Cee 18 04

Control, Instrumentation and Automation in the Process and Manufacturing Industries April 2018

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Proof that Industry 4.0 reality offers payback

I/O in the era of Industry 4.0

Energy efficiency: DC to the rescue

Making encoder choices

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CONTENTS

Data, data, everywhere…

Editor Suzanne Gill suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk Sales Manager Nichola Munn nichola.munn@imlgroup.co.uk Production Holly Reed holly.reed@imlgroup.co.uk Business Development Manager Iain McLean iain.mclean@imlgroup.co.uk Dan Jago David May G and C Media

Group Publisher Production Manager Studio Design

Putting this issue together has certainly made me consider the importance of data and how the focus has changed in recent years from collecting it, to analysing it and making sense of it.

At the Emerson Global Users Exchange this was really brought into focus as the discussion revolved around the need to optimise plant performance. The way to do this is through the use of a growing variety of data analytical software tools.

To ensure we use our existing technology and physical process plant optimally these analytical tools can help turn data into insight. However, to achieve this we do need to focus on asking the right questions. Get this right and we will be able to start predicting the future. Then

things really start to get interesting!

You can find more about the Emerson Global Users Exchange in this issue (pg 4), and our data analytics feature section (from pg 10) offers comments about finding the right analytical tools for the job and looks at how you can really start to predict the future if you are able to bring all your data information sources together into one single big-data pot.

Suzanne Gill Editor – Control Engineering Europe Suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk

INDUSTRY REPORT

DRIVES & MOTORS

4

20 Direct current to the rescue for greater energy efficiency in industrial plants.

Being certain about the direction for improved performance: Suzanne Gill reports from the Emerson Global Users Exchange.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

EDITOR’S CHOICE 6

Simplified management for large volumes of data; Contactless 80 GHz radar level sensor offers even more accuracy.

22 Moving manufacturing to the next level with AI.

EXHIBITION PREVIEW 24 What can you expect from this year’s Hannover Messe, which takes place from 23 to 27 April?

DATA ANALYTICS 10 Ensuring you have the right tools for the job.

EDGE COMPUTING

12 Using data to predict the future.

26 We discuss how and why to get started with edge computing.

TEST & MEASUREMENT 14 Looking at the merits of shaft and bearingless encoders and finding out when to use each one.

16 Adding modularity and versatility to field testing.

INDUSTRIAL I/O COVER STORY PG 8

17 We look at I/O device developments that help ensure they are ready for Industry 4.0.

Control Engineering Europe is a controlled circulation journal published eight times per year by IML Group plc under license from CFE Media LLC. Copyright in the contents of Control Engineering Europe is the property of the publisher.

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Control Engineering Europe

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April 2018

3

INDUSTRY REPORTS

Being certain about the direction for

IMPROVED PERFORMANCE Suzanne Gill reports on the Emerson Global Users Exchange 2018 event, which discussed how the process industry can make huge improvements by aiming for top-quartile performance.

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merson’s biennial Global Users Exchange EMEA event took place this year in The Hague, The Netherlands, bringing together end users, integrators, machine designers and the global team from Emerson Automation Solutions to network and discuss process industry trends, best-practice and new technology developments.

The theme for this year was ‘Connect, Communicate, Create’ and the company once again took the opportunity to highlight its Project Certainty programme which was launched at the 2016 event. Many of the presentations throughout the event – from the company itself and from end-user customers – demonstrated the advantages of being a top-quartile performer.

Industry today is constantly being challenged to maintain and improve profitability and this has led to a push to achieve top-quartile performance. As Control Engineering Europe reported two years ago, Project Certainty is designed to help improve scheduling and costs for capital engineering projects, helping companies to reach topquartile performance. The initiative takes a combined technology and engineering-based approach for improved capital efficiency and more reliable project schedules. It relies on implementation of the right design engineering strategy to help eliminate centralised control system room

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April 2018

The theme for the Emerson Global Users Exchange 2018 event was Connect, Communicate, Create.

requirements by up to 80% and can reduce piping in some applications by up to 60%. Further, project-wide equipment reliability analysis could offer huge cost reductions for capital spare parts. It also addresses the complexity of data and documentation through the use of innovative technologies such as electronic marshalling and pervasive wireless field instrumentation which can help project teams to accommodate last-minute design changes without impacting the schedule.

Working collaboratively Many of the technologies and methodologies needed to achieve top-quartile performance already exist so Emerson’s aim is to work collaboratively with customers to employ these tools and to help eliminate outdated project approaches

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and drive commitment for change across an enterprise.

Presenting at this year’s event, Roel Van Doren, European president for Emerson Automation Solutions, said: “It has been proven that top-quartile performers in industry execute projects at less cost more quickly, and we know that sub-optimal performance can lead to huge losses over a plant’s lifecycle.

“With Project Certainty we aim to control three things throughout a project – cost, risk and schedule.

We are convinced that with a collaborative effort between users, EPCs (engineering, procurement and construction) and suppliers, Project Certainty can restore confidence in capital projects. However, its potential does not stop at the conclusion of the project. Since we launched the initiative we have seen the beneficial results of moving a plant from oneControl Engineering Europe

INDUSTRY REPORTS quartile to the next. It can have an impact of multi-million euros on the bottom line.

“Since its introduction many new, innovative, sensing and measurement solutions have become available.

Today, for example, it is possible to measure many more things costeffectively – such as corrosion and vibration. With WirelessHart we have a secure and effective way to connect the data points to control systems and application packages. We also have a package of software analytical solutions – Insight, PlantWeb Energy Advisor and, most recently, Optics.”

DeltaV InSight was created to help improve process control by monitoring and reporting performance; identifying and diagnosing problem loops; recommending tuning and maintenance improvements; and continuously adapting to changing process conditions. The software tool is used to improve control at existing plants and to reduce startup time for new control system installations.

Plantweb Advisor was created to help reduce energy costs through improved energy targeting and utilisation. The tool pulls energy data from various sources, including DCS systems and wireless assets, to provide real-time analyss and historical context.

Users are able to analyse and compare the amount of energy a system is designed to use, what it has used over time, and what it is consuming in the moment.

The newest addition to the Emerson stable of analytical solutions is Plantweb Optics which allows plant assets to be visualised to improve reliability and operational performance. The solution connects technicians, engineers and plant management to help transform traditional work processes, enabling cross-functional collaboration and decision-making to help plants operate more safely and profitably.

At the event Emerson also talked about its workshops and service offerings which, it says, reach beyond Control Engineering Europe

traditional project engineering and after sales services. “With our current technologies and services portfolio we can now show customers a clear and cost-effective path to reach and maintain top-quartile performance,” said Van Doren.

Chemical concerns Dirk Reinelt, senior vice president indirect procurement at BASF, also took to the stage at the event to discuss some of the issues facing the chemical industry today as trends change from the provision of products to the provision of solutions and from producing chemicals to offering chemical solutions. This presents challenges in both the asset investment and operational phases of chemical production. The investment phase poses issues surrounding global footprint, time-to-maket for new products and cost-efficiency, while operational phase issues include the need to renew assets to ensure a state-of-the-art facility and reducing turnaround time and downtimes to increase cost-efficiency.

While Reinelt believes that digitalisation is the solution to these challenges, he pointed out that digitalisation can present its own set of implementation challenges. The continuous process industries, when compared to discrete manufacturing, often consist of many more assets and

a greater quantity of ageing assets.

“A chemical plant, for example, will include over 10,000 assets, compared to 1,000 which is more usual in discrete manufacturing plants,” he said.

“However, handling vast quantities of data is no longer a real problem.

What we need to focus on is asking the right questions to get the answers we need from the data. When it is possible to use information gleaned from our data to predict the future, then we will be on the right path,” he explained.

Reinelt believes that there are some core technologies which will enable a digital revolution in the chemical industry. These he listed as augmented reality; artificial intelligence; big data analytics; 3D printing; mobile devices; and cloud computing. Reinelt also believes it is important to encourage collaboration which, he said, is key to set standards to allow industry to face its challenges. “We need to work with our suppliers to co-create and to bring together our expertise and creativity to foster solutions that are customised to meet our needs,” he concluded.

Next month Control Engineering Europe will report in more detail on Emerson’s views about the importance of people in reaching top-quartile performance... “Today, you can no longer simply efficient yourself to top-quartile performance,” said Mike Train, executive president at Emerson Automation Solutions.

Digital transformation takes centre stage at SENSOR+TEST 2018 The intelligence and communication capability of sensors, measurement and test systems is continuously growing and SENSOR+TEST 2018, will be addressing this development with its special topic ‘Sensor and Measuring Technology in the Industrial Internet’, and also with a ‘Digital Transformation’ topic area.

Sensor, measuring, and testing

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systems play a key role in digitising and networking vehicles, machines, and systems – even entire factories, converting the actual status of devices into the digital data world.

The SENSOR+TEST 2018 event, which will take place from 26 – 28 June at Nuremberg Messe. www.sensor-test.de

April 2018

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EDITOR’S CHOICE

Simplified management for large volumes of data With mapp Database, B&R has made it possible to archive data directly from the field level to database, regardless of whether the database is located on site or in the cloud. This is said to simplify the management of large volumes of data.

Manufacturing machinery generates

huge volumes of data, which must then be visualised, archived or passed on to higher-level systems. With mapp Database it is possible to send data directly from the controller to databases, where it can be processed or archived.

Commonly used database functions,

Contactless torque measurement HBM Test and Measurement (HBM) has introduced a new torque transducer, the T21WN. Based on strain-gauge technology, the new transducer uses contactless energy and measurement signal transmission to measure torque.

The torque transducer enables static and dynamic measurements of torque, rotational speed, and angle of rotation to be performed on non-rotating as well as rotating components.

Apart from the torque output signal of +/-10V at nominal (rated)

torque, the transducer also provides a standard frequency output signal of 10kHz+/- 5kHz. It is available with nominal (rated) torques ranging between 0.1N.m and 200N.m.

The maximum permissible rotational speed of the torque measuring system is up to 20,000 rpm, depending on the measurement range. An integrated rotational speed/angle of rotation measuring system with 360 pulses per revolution completes the transducer and can be used up to the specified maximum nominal (rated) rotational speed without restrictions.

Contactless 80GHz radar level sensor offers even more accuracy The VEGAPULS 64 80Ghz contactless radar level transmitter from Vega has increased its accuracy down to 1mm as standard, at no additional cost.

So, whether it is being used in storage or processing applications it is now possible to get more repeatability and accuracy of measurement at ranges of up to 30m.

Combined with the transmitters 80 GHz frequency, which enables considerably tighter focusing of the radar beam; its ability to deal with build up; and its ability to operate even on the

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April 2018

smallest of mounting connections, results in a good level measurement solution for many food industry applications.

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such as stored procedures, allow KPIs to be generated as needed, resulting in a cockpit for optimising manufacturing processes. mapp Database can be connected to any mapp component that saves or reads data. Instead of generating individual files for alarm lists, process values and audit events, all data is sent automatically, via mapp Links, to a database where it can be more easily managed.

Tablet fit for the IIoT

The Pepperl+Fuchs brand ecom, for mobile devices for use in hazardous areas, has introduced a successor to its Tab-Ex tablet series. The Tab-Ex 02 is based on the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active2 and allows mobile users to communicate in real-time as well as collect and retrieve data, parameters and information remotely.

The Tab-Ex 02 is said to be suited for IoT-capable applications and simplifies data exchange with SCADA/ DCS systems, ERP systems, project management systems and computeraided system planning. The improved hardware of the Tab-Ex 02 enable it to identify objects in an installation via augmented reality applications. The software delivers all the underlying, existing data directly into the user’s field of vision in real-time, while also making it shareable.

The Tab-Ex 02 will initially be available in an ATEX/IECEx Zone 2/ Div. 2 certified industrial version, with certification for ATEX/IECEx Zone 1/ Div. 1 expected before the end of the year.

Control Engineering Europe

FLUID MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY

Sponsored article

FLUIDIC SOLUTIONS Gems Sensors and Controls are at the heart of fluid management technology engineered for medical sciences.

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ems has earned an international reputation for developing and manufacturing a wide variety of quality, dependable fluidic components and systems.

We use real-time customer and industry feedback to drive our manufacturing and quality initiatives. Once installed, our products run continuously in some of the world’s harshest environments.

There are Gems units in the field today that have been running for decades with no degradation in the original performance. With Gems engineering expertise and broad base of intellectual property, Gems can deliver custom, engineered fluidic systems, solutions and integrated subassemblies more effectively within the industry.

We combine a unique array of intelligent sensors, world-class lean manufacturing tools and ISO registered quality processes to significantly increase efficiency, productivity and quality.

We understand that the art of fluid handling begins with sound science, strict discipline and proven methodology. We offer an extensive catalogue of level, pressure and flow sensors, as well as miniature solenoid valves, available through our worldwide sales and distribution network.

Our three fully-equipped ISO certified manufacturing sites, located in North America (ISO:13485), Asia (ISO:9001) and Europe (ISO:9001), ship more than 4 million sensors annually.

Gems has been Level sensing experts since 1955 with the widest range of material compatibility in the industry, durable and reliable performance.

which the bonnet and shuttle can be removed while leaving the housing and pipework intact for hassle-free operations. The FS-380P flow switch ensures laser generator receives adequate cooling to prevent overheating and machine shut down. Gems provides high quality components at competitive pricing. Our engineers continue to innovate for laser treatments for skin resurfacing, tattoo removal, hair removal and vascular treatment.

Surgical systems: accurate at low pressure and low temperature

For cryosurgical equipment, especially systems for low-pressure cryogenic ablation, Gems’ valves are used to control delivery and vent low-pressure liquid nitrogen. Also, Gems’ pressure transducers continually monitor liquid nitrogen supply tanks. For delicate vitrectomy procedures, Gems’ valves can actuate at very high speeds (2,500 actuations per minute) with repeatable performance. Gems A, B and D Valves Control delivery and vent low pressure liquid nitrogen. This robust 2- and 3-way miniature solenoid utilizes a stainless-steel body to resists corrosion for most acids, alkaline solutions and harsh environments.

Gems 2200 Series Pressure Transducer features capitalised CVD sensing technology, an ASIC (amplified units), and modular packaging to provide a sensor line that can easily accommodate specials while not sacrificing high performance.

In vitro diagnostics: Industry’s smallest

Medical lasers: helping lasers stay cool To prevent overheating and machine shut down, Gems’ flow switches detect minimum flow of liquids in the laser’s cooling loop. And, Gems valves control coolant in the handheld laser wand. Gems’ products measure and control water, gases, cleaning solutions, dialysate, coolant and air. Gems’ laser product offerings include compact and easy to maintain the FS-500 flow switch,

Control Engineering Europe

and measure all fluids ranging from buffers, DI water, waste and detergents.

The XM/XT-300 Series Continuous Level Transmitters are a complete line of small, polysulfone liquid level sensors ideal for shallow tanks and reservoirs. Compact and versatile, these plastic level sensors accommodate a broad choice of mountings and float materials.

Gems line of non-contact, nonintrusive or contact probe level sensors adapt to your most complex aqueous applications, ultra-low Level Sensor for detecting levels as low as 16mm from tank bottom. Can be used as a bulk fluid sensor for diluent, mineral oil, DI water or detergents.

Analytical instruments: solutions for mass spectrometry chromatography and laboratory pure water

For the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, precise and durable analytical instruments are critical to getting accurate data.

Gems’ engineered fluidic solutions for analytical devices fit your needs for space, time, materials and value. B-Cryo Series Valve are compacted and designed to function in extreme temperatures, engineered for service down to -196°C. The FS-380 Flow Switch the one-piece magnetic PPS composite piston is ideal for high-pressure applications. Uses 100-micron filtration which is less susceptible to clogging than other highpressure in line flow switches.

And to conclude, the 3100/3200 Series Thin Film Pressure Transducers Unbeatable price/performance ratio in a small package size, features all-stainless steel wetted parts, a broad selection of electrical and pressure connections, as well as a wide choice of electrical outputs.

From medial lasers to analytical instruments, Gems has decades of sensor customization experience and hundreds of collective in-house years of engineering expertise, Gems is uniquely equipped to solve even the toughest fluidic management challenge.

continuous level sensors

Gems XM/XT-300 Series Level Transmitters are among the most compact continuous level transmitters in the world – giving you increased design flexibility. Gems’ dependable line of level, flow and pressure sensors and valves are a critical component to many sophisticated, high-volume diagnostic machines. Gems Level sensors monitor

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www.gemssensors.co.uk April 2018

7

COVER STORY

PROOF OF INDUSTRY 4.0 PAYBACK Eberhard Klotz explains what contribution Industry 4.0 is already making to the booming automation technology sector and demonstrates how it is already offering a payback.

MindSphere, Rockwell Factory Talk).

However, the most exciting innovation in pneumatics is the Festo Motion Terminal, which is the first automation platform to be designed as a cyberphysical system and can replace up to esto is driving the change basic and further training concepts 50 individual pneumatic functions. towards digitalisation in and measures for new career paths, Festo, in contrast to consultancies, industry. The company and carries out visionary research in has the advantage that it can draw not only implements IoT the Bionic Learning Network with upon a wealth of user experience functions and services into its autonomous and self-controlling from pilot production projects in product portfolio and offers training systems such as BionicANTs or the its Scharnhausen Technology Plant. and consultations to students and prototypes of interactive, collaborative, This includes topics such as energy professionals, it is also using this pneumatic seven-axis robots like the management and optimisation as well latest technology in its own factory at BionicCobot. as innovative one-piece-flow concepts Scharnhausen in Germany where it has based on standardised networking, offered a significant 15% improvement From mechanics to the cloud mobile maintenance with tablets or in performance and output of a Festo is already delivering some real automated, flexible test systems for new assembly line, thanks to insight automation technology products individual products. This experience provided by big data analytics. The for the fourth industrial revolution: is also incorporated into its own project also highlights how Festo’s integrated drive packages, modular products. new automation platforms (with IP20 valve terminals with OPC UA and IOT Big data analytics figure out and IP65), IoT gateways, and a direct gateways, decentralised CODESYS bottlenecks, and finally reduce cycle link to a cloud, can provide the basic controllers and autonomous time by 15%: A large assembly line is ingredients for success. mechatronic subsystems with IP20 or designed to operate mass production Industry 4.0 and digitalisation is IP65. In addition, there are IoT driven as well as batch sizes of one. Currently, far more than just marketing hype. apps and services, valuable dashboards customers demand batch sizes of It is backed up by specific projects, for some products and complete between 200 and 2,000. The volume products and services. Festo, for subsystems. Festo is able to provide produced in a year equates to around example, is a member of the consistent connectivity from the 1.2 million units at a cycle time of 13 Industry 4.0 platform advising the mechanics up to flexible and multiple seconds.

German government; it develops cloud concepts (Festo cloud, Siemens The change of the batches is handled by SAP ME order management, but inside the machine RFID at every work piece holder triggers the necessary parameters/recipes at each station.

The technical basics of this assembly line are mechatronic subsystems in all machine cells, which are operated by decentralised control concepts for the electric and pneumatic drives and actuators. Each station Big data and cloud analytics help raise overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Festo achieved a 15% increase in provides all the data needed productivity after big data analysis highlighted bottlenecks. to operate and maintain the

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April 2018

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Control Engineering Europe

COVER STORY line in a unified digital format, and is networked with all testing stations/ quality systems. Data which is relevant for the machine operation is processed locally in real time. Data from around 400 IP addresses is gathered, condensed and provided, via OPC UA, to either support motion control or analytics on a PC or on a cloud-based solution.

Such a concept generates huge amounts of data and requires machine personnel to have additional data analytical skills. To get maximum value from all the available data you would need a ‘data scientist’.

After two years in operation at the Festo plant the first big data analysis was executed and this turned out to be a very valuable operation. Typical patterns resulting in bottlenecks could be clearly identified. It was possible to find solutions to overcome these bottlenecks and to further optimise a new machine’s cycle time by 15% (from 13 to 11 seconds).

The changes made at the plant included modifications inside the test cells and their procedures, the workpieces trigger the cell in advance and thereby save time for ‘booting’ the test routing and its connectors.

Other bottlenecks required a stronger CPU. The data proved to be hugely valuable and without transparency such optimisation would not have been possible. It offers a good demonstration of how a measured value can be transformed into an added value.

While the results of the Festo project were outstanding, with a payback of less than one year, even a much smaller effect with payback times of between two and three years would still be valuable in many industries.

Industry 4.0 solutions To get all relevant data out of a machine and all its mechatronic subsystems, you need several ingredients. Depending on your production system, it could include seamlessly connected and integrated Control Engineering Europe

drive solutions in electric axes as well as pneumatics.

Vision sensors, sensors, quality inspection, tracking information, energy monitoring, connection to logistics and order management/ MES. Festo’s CPX-E system is a highperformance control system for factory automation. The system consists of individual function modules that can be used to create a modular, compact and very flexible (sub) system. Depending on the module combination, the system can be Seamless connectivity from the mechanics up to the cloud is provided by Festo’s electric and pneumatic drive technology. used as a purely remote I/O system or as a (centralised I/O for the configurations. In addition or decentralised) control system for to the usual digital and analogue I/O factory or process automation. modules, IO-Link master modules and From a functional point of view, a counter module are also available. the CPX-E control units are designed Festo can, therefore, offer as EtherCAT master controllers and a consistent portfolio for the motion controllers. These are highdecentralised automation of performance control units which can be sub-systems and small machines/ used both for extensive PLC functions installations with IP20 (CPX-E platform) and, in the Motion Control M1 variant, and IP65 (CPX platform), all in line also for multi-axis applications with with a flexible Industry 4.0 host interpolation (CODESYS V3, PLCopen environment including the (coming Parts 1, 2 and 4) . soon) CPX-IOT gateway and first A further special feature of the customised dashboards in the clouds control units – in addition to the of Festo, Siemens MindSphere or EtherCAT master interface – is the Rockwell FactoryTalk. integrated PROFINET device or What the company successfully uses EtherNet/IP slave interface. This means in its own production environment it a decentralised control system can also shares with customers. It really be easily integrated into appropriate does walk the walk as well as talk host systems. The OPC UA interface is the talk! It is indeed the engineer of available for Industry 4.0. productivity.

Bus modules for PROFIBUS, PROFINET, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP (and Eberhard Klotz is head of the Industry Modbus/TCP) are available as a remote 4.0 campaign at Festo.

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April 2018

9

DATA ANALYTICS

Getting the right tool for the job Michael Risse gives advice on evaluating advanced analytical solutions to help ensure you have a tool that meets the very particular requirements of the process industry.

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ew Industrial Internet of hoc or regular reporting. industry such as food & beverage, oil Things (IIoT) deployments • Capture efforts for collaboration & gas, pharmaceutical, power, water/ across the process with colleagues through wastewater, mining, or chemical, you manufacturing sector, documentation of work. need an advanced analytics solution along with a corresponding • Avoid locked/hidden IP within specifically designed for these types need to derive insights from the spreadsheets and formulas. of applications. Trying to fit a generalresulting data, is driving the need for • Publish or share insights and purpose solution into a process data analysis solutions. reports across the organisation industry application is possible, but will The results will only occur when the to enable data-driven action, or require a great deal of time and effort selected analytical tool closely matches to enable predictive analytics on on your part. the application requirements. The incoming data.

With this in mind, it is important best way to achieve this match is by Many advanced analytics solutions to ask whether the tool is designed carefully formulating a set of questions claim to offer some or all these things, specifically for process industry for your chosen software vendors and with the ultimate goal of closing applications, and whether it is able examining their answers. the gap between data and insight. to handle time-series data and be First, however, it is important to Here are four key questions, which easily used to solve intricate process correctly understand the definition once answered, should help clarify manufacturing problems. of advanced analytics. Put simply, which solution will best meet your Historians are typically used in the advanced analytics software enables requirements. process industry to collect data from process engineers and experts to do many different plant and facility areas, the following, without the need for A process industry focus? and to store it in time series databases. assistance from data scientists and IT If your application is in a process Sources of process industry data personnel: • Create a cleansed, focused data set for analysis through assembling, aggregating or ‘wrangling’ data from various sources including data historians, offline data, manufacturing systems and relational databases.

• Investigate process data using selfservice tools to rapidly analyse alarm, process or asset data for ad- A process industry analytics solution should be able to handle, display and navigate time-series data.

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Control Engineering Europe

DATA ANALYTICS can include PLCs, HMIs, MES software, and asset management systems. All of these devices produce data at prodigious speeds and volumes, and at uneven intervals which can easily confound conventional relational databases. Most process data, typically, needs to be cleansed because much of the data lacks the context to make it useful – a problem that is further compounded when analysing data from multiple sources.

An advanced analytics solution suitable for process industry will need to work time series data and should include connectors to all leading process industry historians to allow the solution to handle, display and navigate time-series data.

Process experts The key to positive outcomes is empowering internal process experts so an important question should be, is the solution designed to be used by process engineers and experts, or by data scientists and IT personnel?

If it’s the latter, then your process experts will not be able to interact directly with the data of interest to gain insights, but instead will always go through others who must possess a high level of specialised IT expertise.

This creates a situation where interactions and iterations take too much time to be useful.

For example, a process expert identifies a problem area, and asks their IT expert to examine the data for possible clues. The expert provides what he or she thinks is the right answer a few weeks later, but this is probably not what the process expert was looking for.

With the right advanced analytics solution, there will be a direct interaction between process experts and data, giving quick answers to questions using the iterative method required to solve most difficult process problems.

Focussed on problems?

The focus should be on solving Control Engineering Europe

common process industry problems, not on the underlying technologies employed in the advanced analytics software. In too many cases, the technologies – big data, predictive analytics, machine learning, cloud computing, etc – have eclipsed the desired process improvements.

Rather than discussing The focus should be on solving common process industry problems, not on the underlying technologies employed why one should adopt in the advanced analytics software. a particular product, the conversation focuses on what search the data like they would with technology to use, often with more Google, and quickly and dynamically enthusiasm for the technology than add context across data sets. the benefits.

When the advanced analytics The goal of any data analytic solution connects directly to historians solution should be to improve yields, and other data sources, process exerts margins, quality and/or safety. Any can contextualise without getting modern solution should be drawing IT involved, without creating data from recent technology innovations lakes, and without duplicating or to accomplish these outcomes, transforming the data. without requiring expert assistance The advanced analytics solution or knowing exactly how these needs to connect to your live data – as underlying technologies work. it is and where it is, of any size and The world of big data, predictive any type – so your expert can interact analytics, machine learning and cloud with it directly. Your experts will then computing really needs to be turned be free to traverse the system, ask inside out – from a technologyquestions on the fly and layer multiple centric revolutionary approach to a data sources on top of each other in user-focused and problem-solving a single view, even when many data evolutionary approach. sources are involved.

The right advanced analytics All work is captured for future use solution won’t ask you to do a lot of and reference, so engineers don’t work to adopt specific innovations. It need to start all over again if their will harness innovation on your behalf original question doesn’t prove out. by using technology advancements to Results can be easily shared across deliver concrete benefits specific to the enterprise, enabling collaborative process manufacturing via a modern, efforts. cloud-enabled and browser-friendly application experience.

Conclusion With the right advanced analytics Interaction, not movement solution, process experts can quickly The advanced analytics solution bridge the gap between data and should not require you to move, insight. This will make difficult duplicate or transform data. A better problems easy to solve. The result is approach is to create an index on faster insights leading to better yields, top of your data sources so your margins, quality and safety outcomes. experts can interact with the data in a structured way, while leaving the data Michael Risse is vice president & CMO itself in place. Your experts can then at Seeq Corporation.

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April 2018

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DATA ANALYTICS

USING DATA TO PREDICT THE FUTURE

Jan Larsson and Ravi Shankar argue that predictive engineering analytics is about much more than just big data.

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ig data has been hailed as ‘the new oil’; a frontier that you can mine for insights and forecasts.

We have moved from looking at data that tells us what happened, to why it happened, and on to what might happen next.

Predictive engineering analytics combines physics-based simulations with data mining, statistical modelling and machine learning techniques, using patterns in the data to build models of how the systems the data was gathered from work. With such models, it is possible to find out what the data you have can tell you about the data you don’t yet have.

IoT and sensors are already transforming products. Mining the stream of information from products will be critical for maintaining products and for designing their replacements – but that’s not the only part of product development where predictive engineering analytics matter. And, if you are thinking about predictive engineering analytics as relying only on big data, then you are missing out on some of the key opportunities.

For many industries, the products created are no longer purely mechanical – they are complex devices combining mechanical and electrical controls, and functioning in ever more complex environments. That means engineering different systems, and the way they interface with each other, and with the outside world. At one level you are coping with electromechanical controls, at another you are creating a design that covers the cooling requirements for the electronics. And in the future, you have to model that as part of a larger system. For example, systems inside a vehicle will begin to

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talk to other vehicles and to traffic systems on the roads they travel on.

One consequence of this increasing complexity is that testing during engineering has been routinely supplemented by and, in some cases, even replaced by, simulations that cover multiple systems, and take into account the many different types of physics needed to model all the systems.

This is valuable during design and in acceptance testing too. Either the physical product design or the demands of the location of the finished product may make it impossible to gather readings from a physical sensors to verify final performance. This is when a virtual, simulated sensor can augment the information from the physical device and enhance the usefulness of the test.

Adopting new materials On the other hand, demands for fuel efficiency or simply more efficient manufacturing may mean adopting new types of materials and new production techniques, instead of relying on well-known ones. Companies who have decades of experience with traditional materials such as steel and aluminium have to learn to work with new materials, often using additive manufacturing and combined additive and subtractive manufacturing. That means going back and doing physical tests and correlating those tests to simulations to understand things as basic as how materials behave at a range of temperatures and what impact that will have on the system design.

To address all these demands, companies need to integrate their testing methods and their simulation methods, and need to adopt more simulation and much more data

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management to accelerate the speed at which engineering work is performed.

This goes far beyond tracking requirements, CAD data and test results; engineering data management systems need to store all the engineering work, including simulation and verification, and integrating test, sensor and performance data.

That becomes even more important as the trends of mass customisation and personalisation increase, making it impossible to test all the different versions of a product in all potential environments. Instead, simulations can be used to get broader coverage of all variants and usage scenarios. That allows you to go back at any point and prove that you verified a component with all the relevant systems, to look at the full range of data and see what might have led to a failure, and to use predictive analytics to forecast how products will perform.

The mathematical approach of big data analysis is certainly useful. But applying predictive analytics to the engineering space needs an approach that combines test data and physicsbased simulation data in a common database environment (and not just a single type of physics but multiple types) to allow engineers to take very large test and simulation data and use them to create key performance metrics.

Predictive engineering analytics also covers exploring the design space efficiently by running multiple simulations with different parameters and analysing the resulting data intelligently, so you can understand key parameters and how they interact. This enables a design to be optimised to achieve robust performance that is not sensitive to changes in the environment.

Control Engineering Europe

Predictive analytics might even move into products, as control systems shift from detecting to forecasting conditions.

Today, anti-lock brakes use sensors to detect when the car is beginning to skid. In the future, sophisticated control systems could use on-board cameras to detect that a vehicle driving in the rain is approaching a curve too fast for the road conditions, predicting that it will skid and controlling the vehicle before it does, to handle the curve safely.

Drowning in information The size and scope of the data sets available enables advanced analytics, but this size also has consequences: engineers will be drowning in information unless they take steps to make big data manageable. The number of sensors in products today is only going to increase. Sensor readings already create huge data sets – too large to use the raw data in simulations, because they would take too long to process. The scale of the data is going to require intelligent analytics to condense raw streams of readings into data that can usefully be fed into a simulation.

Predictive analytics is already Control Engineering Europe

proving useful in engineering. It can be used with the simulation portfolio to investigate different architectures early in product development, to help understand which type of architecture is best suited to meet customers’ needs.

3D simulations can be created and integrated with those early architecture models. Then you can bring in test data and see how it correlates with the simulations to improve models and increase system fidelity. As software tools develop it will be possible to simulate new types of physics to improve the accuracy of models, simulate large systems and more complex models, and to take advantage of more analytics tools.

Analytics can also be integrated into other tools. Having the information from those simulations in a central information system enables teams beyond the engineering organisation to understand architectural decisions and use that information in their own processes.

Combining data from devices with warranty information and data about customer satisfaction in a common data store allows big data analytics to be

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used to understand the significance of different factors in the design of the device that ultimately have an impact on business success. In a PLM environment, it is possible to integrate many different types of data in a more connected way; as the models, simulations and test results are updated and new customer information comes in, the analytics can take account of those to give an up to date view of the situation.

Many companies are already taking advantage of one or more of these opportunities. But to really make the most of predictive engineering analytics, it is necessary to look at this more holistically. Bringing all the information sources together in a more integrated system enables it to be applied to new and emerging technologies as well as existing tools, getting more value out of the data and allowing for the more confident creation of products that perform well in complex environments.

Jan Larsson is senior marketing director EMEA at Siemens PLM Software.

Ravi Shankar is director, global simulation product marketing at Siemens PLM Software.

April 2018

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TEST & MEASUREMENT

WHICH ENCODER?

Mark Howard looks at the merits of shaft encoders and bearingless encoders and where design engineers might deploy each type.

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hen design engineers imagine an encoder they are usually thinking about shaft encoders. Typically, these look like a small can with a shaft poking from one end – turn the shaft and the encoder outputs an electrical signal according to angle or change of angle. Inside most shaft encoders there is an opto-sensor and a grating attached to the shaft. As the shaft rotates, the grating interrupts the sensor’s light path and an electrical pulse is produced.

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This is pretty straightforward. If you are measuring to modest accuracies in benign conditions.

However, if you need to measure angles to <1° accuracy in a tough or outdoors environment, these encoders may not be the best choice.

Optical sensors are not robust and do not like temperature extremes.

Foreign matter and rough treatment in terms of impact or shock can

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also pose problems.

One option is to use a shaft encoder based on different sensing technologies. Options include capacitive, magnetic or inductive techniques. Unfortunately, capacitive sensors are just as unreliable in harsh environments as optical devices. Magnetic sensors can work well in tough conditions but have limited measurement performance and a susceptibility to DC fields.

Inductive encoders – or incoders – are a more recent phenomenon but are increasingly being used as an alternative to traditional inductive devices such as resolvers or RVDTs (rotationally variable differential transformers). Resolvers and RVDTs have been the traditional choice in sectors such as heavy industry, aerospace, defence and medical, where reliability is vital. Incoders use the same basic physics as resolvers and so offer similar levels of reliability and performance.

Inductive shaft encoders are more compact than their optical counterparts and, as well as being tougher, they also offer shorter axial length.

Inside a shaft encoder, the shaft rotates in a bearing arrangement.

The bearings are usually small and are not designed for any significant load. This means that the shaft to which the encoder connects must be aligned along its axis so it doesn’t fight against the encoder’s own bearings. If there is misalignment, it is likely that the encoder’s bearings won’t last long.

If your installation tolerances are loose, one trick is to use a flexible shaft coupling Control Engineering Europe

The use a bearingless encoder can also help avoid bearing alignment problems. Rather than the encoder using its own bearings this relies on the host system’s own bearings.

Bearingless encoders usually come in two parts – a stator and a rotor. Typically, the stator has an electrical connection (for power supply and data output) and so it is often this that is fastened to the host system’s main chassis, with the rotor fastened to the rotating element.

As with shaft encoders, there are various sensing technologies and optical is the most common. Similarly, there can be problems with bearingless optical encoders – more usually referred to as ring encoders – if the operating environment is anything other than clean, stable and carefully installed.

Typically, an optical ring encoder features a stationary read head and a rotating optical disc. If measurement accuracies are <1° then the installation tolerances of the optical disc, relative to the read head, need careful consideration. Notably, with high accuracy ring encoders, the tolerances required to achieve the headline measurement performance are only stated in data sheet’s small print. Installation eccentricities of <0.025mm are not uncommon for some

Conclusion

As with many aspects of equipment design, it is often the case that one technique is not necessarily ‘better’ than the other. Shaft encoders and bearingless encoders are each suited to different design approaches. Shaft encoders are compact and easy to deploy – bearingless encoders eradicate the need for bearing alignment and suit designs where low axial height and big a bore are required.

Also interested in really rugged, light, accurate, configurable and inexpensive infrared sensors for temperature ranges between –50 °C and +3000 °C? Or in thermal imaging cameras? Visit www.optris.co.uk

Bearingless encoders

optical ring encoders.

Alternative approaches include inductive ring encoders, which still work reliably in extreme temperatures or when they are covered in dirt. They are also more tolerant to installation misalignment since their basic physics uses the planar faces of the stator and rotor, rather than the point measurement of a single, optical read head. Such inductive ring encoders are increasingly preferred over the more traditional ‘pancake’ or ‘slab’ resolvers.

The biggest reason, however, to use a bearingless encoder is size and shape. Shaft encoders are compact and, although they are available in through shaft (or hollow shaft) designs, they are rare and expensive when the through bore needs to be bigger than 50mm. This is where bearingless encoders are particularly useful to a designer. Their inherent form factor means they are well suited to arrangements where low axial height and/or a large bore are needed.

The large bore enables cables, piping or mechanical elements to readily pass through the middle of the encoder.

Sharp.

to minimise the effect of misalignment.

Flexible couplings work well but are typically not recommended if you’re measuring angle to high accuracy. This is because angular displacement of the main shaft does not necessarily result in the same angular displacement of the encoder’s shaft. This results in ‘lost motion’ or hysteresis and, in turn, measurement inaccuracy.

There’s no two ways about it: our new video infrared thermometer’s automatic snapshot function provides pin sharp pictures and quality assurance.

TEST & MEASUREMENT

Mark Howard is general manager at Zettlex UK.

Laser sensors offer precise detection of small objects and gaps The O300 miniature laser sensors, with IO-Link, from Baumer, are said to offer a solution for the detection of very small objects and gaps.

The sensor’s laser beam is able to focus to within 0.1mm and with a high repeat accuracy of 0.1mm. Objects can be precisely positioned and follow-up processes controlled exactly.

A short response time allows the sensor to

Control Engineering Europe

reliably detect even closely spaced objects, allowing fast processes and high throughput rates.

The wear free teach-in method is said to make commissioning easy and the traditional weak point of the pushbutton or potentiometer has been ruled out with the tamper-resistant teach-in method, qTeach.

April 2018

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Innovative Infrared Technology

TEST & MEASUREMENT

ADDING MODULARITY AND VERSATILITY TO FIELD TESTING Clive Davis talks about a new portable test instrument which combines features of a general-purpose oscilloscope and those of a data acquisition recorder.

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nlike many portable measuring solutions such as portable oscilloscopes and combined oscilloscope/ multimeters, this new portable test instrument – the DL 350 – adds precision and accuracy to field measurements, isolated inputs for measurements at high voltage levels, and long-memory capabilities.

A key feature is its plug-in modularity, which allows the unit to be configured to suit a variety of applications. Two slots are populated with any of 18 different

types of user-swappable input modules in a setup which allows measurements on multiple channels of a mixed selection of parameters such as voltage and current; temperature, vibration/ acceleration, strain and frequency; logic signals and CAN/LIN bus signals; and sensor outputs.

The power in single and three-phase systems can be evaluated. In addition, for fundamental waveforms of 50 or 60 Hz, up to 40 harmonic orders can be analysed. Alternatively, it is possible to use the suite of FFT functions to perform full frequency analysis.

The DL 350 ScopeCorder is based on an A4-sized compact chassis and weighs less than 2.6 kg excluding battery. The built-in rechargeable battery provides three hours of continuous operation which, when combined with either mains or 10-30 Vdc power, provides the unit with a reliable power supply for tests that would be difficult or expensive to repeat.

Typical applications for the unit cover a wide range of industries including: Inverter I/O voltage performance: Combining the unit with high-speed isolation and CAN bus modules provides a tool for measuring drive-train The DL350 ScopeCorder combines field portability with a range efficiency and performance of plug-in modules for different measurements. in electric vehicles. It will

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measure the fluctuation of the input/ output voltage of the drive train inverter, trend speed, accelerating and breaking rates translated by CAN communications simultaneously and continuously for up to 2.5 hours at a sample rate of 200kS/sec.

Industrial power-line performance monitoring: The unit can be taken into the field fitted with a high-voltage isolation module and a ‘wave window trigger’ function can be used to monitor and capture the power wave degradation caused by voltage sags, surges and interruptions.

Preventative maintenance checks for industrial robots: To ensure the smooth running of automated production lines, the unit can be combined with a fourchannel high-speed isolation module and acceleration/voltage module to check the health of production-line robots. Using its FFT analysis function engineers can monitor and check vibration under acceleration data to give an indication of any potential failure, allowing them to plan remedial action to prevent it and any production-line stoppage.

Conclusion This latest addition to the ScopeCorder family can capture, display, record and analyse electrical and physical parameters in a variety of industrial applications – from automotive to automation. It allows engineers to see what happens to systems in the field in a production environment rather than trying to simulate or emulate conditions in the laboratory or to build complex test rigs.

Clive Davis is european marketing manager at Yokogawa Europe, Test and Measurement.

Control Engineering Europe

INDUSTRY NEWS

EEF launches approved course for auditing new Health & Safety Standard – ISO 45001 UK manufacturers now have the opportunity to become certified to the world’s first globally recognised health & safety standard with the opportunity to train their internal auditors via a new course being launched by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation.

The ISO 45001 standard will add a number of new concepts – such as leadership, continuous improvement and stakeholder management.

For health & safety it presents an opportunity to be more strategic,

including the requirement to look at the wider health and safety implications of the supply chain, i.e. procurement, outsourcing as well as contractors.

EEF is launching its first IRCA (International Register of Certificated Auditors) approved course in partnership with QMS Skills to help companies gain the auditing skills needed to facilitate the transition to ISO 45001 certification. It starts with a two-day auditor transition course on 17 April and will be followed by further

courses, including a five-day lead auditor course later in the year.

Course attendees will gain IRCA certification which is recognised internationally with many organisations using it as a benchmark requirement for auditors. It will also give attendees a wider insight into the Annex SL Higher Level Structure and from this the opportunities that come from integrating management systems for issues such as quality and environment.

Details can be found at eef.org.uk/45001

InstMC SCADA conference will focus on standards and good-practice The Institute of Measurement & Control will be holding a SCADA conference and foyer exhibition on Wednesday 17th October 2018 at the Wellcome Collection 183 Euston Rd, Kings Cross, London NW1 2BE. The event will focus on trends, good practice and standards shaping the future of the controls and automation industry including: • The Top Box; ergonomics, HMI guidance, alarm rationalisation latest guidelines • Up and coming new technologies

• Benefits of simulation & operator simulator training • Cyber security/plant & business resilience • Obsolescence and strategies for migrating/upgrading to new systems • Integrated Advanced Process Control (APC) solutions • Integrated Safety System (ISS) solutions Those wishing to either present, exhibit or attend should contact: conferences@instmc.org

Hosokawa and Siemens collaborate on digital technology project With the ‘Made Smarter Review’ calling for the widespread adoption of industrial digitalisation to boost the UK’s manufacturing sector, MindSphere – Siemens open cloud IoT operating platform – has been specified for use on a digital technology project designed to optimise production and processing performance for Hosokawa Micron (HML).

The project focusses on obtaining performance improvements by using the benefits of industrial digitalisation – Siemens MindSphere open cloud IoT operating system and Hosokawa Gen4 technologies in particular.

The Contract Manufacturing 2020 Control Engineering UK

project will capture real-time and essential operational data which can then be analysed at both machine level on the local network, as well as stored and interrogated via the cloud platform. The ongoing data analysis will provide insight into all aspects of the plant’s production performance and the status of production assets and aid strategic decision making, scheduling, predictive maintenance and operational availability.

Commenting on the project, Iain Crosley, managing director at Hosokawa Micron, said: “Capturing, storing and interrogating operational data from across our production

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and processes is vital to provide the intelligence required to further enhance performance, and I am determined that Hosokawa will be at the forefront of digital technology adoption. The MindSphere platform brings with it capabilities for remote monitoring, data driven analytics and secure cloud connection. It will allow us to reduce production downtimes and associated maintenance costs, quickly highlight the potential for any production anomalies and, ultimately, will aid competitiveness by allowing us to get products to market more speedily.”

Ian Elsby, chemicals industry expert at Siemens, said: “The solution will demonstrate sensor to digital twin models and highlight the advantage of digital technology impacting productivity in a positive manner.”

April 2018

UK1

PANEL BUILDING

AUTOMATING

control panel design Control Engineering UK finds out how one panel builder has been able to increase its productivity by around 70%.

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ased in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, PNE Controls was founded by Neil Cockings and Pete Walton who have worked together at several companies over the last 25 years.

PNE Controls was set up two years ago to offer design, installation and testing of electrical control panels and systems. Its founders have extensive experience in systems across a wide range of industries.

The PNE Controls team members had all previously used EPLAN computeraided engineering (CAE) software, so were comfortable in making the decision to invest in EPLAN Electric P8, to give the company access to an electrical engineering design software package with a comprehensive range of options for planning, documentation, and management of automation projects.

The entry level EPLAN Electric P8 licence purchased by PNE Controls supports schematics with up to 80 pages, macro variant technology

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April 2018

with placeholders, wire and device numbering, with additional modules for single line and revision. Changes can be made at any stage, and are fully tracked.

Production and maintenance documentation is automatically generated so the user simply has to tailor the reports to suit individual projects. The basic backbone of the documentation is already there including, for example, cable overviews, cable diagrams, summary of parts lists, terminal strips, terminal diagrams, table of contents.

Automating routine tasks The PNE Controls team found that using the EPLAN Electric P8 allowed it to automate all of the routine tasks involved in control system design, saving an enormous amount of time as well as reducing errors to a minimum.

“We had all used EPLAN CAE software before setting up PNE Controls, so it made good sense to approach the company to discuss product options

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and licensing arrangements,” explained Pete Walton, lead design engineer and company director. “EPLAN suggested the use of its Electric P8 Select Start, supported by training to help us to maximise our engineering potential”.

As an interim measure, the PNE Controls designers had been using a general purpose CAD package. On switching to EPLAN Electric P8, they found that their productivity increased by no less than 70%, largely because of the high level of automation offered by the software.

Now the designers simply set up a template for a particular client and then all they have to do for subsequent projects with similar requirements is to tweak the template and add new values or parts.

“There is no doubt that using EPLAN is helping us to cement closer ties with customers, such as mechanical handling specialist Asmech Systems, and industrial solar and battery systems developer Evo Energy. We can create templates to suit specific requirements and so are able to complete designs quickly and efficiently, and export high quality drawings in a fraction of the time it would traditionally have taken. What’s more, we’ve found that our customers are very impressed with features such as the pictorial representations of items in panels. Our engineers also find these features beneficial as they make it easy to visualise the finished panel.”

PNE Controls is currently in the process of joining the ECA (Electrical Contractors Association) and to help with meeting the stringent requirements of this trade association the company is looking to adopt EPLAN Pro Panel, which will enable it to design and construct control cabinets, switchboards and flexible power distribution systems in 3D. PNE Controls is also working toward ISO9001 approval, and the revision control features offered by EPLAN will be helpful here as they make it possible for the designers to constantly assess the quality of their work.

Alongside EPLAN Electric P8, PNE Controls now also uses the EPLAN Data Control Engineering UK

PANEL BUILDING

Rittal, the l innovative contro « cabinet-specialist.

Brandon Hobusch Technical support

PNE Controls has increased its productivity by 70% through the use of CAE software.

Portal, which is a web-based platform with major suppliers of electrical, mechanical, fluidic and pneumatic components.

It contains over 761,000 components from over 206 manufacturers. PNE Controls makes great use of this tool and, over time, has learned to streamline its designs by making sure the parts chosen are already included in the EPLAN Data Portal.

Displaying critical information on gloveboxes

Control Engineering UK

April 2018

UK3

Control cabinets & accessories from Rittal 9 Compact control cabinet AE 9 KL terminal boxes 9 EB E-Boxes

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UK

9 Filter Fans

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Saffron Scientific Equipment, a company which specialises in the design, development and manufacture of gloveboxes used to handle toxic and hazardous substances in both laboratory and production applications, has specified BEKA Advisor A90 universal process panel meters to display critical containment pressures.

Each meter has a multicolour negative liquid crystal display, with the display colour linked to the meter’s alarm status to provide very conspicuous multiple alarm warnings.

Although the panel meters are easy to configure and calibrate on-site, they are supplied pre-calibrated to Saffron’s requirement, including a printed slide-in scale card showing the units of measurement. This has helped the company to significantly reduce commissioning time.

The panel meters where chosen by Saffron Scientific Equipment for use in this application because they are easy to install and have a wide range of features including multiple latching alarms, colour change displays, and the ability to re-transmit a 4-20mA signal.

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SENSORS

RETHINKING THE OPTICAL SENSOR In response to feedback from industry customers SICK has recently upgraded its optical sensor technology to meet industry needs today and in the future.

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ollowing consultation with machine designers and photoelectric sensor users in food and beverage processing, bottling and packaging operations, SICK identified that, in addition to the expected features, such as being Industry 4.0 read and being robust and reliable, customers also wanted more simple product selection, quick configuration and ease of use.

SICK set out to meet these needs by simplifying its optical sensor range. The result is the SICK W16 and W26 smart sensors with ‘BluePilot’ alignment. The new proximity, reflex and through-beam laser sensors will be manufactured at a purpose-built, fully-automated factory in southern Germany.

The BluePilot assistant overcomes this issue by using a line of five LEDs mounted on the top of the sensor for quick, easy and accurate alignment of the light spot, even over long distances. The blue LEDs also provide an ongoing visual status indication to verify that the sensor is still in alignment. This can minimise set-up and maintenance times.

The company also set out to optimise its optical technologies. Its Twin-Eye technology, for example, is suited to detection of reflective materials such as films, foils, contrastrich or uneven surfaces when they need to be detected from above.

False signals lead to production failures that cause machine downtime while an operation is reset, or lead

With Smart tasks logic functions can be freely configured with a trigger sensor.distances.

to unnecessary product wastage.

In a standard sensor, films, foiled designs, print on glossy foils, highgloss UV varnish, high-contrast prints, fluorescent or reflective inks could all lead to deflections, which mean the light spot is not reflected consistently to the receiver.

The second receiving channel of the Twin-Eye design overcomes this problem. Even when the laser light spot is deflected by a shiny or wavy surface, the light is reflected back onto both receivers, causing the sensor to switch on and detect the object. Or, if the reflected light is still detected by at least one of the

BluePilot alignment The most significant development is SICK’s BluePilot assistant. Sensor applications that use a reflector, or a transmitter and receiver, need careful adjustment to ensure optimal alignment – and this can be tricky, especially over longer distances. If the light spot is not in the correct position it could lead to production failures or stoppages.

Traditionally, a machine designer or end-user could have a difficult choice between using a time-consuming potentiometer, with many fine adjustments before achieving the desired level of precision, or else compromising on manual adjustment in favour of a teach-in button, where you must trust the sensor to do the thinking for you.

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April 2018

The BluePilot assistant uses a line of five LEDs on the top of the sensor to ensure accurate alignment of the light spot even over long distances.

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Control Engineering UK

Airplus Safeline Supply & Discharge Valve (Monitored Dump Valve)

• Designed to be stand alone or part of a Pneumax Airplus air service unit • Single version: In accordance to ISO EN 13849 CAT 2 - performance level C (SIL 1) • Double version: In accordance to ISO EN 13849 CAT 4 - performance level E (SIL 3) Both versions compliant according to Machine Directive 2006/42/CE • CE Marking: In accordance with EU Machine Directive, Annex V • Supplied with built-in pressure gauge (optional) • ATEX Certified

Tel: 023 8074 0412

Email: sales@pneumax.co.uk

www.pneumax.co.uk

SENSORS two receivers, the switching signal is maintained and operation continues reliably.

Optical filter technology For semi-transparent and transparent objects, such as bottles and plastic trays the ClearSens optical filter technology can offer a solution.

Intuitive mode selection on the device makes set up easy, and according to the characteristics of the object to be detected, the on-board potentiometer enables maximum detection certainty to be combined with maximum accuracy.

ClearSens provides a solution for object detection where the laser light may be refracted, magnified or diffused, depending on the packaging or the properties of the contents, or even scattered by inclusions within a transparent product such as a gel.

Detection of clear glass bottles filled with water pose the ultimate challenge. Due to an optical effect, the detection can be interrupted as soon as the light beam reaches the centre of the glass bottle. ClearSens technology in the new WLG16 photoelectric sensor overcomes this. The effect is compensated for through the intelligent evaluation of light intensity

A new glass & tray mode ensures reliable detection of transparent products.

and scatter, in combination with switchon and switch-off thresholds that have been specifically designed for use in detecting bottles and trays.

Ambient light issues The ambient lighting of a factory, flashes of light or reflections from surrounding machinery, can all affect an inferior sensorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance and lead to false or missed signals. However, SICKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new OptoFilter technology,

makes the W16 and W26 sensors immune to interference from unwanted light sources and reflections, LED lighting which is increasingly common in factories or hi-viz safety workwear.

The new streamlined portfolio also incorporates IO-link two-way communication as standard on all devices. A Bluetooth wireless option is also available to enable easy monitoring and commissioning from smart phones or tablets.

Muting reinvented and made safer In the automotive, packaging and intralogistics sectors material locks often need to be safeguarded against unauthorised access by means of safety sensors. Traditionally, muting processes with muting sensors have been required to clearly identify when transported goods are approaching a protective field and to bridge the passing of these goods through the protective field at the correct moment.

The new SPG (Smart Process Gating) solution from Leuze electronic has removed the need for such signal-

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emitting sensors. Based on the MLC safety light curtains, conveyor systems can now be made more compact. The risk of misalignment or damage to the sensors is eliminated as is the costs for their maintenance and servicing. Furthermore, the purchasing costs, the wiring and risk of manipulation are reduced which increases the availability of the complete safety device.

Particularly important for typical intralogistics applications, the height

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of the protective device is entirely dependent on the safety-related requirements. Synchronisation beams do not have to be taken into consideration.

Control Engineering UK

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MAINTENANCE

Total productive maintenance:

WHERE TO START? Jonathan Wilkins explains the three core concepts of total productive maintenance (TPM) which is necessary for any manufacturer striving for a lean manufacturing model.

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f machinery is not functioning reliably, it is not possible to produce right-first-time products without risk. While perfect production – with no breakdowns, defects and accidents – may seem impossible for many manufacturers, total productive maintenance (TPM) can bring it closer to being a reality.

The concept of TPM is built on the 5S foundation, lean manufacturing terminology which describes the steps of a workplace organisation process – sort, set in order, shine, standardise and sustain. Implementing these five steps helps to streamline operations and makes problems visible through meticulous organisation and cleanliness of the workplace.

To gain the benefits of TPM requires commitment and a great deal of planning. However, there are three steps that can be taken to get you on your way.

Employee empowerment: The TPM approach encourages employees to take ownership of the machinery they are operating, which increases production uptime. TPM does this by allocating the jobs traditionally completed by dedicated maintenance staff to all employees operating the plant. Typically, a TPM plan will have operators carry out basic manufacturing maintenance duties and cleaning regimes, encouraging a proactive attitude towards spotting maintenance issues.

To implement this effectively, plant managers need to provide the correct training for all staff on the factory floor.

For example, staff are often expected to carry out cleaning, inspections, lubrication and corrective work for the piece of machinery that they operate.

To ensure this is carried out safely, plant managers need to invest both time and resources in training.

Safe environment: Unclean work

environments present the most risk of injury in industrial settings, but a simple cleaning regime can help mitigate this.

Again, cleaning regimes should be carried out by all staff on the factory floor and can involve tasks as simple as returning tools to the correct place, ensuring machines are set up properly and cleaning stations once operation is finished. TPM focuses on the layout and efficient flow of products and people.

Minimising clutter will help maximise flow throughout the floor design, while reducing safety risks.

Quality output: To improve the output of products and minimise defects, manufacturers need to identify potential weaknesses in the production process and assign quality checks at each point.

Quality assurance streamlines production and helps ensure that the final products meet the company’s quality criteria. It also ensures that the processes used to design, test and produce products are always carried out correctly.

Part of effective quality assurance involves the measurement of tight production tolerances, which cannot be carried out by humans alone. By using production automation, manufacturers can hugely increase throughput and improve the quality of working life for their employees.

While it is true that teams are only ever as strong as their weakest link, with a little help from automation, many of these weaknesses can be reduced, if not eliminated completely.

Jonathan Wilkins is marketing director at EU Automation.

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Control Engineering UK

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MANUFACTURING EXECUTION SYSTEMS

Improving packaging line

DATA COLLECTION

Control Engineering UK finds out how Molson Coors has upgraded its packaging production system to benefit from improved data collection to allow it to fault find a single machine or across entire production areas.

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he Burton on Trent, Molson Coors Brewing Company facility consists of multiple filling and packing lines for cans, bottles and kegs, with high speed canning lines capable of filling up to 2,000 units per minute.

The packaging business unit has, traditionally, made use of a custom downtime data capture system. This had been increased in size on an adhoc basis and was no longer meeting requirements. Visibility and the quality of efficiency data for the packaging operation was limited and could not provide data in the format used by other sites globally.

Further, packaging production orders, issued by the ageing ‘green screen’ MRP (Materials Resource Planning) system, were managed, fulfilled and reported on manually. This system was to be replaced by SAP, with the final stages of implementation taking place at the

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same time as the installation of a new Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

by Astec.

Astec was challenged to implement a system to help drive the continuous improvement program, with a focus on maintaining and improving efficiency.

The system would need to be able to use many of the existing approaches for data collection and plant modelling which had already been proven in other sites. The solution needed to be low risk, and product based, so only globally available and supportable COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) software could be used.

Astec regularly utilises a network of partners across the globe. In this instance, one of GE’s North American solution providers was able to support the project, following close involvement with Molson Coors’ MES development in Canada and the USA. With both system integrators working as one, a

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global reach was provided, mitigating the risks associated with projects influenced by people and sites in different territories.

The packaging lines comprised equipment of varying ages and configurations with a range of different PLCs. The KPIs needed to focus on enabling evaluation of the status of each machine within a packaging line correctly – to know whether it was working, and if not, why not.

In terms of efficiency, the approach was taken to automatically gain the reasons for machine stoppages from the existing automation system, working alongside all production personnel to gain additional, more granular causal insight. The main areas of focus included the filling machines, pasteurisers, case packers, conveyors and wrappers. The filler is the rate limiting machine on the line so, for the purposes of maintaining efficiency, it is essential that unfilled containers arrive at the maximum rate of the filling machine and that downstream activities, such as shrinkwrap, labelling, cardboard packaging and palletising, are able to operate at least as fast as the output from the filler.

Monitoring and control of delivery order dates, volumes and lead times was also essential to avoid unnecessary overstocking. At a throughput of 2,000 units per minute, operations are high pressure and complex. Astec was able to provide a system that could identify faults and quickly communicate these to operators for remedy and team leaders for improvement.

The new system was tailored to Control Engineering UK

MANUFACTURING EXECUTION SYSTEMS provide the appropriate information and KPIs. During the 18 month project, Molson Coors’ global operations expanded, with an increase in the number of European sites which put even greater emphasis on the importance of aligning KPI measurement, ensuring that performance across all sites could be measured consistently.

As a UK Premier Solution Partner for GE Digital, Astec was able to implement the required solution using GE’s COTS production automation software.

Molson Coors was familiar with the GE software stack and was already using the Historian and SCADA products, with the MES product set being used in the company’s North American facilities.

The Historian feeds information into the Proficy Plant Applications MES software, which makes it available as contextualised data. The context rich data is then provided to the reporting system. Astec provided a suite of

packaging reporting functions providing views on the business area, specific packaging lines and individual machines.

Improved visibility To minimise operator walking time, because some of the packaging lines are over 90m long, and to improve visibility, accelerate fault diagnosis and correction, Astec installed user interfaces at multiple locations along each line.

Throughout the project Astec worked closely with to Molson Coors to design and implement intuitive ‘reason trees’ to allow for the efficient recording of downtime. This ensured efficiency KPIs were defined and monitored correctly and incorporated within management reports in the right way.

Outcomes Molson Coors is now able to rapidly access efficiency data which allows it to fault find right down to the level of individual machines or across

entire production areas, providing a framework for a full range of continuous improvement and efficiency drives. It also delivers the information needed by the new SAP system, including data and information required to understand capacity planning and forecasting.

Each filler is now followed by a measuring device which checks that each unit has been filled to the right level.

Used as a vital compliance tool, this ensures the contents of the packages are as described and ensures that product giveaway is kept to a minimum.

The system provides a single source of information for past production, the current production plan, product specifications and quality check points as well as efficiency metrics spanning products, machines, production areas and even teams. This enables comparisons to be made across teams, sites, product types and packaging lines, so issues that could potentially harm profitability can be identified.

Control, Instrumentation and Automation in the Process and Manufacturing Industries

Updating the UK’s senior engineers on the latest developments to run their plant and production facilities as efficiently as possible.

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NEW PRODUCTS

3D simulation programme for robot control FANUC UK has launched an upgraded version of its intelligent 3D simulation software for robot motion control.

ROBOGUIDE Version 9 can be used for pre-sale concept simulations, right through to a full offline programming package for use on the shop floor. It is said to be suitable for use by both experienced and new robot users, and incorporates a more intuitive user interface, the most up-to-date virtual controllers, and a drag-and-drop function for the addition of robots and components within a work cell layout.

ROBOGUIDE allows operators to design, test and modify robotic systems through the use of a fully-simulated, 3D, CAD environment. The simulations, which can be conducted offline, provide accurate robot motion and cycle times

when designing and verifying a system.

The finalised programme can then be downloaded to the robot.

Additional plug-ins are available for the calculation of reducer lifetimes, motor duties and power consumption, while plug-ins monitoring possible collisions and enforced safety parameters, particularly for collaborative robots, come as standard.

Quad output, triple monolithic switching regulator Analog Devices has introduced Power by Linear LT8603, a 42V input capable, high efficiency quad output monolithic switching regulator.

The unit incorporates a boost controller with two high-voltage 2.5A and 1.5A synchronous step-down channels and a lower voltage 1.8A synchronous step-down channel to provide four independent outputs.

It can be configured with the boost controller to supply the input of the buck converters, enabling it to deliver three precisely regulated outputs even when the input falls significantly below the regulated output voltages. Alternatively, the

Hybrid motor starters for I/O-Link Phoenix Contact has added new network-capable versions of its Contactron hybrid motor starters with an I/O-Link interface.

These new versions are said to enable consistent communication

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boost controller can be driven from one of the step-down outputs, providing four precisely regulated outputs with a compact solution footprint.

The triple buck synchronous rectification topology delivers up to 93% efficiency while its patented Burst Mode operation keeps quiescent current under 28ÂľA (high voltage channels active) in no-load standby conditions, ideal for alwayson systems.

For noise-sensitive applications, its low EMI design meets the CISPR 25, Class 5 EMI requirements, even when switching at 2MHz.

Combined PLC and motion controller The new FP-XH from Panasonic combines a compact PLC with a motion controller. The CPU has 16 digital inputs/outputs and is equipped with four high-speed inputs. The PLC can be expanded with Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expansion units from the FP0R and FP-X series.

The FP-XH comes with electronic clutch, cam, and gear functions as well as functions for linear and circular interpolation. The PMX Configurator is integrated into the programming software Control FPWIN Pro 7 and this can be used to set the positioning parameters with the help of cam profiles.

The FP-XH uses RTEX bus (Realtime Express), a real-time bus designed for high-end applications. Its high transmission speed and sampling rates make it suitable for highly dynamic single and multiple axes position control tasks. The communication between master and slaves happens in real time. Cabling is via standard Ethernet cables (Cat 5e, up to 100m distance between units). Panasonic says that the use of the RTEX bus system offers an increase in performance and productivity in applications that traditionally have been solved with digital and analogue programmable controllers.

between the field and control levels to allow process data, such as diagnostic messages or motor current, to be easily transmitted.

The compact design of the hybrid motor starters allows for easy installation into decentralised control boxes and also offers space savings in centrally arranged control gear systems.

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Control Engineering UK

INDUSTRIAL I/O

I/O IN THE ERA OF

INDUSTRY 4.0

Control Engineering Europe finds out about I/O device developments which ensures they are prepared to work as part of a digital enterprise.

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he role of industrial I/O devices has always constantly changed because industry is constantly changing. Years ago there were only a small number of proprietary protocols; these were superseded by open protocols; and today Ethernet is increasing finding favour within the industrial sector.

“Despite the increasing popularity of Industrial Ethernet it is far from being a magic bullet,” said Derek Lane, automation manager at Wago.

“Indeed it is unlikely that there will ever be just one single standard for industrial automation, not only because of the wide range of competing protocols available on the market, but also because every business requires different features from their I/O. “Ethernet, for example, may be faster over short distances, but transmitting signals anywhere over 100m will require additional boosting. There are, however, some fieldbuses that can transmit over cable runs up to 1,200m without any signal degradation, so the idea of a unified I/O standard is still arguably some years away.”

Process automation architecture has, traditionally, involved a single large master controller governing sequencing, motion and I/O. However, such systems can make changing lines, or increasing and decreasing capacity laborious and with the need for production lines today increasingly having to turn around smaller batches in a shorter timescale, the need for more automated solutions are clear.

According to Lane, a good solution to meet the need for greater production line flexibility is the use of distributed control – also known as modular Control Engineering Europe

automation – which relies on smaller, more cost-effective controllers to subdivide tasks into more manageable modules. These modules are equipped with their own intelligence to carry out tasks with less reliance on the master controller, and parts of the process can be changed or adapted without affecting others around them. “Spreading intelligent devices throughout the plant allows more data to be sent back to the control room, which can facilitate more effective predictive maintenance, and provide more opportunities to optimise. This is the essence of Industry 4.0,” said Lane.

This solution allows parts of the production line to be run slower to reduce energy use, or faster to mitigate bottlenecks, without the need for lengthy reprogramming of the whole production sequence. The use of intelligent I/O allows for smarter, more agile processes that can communicate process and device data not only to

the control room, but to other devices within the plant.

Lane also issued a note of warning: “New technology capabilities also produce new challenges and more and more devices are now using the cloud, which will be problematic if it becomes inaccessible for any reason. Security also becomes more of an issue. The next generation of intelligent devices might open up vast new opportunities for productivity, efficiency and reliability, but for now there is still a place for hard wired, closed loop systems,” he said.

Fit for purpose Distributed I/O is used to obtain vital data from the industrial shop floor and current innovations are being targeted at making them fit for the increasing demands brought about by the digital enterprise, said Alexander Kessler, marketing for I/O products at Siemens Process Industries and Drives.

“Because automation in a digital

The addition of IO-Link to distributed I/O devices creates greater transparency much closer to the sensor.

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INDUSTRIAL I/O enterprise needs to be able to organise and optimise itself, devices must possess intelligence and an absolutely transparent information-seeking behaviour,” he said.

Remote I/Os record measurement data and forward signals from automation systems to actuators. Speed and flexibility are necessary to achieve the highest possible transparency of the machine and plant condition – with regard to diagnostic, energy and quality data. “Added to this requirement is an increasing demand for measurement technology, especially when it comes to analogue measurement transducers for the collection of better quality data.

At the same time, the integration of intelligent sensors, for example via IOLink, is gaining importance,” continues Kessler.

“The integration of work steps along the value chain is intended to support the user during the engineering, diagnosis and maintenance – whether this be to avoid wiring errors or to centrally allocate network addresses.

The fault diagnosis of the I/Os must allow for an immediate correction of possible errors. At best, the production needs to be able to continue to run.”

The SIMATIC ET 200 distributed I/O is said to help ensure plant transparency, aided by detailed diagnostic, parameter and identification and maintenance (I&M)) data, plant conditions can be retrieved completely virtually. Most ET 200 systems also feature IO-Link master modules for the connection of corresponding sensors and actuators.

This creates greater transparency closer to the sensor. In addition to modules for acquiring energy data, modules for high-frequency sampling of analogue and digital signals, also with automatic scaling function, are available.

Plant transparency is also a prerequisite for the seamless integration and digitalisation of the entire value chain. If a perfect digital copy – a digital twin – of product and production can be created, it is possible to run simulations, tests and optimisations in a completely virtual environment, which greatly reduces commissioning times of physical production and so helps to speed up times-to-market. Flexibility, efficiency and quality can be increased while in operation – a necessity to fulfill increasingly individual customer requirements.

“With speed and precision being

important metrological requirements in the digital enterprise more analogue terminals, with higher measurement rates and resolutions, are now required.

The ET 200MP and ET 200SP distributed I/Os includes modules with fast sampling rates and high resolutions, making very low fault tolerances possible,” continued Kessler.

For very fast controls, a high-speed interface module with short delay times was developed. With just the isochronous mode it is possible to capture I/O data simultaneously and network-wide, almost without jitter.

The ET 200SP high-speed interface module has a cycle time of 125 µs and can be used for very fast and precise control tasks, such as the control of hydraulic presses. In conjunction with a corresponding controller, quick evaluation of quality data is possible.

“Today data from the field required for Industry 4.0 applications are processed in the controller. In the future, it is conceivable that measurement values and data not needed for the actual production process will be forwarded directly to the cloud for processing.

“Several possibilities for this scenario

The TBEN-L spanner module with IP67 protection combines modular production chains with different Ethernet protocols without the need for control cabinets and extensive wiring.

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Control Engineering Europe

INDUSTRIAL I/O already exist,” continued Kessler. SIMATIC S7-1500 controllers, for example, can send data directly to MindSphere, a cloudbased, open IoT operating system.

Data exchange in the field The production chains of factory automation are usually made up of devices from different manufacturers. “Until recently the data transfer between the machinery in this type of line has often been implemented with an I/O coupling and restricted to a few bits,” said Olaf Ophoff, director product management Factory Automation Systems at Turck. “However, the move towards smart and predictive production chains has required the machinery, and therefore the controllers, to exchange more information between each other than simple ’product ready to transfer’ or ‘transfer station ready to receive’ messages.

“Operators often use an identification system for the data transfer that is based on barcodes or RFID. However, for many product types this is too expensive and simply not possible.

Conventional Ethernet gateways with IP20 protection are used when the two machines to be connected use controllers with the same Ethernet protocol. These have to be wired into the control cabinet and therefore require long cabling runs.”

A new I/O block module with protection to IP67 has been developed by Turck to enable data exchange for the first time between two Ethernet networks directly in the field without the need for a control cabinet. The robust TBEN-L spanner is an IP67-rated block I/O module which replaces the last I/O module of a machine and functions as a first slave for the next controller in a production line. Compared with conventional IP20 Ethernet gateway solutions, this can reduce costs and wiring effort.

“With this product we are taking one more step out of the control cabinet into the field and enabling data transmission for intelligent production processes, even beyond the limits of individual Ethernet networks,” said Ophoff, “There is also a time saving benefit when the machine is set up at the customer. Instead of running several individual cables to the control cabinet, it is normally only necessary with fieldbus or Ethernet systems to run one communication cable and power supply in order to connect the I/O level to the controller.

The wiring of the periphery to the remote I/O technology can then be done in advance at the machine builder and so will consistently reflect the procedures of modular machine building. In addition to the I/O technology, Turck also offers IP67 PLC control technology.”

“Turck is consistently taking the decentralisation further away from the control cabinet into the field,” continued Ophoff. Because the TBEN-L spanner exchanges data bidirectionally from master to master it does not require a control cabinet. Data exchange is therefore carried out where the action takes place – directly in the field where the machines are connected. The spanner acts as a slave for both controllers and thus enables direct master-master Control Engineering Europe

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communication. The data moves with the product via the spanner from one machine to the next. This enables the signal and data flow to be branched in the production lines – fully in line with the principles of Industry 4.0.

IO-Link helps increase modularity in the field The Phoenix Contact block-modular Axioline E I/O system product portfolio now includes IO-Link I/O boxes. With the eight-channel Axioline E AXL E IOL DI8 M12 6P and AXL E IOL DO8 M12 6P IO-Link I/O boxes, the Axioline E IO-Link master can be set up as a modular I/O station and signals distributed in the plant or machine can be acquired or issued. This enables users to adapt their I/O volume in the field flexibly and economically.

Because data and the electricity supply is transmitted via a cable with IO-Link, the IO-Link I/O boxes can be linked to the IO-Link master with just one unshielded sensor/ actuator cable respectively. Analogue signals in the field can also be acquired or issued simply via the Axioline E IOLink analogue converter.

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23-27 April 2018 Hall 11 Booth A50

DRIVES & MOTORS

DIRECT CURRENT TO THE RESCUE Control Engineering Europe finds out more about a new approach to energy efficiency and system cost optimisation through the use of a DC grid.

W

hile the use of variable speed drives (VSDs) has produced a significant energy saving, and improved speed control, further improvements in energy efficiency and sustainability are still a goal for many. One possible, and bold, solution would be to implement a direct current (DC) grid within industrial premises. Such a solution would offer the potential to reduce operating costs and take advantage of renewable energy sources.

The German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturer’s Association (Zentralverband Elektrotechnik und Electronikindustie ZVEI) initiated the DC-INDUSTRIE research project with 21 industrial companies and four research institutes to implement the energy transition in industrial production, bringing more energy efficiency and energy flexibility into industrial production.

One of the companies involved is Bauer Gear Motor, part of the Altra Industrial Motion Corporation. Karl-

Peter Simon, managing director at Bauer, is taking a leading role in the research. Talking about the project, he said: “This research project has the potential to benefit a large number of manufacturing industries, with one large automotive company already planning to implement some of the recommendations in a new test facility.”

In the industrial sector, electric motors account for about 70% of electricity consumption so are the most significant users of electrical energy. Reducing the energy requirements of these drive systems by increasing their efficiency contributes to an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions.

Since January 2017, all new threephase motors sold in Europe with rated power from 0.75 to 375 kW have been required to conform to energy efficiency class IE3, or alternatively IE2 for use in frequency inverter operation. These efficiency classes are specified for threephase asynchronous motors operating at nominal speed and nominal torque.

However, experience has shown that an energy efficiency regulation of a

Conversion from DC to AC does not need to be done by an inverter.

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component can only sustainably reduce energy in certain operating modes.

With this in mind, the three-year DC-INDUSTRIE project, by means of direct current networks, aims to support both the energy transition and energy efficiency, as well as Industry 4.0.

Inefficiencies in speed control The advantage of using a frequency inverter is the continuous adaptation of the motor speed to the actual need, which can often also lead to energy savings. A frequency inverter is supplied with the alternating current, which is first converted into direct current using a rectifier. The direct current is then converted into alternating current with variable frequency and voltage through a voltage feed inverter in order to electronically change the speed of a three-phase motor.

However, if the three-phase motor is operating in the braking mode – for example, in a crane application in lowering mode – the energy flow changes. This energy cannot be fed back into the grid by the frequency inverter because the input rectifier only allows the energy to flow in one direction.

So, the energy that is fed back must be dissipated via the direct current voltage circuit of the frequency inverter.

A brake chopper is connected to the intermediate circuit to do this.

It monitors the intermediate circuit voltage with regard to the voltage level. If the intermediate circuit voltage exceeds a set threshold value, the brake chopper switches the braking resistor between the positive and the negative pole of the intermediate circuit. This is usually an additional external braking Control Engineering Europe

DRIVES & MOTORS resistor that converts the braking energy into heat energy.

Reducing harmonics The increasing use of frequency inverters to control motor speeds has led to problems with mains effects, causing harmonics and distorting the voltage. There is no standard solution for harmonics, since each grid and its electrical load are very different. Ultimately, the operator is responsible for the voltage quality of its own production facilities. If frequency inverters or other devices with power electronics are increasingly installed, grid effects will increase.

These challenges demonstrate that a further increase in the use of inverters for the flexible control of electric motors is desirable – indeed it is very often necessary. This is the only way to improve production processes and energy efficiency. However, line perturbation due to harmonics and equipment costs limit the increase. To achieve significant progress in energy efficiency and system cost optimisation, new approaches are needed. To enable energy efficiency, energy transition and Industry 4.0, new grid structures are required.

The new network structure is based on an alternating current supply, which provides the direct current power supply for production plants via a central rectifier. Active grid filters are integrated into the central rectifier to ensure the voltage quality harmonic requirements.

The direct supply of the frequency inverter with direct current means that all decentralised energy conversion is no longer needed. Since central energy conversion (from AC to DC) is more efficient, conversion losses are reduced.

Through the direct supply of electric motors via a frequency inverter with direct current power supply, installed motors are connected via a common direct current voltage grid. Further, a direct current voltage network essentially only causes ohmic transmission losses. Compared to an alternating voltage network, the capacitive and inductive line losses are eliminated.

In addition, the central direct current voltage network offers the possibility of integrating photovoltaics directly at the direct current voltage level. In this case also, conversion from DC to AC does not need to be handled by an inverter.

This grid infrastructure would optimise the purchase of energy and stabilise the grid.

By eliminating of the input rectifier and the grid filter frequency inverters could be designed more cost-effectively and more compactly. Variable speed motors allow for a reduction in variants and energy savings. They provide status signals from all DC-fed drivers, which are important for flexible and safe production control.

Grid management makes it possible to optimise operational management in terms of energy costs. The accessible information enables preventive production control measures to significantly increase the availability of production. This is a prerequisite for Industry 4.0.

Control Engineering Europe

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Moving to the next level with AI Employing artificial intelligence within the manufacturing process is the key to taking a business to the next level in the era of Industry 4.0, says Tim Clark.

A

fundamental requirement for all manufacturers is to achieve the highest revenues with the best margins and the lowest costs. Further, products also need to be of a consistently high quality when produced. There is also a requirement to ensure the product is shipped to the right place at the right time and you want to ensure you have as few product returns or failures while in service.

Everyone will have seen the tree swing cartoon. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been around for years, but still offers a good illustration of the importance of focus, data, insight and collaboration for manufacturers.

The level of complexity, speed and detail in modern manufacturing processes has become almost impossible to manage via manual or human effort alone. This complexity

also increases the risk of the misunderstandings highlighted by the tree swing cartoon. Assistance from technology and engineering have been prevalent since the introduction of the steam engine, but as industry navigates into Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a common theme.

Artificial means made by humans, especially in imitation of something natural. Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. So, we have been applying AI for some time, but are now applying it to computers.

AI in manufacturing When artificial intelligence is applied to the manufacturing process, it should be about understanding data, extracting insight and learning from the outputs. Analytics is about iteration

and learning, and as we learn we change or influence the next step.

This process can also be referred to as machine learning, meaning that the machine carries out this iterative process without the need for human intervention.

The benefits of machine learning are wide and varied, and in the right hands it can add value to a business through high levels of automation. Machine learning can identify previously unseen relationships and influence processes or data sets, and extract insights quicker and in more detail than has been possible in the past.

Proven results Many software vendors will lay claim to having AI, cognitive and machine learning capabilities. While many can provide these to some extent, the evolution of any technology demonstrates that the more you focus on it, invest and develop it, the better you are at it. SAS has used its knowledge to harness the Power to Know into the manufacturing world. It has connected processes and capabilities around monitoring machines, systems and data in the make process, and can join this to postproduction analysis around forecasting and supply chain processes to aid future planning. This is paired with data driven analytical approaches to customer engagement and post-sale monitoring of product performance, service requirements and infield product satisfaction.

All successful businesses invest in operational platforms like ERP, finance and billing systems. More recently business have seen value in productivity platforms with office tools and CRM systems. Now the next wave is here - analytical platforms that encompass AI and machine learning to support the organisation beyond the traditionally used key performance indicators.

Tim Clark is head of manufacturing solutions at SAS.

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Control Engineering Europe

Modular control system CPX-E

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EXHIBITION PREVIEW

TAKING INDUSTRY TO

THE NEXT LEVEL Hannover Messe takes place this year from 23 to 27 April. Find out why you should be there.

W

ith ‘Integrated Industry – Connect & Collaborate’ as its overarching theme this year, Hannover Messe 2018 will provide a venue for visitors from across the globe to experience how increasingly connected, digitally networked landscapes are transforming industry. Integration across plants are helping to enhance productivity, future-proof jobs and are creating new business models. “The integration of automation technology, IT platforms and machine learning will take Industry 4.0 to the next level,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, chairman of the managing board at Deutsche Messe.

The industrial landscape is changing rapidly and factory technology is becoming more efficient, industrial IT platforms are readily available, and more industrial subcontractors are digitally integrated into their customer’s value chains. Added to this machine learning is showing us how machines and robots are increasingly able to make autonomous decisions. “Hannover Messe is the place to go to experience the rapid rise of Industry 4.0 and its benefits first-hand,” continued Köckler.

“The world’s leading manufacturers of automation technology, big-name robotics providers and global IT and software corporations will all be there, making the show an absolute global hotspot for Industry 4.0.”

At the ‘Process INDUSTRIE 4.0’ showcase in Hall 11, members of ZVEI and industrial users will be demonstrating how plant flexibility in the process industry can be greatly improved by the standardisation of interfaces: through modularisation of the entire process chain, and

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the increased use of intelligent, decentralised automation.

For a number of years NAMUR study groups and ZVEI research groups have been working together with Dechema and VDI on the specification of a vendor-neutral description language for modules. A Module Type Package (MTP) is used to link the individual modules and integrate them quickly into a complete process. The result is a more efficient production chain. MTP plays a key role in the automation of a modular process plant, devolving control intelligence from the central process control system to the plant modules, addressing plant modules in a digital description language and ensuring there is a neutral interface between plant module and process control system.

A demonstrator at for the humanmachine interface at last year’s event helped the initiative to establish that the methodology can be used vendorneutrally. Since then progress has been made on functionalities, conditionbased process control, diagnostics and maintenance, and the latest advances will be on display this year.

Cyber security focus Of course, integration presupposes a dependable digital infrastructure so IT security will play a prominent role at the event. A new exhibit category ‘Industrial Security’ under the Digital Factory umbrella in Hall 6 will provide a focus for users and product developers in the field of mechanical/plant engineering and industrial automation. The line-up will embrace individual exhibitors, a group presentation and the Industrial Security Forum.

“Industry 4.0 will be impossible

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without the protection of data and know-how,” said Arno Reich, global director IAMD and Digital Factory at Hannover Messe. “The reliable operation of interconnected production installations and services is one of the key challenges facing industry. Specialist enterprises will present a complete spectrum of exhibits – for example, security by design, authentication, encryption, copy protection and access control.”

Robotics According to figures from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) the global average in the manufacturing industry is at 74 robot units per 10,000 employees. In 2015 the figure was 66 units. By 2020 there are predicted to be more than 1.7 million industrial robots installed in factories around the world. Many robot companies will be demonstrating their latest offerings at the event, in Hall 11.

Collaborative robots, or ‘cobots’, are part of a new generation of robots which, unlike traditional industrial robots – that work in physically isolated units – cobots come into direct contact with their human colleagues, using sensor technology to make them safe enough to directly assist workers.

The automotive industry is working on the vanguard of collaborative robot technology. Articulated robots have been installed for several years alongside their human colleagues in the production halls of vehicle makers such as BMW and Ford. They work independently to apply sealants to auto doors and hand tools as needed to skilled technicians as they make their way through complex installations. The employees are freed from monotonous and physically straining tasks and can instead focus on the complex installation itself.

Strict safety rules have been formulated to minimise the risk of injury by employees in industrial production. One approach is based on ‘direct guidance’, meaning the robot only moves upon receiving direct input Control Engineering Europe

EXHIBITION PREVIEW

from a human, such as by touching the robot arm. This ensures the employee has complete control over the cobot at all times. If, by contrast, a collaborative robot is to be allowed to move without direct human guidance, then the shared activity must be constantly monitored. If the prescribed safety zone between human and cobot is violated, then the robot automatically slows its movements to prevent injuring the employee. If a so-called ‘monitored stop’ is in place, then the co-robot comes to an immediate standstill when a human enters its working space.

The most important security measures, however, are restrictions on how fast the robot may move. The robot’s speed and power is permanently throttled so that it cannot harm employees even when moving.

Making drives smart The ‘Smart Power Transmission and Fluid Power Solutions’ showcase in Hall 23 will include demonstrations by a variety of power transmission and fluid power experts who will illustrate smart solutions focusing not only on Industry 4.0 technologies, but also on tweaking existing systems on an ongoing basis. Peter-Michael Synek, deputy general manager of Germany’s VDMA Fluid Power Association, explains: “Today’s manufacturers of hydraulic and pneumatic components and systems are, in many cases, realising decentralised drive solutions by integrating intelligent digital technology that enables hydraulic motors and pumps to communicate with valves and cylinders and exchange data with higher-level control systems.

Proportional hydraulic and servopneumatic systems are prime examples of this.”

So digital intelligence is being used to keep the tried-and-trusted building blocks of industrial technology competitive. For example, builders and users of automated machinery systems value the high versatility and simple structure of pneumatic drive systems.

In mobile drive applications and highperformance processing machines, hydraulic systems offer the benefits of high power density, ruggedness, overload protection and space-saving dimensions. Increasingly, however, the trend today is to combine these strengths with electronics and IT to add new functionality and characteristics, such as improved energy efficiency, increased uptime, faster initial setup, and maintenance that is more tailored to actual needs.

We hope that this preview provides you with a taste of what you can expect from the Hannover Messe this year. It is a huge event, that covers so many aspects of industry that it is impossible to cover everything in one article. We hope that it has convinced you to visit the event and see for yourself what is going on in your particular area of interest.

Integrating efficiency.

Maximizing safety.

Enabling digitization.

Hall 9, Booth D76

Mobile Communication and Safety Exploring mobility-our goal is maximizing the potential of networked mobile devices in hazardous areas to open up new possibilities for our customers.

Experience our Mobile Worker concept and discover how you can make your processes safer and more efficient with innovative, complete solutions.

Learn more at www.ecom-ex.com

EDGE COMPUTING

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH EDGE COMPUTING Implementing edge devices into a system is powerful, easy to use and install, cost-effective, and optimises data collection and reliability, says Travis Cox.

E

dge computing is designed to enhance the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and provides many potential advantages for users. It speeds up data flow and extends knowledge of what’s happening on a network. It also improves data reliability by making device data the one source of truth. And there’s less latency.

Having local human-machine interfaces (HMIs) provides local access and control even if network connectivity is lost to help prevent against losing data. Edge devices are more powerful, easier to use, and less expensive, making it very affordable to put powerful computers at the edge of a network.

Starting with edge computing With all the edge products on the market, there are a lot of choices for a

company to make.

It is important, therefore, to think about the entire system and how the edge devices are going to fit into the larger architecture. Find the devices that work best for the system and the company’s overall goals.

Ask specific questions about the devices. How can they be maintained and upgraded? Can the data be moved to a central location? Can the devices be used for other functions at the edge?

The architecture should allow plug-and-play functionality. Individual components should be replaceable without affecting the whole system. Older architecture requiring configurations in multiple places inhibits the ability to make future changes.

Many edge devices work well with message queuing telemetry transport

A publish/subscribe approach with edge computing provides improved data sharing (Image supplied courtesy of Inductive Automation).

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(MQTT), which is the perfect messaging protocol for the IIoT. MQTT was designed about 20 years ago for the industrial space. Recently, it has become more popular because of its low bandwidth requirements and publish/ subscribe model.

MQTT reports by exception and communicates data only when there’s a change. It also makes data available for applications such as SCADA, ERP, IT, business intelligence, and more. MQTT provides high availability and scalability.

Results with edge computing Edge computing is expanding along with the IIoT because it provides numerous benefits. For example, an oil and gas pipeline used traditional polling, which usually takes 30-45 minutes to hear back from all the remote locations. If operators pressed a button to open a valve, they’d have to wait 15 minutes to get confirmation the valve had opened. After installing edge devices and MQTT, the process now takes less than 15 seconds.

Edge devices were introduced to bring legacy data into an architecture and remove polling from the network to provide a better, faster solution.

Travis Cox is co-director of sales engineering at Inductive Automation.

This article originally appeared on www.controleng.com.

Control Engineering Europe

EDGE COMPUTING

Key drivers and benefits of edge computing for smart manufacturing Edge computing means faster response times, increased reliability, and security. Abhijit Mhetre highlights five edge computing advantages.

A great deal has been said about how the Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionising the manufacturing world. Many studies have already predicted more than 50 billion devices will be connected by 2020.

It also is expected more than 1.44 billion data points will be collected per plant per day.

This means unprecedented demand and expectations on connectivity, computational power, and speed of service – quality of service. Can we afford any latency in critical operations? This is the biggest driver for edge computing. More power closer to the data source — the ‘Thing’ in IoT.

Edge computing and drivers Edge computing means data processing power at the edge of the network, closer to the source of data.

With edge computing, each device collects data, uses data processing model performed by the cloud, and packages it for processing and analysis.

IDC research predicted that within three years, 45% of IoT-created data will be stored, processed, analysed, and acted upon close to, or at the edge of, the network, and more than six billion devices will be connected to the edge computing solution.

Inherent challenges of the cloud infrastructure are minimised by edge computing infrastructure and are the key drivers of edge technology.

Edge computing: five benefits As edge computing is adopted and

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goes mainstream, there are many potential advantages for a wide range of industries. Edge computing brings five potential advantages to smart manufacturing: 1. Faster response time: Power of data storage and computation is distributed and local. No roundtrip to the cloud reduces latency and empowers faster responses. This will help stop critical machine operations from breaking down or hazardous incidents from taking place.

2. Reliable operations with intermittent connectivity: For most remote assets, monitoring or unreliable internet connectivity regions such as oil wells, farm pumps, solar farms, or windmills can be difficult.

Edge devices’ ability to locally store and process data ensures no data loss or operational failure in the event of limited internet connectivity.

3. Security and compliance: Due to edge computing’s technology, A great deal of data transfer between devices and cloud is avoidable. It is possible to filter sensitive information locally and only transmit important data model building information to the cloud.

This allows users to build an adequate security and compliance framework that is essential for enterprise security and audits.

4. Cost-effective solutions: One of the practical concerns around IoT adoption is the upfront cost due to network bandwidth, data storage, and computational power.

Edge computing can locally perform a lot of data computations, which allows businesses to decide

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which services to run locally and which ones to send to the cloud, which reduces the final costs of an overall IoT solution.

5. Interoperability between legacy and modern devices: Edge devices can act as a communication liaison between legacy and modern machines. This allows legacy industrial machines to connect to modern machines or IoT solutions and provides immediate benefits of capturing insights from legacy or modern machines.

One may wonder whether edge computing will replace the cloud.

However it is unlikely. While edge computing has many advantages, the cloud brings the power of large data set computation, predictive and machine learning, and artificial intelligence algorithms. Combined, the power of edge computing and the cloud work to build a costeffective, powerful IoT solution for smart manufacturing.

Abhijit Mhetre is vice president of marketing at Altizon Systems.

This article originally appeared on www.controleng.com

April 2018

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PRODUCT FORUM •

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ABB’S PRODUCT SELECTOR ASSISTANT HELPS SIMPLIFY FLOWMETER SELECTION ABB has developed an online flowmeter selection tool to help users to quickly and easily find the right device for their applica-tion. Available at http://bit.ly/ABBflowselector, the tool provides a simple step-by-step guide to flowmeter selection and sizing, enabling users to narrow down the best solution from a wide range of available meter types and options.

The tool is easy to use, with editable information boxes and dropdown menus presented in a series of stages to help users enter and select data.

The process begins with mandatory stages asking the user to specify their process conditions including temperature and pressure and details on the medium being measured. Depending on the medium selected, the tool automatically populates with data on presumed characteristics such as density, viscosity and conductivity, each of which can be adjusted if required.

Three optional stages allow users to refine their search criteria by providing extra information on the characteristics of the medium, plus any specific details about the application and the installation conditions.

Once all this information has been entered, users are presented with a list of the recommended products based on their crite-ria. By selecting their preferred option from this list, users can then produce a basic configuration that can be saved and ex-ported as a PDF, Excel or XML file and used as the basis of a specification. CAD files can also be downloaded for certain meter types.

The creation of the tool is part of ABB’s ongoing drive to help users to put in place the right measurement strategies that can transform the efficiency and performance of their processes. ”With a wide range of different flowmeters and options available, many users can become confused about which one will offer the best solution for their requirements,” says David Bowers for ABB Measurement & Analytics. “By using

our flowmeter selection tool, the process of finding and specifying the right flowme-ter for an application is greatly simplified, turning a time-consuming process into a matter of minutes.”

For more information about ABB’s flow measurement portfolio, visit: www.abb.com/measurement.

NSF ACCREDITED FLOWMETERS FOR USE WITH FOOD PRODUCTS Titan Enterprises has achieved certification under NSF/ANSI 169 as equipment for food products for their 800 Series turbine flowmeters and Beverage meter. This accreditation is especially important for manufacturers of food production and handling machinery who can now include an 800 Series or Beverage meter secure in the

knowledge that it has met NSF-standards for food production.

NSF (www.nsf.org) are an independent, accredited organization, that test, audit and certify products to develop public health standards and certifications that help protect food, water, consumer products and the environment.

Trevor Forster, Managing Director of Titan Enterprises commented “Increasingly food and beverage manufacturers wishing to meter production flow are requiring the assurance of NSF certification that the flow measurement devices they choose are completely compatible with their products”.

As part of the NSF-certification process Titan Enterprises were required to submit samples of the 800 Series and Beverage meter to NSF for analysis. The detailed analysis by NSF included a technical review, a materials review, physical evaluation and a literature/marking evaluation. The supply chain for materials and components used in the 800 Series and Beverage meters was traced and needed certification of each element. In addition, NSF carried out a pre-audit check of Titan Enterprises UK production facility and control systems. To maintain its NSF listing, Titan Enterprises, as will all NSF listed companies, will be subject to further unannounced audits. tel. +44-1935-812790 email sales@flowmeters.co.uk www.flowmeters.co.uk

BEKA GIVE SAFFRON GLOVEBOXES A HAND Saffron scientific equipment Ltd who are specialists in the design, development and manufacture of Gloveboxes, are using BEKA Advisor A90 universal process Each meter has a multicolour negative liquid crystal display, with the display colour linked to themeter’s alarm status providing very conspicuous multiple alarm warnings.

Although Advisor A90 meters are easy to configure and calibrate on-site, they are supplied pre-calibrated to Saffron’s requirement including a printed slide-in scale card showing the units of measurement which significantly reduces commissioning time. panel meters to display critical containment pressures.

Based in Knaresborough North Yorkshire, Saffron’s technical director AndrewLees said that BEKA Advisor A90 meters were chosen because they are easy toinstall and have a wide range of features including multiple latching alarms,colour change displays, and the ability to re-transmit a 4-20mA signal. Saffron’sbespoke gloveboxes and containment systems are widely installed in processand nuclear industries in addition to research laboratories for the storage,handling and processing of hazardous and toxic substances.

For further Advisor meter information please visit www.beka.co.uk/advisor.html or phone the BEKA sales office on 01462 438301

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Enter Link Code on www.controlengeurope.com to read the full story to read the full story

PRODUCT FORUM • TEMPERATURE HUMIDITY ALARM WITH LOGGING CAPABILITY

The OM-THA2-U is a multi-function unit that monitors temperature, relative humidity and dew point. The OM-THA2-U records data and generates an alarm for any out-of-range conditions. It consists of a base unit with an easy-to-read display and a remote sensor probe with 4.5 metres of cable.

The alarm function monitors temperature, relative humidity and dew point once every second. If any of the readings reach an alarm threshold, the unit generates an alarm by turning on a beeper and a dry relay contact. The delayed alarm feature can reduce false alarms by ignoring short duration alarm conditions. The unit will also generate an alarm on probe failure.

The logger function records the data into an internal non-volatile memory at a user specified interval. The recording is performed continuously after the unit is turned on. No computer set-up is necessary to start logging, and all logging settings can be viewed or changed through the front panel functions. When the internal memory becomes full the recording rolls over, overwriting the oldest recorded data. Review logged data on a computer using the included Windows software while continuously recording new data.

All the operating settings of the OM-THA2-U can be changed from the front panel without the need for a computer. The two-line display provides an easy-to-read means of viewing or changing settings.

Free Phone: 0800 488 488 International: +44(0) 161 777 6611 https://www.omega.co.uk/pptst/OM-THA2-U.html

AUTOCLAVE VALIDATION SYSTEMS The OM-CP-AVS140-1 and OM-CP-AVS140-6 are complete systems used to perform autoclave validations. The OM-CP-AVS140-1 system for autoclave temperature monitoring consists of a NIST traceable OM-CP-HITEMP-140-1 temperature data logger, an OM-CP-IFC400 USB docking station and FDA 21 CFR part 11 secure software. For larger size autoclaves or mapping projects, the OMCP-AVS140-6 is a system for autoclave temperature and pressure monitoring that includes five OM-CP-HITEMP-140-1 temperature data loggers, one OM-CP-PR140 pressure data logger, an OMCP-IFC406 multiplexer interface (allows up to 6 data loggers to be interfaced to a single USB port on the computer) and the secure software.

The secure software aids users in compliance with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 requirements. The software ensures standards in which electronic files are considered equivalent to paper records, saving time and effort. The secure software contains criteria such as electronic signatures, access codes, secure data files and an audit trail which meets the requirements of 21 CFR Part 11 and helps provide data integrity. IQ/OQ/PQ (Installation Qualification/Operational Qualification/Performance Qualification) protocols are included to validate that the software has been installed and is operating correctly. The layout of the secure software is similar to the OM-CP Series Data Logger standard software, allowing users to easily learn the additional features. The Windows® based software package allows the user to effortlessly collect, display and analyze data. A variety of powerful tools provide the ability to examine, export, and print professional looking data with just a click of the mouse.

Free Phone: 0800 488 488

International: +44(0) 161 777 6611

SICK NEXT-GENERATION PHOTOELECTRIC SENSORS PILOT THE FUTURE OF SENSING SICK’s next-generation W16 and W26 smart sensors with “BluePilot” alignment are at the helm of a streamlined portfolio of photoelectric sensors, radically-upgraded to optimise ease-of-use with complete object detection reliability.

The W16 and W26 proximity, reflex and through-beam sensors are manufactured at a purpose-built, fully-automated production facility in southern Germany. They mark the culmination of a two-year, research and development project involving consultation with SICK customers worldwide.

“When we asked customers what was most important for future development of photoelectric object detection, they put usability top of the list; they already expected our sensors to be robust, 100% reliable and always available,” says David Hannaby, SICK’s UK Product Manager for Presence Detection.

“So, we set out on a journey to achieve the best of all worlds in one family. We developed the new operating technologies our customers wanted, as well as bringing together all of SICK’s leading optical sensing capabilities to produce a consistent high-flier.”

For usability, the W16 and W26 sensors are launched with SICK’s new BluePilot assistant, which features a line of five LEDs mounted on top of the

Control Engineering Europe

sensor for quick, easy and accurate alignment of the light spot even over long distances. The BluePilot combines a potentiometer and teach-in button to simplify set up, range assessment and application mode selection, and provides a real-time on-sensor status display.

• SICK’s patented Twin-Eye technology achieves reliable detection for reflective materials such as films, foils, contrast-rich or uneven surfaces. • SICK has incorporated LineSpot linear optics to provide highly-reliable detection where the object has mesh, perforations, integral gaps or breaks.

• SICK ClearSens optical filter technology makes light work of semi-transparent and transparent objects, such as bottles and plastic trays.

• With SICK’s OptoFilter technology onboard, the sensors are immune to interference from unwanted light sources and reflections, including LED lighting, hi-viz safety workwear or reflections from machinery.

• SICK’s AutoAdapt function means if the reflector or the front screen of the sensor becomes contaminated, the photoelectric sensor automatically adjusts its switching thresholds for reliable detection.

An industry-first in-built Bluetooth option allows easy monitoring and advanced commissioning from smart phones or tablets and Smart IO-Link two-way communication is standard on all devices For more information on SICK’s W16 and W26 sensors, contact Andrea Hornby on 01727 831121 or email andrea.hornby@sick.co.uk.

www.controlengeurope.com

April 2018

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PRODUCT FORUM •

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PRECISION FILTER HOUSINGS FOR SAFETY CRITICAL APPLICATIONS Amazon Filters specialises in the fabrication of high quality filter housings for clients operating within safety-critical and challenging applications which place high demands on the vessel design and production finish.

Drawing upon the extensive expertise and experience of highly skilled craftsmen, Amazon Filters is renowned for its high standard of welding and fabrication using both manual and automated weld processes. Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding produces a top-quality filter housing, especially using the stainless steel and special alloys that Amazon Filters specialises in. This process requires a high degree of skill and dexterity to produce sound, clean, smooth and visually appealing welds consistently and to drawing specification.

In manufacturing their extensive range of filter housings – Amazon Filters use the latest 3D modelling techniques to supply fully documented and certified bespoke designs. The Amazon Filters design team is fully conversant with the increasing technical demands of pressure vessel design codes including ASME VIII, PD5500 and EN13445 and is familiar with other international design codes. Amazon Filters is accredited for self-certifying to Module H or the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) 2014/68/EU and is ATEX compliant.

For further information on top quality filter housings for demanding applications visit https://www.amazonfilters.com/products/filter-housings/

or contact Amazon Filters on +44-1276-670600 / sales@amazonfilters.co.uk

ALTERNATING FEEDS TO A RESEARCH REACTOR: Equilibar Back Pressure Regulator featured in Clean Energy Research Background An internationally celebrated Research Laboratory, although involved with multiple areas of research, had a specific challenge within the field of clean energy.

The Fuels, Engines and Emissions Research Centre participated in an initia¬tive on low cost emissions control for advanced combustion engines. As part of this research, they have experienced success using the Equilibar back pressure regulator to main¬tain a continuous and precise flow rate to a catalyst reactor while switching between two separate gas feeds.

The Challenge The feed to the reactor must be switched from Stream A to Stream B without a disruption or surge in flow rate. This is especially critical when the switching times are not equal and gas flow rates are low (the research

employs flow rates as low as 20 standard ml/minute). A 4-way valve is used to make a seamless switch between the gas streams. This valve is designed to select one of the two gas streams to feed to the reactor while exhausting or venting the other; however, because the reactor presents a significant pressure drop, it is necessary to maintain the vent stream at the same pressure as the reactor inlet to avoid disruption in flow to the reactor.

Premier Control Technologies Ltd www.pctflow.com Email: sales@pctflow.com Tel +44 (0) 1953 609930

The Solution To find an optimal strategy to work with the alternat¬ing feeds, customer scientists and engineers worked with Equilibar application engineers. They determined that it was possible to install an Equilibar® precision back pressure regulator on the vent and use the back pressure at the inlet of the reactor as the dome pressure for the Equilibar.

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN THE PRODUCT FORUM SECTION Contact Lewis Atkinson on 01732 359990 or email lewis.atkinson@imlgroup.co.uk 30

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FINAL WORD

Machine learning can drive productivity improvements John Hague, general manager of asset performance management at AspenTech, believes that low-touch machine learning is now driving the value of asset performance management.

A

range of new methodologies and cutting-edge technologies are now driving asset performance management (APM) beyond its historical capabilities. However, it is low-touch machine learning, a disruptive technology that deploys precise failure pattern recognition with high accuracies and months of advanced notice on failures, that is helping scale APM’s potential and increasing its value.

The widespread integration of machine learning in APM marks a transition from estimated engineering and statistical models towards measuring asset behaviour patterns.

Manufacturing facilities staff can extract value from existing design and operations data to optimise asset performance. Deployed coherently, with appropriate automation, low touch machine learning enables greater agility to incorporate current, historical and projected conditions from process sensors and mechanical and process events. Systems become more agile – flexible models emerge that adapt to real data conditions – and incorporate the nuances of asset behaviour.

It is possible to perform active, accurate management of individual processes and mechanical assets and it can also applied to combinations of assets — plant-wide, system-wide or across multiple locations, ushering in a new era of predictive maintenance.

There are five machine learning best practices that drive reliability Control Engineering Europe

management, across process industries.

Data collection and preparation: Over the last two decades, every attempt at massive data analysis from diverse sources of plant data collected from sensors has run into issues around collection, timeliness, validation, cleansing, normalisation, synchronisation and structure issues. Data preparation can consume up to 80% of the time taken to execute and repeat data mining and analysis. However, it is an essential process to appropriate and accurate data. Advances in APM have automated most of the data preparation process revealing new opportunities with minimal preparation.

Condition-based monitoring: Once data is trustworthy, condition-based monitoring (CBM) can be applied. Plant conditions will vary constantly and static models cannot work under such duress.

In addition, focusing CBM on mechanical equipment behaviour reveals only a small fraction of the true issues causing degradation and failure.

APM can deliver comprehensive monitoring of the mechanical and upstream and downstream process conditions that can lead to failure.

Work management history: The history of work provides the breadcrumb trail of past solutions to failure prevention and/or remediation. Problem identification, coding and a standard approach of problem resolution provide a baseline for the failure point in an asset lifecycle. OEM data can deliver insight into process issues and outliers

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John Hague is senior vice president and general manager of asset performance management at AspenTech.

specific to the configuration and engineering within the plant process.

Predictive and prescriptive analytics: Using engineering and statistical models to estimate the future readings of sensors, and interpret variances from actual readings, can result in errors and false positives.

Predictive analytics can accurately portray asset lifecycle and asset reliability and focus on the root cause of degradation. It provides accurate, critical lead times, allowing time for decisions that can eliminate damage and maintenance or provide preparation time to reduce time-to-repair.

Best-in-class APM provides prescriptive advice based on root cause analysis and presents information on the approach that will proactively avoid process conditions that cause damage.

As a result, predictive and prescriptive capabilities enable asset lifecycle reliability and facilitate decisions on when and how to maximise production, while avoiding asset and output risks.

Pool and fleet analytics: The next level of analytics allows patterns discovered on one asset in a pool or fleet to be shared, enabling the same safety and shutdown protection for all equipment.

Conclusion Maintenance practices can now be improved, to recognise issues affecting asset degradation. Operational integrity improves when organisations implement strategies to detect root causes early and avoid unplanned downtime.

April 2018

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| EK11-15E |

High-end measurement technology.

Extremely accurate, fast and robust.

www.beckhoff.com/measurement-technology With ELM series EtherCAT measurement I/O modules, high-precision, fast and robust measurement technology becomes a system-integrated function of PC-based control from Beckhoff.

The ELM modules can be integrated directly into the modular EtherCAT I/O system, enabling combination with the comprehensive portfolio of more than 500 EtherCAT Terminals. fast: sampling rates of 50,000 samples/s precise timing: exact synchronisation < 1 μs precise values: measurement accuracy of 100 ppm at 23 °C proactive: integrated functional diagnostics for individual modules flexible connector front-end: LEMO, BNC, Push-in input circuitry: voltage 20 mV… 60 V, current 20 mA, IEPE, SG, RTD/TC

A seamless measurement chain from data acquisition to analysis in the cloud.

Hall 9, Booth F06