Automation World December 2022

The Universal Platform for Unlimited Digital Transformation

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Add as many devices, clients, tags, and users as you need — no extra cost. Ignition’s flat rate keeps you on budget.

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No matter what OS or IT structure or interface device is being used, Ignition will run on it smoothly & efficiently.

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Ignition is an ambidextrous tool that can aggregate data, build applications & instantly web-deploy clients, all from one login.

Learn more at ia.io/digitaltransformation

The Plant Floor in Your Pocket

Get an overview of your process at a glance. Control your SCADA with a swipe.

See the live demo now. Scan this QR code with your phone demo.ia.io/automation or visit

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2022 | VOLUME 20 | NUMBER 12

Smart Instruments Change Operations for the Better

Occidental Petroleum, Wildfire Energy, and Gore Nitrogen show how the ability to take multiple measurements with a single device make smart instruments a natural for enhancing real-time decision making.

The Many Considerations of HMI Upgrades 22

Upgrading human-machine interface hardware and software amid industry’s digital transformation is rarely the direct replacement process it once was. System integrators o er valuable insights into how to evaluate your options.

Maersk Oil Upgrades Its SCADA

18

EDITORIAL

David Greenfield Director of Content/Editor-in-Chief dgreenfield@automationworld.com / 678 662 3322

Stephanie Neil Senior Editor sneil@automationworld.com / 781 378 1652

Victoria Sanchez Managing Editor vsanchez@pmmimediagroup.com / 571-612-3200 x9298

Mike Prokopeak Senior Director, Content & Brand Growth James R. Koelsch, Lauren Paul, Jeanne Schweder and Beth Stackpole Contributing Writers

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ADVERTISING

Maersk Oil gets a 12-year extension on the life its North Sea platforms’ controllers by upgrading to new, backward-compatible controllers and avoiding a rip-and-replace migration.

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PODCAST SERIES

How to Connect Sustainability and Automation

In this episode, we connect with Michael Martinez of Schneider Electric to better understand the connections between the use of open industrial automation software and sustainability.

AUTOMATION WORLD TV

Comparing Soft Starters and Variable Frequency Drives

Tri Tech Automation’s Jacob Becker explains the key di erences and functionality overlaps between variable frequency drives (VFDs) and motor soft starters as well as how to determine which one is best for your application.

TECHNOLOGY MATTERS

PACK EXPO 2022 Automation Trends

Exhibits by Beckho , Schneider Electric, Stratus Technologies, and Festo highlight growing trends around automation use in the CPG industries. AUTOMATION WORLD E-BOOK

Peer-to-Peer FAQ: Big Data

A down-to-earth look at the technologies behind Big Data and advice from industry on using it.

• Building the Next Generation of Automation Talent

By David Greenfield

dgreenfield@automationworld.com

Editor-In-Chief/ Director of Content

The digital transformation of industry isn’t news to anyone at this point. Even if the facility in which you work still has clipboards hanging from equipment for manual data entry into spreadsheets (which is the case for 29% of end user respondents to a recent Automation World study) the continuing incorporation of more open, connected devices and operations management software is clearly changing the function of manufacturing and processing operations.

Acknowledging the digital transformation is one thing, recognizing how it is changing business broadly and how you should adapt in response is another, more critical factor to success.

At Inductive Automation’s Ignition Community Conference 2022, Jeff Winter, manufacturing industry executive at Microsoft, said, “When digital transformation is successful [in a company], it fundamentally changes everyone’s job. But how many companies are ready for that?”

According to Winter, being ready for that change doesn’t require a focus on technology, but on people. “People are the focus [of the digital transformation], tech is the tool, and value is the outcome,” he said.

Grasping the transformation’sdigitalreach

Microsoft sees five areas of focus for industry amid the digital transformation, Winter said. Those areas are: transforming how employees work; engaging customers in new ways; innovating to deliver new services; building more agile, responsive factories; and creating more resilient supply chains.

Citing Anheuser-Busch InBev as an example, Winter said the company is leveraging metaverse

INDUSTRY DIRECTIONS

Microsoft’s Je Winter at the Inductive Automation Ignition Community Conference 2022.

building block technologies to change how they operate, manage, and engage with everyone. “Their digital factory initiatives with Microsoft uses Azure AI (artificial intelligence), digital twins, and the Microsoft Cloud to give the brew master unprecedented visibility into the brewing process to track quality,” he said. “It also delivers built-in energy management capability to help them achieve sustainability goals, provides line balancing automation to compensate for bottlenecks in can manufacturing operations, and enables preventative maintenance and remote collaboration with experts to ensure zero downtime.”

From product to service

Not many companies have yet built a full digital thread connecting product design, manufacturing, and maintenance, said Winter. But for those who have, their businesses have changed dramatically.

A key reason the digital thread is so impactful is its potential impact on core industrial business operations. “It completely changes the way products are manufactured, delivered, consumed and sold.” Winter said. “The cycle of delivery used to end at the point of sale. Profits used to come from the sale of products, but now they’re coming from

digital services to align more directly with customers. With feedback constantly available about customers’ use of your products, that information can be used to continuously improve the product” and charge for it in different ways.

Winter referenced Celli Group as a company already doing this. Celli Group, which manufacturers beverage dispensing equipment, is using PLM (product lifecycle management) and IoT (Internet of Things) technologies to create “a smart warranty which changes based on how frequently you use their product,” Winter said. The ability to monitor equipment use at customer sites reduced equipment failure by 13%, improved quality by 27%, and reduced service costs by 10%. “And the key was having PLM and IoT as part of digital thread which extends out to customer,” he added.

This can be a challenging transformation for most companies, Winter said, because the old model gets cash up front, but [in that model] there is no guarantee of your customers’ continued use of your product. “The value lies in staying in touch with the customer after the sale,” he said.

Updating Control Logic Outside the PLC

By Stephanie Neil Senior Editor

sneil@automationworld.com

When we think about modernizing manufacturing, automation is the first thing that comes to mind, specifically in the form of robots and integrated lines of machines. But for Kenneth Tran, the founder and CEO of Koidra Inc., a Seattle-based startup, automation is key, but when optimizing output, he believes the focus should be on industrial controllers.

According to Tran, who for several years was a principal research engineer working on machine learning algorithms at Microsoft, there is a basic problem that impairs operational efficiency. It stems from the machine controller—that PLC that has behaved the same way for decades— which follows static, hard-coded instructions implemented by automation engineers during the time of project development. It is hard to update the PLC ladder logic that executes the program.

sensors, and existing control systems, as well as databases and legacy systems for operations data management. Data from these sources is brought into Koidra’s web interface, called Opera, which enables operators to define control strategies and change operating conditions using a low-code Excel-like option rather than ladder logic.

The Koidra decision intelligence platform solves the problem associated with industrial automation information that sits static in ladder logic programs and the data silos that lack interoperability among machine control systems. The platform is also designed to provide scalability and intuitive interfaces for unskilled workers.

“We advanced automation technologies using modern software engineering practices, moved it to the cloud, and made it operator friendly,” Tran said.

T�e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e

Meanwhile, depending on who is operating the machine, the data being collected, and the environmental conditions, the machine can run differently. This lack of consistency is hard to overcome.

This became clear to Tran while he was working at his family’s biomass production facility in Vietnam which was built with traditional PLC, HMI, and SCADA technology. The dryer machines, for example, were not operating efficiently, and when he would ask operators why, they gave different answers. He couldn’t figure it out on his own because the PLCs were not equipped to receive data from different sources and therefore could not present a big picture view of what was going on in a format that was understandable.

So Tran was on a mission to improve processes without getting into the weeds of complex and expensive programming. Instead, he pulled the PLC source data to an edge computer running IoT software, which added sensor data and operational parameters, with artificial intelligence. Without accessing the PLC’s ladder logic programming, he was able to apply a low-code language to improve the control logic and associated algorithms to optimize operations.

This discovery became the Koidra IoT Suite, an industrial IoT platform that can be integrated with

The automation logic exists as a layer above the PLC to augment it, but in some cases, like new dryers for the biomass facility, the Koidra technology is used as a soft PLC for micro control of machines.

It can also automate set point logic, which was demonstrated in the autonomous greenhouse challenge, organized by Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands—a contest Tran has participated in and won.

This past summer, Koidra won this international contest for the second time, applying reinforcement learning, a subdomain of machine learning, which uses real-time decision making for optimization of control processes based on conditions.

The efforts have not gone unnoticed in the Agtech space, as Koidra was recently awarded a $3.77 million research grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which it will share with Ohio State University, Rutgers University, Cornell University, and the University of Arizona. The new grant will allow Koidra to work with the universities on the continued development and validation of data-driven decision making to help grow produce.

Now, there are new ways to grow things and scale operations. “We keep making modifications to the plant, and automation needs to follow these modernizations,” Tran said.

Automated Robot Path Planning for Complex Applications

By David Greenfield Editor-in-Chief, Director of Content

The process of bringing collaborative capabilities to industrial robots first began appearing on the automation scene about three years ago when we saw some of the first demonstrations of Realtime Robotics technology at the SPS event in Nuremberg, Germany, and Veo Robotics’ technology at TechCrunch in Berkeley, Calif.

At IMTS 2022, an update from Realtime Robotics highlighted work the company is doing with Mitsubishi Electric and Kawasaki Robotics.

Alejandro Suarez with Realtime Robotics explained how Realtime Robotics’ RapidPlan Create and RapidPlan Realtime software are used to control Mitsubishi’s Assista cobot and RV-7FRL and RV-8CRL industrial robots in a complex path screw-driving assembly operation.

Users only have to program the robots to place the screws where needed, Suarez said. From there, the Realtime Robotics software will compute the best path possible for the robots and avoid any collisions that could occur as the three robots work together in a small space.

“If you need to make a change, you change the tar-

gets for the robots, but the motion planning is taken care of by the Realtime Robotics technology,” he said.

In another demonstration at IMTS, Tom Munger with Realtime Robotics explained how the company’s technology can be used to control robot paths in automotive spot-welding applications. In this exhibit, two Kawasaki Robotics’ BX100N robots were outfitted with ARO spot weld guns.

The spot-welding demo uses Kawasaki Robotics’ open programming platform, KRNX, along with Realtime Robotics’ motion planning and collision avoidance software. KRNX is an application programming interface plugin for real-time control of complex and irregular robot applications. Kawasaki said KRNX enables Kawasaki robots to “leverage unlimited external computing power, enabling [use of technologies such as] artificial intelligence and machine learning applications and advanced safety.”

Munger pointed out how closely the robots can operate next to each other without colliding. “They’re able to operate in extremely dense configurations with our RapidPlan software used to

configure and create all the motion planning that exists inside the work zone,” he said. “With RapidPlan, it’s not just one single motion that exists for each robot, we’re actually pre-calculating and precomputing thousands of motions that each one of those robots can use dynamically.”

Realtime Robotics and Kawasaki announced their partnership earlier this year, and have since partnered on several projects, including helping a large automotive manufacturer improve the speed of robot programming by 70%.

of robot programming by 70%.

See more about the key robot trends showcased at IMTS 2022.

Mitsubishi’s Assista cobot and RV-7FRL and RV-8CRL industrial robots in a complex path screw-driving assembly operation at IMTS 2022.

A Robot for a Range of Applications

By Stephanie Neil Senior Editor

Source: Apptronik

Aspin out of the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, startup Apptronik has some serious R&D behind it. Two of the company’s co-founders were part of NASA’s Johnson Space Center Valkyrie team, working on the actuators and controls of the humanoid robot, as well as participating in the DARPA Robotics Challenge to build a versatile “hero robot” that could do all the things needed in a disaster relief scenario.

These projects became advanced R&D work leading to the commercialization of a more versatile robot that can operate in an environment of unstructured tasks. Despite the appearance of Apptronik’s robots—such as Astra, an upper body humanoid robot designed to operate with and around humans on a mobile platform, and Draco, a biped designed for agile dynamic walking—the company says it’s solving a huge problem in manufacturing.

“In manufacturing there are structured and highly repeatable tasks. Where we see this going is robots [designed] for the unstructured world,” said Jeff Cardenas, Apptronik co-founder and CEO. Specifically, Apptronik is building a platform where general purpose robots can accomplish a wide range of things vs. the typical one or two repetitive tasks. To do that, “you have to build new robots in new ways that are designed for more variable environments and variable activities for the unstructured world. That’s what we’ve done at Apptronik.”

Since 2016, Apptronik has been creating next-gen actuation and motion control as well as exoskeletons, and has figured out how to make an a ordable robot that is energy ecient, more capable, and works safely around humans. This provides the foundation for what Apptronik calls “mobile manipulation.”

In robotics, the capabilities range from fixed robotic structures anchored to a floor, wall, or ceiling to manipulate objects to autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that can go nearly anywhere but not directly manipulate anything on their own. The goal is to combine these capabilities to create a mobile robot that can manipulate its environment. “Everything we’ve done in the last several years has been in the mobile manipulation space, which we see as the next big wave,” Cardenas said.

Apptronik views today’s robotics industry now as being similar to the early days of the computer industry, where special purpose chips and computation ruled the day before the industry moved to a more general-purpose

hardware platform that could support a variety of software applications. This general purpose platform allowed computers to scale.

“The same thing has to happen for robotics to scale,” Cardenas explained. “To get wider adoption we need general-purpose hardware platforms that can have a variety of applications on top. Think of it as an iPhone of robots. One hardware platform with an ecosystem of developers. This is the next frontier.”

The Apptronik development platform provides a ‘system of systems’ approach based on the concept a general purpose robotic system that can perform a range of activities. Currently, the company is building out the full technology stack to prove the platform can support the inclusion of di erent applications from a range of developers.

The humanoid preference

So why the humanoid form factor? Cardenas said it’s because most of the workflows are designed around humans. This naturally leads towards operations with human proportions and scale.

“For me it’s about utility. It’s about a world that is built for humans already, everything from where handles are placed to the tools we use, the ergonomics are built around the human form,” he said. “And when you have a major labor shortage, if you want a generalpurpose robot to help alleviate some of that, you start to approach human form.”

To that end, Apptronik recently announced a partnership with NASA to scale and deliver production-grade systems to the market. The robot, called Apollo, is a general-purpose humanoid robot designed to work alongside people in supply chain and logistics applications, as well as healthcare, hospitality, and more.

According to Cardenas, “We’re taking what both teams learned from working on these systems for over a decade and applying that to build one of the first commercial humanoid robots that’s available.”

The goal is to put Apollo in a variety of environments, including space. “[NASA] wants to prove out terrestrial applications of general-purpose robots to get the technology mature to the point that they then can plan space missions.”

There are currently pilots happening now with Apollo, which will make its public debut in March 2023.

Using an Enterprise Platform for Operational Improvements

By David Greenfield Editor-in-Chief, Director of Content

Inductive Automation is now positioning its Ignition platform as enterprise software suitable for connecting IT and operations technology (OT) across any manufacturing or processing business. To highlight Ignition’s diverse use in the realm of enterprise applications, Inductive Automation featured numerous examples of the software in use across varied operations at the Ignition Community Conference 2022.

Streamline Innovations

Designing and building gas processing plants to treat the highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas found in most oil wells is the principal focus for Streamline Innovations. Its processes transform hydrogen sulfide into sulfur fertilizer. The company operates 27 units across four states and has treated more than 1 billion gallons of well wastewater with 99% uptime.

According to Dr. Peter J. Photos, chief technology officer, Streamline Innovation does this using “full-blown Ignition on Stratus ETC Edge devices connected to PLCs and HMI hardware to feed data via Starlink to the Azure cloud and then into Microsoft Dynamics ERP (enterprise resources planning).”

Using Ignition to transfer data from PLCs to modems for transfer to the cloud, we can monitor the status of all computers [in the plant] and even restart hardware with Ignition, said Photos. “We can do everything from non-linear process control calculations up to artificial intelligence, specifically non-linear regression analysis. With this we can start with data from the instrument level [and extend out] to profit and loss reports for executives. Ignition allows us to pivot as needed with live, real-time data from the granular to the strategic level. We can make a valve open, optimize operations, minimize use operator time, and maximize profits to run the company.”

Photos explained that Streamline Innovations connects field-level data to PLCs using 4-20mA to I/O modules as well as Modbus and HART to get data into Ignition. “We’re agnostic in terms of where we can pull in data from. But we use OPC UA for bi-directional control from the cloud, which is important for our operations since so much is done remotely,” he said.

Hydrogen sulfide gas treatment plant. Source: Streamline Innovations

Mohawk Valley Water Authority treatment facility. Source: Mohawk Valley Water Authority

Ignition Perspective

Workstation on a rugged tablet. Source: Inductive Automation

Mohawk Valley Water Authority

With 27 tanks and 27 pump stations in the field, Mohawk Valley Water Authority hired integrator Brock Solutions to upgrade the SCADA system in use by the utility since 2006. Patrick Becher, executive director, said the water authority used the older SCADA system for remote monitoring, “but it was aging out and vulnerable.”

The first step with Ignition involved building out an asset management registry of the authority’s equipment to give them complete remote access and control over all assets.

The original code for the systems was smoothly transferred to Ignition, said Phil Tangora, director of water quality. This includes code for everything from control pumps to databases and IoT sensors to provide “for a single pane of glass for all system operations as well as remote access via smartphone,” Tangora said.

Joseph Donohue, senior solutions architect at Brock, said VPN (virtual private networks) and other tools are used to guarantee security of the system for remote access. “Along with policies to manage tra c within the water authority’s sites, we work with partners to continuously monitor and scan the environment to determine who is active in the system,” he said.

United Airlines

From the time you drop o your bags until you pick them up at the baggage carousel, United Airlines uses Ignition to track them.

Davin McDougall, business unit leader at

Brock, said the integrator worked with United Airlines’ operations, maintenance, and IT groups for the move to Ignition. “The first project we did with them on Ignition saved the company $50,000 with the freedom to code tags in the system as needed to provide greater visibility into baggage handling operations,” he said. “With 10 to 12 miles of conveyors moving bags in big airports, Ignition made sense, especially with remote access via Ignition Perspective.”

Stephen Halligan, manager of facility maintenance for United Airlines at Houston Bush International airport, said a big challenge to meeting the baggage handling operations’ key performance indicators was “cutting out the time lapse for alerts coming from the control center.”

Brock recommended Perspective for the mobile system to cut down on communication times with big key performance indicator improvements. “With Perspective, workers in the field knew about issues before a call was made from the control center,” Halligan said. He added that the experience with Ignition has been so positive that United Airlines baggage handling operations is moving their “existing tech stack into Ignition to expand its use to all hubs.”

Roseburg Forest Products

A supplier of timber products ranging from lumber and plywood to particle board, Roseburg Forest Products wanted to get MES (manufacturing execution system) data from the shop floor to management for improved decision making.

Derek Randall, data engineering manager at Roseburg, said, “We’d been using Excel to make reports, but within 30 minutes of downloading the Ignition trial version I was connecting to PLCs and getting reports without spending any money.”

He said Roseburg looked at several MES packages and “all of them were too large and expensive and not configurable enough, so we decided to build our own with Ignition. We worked with Brock to get help with the nuts and bolts of building what we wanted because we needed to be able to maintain, troubleshoot, and modify it ourselves.”

With 14 facilities in the U.S. and one in Canada, Roseburg wanted a system that would be the same across the business even though the processes used at the plants are di erent. “Using the EAM (enterprise asset management) module in Ignition, when we make changes we can roll them out to all our plants within days,” said Randall.

Learn how Inductive Automation is positioning Ignition as an enterprise platform for IT/OT connections.

UR20 Palletizing Application Debuts at PACK EXPO International

By David Greenfield Editor-in-Chief, Director of Content

Earlier this, year, Universal Robots announced the arrival of its newest 6-axis collaborative robot (cobot)—the UR20. The UR20 is Universal Robots’ highest payload, longest reach robot to date. And at PACK EXPO International, it’s capabilities in palletizing applications were highlighted as part of Robotiq’s palletizing system. Robotiq is a UR partner company.

The demo highlighted the improvements in UR cobot performance made possible with the UR20, such as improved overall motion control capabilities and a more than 30% increase in speed and torque.

Key features of the UR20 include:

• A 20kg (44.1lbs.) payload capacity, which is 4kg more than UR’s previous heaviest load

capability of 16kg with its UR16e cobot.

• Reach of 1750mm, which is 450mm more than longest previous UR cobot reach of 1300mm with the UR10e.

Anders Beck, vice president of strategy and innovation at Universal Robots, notes that the UR20 is not just a bigger version of existing UR cobots, its new joint design increases all joint torques by approximately 25% and joint speeds by as much as 65%. The UR20 also features an increase in tool center point of 100% (2 m/s vs. 1 m/s).

The extended reach capability of the UR20 is demonstrated in the Robotiq palletizing system, as it shows how the UR20 can be used to stack items to a height of 1800mm (5.9 feet). With its extended reach, the UR20 can be used to stack across two standard U.S. pallets. With Euro pallets, the UR20 can stack up to 2m in height.

Updated software for the UR20 delivers smoother motion, which is especially beneficial for dispensing applications. It also causes less wear on the joints for increased uptime and decreased maintenance.

The UR/Robotiq palletizer system operates via a standard single-phase power outlet (110-220 V AC) for ease of deployment in any facility.

Read more about the UR20 cobot.

The UR20 can stack items to a height of 1800mm (5.9 feet).

PACK EXPO Southeast Debuts Spring 2025 in Atlanta

PACK EXPO Southeast will debut spring 2025 in Atlanta (March 10-12; Georgia World Congress Center) bringing packaging and processing machinery, materials, and technology all under one roof to a growing manufacturing corridor.

The newest show in the PACK EXPO portfolio, produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, will offer solutions for over 40 vertical markets to address the packaging and processing needs of southeast manufacturers.

“This show represents a big opportunity to bring the industry together in a region of the country that is not currently served by a trade show focused on packaging and processing,” said Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “PACK EXPO Southeast in Atlanta is the perfect location to focus on targeted opportunities in this robust market, which is home to some of the top manufacturing industries in the region.”

Located within driving distance of key manufacturing cities and a mere two-hour flight from 80 percent of the U.S. population, PACK EXPO Southeast will harness all the power of the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows, directed at the robust southeast market.

“PACK EXPO Southeast 2025 will provide a prime opportunity for exhibitors to reach a new, untapped customer-base in this region,” said Laura Thompson, vice president, PMMI. “And attendees will have the chance to experience new kinds of machinery, materials, and other innovations live and in-person, while forging critical relationships with their peers and suppliers.”

As PACK EXPO East does for the northeast market, PACK EXPO Southeast will laser focus and target the southeast market and offer a depth and breadth of exhibits not provided by any other events in the region.

Request information and learn more at pack-

exposoutheast.com, or contact Wendy Moore, PMMI trade show sales manager, at 571.612.3185 or sales@pmmi.org.

Exhibitor booth sales for PACK EXPO Southeast 2025 start in September 2023. Attendee registration will open during PACK EXPO International 2024.

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Sustainable Cooling Units for Enclosures

By David Greenfield Editor-in-Chief, Director of Content

Acritical aspect of many automation enclosures is their ability to protect the electronic components inside and keep them cool in harsh industrial environments. As noted in Automation World’s recent feature on enclosures, cooling systems are now commonplace in many enclosures as the number of heat-generating electronics used in control applications has mushroomed over the past several years.

With this operating reality in mind, Rittal has introduced its new Blue e+ S smart cooling units

for enclosures. These cooling units feature lower output categories of .3 kW, .5 kW, and 1 kW, and have been designed for efficiency to provide energy savings, minimize CO2 emissions, and lower associated operating costs.

Rittal first introduced its Blue e+ range of enclosure cooling units seven years ago. The new Blue e+ S units are based on the same design and energy saving principles but have added smart capabilities that provide additional energy and cost savings. These additional savings come via the combination of a heat pipe with invertercontrolled components.

According to Rittal, the heat pipe works without a compressor, expansion valve, or other regulating

elements, thereby eliminating the need for electrical energy except to operate the fan. Depending on the thermal energy generated in the enclosure and the current ambient temperature, cooling can be performed with the heat pipe alone. The additional compressor cooling only operates if a large amount of heat must be dissipated from the enclosure or if the ambient temperature is very high. When the compressor does operate, the inverter-controlled drive automatically adjusts depending on the cooling requirements to maintain a constant temperature in the enclosure and deliver higher energy efficiency.

The Blue e+ S also reportedly reduces the carbon footprint of the enclosure by using the R-513A refrigerant, which has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) that is 56% lower than those used in comparable cooling units.

The new cooling units can also be monitored using Rittal’s new Smart Service Portal to optimize service processes through predictive maintenance. The Blue e+ S units are also equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC), enabling them to communicate with mobile devices using the Rittal Scan & Service app.

Formic Launches Pay-for-Productivity Palletizer

By Stephanie Neil Senior Editor

In a move meant to remove the barriers of automation for small and mid-size manufacturers, robot startup Formic, founded in 2020, is building a robotics-as-a-service business model that democratizes automation to make it more affordable and accessible.

Buying a robot can be a pricey proposition

which requires much more than just the initial hardware investment. After buying, say, a $40,000 robot, the additional cost of integration with other machinery can escalate the total investment to upwards of $200,000. That is cost-prohibitive for many manufacturers.

Having worked in the robot industry for years, Formic co-founder Misa Ilkhechi witnessed the problems many manufacturers face in finding labor. Formic was created to solve these problems. The company takes over the design and deployment of

turnkey robotic systems and charges customers an hourly rate vs. and upfront investment. That means manufacturers only pay for operational output with performance guarantees and unlimited 24/7 service.

“We are a financing meets service meets robotics company,” Ilkhechi said during an interview at PACK EXPO International 2022 in Chicago. “Our business has to have all three working well because, at the end of the day, the customer is not buying a machine or components, they are buying productivity.”

Charging an hourly rate for a robot is just like

Read Automation World’s feature on industrial enclosures and their importance to automation.

Rittal’s new Blue e+ S series uses a refrigerant with a global warming potential that is 56% lower than those used in comparable cooling units.

hiring a person, but with the built-in guarantee that the machine will run. Each machine Formic supplies includes an edge device that sends machine data back to Formic’s service team, which proactively solves problems before downtime happens. This is important for the customer and important for Formic. “In order for us to make money our machine has to work,” Ilkhechi said.

The company partners with robot suppliers and machine builders to build custom turnkey systems. The plan is to have a large portfolio of robots, with the first being the SL20 Palletizer launched at PACK EXPO.

Key features of the SL20 Palletizer include:

• Small footprint (10x12 feet)

• Palletizes up to 20 cases per minute

• Lifts up to 20kg per cycle

• Proven to safely work alongside people

• Deployable in less than eight weeks

• Built by Sourcelink Solutions LLC using the Yaskawa HC Series collaborative robot

The SL20 is available now with a six-month trial period for first-time customers. In addition to small and mediumsized manufacturers, the Formic robots are also suitable for use by co-manufacturers and co-packers dealing with hundreds of SKUs.

ABB Introduces Cobot Welding Application

By David Greenfield Editor-in-Chief, Director of Content

When collaborative robots (cobots) were first introduced, most applications focused on simple machine tending, and/or various repetitive motion actions in assembly applications. More recently, we’ve been seeing cobots applied in high-precision, industrial uses that showcase the potential of cobots in harsh environment, complex applications.

ABB, which showcased its 6-axis GoFa cobot in 2021 at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, highlighted the cobot’s new applicability for welding at IMTS 2022. GoFa was designed to help businesses automate processes involving heavier loads and longer reaches to assist workers with repetitive and ergonomically challenging tasks.

The GoFa collaborative robot welding cell displayed at IMTS 2022 is designed to safely work alongside humans and be easy to install and use. ABB’s Matthew Conklin demonstrated ABB’s customizable two-button Lead-Through

Programming function to tack and weld small parts, as can be seen via the video link at right.

Conklin explained that GoFa’s intrinsic safety means that it requires no guarding and its blockstyle programming capability makes it easier for beginners to learn robot programming. The actual code created by the block-style programming interface can be easily accessed, enabling users to see the underlying code created and advance their knowledge of robot programming.

In its announcement surrounding the GoFa welding application, ABB says it has developed more than 30 new robot, software, digital, and educational products in the last year designed to help industrial manufacturers of all sizes increase their operational performance and gain ready access to a well-trained workforce. ABB explained that it has been focusing on this in response to global trade disruptions, supply chain issues, and widespread labor shortages. ABB says: “The role of automation in reshoring and improving productivity in the U.S. also depends on bridging the skills gap in robotics education and better educating and upskilling workers.”

See the GoFa welding application.

Read more about automation’s role in reshoring with help from the CHIPS and Science Act.

The SL20 robotic palletizing system from Formic.

Occidental Petroleum, Wildfire Energy, and Gore Nitrogen show how the ability to take multiple measurements with a single device make smart instruments a natural for enhancing real-time decision making.

By Beth Stackpole, contributing writer

Critical manufacturing and process control instrumentation is steadily gaining smarts, allowing companies to collect and analyze a smorgasbord of data at pivotal points in their operations, leading to cost reduction, higher output and e ciencies, and enabling predictive maintenance.

Process control engineers have long used instruments to measure temperature, pressure, fluid flow, and other key values to ensure a high degree of accuracy and safety for industrial operations, particularly in process-oriented industries like oil and gas, petrochemical, and wastewater treatment. Traditional, “dumb” instruments were typically used to take stock of a single measurement, often displayed through physical gauges, with reliance on human technicians to patrol operations, manually record and interpret data, and then facilitate any necessary corrective actions.

The advent of more powerful onboard microprocessors and multiple digital network communications capabilities have laid the groundwork for more intelligent instrumentation capable of measurement and diagnostic capabilities beyond the scope of their primary charter. As opposed to traditional instrumentation that needs to communicate any of these process values to an external control system for interpretation and action, smart instruments are outfitted with intelligent sensors

and, oftentimes, edge capabilities that convert data to a usable, digital format without an intermediary. As a result, smart instruments can make data available in near-real-time to drive decision-making, whether that’s to recalibrate a process or initiate a particular maintenance action.

In addition, smart instruments are typically associated with web server functions, mobile apps, and Bluetooth capabilities that allow remote workers to monitor status, collect operational data, and initiate corrective actions without having to physically be on-site.

“Electronics and technology have evolved to allow instruments to have a lot more functionality at a similar price point,” says Mason Flannery, product marketing manager for flow at Endress+Hauser. “Data-driven decision making is having an impact in every aspect of life, and it’s the same in automation and process control. The ability to take more than a single measurement value delivers additional information that can drive diagnostic decisions and increase the value of a single instrument. This reduces costs while increasing safety, quality, and production e ciencies.”

Fueled by adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, including the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), demand for smart industrial sensors and instrumentation is surging—with the market ex-

pected to grow at a 9.6% CAGR from 2022 to 2029 to reach $22.6 billion, according to a report by Meticulous Research. To get a sense of what’s driving this momentum, we’ll look at the three companies using smart instruments to help field personnel accomplish more without investing in additional physical devices to optimize production and operational e ciencies.

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

When a site is pumping 70,000 barrels of oil, 320 million cubic feet of natural gas, and 4,000 barrels of natural gas liquids (NGLs) every day, there is no appetite for downtime.

Yet Occidental Petroleum Corp., an international oil and gas exploration and production company, found itself dealing with the possibility of a temporary shutdown of its Catarina, Texas, site to fix a complication with a standard treatment process to clean up the natural gas feeding its wells. The normally granular replacement carbons used during treatment were morphing into a porous, solid mass, transformed by liquids in the gas stream. What was usually a manageable task had turned into weeks of work by on-site workers, racking up maintenance costs of about $800,000 and dramatically reducing processing capacity at the Catarina site as multiple towers went o ine during the clean-up e ort.

Endress+Hauser Promass I 300 Coriolis flowmeter combines in-line viscosity and flow measurement with a compact transmitter.

APPLICATION SERIES

“Not only did the liquid cause huge problems with the treatment towers, it also represented lost income of about 12,000 barrels of natural gas liquids each year, impacting the site’s profitability,” noted Chris Diaz, a senior automation engineer at Occidental.

After comprehensive analysis, the temperature of incoming gas was determined to be the culprit. During cooler months, a variance of a few degrees created an environment where liquids condensed, creating the complications. The fix called for a mechanism to monitor and control gas temperature so that it remained above the dew point. This remedy would have required welding thermowells into existing piping to accommodate multiple temperature measurement points—a process that would stop production at roughly 100 wells feeding the facility with a downtime price tag of about $1 million a day.

Occidental opted for a di erent path. Using Emerson’s Rosemount X-well intelligent transmitter, combined with a WirelessHART transmitter and internal power supply, the team devised an alternative solution that didn’t require penetration or welding, thus avoiding the pipeline’s shutdown.

The new smart instrument setup measures both ambient temperature and internal temperature, performing corrective calculations to achieve continuous, accurate, and repeatable readings of the gas inside the pipe. Data is sent to the automation system using WirelessHART, and the system gives operators a great deal of intelligence compared to what they had with the singular temperature reading.

“When all the possibilities were examined, mea-

suring temperature using the surface-mounted transmitters and a WirelessHART network proved to be, by far, the lowest cost option,” Diaz said. When changing up traditional temperature or flow instrumentation for intelligent replacements, process engineers must now think beyond doing a like-for-like replacement, cautions Kyle Knutson, Emerson’s director of marketing. “You’re not just looking at something that can save you time or money, you should also consider what can be done by having more data to analyze about your process or plant that you couldn’t get with traditional instrumentation,” Knutson says. “Otherwise you might miss out on how you can run your plant more e ciently and get more actionable data.”

Wildfire Energy

An independent exploration and production company focused on developing oil and natural gas resources in Texas’ Eagle Ford, Wildfire Energy operates more than 550 wells, overseeing a production process that typically required gauging of physical tank equipment to obtain accurate oil measurements. In addition, each of its wells required a dedicated three-phase separator and storage tank to orchestrate proper allocation of resources—a configuration that was costly to implement and maintain, requiring personnel to be deployed onsite to monitor tank conditions.

To reduce both man power and equipment, Wildfire Energy initiated a pilot project to replace legacy instrumentation with an ABB Smart Corio-

lis meter, an update that reduced the number of physical devices required while also allowing for integration into a SCADA system whereby real-time flow rates could be monitored along with density and pressure from oil production. The new set up also enabled daily volumes to be maintained based on a total flow calculated to meet industry standard volume metrics, according to Bryce Weempe, territory account manager for ABB. Another upside is that the Smart Coriolis meter introduced full diagnostics to alarm in cases of internal tube erosion, process upsets, or meter malfunctions.

“Operators can use less production equipment as they now comingle di erent allocation wells by using Coriolis technology upstream instead of storage tanks,” Weempe explains. “This is a more accurate, e cient, cost e ective, and safe way to measure hydrocarbons on a production location.”

When implementing smart instrumentation like Coriolis meters, it’s important to consider technologies that can be easily managed with software, including to commission and check device health. ABB helps customers address these issues by providing on-site training along with its My Measurement Assistant app to provide check lists and YouTube-style videos for troubleshooting instruments.

Vanessa Klekar, U.S. instrumentation technical sales manager for ABB Measurement & Analytics, says engineers, operators, and technicians need to be open-minded about making changes in their processes to reap the full value of smart instrument technology. “If you have team members that refuse to utilize the

ABB supports its smart instrument and analyzer portfolio with My Measurement Assistant, an app that presents troubleshooting and commissioning best practices on a mobile device.

benefits that smart instrumentation o ers, it’s not doing much good,” she says. “You have to be willing to learn something new and not be too comfortable doing things the way you’ve always done them.”

Gore Nitrogen

Managing its limited field personnel and time was a constant balancing act for Gore Nitrogen, which delivers an array of specialty services for the industrial, pipeline, and oil field industries.

To maintain optimal safety and high-quality pumping conditions for its customers’ wells, the company regularly deployed personnel on-site to manually take viscosity measurements every 10 minutes. Because the products were non-Newtonian fluids with fluctuating viscosities, Gore Nitrogen couldn’t set specific levels, requiring them to make timely adjustments to ward o potential safety or quality issues.

“We constantly have to take measurements of the process to verify to the customer that we are at the correct viscosity,” explains Brandon Bensch, IT director at Gore Nitrogen. “This involved a person having to pull a sample, take it to the mobile lab, and run it through a manual system. The hu-

man factor alone had a variety of potential issues— spills, contaminated samples, interpretation of the manual system’s metering, wasted manpower, etc.”

With help from Endress+Hauser, Gore Nitrogen installed the Proline Promass I 300 Coriolis flowmeter along with the RIA46 field indicator to deliver multiple measurements from a single device and provide readings in a familiar format. In this case, the company was able to gather flow, density, temperature, and viscosity measurements in a single device, eliminating the need for multiple transmitters and enhancing the overall usefulness of each measurement.

With this new flowmeter, there is no longer a need for manual testing, freeing up field resources to focus on other tasks. In addition, manual samples are no longer pulled every 10 minutes, nor are regular tests required for measurement readings; instead, corrections are automatically made via the control system, which improves accuracy and overall quality for each customer’s job.

“The biggest benefit we were able to achieve was repeatability,” Bensch explains. “When we were taking samples manually, you could run the exact same sample two or three times and get two or

APPLICATION SERIES

three di erent results depending on how the sample was interpreted. We proved the repeatability of the Promass I 300 in our lab and in the field. There is just no matching the consistency of the results.”

The Promass I 300’s built-in web server delivers additional value, especially for remote operations.

“At any given time, we can log in and check settings to see how the system is reading,” Bensch adds. “That provides big savings on technicians in the field, greater transparency for the customer, and allows for additional observations to prevent issues like leaks and spills.”

While the Promass I 300 was more expensive than a traditional flow measuring device, the added costs were counterbalanced by not having to invest in multiple devices. “You’d have to physically find space for four separate instruments plus take into account any insulation and wiring considerations,” says Mason Flannery, product marketing manager of flow technologies at Endress+Hauser. “Calculating the time it takes for an operator to run samples each time in a non-automated format also factored into the decision point.”

THE MANY CONSIDERATIONS OF HMI UPGRADES

Upgrading

By Jonathan Barnes, contributing writer

When it comes to upgrading humanmachine interface (HMI) technology, the question of where to begin often depends upon where you’re starting from to determine how to achieve at your near-term HMI goals.

Scalability, must-have features, enterprise integration, and, of course, cost are among the biggest factors end users should have at the top of their list, according to Loren Schmidt, lead control systems analyst for system integrator Interstates. She adds that it’s also important to consider issues such as mobility, which “some HMI software packages make easy, while others don’t.”

Meanwhile, some HMIs handle data storage and display historical data better than many competitors, but their “price is often too high for many end users,” Schmidt adds.

Where to begin

The first thing to realize is that any HMI hardware and software considerations should address company strategy as well as application specifics.

“Most modern HMI software can adapt to various applications, though you should pick something matching your SCADA strategy so you can merge applications for consistency and licensing savings later,” says Sam Russem, senior director for smart manufacturing solutions at system integrator Grantek. “Your application and [operating] environment can have huge implications for the hardware you choose.”

A key role for system integrators is to help answer end users’ questions about HMI hardware and software, but it’s always smart to be generally knowledgeable about your requirements and plans to ensure long-term benefits.

For example, with software, consider your company’s near-term goals. Is ease of development in the HMI environment important to your plans? Since licensing costs can vary widely, what is your acceptable framework for such costs? Do specific standards apply to your operations and does the HMI software need to support them? Is historical data logging for analysis something you want from your HMI?

When end users can answer these kinds of questions, it helps us “narrow down the list of potential software platforms to the best one,” says Nicholas Imfeld, operations manager with system integrator Avanceon.

If you need to upgrade HMI hardware and software for a particular machine or system, it often makes sense to start with the hardware, since physical features can immediately impact decisions based on fit with legacy equipment.

Beyond form and fit factors, determine if the hardware platform supports open systems or is restricted to vendor-supplied platforms.

Self-contained, stand-alone systems often tend to favor vendor hardware, require little IT infrastructure, and often don't require runtime licenses. Larger, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, however, often run in a Windows-based environment and need more IT support and licensing.

Imfeld says, if you’re currently running a Windows-based HMI/SCADA environment, determine first what kind of hardware makes the most sense on the plant floor. For example, will you use thin-client terminals or PCs?

Using thin clients means “one or more Windows server class machines will be required,” says Imfeld. And regardless of whether you choose thin clients or PCs, the number of servers and terminals will depend on the HMI application. Some HMI systems can require a computer to function as the HMI server, a computer to serve as the communication channel between the HMI and the PLCs, a computer to host the HMI, and a computer for historical data storage.

Aligning replacements

While more open, Windows-based HMIs tend to dominate, vendor hardware-based systems also are common. When considering such HMIs, its important to focus on choosing software and hardware that provide the functionality and dependability you require.

Vendor-based systems tend to provide a larger runway [for use], Imfeld says, meaning that users can rely on many years of support for combined hardware and software HMI systems. Depending on the application and company strategy, some integrators recommend that HMI hardware and software be upgraded together. But the advance of open systems use, driven by end users’ preference for wider software options, is leading an increasing number of manufacturers looking to avoid vendor lock-in.

“Most hardware is designed to work with a certain software,” says Interstates’ Schmidt. “To avoid adding additional labor cost by trying to make a different software work, we go with the software that is designed for the hardware when it comes to touch panel HMIs.”

Interstates also supports industrial PC-based systems with industrial touch screen monitors. “This enables us to use any HMI software so -

lution and still have an HMI out on the plant floor,” Schmidt says.

Making this decision ultimately depends upon the hardware you want to use, but ongoing supply chain factors can influence this decision.

“There are pros and cons to buying HMI hardware and software together or separately,” Russem says. “Some HMIs are designed to run a single piece of software, so you won’t need to worry about compatibility, and you have one place to go if you need support. But having separate HMI hardware and software can give you additional flexibility. If you have a production-critical HMI fail today and the hardware to replace it isn’t available, you may be forced to move to new hardware and rewrite your software. If you have software that’s compatible with hardware from a variety of vendors, you have more flexibility in your hardware choices.”

High-performance HMIs

While the question of whether to move toward use of high-performance HMI graphics once was hotly debated, some integrators say this question has become less of a conundrum for end users.

“I’m in favor of using high-performance graphics whenever possible,” says Imfeld. “My main driver is ease of information transmission. The example I use is this: If I am walking through the production area and glance at an HMI terminal, I should be able to tell from across the room if I need to walk over and address something on the HMI based on a splash of yellow or red.”

Russem is also an advocate for high-performance HMI screens. “HMIs are tools to help run a machine or process, and the more clearly they can point operators to exactly the information they need to do their job and keep the process running, the better,” he says.

Schmidt adds that “we’re not seeing a big drive by customers to have flashy, colorful graphics. Our attention is on gathering and displaying pertinent information to help operators in their day-to-day tasks. So, the ability for HMI hardware and software to be powerful enough to handle that data is key. Features like trending and tracking historical data are also really important now.”

Maersk Oil platform in the North Sea. Source: Maersk

Oil

Maersk Oil Upgrades Its SCADA

Maersk Oil gets a 12-year extension on the life of its North Sea platforms’ controllers by upgrading to new, backward-compatible ABB controllers and avoiding a rip-and-replace migration.

By Jeanne Schweder, contributing writer

Whenever suppliers phase out obsolete technology because they’re no long able to guarantee spare parts, industrial companies face a major challenge: Do they rip out and replace the existing system with something entirely new, or can they find a lower cost way to significantly extend a system’s life?

That was the challenge facing Maersk Oil in 2014. With its existing ABB MasterPiece 200 controllers being phased out, Maersk Oil decided to migrate to ABB’s Advant controllers, which would extend the life of its SCADA sys -

tems by at least 12 years. The lifetime extension of the SCADA controllers had to be performed on six of Maersk Oil’s North Sea platforms. The project also involved the Gorm platform, from which processed oil is sent ashore.

This “relatively cheap 12-year lifetime extension, in which we had to evolve to newer ABB hardware already familiar to us, was an easy choice compared to buying a completely new system,” says Jan Temberg, team leader at Maersk Oil’s Danish business unit.

All offshore upgrade work took place within just 10 days during a planned maintenance shutdown in June 2014, an opportunity that only comes approximately once every four years.

“Even though doing upgrades is the core DNA of ABB,” Lene Østerby, ABB account manager, explains, “we haven’t done that many upgrades within such a short time span before. It was a massive logistical puzzle involving shipment of hardware, allocation of helicopter seats, placing beds offshore for engineers, work permits, and numerous other tasks.”

No code conversion or testing needed

An important aspect of the business case for the control migration was the savings in installation hours compared to the time required to install an entirely new system. Buying a new generation of hardware often entails reprogramming and testing of systems, as well as replacing, testing, and commissioning new controllers.

All these activities were avoided with an Advant 450 upgrade since it comes with interfaces to existing I/O systems and ABB’s systems are backwards-compatible. This means the application can easily be transferred from one generation of controller to the other without any code conversion or testing.

The offshore upgrade activities went smoothly, according to both parties, because of two primary factors. First, because it was possible to draw on the experiences from similar, previous upgrade projects. And second, because planning from ABB’s side was handled by one project manager, who was responsible for all hardware purchases as well as coordinating all ABB engineers working on the project.

“You definitely get a lot of synergy from having a large group of engineers working that intensively on such an extensive upgrade project,” says Østerby. “If any technical challenges occurred, our engineers could consult with each other and share experiences and solutions.”

During the shutdown, ABB had 11 people oshore for the upgrade work. Their tasks involved

demounting existing equipment, mounting new controllers, and loading new system and application software. ABB’s engineers were also present during the start-up of the platforms to assist if needed.

In total, the Maersk Oil upgrade project involved replacing 15 MasterPiece 200 control -

lers with 13 Advant Controller 450 controllers and upgrading five Advant Controller 450 units with newer, more powerful processor modules featuring the latest system versions.

Windows or Linux®?

Mix and match with VMs on TwinCAT/BSD Hypervisor

control systems and virtual

on a

PC: simultaneous execution of TwinCAT real-time

and motion applications as well as virtual machines multiple operating systems on a single industrial PC exclusive assignment of I/O devices, such as the on-board graphics or network interfaces, to individual VMs increased industrial PC security by separating the operating system from the control system isolated, virtual Windows desktop environments enabled by Intel Graphics Virtualization Technology GVT and VT-d ability to update and restart virtualized operating system environments while the TwinCAT control system keeps running convenient backup and restore mechanisms thanks to TwinCAT/BSD

PC-based

machines

single Beckhoff Industrial

PLC

Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.

Cloud Software for Drives

ABB, abb.com

ABB Ability Mobile Connect for drives is a cloud-based software service accessible through the ABB Drivetune mobile app that enables ABB Drives partners to commission and troubleshoot local drives remotely. Ability Mobile Connect features live chat and end user-controlled access that can be used to pull backup files, change parameters, capture site and installation images, as well as send voice and text messages. The software also provides access to all the data necessary to provide resolutions for online end-user issues both remotely and in cases requiring an on-site visit.

Drive Isolation Transformers

AutomationDirect, automationdirect.com

AutomationDirect has added drive isolation transformers from Hammond

Power Solutions to its lineup of transformers. The rugged transformers provide isolation, common-mode noise and transient suppression, and prevent drive-induced ground currents from being passed upstream. The transformers are UL Listed, CSA certified, CE marked, RoHS compliant, and come with a 10-year warranty. Available in a range of sizes for 5 to 200hp drives, they come with a 460V delta primary, a 460Y secondary, and include multiple taps for additional voltages.

Terminal Blocks

Dinkle, dinkle.com/en Dinkle International has released the DP2.5SG sensor/actuator terminal block family, which is designed with a single-level pass-through for mounting on a standard DIN rail. The assembly combines all signal connections for sensors and actuators requiring twowire, three-wire, and four-wire installation. Contact materials are tin-plated copper alloy, using push-in design for wire terminations over an operating temperature range of -40° to +115° C. The signal terminal blocks carry a UL rating of 600V and 20A, accepting wires ranging from 26 to 12AWG; power distribution terminal blocks are rated for 300V and 10A, with wires ranging from 26 to 14AWG. Each terminal block is 5.08mm wide and is available individually or in kits of 4, 8, 14, 18, and 24 poles. The components are UL recognized, ROHS and REACH compliant, and carry the CE marking.

4K Low Light Camera

E-con Systems, e-consystems.com The e-CAM82_CUOAGX is a 4K ultra-low-light camera designed to address the rising processing needs of artificial intelligence-based embedded vision applications. The camera can be connected with up to six other cameras for an extended field of view in 360-degree surround-view systems. The e-CAM82_ CUOAGX uses the Sony Starvis IMX485 sensor with a large pixel size of 2.9µm x 2.9µm to ensure sensitivity even in absolute darkness. The camera can be integrated with Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin for applications requiring heavy image processing. Typical applications include use on autonomous mobile robots, agricultural vehicles, and telehealth devices.

Connected OEM Cloud

Honeywell, honeywell.com

Honeywell’s Connected Original Equipment Manufacturer allows OEMs and skid manufacturers to remotely monitor the health and condition of their installed base. Through a cloud-based central asset management system securely connected to equipment assets, OEMs can obtain a remote view of their global installed base through a customizable dashboard. Users can apply data analytics and tools to troubleshoot and fix equipment, predict failures, plan maintenance, and make informed business decisions.

Synchronous Reluctance Motor

Nidec, nidec.com

SynRA is Nidec’s new synchronous reluctance (SR) motor. This IE5 aluminum cage motor combines the benefits of a cage-type induction motor with the efficiency of an SR motor. Nidec’s SynRA rotates as an induction motor when activated, and spins in synchronization with frequency during operation, resulting in higher efficiency. Requiring only V/F open-loop control, the SynRA eliminates need for vector or precise control parameters compared to traditional SR motors.

Part Turn CK Actuator

Rotork, rotork.com

Rotork has extended its CK range of modular electric valve actuators to include a part-turn variant called the CKQ. This new part-turn variant is suited for harsh environments with an operational temperature range of -30 °C to +70 °C. The IP68 enclosure protection is maintained even when the actuator terminal housing is removed by using a double-sealing system around both parts of the plug and socket connection. Continuous mechanical valve position indication is provided even without power, and the CKQ provides up to 60 starts per hour at a rate up to 1 start every 6 seconds. All options within the CK range provide oil bath lubrication for extended life, mounting in any orientation, and motor-independent handwheel operation available.

Side-Mounted Agitator

Sulzer, sulzer.com

The newest addition to the SaloMix agitator family is the SSF150, designed for use in large pulp mills. SaloMix SSF side-mounted gear-driven agitators are ATEX approved and also suitable for chemical processes. All SSF agitators have a consistent design and stainless-steel construction, a flange-mounted motor, and an integrated, compact one-stage gearbox. Accessories such as support legs, Dilco integrated dilution system, sealing water equipment, bearing unit monitoring, grease dispenser for the front bearing, and Sulzer Sense condition monitoring are available. The new SSF150 spans from 110 kW/150 hp up to 160 kW/200 hp.

Five-Axis Delta Robot

ABB, abb.com

ABB has released its FlexPicker IRB 365 five-axis delta robot for picking and packing applications up to 1.5 kg. The IRB 365 is designed for applications including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods and can pick, reorient, and place 1 kg products at 120 picks per minute. The robot’s OmniCore C30 controller offers motion control, built-in digital connectivity, and more than 1000 additional software and hardware functions. Through ABB’s PickMaster Twin software, the IRB 365 can be integrated into packaging lines in a matter of hours and paired with other robots including the IRB 390 to pick, handle, and pack payloads weighing from a few grams up to 15 kg.

Unmanaged Gigabit Switches

Antaira, antaira.com

Antaira has introduced the LNP-C501G-SFP-bt and LNP-C501G-SFP-bt-24 Gigabit Ethernet 5-port unmanaged switches, which are compact industrial switches compliant with IEEE 802.3bt PoE++. These switches can supply up to 90W per port to powered devices. In addition to their four 10/100/1000Tx Ethernet ports, both offer a speed-adjustable, dual-rate SFP slot to connect single- or multi-mode fiber optic cabling for full 1000BASE-X support. The LNP-C501G-SFP-bt-24 series has a wider range of dual power input voltage (9 to 55V DC) than the LNP-C501G-SFP-bt series (48 to 55V DC). Power boosting is also provided on the LNP-C501G-SFP-bt-24 model for low-voltage power inputs. The switches feature an industrial-grade IP-40 rated DIN rail metal case, an extended temperature range (-40° C to 75° C), and high EFT and ESD protection against unregulated voltage and transients.

IP67 I/O Modules

Beckhoff, beckhoff.com

With the new EPX module series, Beckhoff now offers an option for Ex i signal acquisition from zones 0/20, 1/21 and Div. 1 for its EtherCAT Box I/O modules. With IP67 protection, they enable direct and decentralized installation on machines and systems, even in harsh environments. Interface options are available for HART, NAMUR and FDT/DTM standards. As an alternative to IP20 solutions with additional enclosures, the IP67-rated EPX modules enable data collection, even in areas where no control cabinet or terminal box can or should be installed. Also, the previously required safety barriers are no longer necessary, which saves space and reduces costs.

Self-Contained Actuator

Bosch Rexroth, boschrexroth.com

Bosch Rexroth has expanded its range of standardized self-contained actuators with the CytroMotion system. CytroMotion combines an electric motor, hydraulic pump, and cylinder with control functions and poppet valves to form an integrated assembly with a hermetically sealed hydraulic part and an electric control system up to 6.2 kW. The electric control system can be controlled by a conventional frequency converter from Bosch Rexroth or a third-party provider. Engineering and commissioning require no hydraulics knowledge and an online configurator helps with optimum actuator configuration for the application. The self-contained actuator reduces electricity consumption and resulting carbon-dioxide emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional hydraulic systems. CytroMotion also enables condition monitoring to maximize availability. Noise emissions are limited to no more than 70 dB.

Compact Airflow Monitors

EGE, ege-elektronik.com

EGE expands its range of explosion-proof flow sensors with the new LC5 GA EX22 series airflow monitors for use in zone 2 and 22 environments with potentially explosive gas or dust atmospheres. These sensors are ATEX certified and come in IP67 stainless steel housing. Available with M18 or G1/2 threads, they detect airflows at speeds from 0.5 m/s to 20 m/s with response times less than 5 seconds. The devices feature a potentiometer screw and a two-color LED on the front side. Red, green, and flashing lights signal when the minimum or maximum output current in a standard signal range 4-20 mA have been reached. These airflow monitors are designed for use in temperature ranges from -10° C to 60° C and come with a two-meter fixed PUR cable by default; EGE can supply the devices with longer cables upon request.

Customizable Encoder

Elma, elma.com

Elma Electronic’s E18 family of mechanical incremental encoders feature nickelplated zinc body and rugged brass shafts, with optional stainless steel shafts and IP67 front panel sealing. E18 encoders are available with or without a push button, and with or without a threaded bushing. There is also an option to have the shaft mounted in the encoder body or to have the shaft supplied separately. Other customizable features include turning torque levels, number of detents, and number of resolutions. The E18 encoders include Elma’s Swiss Click Indexing System and have a body size of 14.4 x 11.4 x 6.5 mm; rotational life up to 150,000 revolutions; detent torque of 0.5, 1.5 or 2.5 Ncm with a resolution of 16, 24 or 30 detents; and a push force of 3 N or 6 N.

Pneumatic Valve System

Emerson, emerson.com

Emerson’s Aventics series Advanced Valve System with Advanced Electronic System (AES) Profinet and Ethernet/IP is now available with pre-installed OPC UA functionality. The AES helps users solve interoperability challenges and access data. Because data and analytics are received via the valve system and communicated directly to upper systems, there is no gateway necessary unless deeper analysis or local dashboards are required. The AES connects to new or existing systems and machines and provides access to data and analytics without changing the programmable logic controller.

Natural Gas Analyzer

Endress+Hauser, endress.com

Endress+Hauser has released a new version of its J22 tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) gas analyzer. The latest updates to this analyzer include support for the Modbus TCP/IP protocol which, when combined with the addition of a native web server, enables users to monitor, configure, and service the analyzer remotely. End users can perform these functions from any device with a web browser on the Modbus TCP/IP Ethernet network or connected to the RJ45 service port. The J22 offers selectable and modular hardware, including a membrane separator, pressure relief valve, bypass armored flow indicator and control, analyzer armored flow indicator and control with flow switch, a thermostat, and a check valve.

Automotive Industry Embraces the Circular Economy

By Dick Slansky ARC Advisory Group

Alinear economy—which involves taking raw materials and manufacturing a product only for it to be thrown away at endof-life—has been the industry norm for decades. In contrast, a circular economy is based on the principle of reusing and recycling resources. For the automotive industry that can include everything from the vehicle body to tires, with the goal of extending the life of the vehicle and its components.

Car makers implementing circular economy strategies for their products understand that this must be a holistic approach that spans the entire design/build/maintain/disposal product lifecycle. Every phase of this lifecycle must be involved, starting with designing for sustainability. It also requires a manufacturing phase that uses recycled and eco-friendly materials along with re-manufacturing and refurbishing processes. The end-result of this holistic lifecycle is a product that, at end-oflife, becomes the source for materials and components for the next generation of vehicles.

Specific examples of circularity include: zero production waste, where all waste from production is reused—from materials to energy; making automobile seat covers from recycled PET bottles; and reusing end-of-life glass from vehicles for newly manufactured cars.

Some car makers are already actively engaged in applying the principles of a circular economy. Czech automotive OEM Skoda, part of the Volkswagen Group, is applying some of these key principles, such as: minimizing negative impacts on the environment, reducing raw resource use, and increasing the re-use of materials and components.

BMW is taking a holistic approach to what a circular car should look like. At last year’s IAA Mobility event, BMW introduced a fully recyclable iVision Circular—a battery electric vehicle (BEV). This is a concept car that won’t be launched until 2040, but the idea is to present a vision for a circular car today. The design uses 100% recycled materials, both repurposed and renewable. The exterior body is stamped from secondary aluminum and the tires are made from all-natural rubber. The interior is sustainable, with the dashboard 3D printed from recycled plastic. Even the steering wheel is printed from wood powder. Currently, the vehicle is made from around 30% recycled and reused materials, and BMW’s plan is to steadily increase the recycled materials to 50% and higher.

Meeting challengesenvironmental with

circularity

In the traditional “take-make-throw away” economy, materials flow in a linear manner from resource extraction to manufacturing and then to waste. The automotive industry is responsible for a significant share of resource consumption with high usage of steel, aluminum, plastic, rubber, and glass, among others. Currently, automotive OEMs generate about 5% of industrial waste globally, but the biggest polluter in the automotive sector is the automotive maintenance and repair sector, according to the EPA. Looking toward the future and the increasing demand for BEVs, the automotive industry must face the issue of large-scale battery material consumption and how to handle end-of-life battery disposal.

Only about 8.6% of the world economy is currently circular. End-of-life directives for transportation and mobility manufacturing in the EU states that 95% of the material in passenger cars and vans needs to be reusable or recoverable depending on the vehicle weight. Setting clear and achievable targets and goals will limit waste from vehicles and their components as car makers work towards improving their degree of circularity in both design and manufacturing.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the implementation of circular business practices could prevent up to 45% of carbon emissions and 90% of wasted materials. Further, a digital data driven approach to reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling using a circular approach can help businesses meet their sustainability goals and generate business opportunities, especially for industries like automotive and its expansive supply chain.

Recommendations

Manufacturers across all industries should seriously consider adopting a circular economy approach across their product lifecycle. The automotive industry is in a unique position to apply circular business models and principles to their product design and production processes. The industry is already undergoing a generational transformative change as they move to the production of BEVs, build new greenfield factories, and introduce next generation production technologies like additive manufacturing and advanced material science. All of this will enable the automotive industry to lead the way for other industries to make the transformation to a circular economy.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the implementation of circular business practices could prevent up to 45% of carbon emissions and 90% of wasted materials.

By Brian R. May Accenture

Supply chains are in the global spotlight like never before. With inflation and economic uncertainty following from pandemic shutdowns, managing supply chain disruption has become a normal part of doing business.

At the same time, companies are recognizing that supply chain operations are a key part of the drive to reduce carbon emissions. As they adapt their supply chains in response, companies are also having to manage a massive talent shortage in manufacturing.

With all these challenges racking up, it’s not surprising supply chains are top of mind for manufacturing executives. The National Association of Manufacturers’ new survey on the biggest challenges facing manufacturers shows that 78% of manufacturing leaders indicate supply chain disruption as a primary business challenge. What’s more, despite a generally positive outlook for their businesses overall, only 10%of these leaders think current supply chain disruptions will improve by the end of this year.

Reframing the supply chain footprint

This persistent disruption is driving companies to rethink some of their most fundamental assumptions about global manufacturing. Resilience, flexibility, and sustainability are now the watchwords for supply chain managers. As such, the focus is switching away from low-cost offshoring and just-in-time manufacturing towards greater onshoring and nearshoring (“reshoring”), especially in the United States.

The striking findings of a recent Accenture survey bear this out. It found that 94% of North American companies are now planning to invest directly in onshoring or nearshoring. And more than half of all supply chain and manufacturing executives think building manufacturing

capacity closer to home is essential for their companies’ survival.

Specifically, a large majority (85%) want their factories and material sources to be in the same hemisphere. Nearly as many (78%) want factories within four time-zones of the customer. And more than half (52%) want them less than 1,000 miles away.

This is a very different way of thinking about supply chains than we’ve been used to. In fact, only a tiny minority—1%—of companies believe they can continue to grow revenues and profits within their existing manufacturing footprint.

A different kind of supply chain

With findings like these, wide-scale change in supply chains is inevitable. But reshoring is only part of the equation. With the focus on greater productivity and efficiency as well as flexibility and resilience, many companies are looking to make their newly reshored factories far more digital and automated.

In fact, more than half of the companies Accenture surveyed said they’re combining large-scale digital transformation with their onshoring and nearshoring initiatives. This also has implications for workforce skill requirements. Automation and robotics need new kinds of technicians to support them, as well as data scientists and analysts to make use of all that valuable new sensor and supply chain data.

Such skills are already in high demand. In fact, two in five respondents to Accenture’s survey said automation and robotics technicians are the hardest roles to fill. And three-quarters of companies in the NAM survey said attracting and retaining a quality workforce was a key business challenge.

T�e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e

The implication? First, companies need to shift automation up a gear to address persistent manufacturing talent shortages. Second, they’ll need to rethink their approach to talent acquisition and retention to ensure they have the skills needed. For most, that will include a significant program of upskilling the existing workforce in key digital, automation, and data capabilities.

The next phase of supply chain

Manufacturers that can manage this transition quickly and smoothly are poised to transform their supply chain agility and resilience as well as their sustainability and competitive advan-

tage. This is especially important as they continue the shift towards direct-to-consumer and e-commerce sales models.

For example, reducing freight emissions through reshoring can be a key weapon in reducing a company’s carbon footprint. And the greater flexibility provided by strategically siting highly automated facilities will be crucial in meeting growing demand for more personalized products, services, and experiences that can be tracked in real time and delivered exactly when and where they’re needed.

To meet these new requirements and expectations, supply chains need to be transformed and rearchitected. Ultimately, it’s about putting aside the traditional view of the supply chain as a cost center. It now needs to be seen as a vital source of future growth, profit, and competitive advantage—as well as a enabler of more customercentered and sustainable operations.

Battling Obsolescence and Risk Begins with an IT/OT Assessment

By Melissa Bruno

E Technologies Group

When you’re working in a facility that has equipment reaching end of life or components on the verge of obsolescence, it would be nice to simply wave a wand and have everything be instantly updated. Unfortunately, because multiple installations and upgrades have been done over decades, this process tends to be a bit more involved. Before you can address obsolescence, breakdown, and security issues, you need to have a full picture of where your facility stands.

To do this, we perform what we call an IT/OT (operations technology) assessment. While companies like ours perform this work, the client’s presence and cooperation plays a crucial role. Here’s how to get the most out of your assessment.

Engage and understand

Compounded fixes over time make it difficult to identify the main issues or where to start resolving them. Having an open line of communication with the decision makers and maintenance team, we can help them better understand what we’re assessing and what it will take to correct it. The goal is to take a large amount of material and truncate it into digestible pieces that will allow all parties to evaluate potential solutions.

In many cases, maintenance technicians or other employees may not understand what we’re doing. They see an engineer walking the floor and assume we’re there to complete a particular task. In reality we’re performing an in-depth assessment that will be used to give them control over the optimizations that are ultimately implemented. It’s not that they’re opposed to change or not willing to cooperate, it’s more a matter of not knowing what they should expect since they’re not always looped in until the end.

But if these employees are involved from the beginning and actively engaged throughout the process, they can work in tandem with us to assess all the control panels and document all the automation equipment, as well as old drawings, control network schemes, or anything else that can give us a better picture of their operations technologies.

Our engineers then return with that information to assess it and break it down for the client to identify if there are any risk factors at play and if an update is required. We can also tell them what to prioritize. Having walked the facility with

our engineers, the employees and maintenance technicians can then have the proper situational context to make better-informed decisions.

An IT/OT assessment case study

While working in one heavily dated facility, we discovered that all of their control panels were on one network. They also used multiple versions of various panel devices from multiple manufacturers. The site was in such a state of disarray it was difficult to pinpoint which devices were where and what each panel was specifically controlling. Because this assessment really should have been performed 20 years ago, and a number of devices had been added over the years as stopgaps, there was nothing else to do but start from the beginning and walk the facility, mapping what was currently in place. Fortunately, this assessment was done with the direct involvement of maintenance technicians and engineers.

While assessing their site, it was determined that they were running on an outdated software platform that would make it difficult to perform the upgrade they so desperately needed to install a SCADA system where everything could be centrally monitored. However, because they were so eager to be involved in each step and open to collaboration, it was much easier to identify their wants and needs.

To make sure this momentum is carried through the entire process, communication and collaboration was maintained from the plant level through corporate to ensure all wants and needs were communicated and executed so that this facility received the optimization it needed and could perform its day-to-day operations worry free.

As a result, this company is now situated so that, when they plan for future upgrades or installations based on this assessment, they’ll understand how everything is currently implemented and integrated.

With open lines of communication to decision makers and maintenance teams, we can help them better understand what we’re assessing and the required corrections. T�e goal is to take a large amount of material and truncate it into digestible pieces that will allow all parties to evaluate potential solutions.

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Automation Direct 2 www.automationdirect.com/pushbutton Beckhoff Automation 25 www.beckhoff.com Digi-Key Electronics 5 www.digikey.com/automation Doosan Robotics Inc 11 www.doosanrobotics.com Emerson 36 www.Emerson.com

Hammond Manufacturing 21 www.hammondmfg.com Inductive Automation Cov-1 www.InductiveAutomation.com Opto 22 35 www.opto22.com PMMI ProSource 7 www.ProSource.org Telemecanique Sensors 15 www.tesensors.com/XUMMini

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Charging an hourly rate for a robot is just like hiring a person, but with the built-in guarantee that the machine will run. Each machine Formic supplies includes an edge device that sends machine data back to Formic’s service team who proactively solve problems before downtime happens.

Stephanie Neil on Formic’s pay-for-productivity robotic palletizer.

While data centers are designed for IT workloads, micro data centers (MDCs) are suitable for on-premises automation and control systems, such as HMI/SCADA, historians, batch processing, manufacturing execution systems, asset performance management, and cybersecurity. MDCs can replace any or all the components associated with the server control panel, such as automation and control software, computers where the software is installed, power supplies, and networking equipment.

Many organizations already use real-time data to conduct condition-based maintenance of their assets. Given recent supply chain disruptions, however, insight into spare part delivery time becomes much more important. Riskbased maintenance integrates aspects of reactive, preventative, conditionbased, and predictive maintenance techniques, as well as spare parts inventorying to improve asset availability and build resilience.

Petra Nieuwenhuizen of Aveva on realizing rapid ROI from preventative maintenance technology.

To execute a digital twin project, you must have your basics mastered before you can really start. You need to have a solid plant network in place, and you need to have digitized the process data on all your assets—from alarming events to maintenance databases. You really need to have a mature model of your data ready and as clean as possible.

Dan Riley of Interstates on putting the digital twin into practice.

A user-friendly digital workflow supports the most basic e ciency improvements without the need to dive deeper into data if you don’t want to. A smart digital workflow prompts users to complete tasks and respond to events and status changes in real-time—from pre-start checks, pass-fail inspections, sampling product quality, and x-ray sensor tests, right through to clean-up activities, positive release, OEE, and reporting.

Rafael Amaral of TilliT on unlocking human e ciency with workflow technology.

David Greenfield on Stratus Technologies’ and Schneider Electric’s demonstration of the EcoStruxure Micro Data Center at PACK EXPO International 2022.

We see

empowered

operators solving anything, anywhere, anytime, at warp speed.

Think of it as a modern command center for your plant. Make better, more informed decisions with context to drive more precise actions. Monitor your facility’s health. And do it all knowing your valuable data is secure. It’s the future of warp speed automation. Watch the video at Emerson.com/DeltaV

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