Worldwide Engineering Magazine - January Issue

www.worldwide-engineering.com January Issue

Featuring within this issue

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Contents

Worldwide Engineering Magazine

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Providing timely industry news, exclusive features on advancing technology, equipment, materials, show previews, content marketing services for our valued clients and much more!

advanced in its use of 3D printing / additive manufacturing

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Product Launch - Raptor Photonics Ninox 640 SU

The Power Of Smart Checkweighting

Raptor Photonics has launched the Ninox 640 SU

The checkweigher calculates the average weight of the group

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Your Pump May Be Costing You Time

The Cage-Guided Needle Roller Bearing

Wasted time is wasted money for your business!

More than 100 billion Schaeffler needle roller bearings have been sold

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Smart Automation With British Encoders

Surface Measurement Technology

in other words, encoders save time,money and improve companies

70 years ago, Georg Schaeffler revolutionised bearing technology

The JellyPipe 3D Printing Ecosystem

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Product Launch – Raptor Photonics Ninox 640 SU InGaAs Based Camera Raptor Photonics continues to push the boundaries in scientific SWIR imaging

Raptor Photonics is a leading developer and supplier of next generation, high-performance digital camera solutions for the Scientific, Surveillance and Aerospace markets. Raptor offers a range of CCD, EMCCD and lnGaAs solutions.

Quantum Design UK and Ireland are pleased to announce that Raptor Photonics has launched the Ninox 640 SU, a vacuum cooled InGaAs based camera with 640×512 sensor with a 15µm x 15µm pixel pitch for the highest spatial resolution. The Ninox 640SU is vacuum cooled to -80°C for ultra-long exposures of up to 5 minutes. Its ultra-low

dark current and read-noise result in the best “scientific” SWIR camera on the market today. It is the perfect camera for staring applications in SWIR wavelengths (from 900nm – 1700nm) including NIR-II In-Vivo Imaging, Fluorescence Imaging and Astronomy.

Key Features: - Vacuum cooled to -80°C Enables ultra-long exposure times - Ultra-low dark current and read-noise Resulting in the highest sensitivity SWIR camera on the market

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- 15μm x 15μm pixel pitch Enables highest spatial resolution - PentaVac Vacuum Technology Guaranteed protection and integrity of sensor For more information please visit www.qd-uki.co.uk or contact Angela Carslake on (44) 01372 378822 or email: angela@qd-uki.co.uk

Three Signs Your Pump May Be Costing You Time to the seals and impellers. If pauses in your production line or your operators forgetting to turn the pump off are issues you are experiencing, it is a good idea to consider either a pumping technology that is able to dry run without damage such as an AODD or a peristaltic pump or install dry run sensor which shuts the pump off when it is detected.

- Do your operators have to intervene manually?

“Wasted time is worse than wasted money” is how the quote goes, but in fact, wasted time is wasted money for your business.

Labour costs are one of the most expensive overheads in any company. So, when you think of your existing processes, can you be sure that you’re not spending more time than necessary on the operation and upkeep of your pumps within them?

Here are three avoidable signs that your pumps may be costing your engineers’ time: - Are you replacing parts regularly?

Any piece of mechanical equipment will have wearing parts that need replacing at some point, but if you’re finding that parts of your pump are wearing quickly, then this is a clue that the pump you are using may not be ideal for your process. Common issues including premature seal failure and damaged impellers could be down to several things such as fluid incompatibility, abrasives in the fluids, excessive pressure and temperature.

Material compatibility of your pump and process fluid is vital.

Getting this wrong can cause the corrosion of internals,

leaking of seals and swelling of impellers. When it comes to certain chemicals, a mistake that is commonly made is not considering the concentration or temperature of the solution.

For example, Hastelloy C is compatible with Hydrochloric acid at 10% concentration at 20°C, yet at 40°C it has limited resistance.

Many pump types only operate efficiently with clean fluids.

If your process requires the pumping of an abrasive fluid, then selecting a pump design that is free of mechanical seals and impellers such as an AODD or peristaltic eliminates the risk of wear and regular replacements.

Pump models have maximum operating pressure and temperatures for a reason. If these are exceeded once the pump installed, then damage to the internals can be expected.

- Are pauses in the process causing pump damage?

Dry running is one of the most common causes of costly downtime and damage to a pump. If a pump is left to run with no fluid passing through it then it can overheat, cause component seizure and damage

The time involved in having to walk to and from the pump to start/stop it can significantly reduce worker productivity.

Once a pump has been installed, it should be left to do its job with as little manual intervention as possible. These are what we refer to as “fit and forget” pumping solutions.

Where automation is desirable, pumps can be fitted with a timer to set the pump to run for specified amounts of time, or with a batch meter to stop after a fixed volume of fluid has been dosed or transferred. Similarly, with air operated pumps, stroke sensors can be used to control the pump after a specified number of times that air has been ejected.

Level switches can also control the pump start/stop cycle.

When the fluid in a container has reached a certain level, the pump will turn on or off and continue until the sensor detects the other specified level. As discussed above, dry run protection is another way to reduce operators’ time spent at the pump as it prevents them from having to quickly turn a pump off after every halt in the process.

If any of these points sound familiar, then it is likely that your pump is costing you valuable time. To find out how you can give your engineers more time through your pumps, speak to Castle Pumps today. www.castlepumps.com

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Attwater Group Are Gratefully Still Going Strong After 152 Years

Attwater & Sons Ltd have been a UK based business since 1868, situated in Lancashire, founded by Mr Henry Attwater and now still owned by the 5th generation of the Attwater family. They have adapted their business through the many changes in industry throughout the years, several increases in technology, changes to working time and most recently surviving 2 world wars, several financial crises, and the current worldwide pandemic.

Attwater have firmly established their place as a market leading UK manufacturer of industrial laminates. They have succeeded in adapting to changes and their focus is always on quality and choice, with a personal touch.

This gives them the flexibility to work with projects across many industries.

Attwater’s key product ranges are Phenolic or Epoxy based Paper, Cotton or Glass solid sheet laminates, which can be developed in many variations from finish to thickness. Their Epoxy resins ranges are used with various Glass and Cotton elements, to meet needs across

laminates, but machined components and even just simple panels, cut to size.

The more specialist ranges they produce are Phenolic Glass, Silicone Glass and Polyimide Glass all for specific industries that need a good, qualified product, such as Aerospace, Rail, Power Generation and their core Electrical and Switchgear business. Attwater not only manufacture in the UK and to the British Standards but they also have ISO9001 and AS9100 accreditations to name just two.

This gives them access to many markets where configured solutions are key to their success. The business has evolved again following 2020 and the lessons learned will allow them to adapt to whatever 2021 has in store for them. They will be there to support all of their customers, suppliers and partners,, whilst successfully going into their 153rd year of trading.

For more information, please visit www.attwater.com or contact the team on +44 (0)1772 258245.

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The Role Of Laminating In The Flexible Packaging Film Process huge variety of food products for human and animal consumption, but applications are almost as common for non-food products, which can require functional and highly technical film structures. In the food sections, these range for packaging of ready-toeat products such as snacks, ice creams, biscuits, drinks or products such as coffee and frozen food, to applications such as boil-in-bag pouches or freezer-to-microwave products.

In the non-food section, laminated materials may be used for insulation, solar panel backsheets and packaging of liquids for the cosmetic industries.

Frank Passarelli, Bobst product manager of printing, coating and laminating, offers his take on how laminating contributes to the flexible packaging film process.

Q: What is laminating and how does it contribute to the quality of flexible packaging films?

A: Laminating is the process through which two or more flexible packaging webs are joined together using a bonding agent. The substrates making up the webs may consist of films, papers or aluminum foils. The multi-layer composite structure can be produced either through a process using adhesives or by extrusion. The choice of the most suitable weblaminating process is mainly dictated by the end use of the product. A number of different technologies are available that cover the wide variety of applications in the food and non-food packaging industries.

Web lamination is used to improve the barrier properties of the packaging material in order to protect the packaged item and increase its shelf life.

Typically flexible packaging laminates have three mainfunctions: mechanical

properties that improve the strength of the material by making it more resistant to tearing, punching etc. that protect it, especially during packaging, distribution and storage; the barrier properties that protect from outside deteriorating agents (i.e. light, moisture, gas, oxygen, pathogens and spoiling agents) and also prevent loss of the product qualities such as freshness and aroma in the case of food; and finally, the substrate sealability that hermetically closes the flexible packaging.

Q: Where does laminating fit in the flexible packaging film process?

A: Lamination usually takes place after the substrate printing, and before reel slitting and subsequent processing on form-fill-seal machines. In less common instances where the web is printed externally, lamination is carried out before the substrate printing.

Q: In what applications would laminating be ideal?

A: Basically all applications where the product needs to be protected and its shelf life extended. This applies to a

Q: Are you seeing any new developments or techniques in laminating? If so, what are you noticing?

A: The trend in the packaging industry is to use less material and generate less waste to dispose of while extending the product shelf life. Hence new developments are particularly strong on the part of film and other consumable products.

In 2011 we held an open house dedicated to this topic whereby we ran demonstrations with the lamination of two compostable films using biodegradable adhesive. In terms of the coating technique most suitable with biodegradable materials, we carried out many tests using different coating methods in order to find the solution that better met two main requirements: coating the lower quantity of adhesive and achieving the best optical results of the laminated structure. The flexo coating system produced the best results with organic substrates and adhesives, achieving a speed that, although below the machine speed when handling conventional substrates, represented an excellent performance with the new materials.

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Smart Automation With British Encoders basic types of electrical output formats; incremental or absolute. Absolute encoders have a unique digitally coded output or address for every distinct position of the encoder.

Incremental encoders will output a count or pulse at periodic predetermined intervals and are the most used encoders.

Linear Measurement Solutions

The encoder is not just a rotary encoder. It is part of the automation system, thanks to which it is possible to determine the efficiency of various types of machines. With proper knowledge of encoder functionality and the ability to use them, it is possible to increase the company’s productivity - in other words, encoders save time and money and improve company results.

The encoder allows to control the movement, drive, and operation of individual machine components, and then - most importantly from a business perspective - to optimize operations. Without supervision provided by the encoder, motion optimization would not be possible.

BEPC encoders increasingly becoming the basic elements of automation systems due to the wide applicability but also the effects of their use. They are used, among others, in: - Machine building - Robotics - Automation and sorting - Aerospace - Food & Beverage - Printing - Material Handling - Mobile equipment, etc.

British Encoders Company offers two major types of encoders, linear measurement encoders, as the TR1 Tru-Trac™ or The Model LCX Draw Wire Encoder, and rotary encoders like the Model A58HE or A58SE which are an EtherCAT or PROFINETready.

Linear encoders have a read head and track, where the read head will slide along the track with a predetermined scale.

This will produce an output for distance travelled typically in pulses per inch (PPI).

A rotary encoder converts the angular movement of a rotational device and will have an output for rotation about the fixed axis typically in pulses per revolution (PPR). Within linear or rotary encoders there are two

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As the term implies, rotary encoders generally provide feedback for rotary motion.

However, with the addition of a measuring wheel, gear, or cable-draw assembly, a rotary encoder can also provide feedback for linear displacement or measurement.

BEPC offers a line of integrated linear measurement solutions.

They’re easy to install and deliver reliable, accurate feedback for applications such as cut-to-length, spooling, length measurement and print registration.

The TR1 Tru-Trac™ is a versatile solution for tracking velocity, position, or distance over a wide variety of surfaces in almost any application. An integrated encoder and spring-loaded measuring wheel assembly available in one, the TR1 is both easy-to-use and compact. Its spring-loaded torsion arm offers adjustable torsion load, allowing the TR1 to be mounted in almost any orientation — even upsidedown. The threaded shaft on the pivot axis is field reversible providing mounting access from either side. The TR1 housing is a durable, conductive composite material that minimizes static build-up. With operating speeds up to 3000 feet per minute and a wide ¬variety of configuration options, it’s easy to see the TR1 Tru-Trac™ is the ideal solution for countless applications.

The TR3 Heavy Duty Tru-Trac™ is an integrated heavy-duty encoder and spring-loaded measuring wheel assembly all in one, easy-to-use, compact unit.

Available in both single and optional dual-wheel format, the TR3 Heavy Duty Tru-Trac™ is a versatile solution for tracking velocity, position, or distance over a wide variety of surfaces in many industrial applications.

The TR3 Heavy Duty TruTrac™ housing is an all-metal workhorse, specifically designed to take on your toughest application environments at operating speeds up to 3000 feet per minute.

Draw wire solution Model LCX Available in wire lengths from one meter to 42.5 meters, the Model LCX Draw Wire is compatible with the following 58 mm shafted encoders with clamping flange: absolute encoder Model A58SE,which offers EtherCAT® and PROFINET® communication protocols; Model 758, a highperformance incremental encoder; and the Model 858S, a stainless steel incremental encoder. Choose the right encoder and wire length for your application.

PROFINET/ETHERCAT Profinet is a universal communication network based on the Industrial Ethernet standard. The Profinet network can be used in practically every area of industrial automation and enables communication at all levels of the implemented network structure.

Ready for Industry 4.0 and for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), data exchange between the Model A58HE and other applications has no influence on the control loop. The Model A58HE is non-reactive and can work independently from the PLC or master, transferring data through network gateways to other automation networks and sites, and up to the cloud for analysis.

The Models A58HE and A58SE are an EtherCAT or PROFINETready, multi-turn absolute encoders designed for harsh factory and plant environments.

They are particularly suited to applications where Ethernetbased connectivity is required, and the encoder must retain position information after power-off events. Easily designed into a wide variety of system applications, the Models A58SE and A58HE plugs directly into the network with minimal provisioning for rapid deployment, facilitating data exchange among myriad networked devices.

They can work in various configurations, including bus, ring, and star configurations that can continue communication in event of a line break. These reliable encoders retain absolute position information even after a power loss, facilitating speedy system recovery at start-up without the need for system re-homing.

Encoders are indispensable wherever precise measurement and supervision of speed, direction of travel, distance travelled, and position of mechanical elements or number of rotations performed is necessary. In any case, the encoder invariably affects the proper and efficient functioning of machines and systems. It is therefore a small investment in great profits of enterprises.

Whether it’s a feedback solution for a small stepper motor, a rugged shaft encoder with 95 lbs bearing loads, or a precision measuring wheel, BEPC has a variety of products to meet your needs.

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Altair Announces Chief Financial Officer Transition

Altair (Nasdaq: ALTR), a global technology company providing software and cloud solutions in the areas of simulation, data analytics, and high-performance computing (HPC), today announced that Matthew Brown has been appointed to serve as senior vice president, effective January 1, 2021, and will become Altair’s chief financial officer (CFO), on March 16, 2021. Brown will succeed Howard Morof, who will be stepping down from the CFO role on March 16, 2021 to pursue new opportunities and personal interests.

Brown previously served in finance leadership roles at NortonLifeLock, a leading consumer cyber safety company, including as interim CFO from November 2019 to July 2020.

Prior to that he served in finance leadership roles at Symantec, a leading provider of enterprise security software, from August 2016 to November 2019, most recently as vice president of finance and chief accounting officer. Earlier, Brown served in various finance roles at Blue Coat Systems, NETGEAR, and Brocade Communications, after beginning his career at

KPMG, LLP Brown is a certified public accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley.

“We are extremely excited to add Matt to our team,” said James R. Scapa, founder and chief executive officer of Altair.

“His experience in finance and accounting, as well as his commitment to business growth, position him to make significant contributions to our company. I expect that he will be a valued advisor to me and an important part of our growth and development.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining Altair at such an exciting point in the company’s history,” said Brown.

“Innovation and envisioning the future are at the core of Altair’s culture. I look forward to continuing that legacy while working alongside some of the industry’s smartest people to drive profitable growth and deliver value to our customers, partners, stockholders, and employees.”

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“I also want to take this opportunity to thank Howard Morof for his significant contributions to Altair over the past eight years, both as the head of our accounting and finance teams and as an important member of senior management,” said Scapa.

“With his leadership in guiding us through our IPO and helping us to develop a firm footing as a reporting company, Howard has been instrumental in developing our strong relationship with the investment community, founded on a solid reputation for integrity and credibility. I wish Howard much success in the future.”

“It has been a great pleasure to serve as CFO of Altair,” said Morof. “I have the utmost confidence in the organization, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such a talented and dedicated team of people.”

Altair is reaffirming its previously announced guidance for the fourth quarter and full year 2020 which was outlined in its third quarter 2020 earnings press release.

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Made Smarter-Supported Manufacturers Forecast 750 New Jobs From £12.6M Technology Investment

Manufacturers supported by Made Smarter, the movement helping SMEs join the Industry 4.0 revolution, are forecasting the creation of more than 750 new jobs from £12.6M of technology investment. Since launching two years ago, the North West technology adoption pilot has engaged with 1,131 businesses to help them introduce digital tools and technologies to help boost productivity and growth, and navigate the impact of Covid-19.

542 manufacturers have received intensive support including expert, impartial technology advice, digital transformation workshops to help manufacturers take their first steps to transform their business, a leadership programme, and funded digital technology internships.

126 businesses have secured £3.2M matched funding for 155 projects which are worth £12.6M after private sector investment.

These technology adoption projects are forecast to deliver an additional £118.9M in gross value added (GVA) for the North West economy over the next three years, create 761 new jobs, and upskill 1,585 existing roles.

Some manufacturers are developing projects using technologies which enable them to integrate systems, capture and analyse data, and even create simulations of their plants and processes.

Others are using 3D-printing, automation, and robotics to solve business challenges and meet increased demand. Over 80% of SMEs working with Made Smarter to adopt cuttingedge technologies have seen a boost in productivity, and more than 25% reduced their carbon emissions. Businesses will also benefit from increased revenue, profits and exports, and lower energy bills.

Among the latest wave of manufacturers to secure

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funding for technology projects are: Daedalian Glass, (Poulton-leFylde); Eluceda (Burnley); Energy Ace (Chorley); Fairbrother & Grimshaw Engineering (Blackburn); Tool Management Services (Accrington); Sandstone Wirral (Heswall); Generation Juice (Birkenhead); Brainboxes (Liverpool); Shand Higson and Co. (Knowsley); The Uniform Factory (Liverpool); Forest Sofa (Salford); Garton Ltd (Wigan); Norlin Compounding Services (Bolton); Northwest Crankshaft & Machine Ltd (Wigan); Pilot Group Infrastructure (Manchester); Crystal Doors (Rochdale); Rotite Technologies (Stretford); Visual Architects (Hyde); Effective CNC Solutions Ltd (Crewe); Garnett Farms Engineering (Knutsford); Technoprint (Winsford); and Wireco (Congleton).

Lefteris Angelidis, Managing Director of Visual Architects, a designer and manufacturer of event interiors based in Hyde, said: “Made Smarter has been

rocket fuel for our company.

With the programme’s support we have not only analysed where we are now but looked well into the future and mapped out a real solid direction.

“Made Smarter has also enabled us to invest into robotics, new machinery and a digital technology intern to assist us in advancing our company to the next level.

“Made smarter has been one of the most valuable assets a company could ask for.”

Matthew Harte, Managing Director of Eluceda, a detection technology business in Burnley, said: “With the support of Made Smarter, we have accelerated our development of a next generation solution to meet the demand for cheaper and simpler rapid testing and screening.

“Successful delivery of the project will have a significant transformational impact on thebusiness, increasing revenues, accelerating growth, creating jobs and developing new markets.”

Meanwhile, several manufacturers who have experienced the benefits of Made Smarter support, are taking the next step in their digitalisation journey including: Inscape Interiors (Chorley); Panaz (Burnley); Pendle Doors (Blackburn); The Protein Lab (Blackpool); Nutree Life (Preston); Openhouse Products (Birkenhead); Organica (UK) Ltd; (Wallasey); Beverston Engineering (Knowsley); Parity Medical (Birkenhead); Astropol (Wigan); Fabricon Design (Ashton-under-Lyne); Manchester Manufacturing Group (Denton); The Bury Black Pudding Co (Bury); Contactless Check Solutions (Maryport); and Storth (Holme).

Chris Wright, Managing Director of Astropol, a colour masterbatch and additive specialist based in Wigan, said: “With the support and advice of Made Smarter we have

been able to invest in data and systems integration projects which will connect our entire business, helping us achieve complete digitalisation.

“This will transform our business, giving us complete visualisation, transparency and access to real time data, which we can use to improve productivity, find efficiencies, achieve manufacturing excellence, and drive sales in home and export markets.”

Richard Morris, Production Director for the Bury Black Pudding Company, a food manufacturer, said: “We have identified a pathway to achieving that ambition which starts with data and systems integration, then analytics, and automation. Working with the team at Made Smarter has accelerated our plan by years.”

Juergen Maier CBE, Chair of Made Smarter, said: “I am delighted to see the positive impact that Made Smarter’s adoption pilot is having on individuals, businesses, the environment, and the UK economy. “In the tumultuous times we face, it can be tempting to simply cut costs rather than invest. Yet, in the long term, this approach runs the risk of businesses getting left behind. For the UK manufacturing sector to thrive and become a world leader, we need to find ways to encourage innovation and the adoption of digital technologies.”

As well as technology, Made Smarter has supported manufacturers to develop digital strategies and new skills.

91 manufacturers are targeting growth through innovation using Made Smarter’s digital transformation workshop process, a rapid and bespoke process designed to accelerate manufacturing growth by identifying digital tools and technologies that can maximise operational processes and enhance business growth.

64 of the region’s business leaders are now equipped with the vision and the skills to pursue smarter manufacturing through the Made Smarter Leadership programme, in partnership with Lancaster University and now also delivered by the University of Liverpool and Manchester Metropolitan University.

31 manufacturers have benefited from Made Smarter’s digital technology internships which offer students and graduates paid placements to work on live technology projects. Some have even secured jobs following their placement. Donna Edwards, North West Pilot Programme Director at Made Smarter, said: “Over the last two years the pilot has proven the value technology can bring to the manufacturing sector.

“We have helped hundreds of North West makers start their digital journey by providing them with specialist advice to help them select the right approach, level of investment and tools for their business.

“We have seen huge success with Made Smarter-supported businesses reporting growth, productivity and efficiency gains, job creation and highvalue jobs. We’re also playing a crucial role in helping the UK reach its ambitious aim of netzero greenhouse gases by 2050.

“Reaching 155 funded projects which will support 126 businesses create over 750 new jobs and the upskill almost 1,600 existing roles is a tremendous achievement.

“We are determined to continue reaching out to the region’s SME manufacturers to connect them to the tools that will make an everyday difference to their businesses. I would encourage manufacturers to contact Made Smarter to ensure they don’t miss out.”

For more information visit: www.madesmarter.uk

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Revolutionary Lab Technology Is Set For Launch Into The US Market from trials in the UK secures our vision that VIDA really is a product with massive potential.

We need more people to trial VIDA and experience first-hand this truly unique product.”

VIDA, a revolutionary data collection technology created for laboratories by Durham based equipment manufacturer, Martel Instruments has passed the necessary legal compliance standard to enable the product to be trialled and sold in the US. Having successfully trialled VIDA in laboratories throughout the UK, including Teesside University which reported 100% accuracy on all data collected, this regulation is a big milestone for the company. This takes the VIDA product to an international level, extending its possibilities to impact data collection in labs outside of the UK. VIDA is an automatic and electronic technology that has been created in collaboration with lab managers worldwide to help eliminate the risks that can be associated with manual data collection methods in labs, whilst also improving workflow and productivity. Created inhouse by Martel Instrument’s dedicated manufacturing team, VIDA is a product for an international market, now with the necessary compliance standard needed for use.

The regulation, Title 21CFR Part 11 is critical for any manufacturer approaching the US market who builds and supports systems that are used by companies in the life-science sector.

Established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this regulation defines the criteria under which Electronic Records and Electronic Signatures are considered trustworthy, reliable, and equivalent to paper records.

Joanne Hockaday, project manager for VIDA at Martel Instruments, said: “Since the launch of VIDA, we have been aiming to approach the US market as we knew we had created something with international potential. We have become absorbed in the laboratory market in the UK and realised the need for a product with VIDA’s data transfer capabilities, and what this means for improving data transfer within labs worldwide.

“Achieving this standard opens VIDA up to help more lab managers, teams and technicians, and for that we couldn’t be more thrilled. The feedback we’ve received so far

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During the Covid-19 pandemic period, Martel Instruments is utilising its online resources to virtually demonstrate the capabilities of VIDA with international labs. As well as attending overseas events virtually, Martel Instruments has also created a new VIDA website to accommodate international enquiries, an animation that highlights all of the benefits of the data collection technology, and are in the process of building a virtual reality experience so that VIDA can be demonstrated with lab managers, live online.

This means that despite the travel and meeting restrictions of 2020, VIDA is still able to be experienced and is available for trial.

VIDA is available for trial in labs in the UK and US to tackle the day-to-day-challenges for lab teams during data recording.

Inaccurate data recordings can lead to costly fines for lab teams and most processes currently are paper-based.

Martel Instruments arranges the sending, set up and return of its VIDA technology for labs who sign-up for its 30-day trial process.

VIDA is an innovation by Martel Instruments, a leading equipment manufacturer with 40 years of experience in making bespoke hardware, including thermal printers which formed the basis of the company’s offering. Martel Instruments works closely with its clients to tackle challenges within their industries, also offering ongoing support packages.

For more information visit: www.martelinstruments.com

Strainsert Inc. Announce New Load Pin Selection, Sizing, Traceability And Fast Delivery Resources on- demand. This is particularly useful for engineers involved in commissioning manuals and other documentation that requires certifying traceability of the measurements. Strainsert’s calibration facilities enable certification of all manufactured force sensors produced at its manufacturing site up to a capacity of 250 t (500,000 pounds) capacity.

These force measurements are performed in a controlled environment by a highlytrained and experienced staff and are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Ixthus Instrumentation are pleased to assist UK and Ireland customers with this service.

Strainsert’s load pins or clevis pins and other force measurement components feature a well proven sensor design that includes an innovative and patented internal gauging process. Its load pins, available as standard components or customised solutions, harness this sensor technology to provide precision force measurement feedback integrated into shear pins, clevis bolts, load pins and shear axles etc. The technology replaces existing pinned joint structural components with separate external load sensors such as used in load monitoring tasks for industrial, aerospace, automotive, marine, and military machinery and equipment.

The new resources are grouped as follows: - Custom load pin configurator, - On demand, force sensor calibration certificate service, - Selecting the optimal Strainsert load pin, - New quick ship program for CPA series force sensing load pins,

The new custom load pin configurator is a web based Java utility that allows engineers and designers to quickly and efficiently determine application feasibility by selecting one of six load pin configurations and simply inputting nominal dimensional and load parameters to generate a conceptual load pin design.

From this initial information Strainsert can complete and formalise a proposal through Ixthus that meets the application requirements.

This process may be assisted by reference to a new document available on the Ixthus website entitled Selecting the optimal Strainsert load pin. This 5-page resource identifies the necessary steps with hints and tips to determine the mechanical and electrical criteria required for a given application.

Where Strainsert’s force sensor calibration service is required customers that own the original force sensor the calibration was completed on can now access the information directly,

Strainsert has also announced a new quick ship program for a selection of its CPA series of force sensing load pins. The CPA series provides precision force measurement where structural pinned joint component are used and require monitoring.

Replacing the customers load pin component and its separate load sensor with a one-piece solution, the standard range is available in nominal pin diameters from 3/8” to 2.75” with load capacity up to 50 tons.

Several of the models are available from stock for fast delivery.Ixthus Instrumentation are pleased to assist UK and Ireland customers where urgent replacements are required for load pins and all types of load and force related components.

Also available, Strainsert’s CBA series load bolts feature threaded sections for more straightforward installation where required.

For further information please call +44 (0) 1327 353437, email info@ixthus.co.uk or visit: www.ixthus.co.uk.

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Another Exciting Addition To The JellyPipe 3D Printing Ecosystem From The United Kingdom

Jellypipe has just extended its reach from continental Europe into the United Kingdom and Ireland, a market that is obviously advanced in its use of 3D printing / additive manufacturing in pan-industrial prototyping and production applications. Momentum is really now beginning to build as the profile of Jellypipe has increased in the U.K. since its introduction a couple of months ago.

Incremental Engineering produces production quality nylon parts using the Hewlett Packard Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF) technology, and specialises in working with SMEs and fitting its 3D printing services into existing traditional supply chains.

Jerry Sutton, Technical Director at Incremental says, “As a 3D printing service provider, we work more as a traditional machine shop instead of relying purely on an on-line ordering system. We work collaboratively where we can, gathering as much information from our customers as possible in order to setup and fine tune builds for specific applications, and thereby providing consistently

good and reliable results. The sweet spot applications for us are those that replace short run injection moulded and machined parts. Typically we are working with SMEs who are looking to add the benefits of 3D printing into their workflow, looking at it as a complimentary technology for rapid prototyping or production of finished enduse parts using Nylon PA12.”

Incremental Engineering’s service opens up all the advantages of 3D printing for its customers and now also users of the Jellypipe platform. 3D printing requires no expensive and time-consuming tool fabrication, and set up costs are minimal. In addition, changes and design iterations are simple and don’t require new or adapted hard tooling, and all of this means that delivery times are substantially shorter than when using traditional manufacturing processes, in the order of days instead of weeks.

3D printing famously also has no minimum order quantity (meaning lower stock holding), and the manufacture of parts on demand means that they can be made more quickly to order from a digital inventory.

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Sutton continues, “For me the inherent advantages of 3D printing are compelling, but perhaps of most importance is the fact that the technology is not confined by geometric complexity, and as such can promote innovation in product design. And it is innovation that excites me and also attracted me to the Jellypipe on-line 3D printing ecosystem. The operating premise seems fresh and certainly new to the UK. It is also simple, which is key. Layering in experts to the ordering process will mean that the technology is applied correctly and will increase the likelihood that new entrants into ordering of 3D printed / additive parts will have greater success and recognise the benefits from adoption. This is how we operate as a company. We would rather turn down an order if the outcome is not realistic or coach the designer through to a successful resolution. We believe this to be crucial to the mass adoption of additive manufacturing in general industry, and Jellypipe will certainly be an important part of this process. In addition I like working with the Swiss as they are organised!”

Jellypipe aims to democratise the use of 3D printing and make it as simple as possible for a growing range of users to engage. The principal behind the platform is very simple, but is made possible by some extremely complex and intricate software which is the engine that makes using the platform so intuitive and rewarding commercially for all parts of the 3D printing ecosystem.

For more information please visit: www.jellypipe.com

Siemens Virtual Commissioning Tools Via Connected Curriculum Comes To Middlesex University’s Mechatronics Students’ Rescue advantage was its phenomenal connectivity. The system allowed connectivity to different technologies and hardware and software. We can use these digital techniques again for giving access to a much wider number of students to be able to get access to a system like this, particularly using Mindsphere.

We can also use this as a vehicle to train undergraduates in terms of being able to model digital twins.”

Siemens technology helped postgraduate MSc Mechatronic Systems Engineering students to complete a vital academic project after Covid-19 closed the campus and stopped them accessing any physical equipment in their labs.

A challenge common to many in industry because of the pandemic, the students’ only option was to design, develop, and test a solution in the virtual world before deploying and commissioning it remotely.

In this case to go from physical to virtual commissioning of their assessment task to prototype a conveyor belt system that acts as a segue between a robot arm and a Festo CP Factory.

To prepare students for a future where digital and advanced manufacturing technologies were combined, Siemens introduced its innovative Connected Curriculum initiative in 2019 in partnership with Festo, a global leader in automation and technical training.

Connected Curriculum bundles industrial hardware and software with simulation environments, data, curriculum examples, case studies, and reallife problem-solving tutorials.

The initiative was created because the rapid pace of technology development means the only way academia can keep-up is by partnering more closely with industry.

Steve Jones, the lead for Connected Curriculum program at Siemens, commented: “It was a challenging assignment, but one that these students will actually face in industry.

In Siemens we see these challenges every day and Connected Curriculum is our way of helping the next generation of graduates have a head start by working on real world problems with real world tools”.

Luke Bennett, Associate Lecturer in Design Engineering at Middlesex University, said: “This is the first time we applied the remote solution. The main

According to Bennett, the main challenge was access to hardware, a key requirement for any student. But thanks to Connected Curriculum, they could get access to hardware remotely. The students chose to use Siemens NX Mechatonrics Concept Designer with TIA Portal and PLCSim advanced to produce a ‘digital twin’ of their solution, which mirrored exactly the physical hardware in the inaccessible labs.

Professor Mehmet Karamanoglu, Head of Department of Design Engineering and Mathematics, said: “It’s been a rewarding learning curve for all parties involved. I was delighted by the results, especially since the students benefited greatly. I imagine the prototype will be used for other ongoing projects, but no specific plans yet. We believe the bespoke layer that the prototype has given us will certainly open up new possibilities across sectors.”

The students, who were initially concerned about their ability to complete their project, were impressed by the versatility of the solution.

Connected Curriculum is a solution that is available to all universities and is part of a package of support from Siemens to help bring industrial insight and experience to all learners.

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Bearing Manufacturer Michell Bearings Celebrates 100 Years

In 1905, prior to the incorporation of Michell Bearings, founder A.G.M Michell registered patents in Britain and Australia for his tilting pad bearing invention, a concept which is widely used around the world today. Now employing 182 people from manufacturing sites in the UK and India, as well as a global sales network, Michell Bearings began life with co-ownership between A.G.M Michell and Henry Thornton Newbigin, as well as four major shipbuilders in the North East of England; Cammell Laird & Co., Vickers, John Brown & Co. and Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co.

The fact that the business has reached this significant milestone is a tribute to everyone, past and present, who has dedicated themselves to the success of the company.

The adoption of Michell’s tilting pad thrust block was revolutionary during the First World War. By the end of the war, Michell’s more elegant state of the art design had replaced the larger, less reliable fore runners and it was estimated that the direct annual saving to the Royal Navy in coal and oil was around £800,000, which is the equivalent to £82 million today. Steve Dixon, CEO at Michell Bearings, said: “It is a privilege for us all to be part of history as we celebrate 100 years since the incorporation of Michell Bearings.

The company occupied premises on Scotswood Road, Newcastle, where it was owned

by Vickers and subsequently Rolls Royce until 2015. Now a member of the British Engines Group, Michell Bearings moved to its current facility in South Shields in 2015. Since the takeover, the company has seen considerable investment in both the UK and Indian facilities.

Michell Bearings India commenced production in 1995 within a 4,500 square meter manufacturing facility in Bangalore. Currently employing 59 members of staff, the facility

“The hard work of our employees is greatly appreciated and our efforts today are crucial to ensuring that Michell Bearings prospers for generations to come. “There’s no doubt it’s an unusual time to celebrate this centenary, and of course we are disappointed that we can’t have a bigger celebration. But it’s important that we come together in some way mark this special occasion.”

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plays a vital role within the business’ industrial market replicating the state-of-theart manufacturing methods, CNC capability and cutting tool technology used in the UK. In recent years, Michell Bearings has continued to grow and expand in markets such as hydropower, nuclear power and naval propulsion resulting in record sales in the last financial year. The past two years have seen the company manufacture its fastest self-contained bearing within the nuclear power industry, largest thrust block for naval propulsion, and largest horizontal bearing for a civil aerospace development application.

More recently, bearings for a nuclear reactor cooling pump application have successfully completed a station black out (SBO) test at the Michell Bearings facility. It is thought to be one of the world’s first successful tests in this context.

The SBO test simulates an environment where a nuclear power station loses all electrical power and the successful operation of the bearings is key to maintain the safe onward operation of the nuclear reactor. www.michellbearings.com

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Harnessing The Power Of Smart Checkweighting Technology

The global market outlook for automatic checkweighers is strong, with industry reports predicting a rapid growth of approximately 4.6% CAGR each year between 2019 and 2027. The projected expansion of this sector is likely to be propelled by a number of factors, from awareness among FMCG manufacturers about the deployment benefits of checkweighing technology to strict regulatory mandates regarding the packaging of food products.

DRIVING DOWN COSTS WITH COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Greater efficiency can be achieved through the use of current network techniques, with high-speed communication technologies such as a secure Ethernet capable of integrating checkweighers into groups.

These results can be pooled across multiple lines of identical product groups and pack sizes to calculate an average batch weight.

And yet, there is still plenty of untapped potential for the utilisation of automation and data collection at this critical point in the food production process. More modern machines have refined the process beyond achieving high speeds, providing significant feedback data needed for quality control and interfacing with other machinery to make adjustments autonomously. When used in the right way, the upfront cost of a checkweighing machine will soon provide a return on investment.

In this instance, consider the units as a finely-tuned orchestra containing separate musicians who work in harmony as one.

A group of checkweighers with Ethernet connection processing identical products and packages can be regarded as one line for the purposes of weight control. This means one line can augment the results of another.

For example, if one system has an average weight below the declared quantity of a product, taken alone the checkweigher would have to reject packs

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to bring that average up.

However, virtual checkweighing allows this machine to be complemented with another unit that is running with a high average weight. Upon inspecting each pack, the checkweigher broadcasts the average weight so far in the batch. Concurrently, it listens to the broadcasts via an Ethernet local area network from the other units of the same group.

The checkweigher then calculates the average weight of the group and automatically decides whether or not to reject each pack based on overall performance.

The result? A reduction of unnecessary rejects and subsequent wasted product.

These benefits are highly valuable to any manufacturing plant, particularly as those in the food sector face increasing pressure from all directions.

False rejects remain a significant issue within the industry. Not only do they have implications for accurate pack weight control, but also for profitability.

Lower factory yield due to repeated false rejects frequently undermine the cost-effectiveness of an entire operation, while repeated stoppages and trouble-shooting will incur unnecessary costs.

Market estimates put the cost per line of false rejects at over ÂŁ11,000, depending on the scale of the problem. These statistics serve to highlight the impact checkweighing technology and communication software can have on efficiency and, when used in the right way, can lead to significant bottom line savings.

INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY FOR FULL TRACEABILITY Besides reducing false rejects and product waste, the use of modern network technologies allow for automatic data transmission. With integrated data collection software, everything from trends, pack rates and live OEE data is instantly reported. Production and QA personnel can then utilise the information to monitor and fine-tune production line performance, even prior to the weight check process.

As an example, if a meat manufacturer finds inconsistencies in the size of meatballs, this indicates that the processing machinery is not running accurately. Beyond highlighting this fault, precision systems, such as Sparc’s Sentinel checkweigher, provide a

controlled feedback signal to upstream automation equipment used to portion food products. This signal specifies when to increase or decrease the fill quantity accordingly, eliminating the need for human intervention.

These benefits are made all the more prevalent when integrated with existing or combined inspection technologies such as metal detection and x-ray.

The inspection machines market is projected to rise at a CAGR of 5.5% between now and 2024, with combination systems estimated to grow the most during the forecast period. A number of factors are attributed to outlook reports, from demand for inline product inspection to growing need to comply with GMP requirements and smaller factory footprints.

Combination systems bring food factories one step closer to the vision of a smart factory, whereby connected devices work alongside each other to reduce contamination, ensure food safety compliance and boost traceability and efficiency. With this vision in mind, Sparc recently assisted in the collaboration with Fortress Technology to unveil the Raptor Combi - a flexible, fast and affordable fully integrated checkweigher and metal detector. The Raptor’s universal design gives manufacturers the option to purchase a standalone Sparc checkweigher, and attach

a complimentary Fortress Stealth metal detector at a later date to meet different phases of a production and inspection investment strategy. Featuring a single swipe touchscreen HMI and paperless audit software with unlimited preprogrammed retailer Codes of Practice, the system captures all the data required to guarantee absolute traceability. Given that most food manufacturers supply multiple retailers, automating the test principles increases speed and accuracy, leading to cost savings down the line.

THE FACTORY OF THE FUTURE Flexibility is also important to consider when specifying checkweighing technology - and is one where smart, automated features can help. As well as retailer COP parameters, an HMI touchscreen panel used to calibrate numerous inspection machines within the same food factory addresses the increased need for visual packaging control due to smaller batch sizes and the avoidance of mistakes during product switchovers.

Integrated technology that provides access to machine functions with the click of a button reduces the changeover time of different products, pack sizes and formats while ensuring consistent compliance with international weight and measurement standards. In some cases, up to 50% less time is required for set-up as all features are accessible from one screen.

Although widely embraced by consumers, deployment of digital technologies in industrial settings, particularly multi-site food factories has been slower to materialise. Yet things are shifting as manufacturers are waking up to the benefits of smart technology. In the case of checkweighing inspection systems, incorporating greater interoperability, enhanced information transparency and decentralised decisions paves the path to the factory of the future.

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FPT Industrial And Slow Food Support Sustainable Food Production Communities

Big changes often start with a little step, and it is these small steps that often produce a considerable and decisive impact both at local and global level. And when the challenge is to convince people to believe in a more responsible and sustainable way of both producing and consuming resources – be they fuel, energy or food – winning people’s hearts one by one seems to be the best way.

Sharing and having already put into practice this approach, FPT Industrial has teamed up with Slow Food to support two local communities, in Italy and in France, in order to facilitate and accelerate their journey towards change. Founded in 1989, Slow Food is a global grassroots organization, established to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, counteract the rise of the so called ‘fast lifestyle’ and to combat people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from and how our food choices affect the world

around us. Since its beginnings, Slow Food has grown into a global movement involving millions of people in over 160 countries, working to ensure everyone has access to good, clean and fair food.

FPT Industrial chose to partner with Slow Food in order to strongly reaffirm, at local level, its long-time commitment to sustainability; a commitment demonstrated not only through the production of low-impact, high-performance engines, but also with sustainability projects and concrete actions, such as “Fishing for Plastic”, the initiative enabled three tons of plastic to be retrieved from the seas of San Benedetto del Tronto (Italy), and Urban Forestry, a reforestation project involving the planting of 1,000 trees of 32 native species in the Basse di Stura area to the north of Turin (Italy).

The two communities jointly selected by FPT Industrial and Slow Food are the cooperatives Valdibella and NoE in Sicily and

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La Seyne-sur-Mer Prud’homie in the Var Department in France.

The Valdibella cooperative, in the Italian region of Sicily, operates in the production and transformation of biological food. Its 41 members favor the farming of local and ancient varieties and use sustainable agriculture approaches through conservation cultivation methods in order to maintain natural soil fertility. The NoE (No Emargination) cooperative was founded in 1993 and deals with social inclusion of disabled people. In 1998 the city of Partinico entrusted it with a plot of confiscated land from the mafia. This land was converted into biological agriculture fields, cultivated with olive trees, vegetables and arable crops.

FPT Industrial and Slow Food will support the two cooperatives in their projects focused on the creation of a “food forest” reproducing the natural eco-system and capable of diversifying food production while preserving the landscape, and to create a free and

autonomous supply chain model, to deliver high quality biological food to everybody at an affordable price.

The La Seyne-sur-Mer Prud’homie is one of the 33 prud’homies (fishing collectives) present along France’s Mediterranean coast.

These collective organizations, tied to specific geographic areas, evolved out of medieval trade guilds and have been used to manage French marine resources for over ten centuries. The prud’homies play an essential control and conservation role in marine zones, preserving a historic cultural model and participating in everyday port life. About 20 fishermen, some of them working with FPT Industrial powered boats, are committed to sustainable fishing and to passing these virtuous traditions on to younger generations through the strengthening of the local supply chain.

Through the FPT Industrial and Slow Food support, the community will be able to upgrade its infrastructure, with special attention for those devoted to maintaining the cold chain and to improving fish management, as well as to create additional local jobs.

These two projects are an important opportunity for FPT Industrial to promote the brand and the product portfolio, including the related sustainability initiatives.

“Having led some of the most prestigious World Sustainability Indices over the last decade, declared Daniela Ropolo, Head of Sustainable Development Initiatives at CNH Industrial, “Also means demonstrating, day by day, true interest and concrete support for all those initiatives which can produce a tangible change in people’s and communities’ lives, be they big or small. In exactly the same way as the $2 million global Solidarity Fund initiative CNH Industrial has set up to support the fight against Covid-19 in communities where businesses have been affected by the virus.”

“The strong proximity of these two communities’ fields of action with two of our main businesses, marine and agricultural engines,” stated Egle Panzella, Brand Equity, Sustainability, and Heritage manager of FPT Industrial, “acted like a starter and ignited a real enthusiasm among all involved into this project.

To have the opportunity to contribute to making a

difference, helping people committed to a healthier, more just and more sustainable way of living and producing is part of FPT Industrial’s DNA and mission. And doing this in partnership with Slow Food is a real privilege.” “Slow Food believes food is tied to many other aspects of life, including culture, politics, agriculture and the environment,” commented Francesco Sottile of Slow Food.

“Through our food choices we can collectively influence how food is cultivated, produced and distributed, and change the world as a result. These projects had already started, but they needed ‘to accelerate’ in order to show that the right way is the right choice. That’s why we, in cooperation and collaboration with our partners and supporters, decided to finance them. Because the change has to happen: and happen now.”

FPT Industrial offers the most complete Natural Gas engines line-up on the market for industrial applications, including engine ranges from 136 hp up to 460 hp. This extensive offer and a close focus on R&D activities make FPT Industrial a world leader in industrial powertrains.

For further information visit: www.fptindustrial.com.

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The Critical Role Of Validation In Micro Molding

Dave O’Leary, Quality Director, Accumold This article examines the role of metrology and validation in a micro molding-based product development program.

It is well understood that for micro molding success, it is important that customers seek out and work with truly vertically integrated micro molding partners. Accumold is a vertically integrated company from the quote, to design for manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Micro Molding (DfMM) assessment, tool design and build, automation design and build, automated visual inspection design and programming, and steel and part measurement. The company has always seen the value in being able to control the tool design and build, molding, and process validation

in-house. The real value is being able to work with a customer and react to changes in a project quickly. By so doing, it is possible to control priorities in-house, and there is no necessity to rely on a third party or series of third party when it is important to react in an agile way to product development changes.

NO LONGER A NECESSARY EVIL The importance of the validation aspect of the offering is often not given the level of importance that it should have, but when you consider the old adage, “if you cannot measure it you cannot make it”, its fundamental role in a successful, cost-effective, and “on time” product development process is obvious.

Measurement should be a central consideration in

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every quote issued by a micro molder. If a micro molder can make the steel micro tool, and subsequently mold the part, sure as night follows day it will need to be measured.

As such, necessarily, process development and qualification — which includes measurement development and qualification — must be included in any customer quote.

Measurement development time, and Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (Gage R&R) are vital and extremely valuable for micro molding customers, and a micro molder should work closely with the customer on model and print interpretation and DFM — more precisely DfMM — during the product development process. The measurement processes must be assessed and validated as the molding process is qualified.

Very often, with measurement taking this central role, it moves from a necessary evil to an enabling technology, and at Accumold the metrology department has been successful helping customers improve their design, re-dimension prints, and better use Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) so that the part design is easier to mold, easier to measure, and performs better for the end user.

THE KEY CHALLENGES Very often in a micro molding scenario, metrology and validation-related issues can be challenging. Key areas of complexity include part size, part fixturing, print tolerances, and surface roughness.

Of these, part size is the key challenge. Micro molded parts can be dimensioned in microns, with features that only become visible under 10x (or greater) magnification. With such small part sizes, metrology methods need to be non-contact such as vision, laser, and white light.

Another challenge is how best to fixture the part that is being measured so repeatable and reproducible measurements can be achieved from program or manual measurement processes. At Accumold, we design and manufacture steel or 3D plastic custom fixtures designed to hold parts in various orientations to ensure we can measure all the features on a part.

Surface roughness is another critical metrology challenge because of the small size and critical finish requirements.

Non-contact metrology tools are vital for such applications, tactile tools having the potential to compromise surface integrity.

At Accumold we use several non-contact metrology methods including vision (camera), laser, and white light interferometry.

We use Optical Gaging Products (OGP) multi-sensor equipment with vision, laser and touch trigger capability to measure dimensions on mold steel and parts using X, Y, and Z

coordinates; GD&T — using Measuremind software (and comparison to the part 3D model using Zone3 software); and ZYGO coherence scanning interferometers to measure fine details including Z heights, 3D surface finish, and lens dimensions. In addition, we sometimes use laser, vision, and white light measurement techniques on a single part based on the part size, feature size, surface finish requirements, and tolerance limits.

We are routinely measuring parts with tolerances less than 10 microns.

IN-LAB OR IN-PROCESS Typically, the conversation when looking at the optimum use of metrology in advanced manufacturing settings today is between its use in the lab or in-process. Ultimately, a key driver for the shift from in-lab to in-process is a desire for a “faster time to data,� and more importantly, the ability to make decisions as a result of that data faster.

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Accumold prefers to perform measurements as close to production (in-process) as practical with a metrology system that is repeatable and reproducible. The company continually assesses the metrology requirements during a specific product development process including the number of critical features/dimensions, tolerance requirements, part geometry, measurement systems available (lab and in-process), estimated part volume/run rate, cost of parts, and potential for scrap if measurements are delayed.

With some projects it is important to work with a customer to identify critical features/dimensions, develop a measurement process on a OGP machine, prove the measurement method utilizing a fixture and programs as repeatable and reproducible, buy duplicate OGP machines and deploy the machines, fixture, and programs and trained production personnel to operate the machines and collect data in the production room. However, sometimes project details require measurements to be done in a lab environment. When lab measurements are required, it is important to establish processes for part handling and delivery, prioritization of part measurements (FIFO, customer promise date, etc‌), measurement method (fixture, machine, programs, manual), data collection, and reporting of results to production. All metrology requirements including equipment (fixture, machines), methods (program, manual), data collection (automatic, manual) and reporting (automatic, email, data load) are included in part specific control plans.

AN ENABLING TECHNOLOGY Here and now, metrology is truly an enabling technology. The metrology tools available in 2020 are far superior to those that we had at our fingertips even ten years ago. Today, the technology we use provides invaluable insight concerning the demanding micro size tooling and parts required to meet customer needs. Metrology equipment and skills are used to measure steel details in the mold, part features/dimensions to ensure the parts meet print tolerance, and to ensure we have a capable process.Intense design of experiments, stress runs, operational qualification and production qualification runs are undertaken to assess dimensional capability to our internal or customer Cp, Cpk, Pp and Ppk requirements to values of 1.0, 1.33 and 1.67 as required for the project.

Using the metrology equipment and expertise in house at Accumold, we can provide data and immediate feedback that help determine if steel in the mold is acceptable or if adjustments are required.

Metrology technology is constantly evolving and it is important to actively assesses new technology with online/onsite or remote demonstrations. We utilize automated vision inspection (AVI) on the press, on robots and in our metrology equipment.

We have state of the art vision and laser measurement capability and white light interferometer equipment that is non-contact to measure micro features and surface roughness.

The expertise and experience in our design, mold and automation build, production/ process, and quality assurance personnel is critical to success.

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OPTICAL METROLOGY There is no doubt that industry’s perceptions of optical metrology systems have changed in recent years, and its uptake is growing substantially yearon-year. There are obvious reasons for this, key among which is its ability to measure without damaging surfaces or features on sometimes delicate components. However, optical metrology also stimulates the move to greater automation in manufacturing due to its inherent speed when compared to contact systems, and also the fact that it can quickly undertake full-field measurement rather than focusing on specific part features one at a time.

At Accumold, we use ZYGO optical profilers, a NewView 7300 and a NewView 8300. We use both machines to measure 3D surface roughness, lens characteristics to an aspheric lens equation, and critical Z height dimensions. The data we get from the ZYGO equipment has been critical in proving our molding and measurement capability to very demanding customers. We have also shared the data available from the ZYGO tools with customers so they can do their own analysis in other software such as MATLAB or MountainsMap. The main reason for selecting ZYGO was the ability to accurately measure parts made from clear resins and other high temperature resins used to mold lenses. The competing technologies struggled with clear resins, and a few didn’t generate the data necessary that we needed for analysis.

For more information on Accumold please visit: www.accu-mold.com

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NSK Bearings Offer 4.5 Times More Life On Bakery Oven Fan

Failures of the pillow-block mounted bearing units were causing significant disruption to the bun production line at the bakery, leading to high downtime costs and spoilt product. With bearing failures occurring every 6 weeks, the management team invited NSK’s team of experts to investigate the issue as part of its AIP Added Value Programme.

Upon completion of a full application review and failed bearing analysis, NSK engineers concluded that the bearings were seizing from excessive preloading and the use of incorrect lubricant. It was concluded that the existing bearings were inadequate for the operating conditions of the oven fan unit, which is belt-driven in a vertical orientation, and that improved reliability would result from more informed bearing selection/design. Fan reliability is vital as it recirculates air within the oven to ensure uniform temperature and evenly baked products.

NSK proposed the adoption of its SNN series plummer blocks with high-performance standard (HPS) spherical roller bearings and labyrinth seals, and

recommended the correct bearing location, radial internal clearance (RIC) and lubrication. This solution would give significantly higher axial and radial load support, aided by a ‘floating’ arrangement to accommodate thermal expansion of the shaft and tolerate any fan imbalance (dynamic misalignment).

A trial was conducted and the solution resulted in an immediate improvement, with bearing life extended from 6 to 27 weeks, thus reducing both machine downtime and maintenance costs.

Modular SNN series plummer blocks have been developed for use in unfavourable application conditions. Maintenance is simple due the precisionengineered split housing that ensures easy bearing replacement. Re-lubrication is possible via two boreholes, while an escape hole means that excessive grease accumulation is avoided.

Additional advantages of SNN series plummer blocks include high rigidity (to minimise deformation of the bearing seat) and good heat dissipation.

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Mounted units can be supplied for shaft diameters from 20 to 140 mm.

Supplied with a steel or brass cage, features of NSKHPS spherical roller bearings include optimum raceway design and surface finishing, as well as temperature stability up to 200°C. NSKHPS bearings also offer 25% higher dynamic load rating – important in the oven fan application – and up to 20% higher limiting speed.

In combination with the SNN series plummer blocks, NSKHPS bearings enabled the bakery to make large cost savings via fewer bearing replacements, less breakdowns, reduced maintenance technician costs and less spoilt product, ultimately leading to improved production efficiency and better equipment reliability.

For more information, visit: www.nsk.com

New Amphyon 2021 Release To Include New Thermal Adaption Module

Additive Works, a leading provider of highly usable solutions for additive manufacturing and laser beam melting (LBM) technology, released Amphyon 2021, the latest version of the company’s simulation-driven process software for powder bed-based, laser beam melting additive manufacturing processes.

Among several other major enhancements, the 2021 version includes the new Thermal Adaption Module for job preparation based on thermal process simulation data.

The Thermal Adaptation Module allows users to solve problems induced by increasing temperature during the LBM process by adapting the layer times. As this is usually avoided by using fixed minimum layer times that slow down the entire process, the use of simulation to calculate the individual waiting times per layer significantly reduces the process duration.

Furthermore, for complex build jobs, engineers can easily derive the right layer times to achieve reproduceable shapes and material properties across different nesting and build job setups.

In laser powder bed fusion processes, metal powder is

solidified to layers by selectively melting cross sections of a geometry. For the generation of components, layers are added on top of previous layers.

Depending on the geometry, nesting, process parameters, etc. of a build job, temperature may increase significantly with the height of the component leading to insufficient part quality. For multi-laser and large machines, in particular, that inputs a vast amount of energy into a workpiece within a short amount of time, this is problematic. As a result, processes need to be slowed down again to create reproduceable and reliable results. But what is the right temperature range and how long do you have to wait to avoid the known issues without unnecessarily slowing down the process?

The answers to these questions can now be found with the new Thermal Adaption Module added to Amphyon, Additive Works’ solution for simulationbased job preparation. Using Amphyon’s thermal simulation and optimization capabilities, a target temperature can be entered before the simulations start. Based on that target temperature, build rates will be adapted automatically,

preventing temperatures exceeding the target temperature in all components.

By using a virtual physics-based approach rather than trial and error, waiting times for each individual layer can be precisely determined. Hence, the additional time for each layer corresponds with the time it takes to cool down to the target temperature. For layers where overheating is not observed (e.g. close to the base plate), no additional time is added, of course.

“In addition to many other enhancements of Amphyon 2021, such as an improved material handling, the new Thermal Adaptation Module is a game changer,” said Dr. Hongxiao Xu, CTO at Additive Works. “Ensuring thermally stable LPBF processes without sacrificing lead times to a fixed minimum layer time will expand the boundaries of AM business cases.”

Saving failed builds and manual process preparation time, Amphyon’s capabilities tremendously reduce the costs of metal additive manufacturing.

For more information visit: www.additive.works

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The Cage-Guided Needle Roller Bearing From Schaeffler

- In 1950, the idea of a cageguided needle roller bearing conceived by Dr.-Ing. E.h. Georg Schaeffler was filed as a patent application, which revolutionised bearing technology - Georg F. W. Schaeffler: “One of the most important innovations in our company’s history as an automotive and industrial supplier” - The cage-guided needle roller bearing also plays an exceptional role in topics of future importance, such as collaborative robotics and electromobility - More than 100 billion Schaeffler needle roller bearings have already been sold Birmingham, UK | 09. December 2020 | 70 years ago, Dr.-Ing. E.h.

Georg Schaeffler revolutionised bearing technology. The idea: to improve guidance of the needles in the needle roller bearing by using a cage. The first practical tests involving cage-guided needle roller bearings began in February 1950. The results were convincing – the components exhibited extremely low wear and friction. The application for

a patent in September 1950 laid the foundation for the product’s success. In February 1951, just one year after construction of the first prototype, the first volume production orders were obtained from automotive manufacturers, and use in industrial applications was to follow. “With this invention, my father, Georg Schaeffler, laid the foundation for the rapid growth of our company. The cageguided needle roller bearing is one of the most important innovations in our company’s history as an automotive and industrial supplier,” says Georg F. W. Schaeffler, Family Shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

“The development of this very product is, in itself, an impressive example of what sets us apart: we have utilised all synergies in the cage-guided needle roller bearing, which will allow us to serve all relevant target markets with this innovative product and generate real customer benefits – in both the automotive and the industrial sector.”

Higher speeds with less friction With the invention Dr.-Ing. E.h.

Georg Schaeffler eliminated the serious disadvantages

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associated with the full complement needle roller bearings that had previously been used as standard – the long needle rollers tended to move in a transverse direction during rotation of the bearing (skewing), which would then cause the bearing to jam.

Furthermore, a substantial amount of sliding friction was generated between the counter-rotating needle rollers.

The development of the new needle cage overcame these disadvantages and permitted considerably higher speeds and less friction. This allowed engineers to substitute other bearing designs for cageguided needle roller bearings and significantly improve the performance of their applications.

In particular, needle roller bearings made an invaluable contribution to the development of small, high-performance, and affordable vehicles. “Without reliable needle roller bearings, modern automotive drives would still be inconceivable today,” says Matthias Zink, CEO Automotive Technologies at Schaeffler. The use of needle roller bearings in mechanical

and plant engineering, construction and agricultural machinery, and in conveyor technology, was also being gradually introduced.

Role in future markets Needle roller bearings will continue to play a key role in the future. In e-mobility, needle roller bearings are vital for the function of numerous electrified transmissions. Needle roller and cage assemblies facilitate bearing arrangements with a minimal design envelope, since their section height only corresponds to the diameter of the needle rollers. In addition, they have a high load carrying capacity and are inexpensive compared with other bearing designs. KZK needle roller bearings (crank pin cages) are used, for example, in e-axles with a coaxial design. One

application example is the Schaeffler e-axle drive, which has been produced for the Audi e-tron since 2018. In industry too, where lightweight robots are increasingly in demand, the use of needle bearings permits light and compact joint designs by means of downsizing.

The needle bearings provide minimal variability and the highest level of safety. The most recent example is the angular contact needle roller bearing XZU from Schaeffler, which is used both as an articulated arm bearing in lightweight robots and cobots, and as the main bearing arrangement in the new RTWH precision gearbox, a ready-to-install reduction gear unit for robot joints.

Technological development What originally started life as an ingenious idea by Dr.-Ing.E.h.

Georg Schaeffler, has been continuously developed by Schaeffler engineers over the course of 70 years, both in terms of performance and the variety of available types. Compared to a machined needle roller bearing from the 1950s, the operating life for bearings with the same dimensions has increased 15fold, and the static load carrying capacity has tripled. The power density, which has been enormously improved thanks to the needle roller and cage assembly, offers considerable downsizing potential for applications that are easier on energy and resources.

There has also been a steady increase in the variety of types. Today, the Schaeffler needle roller bearing portfolio comprises more than 15,000 variants to fulfill a wide variety of requirements. Since the patent application was filed 70 years ago, Schaeffler has sold a total of more than 100 billion needle roller bearings. The length of the wires used in the production of 60 billion needle roller bearings annually would be sufficient to wind around the earth’s equator 18 times. Almost 170 million needle rollers are produced from this wire every day.

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FPT Industrial Partners With Green Pea The First Green Retail Park in The World

Leading energy transition towards an increasingly sustainable transport model not only requires expertise and state-of-the-art technology, but also practical and accessible solutions that demonstrate that an environmentally conscious way of living and consuming is achievable in the present and not just a vision for the future.

These are the reasons that led FPT Industrial to become a partner of Green Pea - the first Green Retail Park in the world - whose inauguration is scheduled on 9th December in Turin, next to Eataly in the Lingotto area.

Green Pea was born from an idea of Oscar Farinetti and is entirely built of recycled and recyclable materials, according to the philosophy of second life, as well as being completely dismantlable. The place is dedicated to the theme of “Respect” and to a new way of consuming, offering highquality sustainable products and services on 15,000 sqm spread over five floors, mainly Made in Italy, but with low

or no environmental impact.

66 shops, a museum, three restaurants, a swimming pool, a spa, and a Club dedicated to creative idleness are there for visitors to enjoy. In addition to its commercial aspect, Green Pea offers experiences, events, and all the services necessary and available to live Green.

FPT Industrial has a large exhibition area inside the Green Pea Discovery Museum, which the brand has interpreted as an educational area where the public can be brought closer to the themes of technology, sustainable mobility, and the scenarios of a city of the future.

The Cursor X - a concept of the engine of the future designed for Planet Earth - will be put on display, scenically suspended from the ceiling like a real art installation and surrounded by four screens that tell of its genesis, particularities, and uses.

The Cursor X is distinguished by four main features, effectively summarized as Multi-power, Modular, Multi-application, and Mindful. Multi-power because it can use any energy for any

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mission. It can be powered entirely by electric batteries, with a range of 200 km in urban deliveries. But it can also be a natural gas plug-in hybrid, with a range of 400 km, ideal for medium-range transport.

Finally, with hydrogen cells, it can reach a range of 800 km for heavy load missions over long distances. Modular, because with a single-engine, the same size as an internal combustion engine, it allows for customized performances which are adapted to the needs of agriculture, transport, construction, marine and power-generation applications, and mobility in general. Multiapplication, because it offers infinite possibilities, being able to power auxiliary systems, tools, and power sockets on any type of machine or industrial vehicle. And finally, Mindful, because it was designed to have self- learning skills and to deliver a significant amount of information. It can be equipped with processors and sensors that recognize anomalies, analyze wear and tear and foresee maintenance interventions. It is designed for Planet Earth because its intelligence isa fundamental resource for reducing consumption and cutting CO2 emissions to zero.

“Over the course of our history we have introduced technological innovations that have revolutionized and made the powertrain sector ever more sustainable,” says Carlo Moroni, Head of Communication at FPT Industrial. “We have over 25 years of experience in natural gas engines, and we continue to constantly study new forms of alternative propulsion, concentrating as much as possible on the issue of emissions, such as hydrogen fuel cells, electrification projects, and hybrid systems.

For more information visit: www.fptindustrial.com.

Power Integrations’ New MinE-CAP IC Reduces Volume Of AC-DC Converters By Up To 40%

VI-grade, a leading provider of best-in-class software products and services for advanced applications in the field of system level simulation, introduces VI-WorldSim, a highresolution graphic environment for accelerated vehicle development dedicated to the high-end automotive market.

The new VI-WorldSim software features a user-friendly and fully integrated graphic environment on VI-grade Driving Simulators with realistic traffic and sensor behavior. The software not only brings traditional track modeling to a higher level of realism based on the Unreal high-performance graphic engine but also adds the features needed to test on CAV sites, urban environments, and public roads for ADAS and Autonomous Vehicle Testing. VI-WorldSim features include traffic, pedestrians, lighting, weather, and sensors to enable users to create and test scenarios for vehicle development programs through an intuitive and easyto-use desktop editor. Cars, pedestrians, and animals are

AI-driven actors who follow normal routes or can be controlled through the definition of specific behaviors.

“It became clear to us that the ADAS market was demanding Driver Simulators with greater workspaces, more sustained motion cues, and a much more immersive and fully integrated, real-time visual environment for urban driving. Users wanted a visual environment that unites the high frame-rate rendering capabilities of our VI-GraphSim software with very modern and realistic traffic and sensor simulation as well as urban roadway content displayed in a high-quality rendering engine,” said Guido Bairati, VP of Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “We then turned toward software providers for autonomous vehicles and discovered RightHook, a Silicon Valley company that shares our values and has deep expertise in multi-agent traffic simulation, sensor simulation, and deep capabilities in the Unreal gaming engine. RightHook, now part of VI-grade, spent the last eighteen months together with

our development team building what we believe is the best integrated visual environment for driving simulators ever produced. We couldn’t be happier with the incredible accomplishments of this team and are looking forward to share this exciting new product with our customer base.”

VI-WorldSim provides users with a single engine for all different types of environments, simulations and disciplines: chassis development, driver training, CAV test site, public road testing of ADAS/AV, and EuroNCAP testing. Users can benefit from a single highquality graphic engine with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. Powerful traffic and agents (including different vehicles, pedestrians, animals), preconfigured scenarios and a comprehensive library of popular sensors make VIWorldSim the perfect tool to enable immersive subjective feel and feedback.

For more information on VIWorldSlim please visit: vi grade.com/worldsim.

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ALIO Industries’ Brands Indicate Imperatives In Nanometer-Level Motion Control

ALIO Industries provides optimal motion control solutions for its customers by constantly focussing on nanometer-level precision and repeatability.

There is much debate about the validity of claims made in the area of motion control when it comes to extreme accuracy, and the differences between claims of nanometer-level precision and repeatability and its actual attainment are a hot topic today.

Ultimately erroneous claims lead to customer dissatisfaction and failure of often critical industrial applications, and it is because of this that ALIO Industries is at pains to prove its nanometerlevel motion control credentials, and also to move the conversation on to facilitate the better understanding of how the motion control world needs to accommodate and understand true nano-precision.

To help in this endeavour, ALIO Industries has been busy redefining the language that the most accurate of motion control systems should use, and has backed this up by registering brand names that it alone can use to demonstrate the company’s unique status in the sector.

Bill Hennessey, CEO at ALIO Industries explains, “First off, we have registered the phrases True Nano Positioning® and True Nano®. Nano has become the new buzz word in the motion and manufacturing sectors in recent years. Most stage companies have recently started to claim “nano” as a marketing hook for their products. ALIO has focused on building nano precision stages for nearly 20 years and we felt it necessary to protect our long-term IP and commitment with trademarks.

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Companies offer nanometerresolution or large nano errors with uni-directional planar numbers which are actually micron errors on true stage performance. Resolution means absolutely nothing in the True Nano® world.”

ALIO Industries has also registered the phrase 6-D Nano Precision®. ALIO designs, builds and tests stages in all 6 degrees of freedom, believing a nano precision stage most importantly must have submicron straightness and flatness as well. Some motion companies claim nano repeatability and accuracy (which are a planar numbers) knowing the customer application needs ultra-precise straightness and flatness to succeed. Customers’ assumptions of nano precision are mostly based on 2 D planar precision without focus on 6-D.

ALIO wanted to define a term that represented the higher levels that its products could attain, and therefore set itself apart from companies that make unproven data sheet claims of accuracy.

Walter Silvesky, VP Sales continues, “Another area that we consistently drive the message is in the area of how accuracy should be validated in the nanometer-level world.

So saying, we registered the phrases 6-D Point Precision® and Point Precision®. These trademarks are an extension of the “True” and “6-D” references to performance specifications to a point in space, not the planar methodology current standards use. ALIO’s focus on nano precision position of stages at a point in space is the basis of the new ASME standard for measuring motion systems that NIST is collaborating with.

This new standard and ALIO’s long-term focus on nano precision motion systems plus our trademarks strongly position us for all future ultra-precision or nano precision motion systems.

Point Precision® and 6-D Point Precision® both define bidirectional repeatability of all 6 degrees of freedom (linear, straightness, flatness, pitch, yaw and roll) to a single point of precision in space for a single motion stage. In ALIO’s case we push this singular stage approach even further with our monolithic XY stages which have combined 6-D point precision at the nanometer precision level of the both axes combined.”

ALIO Industries also owns the trademarks Nano Metrology® and Nano Z®. Nano Metrology® was registered in deference to the evolution and novel designs of metrology sensors which created a need for better stages to move the sample or sensor. ALIO introduced the novel idea of nanometer precision of straightness of travel to reduce the uncertainty of measurement, and has the ability to measure at the nanometer level of uncertainty which include motion and sensor combined error quotients.

The Nano Z® trademark was born out of work that ALIO undertook in the semiconductor industry on a planar XY air bearing and an air bearing Z stage for wafer manufacturing and metrology. The Z lift stage design was so novel that ALIO trademarked its name, and it reinforces the company’s ability to move in Z, vertical, or lift a part with nanometer precision.

Hennessey concludes, “With the recent trademarking of the now well-known and ground-breaking Hybrid Hexapod® which is two orders of magnitude more precise than legacy hexapods, ALIO Industries exhibits an ability to think ahead in its developments in the nanometer-level motion control sector.

The company is consistently redefining the language, understanding of, and standardization of nanometerlevel motion control solutions to ensure that OEMs attain the levels of accuracy required for project success.”

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Surface Measurement Technology And Precise Positioning Are They Related Or Nothing To Do With Each Other?

The surface measurement motion platform (SMP) is essentially a composition of various rotary and linear actuators – but in a very compact, space-saving design.

The positioning system is particularly suitable for the optical measurement of spherical, aspherical and cylindrical surfaces.

Most optical sensors for measuring the surface properties of objects have only a limited field of view.

When measuring the surface outside the field of view, either the sensor or the object must be moved or repositioned. It is important to distinguish between the position of the object being measured and the sensor movement, whereby the positioning itself should have as little influence as possible on the measurement result. The higher the sensor resolution and accuracy, the more precise the motion system has to be. In addition to precision, another important requirement in many applications is the degree of automation.

Precise positioning and monitored control Surface analysis is often integrated directly into the production line as a quality assurance process. As is often the case in semiconductor manufacturing, for example wafer inspection or the production of flat panels,

quality is assessed after almost every process step, necessitating fully automated in-process inspection with object loading, measurement and subsequent further processing. Control of the motion systems and synchronisation with sensors can generally be described as motion control, and this is exactly what Aerotech has been delivering for 50 years. As an experienced manufacturer, Aerotech offers customised solutions for automated surface measurement technology where high throughput and maximum accuracy are required. Among other things, users benefit from high-performance linear and rotary stages as well as controllers with hardware based real time position-synchronised triggering of sensors.

Mix of rotary and linear actuator We will now examine in detail the surface measurement technology solutions Aerotech can provide – firstly, a positioning system which allows the combination of actuators to form a complete system.

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The core component is an airbearing precision rotary table on which the measurement object is attached using either a vacuum chuck or a clamping device. The sensor itself can be linearly adjusted in the Y and Z planes and can also be tilted with another axis of rotation so that it is always aligned perpendicular to the tangential plane of the target. Various surface sensors can be integrated via the control software. The controller offers both digital and analog inputs for this.

By selecting the actuators, surfaces can be measured down to the submicron range. This is particularly useful for the precise measurement of optical components in applications with mirrors or lens optics.

High-performance rotation axes for surface measurement in the nanometer range The newly developed ABRX series comprises rotary tables with air-bearing rotary axes, available in three diameters of 100, 150 or 250 mm depending on the size of the object and the load capacity. The rotary table is operated directly and reaches rotational speeds of up to 300 rpm. A special feature are the air-bearings for minimising radial and axial errors, all of which are in a range of less than 25nm. Errors can be divided into two types; synchronous and asynchronous types: The errors that occur periodically with the axis rotation are synchronous.

At the factory, Aerotech has the capability of measuring the

synchronous errors and then compensating for them either via moving a Z-axis in the axial direction or X-axis in the radial direction and correcting any measured values accordingly.

Asynchronous errors, on the other hand, are to be considered more as position noise and cannot be easily compensated for. By compensating for the synchronous errors, however, the radial and axial errors can be reduced well below 10 nm. The ABRX series is particularly suitable for surface measurements in the nanometer range and of course also as an extension to the SMP measuring platform.

Automation1 simplifies the control of positioning systems Automation1 introduces a new development in the control technology area which, due to its complexity, required several years of development time.

As a digital control platform, a whole range of optimisations are available to users in the measurement technology market, delivering an even

higher optimisation potential relating to faster movement and settling times, enhanced position stability and increased contour accuracy.

The improved setpoint generation rate is particularly helpful for surface measurement technology - the update rate of the position can be increased from 8 kHz to 20 kHz. This enables more rapid and accurate positioning of the sensor head or measurement object. Faster I/O signals also guarantee almost instantaneous triggering of measuring cycles. With the so-called PSO (Position Synchronised Output), the measuring cycle can be started immediately the defined position is reached.

Continuous measurement can also be initiated, whereby the measured values are synchronised with the position data. This results in considerable advantages compared with time-based triggering, since the accelerations or decelerations which otherwise occur can be neglected.

The enhanced signal-tonoise ratio of the amplifiers on the Automation1 platform (whether analog or digital) has significantly improved in-position stability. This results in lower position noise, which is particularly relevant for measuring tasks in the submicron range. In addition, the Hyperwire fibre-optic interface ensures very rapid signal transmission, even over long distances. As an optical signal, it is not susceptible to electromagnetic interference.

As an added advantage, a new, intuitive user interface significantly simplifies humanmachine interaction.

Integration of measuring systems using Keyence Aerotech has its own application team dedicated to the integration of measuring systems and positioning systems. An example is the integration of the current Keyence 3D profilometer.

Surface measurement is achieved using a light section method (laser triangulation). In this way, contours, unevenness and roughness of components can be measured with a resolution of up to 1 μm.

Keyence offers a compact table-top unit with a manual or optional stepper motor driven XY table. In the latest version, the measuring range has been increased to 200×100×50 mm, but this is still not sufficient for some applications, simply because of the load capacity of the table. Subsequently, both users and Keyence have asked to what extent Aerotech can offer a better solution – in the form of extended adjustment/ travel paths, a larger Z-axis and a granite table base for a higher load capacity.

For this purpose, Aerotech’s experts have installed a Z-axis with an adjustment range of up to 300 mm on a stable granite base. The measuring head is supported by an adapter bracket. For component adjustment, a cross table

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approved and guarantees compliance with all machine directives as well as national and international safety requirements.

Aerotech does not intend to enter the market for measuring machines, but only integrates where a measurement technology manufacturer cannot offer a complete solution. In this regard, we are not limited to Keyence, but can also seamlessly integrate measuring systems from other manufacturers at any time.

is mounted on a granite base.

The X and Y axes are controlled by a stepper motor controller, which is optionally available for the VR5000 3D profilometer.

The height of the Z-axis can be adjusted either manually using a handwheel or using a joystick.

Even deeper integration has been achieved with the Keyence VK-X1000 3D laser scanning microscope. The laboratory system is also used for height profiling and roughness measurement. However, due to its higher resolution, it offers measurement capabilities in the submicron range, resulting in higher demands on the positioning system. Here, too, there were restrictions imposed by the manufacturer with regard to adjustment paths and load capacity which could be solved with Aerotech’s expertise.

With our laboratory systems, any combination of travel, loads and axis configurations can be realised. Collision protection can also be implemented using a Z-axis sensor.

The overall image of the surface to be measured is displayed by Aerotech’s LMA (Laser Microscope Automation) software. Most other functions can also be controlled via the LMA screen, such as movement and positioning of the axes, the link to the Keyence viewer, a teaching procedure for measuring points and also a stitching procedure to subsequently combine the measurement results. In this way, LMA software can be used to fully automate measurement tasks across any component dimensions.

Such forms of integration can now also be realised for complete sets of testing equipment. In a recent customer-specific implementation, a laser line scanner was used as a sensor.

The measurement data is recorded and compared with the CAD data using software.

Special test dimensions can be visualised directly in the evaluation. The application shown here is already TÜV

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Aerotech – Dedicated to the Science of Motion Aerotech Inc., based in Pittsburgh, USA, is a privately held, family-owned company founded in 1970 by Stephen J. Botos with the vision of advancing the science of motion control and positioning systems for customers in industry, science and research. As a family business, the owners continue to place great value on open and trusting relationships with customers, business partners and employees.

In Germany, the mid- sized company is represented by its own subsidiary, Aerotech GmbH, based in Fürth. In addition to sales and service activities, the Fürth facility handles customised assembly of positioning systems for the European market. The company’s innovative and high-precision motion solutions meet all critical requirements necessary for today’s demanding applications. They are used wherever high throughput is required – including medical and life science applications, semiconductor and flat screen production, photonics, automotive, data storage, laser processing, aerospace and electronics manufacturing, as well as inspection, testing and assembly.

Aerotech currently employs around 500 people worldwide.

For more information visit: www.aerotech.com

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Increase Productivity, Reduce Waste In addition to product quality, other topics include transparent traceability as well as fast reaction paths in the event of any recall actions. On top of this are increased requirements on logistics systems and supply chains.

High requirements of consumers and retail chains In addition to the demands on productivity, high expectations of consumers and retailers weigh on food manufacturers and processors. They expect not only safe and qualitatively perfect foodstuffs.

In addition to adhering to legal regulations, they increasingly require additional certifications from their suppliers. To simultaneously comply with the legal requirements, meet the standards of the retail chains and satisfy the expectations of the consumers, functioning automation technology is essential for food manufacturers and processors. This means: They need intelligent technologies and services to allow them to meet the high standards with regard to food safety as efficiently as possible, in compliance with guidelines and while making the most efficient use of resources.

The objective and philosophy of Sesotec, a leading manufacturer of product inspection and material sorting systems in Schönberg, Bavaria, is to support the food-producing industry in the profitable manufacture of safe food and to create less waste in the process. To do this, the company offers appropriate application solutions for all process levels, products and conveying types as well as for all critical control points of the production process.

In the area of materials handling, various sensors from Leuze that have proven themselves over the years are in use at the foreign object detection systems. Currently in test operation at Sesotec is the DRT 25C switching sensor from Leuze with a completely new operating principle based on Contrast Adaptive Technology (CAT). This sensor is ideal for complex, customer-specific applications that cannot be solved with a standard detection method.

The customer is king Consumers demand not only long shelf lives but also constant availability of the entire selection. Moreover, the food should be of high quality and free of any contaminants or foreign objects. Consumers also increasingly want to know the source of their products: where, with what ingredients and how they were produced. At the same time, calls for food that is free of gluten and allergens and is completely vegetarian or vegan are also increasing.

Food demand is thereby becoming significantly more specialized. This results not only in an additional challenge but also in increased costs for the production process.

Producing the required quantities of food requires an increasingly automated process chain. And not only consumers but retailers are also placing high demands on the food manufacturers and processors.

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Precise technologies ensure efficient processes The food industry has become a complex, globally networked system with many participants: raw materials are purchased internationally at various price and quality levels. They are often sold, stored and processed far from where they were originally produced. Increasing food transports, longer transport paths and multiple loading processes result in a growing risk of contamination.

“Manufacturers need precise technologies to comply with the legal standards regarding food safety,” explains Hermann Sammer, Director of R&D at Sesotec. However, an increasing degree of automation means less personnel and fewer inspections by employees in the production chain. The risk of any foreign objects present in the food not being detected thereby increases.

To detect metal contaminants – such as from wires or shavings – metal detectors like those manufactured by Sesotec can be used. For the detection of contaminants from nonmetallic materials, e.g., glass or plastics, Sesotec offers X-ray systems. In his function as R&D director, Sammer has already been working together with Leuze for many years. Always with the goal of solving the sometimes tricky applications of his customers even better and more efficiently. For reliable detection as well as proper labeling or assignment, optical technologies from Leuze are used here. They ensure that exactly what is on the label is actually in the package.

Minimize waste together Sesotec is very pleased with the used Leuze sensors, which have been installed standard in the machines and systems for years.

In the area of metal detection, these are primarily sensors from Leuze’s 25 series. Sesotec customers in the food industry confirm their reliable function, cost effectiveness and long service life in an environment that is subject to the highest hygiene requirements and regular cleaning cycles.

Nevertheless, Sesotec is always open to new ideas and technologies. One such example of this is the recent test operation of a completely new Leuze sensor, the DRT 25C with a fully new operating principle based on Contrast Adaptive Technology (CAT).

“Our company philosophy is very closely aligned with that of Leuze. We don’t view ourselves as a standard supplier of individual metal detectors.

We are instead focused on offering our customers specific, complete solutions that are tailored to their respective application and requirements.

And these consist not only of our own components. Also included here is all of the sensor technology. Only in this way are we able to help our customers increase the cost effectiveness of these solutions in spite of the additional costs that arise though a mechanical product inspection,” explains Sammer.

Brigitte Rothkopf, Director Corporate Communication at Sesotec, emphasizes: “As important as cost effectiveness is, so too is making a positive contribution to the minimization of food waste. After all, this is not only an ethical problem for us, but an economical one as well.”

Since 2019, Sesotec is a founding member of the “SAVE FOOD” initiative and is actively involved in preventing food waste and loss around the world. This is a joint initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), of the environmental program of the United Nations (UNEP),

of Messe Düsseldorf and of Interpack, the world’s leading trade fair for packaging and processes.

New on the start line: the DRT 25C from Leuze Leuze’s new DRT 25C switching sensor promises to reliably detect every type of object and type of product packaging such as are examined in the food sector with Sesotec metal detectors and checked for contamination. Fully independent of their color, shape and surface structure.

Regardless of whether flat, glossy, with openings or transparent. “Such objects are not so easy to detect using conventional sensors, which scan from the side. Above all because the front edge of packaged products cannot always be reliably detected,” explains Andreas Eberle, Key Account Manager Packaging at Leuze. Hermann Sammer from Sesotec adds: “The problem often manifests itself in the form of multiple triggering – especially at high conveyor speeds.” He has had this experience above all with irregular shapes as occur, e.g., with fish and meat. This usually involves individual pieces that do not have the exact same length and shape.

The same holds for plastic outer packagings of fruit or vegetables.

Sesotec is currently putting the DRT 25C through its paces in the company’s technical center. A wide range of objects and packaging are being used here. The objects travel into the metal detector on the conveyor belt. Prior to entry into the metal detector, they are always detected by the DRT 25C at the front edge and over the entire product length – all from above.

“The view from above is a big advantage. Irregular shapes can thereby be significantly better detected. The sensor solutions currently on the market have so far only been able to perform this task to a limited extent,” confirms Sammer.

Test experiences thus far are very positive. Even in difficult work environments, such as with quickly moving and, in some cases, strongly vibrating conveyor belts.

Positive test results for complex applications The DRT 25C shows it strengths exactly where conventional sensors, which scan from the side, are pushed to their limits. In the test environment at Sesotec, no effort is being spared to test the DRT 25C under “real” application conditions in detail: “After all, it needs to function properly afterwards in our customers’ application environments and be free of any malfunctions that would slow a machine or system or, worse, bring it to a standstill,” explains Michael Maier, developer in the product inspection department at Sesotec. As a result, Sesotec intentionally wets, soils or gums up conveyor belts in the test situation as is often the case in actual use, e.g., due to stuck labels or chocolate residues.

The all-rounder sensor The DRT 25C dynamic reference diffuse sensor from Leuze is based on the intelligent CAT technology and represents a new operating principle. It thereby sets new technological standards on the market and is another milestone in the innovation history of Leuze.

Once again as forerunners, the Sensor People thereby precisely meet their customers’ requirements for reliable detection and make them successful in an industry that is ever evolving. After all, the success of their customers is their aspiration and goal.

Reduced downtimes, increased machine throughput as well as higher production quantities, all with maximum flexibility without readjustment when changing objects – that means increased cost effectiveness for their customers.

For more information visit: www.leuze.com/drt25c

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A Smart Building, Smart Equipment And IoT Perspective From J2 Innovations

How we use and interact with buildings is changing. Now the rate of change has been dramatically accelerated by the experience of the COVID-19 virus and its repercussions, both good and bad. Industries across the board have been affected and have had to adapt how they operate. In building controls, the drive is towards remote work and management, digital processes, and increased automation.

Remote work and management Many people are becoming familiar with working remotely and managers are realising that they need, or might want, to expand remote working to more people within their organisation.

To keep up with the needs of occupants, building operators need the capability to manage buildings remotely at a macro

level and through applications at a micro or personal level.

This is true for large buildings but applicable to smaller buildings and portfolios. With technology like J2’s new FIN microBMS enabling plug ‘n’ play solutions for the small to mid-sized buildings market, it is becoming easier for multisite organisations to efficiently manage buildings remotely.

“The COVID crisis is accelerating building portfolio operators’ realisation that they need to be able to remotely manage their buildings more effectively, so the need for easier and more secure connectivity technologies will increase. The climate crisis is accelerating the transition to greener technologies, both in terms of renewable energy generation and a focus on reducing the carbon emissions from existing buildings

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by optimising the way they are controlled. In many buildings, the need to increase air change rates to reduce the risk of COVID transmission, has temporarily been prioritised over energy efficiency. But once the immediate crisis has passed, the HVAC industry will deepen its commitment to developing more advanced ways of maintaining good indoor air quality, while simultaneously minimising energy use. Air ionisation and mechanical heat recovery solutions are therefore likely to grow in popularity.” says Chris Irwin, VP of Sales EMEA, J2 Innovations An interesting aspect of working more remotely can be seen in the prefabricated buildings market. Because modular or prefab construction is more efficient and cost effective than building on-site, building

off-site and delivering completed pieces of a building has become a growing trend in the construction industry. J2 Innovations is already seeing this trend extending to include controls, with more preinstallation during the off-site construction phase.

Flexible spaces Building owners, particularly those operating in retail, will need to make their buildings more flexible and adaptable – victory and profits will go to the nimble. Despite the growing demand for on-line shopping, bricks and mortar spaces are still needed to service market needs that cannot be met online: cafés; gyms; hairdressers; entertainment and cultural venues; click and collect places, where customers can find services to rewrap returns, postal or delivery counters, instant clothing alterations, etc.

These market demands cannot be delivered to your door and need safe and smart spaces.

As retailers and hospitality companies adapt to these changes and consider omni-channel experiences, building owners need to rethink their offering. In-person shopping isn’t dead, it’s just different.

“I expect an increase in demand for warehouses as many businesses will move from brick-and-mortar stores to the Internet where much of it will remain” says Michal Lom, Sales Manager Northern & CEE. “There is likely to be a shift from open plan to fewer offices with a higher quality of indoor environment as one of the lasting effects of coronavirus.

This will result in the remodelling of the interior and the overall upgrade of technology in the building”. There will be an increase in localized, shared workspaces as many people will work in home office mode, but not everyone has the conditions for it at home. Also, people are sociable creatures and need contact with others, which shared offices can offer them.

Digital Processes If it can be and hasn’t already been transformed, 2021 will see ever more processes becoming digital: IoT, blockchain, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning are the future. We must consider what this means for our own businesses and how quickly we can adapt, adopt, and apply to keep ahead of the market and the competition. For building operations, space must adapt and so must the services a building provides for comfort, safety, health, and security.

Automation play an increasingly important role; bringing in machine learning, data management and analytics, cloud, and edge computing, IoT and, probably we will find applications for blockchain and AI too.

“I believe we will continue to see a concerted and continued push to integrate and leverage the vast amounts of valuable data derived from Operational Technologies (OT) (i.e. manufacturing floor, building systems) into the Information Technology (IT) side of the enterprise. Most mature IT infrastructures already possess and maintain existing computing resources (servers, storage, networking, security) either deployed on premise or in the cloud. This infrastructure supports traditional mission critical IT enterprise applications.

Use of existing IT infrastructure assets and the associated enterprise applications layer (e.g. SAP ERP, IBM Maximo for asset management, analytics platforms) enables OT data to be more seamlessly consumed, resulting in streamlined business processes, reduced cost, increased productivity and optimization of existing and future enterprise assets.” Steve Glymph, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, J2 Innovations

and industries; including on-line payment, on-line work, on-line services; a lot of things can be handled remotely, and much more efficient way at lower cost. Many digital solutions already provide massive benefits without significant up-front cost – the COVID crisis dramatically increased the awareness for those solutions.” concludes Alex Rohweder, COO, J2 Innovations About J2 Innovations J2 Innovations is a fast growing, innovative software technology company based in California.

They are the creators of the FIN Framework (FIN), a state-of-theart open framework for smart buildings, smart equipment and IoT applications.

About the FIN Framework (FIN) FIN is a next-generation software framework for smart buildings, smart equipment and IoT applications. FIN can integrate, control, manage, analyse, visualize, connect and can be embedded on a controller, gateway, HMI or server. The FIN Framework offers OEMs, System Integrators, and end user solutions that are faster, easier, and better.

For more information about FIN Framework visit www.j2inn.com

“What will have changed for good is the better understanding of the benefits of digitalisation across society

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Altus Bump Up Their Staff Safety Offering

To help companies to ‘work safe’ during the pandemic, Altus Group, a leading distributor of capital equipment in the UK and Ireland, has added a number of new key suppliers of safetyrelated equipment to their portfolio in an effort to support customers. New to the group is Tharsus with the innovative Bump system, a powerful new Personal Motion System that helps people socially distance and unlocks crucial data to keep businesses running safely during Covid-19.

Bump uses a combination of software and hardware with everything a business needs to understand, analyse and design optimal workplace practices and give people the knowledge, control and confidence to work safely.

Free-standing Bump units are positioned at each entrance and exit of a working area.

Additionally workers wear a device which uses sophisticated Radio Frequency (RF)

technology. The hub recognises when wearers are in the building, and automatically downloads information about any contacts their device has had with other wearers. Bump alerts wearers with sound and lights when they are too close to another person. It also gives smart reminders to sanitise hands to ensure staff are kept safe at all times.

Joe Booth, Director - Business Development and Marketing said: “Keeping staff safe during the pandemic is essential in ensuring business can continue efficiently. At Altus we understand the importance of balancing the economic impact whilst navigating safety related factors. It is this reason that inspired us to invest heavily in technology leaders who provide answers to safe working environments. “Bump is a very important addition to our safety product portfolio and we are extremely pleased to be able to offer our customers this highly-innovative equipment.

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The Personal Motion System will help in educating people to understand, change and improve their movement in a workplace to keep themselves and those around them safe. We hope this newest addition will give companies another option to provide a safer environment for their employees and ensure it is ‘business as usual’.” Bump helps with social distancing and provides data which enables track and trace, which UK Government guidance identifies as vital in the fight against Covid-19. Bump also generates information which assists organisations to adjust operations to eliminate high contact risk areas and keep people safe.

Bump can be customised to suit complex building layouts and comes with a number of extra features to best fit around a company and its individual environment.

For more information visit: www.altusgroup.co.uk

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Light Management Systems: Can You Afford Not To invest?

In commercial marine vessels, cruise liners and passenger ferries, installing a welldesigned Light Management System (LMS) will represent the successful completion of the light installation, often with the objective of reducing energy and maintenance costs.

In addition to significant cost savings, an LMS can fulfill many important objectives, including its contribution towards a more productive and healthy working environment for crew and passengers, or supplying a high quality lighting system that is easy to install and use.

In more than twenty years of experience, Glamox has delivered complex LMS solutions of various sizes and complexity.

The system engineering team at Glamox assists customers in finding the right solution that fits their specific needs, whether the project is for a luxury cruise liner, passenger ferry, wellboat, research vessel, freezer trawler

or workboat. LMS solutions are now also proving attractive, cost effective installations for offshore wind farms.

The scope of work for an LMS solution typically comprises of engineering, delivery, commissioning and documentation, for any kind of marine vessel. LMS solutions are available for setting and controlling light scenes, dimming functions, entertainment and blind control.

Basically, the customer defines what they need and Glamox ‘connects’ its lighting solutions based on these requirements.

Lifecycle cost It is well documented that a well-designed LMS solution will provide lower lifecycle costs. This is achieved not only by reducing energy consumption for the customer, but also by expanding the lifetime of the installation, as well as reducing maintenance costs. Glamox has developed

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a ‘smart calculation tool’ that demonstrates the potential savings that can be achieved by implementing an appropriate LMS. In commercial marine vessels, lighting typically accounts for between 5% and 18% of total power consumption, depending on the size and how many hours of the day the vessel is operating.

By installing an LMS from Glamox, these vessels can achieve up to 90% reductions in energy consumption compared to a conventional lighting solution.

A more productive working environment Perhaps the most important opportunity offered by an LMS solution is to optimise the lighting to meet the requirements of the individual users on a ship. Much can be gained, for example, if the LMS helps to increase the output or productivity of the crew or

enhances the comfort and wellbeing of passengers on a luxury cruise liner.

Easy to plan Glamox provides an LMS solution guide on its website for the commercial marine sector. Customers can find LMS solutions for different applications, along with suggestions for floor plans and lists of the components they are likely to need. LMS is also an integrated part of the Glamox light calculation tool. This ensures detailed and accurate LMS documentation that is updated when changes are made in the plans for the light installation.

Easy to commission Customers can feel confident when they select an LMS system from Glamox. By

using Glamox commissioning services, these customers can rest assured that Glamox takes full system responsibility for the total lighting solution. The commissioning is carried out by highly competent system integrators that are trained in the Glamox systems.

Easy to install By using established standards and technologies that are well known to the installers, Glamox paves the way for a problemfree installation.

Easy to use When designing light management systems, Glamox has put a high emphasis on creating intuitive user interfaces.

The objective is to provide end users with an “invisible technology� solution that easily adapts to their needs.

System architecture Glamox is committed to a system architecture that gives easy access to valuable data. In this way, the data can easily be transmitted to a ship management system (SMS). The transmission can be performed regardless of the type of communication, whether wireless or cable. We use open standard protocols. This means it is possible to connect a complete light installation to a single, central monitoring system. A key advantage of a central monitoring system is that it offers value-added services such as energy monitoring, emergency light monitoring and maintenance monitoring.

For more information on Light Management Systems visit www.glamox.com

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AI Complete Solution: Even More Functions Thanks To Free Upgrade

IDS makes artificial intelligence available to factory automation via OPC UA and provides maximum flexibility with vision apps.

The recently released software update for the IDS NXT platform provides users of the all-in-one AI solution IDS NXT ocean with many new features. It extends the system’s AI capabilities to include object detection, offers turnkey solutions with vision apps and, with a new development environment, ensures that users can program their own image processing tasks and execute them as vision apps on their cameras.

Using OPC UA, AI-based image processing can also be integrated directly into factory automation without writing a single line of code. The update is free and can be used with all IDS NXT cameras.

IDS NXT ocean makes image processing with artificial

intelligence as simple as possible. Users without deep learning or programming skills are supported by precisely coordinated workflows and tools. They can now use the new vision apps “Classifier” and “Object Detector”, for example, to classify image components or identify specific objects based on artificial intelligence with their cameras. The vision app concept also ensures that users can assign image processing tasks to the cameras as desired.

The range of applications is practically unlimited and includes everything from simple barcode reading to complex AI analyses.

For this purpose IDS provides the new development environment “IDS NXT Vision App Creator”. Developers and AI specialists can now dive even deeper into the system, create individual vision apps and adjust IDS NXT cameras even more effectively to their needs.

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This also allows the combination of classifications or object recognition with classic image processing, such as measurement tasks, to be realised in one device.

Another major improvement is the integration of the industrystandard protocol OPC UA. IDS NXT cameras can now communicate with machines and controllers in the same language and exchange tasks or results directly. The use of this key technology enables the integration of intelligent cameras into factory automation without additional hardware or programming effort.

Standardised communication via OPC UA also creates the prerequisite for the “plug and produce” of new devices. The set-up time of machine vision systems can thus be reduced to a minimum.

Further information: www.ids-nxt.com

Developing A Deep Learning Facemask Detection Prototype in Two Days

Facemasks are a critical tool for fighting the spread of COVID-19, and are proven to be most effective when face coverings are worn universally.

As stores and businesses reopen, ensuring all occupants wear a facemask is essential. However, the additional resources required to monitor patrons can further strain businesses already struggling to meet other sanitation and social distancing guidelines. Deep learning solutions are capable of automatically detecting anyone in violation of facemask guidelines, saving employee time and ensuring safer environments.

DEPLOYING DEEP LEARNING Deep learning is a form of machine learning that uses neural networks with many “deep” layers between the input and output nodes. By training a network on a large data set, a model is created that can be used to make accurate predictions based on unseen data. In this case, the network can be trained to detect not only

facemasks, but if a facemask is worn correctly on a person’s face.

A fully functioning deep learning system can be developed and deployed in a matter of days.

Using a FLIR Firefly DL camera, FLIR engineers developed a system for detecting compliance and flagging users who may be in violation of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) guidelines. The facemask detection dataset used 2 publicly available libraries with over 1000 images to provide examples of people with, without, and incorrectly wearing facemasks in different environments. Other cameras suited for this purpose include the Blackfly S GigE - for more information about FLIR machine vision solutions, contact sales.

they were worn appropriately.

Deep learning developers and solution integrators can easily expand this solution to cover more complex and robust use cases for deployment in the real world. For example, the neural network can be trained to detect face shields, gowns, gloves, and other PPE within high risk / high traffic environments like hospitals and airports.

Learn more about building a deep learning solution on a budget, getting started with the Firefly DL, and FLIR temperature screening solutions by visiting: www.flir.co.uk

AN ADAPTABLE SOLUTION Each image in the facemask dataset was annotated with bounding boxes showing object locations and class labels indicating which faces had the mask on, which did not, and if

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FANUC Introduces Powerful Compact General-Purpose Robot

FANUC has expanded its range of general-purpose industrial robots with the introduction of the highly compact M-10iD/16S. Building on the capabilities of its predecessors, it combines a slim profile and low footprint with an impressive payload capacity of 16kg. This represents a significant improvement on previous models, and offers great operational versatility for compact spaces in production lines, including top mount applications.

Andy Armstrong, Sales and Marketing Manager at FANUC UK, comments: “Factory floorspace is something that is always at a premium, which is why our R&D process is constantly striving to deliver high performance from a small footprint. The M-10iD/16S represents the best in class performance for use in compact robotic cells, especially when complex tooling or handling of heavy workpieces is required.”

The M-10iD/16S benefits from a fully integrated hose pack and cable management design, allowing the cables to be led through the robot’s hollow arm, wrist and body. This facilitates easy and reliable routing of sensor or camera cables, air pipes and any other user utilities, eliminating external cables that could otherwise interfere with peripheral equipment.

Andy continues: “Incorporating this type of cable management design into the M-10iD/16S helps to simplify the integration process, which combined with an optimised cable lifespan, contributes to easy maintenance and lower lifecycle costs.

This forms part of our wider commitment to making it as simple as possible to introduce automation and robots into industrial processes.”

Usability is another key element of the M-10iD/16S’s design. It can be controlled with the

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intuitive R-30iB Plus controller, and supports various intelligent functions such as the built-in proprietary FANUC iRVision system. It can also be used in conjunction with FANUC’s ROBOGUIDE simulation tool, in order to improve the cell design and enhance engineering processes.

Andy concludes: “The M-10iD/16S combines performance and usability, in a compact package that makes it perfect for operating in small spaces within a production line. Its comparatively high payload and reach of 1103mm means that the M-10iD/16S is an important addition to our industrial robotics range.”

For more information, please visit: www.fanuc.eu

European Space Agency Communicates Between ISS And Robot using RTI Connext DDS

A telerobotic device provides visual and sensory data back to the person operating it and responds to the human controller’s movements, which are communicated wirelessly.

RTI Connext DDS enabled developers to manage complex communications from ISS to the earthbound exploration robot, as part of ESA’s Analog-1 project.

Using DDS enabled ESA to get active feedback from the robotic arm, while operating the gripper via remote control to work with the precision and dexterity of a human hand.

Where robots and DDS come in If environments are too dangerous for people, that’s where robots come in – for example, to collect geological specimens under harsh conditions. Here, the robot needs to be part of a haptic control loop. The astronaut must be able to interact with the robot, and even experience the tactile sensations of the robot through a joystick or data gloves.

Consequently, this system needs a low-latency control loop.

At the same time, this control loop generates a high volume of video and real-time telemetry data. For everything to work as intended, communications must be near real-time and deterministic.

Thanks to the Data Distribution Service™ (DDS) connectivity standard, ESA created a realtime control loop between the space station and the robot using RTI Connext DDS as the communication layer.

This kind of communication requires a DIL communication link, which is characterized by extreme message latency and jitter. In this environment, the status needs to be continuously assessed and fed back into the control loop.

Transmitting compressed video is now easier as well, as ESA is able to use the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for keeping huge amounts of data in motion over unpredictable communication links. UDP is far more reliable, because it runs in the transport layer on Connext DDS and

doesn’t consume network resources. ESA was further able to achieve Connext DDS integration into Qt QML, which is the basis of their user interface. Because a lot of components are simply C++ interfaces between QML and DDS, ESA’s Human Robotic Interaction Laboratory now has the flexibility to extend these interfaces. In looking to the future, components can be quickly re-architected into subsequent projects and demos.

ESA and Telerobotics The European Space Agency (ESA) is a leader in telerobotic development, which the agency considers vital for advancing space exploration. Hidden away in the picturesque, seaside town of Noordwijk in the Netherlands, ESA’s Human Robot Interaction Laboratory develops pioneering haptic solutions using remotely controlled semi-autonomous robots.These robots offer opportunities for interactive discovery and research in places where it’s impossible or impractical to send astronauts.

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