PACE - Jun 2018 by Prime Creative Media

JUNE/JULY 2018 | VOL.71 NO.3 | Est. 1953

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JUNE/JULY 2018 | VOL.71 NO.3 | Est. 1953

INSIDE PACE

Smart Factory

Women in Industry

Internet of Things

Dulux opens its smart factory in Victoria

Siqirusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lisa Lamb on being Director of Manufacturing

Why SMEs need digitisation

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SCIENTISTS LOOKING FOR ANSWERS WITH LOOMING DATA STORAGE CRISIS

EXCLUSIVE: Zenith Awards: A look at solar fence technology

CONTENTS

Managing Director: John Murphy Managing Editor: Syed Shah Editor: Mike Wheeler Ph: (02) 9439 7227 mike.wheeler@primecreative.com.au

IN THIS ISSUE

Sales/Advertising: Terry Wogan Ph: (02) 9439 7227

terry.wogan@primecreative.com.au Production Coordinator: Natasha Shekar Ph: (02) 9439 7227 natasha.shekar@primecreative.com.au Art Director: Michelle Weston Designer: James Finlay, Blake Storey, Adam Finlay SUBSCRIPTIONS: $99 pa incl GST NZ: $A109 pa & OS: $A119 pa

Subscriptions: Gordon Watson Ph: (03) 9690 8766

18 Editor’s Comment 6 News 8 Troubleshooting 11

Copyright PACE is owned by Prime Creative Media and published by John Murphy. All material in PACE is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in PACE are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

Why an echain system was the answer to a company that needed to upgrade its equipment Smart Factory 12

Dulux starts manufacturing in its new smart factory in Victoria Data Storage 16

Scientists are working on creating better ways to store data as power hungry data centres expand

Women in Industry 18

Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

Lisa Lamb and how she has made it in niche manufacturing

Head Office 11-15 Buckhurst St South Melbourne VIC 3205 P: +61 3 9690 8766 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.primecreative.com.au

Cloud Storage 20

Migrating to the cloud can create a new set of problems for vendors. But it doesn’t need to be that way

Internet of Things 22

A new path for IoT-capable machines Industrial Networks 26

What is Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) and why it matters Instrumentation 28

A next-gen radar level transmitter from Vega Energy Management 30

Joint venture to lead to better battery storage efficiency Zenith Awards 32

No sitting on the fence with this product Plant Upgrade 34

Upgrading plant in a quarry requires teamwork from both suppliers and customer New Products 37

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ON THE COVER

Solving the data storage issue JUNE/JULY 2018 | VOL.71 NO.3 | Est. 1953

INSIDE PACE

Smart Factory

Women in Industry

Internet of Things

Dulux opens its smart factory in Victoria

Siqirus’s Lisa Lamb on being Director of Manufacturing

Why SMEs need digitisation

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Data storage is soon going to be a problem as the need for data centres increases. A side-effect of the proliferation of these data centres is that they are currently sucking up three per cent of the world’s power supply. This is only going to increase as more storage space is needed. Australian and Chinese scientists are working together

to try and not only produce optical disks that can handle more storage, but will also have a huge effect on the amount of power a data centre uses. The scientists are also confident that if the optical disks end up doing what they are supposed to do, they can store the information for up to 600 years.

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COMMENT

EDITOR’S MESSAGE

Mike Wheeler Editor

Data storage – don’t forget about the power consumption

DATA storage is a word that is bandied around a lot lately with the impression being, that due to something as intangible as the cloud, there will be an endless supply of storage available for ever. Not so. You still need the “space” even if it is invisible. An issue being anticipated is that with the explosion of data centres that’ll be coming online over the next two decades will mean a huge leap in power consumption. A story in this issue of PACE looks at the collaboration between Australian and Chinese scientists whereby they are developing a high-capacity optical disk that can not only hold up to 10TB

6 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

of information but can do so for 600 years. More importantly, according to scientists, these data centres will use 1000 times less power than a hard disk centre would use. The down side? Gold is a very important component of the disk, and the value for the precious metal is derived from its scarcity. In the long run, it could be expensive. Another interesting story to come across my desk was the one about Lisa Lamb. Part of our 2018 highlighting Women In Industry Awards, Lisa was the first woman who I have interviewed on the subject that hasn’t noticed sexism in the workplace. Having worked at Siqirus for the best part of 10 years, it did

seem surprising. Until she tells you that women make up more than 50 per cent of the payroll at this specialist manufacturer of vaccines and anti-venom. Lisa insists it is not purposeful, but rather the reputation of being fair in the employment stakes. This attracts high-quality candidates including a fair number of women. Lisa also points out that, no, these women are not secretaries or admin assistants, but are heads of departments, and fulfil a large number of jobs at the high end of the food chain within the company. Finally, a story about Dulux’s smart factory that has been built in Victoria, which came online earlier this year. It

is a classic example of what the future holds in Australian manufacturing as these companies start streamlining services and making sure their production facilities are running at their most efficient. What was interesting is not only the technology used in the factory, but how it was necessary to get management on board to make sure the building went ahead. It was also important that the building was futureproofed, so that any additions to extra plant won’t have an adverse effect on the upgrade. If you want a few pointers on what needs to be taken into consideration when building a smart factory, the Dulux example is not a bad start. PACE

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NEWS

APS launches in Australia and gets distributorships

ustralasian Power Solutions Group (APS) has been launched in Australia along with its operating subsidiary, APS Industrial. APS Industrial incorporates the existing businesses of Ramelec and HiTech Control Systems, which have been servicing the electrical industry for more than 20 years. The company will offer Australian customers a portfolio of industrial low- and medium-voltage electrical and automation products. “With the onset of the digital age and industry 4.0, Australian businesses – and indeed global businesses – will be reliant on the digital connectivity provided by technology partners in order to succeed in the future,” said Lloyd Thomas, chairman of APS Group. APS Industrial’s will be led by David Hegarty as managing director/ CEO. “The core focus of APS is to meet the needs of customers with a professional and easy-to-do-businesswith approach,” Hegarty said. The company is headquartered in Melbourne and has a national network of offices in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane supported by strategic local stockholdings and expert technical and application knowledge. Central to its offerings is the access to the full line of Siemens industrial automation products and solutions, which APS Industrial offers as the master distributor. Jeff Connolly, CEO of Siemens Australia, said that APS Industrial will be a game changer in the Australian market. “APS Industrial is a major move that indicates how serious we are about long-term growth in the region,” said Connolly. “We’ve listened to customers and want to give them a real choice that delivers the best products, combined with the best customer experience. We see APS Industrial as an extension of the Siemens’ family 8 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

and the credentials of the board and senior management team speak for themselves.” APS Industrial has also been appointed as a new national distributor of Weidmüller products and solutions. “We are excited to announce APS as a national distribution partner for Weidmüller,” said Weidmüller Australia managing director Rafael Koenig. “In addition to the qualityfocused brands that APS has partnered with, the experience and professionalism of the new leadership team lead by Lloyd Thomas, David Hegarty and Simon Kearney, together with the existing Ramelec and Hi-Tech structures, will make it easier for our customers to deal with us and we are looking forward to a long-term successful collaboration.”

APS Industrial also entered into a national distribution partnership with Rittal Australia. “Our existing partnership with Ramelec is strengthened with APS’s high-profile, well-respected and experienced leadership team,” said Rittal ANZ managing director Michael Mallia. “The synergies that existed between Rittal and Ramelec’s product ranges are further enhanced with the addition of the Siemens Industrial Automation product portfolio that APS brings. This new group is sure to become a major force in the Australian electrical landscape.” Finally, APS Industrial has also partnered nationally with EPCOS and its range of products and solutions. EPCOS, a TDK Group Company, develops and manufactures electronic

components and systems, which include automotive electronics, industrial electronics and consumer electronics, as well as information and communications technology. “Our proud partnership with EPCOS perfectly complements our distribution agreements with Siemens, Weidmuller and Rittal. It represents a great opportunity for Australian industry in that they now have a true local partner that can service their project requirements in an end-to-end fashion,” said Hegarty. The APS Industrial range of EPCOS products include low- and medium-voltage power factor correction and power quality solutions, power filtering equipment and a range of electronic components modules and systems. PACE

(L-R) Michael Freyny – executive general manager of Siemens, Lloyd Thomas – chairman of APS Group, Jeff Connolly - CEO of Siemens Australia and David Hegarty – managing director of APS Industrial as Siemens appoint APS Industrial as Master Distributor in Australia.

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NEWS

New website drives Industry 4.0 agenda

ICK, Festo and SEW-Eurodrive have established the Industry 4.0 news website to provide readers with industry insights and a comprehensive source of Industry 4.0, related content, which is both up-todate and garners information from a wide range of sources. The joint collaboration was set up with a desire to drive the emerging trend that is Industry 4.0, which will benefit all users of industrial automation technology. These companies are already laying the foundations for the manufacturing and engineering environments of the future with this optimised technology and solutions that encompass key elements of Industry 4.0. Subscribers to the website will

receive a monthly email containing the latest Industry 4.0-related articles as well as invitations to their up and comingÂ events. Their first event is an Industry 4.0 news breakfast forum. It is a breakfast event that will bring together industry experts to present their experience and knowledge of new and current trends surrounding Industry 4.0. They want the event to expand on the current dialogue and discuss more about Industry 4.0 than just the changing production processes. They also want guests to have the opportunity to network with peers and industry experts. PACE Check out the website at www.industry40news.com.au/

The Industry40news website offers all the latest issues relating to Industry 4.0.

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TROUBLESHOOTING

Echain system solves machine refurbishment issue

Reinforced concrete manufacturer Rocla went in a new direction when it needed to upgrade plant. Here’s what they did.

ocla is a company that manufactures reinforced concrete products around its many sites within Australia. Recently, the machines that resistance weld the reinforcing mesh together within the reinforced concrete were identified as needing an upgrade. The machine’s control system and mechanical components needed updating, too. The decision was made to move away from a traditional cable festoon configuration to an energy chain system (echain). This solved a number of problems for Rocla. The cables on the original

festoons caused frequent stoppages due to core failure, or worse, intermittent faults due to the characteristic design of a festoon repeatable bending cable in the same spot at the trolley attachment point. An echain gets around the issue by bending the cable along its entire length so the cable lasts longer. Chilled water used for cooling the resistance welder was also problematic on the original festoon. The tight bend on the trolley attachment slows the water flow. This causes the welds to be of poor penetration due to the temperature increasing in the welder’s windings and could damage the welder. The echain’s radii support for

the hose solved this problem. Not only did the echain system allow for both cable and coolant lines to be carried more reliably, there was also a cost saving on the amount of steel structure to support the echain when compared to the old festoon. Festoons are end fed and require a significant amount of space to park the trolleys when the machine is stroked towards the feed end. Echains only need structure for half the stroke length. Overall, the end result was exactly what Rocla required. Rocla was able to save more on the cables themselves. A festoon requires a cable length of stroke length plus at least 40 per cent

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SMART FACTORY

Dulux paints a picture of its new smart factory When Dulux opened its new paint plant in Victoria, it needed to make sure it met several smart factory requirements. Mike Wheeler explains.

need for better profit margins, a reduction in labour costs, reducing fire risk and bringing the company into the 21st century were all part of the reason Dulux decided to build a new paint plant in Merrifield, Victoria. Being the number one paint manufacturer in Australia meant the company had to make sure none of its marketshare slipped while building the new factory. It helped that everybody was onboard, said project lead, Kevin Worrell.

12 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

“This new building was the biggest Capex spend we were going to do in its 100-year history,” he said. “The spend was going to be $165 million and we had no in-house large project experience. Most importantly, we were worried about the shareholder reaction. Shareholders really don’t see the need for a factory, they just see what is being spent. Unless it is getting returns, they get a bit worried. However, it was received well by the market when we announced it.” But the issues that needed addressing didn’t stop there. Part of

the brief was also about giving the production process flexibility due to the number of paint recipes and Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) the company has. Then there was the importance of speed in the production process. “Anywhere else in the world, a factory of this size would probably only make white paint,” he said. “We have 150 recipes and about 1200 SKUs. It’s very complex. We also have about 70 raw materials that we have to put together. “We wanted processes to be able to cope with moving new products

through the factory quickly – from the lab to the consumer. And the board wanted a really short commissioning time. That was a key point for us all the way through our planning. We wanted an increase of productivity and performance within the factory over time, as well as a strong reliance on automation.” A key ingredient to the build was to make sure it was future proofed. When there is a spend of more than $150 million, it is important that the capital investment is going to last a long time.

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SMART FACTORY

“Sometimes you can only leave space because you know in the future the area is going to be used,” said Worrell. “For example, inline printing for our can lines will be something we will do but we don’t know what it looks like at the moment.” Another example of future proofing was the collaboration between Dulux and its providers. The prime example being its suppliers of latex, a key ingredient in the manufacture of paint. “The technology of latex is changing all the time,” said Worrell. “We wanted to know what was coming next and five years out is about as far as we could see. We engaged with the companies that supply our latex and they looked at our mixers, and helped us decide how they would cope with our different types of latexes in the future.” Interestingly, Worrell believes that a key ingredient in upgrading the plant was getting management on board. “Management are not stupid people but they do not go on these journeys very often,” he said. “We needed to assume that they didn’t know what they are getting. Once it was all explained, they were on board.” When it comes to decreasing the reliance on manual labour, transporting the various ingredients around the plant was the main consideration. “The important thing about the high-volume plant is how the ingredients are transported to the mixers,” he said. “There are no big chemical reactions. We are mixing chemicals together and that gives us paint. But all our ingredients are transported to the mixers. That is the way the high-volume plant needs to be controlled. Up until now, it was done manually. Now we have better systems in place that don’t require manual input.” Next on the wish list was the blending of the tint, which meant smaller batches to be prepared. “Small batches will go down to about 100 litres – about half a pallet to two pallets,” said Worrell. “All different colours with different SKUs. It can run ‘lights out’ and is capable of one-off batches. We reckon we’ll even be able to make perfumed paint for Christmas smelling like pine needles. It is a pilot plant that is capable of 10 14 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

The new Dulux smart factory has led to increased efficiencies in many aspects of the business.

batches before it needs to fill off, with batch time being approximately 30 minutes, which is pretty quick.” Materials handling became the next issue for the construction of the building. Dulux looked at the powders that go into paint. Because of its supply chains in Australia, Dulux can’t get powders in bulk; it has to order in tonne bags. This meant the construction of this part of the build was more an architectural exercise of laying the areas out and seeing how the company could go back into a digital world and monitor what was going on. “A 30,000 litre mix might have 20 tonnes of powder,” said Worrell. “So we had staging areas that included dispersing it into a basement so the feed area was at ground level. We could then stage the 20 tonnes of powder, which would then be dropped in. If the wrong powder went in, we would stop it with the clamps at the top. It was still manually operated but pretty simple. “Another change was that we brought in our calcium carbonate via tankers and pumps. We’d blow it into silos and then into day hoppers. Taking that off line has given us a 30 per cent efficiency. We’re now not running the dispersers anywhere near as much as we used to. This means we can get the dispersion happening a lot quicker.” The biggest inroad into the company made from an Industry 4.0

point of view was how it handled mini-bulks. They typically came in 44-gallon drums that were stored on tank farms. Dulux wanted much more control over how the mini-bulks were handled so they wanted suppliers to provide the material in intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). “We eliminated feed-out areas, which we had no control over,” said Worrell. “There were lots of mistakes made – spills and all sorts of terrible things happening in these areas. It’s not just the paint. It was across the board. “We replaced it with a system of holding tanks that allowed the IBC to be drained into the tank and held in the tanks. “As the factory demands from the different recipes feed off into the dispenser head, it is very accurate and gets down to the milligram of delivering the chemical to the plant.” Another aspect that the company looked into was monitoring asset performance. “With our asset monitoring we are already saving about 20-25 per cent on our power use,” said Worrell. “That is much better than we anticipated.” The stage the plant is in at the moment is that it’s got to the end of its ramp up and Dulux is making about 800,000 litres a week. It probably needs to be at 1 million litres a week, according to Worrell. Dulux had the workers available

about two months before the plant went online. The company was able to put operators into a training situation where they were able to look at the plant using simulation. “We were able to run intelligence and quality control together,” said Worrell. “We found we were getting too much water in some of our mixes and we were able to use some of the intelligence our plant was giving back to be able to work out where that was happening. “We also found our recipes could be tightened up and that is going to be a saving for us. Our recipes are going to have a tighter band of application. We’ll see savings in materials. Also, instead of overfilling, which is what we generally do when filling off, we now get better accuracy.” And what was the end result of all this digitisation of the new factory? Streamlined processes and lots of savings. “We now have capacity over two shifts of producing 75 million litres per annum,” said Worrell. “It has a lights out potential. If we spend about another $30 million we can just about make the whole plant lights out, which would be extraordinary. “The best thing about it all is that we made our first batch of paint within two weeks of construction finishing, which I think is a great achievement.” PACE

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DATA STORAGE

Next-gen optical disk set to take stock of power hungry data centres With the explosion of data centres and cloud storage, the world’s energy needs are expanding rapidly. RMIT and its partners are looking at solutions to save power. PACE explains.

cientists from Australia and China have drawn on the durable power of gold to demonstrate a new type of high-capacity optical disk that can hold data securely for more than 600 years. The technology could offer a more cost-efficient and sustainable solution to the ever-increasing global data storage problem while enabling the critical pivot from big data to long data, opening up new realms of scientific discovery. The recent explosion of big data and cloud storage has led to a parallel explosion in power-hungry data centres. These centres not only use up large amounts of energy – consuming about three per cent of the world’s electricity supply – but largely rely on hard disk drives that have limited capacity (up to 2TB per disk) and lifespans (up to two years).

16 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

Now scientists from Australia’s RMIT University and China’s Wuhan Institute of Technology have used gold nanomaterials to demonstrate a next-generation optical disk with up to 10TB capacity – a storage leap of 400 per cent – and a six-century lifespan. The technology could improve the energy efficiency of data centres – using 1000 times less power than a hard disk centre – by requiring less cooling and doing away with the energy-intensive task of data migration every two years. Optical disks are also inherently far more secure than hard disks. Lead investigator, RMIT’s Professor Min Gu, said the research paves the way for the development of optical data centres to address both the world’s data storage challenge and support the coming long data revolution.

“All the data we’re generating in the big data era – over 2.5 quintillion bytes a day – has to be stored somewhere, but our current storage technologies were developed in different times,” Gu said. “While optical technology can expand capacity, the most advanced optical disks developed so far have only 50-year lifespans. Our technique can create an optical disk with the largest capacity of any optical technology developed. Our tests have shown it will last over half a millennium. “While there is further work needed to optimise the technology – and we’re keen to partner with industrial collaborators to drive the research forward – we know this technique is suitable for mass production of optical disks, so the potential is staggering.” The world is shifting from big data towards long data, which enables new insights to be discovered through

the mining of massive data sets that capture changes in the real world over decades and centuries. Lead author, Senior Research Fellow Dr Qiming Zhang from RMIT’s School of Science, said the new technology could expand horizons for research by helping to advance the rise of long data. “Long data offers an unprecedented opportunity for new discoveries in almost every field – from astrophysics to biology, social science to business – but we can’t unlock that potential without addressing the storage challenge,” Zhang said. “For example, to study the mutation of just one human family tree, eight terabytes of data is required to analyse the genomes across 10 generations. In astronomy, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope produces 576 petabytes of raw data per hour.

DATA STORAGE

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Data centres currrently chew through three per cent of the world’s power supply. “Meanwhile, the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative to map the human brain is handling data measured in yottabytes, or one trillion terabytes. “These enormous amounts of data have to last over generations to be meaningful. Developing storage devices with both high capacity and a long lifespan is essential, so we can realise the impact that research using long data can make in the world.” The novel technique behind the technology – developed over five years – combines gold nanomaterials with a hybrid glass material that has outstanding mechanical strength. The research progresses earlier groundbreaking work by Gu and his team that smashed through the seemingly unbreakable optical limit of blu-ray and enabled data to be stored across the full spectrum of visible light rays.

How it works

The researchers have demonstrated optical long data memory in a novel nanoplasmonic hybrid glass matrix, different to the conventional materials used in optical discs.

Glass is a highly durable material that can last up to 1000 years and can be used to hold data, but has limited storage capacity because of its inflexibility. The team combined glass with an organic material, halving its lifespan but increasing capacity. To create the nanoplasmonic hybrid glass matrix, gold nanorods were incorporated into a hybrid glass composite, known as organic modified ceramic. The researchers chose gold because, like glass, it is robust and highly durable. Gold nanoparticles allow information to be recorded in five dimensions – the three dimensions in space plus colour and polarisation. The technique relies on a sol-gel process, which uses chemical precursors to produce ceramics and glasses with better purity and homogeneity than conventional processes. The research was led by Gu and Zhang at RMIT’s Laboratory of Artificial-Intelligence Nanophotonics and the RMIT node of Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS), along with collaborators from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Wuhan University of Technology, China, and the Faculty of Engineering, Monash University. PACE

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Of funnel web spiders, the flu and gender equality Lisa Lamb works in one of the few manufacturing companies where women are the majority. Mike Wheeler talks to Lamb about her career in manufacturing anti-venoms. Lisa Lamb has been with the same company for about 25 years.

hen it comes to being an equal opportunity employer in the gender space, nobody can accuse Siqirus of having an agenda. The company – which specialises in manufacturing antivenom and flu vaccines – has almost an even split with the gender of its employees. Currently, 54 per cent of staff are women, with last year’s winner of the Women in Industry’s Excellence in Manufacturing Award, Lisa Lamb, being one of them. 18 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

Lamb has spent the best part of 25 years at Siqirus, and says she has never been exposed to sexism in the workplace. She believes there are many explanations for this. “Siqirus is a subsidiary of CSL, which is a blue-chip company. With that comes a reputation,” she said. “CSL tries to do a fair amount of networking. An example, is that we have an active programme of scientists around schools and the national youth science forum that is driven by the CSL parent company. Because

“Take every opportunity that presents itself. If you’re a kid at high school, play to your strengths. If science is your strength, then go for it. Don’t let other things get in your way.” it has gender diversity, it promotes itself and it gets that reputation in the market place.” And before cynics jump in and say, ‘yeah, but what type of jobs

do the women in the company do? Secretaries? Admin duties?’ Lamb is quick to dispel any ideas that women are not at the top-end of the employment spectrum.

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

“Women have a lot of high-end jobs here,” said Lamb. “It’s all the way through the business. I would think that word of mouth about the company being an equal opportunity employer is why we get good candidates coming through. “We have a large number of women in our engineering department. It’s a pleasure to work here. Having been part of the Women in Industry Conference last year, and hearing some of the stories of what women have put up with, I hadn’t realised how lucky I am to work for a company that is so gender diverse.” Lamb’s is the director of manufacturing, a position she has held for the past 18 months. A qualified pharmacist, Lamb started out as a sales representative before moving up the corporate ladder. She also has a degree in business marketing. Why did she decide to work for a manufacturer that was specialised in what it did? Her career didn’t start out that way, she explained. “When I graduated with my pharmacy degree I worked in retail pharmacy,” she said. “It was while I was doing my marketing degree that I decided that I really did want to get into the pharmaceutical industry. That is when I applied to get a job at Siqirus’s parent company CSL.” It helped that Lamb had an acquaintence who was working as a general practitioner sales rep for the company and the friend really enjoyed the work. This sparked Lamb’s interest so she applied for a similar job in Victoria and got it. “I spent about six or seven years in the commercial group as a sales rep and then brand management,” said Lamb. “I was involved in the vaccine group and biologicals. Then I moved into a planning role where I spent the next 10 years, which was part of the supply chain group. Then I moved from planning into the supply chain director role. I had responsibility for both planning and procurement. Then I moved from supply chain to manufacturing.” How does Lamb enjoy the new role? She said it is different and very technical in comparison to what she was involved with in supply chain. She really enjoys the challenge of the job, which has meant a lot more learning

for her over the past 18 months. “There is stuff I have had to get my head around that I haven’t had to since I got my degree,” she said. “There is a lot of problem solving because you are manufacturing in really small batches. Things constantly challenge you and go wrong. To get to the bottom of it, you have to work out what has happened and work out how to improve it or fix it.” There are many aspects of the job she finds fascinating, not the least the aforementioned having to manufacture specialist products in small batches. And when Lamb talks small, she is talking tiny. “One of our anti-venoms – the funnel web spider – generally has batches of 100 units,” she said. “On the flip side our biggest batch size is one of 2,500 units – still relatively small. Being cost-effective under

such conditions is always a challenge because when you are doing such small batches, it is difficult to get efficiencies of scale. What we look at is trying to reduce our wastage and make it the most efficient process we can. We also look at our planning and make sure we have efficient systems in place.” It is a fulfilling and interesting role that Lamb has taken on a career path she didn’t initially envision. Maybe it’s because she landed in a company where gender wasn’t an issue, or perhaps she’s taken every opportunity that has come her way, or even that she loves what she is doing. While Lamb is adamant that gender has never been an issue at Siqirus, she does realise that it can be an issue in traditional male industries. This is why mentors are important, she says, but not just in primary industries, but any occupation.

“I think mentoring, regardless of what industry you are in, is important,” she said. “Mentoring brings a really great opportunity for the mentor and the mentee to learn from each other. That’s an opportunity to talk about the different experiences and challenges and having a sounding board to work through problems and things like that. I see mentoring is a great opportunity for both parties.” As for entering the STEM field of work, Lamb has nothing but enthusiasm for the next generation coming through. “I think women should just give it a go,” she said. “Take every opportunity that presents itself. If you’re a kid at high school, play to your strengths, and if science is your strength, then go for it. Don’t let other things get in your way.” PACE

Lamb sees mentoring as a great learning opportunity for both parties. JUNE/JULY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 19

CLOUD STORAGE

Care must be taken when migrating data to the cloud.

Care needed when migrating storage to the cloud As cloud technology has grown, users need to take a step back and make sure they are integrating their needs correctly. PACE explains.

ustralia-based Consultel Cloud has launched its hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) product, which has brought scalability and cloud choice to consumers. Consultel Cloud’s customers spans industries including construction, banking, healthcare, retail and more. Its customers are located mainly in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australasia, and they have looked to the company to guide them through infrastructure projects both large and small. However, over the past 10 years, 20 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

as customers began to take advantage of the cloud, Consultel Cloud has seen unexpected consequences of speedy migrations taking a toll. Cost, performance and security were all areas that customers struggled to understand in the new technology landscape and they needed a helping hand in understanding how to overcome these obstacles. In 2015, the company launched Consultel Cloud, its cloud services division. “So many customers were quickly jumping into the cloud without a clear idea of how to effectively manage those offerings,” said

Benjamin Molloy, division lead at Consultel Cloud. “In some cases, they were getting additional bills of $90,000 a month.” As the division expanded, however, its existing infrastructure created bottlenecks. “It was expensive, and we had difficulty getting the service we needed to guarantee performance for our customers,” said Molloy. “We had to rip everything out after just one year.” Today, Consultel Cloud is 100 per cent NetApp. “The NetApp products are outstanding, and the support has been

amazing,” said Molloy. Leveraging data fabric-ready products from the NetApp portfolio, including NetApp HCI, Consultel Cloud built its cloud platform inside Equinix. The new platform provides customers with choice in cloud connectivity and the flexibility to scale seamlessly according to their business needs. The company almost halved its storage costs while providing customers with increased performance through a cost-effective consumption model. “Our mission is to deliver value from the cloud to existing businesses and to position customers to evolve

CLOUD STORAGE

to the next stage,” said Molloy. “Our business is the same – we have to identify opportunities and get them to market as quickly as possible.” Today, Consultel Cloud leverages NetApp HCI in Equinix data centres across Melbourne, Sydney, New York and London. The Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric provides access to more than 180 cloud service providers including SAP, Microsoft Azure and AWS. This infrastructure eliminates bottlenecks, guarantees data security because data never leaves Equinix, and provides access to any cloud. Within NetApp HCI, Consultel Cloud can manage mixed workloads, provide customers with the flexibility to scale up and down as needed, and is said to guarantee performance. “Our customer service level agreements (SLAs) include cost penalties for non-performance. With NetApp, we’ve never had an SLA issue,” said Molloy. “We can guarantee performance and flexibility to our customers.” Consultel Cloud, which also has an office in Singapore, deploys

Consultel Cloud helps customers evolve their business to the next level. new environments for customers faster and more cost effectively than ever before. “The faster we can deploy them, the faster customers can implement into their businesses,” said Molloy. With a templated approach based upon its own infrastructure, the company can deliver a proof of concept in days and has shortened deployment time for a new environment from seven weeks to four. Consultel Cloud experienced so much value from NetApp HCI that it

transitioned it into its newest service offering. Customer deployments are delivered in record time. Customers can utilise any cloud they want with performance increases, predictable costs, and the knowledge that all their data is managed inside a secure environment. “Customer data never leaves Equinix,” explained Molloy. “We can guarantee data sovereignty and security while still providing access to multiple clouds.” Consultel Cloud’s experience and

innovative solutions are supporting customers from across the globe. “We serve our existing customer base from our telecom roots, but we have a great deal of organic growth happening as well,” said Molloy. “We are expecting 25 per cent to 30 per cent growth in the next 12 months.” With the NetApp infrastructure in place providing all the benefits of the next-generation data centre, the company is confident it can scale to meet its customers’ growth, too. PACE

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INTERNET OF THINGS

Beckhoff’s new IPC range has vibration and shock resistance.

A new path for modular and IoT-capable machines As space becomes an issue in the automation industry, one company is producing a range of small PCs that don’t compromise on functionality. PACE explains.

s machines and systems are becoming more modular and control cabinets smaller, the space requirements of control components are increasingly scrutinised. At the same time, ever more complex and sophisticated machines require better computing performance. However, there are also more cost pressures in the field of automation. In order to meet all these requirements, Beckhoff has developed a new series of ultra-compact Industrial PCs (IPCs) – starting with the C6015 and the high-end C6030. These devices are suitable for a range of arenas, including environments with decentralised architectures and today’s Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 applications. This series of ultra-compact IPCs premiered with the C6015 at the 22 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

2016 SPS IPC Drives trade show in Nuremberg, Germany. Equipped with an Intel Atom CPU, it is well suited for all kinds of automation, visualisation and communication tasks in the mediumperformance range. Measuring only 82mm x 82mm x 40mm, the ultra-compact and industrially suited multi-core IPC is one-third the size of the C6905, previously the smallest control cabinet IPC in the Beckhoff portfolio. With price savings of approximately 25 percent, the C6015 ranks below the previously lowest-cost x86 IPCs from Beckhoff. With installation flexibility, it also opens the door to application areas that were previously unattainable for IPC technology due to cost or space limitations. The ultra-compact C6015 IPC has

already been deployed in a range of applications in high volumes, including many large-scale projects in Germany and abroad. The concept of the new IPC generation impressed users for several reasons: • The most important feature of the device is the compact size that does not compromise suitability for industrial applications. This is underscored by a design with passive cooling and long-term availability in a robust aluminum and zinc die-cast housing. It also meets all other industrial requirements, such as an expanded temperature range from 0 to 55C. It also has vibration and shock resistance. • Combining high computing power with low energy consumption, the C6015 leverages Intel Atom CPUs

with up to four cores, providing a suitable basis to handle all applications in the low- to mediumperformance range. • The flexible installation concept permits vertical or horizontal backwall installation in control cabinets. Also, with its symmetrical cooling fins, the C6015 can be positioned freely within the mounting frame. Features like these and the free orientation of the connector level, with all connectors on a single side, allow a range of installation scenarios that accommodate all incoming cable feeds in small spaces. In the past, this was often impossible, precluding the use of an IPC in certain machine designs. • The features and interfaces of the C6015 are also designed for a range of

INTERNET OF THINGS

applications with a 30GB M.2 SSD, 2GB of DDR3L RAM (expandable to 4GB), one DisplayPort, one on-board dual Ethernet adapter with 2 x 100/1000Base-T connectors, one USB 3.0 port, and one USB 2.0 port. Overall, the C6015 offers a high-performance density paired with all the interfaces needed in a machine design. Beyond its typical use case as control hardware for automation and visualisation tasks, the success of the C6015 is also based on IoT applications. About half of the devices installed to date are being used for communications purposes in IoT applications. These may include something as simple as the collection, processing and provision of process data, or more complex tasks that are typical of an IoT gateway. The Microsoft Azure certification of the C6015 underscores that it is a device suitable for Industry 4.0 applications. The C6015 is well-matched for such communication tasks, including connectivity with legacy systems, because it makes it easy to add IoT capabilities

to existing machines and get them ready for future communication requirements – either as an IoT gateway or a basic data collection device. Beckhoff is continuously adding models to its range of ultra-compact and flexible industrial PCs. At the 2017 SPS IPC Drives trade show, for example, the company unveiled the high-end C6030 with processors with advanced performance. This is because the concept introduced with the C6015 also impressed users with automation, visualisation and communication applications who have requirements that go beyond the medium performance range. The C6030, which is also MicrosoftAzure certified, advances the design of the C6015. In addition to dual-core Intel Celeron and Pentium CPUs, 6th and 7th Generation Intel Core i processors are available. This is possible because of a new cooling concept based on a durable speed-monitored and controlled fan with dual ball bearings. With dimensions of 132mm x 132mm x 67mm, the computer is nearly half the size of the closest comparable C6930 control cabinet IPC. The C6030 also offers more

standard interfaces even in the basic configuration; an on-board Ethernet adapter with four 100/1000Base-T connectors, four USB 3.0 ports, and two display ports. It also features two easily accessible slots for M.2 SSD drives including an optional RAID controller. Depending on the selected configuration, the C6030 costs up to 34 per cent less than a comparable IPC from the C69xx family. It has processors ranging up to the Intel Core i7 with four cores running at 3.6 GHz and the Core i3 with two cores running at 3.9 GHz. As a result, the successful concept of ultra-compact Beckhoff IPCs has now become available even for large and complex machine control applications. This can include CNC, XTS and HMI instances, multi-axis control, as well as applications with short cycle times and large data volumes. For legacy equipment, the C6030 can serve as a replacement in control platform retrofits and go well beyond the capabilities of alternate systems. The C6030 can handle all machine automation and visualisation tasks as well as IoT operations. Just like the

Beckhoff is continuously adding models to its range of ultra-compact IPCs. C6015, the user benefits from a flexible installation concept with vertical and horizontal back-wall mounting and free positioning of the IPC within the mounting frame. The PCs feature a flexible installation concept, and with all interfaces located on the same side, enables the free orientation of the connector level when space is limited. PACE

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INTERNET OF THINGS

Manufacturing SMEs and the IIoT Why should manufacturing SMEs invest in the IIoT? Is it worth the outlay? Yes, says David Hart. Mike Wheeler explains.

p to 90 per cent of manufacturers in Australia have 20 or less employees, according to Dematec Automation’s CEO David Hart. He believes that small to medium business enterprises (SMEs) can gain a whole range of benefits from digitisation via the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) that they might not have thought of in the past. Speaking at the Industrial Internet 4.0 Conference in Sydney, Hart said there were several avenues whereby a SME could invest in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to the benefit of the company. “There will be the internal aspects that revolve around things like productivity, quality and compliance,” he said. “Then there are the opportunities to look at external benefits – an opportunity to get some leverage around that pre-production and post production elements of manufacturing. It can be things like design and R&D at pre-production stage and bundling your services at the post production. It could be ongoing services and support and things like that. We all know that pure production activity is being squeezed by global competition so there is less value to be derived from that aspect of manufacturing. However, technical enhancement of production systems can 24 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

lead to potential new revenue models.” In terms of how the IIoT can support those initiatives, Hart said connectivity is a big thing. That might be connectivity between different systems within a business; it might be connectivity between pieces of equipment or machinery of a business; it might be connectivity to remote assets or systems that a company operates. This connectivity can deliver things like real-time visibility of system performance or production performance. It might be able to give notifications of how a system and production cycle is running so staff don’t have to watch or monitor everything all the time because it will report an issue. “Maybe there is substantial data you can analyse onsite and there must be potential benefits where you can make improvements,” said Hart. “Maybe you can derive automated reports from it, which could be a significant labour saving. There might be the capability to integrate that data across multiple platforms. You might integrate your production data with your enterprise resource planning (ERP). One of the big things about the IIoT, which hasn’t always been the case with such systems, is the flexibility and scalability.” It is the scalability that makes it important that SMEs don’t put the

IIoT into the too-hard or too-expensive basket. A small business can start with something small, relatively costeffective, improve the concept and then grow from there. An important consideration, according to Hart, is for SMEs to have the opportunity for visual management and to create dashboards that bring the right information to relevant people in real time. This will allow the company to have real-time visibility within its production systems and assets that can lead to the opportunity to continuous improvements. “If you are bringing in consistent data from your assets or your machines, you have the opportunity to develop a performance base line,” said Hart. “Then you can look at how you can improve that performance and you’ve got a yardstick from which you can measure it. You have consistent data and not anecdotal pieces of paper that may or may not give an impression of consistency. That process of production data can also feed into preventative or predictive maintenance issues as well. By collecting that performance data over time, you can identify issues that might mean that you can save money on undertaking excessive maintenance, or you can save downtime by more informed and targeted preventative maintenance on your equipment.” The information being collected

can be automatically compiled, collated and presented into reports or dashboards for the management teams and production supervision team. That can be a labour saver but it can also save on data transcription errors and typos. Those other things can typically create headaches around that sort of information, especially in a small-tomedium-sized businesses. “Granularity that you can get from having sensors on your equipment are assets feeding back into activitybased cluster systems that can be beneficial and give you real information about what it actually costs you to produce something,” said Hart. “This includes different products or produce on different lines and shift to shift – what are the differences you get in performance from day shift to afternoon shift? This is the type of information you can get.” In terms of external operations, by embedding IIoT capability into remote systems or assets, it creates an opportunity for an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to get value for their clients and for their business, claimed Hart. They might be able to use connectivity to offer things like promoting system operational support and upgrades. It might be part of a service package that a company can onsell to its clients and can feed into an extended warranty.

INTERNET OF THINGS

That same operational information that has historical data, with systems operating in different operating conditions with different clients, can feed back into preventative or predictive maintenance systems. It can also feed back into the design process so a company can better understand how its equipment operates over time in a variety of conditions. The SME can bring that back into its design process, which will enhance the company’s future offerings. “You can then take that a step further with connectivity, visibility with what is happening with systems and assets in the field,” said Hart. “You might choose to change the revenue models by which you engage with clients. Instead of just selling a machine outright you might start to lease the machine and charge on performance. It is almost equipment as a service as opposed to software as a service.” Hart also highlighted that if SMEs in the engineering and manufacturing industries decide to modify, there are a range of benefits.

“You’d start by leveraging cloud computing,” he said. “You might use Wifi or cellular connections rather than hardwiring to each machine. You might have smart sensors with on-board communications facilities, or you might choose to retrofit sensors to equipment. All of this essentially means that it lowers the barrier to entry of the initial cost of investment to get going with digitisation. So you can start with something relatively small and build it up as your business needs evolve or change.” Hart warned that if a SME does decide to take the plunge, research is needed and a company has to make sure they are not under or over utilising the technology that is available to them. This is because every piece of technology has a purpose, which is usually providing information and this mean it is important to take advantage of the results. “The first thing a business needs when heading down this path are outcomes in mind,” he said. “A willingness to implement change and

continuous improvement and do something with the information that they are going to get. Because that will change. If they are not prepared to do anything with the information, then all the sensors are nothing more than pretty toys.” SMEs might want to start with something relatively basic and small, such as a retrofit into existing infrastructure or equipment. Maybe some smart sensors going onto some machinery that will enable the SME to establish a performance baseline. From that baseline the company should be able to find some opportunities for continuous improvement and implement that change and monitor the outcome of that change. Chances are they will get a return on investment on that initial installation. “Over time, as you get used to working with the system, and you are collecting more data, you can continue to analyse it for more valuable insights and that might allow you to further optimise your production processes,” said Hart. “Implement things like

predictive maintenance, enhance your design, optimise the way you operate etcetera. You might be able to take that data and integrate throughout your business – for instance, integration into ERP systems or quality systems and databases. From there you might be able to identify some additional opportunities to build on that system. That might be wider deployment of sensors in that system within the business. It might be looking at using the IIoT for energy management within your business. It’s not a static thing – you don’t put the system in and forget it, you work with it as your business needs to evolve and adapt.” Hart said he sees the IIoT as a great enabler for manufacturing SMEs to leverage the productivity, quality and performance benefits that automation and digitisation can bring. The cost of getting started is as low as it has ever been, he said. It is worth taking the plunge and starting to explore the benefits it can bring to a business by doing something with the technology. PACE

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INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS

TSN and why it matters Rene Hummen, Stephan Kehrer and Oliver Kleineberg explain the most important functions provided by Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) and illustrate the advantages of using TSN in demanding industrial networks.

The real-time Ethernet solution market is fragmented.

ime-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is currently being developed at the IEEE as a novel technology that offers an entirely new level of determinism in standard IEEE 802.1 and IEEE 802.3 Ethernet networks. This means that future Ethernet networks will be able to provide: • Highly limited latency fluctuations (jitter). • Low packet loss. • Calculable, guaranteed end-to-end latencies. However, to which applications are these characteristics really relevant and how does TSN achieve this functionality? Today, latency guarantees are established as a basic requirement for real-time data transmissions in a number of application scenarios. These include synchronised axles and drives, power generation, transmission and distribution networks, as well as the transportation industry. In these fields, the cycle times for the transmission of time-sensitive process data are often below one millisecond. To achieve these low cycle times, with correspondingly low latency guarantees, real-time communication technologies

26 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

such as EtherCAT, PROFINET IRT or SERCOS III are being used. These technologies commonly incorporate additional mechanisms to provide latency guarantees that, in turn, are often incompatible with each other. As a result, the real-time Ethernet solution market is fragmented and, due to the lack of compatibility, is crippled with regards to future development. TSN has the potential to open up the real-time Ethernet market by establishing a universal physical and data-link layer that is standardised by the IEEE 802. With hard real-time requirements, additional application domains such as process automation can profit from TSN as well. This might seem contradictory because the cycle times in these domains are often larger than, for example, for synchronised drives. For these application scenarios, the benefits of TSN originate in the requirement for guaranteed end-to-end latencies. In current networks, these guarantees are approximated by over-provisioning the available bandwidth. In contrast, with TSN, it is possible to eliminate such approximation-based solutions and to tailor both the guaranteed bandwidth as well as the latency exactly to the

application requirements. Consequently, TSN permits you to plan and to dimension future automation networks according to bandwidth requirements. When looking at the future of automation networks, a consistent increase in the significance of TSN is foreseeable. Even today, the field of industrial automation is in a period of transition that is driven by the vision of permitting more flexible, intelligent and dynamic production facilities than is currently possible. Terms that are often associated with this vision are Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). They describe intelligent production environments in which production machinery, conveyor systems and workpieces are constantly communicating with each other in order to support an automated and more efficient production process. This is made possible by increased networking of the sensors and actuators that are involved in the production processes. Another factor is the increased integration of the (local) cloud, where virtual PLCs are hosted and interact directly with the production process through the sensors and actuators at the field level. These changes affect the models on which the development

and planning of current automation networks are based. The familiar automation pyramid is expected to transform into an automation pillar in a long-term, continual process. In contrast to the automation pyramid, where real-time requirements for data transmissions were mostly present at the field level, both the field and the connectivity level will need to fulfill low-latency requirements in the case of the automation pillar. Another paradigm is emerging beyond the requirements for calculable and lowest-possible latency and jitter – the increased convergence of the different networks that are still used in parallel within existing production sites. While in current facilities, time-sensitive control data is often transmitted via dedicated networks built only for a particular purpose, it is foreseeable that in the future this control data will be transmitted in parallel with “Best Effort” data (e.g. configuration and monitoring data) and data with “soft” real-time requirements (e.g. video data from surveillance cameras) over a common network infrastructure. One key characteristic of TSN is to offer a solution for such converging network infrastructures with high demands

INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS

on bandwidth at the connectivity level and hard as well as soft realtime requirements at the field and connectivity levels. TSN adds a level of determinism to Ethernet-based data communication that is able to meet high demands of modern control networks. Even today, it is foreseeable that TSN will reach a broad audience and the target markets of TSN will likely differ from one another significantly. Therefore deterministic, as well as fault-tolerant data transmissions, may be a firm requirement in one target market, while in another case, fault-tolerance through redundant transmissions may only be of secondary importance. Hence, TSN has been conceived as a modular system by which the precise characteristics of the implementation − and the associated hardware and software requirements − can be tailored to fit the individual requirements.TSN is not made up of a single standard document, but is a family of standards that have been in development by the IEEE 802.1 TSN Task Group since 2012. By now, these activities have yielded their first results – central mechanisms of the TSN family are already available as standard documents. Until now, it was not possible with Class of Service (CoS) mechanisms such as the IEEE 802.1Q strict priorities to guarantee bounded end-to-end latency of time-sensitive data traffic. Due to queueing effects, an Ethernet frame with low priority that is already in transmission could delay Ethernet frames of even the highest priority at every Ethernet switch along the transmission path. As one of the central components of TSN, the Time-Aware Scheduler (TAS), for the first time, introduces the possibility for prioritising the data transmission of conventional Ethernet frames based on transmission time and guaranteeing their forwarding

TSN has the potential to open up the real-time Ethernet market.

and delivery at a defined point in time. The fundamental idea of this TSN mechanism, published as Standard IEEE 802.1Qbv-2016 in March 2016, is to utilise TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) to divide time into discreet segments of equal length, so-called cycles. This allows dedicated time slots to be provided for the transmission of data packets with real-time requirements within the cycles. With the aid of the TAS, the transmission of conventional Best Effort Ethernet traffic can be temporarily interrupted in order to forward timesensitive data traffic within the reserved time slots for high-priority traffic. The TAS thus permits the prioritisation of periodic real-time data in relation to conventional Best Effort data traffic. Similar to the strict prioritisation scheme, the TAS uses the CoS priorities (PCP – Priority Code Point) that are present in the VLAN tag of the Ethernet header. In this case, all Ethernet frames are processed until they reach the TimeAware gate queues at the output port. At this point, the TAS intervenes in the packet processing. More precisely, with the use of the TAS, the selection of the next Ethernet frame to be transmitted is no longer just determined strictly by a linear hierarchy at the queue, but rather the state of the respective gates is also taken into consideration. This state may be either open or closed, based on actual time. Ethernet frames that are waiting for transmission in the associated queues will be considered in the packet selection, depending on these states. For example, only the queue with a priority of seven is processed at this particular point in time. The Gate Control List determines which traffic queue is permitted to transmit at a point in time within the cycle. Besides the states of the Time-Aware Gates, the Gate Control List indicates the length of time for which a specific entry will be active. In the case of the Gate Control List, the list mirrors the cycle that consists of a Best Effort phase, as well as a phase with prioritised data traffic. Due to the poor predictability of Best Effort traffic patterns, it is generally not foreseeable when a specific Best Effort data packet will need to be processed. For example, the transmission of an Ethernet frame in time slot 2 could be initiated too late. This Ethernet frame would then, despite the use of the TAS, extend into the

time slot number 1 of the subsequent cycle. This would therefore result in a delayed processing of real-time data and a violation of guaranteed end-to-end latencies. In order to avoid these situations, besides the transmission barriers between the time slots, the so-called guard bands have to be introduced in conjunction with the TAS. These guard bands suppress the transmission of packets for the duration of a maximumsize Ethernet frame. Thus, the guard bands can prevent the transmission of Best Effort Ethernet frames that would intrude into the subsequent time slot preventing delays in processing of realtime data during the transition from a Best Effort phase to a phase with highpriority traffic. But this guard band also inevitably results in undesirable dead times where the network can’t be utilised at all and is a waste of bandwidth. In addition to the configured guard bands, the TAS also permits that the packet length of the next-in-line Ethernet frame is taken into account. The decision whether to transmit now or wait for the next Best Effort timeslot depends on whether the next frame is short enough to be fully transmitted within the current time slot. But even with this mechanism, situations can occur where there is simply not enough time left in the current timeslot, or the frame to be transmitted is too large to fit in the packet. Therefore, even with this mechanism, the dead times that result from the guard bands cannot be entirely prevented. In order to maximise the usable bandwidth for Best Effort Ethernet frames, the IEEE 802 working group developed a method for Ethernet frame pre-emption completed in June 2016. With this method, conventional Ethernet frames can be divided into partial packets (framelets) of as small as 64 bytes, and each framelet may be transmitted separately. This permits starting the transmission of a large Ethernet frame, despite insufficient remaining time within the Best Effort phase. The frame can be interrupted at the last 64-byte boundary before the current time slot ends and can then be completed in the next Best Effort phase. Frame pre-emption makes it possible to reduce the guard band to the maximum size of one Ethernet framelet. In the case of a fast Ethernet

network the dead time from each guard band can be reduced to 0.12 ms, which means an improvement of the use of the bandwidth available can be achieved. Due to the fact that frame pre-emption is an intrusion into the normal process of Ethernet frame forwarding and processing, it is necessary for both devices of an Ethernet connection (e.g. two Ethernet switches) to announce their support for this mechanism through the use of the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP - IEEE 802.1AB-20165). Only with frame pre-emption support on both ends of the link, the feature can be activated on the corresponding end devices or switch ports. With this, backwards compatibility with existing Ethernet devices is maintained. The TAS utilises only local configuration data – the data that is available in a particular network device (end device or switch). For example, this configuration data consists of information about the lengths of cycles and time slots. Therefore, besides the TAS, close coordination between the devices in the network is required in order to ensure that the frames match the correct time slots in each switch. This enables the transmission of communication streams that can be transmitted through end-to-end connections, with guaranteed latencies and without queuing times. This means, in particular, that all network participants must possess a common understanding of time. In particular, all participants must know when a cycle begins and which time slot is active in the cycle. In order to enable this, the use of a protocol for time synchronisation, such as the Precision Time Protocol (PTP) in accordance with IEEE 1588 (IEEE 1588-20086) or the IEEE 1588 Profile IEEE 802.1AS (IEEE 802.1AS-20117) is mandatory. Both IEEE 1588 as well as IEEE 802.1AS permit the synchronisation of distributed clocks within a network with an accuracy of under 1μs. Implemented in hardware, timing precision in the range of a few nanoseconds can be achieved. With the method of Ethernet frame pre-emption, the guard band size can be reduced from the maximum size of an Ethernet frame to the size of a partial packet. PACE JUNE/JULY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 27

INSTRUMENTATION

Next-gen 80GHz radar level transmitter Radar level transmitters have evolved to a stage where their form factor has shrunk while their functionality has increased. PACE investigates.

he use of the radar level transmitter for the process industry started back in 1991. These were large units and operated with a 6GHz frequency. They were generally sold into liquid applications and only considered when no other technology would work. They weighed several kilograms and only operated from an AC supply. In 1997, Vega released the world’s first true loop-powered radar level transmitter, which gave the company an opportunity to offer a more suitable transmitter for typical process applications. However, they also came with limitations. Then 1999 saw the 26GHz radar level transmitter being released, offering a smaller unit with a reduced antenna size and narrower beam angle, with the

downside to such lower frequencies being the larger beam angle. Vega continued to develop and improve radar level transmitter performances through the first decade of the 2000s. The main changes were in the software, an area where, thanks to customer feedback, the parameters for setup were improved making them more descriptive and user friendly. As with all developments, a point is reached where the components and physics of the technology have been maximised. It was at this stage that Vega started research on the 80GHz frequency range. This frequency was not new to the market and was still quite common in the automotive industry with reversing sensors. During the research and development of this frequency, Vega

carried out a number of real-life customer trials and the results of these opened up more opportunities for the use of the radar that has never been practical in the past. For the first time, it also allowed for antenna sizing and adaption to many typical process fittings that exist in industry. One of the things noted in regards to radar frequencies was that as the frequency was increased, the antenna size and the beam angle were reduced. Radar level transmitters work on the reflection of the signal from the product being measured. The strength of that returned signal was based in the dielectric constant (conductivity). For applications that had a relatively low DK value, radar, in the past, was considered not suitable for the application. The 80GHz allowed these

The Vega 80GHz is a step forward in solving difficult applications. 28 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

measurements to take place, but there were other considerations. As well as the high frequency, users also needed quality components that gave good sensitivity, or dynamic range as it was commonly known. Typically, up to this point, radar level transmitters had a dynamic range of around 90db. This was until the Vegapuls 64 (liquids) and the Vegapuls 69 (solids) were developed. Vega now manufactures a radar level transmitter with a dynamic range of 120db. So what does this mean for the end user? As with audio, for every increase of 3db you get a doubling of the power. An increase of 30db over previous and existing radar frequencies can achieve an increase of over 1000 times in the sensitivity of the Vega 80GHz radar level transmitters. For this increase, Vega transmitters are able to measure low DK products, such as plastics. Radar level transmitters, like all instruments, have their limitations. Many limitations are set by the physics of the technology. It is important to take into account not just the frequency, but all the data, when evaluating whether a transmitter is suitable for the application. The Vega 80GHz is said to be a step forward in solving difficult applications. The company has developed a model for liquid applications and a model for solids applications, as users need different algorithms for the types of process medium Radar level transmitters are an accepted form of non-contact level measurement and the use of these units have increased many times over the past decade. As with all developments, it has not finished yet and Vega will continue to improve the transmitters so that in the near future, the company again breaks the barriers faced previously and open up the opportunities for radar to solve more applications. PACE

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ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Joint venture will lead to efficient battery systems How can smart energy management protect the environment? PACE explains.

ow is it possible stabilise power that is generated by renewable energy sources and therefore is subject to fluctuations caused by the weather? That is undeniably one of the key questions at the heart of the current energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables. Efficient battery systems will play an important part going forward, as they can be used to compensate for imbalances in the amount of energy being generated and required by consumers. And now, within the scope of their joint venture Kraftwerksbatterie Heilbronn GmbH, Bosch and EnBW have come up with the answer. Their joint efforts have brought about the creation of an energy storage system for primary control reserve at the EnBW power plant in Heilbronn. Transmission grid operators require primary control reserve power to even out any frequency fluctuations in its electric power grid. This energy storage system is among the first of its kind to be integrated into the control technology of a major power plant in Germany. The energy storage system in Heilbronn consists of 768 lithium-ion battery modules. It has a maximum power output of around 5MW and an installed storage capacity of 5MWh. “We have so much research and innovation potential at our disposal as far as the energy transition is concerned. It is down to us to use that potential and make advancements,” said Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann at the official commissioning of the battery storage system. “The battery storage system is a prime example of this. It opens up new levels of flexibility that will allow us to guarantee power grid stability and in turn a power supply that we can rely on. Not to mention that it has been developed specifically for the energy 30 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

market, where it needs to really prove what it can do.” Kretschmann went on to say that, as a result, the energy transition in BadenWürttemberg is witnessing the birth of a new environmental and technological momentum of its own. “This will lead us to new products, processes and business models. And, of course, new partnerships,” said Kretschmann. “Our intelligent networked solutions provide the foundations for efficient energy grids. They facilitate smart energy management, which in turn protects the environment and saves money,” explained Dr. Stefan Hartung, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, responsible for the business sector Energy and Building Technology. “Lithium-ion batteries can supply energy in no time, which makes them suited for making primary control reserves available.” The storage system covers less than a fifth of the regulation power at the power plant in Heilbronn and it can receive, or output, exact amounts within a matter of seconds. The amount of power in the space of one year equates to around the average annual consumption of 400 two-person households. “We want to work together to help improve the reliability of the power supply and the flexibility of the energy system in Baden-Württemberg, so we can take the next step forward on the energy transition path,” explained Dr Hans-Josef Zimmer, member of the executive board at EnBW. Today, it is primarily still the large power plants that generate the regulation energy needed for grid stability. And by doing so, those large power plants ensure that a highly reliable power supply is made available. But things cannot stay that way. “We are about to see a fundamental

EnBW executive board member Hans-Josef Zimmer.

change to our energy system, as the focus moves away from this centralised approach,” said Zimmer. He went on to explain that this development calls for fresh solutions. Using battery systems to provide primary control reserve is a good example. In the wake of the continually increasing share of renewable energies in Germany, energy suppliers are facing new challenges. While working on this project, EnBW has been able to apply its experience in the energy sector and took the lead on the civil works and power grid connection on-site. Bosch’s contribution was its expertise in stationary storage solutions, with the technology company developing

and installing the battery storage system itself. Construction, which started on the site of the power plant in Heilbronn back in the late summer of 2017, has been fully completed, meaning that it is now time for the storage system’s normal operation to get under way. Kraftwerksbatterie Heilbronn GmbH now plans to use the experience gathered during this project to offer solutions for other customers. The joint venture provides services relating to the integration of battery storage systems into renewable and conventional generation systems, or industrial energy systems, including marketing batteries on the energy market. PACE

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ZENITH AWARDS

Fence power personal power picogrids At last year’s Zenith Awards The Columbus Group had the V2 power fence nominated in the Power and Energy Management category. Mike Wheeler delves into the technology that powered the fence.

The Neighbourly Fence Power system has a built-in battery pack. 32 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

he growth of onsite power systems, flavour-of-month battery packs, EVs, interconnectability to the outside poles and wires plus kilowatt hour exchange apps have changed the underlying energy in microgrids, their takeup and the associated technologies. For people sharing fences with the neighbours, often on three sides of a property, the idea of investing in a big, roof-mounted solar system, with inverters, wiring and not being paid the same as it costs to buy the same electricity, does seem like a renewable bridge too far for some to cross. Then there is the issue of climbing onto the roof to clean the collectors so the efficiency doesn’t drop. The Columbus Group has a power solution that it calls the Neighbourly Fence Power system. It’s a solar array with a built-in battery pack and the ability to accommodate different priorities. One of the key features of the system is that it is expandable to meet varying power needs. To add more capacity, consumers can click in

ZENITH AWARDS

There is a new range of mounting brackets now being developed that can collect energy and share the recharging of the batteries in each of the solar array modules.

Fencing is an ideal medium to mount the picogrid. another array. They are narrow enough to sit on top of almost any fence, with angle support brackets that double as power take-off points. A key element of the system is that it is not normally connected to the big

grids. It is mounted on top of fences between neighbours, so it is easy to clean, which is necessary if users wish to keep the output strong. The cost of adding new capacity is usually shared or balanced up depending on the number of takeoff brackets and their priorities. With safety and usefulness in mind, the system (on each side of the fence), can be connected to a neighbourly local inductive power system (LIPS) solution at a nearby window. LIPS allows the transfer of energy through a glass window at around 5.8GHz to a collector on the other side where appropriate conversion from 12V DC to 250V AC, so it can run lights, recharge phones or power laptops. While not suggesting that personal power picogrids should be connected to the external networks, the Columbus Group says there is value for local governments to transfer the

responsibility for footpath lighting to such systems, provided there is identified priority power capacity to run nearby street footpath lighting, usually one or two lamps, to say, a minimum five Lux, which is aligned with the AS1158 standard. There are many other uses for picogrids – from high-priority security CCTV that can be monitored by smart phones to horticulture LEDS that stimulate plant growth such as kitchen vegetables. While there might be sun on the fence top, quite often the sun does not reach the narrow pathways between fences and walls. Horticulture LEDS of ultra blue, hyper red and far red for flowering, can make a world of a difference to stimulate healthy plant growth. It is well known that there are many stand-alone solar power systems – from street lights to traffic control warning signs outside schools and remote sensor packages – but they are

usually of a set capacity and purpose. The Neighbourly Fence Power modules and applications go the next step by having smarts for the system to be expanded easily. Users click in another module with a built-in battery, without any additional wiring or configurations. There is also a range of power take-off mounting brackets where different brackets have the software to automatically prioritise the purpose for the power package. This balances up short high demands like opening vehicle gates with long-term, low-drain energy needs, such as CCTV. The system design allows different power take-off mounting brackets, from high demand to low drain, to be clicked together side by side, between solar collecting modules, or at the end of a string. There is a new range of mounting brackets being developed that can collect energy and share the recharging of the batteries in each of the solar array modules. Small wind turbines, scavenging heat from dishwasher and shower waste water, and even energy collectors on playground equipment like swings in the backyard, are prime candidates in the expanding range of options in support of the personal power picogrids. PACE

The power fence can run lights, power laptops and recharge phones. JUNE/JULY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 33

PLANT UPGRADES

Local support key to upgrade Plant upgrades can be stressful and expensive. According to one vendor, it’s not just the state of the equipment that needs taking into consideration, but is there local supplier support if it all goes wrong? PACE explains.

stablished in 1986, Blackhead Quarries is a joint venture between Palmer & Son and Fulton Hogan and operates a number of quarries in the region surrounding Dunedin, in New Zealand’s South Island. Opened in the 1950s, the company’s Blackhead Quarry, located on Green Island,

produces 300,000 tonnes of aggregate per year. The company also operates quarries at Logan Point, Dunedin, as well as Balclutha and the Walton Park sand plant in Fairfield. The Balclutha quarry, located approximately 80km south-west of Dunedin, is the largest producer of quality aggregates in the

Blackhead Quarries is the largest producer of aggregate in South Otago, New Zealand.

34 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

South Otago area and supplies around 30 different products. With a population of 130,000 people, Dunedin is the second largest city of New Zealand’s South Island and is the principle city of the Otago region, with the harbour and the hills surrounding it being the remnants of an extinct volcano. It

has a diverse economy, but the city’s most important activity centres around tertiary education. It is home to the University of Otago, New Zealand’s oldest university (established in 1869), and the Otago Polytechnic. While primary industries are the main drivers of New Zealand’s economy, in recent years the Otago

PLANT UPGRADES

region has experienced a large increase in tourism. As a result, local government authorities have increased their expenditure on infrastructure in the region, driving strong demand for quarry products.

Investing in the future

Until recently, Blackhead Quarry’s Balclutha quarry operated a fixed crushing plant that required rock to be transported up to 5km from its primary sources to the ageing facility. In the interest of improving operational flexibility and safety, the company decided to invest in a new mobile crushing and screening plant for its Balclutha operations. Blackhead Quarries has worked with plant specialist Metso in the past, having bought its first Lokotrack mobile impact crusher in 2005 from the company. With its latest acquisition, Blackhead operates the largest fleet of Metso mobile crushing and screening equipment in New Zealand. But the company’s relationship with Metso and Mimico, Metso’s dealer in New Zealand, dates back further. Much of the equipment in the company’s original fixed plants includes Nordberg, Allis Chalmers and Barmac machines, which can all be traced back to Metso origins. Tony Hunter is the general manager of Blackhead Quarries and has been involved in the industry for over 30 years. He is a fifth-generation descendant of one of the company’s original founders. Tony has overall operational responsibility for all of the company’s quarries. He said that being near the sea, Blackhead quarry’s fixed plant was suffering from extensive corrosion issues. Management was worried about the safety of fixed walkways and the quarry’s 23 conveyors. “Five years ago, we decided it was best to build a new plant at Blackhead with only nine conveyors and no walkways,” he said. In doing so, the existing Nordberg C100 jaw crusher, a cone crusher and Barmac 9600 crusher were relocated. The new plant is fully automated and was designed to keep the amount of structural steel work to a minimum, which led to the elimination of walkways. “For maintenance we use cherry pickers, which give better access to

Safety was a key consideration with the quarry plant upgrade. the equipment than walkways, and, in our opinion, are much safer for our maintenance staff,” he said.

800 to 2000 hours.” The reliable, local supply of wear and spare parts is important.

Hard rock drives need for reliable wear part supply

The importance of local support

Gavin Hartley is the quarry manager at Blackhead quarry, and has 10 years’ experience with the company. He describes his job as, “making stones as cheaply and efficiently as possible while ensuring that his staff is safe”. “Staff compatibility and continuity are very important, as is giving our people the right tools for the job,” he said. The Blackhead quarry produces a range of quarry products, including base courses (for road base), sealing chip, asphalt dust and railway ballast. The rock quarried in the Otago area is a heavy, fine-grained rock that is hard, brittle and abrasive. “Jaws and liners typically last about 3500 hours, and Barmac tips only about 500 hours,” Hartley said. “Bucket teeth can last anything from

“Here in New Zealand we are a long way from Finland, or other countries where rock crushers are manufactured,” said Hunter. “It’s important that we can get ready access to the support we need, because a crushing equipment failure can stop our production.” “New Zealand is a small country and Dunedin is a small community,” said Garth Taylor, crushing and screening business manager at Mimico. “If Blackhead Quarries has two LT106 jaw crushers they only need one set of spare parts. They have two of New Zealand’s 12 LT1213 impact crushers. The number of Metso machines in New Zealand means that we keep a range of spare parts to support our customers.” While there are more brands of crusher available, Hunter likes to work

with organisations that support the local quarrying industry. “The large number of Metso crushers in New Zealand means that there’s good support locally,” he said. “Wear parts are one thing, but these technically advanced machines can be stopped by the failure of a small component like a sensor. While we perform most of the maintenance ourselves, it is good to have local technical support. Mimico provides all that we need and we have a great relationship.” Blackhead Quarries experienced the benefits of crushing and screening at the quarry face when it introduced its first mobile crusher in 2005. The company has been growing its fleet of Metso Lokotrack mobile equipment ever since, gradually reducing its reliance on fixed plant. “You can’t bust a rock without energy and even though it is fuel efficient, the mobile plant uses a lot of diesel – the machines have large motors to move them around, as well JUNE/JULY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 35

PLANT UPGRADES

as for processing rock,” said Hunter. “With our move to mobile equipment and reduction in the number of trucks, our diesel usage has remained about the same, but we no longer consume electricity in our fixed plants – so overall, our energy costs have gone down in the order of $100k per annum.” According to Hunter, the reduction in truck usage has also delivered benefits in respect to staffing levels, site safety and maintenance costs. Blackhead Quarries now owns a total of 10 Lokotracks across its sites, and is the largest user of these machines in New Zealand. “The Lokotrack fleet has become important to our business,” said Hunter. “Our original LT1213 unit was the first one in New Zealand and is still operating – and now we have more across our quarries. They are the core of our mobile fleet.”

Blackwood Quarries management knew that local supplier support was an important facet for its plant upgrade.

Going mobile at Balclutha

The company’s most recent addition to its Lokotrack fleet took place in 2017 at its Balclutha quarry, which mostly produces road and construction materials as well as manufactured sand. Part of the quarry’s production also feeds the concrete plant next door. The quarry’s demand tends to be seasonal – the Clutha District Council, for example, has an annual road sealing season, and there are periodic maintenance gravel contracts. Craig Upston, quarry manager at the Balclutha quarry, is a veteran of the industry. Having been with the company for 25 years, he is a thirdgeneration employee. “The shape of the product is critical for our customers – if we don’t get it right it will be rejected,” he said. “Our Barmac crusher helps us to achieve consistent product shape and quality.” The Metso Barmac vertical impact crusher uses an autogenous (rock-onrock) crushing method. Its adjustable rotor speed and feed rate give operators precise control of the grade and shape of the final product. From Upston’s perspective, moving from fixed to mobile plant was a matter of future-proofing the quarry. “We were planning to replace our older Barmac with a new one, and because the market for Balclutha’s product has a lot of ups and downs, 36 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

being able to move the crusher around to different sites creates better business flexibility,” he said. The quarry was originally opened some distance from the town of Balclutha, but with the growth of the town bringing suburbia closer to the quarry, the issue of dust has become a problem. By eliminating the fixed plant that was close to the road and moving to Lokotrack machines, quarry staff can choose where crushing occurs. The reduction of truck movement and decommissioning of the fixed plant has made it easier for the company to manage dust. At first Upston proposed putting a new Barmac on tracks then in five years’ time adding a tracked cone and jaw crusher as well. As it turns out, the company’s management loved the idea and acquired all three Lokotrack versions in the same year. Uptson’s first exposure to Metso crushers was the Nordberg GP300 when Blackhead Quarries took over from Fulton Hogan around 2003. “We already had a lot of Metso gear and had a great run with the crushers, so it made sense to keep

on dealing with the same company,” he said. “As we were happy with the Metso equipment that we already owned, it was a no-brainer.” The decision to move to tracked equipment was driven by the need to quarry without access to electricity. Additionally, if the quarry had to relocate, it would be easy to move the equipment elsewhere. “If you bolt it to the ground there is no flexibility,” he said. “All the mobile plant is self-powered. We don’t have any three-phase power at the new quarry face, so mobile, dieselpowered crushing and screening is the only way to go.”

Reducing dependence on fixed plant

In July 2017, Mimico supplied a Metso Lokotrack LT106 mobile jaw crusher along with an LT200HP mobile cone crusher and a ST3.5 mobile screen for the Balclutha quarry. An additional ST3.5 and a LT7150 mobile Barmac VSI (impact) crusher were supplied in October. At a time of increasing infrastructure expenditure in the

growing Otago region, being able to produce large quantities of quality aggregate in a more flexible way allows the company to be responsive to market fluctuations, which is important for Blackhead’s future business success. The company also deploys some of its Lokotrack mobile crushers and screens in contract crushing operations around the Dunedin area and is now looking to purchase another LT106 for a new job that will deliver half a million tonnes of aggregate for a major road building project In a world where concern for the environment means that people look at mining and quarrying with an increasingly critical eye, Hunter has a positive outlook on the future. “This is a simple business. You can’t have a city without stones, and so we are lucky to be a mature company in a mature local economy, that will always need infrastructure,” he said. “In buying the Lokotrack equipment, I am trying to set the company on a good path for whatever may happen over the next 10 to 15 years to come and beyond.” PACE

NEW PRODUCTS

Pollution monitoring flow meters with CEMS and CERMS capabilities ENGINEERS responsible for reporting stack gas emissions data to federal, state or local authorities will appreciate the optional Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS) and Continuous Emissions Rate Monitoring System (CERMS) applications package available with the next-gen MT100 series multipoint thermal mass flow meters from Fluid Components International (FCI). These flow meters provides a 24-hour interval automated calibration drift test of low- and high-span points, and interference sensor check. The MT100 meter’s optional CEMS applications package includes both an automated and on-demand self-checking of calibration drift (CD) and sensor interference. The results of the CEMS tests are presented as a simple pass or fail message on the LCD readout. The CEMS option also includes two relay outputs for connection to external devices, one to signal test in progress and the other to signal a fail-test mode. The flow meters combine state-of-art electronics technology with applicationproven precision flow sensors in a rugged package designed for the most demanding plant operating environments. They provide temperaturecompensated direct mass-flow measurement of air and gases for precise, repeatable measurement with low maintenance requirements in large diameter pipes, stacks and rectangular duct installations. In heavy industries, such as electric power generation, petrochemical refineries and others, large diameter pipes and ducts present unique challenges to achieve successful flow meter installation and performance. Hot, moist and/ or dirty gases along with lack of pipe straight-run, distorted flow profiles, low flow rates and wide turndowns rates are common performance challenges for many flow metering technologies. These meters are available with two to eight flow rate sensing points to overcome these issues. Multiple sensors are inserted at various depths within a pipe or duct and their outputs are multiplexed and averaged to produce the flow rate within the process line. The MT100 meter’s sensors can be installed either across a mast or can be inserted at multiple points around the process line in a single plane. In large stack applications, this means that the instrument installation can be done at a single platform location to achieve a major cost savings over other

technologies such as ultrasonic meters, which require installing transducers at precise offset angles. In hot, dirty and/or moist or corrosive stack gases, the flow meters also excels because there are no moving parts, orifices or glass windows to foul or clog. The instrument can measure air/gas processes operating up to 454 °C. These flow meters can measure flow rates over a range from 0,07 to 305 NMPS with 100:1 turndown and with accuracy of ± 0.75% of reading, ± 0.5 per cent of full scale. They are also dual-function and can provide temperature measurement capability from -45 to 454 °C, with accuracy of ± 1,1 °C. Fluid Components International 03 9017 8225

Power inductors offer low DC resistance TRI COMPONENTS is introducing its new XEL50xx family of highperformance, moulded power inductors that offer low DC resistance and ultra-low AC losses, improving power converter efficiency at high frequencies (2 to 5+ MHz) and high ripple current. The use of high switching frequencies, or high ripple current, allows a corresponding lower inductance value, which results in a physically smaller part for the same electrical specs. XEL50xx range inductors measure just 5.28mm x 5.48mm with a maximum height of 3.2mm. The XEL50xx range is currently available in two models, the XEL5020 and XEL5030. A third model, the XEL5050 is expected late Q2 2018. The XEL5020 is available in six inductance values from 0.10 to 1.0 µH, with current ratings up to 39 Amps. The XEL5030 has 10 values from 0.13 to 4.7 µH and current ratings up to 44 Amps. All models offer soft saturation characteristics to withstand high current spikes and have no thermal aging issues. XEL50xx family of inductors are qualified to AEC-Q200 Grade 1 standards (-40° to +125°C ambient) with a maximum part temperature of +165°C, making them suitable for automotive and other harsh-environment applications. They feature RoHS-compliant, tin-silver-over-copper terminations and are halogen free. Their composite construction also minimises audible buzzing. TRI Components 03 9560 2112

JUNE/JULY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 37

NEW PRODUCTS

Mobile testing of pluggable surge protection devices XXX PHOENIX xxx Contact has released Checkmaster 2 – a mobile test case, which allows technicians to quickly and accurately test all Phoenix Contact pluggable surge protection devices. Xxx Technicians can check the electrical status of their Phoenix Contact surge protection devices to prevent failures and avoid service calls. The device features an integrated hand scanner that reads and identifies the surge protection device by its barcode. The test object is then inserted into the associated test adaptor and the test process is started via the touch-panel screen. The surge protection device is electrically tested in an automatic test process that compares the current electrical parameters of the components with the specified reference values. To ensure an accurate result, all of the installed protective elements of the surge protection device are electrically tested in a single cycle. These include triggered spark gaps, gas-filled surge protectors, varistors and suppressor diodes. The results are easy to see and read on a colour display, and three status levels accurately inform the technician of the current quality of the device. The three status levels are ‘OK: test passed’, ‘Warning: tolerance limit reached’, and ‘Defect: replacement required’. These help the technician make informed decisions about the device to ensure the ongoing availability of systems. The tests undertaken by Checkmaster 2 conform with requirements in IEC 62305-3 and are performed using a high-voltage generator. Checkmaster 2 documents and saves all test results to its internal memory. A USB port lets technicians transfer data for further processing as well as update software. Portable, so that technicians can take it anywhere, the device comes in a protective case that also provides space for documents. Built with the user in mind, a menu-driven LC colour touch panel interface enables quick and easy handling of the device during testing.

Convenient, safe, accurate and fast testing, the Checkmaster 2 supports technicians in ensuring continuous system availability in numerous industries. Phoenix Contact 1300 786 411

Flow and pressure valve reduces air consumption by up to 25 per cent SMC’s flow and pressure valves in the AS-R and AS-Q series offer a cut-in internal air consumption of up to 25 per cent when using the AS-R pressure valve and an AS-Q flow valve on their cylinders. Among the many tangible benefits, using these valves helps to shorten the response time of the return stroke and harmonises stroke movements to prevent a harsh jerky start. In pressing applications, these valves enable a rapid supply of compressed air at the end of the stroke while the valve bodies and plug-and-socket connections can rotate 360° to ensure fast and easy installation. The range includes six AS-R and five AS-Q models. The company supplies these in R1/8, R1/4, R3/8 and R1/2 connection sizes and for hose diameters ranging from 6mm to 12mm. Customers are able to choose between the new ASR series with its fixed 2bar supply pressure and the older ASR valves with fixed or variable set pressures depending on the application where pressures are adjusted manually using a handle with a three-part scale. The pressure valve and flow valves are mounted together on cylinders. The AS-Q flow valve is installed on the working stroke side and the AS-R pressure valve on the return stroke side. Both valve series have similar designs – the pressure valves consist of regulator, with a check valve and a throttle check valve. The flow valves in the AS-Q series contain a quick supply valve, an exhaust valve and a throttle check valve. AS-R/AS-Q valves are recommended for cylinders with a diameter of 32mm up to 125mm bore, and an inlet pressure of at least 3bar. What’s truly of value to customers is that savings increase with bigger cylinders or higher air consumption levels, and larger pressure differences between the working and return strokes. 38 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE/JULY 2018

Those energy-saving compressed air valves enable machine manufacturers to make their products more energy efficient without making any fundamental design changes. SMC Pneumatics 1800 763 862

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A radar beam focused like a laser! The future is 80 GHz: a new generation of radar level sensors

The latest cutting-edge technology from the world leader: the unsurpassed focusing of VEGAPULS 64. This enables the radar beam to be targeted at the liquid surface with pinpoint accuracy, avoiding internal obstructions like heating coils and agitators. This new generation of level sensors is also completely unaffected by condensation or buildup and has the smallest antenna of its kind. Simply world-class! www.vega.com/radar IFAT 2016: Hall A5, Stand 239/338