warrier, their VP – Beverage Marketing. She says that this step would help them to build a 360 degree fan salience, taking it to the next level. According to her, there is a strong co-relation between salience and consumption. Considering the fact that there are 200 million people who engage with the IPL, Pepsico is looking at huge growth opportunity – an excellent example of a sports marketer. Meanwhile, the Indian Automotive Industry is sitting pretty, and poised to gain tremendously from the dramatic changes that are sweeping the globe, as per Future Thought of Business, 2013 (FTOB) – a Wipro Thought Leadership Initiative. The Indian automotive industry (7th largest in the world) is witnessing a phase of rapid transformation and growth, with a turnover of USD 73 Billion (22 % share in manufacturing GDP). Global auto companies are closely watching the Indian market, to exploit the future demand potential, and to use India as a global sourcing hub. As always, we need your input on the industry news, views and any observation about the industry around you. Your feedback will be useful to us to better inform our reader’s about tomorrow’s manufacturing solutions. Till then, Happy Technology ! Manoj Kabre Member, MART Editorial Advisory Board April 2013
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RNI No.: KARENG/2004/13614 Regd. Regn. No: KRNA/BGE/1016/2012-2014 Posted at MBC, Bangalore GPO, Bangalore - 560001 on 15th of every month