DESIGN WORLD FEBRUARY 2021 by WTWH Media LLC

www.designworldonline.com

February 2021

inside: LINEAR MOTION: Gothic arches, tracks, and roller bearings in linear motion

p. 86

FASTENERS: How 3D printing can transform supply chains

p. 98

THE ROBOT REPORT: Robot arm opens new doors for Spot

p. 57

Building new IoTinto machines

page 80

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The GS20 and GS20X drives take the best features of our popular GS2 series drives, add Sensorless Vector and Field Oriented Control, expanded built-in I/O, and include an integrated PLC with optional Ethernet communications. If that isn’t enough, the GS20X models come with a NEMA 4X enclosure so you can install them in a wash-down location. You’ll have a hard time believing that a drive this feature-rich costs as little as it does!

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Robots in History

From our Blog Series — Robots in History Though robots and automation are present in a wide variety of industries today, robotics is still considered a futuristic idea. You might be surprised to learn that the first electronic robots were built in 1948. Advances in computers and electronics have sped up industrial automation. A wide range of automated processes used today, include: Computer Numerical Control (CNC); Assembly; Material handling; Welding; Painting; Lights-out manufacturing; Distribution and fulfillment. Keystone products appear in today’s automation environments including “Zero” Height SMT Threaded Inserts. Other products you’ll find in these devices include: • Battery Clips, Contacts & Holders • Fuse Clips & Holders • Mounting Brackets • Cable Clamps • Screw Terminals & Terminal Blocks • Screws & Panel Hardware

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The economy: Moving forward in 2021? Our parent company recently hosted a webinar with renowned economist Alan Beaulieu, of ITR Economics; it offered an interesting look at the economy over the coming months and years. And the outlook Beaulieu gave was quite positive in nature, something we all could use a er the stressful 2020 we all have endured. Beaulieu noted that there’s massive deficit spending going on. But is that a concern? He said that his forecast is actually not dependent on size of next stimulus bill — as long as interest rates stay low, there’s no problem with the amount of debt. “We created such a large hole with the pandemic, we can pour a lot of money into that hole before we’ll see any inflation,” he said. From a business perspective, he told the manufacturing audience that this is a perfect time to do four things: make acquisitions, innovate your products, invest in efficiency gains, and invest in sales and marketing. While many people are worried about one party being in total control in Washington D.C., Beaulieu cautioned that this sort of alignment isn’t a danger sign. He said that, looking at historical numbers, the United States’ GDP and the country’s economy is really irrelevant to whether either party is in total control. His other points included: • The Biden Administration is going to work to boost American manufacturing and is not going to go easy on China. You’re not going to like some things it does, but you are going to like other things it does. • The U.S. economy, and in some cases, the world economy, is going to be positive this year. His firm’s 12 U.S. economic indicators are all trending to “rise,” which is exceptionally good news. • Low-cost mortgages point to more housing construction; the housing 12MMT is the highest in more than 12 years. • Canada will continue to be an important ally and an important business partner of ours. • Military spending is not dependent on who’s in the White House but is based on what’s going on in the world. Given the uncertainty in the world, it’d be hard to imagine a decline in military spending. But that said, Beaulieu pointed out that high tech and ships and sonar and parts for planes are very different than boots on the ground or bases. • By late 2022 or early 2023, we will have a full recovery in U.S. industrial production. Beaulieu noted that the United States is still the second largest manufacturer in the world; the people who think that we don’t make anything here anymore are wrong. Looking at U.S. production indexes, the last quarter is showing a positive shi . So, manufacturers should be gearing up, he said. “You have a lot of blue sky ahead of you, and I hope you’re ready to take advantage of it.” DW

Te c h n i c a l S u p p o r t

Paul J. Heney - VP, Editorial Director pheney@wtwhmedia.com

(408) 460-1345

On Twitter @wtwh_paulheney

DW.Insights.2-21_Vs2.LL.indd 4

February 2021

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DESIGN WORLD

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2/4/21 2:20 PM

Teschler on Topic Time to kill the Malcolm Baldrige Award

Many of us who were around in the late 1980s remember the debut of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige Award, administered by NIST, is supposed to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. businesses. Recipients are selected based on factors such as how upper management leads the organization and how the organization leads within the community. With these noble goals, the Baldrige has been called “the best and most cost-effective and comprehensive business health audit you can receive.” The problem is that history hasn’t been kind to many Baldrige winners, particularly those in manufacturing. The first winner in that category was Motorola in 1988. It was the premier cell phone maker back then and had several thriving business segments. Today, most of its businesses have been sold off. Now called Motorola Solutions, its shares still trade on the N.Y. Stock Exchange. But had you bought shares on the day Motorola’s Baldrige Award was announced and still held them today, your annual return would be in the low single-digit percents. You would have

been about as far ahead just sitting on your hands in 1988 and buying Tesla stock at the end of 2019. Investors in IBM, the 1990 manufacturing winner, would have fared no better. Besides giving shareholders lowsingle-digit returns for 30 years, the firm now struggles for relevancy. Mention IBM in conversations about today’s top technology firms and you are likely to get funny looks. Then there is 1989 manufacturing winner Xerox Corp. I still recall the words of an acquaintance who did business with Xerox in that era. A er one particularly ustrating interaction, he remarked, “Those guys sure spend a lot of time contemplating their navels.” His exasperation stemmed om the large, slow-moving quality bureaucracy Xerox had created in the quest for its Baldrige. Bureaucracy may be one reason Xerox had trouble navigating the move om behemoth-sized copying machines to desktop appliances that double as printers. In 1989 its stock traded for about $28/share. It recently was changing hands for about $20/ share. Much has been written over the years about why Baldrige Award winners shouldn’t be judged by financial success. But time has made these arguments sound more like excuses. Consider one Harvard Business Review article in 1991 that claimed “Baldrige winners

are as vulnerable as other companies to economic downturns, changes in fashion, and shi s in technology. But they are far better positioned to recover gracefully because they have superior management processes in place. The Baldrige Award is thus a strong predictor of long-term survival and a leading indicator of future profitability.” Cynics might say the HBR was right only for firms satisfied with longterm survival defined as an absence of auctioneers in the parking lot disposing of the company assets. It looks as though manufacturers may have independently come to similar conclusions about the Award. The last manufacturing winner was Lockheed Martin in 2012. Since then, the Award list has mainly consisted of non-profits, educational institutions, and health-care organizations. But even these winners prompt questions among the skeptical about the behaviors being recognized. For example, one health-care institution wrote proudly that 100% of high-risk mothers under its care received antenatal steroids. In a nation whose health care is the most expensive in the world, it seems surprising that facilities deserve an award for giving 100% of their patients treatment. There are plenty of reasons to doubt the Baldrige Award ever rewarded performance that mattered. That’s why it’s time to put it to sleep. DW

Leland Teschler • Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler

February 2021

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Technology Forward

We need to break things Has the field of design engineering lost a useful skill? I’m referring to intentionally breaking designs to find how something could go wrong. We’ve all seen the stories of released products (airbags, certain brands of smartphones, etc.) that failed in the field, sometimes dangerously so. Could the inclusion of deliberately breaking things increase product reliability?

In a recent conversation with Dr. Karen Panetta, electrical engineer and IEEE Fellow, she mentioned that nearly all engineers focus on making something work. But early in her career it occurred to her to ask, “What happens if I do something that I’m not supposed to? How do I break it?” In her first job out of college at Digital Equipment Corp., Dr. Panetta designed a test that fried an entire computing clock module. She watched the smoke come out of the board. She thought she was going to get fired, but instead her company gave her an outstanding award. Her bosses had the wisdom to know it’s better to find a flaw before putting something into the field to a customer. She notes that we need to start looking at how things fail, not just whether the design is operating in the way we expect. We need to look at how it’s going to be used and where unexpected failure can arise from that. In addressing this issue, Dr. Panetta developed a concept — that we now refer to as digital twins — to test designs, which let her examine failure without destroying the prototype. However, an engineering challenge was trying to get people to understand that you have to start thinking beyond, ‘Get the product out the door,’ and ‘Yes, it

passes all these tests,’ to moving to the question of ‘How could it fail?’ “I want my designs to be safe and that perspective really wasn’t part of the engineering mindset back then.” During her PhD research, for example, the Therac-25 x-ray accident happened. Five patients treated with the x-ray machine died due to radiation overdose. Initially, the thinking was that it was a fluke. Unfortunately, it took five deaths before someone decided to halt the use of the machine. What happened was one company built the machine, one built the software code, and another company built the computer running the code. The flaw lay in the cross interactions of the hardware and software. Panetta’s PhD thesis was essentially looking at how multiple, modal systems interact and how to put a whole system design together based on the digital twin model. As Panetta noted, education has a tendency to penalize students for failures. “But if we don’t train our students on how to prevent a failure in our systems, it will lead to problems. You need to be able to understand how people could break a design, because if you don’t, you’re not going to be able to protect it. We need more courses on white hat hacking.” DW

Leslie Langnau llangnau@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_3Dprinting

February 2021 www.designworldonline.com

Tech.Forward.2-21_Vs2.LL.indd 8

DESIGN WORLD

2/18/21 7:38 AM

— Safer design faster installation

Easy to remove, quick to install, and highly reliable in the harshest environments, ABB’s new Dodge® Safety Mount spherical roller bearing is ideally suited for a variety of demanding industrial applications. This innovative solution combines the advantages you rely on in today’s Dodge Imperial bearings with features that improve the safety and productivity of your operation. Safe. Fast. Reliable.

479-646-4711 baldor.abb.com

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1/6/21 2/4/21 1:05 2:21 PM

Green Engineering Paul J. Heney

• VP, Editorial Director

From trash to automobile parts? U.S.-based manufacturer Cascade Engineering has partnered with Israeli-clean-tech startup, UBQ Materials, to create automotive parts made by converting unsorted trash — everything om banana peels to diapers — into mixed plastics and paper. One of the first to trial UBQ as a substitute to traditional oil-based resins, the two companies partnered in an R&D relationship in mid-2018. Among the many developments, Cascade has engaged sister company, Noble Polymers, to compound UBQ inside their formulations. Today, the duo is in advanced stages of road-testing auto parts made with the material. Once finalized, multiple OEMs will have the opportunity to incorporate the novel, sustainable parts in their series production. The first Cascade product to be commercially produced with UBQ is set to be ready for market as early as Q1 2021. This new technology breaks down unsorted household waste into its most basic natural components — lignin, cellulose, sugar and fiber — to create a new composite material through an energy-efficient process that does not use water or emit harmful fumes. This

February 2021

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versatile material can be used in the manufacturing of thousands of products, including pipes, bricks, floors, roofing, shipping pallets, bins, crates, automobile parts and for 3D printing. By diverting landfill-destined waste, UBQ prevents the emission of methane, ground water leakage and other environmental harms. Every ton of UBQ produced prevents 11.7 tons of CO2eq, making it a powerful sustainability additive to reduce the carbon footprint of final products manufactured. “The extensive certification process of B Corporations provides critical third-party validation and a platform for like-minded mission-driven companies to skip over initial stages of skepticism and create space for early adoption of novel sustainable technologies,” said Christina Keller, President and CEO, Cascade Engineering.

www.designworldonline.com

Earlier this year, global retail solutions provider Mainetti announced its partnership with UBQ Material. to introduce the new standard for product innovation and sustainability in the fashion industry for hangers. In November 2019, UBQ Materials partnered with Arcos Dorados, the world’s largest anchisee of McDonald’s, to produce climate-positive items for McDonald’s restaurants throughout Latin America. And in early 2020, the company announced its collaboration with Daimler, manufacturer of MercedesBenz, for the implementation of UBQ in car parts. DW

Cascade Engineering cascadeng.com UBQ Materials ubqmaterials.com DESIGN WORLD

2/8/21 9:14 AM

NEW GENERATION

You’ve never seen

a solenoid valve like this before.

Learn more at www.theleeco.com/genvi

High Flow, Low Power, Low Leakage Across an Extensive Cycle Life The Lee Company is excited to announce a new generation of versatile and innovative 3-port solenoid valves. In a miniature 10mm package, the genvi® solenoid valve platform features high flow capacity, low leakage and ultra-low power consumption. Designed using innovative manufacturing techniques, this new valve offers not only unmatched reliability, but also an economical price point suitable for molecular diagnostics, respiratory therapy, compression therapy, environmental analyzers, breath analysis and other applications where performance and reliability are paramount. When designing portable or stationary instruments, OEMs are often challenged with meeting aggressive size, power, and weight limitations, all without sacrificing the remaining elements of system-level performance. Each subcomponent is therefore pushed to offer improved performance within a smaller footprint. Featuring high flow and low power consumption, genvi solenoid valves are the solution. An extremely tight leakage rating reduces compressor demand and further underscores the valve’s ability to provide consistent long-term operation across an extensive cycle life. Custom valve solutions, supported by The Lee Company’s engineering experience in microfluidics, are also available to meet specific application requirements.

2 Pettipaug Rd, Westbrook CT 06498-0424 8 6 0 - 3 9 9 - 6 2 8 1 | 1 - 8 0 0 - L E E - P L U G | w w w. t h e l e e c o . c o m W E S T B R O O K

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•

L O N D O N

•

P A R I S

•

F R A N K F U R T

•

M I L A N

•

S T O C K H O L M

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Contents 2 • 2021

•

vol 16 no 2

•

designworldonline.com

86 80 _MOTION CONTROL Building IoT into new machines

With IoT-capable hardware and so ware readily available, engineers are seeing the benefits of including IoT functionality into new machine designs by default. 86 _LINEAR MOTION Gothic arches, tracks, and roller bearings in linear motion

| AdobeStock.com

92 _3D CAD

Avoiding singularities in FEA boundary conditions

A Supplement to Design World - February 2021 www.therobotreport.com

FEA boundaries can usually be obtained using simple fixed constraints. But, this can result in singularities that produce erroneous results. To determine whether results show a real stress concentration or a singularity, an accurate solution can usually be obtained by either using elastic supports or modeling contact between components.

Robot arm opens new doors for Spot

page 64

INSIDE: • How piece-picking robots benefit from bottom-up design.............................................58 • Precision gripper key to machine tending application ..........................................68 • Laser-steering end-effector aims to refine minimally invasive surgery .............................72

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98 _FASTENER ENGINEERING How 3D printing can transform supply chains

Additive manufacturing is no longer just for prototypes. These processes can also produce unique parts for tools and fastening while optimizing supply chains.

A Z B E E S A S B P E Aw a r d s o f E x c e l l e n c e

ON THE COVER Web-capable HMI software, like Emerson’s Progea Movicon.NExT, can help OEMs create seamless IoT solutions that integrate with visualization.

February 2021

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| courtesy

DESIGN WORLD

2/11/21 9:15 AM

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Interpower® Rugged Outdoor Outlets

2.21

• contents departments

Power That’s Protected!

Interpower Outdoor Outlets conform to IEC 60529 and NEMA 250 standards. All are Ingress Protection (IP) rated for “sealing” properties from elements. IP ratings have two digits. The first digit indicates the degree persons are protected against contact with moving parts, and the degree equipment is protected against the intrusion of solid objects. A “0” rating means no special protection while “6” means dust-tight, the highest rating.

Insights

Teschler on Topic

Technology Forward

Green Engineering

Design For Industry

Design For Additive Manufacturing

Design Notes

CAE Solutions

Internet of Things

102

The second digit indicates the degree of protection from moisture. A “0” rating indicates no special protection while “9” indicates the highest protection (high pressure/steam jet cleaning).

Product World

104 Ad Index

Interpower’s outdoor outlets are rated IP 65 (protected from dust and jetting water) and NEMA 12/4, indicating they are good for both indoor and outdoor equipment and protected from dirt, dust, and dripping and splashing water.

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Order Online!

www.interpower.com 14

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February 2021

DESIGN WORLD

2/9/21 1:13 PM

DESIGN WORLD

Follow the whole team on twitter @DesignWorld

EDITORIAL

VP, Editorial Director Paul J. Heney pheney@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_paulheney Senior Contributing Editor Leslie Langnau llangnau@wtwhmedia.com @dw_3dprinting Executive Editor Leland Teschler lteschler@wtwhmedia.com @dw_leeteschler Executive Editor Lisa Eitel leitel@wtwhmedia.com @dw_lisaeitel Senior Editor Miles Budimir mbudimir@wtwhmedia.com @dw_motion Senior Editor Mary Gannon mgannon@wtwhmedia.com @dw_marygannon Associate Editor Mike Santora msantora@wtwhmedia.com @dw_mikesantora CREATIVE SERVICES

VP, Creative Services Mark Rook mrook@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_graphics Art Director Matthew Claney mclaney@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_designer Graphic Designer Allison Washko awashko@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_allison Graphic Designer Mariel Evans mevans@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_mariel

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Design for Industry O f f- H i g h w a y

Rugged transporter handles Antarctic extremes

Prinoth Panther tracked vehicles are used on challenging worksites around the

world. The rubber-tracked crawler carriers minimize damage to the underlying terrain thanks to their low ground pressure and superior stability while carrying payloads of up to 23 tons. They’re typically used in mining, construction, oil and gas, and electric utility applications. The company’s engineers are now pushing the machine’s all-weather, highperformance capabilities to new limits. Recently, Prinoth unveiled a vehicle unlike any other in the world that serves as a vital supply link to the Norwegian Troll Research Station in Jutulsessen, Antarctica. The station, which houses several dozen researchers, is a base for biological and geological field work, and for long-term monitoring of atmospheric, environmental and seismic activity. It is located 235 km (146 miles) om the coast. The special transport vehicle, nicknamed the Troll Panther, is designed to move larger loads with less impact on the environment, compared with previous options,

February 2021

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DESIGN WORLD

2/9/21 1:47 PM

EXTEND BEARING LIFE

and with safety as the paramount priority. The aim was to reduce overall operational costs through lower fuel consumption, reduced total transport time and fewer personnel dedicated to delivering fuel and supplies in the Antarctic region. The Troll is based on a modified Prinoth Panther T16, the company’s largest rubber-track vehicle. It is powered by a transverse-mounted Caterpillar C15 diesel engine — a turbocharged unit rated at a maximum 580 hp and maximum torque of 1,958 lb- at 1,400 rpm. It is actually a combination of two vehicles, a ont T16 with the engine and cabin; and a hydraulically propelled trailer comprised of a second, nearly identical T16 chassis and undercarriage system with the same wheels, suspension, rollers and tracks. The engine couples to a gear box that drives four hydraulic pumps. Each pump supplies a separate circuit and dedicated hydraulic motor on each of the four tracks. The pumps are the same style used on the company’s snow groomers — Bosch Rexroth closed-circuit, variable-displacement hydrostatic pumps matched to Rexroth variable-displacement motors. The key to the propulsion system lies in the controls and so ware because it is a complex task to de ly manage the hydraulics to both steer and continuously maintain and equalize traction on the four track drives. While the exact details are proprietary, the Troll’s hydraulics are managed by a specialized microcontroller built by TTControl, a joint venture of HYDAC International and TTTech. In the control platform, its master electronic control unit handles various tasks on the Troll, including controlling proportional valves and managing analog and digital inputs and outputs. It communicates via a standard CAN network. A stateof-the-art graphical HMI offers an operator interface that displays information relevant to machine processes as well as working and driving conditions. In operation, steering wheel and throttle pedal input signals are interpreted at the controller which, in turn, initiates output signals to adjust pump output, manage valve functions, and precisely direct flow to each drive motor — and ultimately command vehicle motion and direction. Sensors on the pumps, motors and valves constantly read system pressure as well as the speed of each track, to monitor and compensate for any changes in the closed system. Additional sensors monitor the temperature of critical systems, which is especially important for cold-start conditions. The vehicle’s main task is to transport goods om a seaside port to the research station, a one-way trip that takes three to four days. Overnight a generator electrically heats the fuel, coolant, hydraulic fluid and other systems to avoid a brutal cold-start in the morning. Start-up includes a long period of idling when the operators watch systems’ temperatures as they warm up. Initial movements are quite slow until components reach a reasonable temperature and the vehicle can accelerate to higher speeds. Another cold-climate accommodation involves the hydraulic fluid. An old-school, ATF Type-F fluid has been used for years in hydraulic transmissions because it has good properties at cold

DESIGN WORLD

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February 2021

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Design for Industry O f f- H i g h w a y temperatures. It maintains a moderate viscosity that prevents restricted flow, controllability issues and sluggish operations. Yet at higher temperatures it still fully protects system components om wear and premature failure. The fluid filtration requirements match the stringent recommendations for a conventional Panther. However, the filtration system is heated. An element inside the housing preheats the filter to avoid back-pressure or over-pressure during a cold start. Likewise, pump cavitation could be a concern. The Troll uses a pressurized oil tank that always supplies fluid to the pumps with a positive pressure, to prevent suction at the pump inlet. Special seals aren’t needed on the Troll. Standard low-temperature elastomers proven on Prinoth’s snow groomer hydraulics have worked well here. And of course, in Antarctica, leaks

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are totally unacceptable. The entire continent is essentially considered a nature preserve, and an international environmental convention bans any discharge onto the ground or ice shelves. Because the terrain can be rough, the trailer has been structurally reinforced with higher safety factors. And like the snow groomers, the Troll uses extremetemperature hoses rated to –40° C. However, the hoses are one size larger than normal because, particularly in long runs, back pressure could be an issue in some cases. So, the grade and size of the hoses have been slightly over designed. With more power, four tracks and better traction, the machine can carry heavy loads on the trailer and pull multiple sleds behind — up to 120 tons of cargo each trip. Travel speed is

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around 15 kph (9.3 mph), fully loaded. The Troll is now in regular operation in Antarctica for the season that normally runs om mid-November to March. DW

Prinoth prinoth.com

February 2021

2/9/21 1:50 PM

Design for Industry Safety

Ensuring food safety In most western economies, food processors document all potential product risks, including naturally occurring hazards. To facilitate this automated reporting, these metal detectors offer secure, flexible logging of data capture, as well as a range of Industry 4:0 solutions to support track and trace. From a Quality Assurance perspective, this level of surveillance provides valuable peace of mind, especially for food processors sourcing ingredients om multiple suppliers. And om an operational viewpoint, production efficiency within food plants is enhanced. Contact Reporter is an automated record keeper to help processors keep track of and record logs for all metal detector events, such as rejects, faults, quality performance verifications and more. Compliant with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety management systems and principles, each event is automatically time stamped. The data output provides a fully traceable and auditable QA report documenting what happened and when. Food manufacturers that source ingredients om many countries have experienced the vulnerabilities of complex global supply chains built on lean manufacturing principals. Early adopters of digital technologies will emerge om the global COVID-19 pandemic.

February 2021

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DESIGN WORLD

2/9/21 1:50 PM

POWER TRANSMISSION

As food legislation suggests, traceability is, and will continue to be, a priority. In the wake of the pandemic, food safety concerns will be further heightened, likely resulting in greater regulatory pressure. Analysts are already citing supply chain management, workforce engagement and capital management as key focus areas in the immediate future. All of this will all require greater use of technology. Digitizing processes that have largely been paper based is a fundamental step change in building sturdier suppler chains. In many territories, FSMA legislation drives the adoption of food and beverage data collection and reporting technologies. Deployment of these digital solutions will be even more imperative for building supply chain resilience. Being able to zoom in on production bottlenecks, reconfigure supply chains and swiftly identify and respond to issues with agility can be expedited. Checking that metal detection systems are failsafe forms part of this agenda. For example, if a fault with the reject system means that a contaminant is detected but not rejected, the line should stop automatically until the situation is resolved. Both the detector performance and fail-safe capability should be tested regularly with results kept on record to support traceability. Frequently, data from a production line is fed back to a common collection system. However, it is critical to ensure the data being sent is readable and compatible by whatever the plant is using. Here, food processors can benefit from having equipment adapted to common OPC standards. Doing so means that they can then collect and export data, which can be used to inform future and sensible production decisions. Available as standard on all digital Stealth and Interceptor metal detectors, Contact Reporter Software uses a back-end database to monitor activity and generate reports in either PDF or Excel format. Auditor-approved, reports can be selected for a specific production line and/or time period. For record keeping, event and performance, information is stored securely for a minimum of 10 years, with the option to extend storage capacity to 20+ years. For simplicity and ease of use, data can be transferred from the detector to a centralized computer via USB or an optional secure Ethernet connection. DW

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February 2021

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Design for Industry Material Handling

Vacuum cups power ergonomic lifters To move large, heavy, bulky, or unwieldy products, a design might require vacuum cups. These vacuum cups are available in a range of sizes for ergonomic li ers. Round, rectangular or oval cups are available om stock for immediate shipment for a variety of li manufacturers including Cynergy Ergonomics, Indutrol, and others. These vacuum cups, available in various materials to match the needs of the application, suit vacuum equipment used for li ing, manipulating, or “pick and place” applications. Companies using these cups and vacuum li ers report that fewer injuries and lost-time accidents occur versus manually li ing and positioning. Vacuum cups in sizes and materials are available to suit most any application including manufacturing environments, finished goods, package handling, scrap removal, food handling, high-temperature materials, and more. Accessories such as vacuum valves, swivel joints and level compensators can increase the productivity and energy efficiency of li ing systems. DW

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Design for Industry Material Handling

End-Effector Kits for CRX Cobots CRX-Ready End-Effector Kits give FANUC CRX cobot users a simple and effective way to increase the flexibility of collaborative robotic automation. These all-in-one packages include options for automatic tool changing, force sensing, and material removal, and enable tasks such as assembly, machine tending, part inspection, surface preparation and others to be implemented and executed easily. The kits include everything needed to get FANUC CRX cobot applications up and running. In addition to the endeffector, each kit has all the hardware and so ware required for system connection. Within the teach pendant are simple controls to program the equipment and simpli complex tasks. With a few programming adjustments, the endeffectors can be repurposed and adapted for future applications. The CRX-Ready Kits are currently available for the following end-effectors: The QC-7 Robotic Tool Changer is a lightweight yet durable tool changer for a variety of configuration options with Pass-Through Utility Modules and Tool Stand systems.

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The MC-10 Manual Tool Changer makes changing tools by hand affordable. It features a patented locking mechanism and an ergonomic design that includes tactile click as well as a visual indicator of Lock/Unlock status. The AOV-10 Axially-Compliant Orbital Sander handles surface preparation and finishing. With built-in compliance, the it is suited for many different robotic application types—even those that require a light touch. The Compliant Deburring Blade (CDB) is a motorless deburring tool for operations such as edge deburring, chamfering, countersinking, scraping and deflashing on virtually any material. As the cutting media removes material, the compliance allows for consistent results despite variation in part size, part positioning, or robot location.

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The RCV-250 Radially Compliant Deburring Tool is designed for the removal of flash and parting lines, as well as edge deburring om a variety of materials. It has integrated compliance and adjustable cutting to simpli programming and enable a consistent finish. The Axia90 Force/Torque Sensor is a high-performance, low-cost sensor that measures all components of force and torque. It offers high resolution, accuracy, and stiffness and gives your cobot responsiveness to sense and adapt to its environment. DW

ATI Industrial Automation www.ati-ia.com/CRX

DESIGN WORLD

2/9/21 1:52 PM

Semiconductor

Storing data under harsh conditions The 125°C operation compatible I2C bus EEPROMs, BR24H-5AC series, targets applications that require data storage under harsh environments, such as factory settings for onboard cameras and sensors, airbag operating history, and data logging for always-on operating industrial automation systems and servers. These EEPROMs achieve a writing time of 3.5 ms by implementing original data writing and reading circuit technology, reducing writing time by 30% compared to the 5 ms of conventional products. Additionally, in contrast to standard products capable of just 1 million rewrites, the BR24H-5AC series guarantees up to four million writing cycles by data endurance, which not only extends application service life, but suits data logging requiring equent data rewrites.

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In the automotive and industrial equipment sector, safety and traceability requirements make it necessary to store the operating history in non-volatile memory in the system. Among these, EEPROMs are typically adopted over other types of non-volatile memory such as flash memory in applications that require high reliability, including onboard cameras, airbags, industrial automation systems and servers, due to their ability to reliably write and store data under harsh conditions. This latest series of I2C bus EEPROMs reduces process time before factory shipment in automotive and industrial equipment applications. DW

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D e s i g n for Additive Manufacturing •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •• ••

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How desktop 3D printers improve custom automotive designs

February 2021

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www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

2/9/21 2:15 PM

3D Printing

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In the automotive industry, the use of 3D printing / additive manufacturing still fits those applications developing high-end luxury and custom parts that are not produced in quantities in the millions. The

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Aston Martin CALLUM Vanquish 25 is an example of such

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an application. Automotive and lifestyle product design and engineering firm, CALLUM was founded in 2019 by renowned automotive designer Ian Callum CBE, who is responsible for some of the industry’s most recognizable and iconic car designs, including the original Aston Martin Vanquish, the Ford Puma, and 2019’s ‘World Car of the Year award winner’, the Jaguar I-PACE. The mission of CALLUM is to design custom and limited-edition high-end automotive, travel and lifestyle products that combine cutting-edge design with real-world function. The company uses a blend of the latest production techniques alongside traditional craftsmanship, including creating its own leather trim shop, which is housed in its 2,800 square meter Warwick-based facility in the UK. In these applications, today’s desktop style 3D printers often compete with larger additive systems. Callum recently installed a Method X 3D printer from MakerBot, to produce functional prototypes, tooling, and production parts across a number of its luxury vehicles and lifestyle brands, including the limitededition Aston Martin CALLUM Vanquish 25. CALLUM engineers have been using additive manufacturing technology to reproduce design concepts into tactile and representative models for internal review and proof of concept. With the Method X, though, they are looking to extend the application use of the technology into three key new areas: • fully functional prototypes for rigorous testing and simulation • tooling for limited edition componentry and gauges • customizable, low volume production parts for final use in the vehicles and other design projects

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February 2021

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D e s i g n for Additive Manufacturing •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •• ••

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Adam Don ancesco, Technical Director, CALLUM, commented: “The engineering team craved more additive manufacturing capabilities as the first projects entered production and Method X will be enrolled to support this. Having put the 3D printer through its paces, the level of part accuracy and the diversity of engineering-grade materials available is impressive. Not only does this technology enable us to enhance our prototyping capabilities for true functional testing, but we can also optimize the production of tools and end-use parts where 3D printing previously fell short in terms of strength, surface finish and dimensional accuracy.” He continued: “Having direct access to industrial-grade 3D printing capability will significantly reduce both the time and cost of our design and production

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process. Until now, our engineers have had to rely on our basic in-house capability alongside outsourcing, a process which can take several weeks. Method X changes the game, enabling the team to print parts on demand in a matter of hours. This will not only eliminate the need for external vendors, resulting in considerable cost savings, but it will also help to accelerate production times for our vehicles by allowing us to reiterate design ideas rapidly and take more design risks with fewer consequences.” Reimagining the Aston Martin CALLUM Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged will cover more than 350 engineering, material, and design changes, transforming the much-loved car into a more practical and relevant GT. Just 25 limited-edition vehicles will be built in Warwick and will feature several 3D-printed end-use parts,

such as brake ducts. Ian Callum, Design Director, said: “I firmly believe that you can’t determine the quality of a design on a screen or photograph. You want to be able to see and touch something in 3D, and additive manufacturing enables designers to do that quickly and cost-effectively. It’s a technology that hugely excites me. For specialist engineering and design companies, like us, versatile machines such as Method X offer a way to enhance cra smanship and find new, efficient means to solve design, manufacture and production challenges.” DW

MakerBot www.makerbot.com/3d-printers/ method/

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Moves within the additive industry It looks like the additive industry has matured and is moving into the acquisitions and mergers phase of a growing industry. Desktop Metal, Inc., for example, announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire EnvisionTEC, a provider of photopolymer 3D printing systems, for total consideration of $300 million, consisting of a combination of cash and newly issued Desktop Metal stock. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. EnvisionTEC will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Desktop Metal.

February 2021

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www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

2/9/21 2:17 PM

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NEWS

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3D printing with silicone One thing about the additive industry, some company is always inventing a new process. One of the newest additive processes is silicone additive manufacturing (SAM). The Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) in the UK will be the first company to offer silicone additive manufacturing (SAM). SAM has applications ranging from automotive and industrial to personalized healthcare and medical solutions. The DMC and Spectroplast, a spinoff from ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, collaborated on this development. Similar to stereolithography (SLA) and digital light processing (DLP), SAM works by selectively exposing silicone to a light source, forming very thin solid layers that build up to create the final object. Once finished, these parts have equivalent properties and surface finish to those created by traditional silicone injection molding and casting. When compared to liquid injection molding, Spectroplast’s SAM cuts lead times from six weeks to five days. It can also reduce overall unit and project cost, with savings as high as 50% for certain production volumes. The process uses true silicone materials and is certified to ISO DIN EN10993-05 and EN10993-10 standards for biocompatibility. Thus, it suits medical devices, prosthesis, orthotics, hearing protection, dental solutions and wearables. The process has tolerances of around ±0.1 mm, and can be adjusted to a range of Shore Hardness, including A20, A35, A50 and A60. Offering temperature resistance (- 50 to 200 °C) and flexibility, SAM components can be used as gaskets, seals, grommets, dampers, tubing and more. DW

Digital Manufacturing Centre | www.digitalmanufacturingcentre.com

Protolabs Proto Labs, Inc., has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 3D Hubs, Inc. (“3D Hubs”), an online manufacturing platform that provides engineers with on-demand access to a global network of approximately 240 manufacturing partners. The transaction creates a comprehensive digital manufacturing offer for custom parts, providing Protolabs with a network of manufacturing partners to fulfill a breadth of capabilities outside of its current envelope, as well as a broader offering of pricing and lead time options. Stratasys Ltd. recently completed the acquisition of Origin. The acquisition adds Origin’s software-centric additive manufacturing solution for printing technology based on digital light

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processing for production-oriented polymer applications. Based in San Francisco, Origin is pioneering a new approach to additive manufacturing of end-use parts. Origin One, the company’s manufacturinggrade 3D printer, uses Programmable PhotoPolymerization to precisely control light, heat, and force, among other variables, to produce parts with exceptional accuracy and consistency. DW

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February 2021

2/9/21 2:32 PM

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Developments in 3D printing advance bioprinting technology

3D Systems announced its decision to significantly expand its development efforts focused on regenerative medicine and bioprinting solutions. This decision was driven by the tremendous progress made in collaboration with United Therapeutics Corporation and its organ manufacturing and transplantation-focused subsidiary, Lung Biotechnology PBC, on the development of 3D printing systems for solid-organ scaffolds. Leveraging this work as well as accomplishments with additional partners, 3D Systems intends to invest, further develop, and commercialize solutions for the diverse application opportunities in regenerative medicine, including the development of nonsolid organ applications requiring biologically sustainable vasculature. In 2020, 3D Systems and United Therapeutics achieved significant progress in the development of a next-generation additive manufacturing platform for lung scaffolds that is capable of full size, vascularized, rapid, micron-level printing. 3D Systems’ capabilities combined with United Therapeutics’ expertise in regenerative medicine has enabled 3D printing and unique material formulations, such as rhCollagen, to deliver advances in bioprinters and biomaterials for lung manufacturing. 3D Systems has built a portfolio of capabilities to address the requirements of regenerative medicine applications. The newly developed Print to Perfusion process DESIGN WORLD

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enables 3D printing of high-resolution scaffolds that can be perfused with living cells to create tissues. The ability to print large, vascularized, highly detailed hydrogel scaffolds at rapid speeds is opening new opportunities for a range of tissue applications. To advance these efforts, 3D Systems is expanding its high-speed Figure 4 technology through innovation tailored to bioprinting and regenerative medicine. The company believes these capabilities have the potential to enable novel laboratory testing methods to accelerate the development of new drug therapies while reducing the need for animal testing. “Over the last years as bioprinting and regenerative medicine have evolved, we’ve seen a growing need to place cells at high-resolution in a nurturing matrix to produce complex tissues,” said Chuck Hull, co-founder, executive vice president and chief technology officer, 3D Systems. “Precise 3D printing with hydrogels, followed by perfusion of cells into the printed scaffold is the best way to achieve this, and we are thankful our work with United Therapeutics has given us the opportunity to advance and perfect this technology.” “Our collaboration with 3D Systems has allowed us to take a first-principles approach to regenerative medicine,” said Derek Morris, associate director of engineering, Lung Biotechnology PBC. “The full size, vascularized lung scaffolds produced by 3D System’s printers allow our cellularization teams to focus on our mission to build an unlimited supply of transplantable organs.” Building on the progress the company has made to date, 3D Systems is infusing additional resources into its regenerative medicine R&D efforts to February 2021

2/9/21 2:35 PM

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D e s i g n for Additive Manufacturing •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •• ••

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accelerate development programs in various applications. The company intends to add additional regenerative medicine domain expertise to its team. Additionally, the company is growing its roster of partners to broaden the portfolio of solutions it offers. 3D Systems previously announced collaborations with CollPlant Biotechnologies and Antleron that expanded its capabilities in regenerative medicine. Commenting on the future of regenerative medicine at 3D Systems, Dr. Jeffrey Graves, president and CEO, said, “The progress that Chuck Hull and his team have made over the last three years, in collaboration with the Team om United Therapeutics, has been absolutely remarkable. Through unique developments in new printer hardware, so ware, and biomaterials technology, they have laid the foundation needed for accelerated commercialization of bioprinting at 3D Systems. Taking a strong application focus we will now expand our commercialization efforts in this nascent industry, which we believe will experience significant growth over the next decade. We expect these efforts to bring substantial benefits to the healthcare patients in critical need, both through direct applications within the human body, as well as in accelerating the development of drug therapies in the pharmaceutical industry. We anticipate regenerative medicine to be an exciting growth driver for our healthcare business over the next decade.” DW

3D Systems www.3dsystems.com 34

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PRODUCTS ••• ••

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How much will it cost you to use metal binder jetting 3D printing?

It’s not always easy to determine whether to continue with traditional metal part production processes or try an additive process. ExOne, an additive vendor of binder additive manufacturing technologies, now makes it easier to determine which option is better for your project. The company launched a new online estimating tool for those considering moving the production of metal parts to high-speed binder-jet 3D printing. The ExOne Production Metal Cost Calculator gives you a per-part estimate for binder jet 3D printing a precision metal part, helping you compare the technology to other forms of traditional and additive manufacturing. The calculator needs just a few inputs – material, machine, part dimensions and volume – and is based on the purchase of any of ExOne’s four Pro series printers, a lineup that competes www.designworldonline.com

with existing systems om Digital Metal and new binder jet systems om Desktop Metal, GE and HP. “As customers compare binder jetting options in the marketplace, we wanted to provide greater transparency into the affordable costs of binder jetting,” said John Hartner, ExOne’s CEO. “Our new estimating tool takes a comprehensive range of costs into account, such as initial capital investment, throughput speeds, material, binder, replacement printheads, and more. Our team is confident that our high-speed systems offer the best value in terms of build area, throughput, consumable costs, material flexibility, and experience.” DW

Exone exone.com/productioncalculator

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2/9/21 2:35 PM

Formlabs brings selective laser sintering to the benchtop

Formlabs, a leading 3D printing company, announced the launch and general availability of its benchtop industrial selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printer, the Fuse 1, to enable engineers, designers, and manufacturers at all levels to rethink product development, hybrid manufacturing, and end-use production. Additionally, the company launched Fuse Sift, a post-processing system for the Fuse 1, and Nylon 12 Powder, Formlabs’ first powder material for Fuse 1. SLS technology produces strong, functional prototypes and end-use parts. Its high cost, however, has often confined it to large company use. The Fuse 1 and Fuse Sift bring SLS technology to companies of all sizes and types. “The Form 1 redefined stereolithography (SLA) printing for the additive manufacturing industry 10 years ago, and now the Fuse 1 is bringing the same reliability and accessibility,” said Max Lobovsky, CEO and co-founder of Formlabs. “SLS 3D printing shouldn’t be solely for those with big budgets, it needs to be accessible so all companies — from startup to big manufacturer — can benefit from

DESIGN WORLD

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the design freedom and high productivity SLS 3D printing provides.” The Fuse 1 system takes the guesswork and challenge out of creating strong, functional parts while minimizing costs. “We previously used an outsourced injection-molding workflow to deliver prosthetic fingers to patients young and old, helping them improve mobility and increase functionality; but this process was slow and did not allow for the personalization needed for each patient,” said Matthew Mikosz, founder of Partial Hand Solutions and Fuse 1 beta user. “Fuse 1 gives us the ability to customize our prosthetics and the throughput necessary to quickly get this solution to our patients.” After seven years of development, Formlabs is delivering on its promise to bring this technology to market at an affordable price point without compromising quality. Fuse 1 features include: • A modular build chamber that enables continuous printing and reduces downtime • Patent pending Surface Armor technology that creates semi-sintered shell to protect the surface of the part as it prints • The capability to print with up to 70% recycled powder • A material refresh rate, the minimum ratio of fresh powder required to print, of 30% for minimal material waste. Fuse 1 is available today starting at $18,499. DW

Formlabs | formlabs.com

February 2021

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Design Notes

Grid coupling helps keep the water on

at pumping station Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Originally built in 1898 and expanded over the next 30

years, the Twyford Waterworks continues to supply water to the city of Southhampton and surrounding areas in Southern England. In 1985, the non-profit Twyford Waterworks Trust was established to run the facility. The site is currently owned by Southern Water Services who use electric submersible pumps to extract 5 million gallons of water per day om the boreholes. The facility’s positive displacement pumps were initially powered by large steam engines, which were replaced by three diesel engines driving centrifugal pumps in 1934. Gearboxes are installed between the diesel engines and the pumps to increase the engine speed to meet the pump speed for optimal efficiency. “There is a Bibby grid coupling on one of the plant’s diesel engine drivetrains that was installed back in 1934,” said Paul Fairbrother, of the facility’s Internal Combustion Team. “The coupling connects the three-cylinder diesel engine output sha to the input sha of the right angle speed increaser gearbox which is connected, via vertical line sha ing, to the borehole pump positioned 50 meters below.”

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According to Fairbrother, “The coupling has been open for many years, allowing visitors to see the inner workings. However, we plan to close it up soon to preserve its internal components for future generations”. The Bibby Turboflex grid coupling was installed to transmit torque while protecting the critical engine and gearbox om potential damage due to vibration and torsional shock caused by the long drivesha connecting the pump. It also compensates for any sha misalignment that might have been present at set-up or occurred due to displacement or settlement during use.

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The Bibby coupling was installed to transmit torque while protecting the critical engine and gearbox from potential damage due to vibration and torsional shock caused by the long pump driveshaft.

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The model RFK212/BK coupling delivered to the waterworks in 1934 is still a current Bibby catalog product that is manufactured today. The 12-in. diameter coupling has a 13,700 Nm (121,255 lb.in.) torque rating and a max. speed of 2,025 rpm. Dr. James Bibby invented the Resilient (Grid) Coupling in 1917, and the 2000 Series is the latest development of this product. “Since those early days, refinements in design and material specifications have kept pace with advancing technology, achieving significant improvements in power/weight ratios,” said Andrew Bargh, Product Manager at the Altra Couplings, Clutches and Brakes Group. “As the grid coupling transmits torque, the flexing of the tapered grid spring damps vibrations and cushions shock loads,” Bargh explained. “This unique characteristic is due to the torsional flexibility of the coupling being proportionate to the unsupported length of each flexible grid rung. The resultant reduction in peak loading protects and extends the life of the transmission equipment.”

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Design Notes

The coupling’s hub is manufactured with the hub tooth profile designed to permit progressive loading under torsional shock conditions. The surface of the high tensile alloy steel grid spring is shot-peened to impede the propagation of cracks. The coupling’s hub is manufactured with the hub tooth profile designed to permit progressive loading under torsional shock conditions. The combination of the tapered grid and precision manufactured hub provides easy assembly. The coupling’s shock absorption characteristics, and the ability to accommodate misalignment, protects the connected equipment. The coupling’s grid spring is made om high tensile alloy steel. It is formed to the grid shape before hardening and tempering under controlled conditions. The grid spring surface is then shot-peened. This process leaves the grid spring with a residually stressed surface layer which is in compression and impedes the propagation of cracks. Since nearly all fatigue and stress corrosion failures originate at the surface of a part, the layer of compressive stress induced by shot-peening produces a dramatic increase in the working life and fatigue strength of the grid. “The coupling at the waterworks ran full-time om 1934 to the late 1950s, then was in service intermittently into the late 1970s, when the diesel engines were mothballed. I believe the coupling still has its original springs installed as we have a spare set of unused springs in storage that were probably ordered when the coupling was new but never needed,” Fairbrother explained. DW

Altra Motion altramotion.com

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Design Notes

Locking assemblies: Beyond the basics Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor The Ringfeder family of locking devices includes Locking assemblies, shrink discs, and locking elements.

Although numerous methods exist for coupling two components, choosing the best option for the intended application requires understanding all available technologies. For example, when clamping a hub onto a sha or axle, splined or keyway-based couplings are a popular choice. Another traditional method of connecting gears to sha s involves shrink fitting, which uses temperature differences between mated parts to create an interference fit that holds the parts together. Welding is another option, although it is a more permanent solution than a coupling device. Another approach is to use locking assemblies, which offer several advantages over other coupling choices in terms of cost, reliability, contamination resistance, and ease of installation and removal. Understanding the simple design, main features, and benefits of locking assemblies will help determine whether they will work in coupling applications.

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How locking assemblies operate Locking assemblies are installed internally between the sha and the hub. They have various designs consisting of either two, three, or four rings and have inner and outer rings; top, bottom, and outer rings; or inner, outer, rear, and ont rings. DESIGN WORLD

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Ringfeder engineers have designed their locking assemblies use standard sockethead screws and tighten with standard tools. No additional machining or fitting is required.

Tightening the locking screws with a torque wrench brings the rings together, compressing the inner ring onto the sha while pushing the outer ring out into the hub. This applies pressure to the inside of the hub and secures it to the sha using a iction-fit press connection. The resulting fit can handle extremely high forces, making it a smart choice for light and heavyduty applications alike. Due to an even distribution of compression forces around the sha circumference, locking assembly couplings prevent misalignment and offer maximum reliability with a strong and secure connection. Ringfeder engineers have designed their Locking assemblies use standard socket-head screws and tighten with standard tools. No additional machining or fitting is required. When it comes time for removal, disassembly is simple. A er loosening the locking screws, the assembly self-releases, and the hub and sha can move eely for adjustment, removal, or replacement as required. Depending on the locking assembly, users may need to use jacking screws to separate the rings. Design To understand the advantages of locking assemblies, users might compare them to other methods of coupling two parts. For example, when using traditional splined or keyed sha s, parts must be perfectly aligned. Not only does this approach carry the additional expense of machining the mating parts, but it also creates a weak point or stress concentration DESIGN WORLD

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Design Notes

Locking assemblies like these are made of high-strength, highly ductile steel.

factor. All of the load is carried on the key, making it the weakest point in the connection. This is not so with locking assemblies, which are more forgiving regarding alignment and do not require the same level of precision during installation. Due to an even distribution of compression forces around the sha and inside the hub circumferences, locking assembly couplings inherently prevent misalignment and offer maximum reliability with a strong and secure connection. Because the load is evenly dispersed around the sha and within the hub, a locking assembly can handle more load for the same size sha compared to a keyed or splined coupling. Stresses on the sha are much lower because they are evenly distributed by the locking assembly. Installation Simplified installation and operation are notable advantages of locking assemblies. For example, in heavyduty applications in which couplings

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can weigh as much as two tons, attempting to align and engage keyways during installation can be a difficult and even dangerous task. With locking assemblies, no stops, steps, keyways, or splines are required; hubs can be located and locked into position at any point on the sha . This means maximum positioning adjustability and much simpler and faster installation compared to keyways and splines. Disassembly A er loosening the locking screws evenly around the sha with a standard wrench, the locking assembly self-releases or jacking screws are used depending on the design. The hub can then move eely on the sha for removal or replacement as needed. This process is in stark contrast to shrink fit couplings, which o en require several hours of heating with specialized equipment to pry the mated components apart.

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Materials These locking assemblies are made of high-strength, highly ductile steel. Depending on the application details, different materials are used to achieve various levels of strength, corrosion resistance, and other specifications. The material’s surface finish is another factor to consider when choosing a coupling device because the coefficient of iction (COF) affects the holding power. Locking assemblies self-center around the sha and within the hub, distributing pressures evenly due to the tightening method used. They also have excellent concentricity, keeping the hub and sha rotating uniformly around the center axis. This allows the hub’s weight to be distributed equally and maintains sha and hub balance while in use. DW

Ringfeder www.ringfeder.com

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Coupling bolts help with live tooling in lathe applications Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor These pull bolts fully incorporate Mazak’s specifications and are uniquely manufactured to implement JMPP’s patented High Torque retention knob standards from 9310H material.

Coupling bolts used for live tooling on lathes are subject to relaxation, which occurs due to inadequate pre-loading of the bolts during installation, or to rough or inaccurately machined coupling faces — resulting in misalignment. This misalignment causes excessive vibration, which puts an unnecessary load on bearings, and curtails operation at full power. In response to a special-order request, JM Performance Products, a manufacturer of CNC mill spindle optimization products, has recently expanded their product offering to include coupling bolts for live tooling on Mazak Corporation CNC lathes. These pull bolts incorporate Mazak’s specifications and are manufactured to implement JMPP’s patented High Torque retention knob standards om 9310H material. JMPP’s coupling bolts are now available for immediate shipment — eliminating the traditional long lead times for comparable imported coupling bolts for Mazak CNC lathes. Notably, the bolts are aggressively implemented in production across myriad industries including, automotive, medical, and aerospace. Mazak is a manufacturer of CNC lathe and CNC turning centers. Its coupling bolts are an essential part of a work holding system — as live tooling in the lathe workpiece moves its 5-10 Axis Multi-Tasking Machining Centers. Given their essential function in these centers, these coupling bolts are typically expensive and have longer lead times om overseas. This issue was addressed by a key Mazak DESIGN WORLD

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Design Notes Mazak is a manufacturer of CNC lathe and CNC turning centers. Their coupling bolts are an essential part of a work holding system.

dealer who asked JMPP Plant Manager, Craig Fischer if they could provide a customized solution that would meet the Mazak specifications. Fischer, and JMPP’s engineering team, noted that the coupling bolts shared many engineering characteristics of their High Torque retention knobs for V-Flange tooling. Given that JMPP currently manufactures and stocks over 400 different styles of retention knobs, the “coupling bolt challenge” was a good fit. According to Fischer, “We quickly implemented our High Torque design into the coupling bolt design specific to the Mazak multi-tasking machines. It’s essentially the same type of holder, so it was just a matter of how the machine holds it in and works with it. On the Mazak machine, you bolt it in via a manual process by putting the screw into the back of it and tightening it. Ultimately, the High Torque design solution solves the same problem of allowing the toolholder to be in the machine without bulging and creating better taper contact. Our 9310H material also delivers higher strength.” While other machine tool builders require similar bolts for their lathes using live tooling, the Mazak style will be

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By implementing their patented high torque retention knob design into coupling bolts for live tooling in Mazak’s multi-tasking machining center lathe workpieces, JMPP provides machine distributors several competitive advantages.

JMPP’s first offering. Fischer said that JMPP is the only retention knob manufacturer of record to progressively respond to the unique modification challenge of the Mazak coupling bolt with a customized solution (based on Mazak’s specs and material) — while incorporating JMPP’s High Torque standard tolerances and design features. In the demanding COVID-19 climate, all US manufacturers will have to bundle more technology in their products to compete — at home and globally. By implementing its High Torque retention knob design into coupling bolts for live tooling in the multi-tasking, machining center lathe workpieces, the JMPP engineering team provided Mazak machine distributors an option with competitive advantages like faster response times and advanced production. JMPP President, John Stoneback, emphasized that “Ultimately, the Mazak coupling bolt customization project presented us with an opportunity to expand our line of retention knobs and other spindle maintenance products. Customers for these coupling bolts can now realize added machining savings in the form of better finishes, less runout, increased speeds and feeds, reduced machine idle-time, and improved production rates.” DW

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CAE Solutions

A look at the Simcenter 3D 2021

Evaluate sound performance with auralization: New in Simcenter 3D, pressure results as a function of time can be played as an audio file.

To help engineers make better use of simulation, the latest release of Simcenter 3D so ware offers enhancements to the AI (Artificial Intelligence) driven user experience, new simulation types, as well as refinements in accuracy and enhanced performance speed. The so ware is part of the Simcenter portfolio of simulation and test solutions. Simcenter 3D and the Simcenter portfolio are part of the Xcelerator portfolio. In the 2021 release, Simcenter 3D continues to further improve its unified and shared engineering platform for all simulation disciplines to help users gain full value of the benefits that simulation provides in terms of cost, speed and impact to innovation. In many applications, product innovation includes the engineering of the advanced material used in them, which is why new materials are being introduced into the market at unprecedented speed. Cracking is a very important consideration for advanced materials, however micro and

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meso cracking in advanced materials is difficult to model with the finite element method. Simcenter 3D now includes full representative volume element (RVE) separation and 2D and 3D automatic insertion of cracks or cohesive zones in materials. Macro and microstructural models now allow for full mesh separation for a crack to propagate completely through a material. Using this tool, we can actually see where a crack is developing, how the crack will change our material, and how it will affect the final microstructure of the material. New to Simcenter 3D is an auralization post-processing tool that allows users to listen to simulated pressure results to evaluate sound quality. This allows acoustics engineers

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to actually hear the noise produced om various vibrating components or products as opposed to having to visually evaluate through charts or graphs. Simcenter 3D’s thermal analysis capabilities have been scaled into a vertical solution for mold designers and design engineers. The new NX Mold Cooling product uses the so ware technology to allow designers to rapidly set up and simulate the thermal performance of an injection mold insert directly in NX as they are designing the mold. This allows for easy and rapid thermal analysis of injection mold designs without having to wait for expert analyst feedback. DW

Siemens Digital Industries So ware www.sw.siemens.com DESIGN WORLD

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Enhancements optimize machining

The latest hyperMILL 2021.1 CAD/CAM so ware suite offers users new and enhanced features for efficient 3D, 5-axis, and mill/turn machining. A new “Interactive Edit Toolpath” capability enables toolpath editing a er initial toolpath generation. The toolpath editing feature is easy-to-use, and offers programmers the flexibility to adapt toolpaths by trimming and removing sequences accordingly for component conditions. It suits optimizing tools and mold making. To streamline access to Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) and metadata, hyperMILL 2021.1 offers an import function that retrieves face quality information and metadata when importing CAD data om neutral or native formats, and attaches data to the imported faces in hyperCAD-S, making the information available to hyperMILL and its machining processes. Said Alan Levine, Managing Director of OPEN MIND Technologies USA, Inc., “Keeping pace with evolving CAD/CAM programming requirements, and laying the foundation for future needs are both vital. In one example, the new PMI and DESIGN WORLD

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Metadata Import feature in hyperMILL 2021.1 supports future-oriented data formats that will eventually eliminate the need for blueprints.” A new 5-axis Radial Machining strategy allows bottle shapes and similar cavities to be easily and efficiently programmed in hyperMILL, resulting in high quality surface finishes. Using a new radial projection method, toolpaths are calculated quickly. The hyperMILL “High Precision Surface Mode” and “Smooth Overlap” February 2021

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CAE Solutions strategies can also be applied when using 5-axis Radial Machining, ensuring surface quality and clean transitions. For high quality surface finishes and to simpli programming when flank and point milling blades, hyperMILL 2021.1 offers several enhanced MultiBlade strategies. No longer do blade surfaces need to be ruled for accurate programming results. Using the enhanced strategies, any number of surfaces are permitted for the suction and pressure sides, making it easy to extend blade surfaces. Fillets with a variable radius are supported in the latest version of hyperMILL. Also, for high accuracy, the Multi-Blade flank milling strategies result in smaller deviations on the suction and pressure side, and offer improved tool guidance along the upper boundary in the edge area.

hyperMILL 2021.1 also has a SIMULATION Center for generic NC data in turning and milling operations. Modeled a er the hyperMILL VIRTUAL Machining Center, the SIMULATION Center is integrated in hyperMILL and offers an intuitive operating environment for faster simulation, independent collision checking and extensive analysis functions. Additional new features include an easy-to-use “XY Optimization” command for optimal 3D profile finishing. In the Mill-Turn Module, the highperformance mode has been integrated into a 3-axis simultaneous roughing strategy, combining the advantages of HPC and simultaneous turning. For the simplified alignment of components, hyperCAD-S has a “Align Best Fit” machining command that allows like-geometry components to be aligned with one another using defined pairs of points. DW

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Internet of Things

Cybersecurity trends for 2021 The pandemic has affected nearly everything, including the Internet of Things. While we are still dealing with this raging virus, what do forecasters see as the key trends in security and connectivity going forward? Genetic Inc., a leading technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, shared its top five predictions for 2021. Innovative security solutions will help businesses thrive post-pandemic While the world remains optimistic for 2021, organizations will need to remain creative about how they use, update, and redeploy their security systems across their facilities. This will allow them to start thinking more broadly about the role of physical security and what it can do beyond traditional applications to deliver more value. Various industries have seen proof of this resilience and resourcefulness over the last few months with many organizations quickly adapting to the new needs and challenges posed by COVID-19, using their physical security technology as a strategic tool in the fight against the pandemic. In many ways, the extraordinary difficulties brought on by the current situation have put an increased focus on the

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role and importance of the physical security industry. And once the pandemic is finally in the rear-view mirror, organizations will continue to look at their physical security technology and related data as both strategic and enterprise-shaping. Businesses will focus on privacy protection In an effort to keep people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations rushed to implement ‘fever detection’ devices and other new sensors without necessarily having the time to consider privacy implications. Public privacy concerns related to COVID-19 contact tracing and other social challenges will continue to grow. These sensitivities will require the physical security industry to address privacy head-on and find appropriate solutions.

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Rather than hindering the development of new technologies, privacy will prove to be a driving force in the pursuit of responsible and innovative design, encouraging forward-thinking, ethical developers to embrace Privacy by Design methodologies. This involves proactively embedding privacy into the design and operation of IT systems, networked in astructure, and business practices om the first line of code to the third-party vendors selected for partnership and integration. And, in the physical security industry, building a so ware solution om the ground up with privacy in mind means that organizations won’t have to choose between protecting individual privacy and ensuring their physical security. Privacy should always be the default option rather than the other way round, and security technology developers who take it seriously will gain distinct advantages, notably their customers’ trust. Cybersecurity risks will continue to rise While cybersecurity has been an issue for some time, it will, unfortunately, continue to be a vital concern in 2021. From schools and hospitals to private businesses and governments, there’s been a rise in cyber-attacks over the last year. In Q3 of 2020 alone, Trend Micro reported that there were almost 4 million email threats and over 1 million hits on malicious URLs related to COVID-19. Much of this can be linked to the overnight shi to remote work, which le companies scrambling to keep business running while also trying to secure corporate assets. This shi highlighted the fact that the traditional IT perimeter no longer exists. Businesses, organizations, and governments will need to take decisive steps to strengthen their cyber posture, or risk undermining the safety of their intellectual property, sensitive data, and personal information. Choosing trusted vendors and deploying

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physical security solutions that come with layers of cyber defense is critical. Security teams understand that built-in encryption, multi-factor authentication, and password management are the first lines of defense. Beyond that, taking advantage of other features such as cybersecurity risk scoring, system vulnerability alerts, and automated reminders for firmware and hardware updates are significant advantages in this heightened risk environment. Greater focus on trust in the supply chain Physical security technology has become an integral part of an organization’s IT strategy and is, thankfully, now under the same level of scrutiny as other elements of an organization’s technology stack. Some governments are already discouraging the use of certain products om security manufacturers, citing trust and security vulnerabilities. End users, especially in the enterprise space, are taking more time to scrutinize the manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors with whom they choose to work. This includes asking vendors more pointed questions about how they manage emerging threats, how forthcoming they are about product vulnerabilities and their partner ecosystem, and what their data and privacy policies are. For a physical security solution provider to be considered a reputable, reliable partner to their customers, they are going to have to meet more stringent requirements as part of the procurement process.

already underway, greatly accelerated. In order to thrive, physical security professionals will need to follow the lead of IT departments. In the coming year, physical security leaders should let go of the either/or division between cloud and on-premises security systems and embrace a hybrid deployment model in their physical security in astructure. This will allow them to implement specific systems or applications in the cloud while keeping existing on-premises systems. With a hybrid cloud approach, security directors will become more agile in making decisions about how they can enhance scalability, redundancy, and availability to suit their organization’s evolving needs. They will also be able to quickly migrate to newer technologies, minimize hardware footprint, boost cybersecurity, and reduce costs. Cloud offerings need to become an essential option to quickly adapt to changes and ensure business continuity. DW

Genetec www.genetec.com

Demand for hybrid cloud solutions will continue to grow According to Forrester’s recent report, Predictions 2021: Cloud Computing Powers Pandemic Recovery, global public cloud in astructure will grow 35% to a market value of $120 billion over the next year. As online usage and remote work spiked during the pandemic, a global shi towards digital transformation,

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Internet of Things

Firmware delivers MQTT support for new and existing systems Traditional industrial poll/response communications protocols used with PLCs and HMIs are robust and useful, but they can be demanding for users to configure and maintain, they may inefficiently use limited bandwidth, and they o en do not provide sufficient cybersecurity. MQTT has emerged as the preferred IIoT communications protocol because it uses a lightweight and efficient publish/subscribe methodology for secure messaging between devices and central brokers, making information easily available for all authorized applications. A large number of clients can publish data to the broker, subscribe to any broker data, or bi-directionally do both. The MQTT brokers can be located on-site and/or in the cloud. This firmware upgrade enables new and existing MicroSmart FC6A Plus PLC CPUs to support the industry-standard MQTT protocol. The upgrade can be downloaded to the FC6A CPU, so it is easy for users to connect all types of field data to on-site and cloud-based brokers, and make the information readily available for users and analytical applications. Users can also send commands to the FC6A using MQTT. Users everywhere know that industrial internet of things (IIoT) data acquired om their manufacturing sites— whether om machine automation, building utilities, smart devices, or any other source—is essential for supporting many other activities. Live and historized data drives visualization, alarming/notifications, control commands, predictive maintenance, deep analytics, and more so sites can operate at maximum efficiency.

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The FC6A with MQTT capability suits new automation system designs, or adds IIoT connectivity to existing systems. MQTT is supported on Ethernet port 1, so the FC6A can use existing wired, Wi-Fi, or mobile data wireless networking to connect with on-site or cloud-based brokers. A typical application would publish machine data om many machines to the cloud, where it would be historized and could be transmitted to subscribing mobile applications. No additional hardware is needed. Users can take advantage of the traditional PLC control logic and I/O functionality, or they can use the FC6A as an IIoT data concentrator for other PLCs and intelligent devices. The FC6A with MQTT supports Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Core today, with future support planned for Microso Azure and Google Cloud. DW

IDEC Corporation FC6A.IDEC.com

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2/9/21 3:11 PM

5G TECHNOLOGY WORLD Delivers the Latest 5G Technology Trends

5G Technology World is EEWorldOnline’s newest site covering 5G technology, systems, infrastructure, and wireless design and development. Get caught up on critical 5G information, check out the following articles on 5GTechnologyWorld.com: Massive MIMO performance testing: Emulate the channel Performing MIMO testing using real-world conditions is critical for successful 5G deployments. www.5gtechnologyworld.com/massive-mimoperformance-testing-emulate-the-channel

5G is hot, keep your components and systems cool 5G’s antennas and the devices that drive them generate more heat than their LTE predecessors. That creates new cooling problems for wireless devices and systems. www.5gtechnologyworld.com/5g-is-hot-keep-yourcomponents-and-systems-cool

5G moves into production, causes test issues 5G Technology World talks with Teradyne’s Jeorge Hurtarte, who explains components and over-the-air production test of 5G components. www.5gtechnologyworld.com/5g-moves-intoproduction-causes-test-issues

IEEE 1588 adds timing performance while reducing cost and risk GPS and GNSS have been the standards for network timing, but they have security issues. A Master clock and IEEE 1588 reduces the risk and lowers installation costs. www.5gtechnologyworld.com/ieee-1588-adds-timingperformance-while-reducing-cost-and-risk

For additional content, go to: www.5gtechnologyworld.com

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2/10/21 9:21 AM

Internet of Things

| AdobeStock.com

Toolkit helps users get started on IIoT projects

Implementing an IIoT system has its challenges. To help, the Industrial Internet Consortium is offering an IIC RFP Toolkit. This kit consists of a collection of best practices and online tools to help guide IIoT project managers through the process of procuring all the different components and resources required for a complete end-to-end IIoT solution. “Digital Transformation (DX) projects require unique procurement skills to navigate the considerations needed when building a Request For Proposal. The procurement process for a typical IoT project is quite different om that of an enterprise so ware project,” said Dirk Slama, Director of the Co-innovation Hub at Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute. The RFP wizard helps users create and manage effective RFPs for IIoT solutions, helping to ensure that users of IIoT technology are using the right partners and getting the best possible IIoT solution for the most affordable price. The IIC RFP Toolkit is comprised of six modules, developed by the IIC member ecosystem of IIoT technology users, vendors, and consultants. These modules are: • Challenges, risks, and mitigation • Project planning • RFP creation • RFP wizard • RFP distribution and vendor selection • Expert advice and discussion

February 2021

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www.designworldonline.com

The IIC RFP Toolkit is accessible for ee on the IIC Resource Hub, a central repository for the collective resources of the IIC community. Conversations about common challenges and crowd-sourced answers om IIC members can be found on the IIC Community Forum, the space for industry experts to exchange ideas, to discuss Industrial IoT (IIoT) problems in need of solutions and to network. DW

Industrial Internet Consortium www.iiconsortium.org

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Connect and discuss this and other engineering design issues with thousands of professionals online

DESIGN WORLD

2/11/21 9:57 AM

Gateway eases installing Industry 4.0 on PROFIBUS networks SmartLink HW-DP provides controller-independent access to PROFIBUS DP networks. The compact tool can be integrated without affecting the operation of existing installations, enabling Industry 4.0 connectivity for new and existing PROFIBUS DP networks. The smartLink HW-DP V1.01 enables access to process, asset, and diagnostic data om PROFIBUS devices and HART devices connected to PROFIBUS remote I/Os. It allows for secure data export to any system inside and outside a company’s own network. Users in the process industry who want to adapt their communication architecture to modern IoT use cases can integrate smartLink into existing plants

in a simple and cost-effective manner. The relevant data are made available via open, standard interfaces such as HART IP and FDT for subsequent applications. DW

So ing Industrial industrial.so ing.com/en

It’s not a web page, it’s an industry information site So much happens between issues of R&D World that even another issue would not be enough to keep up. That’s why it makes sense to visit rdworldonline.com and stay on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. It’s updated regularly with relevant technical information and other significant news to the design engineering community.

rdworldonline.com Internet.of.Things.2-21_Vs3.LL.indd 55

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A Supplement to Design World - February 2021 www.therobotreport.com

Robot arm opens new doors for Spot

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The Robot Report

How piece-picking robots benefit

from bottom-up design Why cobbling together robotic arms, cameras, and AI software from different vendors is a risky approach.

Vince Martinelli | RightHand Robotics

To understand the precision that’s required in warehouse robotics, try this exercise: Set up five random objects on your desk near a container to place them in. Look at them and imagine how you would pick each up. Now close your eyes. While minimizing your hand movements and keeping your eyes closed, gently but firmly grasp each object, one at a time, and place them in the container. Did you find all five objects quickly and cleanly pick them up? When you let go, did all five land in the container? Did you notice how your wrist, elbow and shoulder moved a little differently while executing each task?

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THE ROBOT REPORT

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That’s the basic process robotic systems go through when executing picking and placing functions as part of a warehouse material handling workflow. Even if the robot grasps and releases the same item frequently, the orientation and positioning each time will vary as the inventory is removed from its storage tote. When the system reaches into a tote and transfers an item into a destination container, if the gripping mechanism is off by a few millimeters, the pick or placement may fail. And for workflows where totes contain a mix of items, the process to ensure consistent picking and placement is even more complex. To succeed, THE ROBOT REPORT

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robots need to carefully coordinate artificial intelligence (AI), machine vision, and end-effector (grip mechanism) technologies. Without all three operating in perfect sync, the process breaks down or operates less than optimally, and the warehouse won’t stay on schedule in processing customer orders. But by properly coordinating these elements, items can flow smoothly and throughput is maximized.

RightHand Robotics developed a hybrid gripper that uses robotic fingers and suction to pick up and place a variety of items. | RightHand Robotics

Cobbled components require costly trial-and-error The technologies that enable warehouses to use robots to pick and place products are still relatively new. Some retailers and www.therobotreport.com

February 2021

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The Robot Report their system integrators have attempted to solve the challenge by cobbling together robotic arms, cameras, and AI so ware om different vendors with different objectives originally in mind. This approach is risky. Perhaps the so ware is effective, but the camera may be designed for other use cases, and the grip mechanism probably requires some adaptation. For example, in many warehouse picking systems, the camera needs to operate a meter above the totes to stay out of the way of the robotic arm. This creates several logistical considerations:

RightHand gathered data from millions of picks to learn the best ways to approach different shapes and classes of items and the optimal ways to orient them for efficient sorting and lifting. Its RightPick2 is optimal for kitting, in which separate items are packaged as one unit, as well as for sorter induction and goods-to-picker tending. | RightHand Robotics

• Does the camera have sufficient resolution so the AI motion planning so ware moves the arm to the precise point to grasp the next item? • What if the last item in a tote is flat and the same color as the tote? Will it even be seen? • Will the camera and AI so ware work together to enable the arm to grasp the item and know whether it has succeeded or not? • Can the system recognize whether or not the source tote is empty and report an inventory error if asked to pick om an empty container? Trying to make components om different manufacturers work well together to provide the answers to

task-critical questions like these requires reconfigurations and adjustments to the physical components, as well as coding changes to the AI so ware. A costly trial-and-error process is required to test whether the components will combine to deliver the required performance. If the prototype fails, customizing a second and then a third prototype will cause the overall investment in robotics to increase rapidly, and likely leave everyone ustrated as calendar time elapses. Holistic design with a bottom-up approach Consider the early years of automobiles. The manufacturers that succeeded did so by producing, assembling and configuring components on their own until they could consistently deliver vehicles and machines that performed reliably. Car manufacturers did not assemble an engine and then try to connect it to transmission, steering and braking systems furnished by other manufacturers. They designed, built and integrated the entire vehicle. Once the specs of such systems were nailed down and the technologies matured, it then became feasible to outsource component manufacturing. The same concept applies to warehouse robotics. Given that the underlying technologies are still maturing, the holistic system design or

RightHand Robotics’ RightPick2 system uses Intel RealSense D415 cameras for segmentation and motion planning. | Intel

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“purpose-built” approach — making sure the end-effector, camera and AI software all work together properly by considering tradeoffs, interfaces and integration — is best handled by one firm conceiving, assembling, and testing the interoperability of the components. This approach drives accountability and also consolidates the learning from successive product iterations — both for the engineering team and via the increasing body of data available for machine learning use, thereby improving the design. This is especially true for piecepicking and placement systems that require intelligent end-effectors and one or more specialized cameras that provide both depth and color images. Just making sure all the parts don’t physically get in each other’s way can be a challenge, particularly if cameras need to get close to see smaller parts and if robotic arms require intricate movements for the hand-eye coordination to pick and place pieces just right. Adding to the challenge is that every pick and every placement is different. A robot picking items out of totes from an automated inventory storage system may handle five million or more items every year from a set of hundreds of thousands of products. Even when picking the same product, each piece in a tote will be positioned differently. The end-effector will need to rely on the camera and AI software to know just where to move and how and when to grip each item. And the motion to get each item out of the tote without bumping it against the tote is a little different than the one before. Similar precision is required as robotic arms move pieces to one of several destination totes, for inducting into sorters, or placing into putwall cubbies. No two items will be placed in the same exact position. When packing a tote, for example, the system cannot simply place each item on top of the item before it. The bin needs to be packed uniformly. Combining an end-effector, camera, and AI software that come from different suppliers to do all this correctly and close to 100% of the time without a coordinated design approach is nearly impossible. DESIGN WORLD

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February 2021

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2/10/21 9:29 AM

The Robot Report Robots with human-like dexterity

Keys of purpose-built robotic picking solutions for e-commerce fulfillment When designing a warehouse robotics solution, it’s also important to closely examine the individual components and their ability to adapt to the requirements of your customers’ workflows. Here are some of the key attributes to consider:

• • • "FULL-STACK LOGISTICS AUTOMATION WITH ROBOTS THAT PICK, PACK, MOVE AND COLLABORATE"

• • • • •

Mixed-Case Palletizing Quickly palletize and depalletize any size of case in any sequence

Fulfillment Fully automated robot-to-goods fulfillment lines or goods-to-robot pick stations

Model- ee picking to avoid maintaining a library of 3D item models. Multi-function end-effectors that combine sensing, suction, and compliant fingers. The ability to pick items om multiple containers with sub-compartments and place them into multiple locations. Autonomous reaction to and resolution of exceptions, rather than shutting down. Machine learning that continuously improves picking and placement in multiple warehouse workflows. Flexibility for use at multiple workflow points within distribution and fulfillment centers. Validation process to confirm items via barcode scans. RGB-D cameras that sense the depth of items and enable item segmentation.

These capabilities result om an integrated approach to robotic hand-eye coordination and system design, enabling warehouses to operate more efficiently with predictable throughput and capacity. RR

Parcel

About the Author

Induction, singulation, and sortation for parcels and poly bags

Vince Martinelli is the head of product & marketing at RightHand Robotics, which provides piecepicking robotic solutions featuring gripping systems that learn and extend the range of products that customers can pick and place reliably at high rates within their warehouse and materials-handling processes.

Data and Analytics Advanced insights into operations

WWW.DEXTERITY.AI

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February 2021

THE ROBOT REPORT

2/10/21 9:29 AM

2 Conceptual rendering of the multi-jointed robotic arm of a surgical system.

3 1 4

Giving robots a sense of touch FUTEK's miniaturized sensor technology allows surgeons to perform as if they had virtual fingertips. The sensors’ precise measurement and feedback allow the machine to emulate the dexterity and haptics of human hands.

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2/10/21 9:31 AM

The Robot Report

Robot arm opens new doors for Spot With Spot Arm, Boston Dynamics’ Spot is no longer just a data collection robot, but rather a highly-skilled mobile manipulation platform.

Steve Crowe | Editor, The Robot Report

February 2021

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THE ROBOT REPORT

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Boston Dynamics recently released several updates to its Spot product line. The goal is to enhance the quadruped’s ability to autonomously monitor job sites. To do so, the RBR50 company introduced a new version of the robot, Spot Enterprise, the Scout web-based teleoperation platform and its long-awaited Spot Arm. None of these products is more important than Spot Arm. There are 400-plus Spots out in the world, all of which have essentially been used as data collection platforms. With Spot Arm, Spot is no longer just a data collection robot, but rather a highly-skilled mobile manipulator that can interact with its environment.

Manual or semi-autonomous control The Spot Arm can grab, li , place, and drag a variety of objects, including door knobs, tools, valves. Check out the spec sheet for details about payloads. Manipulating objects with Spot Arm can be done manually or semiautonomously via constrained manipulation or “Touch to Grasp.” If you’re controlling Spot on a tablet, for example, users simply touch the object on the screen that they want Spot to manipulate. The robot will then autonomously figure out how to best grasp the object.

It works with both the Spot Explorer and Spot Enterprise quadrupeds. Perhaps the most impressive part here is the planning involved and how Spot uses its entire body to manipulate objects. Whether it’s pushing a lever, opening a door (more on that later) or pulling a cinder block, Spot Arm grabs the object while the four-legged robot base re-positions itself for better leverage. “If users want to put together a fully autonomous script of arm behaviors, that’s all available to them,” said Zachary Jackowski, chief engineer, Spot, Boston Dynamics. “All of [Spot Arm’s] features are exposed through an API. With the base robot, we never exposed joint-by-joint control of the legs because it’s not a productive exercise when we’ve written all of the walking control algorithms. But for arm motion planning and complex inverse kinematics that take into account environmental factors, we’ve exposed the control in hopes that some great things come out of it.” Jackowski said that similar to earlier commercial versions of Spot, the 6-DoF arm and two-finger

The end effector on Spot Arm features integrated time of flight, IMU, and 4K RGB sensors for manipulation and inspection tasks. | Boston Dynamics

THE ROBOT REPORT

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February 2021

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The Robot Report Spot Arm Gripper Depth 3.5 inches Max aperture 6.9 inches Peak clamp force 130 N Integrated sensors ToF, IMU, 4K RGB

gripper are targeting innovators and developers. He said there’s not a capable mobile manipulation platform out in the world yet, and that Boston Dynamics will learn a lot from customers who buy armequipped Spots. The gripper features integrated time of flight, IMU, and 4K RGB sensors, as well as two accessory ports for power and Gigabit Ethernet. Spot has the same ports. “We’ve been working on grippers for a long time,” Jackowski said. “We have cabinets full of all sorts of grippers. But we decided our first customer-focused gripper would be a rigid finger gripper. You can do a ton of stuff with a simple 1-DoF gripper. Robotiq has shown us that over and over. If it’s designed correctly, you get the right contours in the gripper and the right materials in the fingers. Robotiq’s grippers are iconic and proof that good work can be done with simple robust grippers.” “The simpler the gripper, the better off you are,” Jackowski added. “It’s lightweight, strong and damage resistant. It’s at the end of the robot arm, which is the position on the robot most vulnerable to damage. It’s capable of manipulating the objects we’ve found our industrial customers are most interested in - door handles, ball valves, tools on the floor.”

Spot Arm Specs Degrees of Freedom

6 + gripper

Length (at full extension)

38.7 inches

Weight (including gripper)

17.6 inches

Max endpoint speed

10 m/s

Max lift capacity

24.3 lbs

Continuous lift capacity (at 0.5 m extension)

11 lbs

Max drag capacity (on carpet)

55.1 lbs

Total weight (on robot)

87.5 lbs

Maximum reach (on robot)

70.9 inches

Operating temperature

-20ºC to 45ºC

Doors no problem for Spot Boston Dynamics released several videos showing off some of Spot Arm’s capabilities. The first that sticks out is Spot opening a door with a round door knob. Boston Dynamics said Spot’s dooropening behavior merely requires the operator to point the robot at the door handle and tell it what side the hinge is on. Spot does the rest, pushing or pulling the door and using its foot to hold the door while it re-grasps the door. Most robots you’ve seen opening doors are opening doors with ADA-compliant hardware. Push handles or levers are much

easier than twisting knobs. Doors and robots have never been friends. In fact, doors were the kryptonite of the robots at the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge. And back in 2009, iRobot was working on ChemBot, a shape-shifting robot blob designed to squeeze underneath doors. Spot’s ability to open various types of doors makes it viable in a variety of human-centric environments. Another example that stood out was Spot pulling a concrete block. Jackowski said it impressed him as well because it shows the coordinated dynamics between Spot and Spot Arm.

Manipulating objects with Spot Arm can be done manually or semi-autonomously via constrained manipulation. If you’re controlling Spot on a tablet, for example, simply touch the object on the screen you want Spot to manipulate. The robot will then autonomously figure out how to best grasp the object. | Boston Dynamics

February 2021

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THE ROBOT REPORT

2/10/21 9:40 AM

Spot’s door-opening behavior merely requires the operator to point the robot at the door handle and tell it what side the hinge is on. Spot does the rest, pushing or pulling the door and using its foot to hold the door while it re-grasps the door. | Boston Dynamics

“It’s using a lot of intelligence about the weight of that object and how its body responds to the center of mass and being able to pull that heavy object,” he said. “The cinder block is a significant portion of the robot’s weight. The robot is actually going limp when the arm is extended - it is going into singularity to drag the cinder block around and doing that naturally.” This isn’t the first time a Boston Dynamics robot has been seeing manipulating cinder blocks. Back in 2013, it produced a video that shows a tethered BigDog throwing a 35-pound cinder block about 17 feet. Comparing Spot Arm and BigDog’s manipulator show how Boston Dynamics’ approach to dynamic, whole-body manipulation has evolved. “What gets me most excited is that I’m continuously impressed with how big the world is and how many things people need to do that are really important,” said Jackowski. “A really powerful thing happens when you put a product out there and you let the world happen. A customer could say, ‘Hey, this robot arm is perfect for connecting this dangerous hose in my chemical processing plant. You saved me from exposing someone to a dangerous situation.’”

THE ROBOT REPORT

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Jackowski said a demo of Spot digging a hole and planting a tree was inspired by a customer who wants to use robots to plant trees on tree farms. He said this was mostly a scripted behavior where Spot followed a set of instructions to apply a certain amount of force over a certain distance in multiple locations. “Everything’s important for different reasons,” he said in terms of all the new products. “The arm is our same old thing - a piece of robotics technology that the general community has never had a chance to work with before. We’re introducing it in a way that’s done the Boston Dynamics way. There will be a huge explosion of people figuring out what it’s valuable for and teaching us more about robotic control.” Boston Dynamics was acquired by Hyundai Motor Corp in December 2020 for about $880 million. Hyundai Motor owns 80% of Boston Dynamics, while a Softbank affiliate retained the other 20%. The deal valued Boston Dynamics at $1.1 billion. It’s still not clear exactly what the future holds for this relationship, but there are many ways in which it could be mutually beneficial.

www.therobotreport.com

Boston Dynamics commercialized Spot in June 2020, and Hyundai’s in-house manufacturing expertise and existing customer base could help scale Spot and yet-to-be-released robots such as Atlas and Handle. Hyundai became the third owner of Boston Dynamics in seven years. It was acquired by Google in 2013 and sold to Softbank Group in 2017. The RBR50 company has mainly operated as an R&D organization since it was founded. But a new emphasis on commercialization was evident after it was acquired by Softbank. RR

February 2021

2/10/21 9:41 AM

Case Study

Precision gripper

key to machine tending application

Faucet manufacturer has seen a 5% increase in production throughput per hour and is now considering a second automation system. The Robot Report Staff

In 2020, the International Federation of Robotics estimated that almost four million robots will be deployed in factories worldwide by 2022. Automation will have a significant role in the recovery of the economy post-pandemic. Challenge One faucet manufacturer in the Midwest recently began investigating automation to address a pain point of their own: the need to alleviate their labor shortage. They sought out the help of Nermin Peimanovic, president of Industrial Controls Automation in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Industrial Controls Automation, a systems integrator that offers custom industrial and collaborative automation systems, helped this manufacturer by installing a robotic solution using some of the industry’s most trusted components to automate their assembly of valve cartridges. Solution Peimanovic traveled to the faucet manufacturer to inspect their process and propose a system that would help them reach their business goals. The process required a robotic solution that could achieve high levels of accuracy and tend two machines side-by-side. The manufacturer was employing one operator for both machines and wanted to increase the operator’s efficiency by

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having them oversee the robotics system and other machinery. The project required a compact system that would be easy to redeploy if the application changed in the future. Training the operator on the system also needed to be easy. Industrial Controls Automation proposed a UR10e collaborative robot om Universal Robots

THE ROBOT REPORT

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with a SCHUNK PGN-plus-E 100 gripper that met all the criteria the manufacturer requested. Peimanovic and his team designed a solution that used a feeder and actuator to dispense the brass tubes so that they were spaced correctly for insertion into the injection mold machine, which had a tolerance of 0.005 inches for placement

www.therobotreport.com

SCHUNK’s gripper was up to the task for this faucet manufacturer. Any error in the gripper’s mechanical system would result in incorrect insertion of the tube, causing scrap and creating bottlenecks within the manufacturing process. | SCHUNK

February 2021

2/10/21 9:45 AM

Case Study

of the brass tubes. Once the die had finished, the gripper would also pick the plastic assembly and deposit it onto an outfeed conveyor. The brass tube placement was critical and required the gripper to not only pick the part but to hold the workpieces precisely and release them without changing their orientation or position. This seems like a simple task, but any slop or error in the gripper’s mechanical system would result in incorrect insertion of the tube, causing scrap and creating bottlenecks within the manufacturing process. A er assessing several different endeffectors, Industrial Controls Automation went with an electric gripper, the PGN-plus-E 100 om SCHUNK. Using the PGN-plus-E, Industrial Controls Automation was able to achieve repeatability in the mechanical guidance and could grip the workpiece repeatedly with enough force and at the same position every time. With this off-theshelf gripper, they were able to quickly integrate it into the cobot system. Results With the feeder system, cobot, and SCHUNK gripper, Peimanovic and his team were able to deploy this robotic system successfully in August 2020. The robot tends two machines and there have not been any problems since the installation. The faucet manufacturer has seen a 5% increase in their production throughput per hour and is now considering a second system om Industrial Controls Automation, only six months a er the initial installation. Peimanovic noted, “This project was difficult due to the precision that the gripper had to achieve in its pick and placement of the workpieces. I tried a variety of different solutions before learning about SCHUNK. SCHUNK really saved this project. If it wasn’t for them, this would not have been a success.” RR

February 2021

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The UR10e collaborative robotic arm from Universal Robots delivers both high payload (10 kg) lift and long reach (1300mm), which makes it well suited for a range of applications in machine tending, palletizing, and packaging. | Universal Robots

Here are four common types of robotic grippers: Vacuum: a standard end-of-arm tool used for flat, smooth surfaces, o en used in palletizing and packaging. Pneumatic: a gripper that is o en used in pick-and-place operations. Pneumatic grippers use compressed air to operate gripper jaws or fingers. Hydraulic: a gripper o en used for applications that require a substantial amount of force. These robotic grippers produce strength om pumps and o en are a cost-savings alternative to pneumatic grippers. Servo-Electric: highly flexible and cost effective, these grippers allow for different material tolerances when handling parts. www.therobotreport.com

THE ROBOT REPORT

2/10/21 9:45 AM

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2/10/21 9:47 AM

The Robot Report

Laser-steering

end-effector aims to refine minimally invasive surgery

Miniaturized to a cylinder measuring merely 6 mm in diameter and 16 mm in length, the laser-steering end-effector mapped out and followed complex trajectories in which multiple laser ablations could be performed with high speed and high accuracy.

Benjamin Boettner | Wyss Institute

Minimally invasive surgeries in which surgeons gain access to internal tissues through

natural orifices or small external excisions are common practice in medicine. They are performed for problems as diverse as delivering stents through catheters, treating abdominal complications, and performing transnasal operations at the skull base in patients with neurological conditions. The ends of devices for such surgeries are highly flexible to enable the visualization and specific manipulation of the surgical site in the target tissue. In the case of energy-delivering devices that allow surgeons to cut or dry (desiccate) tissues, and stop internal bleeds (coagulate) deep inside the body, a heat-generating energy source is added to the end of the device. However, presently available energy sources delivered via a fiber or electrode, such as radio equency currents, have to be brought close to the target site, which limits surgical precision and can cause unwanted burns in adjacent tissue sections

February 2021

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and smoke development. Laser technology, which already is widely used in a number of external surgeries, such as those performed in the eye or skin, would be an attractive solution. For internal surgeries, the laser beam needs to be precisely steered, positioned and quickly repositioned at the distal end of an endoscope, which cannot be accomplished with the currently available relatively bulky technology. Now, robotic engineers led by Wyss Associate Faculty member Robert Wood, Ph.D., and postdoctoral fellow Peter York, Ph.D., at Harvard THE ROBOT REPORT

2/10/21 9:59 AM

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The Robot Report

University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School for Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) have developed a lasersteering microrobot in a miniaturized 6×16 millimeter package that operates with high speed and precision, and can be integrated with existing endoscopic tools. Their approach could help significantly enhance the capabilities of numerous minimally invasive surgeries. “To enable minimally invasive laser surgery inside the body, we devised a microrobotic approach that allows us to precisely direct a laser beam at small target sites in complex patterns within an anatomical area of interest,” said York, the first and corresponding author on the study and a postdoctoral fellow on Wood’s microrobotics team. “With

The microrobotic laser-steering end-effector (right) can be used as a fitted add-on accessory for existing endoscopic systems (left) for use in minimally invasive surgery. | Wyss Institute at Harvard University

its large range of articulation, minimal footprint, and fast and precise action, this laser-steering end-effector has great potential to enhance surgical capabilities simply by being added to existing endoscopic devices in a plug-and-play fashion.” The team needed to overcome the basic challenges in design, actuation, and microfabrication of the optical steering

mechanism that enables tight control over the laser beam after it has exited from an optical fiber. These challenges, along with the need for speed and precision, were exacerbated by the size constraints – the entire mechanism had to be housed in a cylindrical structure with roughly the diameter of a drinking straw to be useful for endoscopic procedures.

The laser steering device is able to perform complex trajectories such as an exposed wire as well as a word within geometrical shapes. | Wyss Institute at Harvard University

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The Robot Report This collage shows a prototype of the laser steering device creating a star trajectory at 5000 mm/s. | Wyss Institute at Harvard University

“We found that for steering and redirecting the laser beam, a configuration of three small mirrors that can rapidly rotate with respect to one another in a small ‘galvanometer’ design provided a sweet spot for our miniaturization effort,” said second author Rut Peña, a mechanical engineer with micromanufacturing expertise in Wood’s group. “To get there, we leveraged methods from our microfabrication arsenal in which modular components are laminated step-wise onto a superstructure on the millimeter scale – a highly effective fabrication process when it comes to iterating on designs quickly in search of an optimum, and delivering a robust strategy for mass-manufacturing a successful product.” The team demonstrated that their laser-steering end-effector, miniaturized to a cylinder measuring merely 6 mm in diameter and 16 mm in length, was able to map out and follow complex trajectories in which multiple laser ablations could be performed with high speed, over a large range, and be repeated with high accuracy. To further show that the device, when attached to the end of a common colonoscope, could be applied to a life-like endoscopic task, York and Peña, advised by Wyss Clinical Fellow Daniel Kent, M.D., successfully simulated the resection of polyps by navigating their device via tele-operation in a benchtop phantom tissue made of rubber. Kent also is a resident physician in general surgery at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “In this multi-disciplinary approach, we managed to harness our ability to rapidly prototype complex microrobotic mechanisms that we have developed

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over the past decade to provide clinicians with a non-disruptive solution that could allow them to advance the possibilities of minimally invasive surgeries in the human body with life-altering or potentially lifesaving impact,” said senior author Wood, Ph.D., who also is the Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at SEAS. Wood’s microrobot team together with technology translation experts at the Wyss Institute have patented their approach and are now further de-risking their medical technology as an add-on for surgical endoscopes. “The Wyss Institute’s focus on microrobot devices and this new laser-steering device developed by Robert Wood’s team working across disciplines with clinicians and experts in translation will hopefully revolutionize how minimally invasive surgical procedures are carried out in a number of disease areas,” said Wyss Founding Director Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., who is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, and Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS. RR

www.therobotreport.com

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Robotics Robotics

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Robotics Robotics

maxon Miniaturized Controller for Compact Designs A newly designed miniaturized controller measuring only 32 mm x 22 mm with a functionality that’s virtually identical to many larger units. It addresses cost-sensitive single- and multi-axis applications. It is suitable for use with both brushed DC and brushless EC motors (BLDC) of up to 120 W and has comprehensive feedback options such as Hall sensors, as well as digital incremental and SSI absolute encoders. State-of-the art concepts such as Dual Loop, Field Oriented Control (FOC), feed forward, and observer control allow optimal control in a wide variety of applications.

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NEW AksIM-2TM rotary absolute kit encoders offer outstanding performance – to 20-bits with no hysteresis Renishaw associate company RLS d.o.o Introduces an improved second generation of AksIMTM absolute rotary encoders widely used in many humanoid, medical and collaborative (Cobot) applications, where hysteresis, large through holes, low profile, reliability and repeatability are fundamental. The additional benefits of AksIM-2TM encoders are: • Full range of sizes • Onboard eccentricity calibration • Multiturn capability • Extended operating temperature and pressure ranges

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Fastener Engineering This area has long been one of the most read and sought after by our engineering audience! From screws to bolts and adhesives to springs, these critical but often overlooked components are the key to every successful design. FastenerEngineering.com will serve readers in the mechanical design engineering space, providing news, product developments, application stories, technical how-to articles, and analysis of engineering trends. This site will focus on key issues facing the engineering markets around fastener technology, along with technical background on selected components.

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February 2021

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With IoT-capable hardware and software readily available, engineers are seeing the benefits of including IoT functionality into new machine designs by default. Rich Carpenter Silvia Gonzalez Emerson

Building IoT 80

into new machines

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Rapid developments in the consumer electronics realm have become a general expectation of users everywhere, with vendor releases each year predictably topping previous iterations for performance, features, and convenience. Larger consumer goods such as appliances and cars improve too, although usually at a slower pace. And all these developments can make technological progress in the area of industrial OEM machinery appear glacial. However, this situation is changing as Internet of things (IoT) and other networking and visualization tools are proving to be applicable to OEM machines, in demand by end users, and more widely available from vendors. Industrial IoT (IIoT) hardware and software technologies are challenging the conventional wisdom around costs versus benefits because the initial price tag is minimal, while the immediate and future advantages are substantial. Perhaps more importantly, this is coupled with the fact that end users are aware of and are actually pushing for modern IoT capabilities so they can improve operations and futureproof their capital equipment. End-user demand—along with the ability of OEMs to differentiate their offerings and create longer-term relationships and new business models with their customers—are leading OEMs to the realization that IIoTcapable hardware and software should simply be built-in to all new machines, whether it’s immediately used or not.

The drive for data OEM machine builders are experts in their products and have typically adopted new technologies with each new machine generation. However, customer demand for reliability and improved efficiency is now also driving OEMs to consider delivering more capable machines. In many cases, responding to these requests requires a deep command of equipment data, Web-capable HMI compelling OEMs to instrument and enhance software like Emerson’s their equipment so they can provide the Progea Movicon.NExT same easy connectivity experience people can be deployed anywhere have today with consumer devices. from the edge to the cloud, What’s more, these end users are helping OEMs create looking for more than just raw data; seamless IIoT solutions they need actionable information to which are naturally help them operate machines, locally or integrated with remotely, at peak performance. With the visualization.

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OEMs are beginning to proactively build-in IIoT-capabilities into their equipment, to meet customer demand for obtaining actionable information, among other advantages.

Improved standards and an ecosystem of modular hardware and software products taking advantage of the latest IIoT technologies have combined to enable economical, secure and uncomplicated solutions.

right information at hand, these users can improve operating efficiency from all aspects of equipment functionality, consumables usage, and labor—improving profit while reducing risk. Conventional wisdom holds that OEMs, like any business, are driven by the profit motive to minimize costs and maximize profits. Yet IIoT capabilities are so economical to build-in initially and can deliver such extensive value for end users and OEMs alike in the future that they should be considered as a mandatory feature. The shift in thinking calls for an OEM to change from building the lowest cost ‘just enough’ functional machine, to building a machine with embedded IIoT that can evolve with customer needs over time via software updates, providing flexibility to meet immediate needs while enabling machines to respond to future demands. This is made possible with the right hardware, software, instrumentation, and networking elements. In addition to traditional automation controllers and I/O, other external intelligent devices and sensors which may not directly be involved

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with the automation can be incorporated to provide important data for analysis in order to drive stronger insights. Examples of this additional data are condition monitoring devices for vibration, bearing temperature sensing systems, power utilization signals, compressed air pressure and usage rates, and consumables tracking. By integrating these signals, end users gain operational visibility, including early warnings of component failures and maintenance recommendations. Also, OEMs can create new revenue streams by offering enhanced monitoring and support services for their end customers. Equipment leasing based on production can be quantified, and machine-as-a-service business models become realistic using these connected IIoT technologies. Making the connection While automation hardware and software are relatively mature products, it’s been traditionally expensive and difficult to include remote connectivity capabilities in new equipment, and even more costly and impractical to retrofit it at a later date. DESIGN WORLD

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Over the past few decades, PLC and HMI devices have become much more capable, and networking and internet technologies have also improved. Despite these advancements, early attempts at IIoT-like applications required extensive coordination between operations technology (OT) specialists for the equipment, and information technology (IT) personnel for networking, data management at scale, and analytics. Building a true IIoT application required custom programming, learning new and unfamiliar technologies, and overcoming various weak links in areas such as connectivity. Another issue is that end users prefer technologies that are not intrusive with their existing PLC, HMI, and networking infrastructure so they can avoid disturbing the working application, reducing downtime. Ideally, IIoT applications should supplement existing operations, not interrupt them. Users need solutions enabling operators to improve daily production and inventory management, while maintenance personnel focus on

maximizing asset uptime, without creating any additional burden. Even OEMs with strong automation technical resources may not have the total skillset to create these types of IIoT solutions or have a completely clear vision of their end customer challenges, especially regarding cloud connectivity and analytical needs. These OEMs will gravitate toward acquiring complete solutions and working with their automation partners to implement, support, and evolve this digital transformation. Expensive and difficult becomes economical and easy Improved standards and an ecosystem of modular hardware and software products taking advantage of the latest IIoT technologies have combined to enable economical, secure and uncomplicated solutions. There are multiple ways to buildin IIoT capability based on edge computing and associated software, but in every case it’s important to consider solutions that could be standardized and implemented in brownfield or greenfield situations,

regardless of the existing infrastructure. Standard PLCs can perform a certain amount of IIoT processing, but a new generation of edge controllers has superseded PLCs by adding the PC-like computing needed for IIoT tasks. Edge controllers maintain full deterministic control capabilities to reliably control industrial equipment even with the added IIoT capabilities. They’ve become the preferred automation platform for OEMs looking to future-proof their equipment designs, even if they’re not ready to take full advantage of the IIoT capabilities today. When OEMs are ready to move forward with IIoT efforts, the complementary technologies are in place. Industrial Ethernet protocols work well with existing equipment and within factories, and MQTT has risen to prominence as a capable and lightweight method of communicating factory data to the cloud or other IT applications. And instead of custom code, there are now many powerful and wellunderstood applications like Node-RED and Grafana, which can be configured to seamlessly transmit factory data and

Modern IIoT solutions can gather edge-sourced data from machinery and other areas, enabling users to optimize operations without impacting the underlying automation systems.

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visualize it as actionable information. Of particular interest for IIoT visualization are advanced web-capable HMI software capabilities that move beyond basic visualization to incorporate various IIoT functions. This nextgeneration software is scalable for application size and can be deployed in a variety of locations, while providing a consistent development experience. Web visualization is a natural fit for IIoT analytical applications, which usually require visualization from anywhere. Combined functionality and flexible deployment are particular advantages for OEMs, especially those building many varieties of equipment. Some installation options may include: • Directly on-board an edge controller • On an edge computing device connected to one or more local controllers and sensors • On a factory-floor or control room PC • Deployed on one or more servers as part of a larger automation system Regardless of the installation type, it’s important for IIoT solutions to be capable of integrating with cloud-accessible systems, especially if the customer or OEM would like to visualize and analyze across a distributed fleet of equipment. Cloud communications is a valuable twoway street, empowering OEMs to support all their customers worldwide. In addition, it lets OEMs monitor many sites—with the proper authorization—so they can perform fleet-level analytics providing insights for improving equipment design and reliability. Toward more intelligent automation Edge control and web-based visualization go beyond basic automation and deliver asset dashboards describing the health of the overall machine, subsystems, and components. Operations and maintenance personnel are alerted if there are any issues, while historical data is available for evaluation by end users and OEM engineers. Digital transformation is collecting the right data in support of improved troubleshooting information, early warning of possible failures, and usage-based maintenance. As end users are beginning to make IIoT a priority, one OEM of packaging equipment is responding by making their automated systems more intelligent and IIoT-ready. This OEM 84

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is innovating by including automation hardware, software platforms, and additional sensors in their products in order to build-in IIoT capabilities enhancing their end customer’s experience. Then, with continuous learning and advancements, they can add additional analytics over time to progressively improve equipment operation. It’s not enough for suppliers to simply add some converged OT and IT capabilities into their products. OEMs and end users are looking for partners with deep experience in automation hardware and software, who understand the industrial market. The right supplier partner enables OEMs to improve their end customer’s satisfaction by including advanced IIoT capabilities such as analytics and machine overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) reporting.

Moving forward, end users are not likely to accept less data and reduced visibility, especially for miniscule up-front cost savings. This is because they realize the long-term payback and benefits of operating as efficiently as possible and so are now demanding IIoT capable automation platforms. DW Emerson www.emerson.com/industrialautomation-controls

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Gothic arches, tracks, and roller bearings in linear motion Lisa Eitel • Executive Editor

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Industry terminology to describe linear guides and other linear components widely varies. Here we explain three linear-guide phrases and words having multiple meanings — and differentiate how they relate to track-roller linear guides and proﬁled-rail linear guides. Let’s start by reviewing the multiple linear-motion meanings for Gothic-arch linear bearing. Gothic arches originate from civil engineering. They’re an adaptation of round-top Roman arches having a pointed shape resulting from the intersection of two circle-arch segments — called springing points when they’re extensions of straight (and vertical) arch segments. In civil engineering, the benefits of Gothic arches are that they provide loftier arch reaches and half the (compromising) side thrust of Roman arches. In mechanical engineering, Gothic arches allow more clearance and greater roller to rail (or track) contact than other options.

Shown here is an excellent example of Gothic arches — from the historic Cloisters of Glasgow University in Scotland.

Track-roller linear guide Gothic arches: Gothic arches in the context of wheel-based track-roller linear guides refer to the roller wheel’s outer working-surface shape — and the mating geometry of the linear track it rides. Gothic arch wheels

| AdobeStock.com

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TRACK-ROLLER GOTHIC-ARCH CONTACT BETWEEN WHEELS AND RACEWAY

BALL-SPLINE GOTHIC-ARCH CONTACT BETWEEN BEARING ELEMENTS AND GROOVED SHAFT

STEEL SHAFT GOTHIC ARCH FOUR CONTACT POINTS TWO WITH THE INTERNAL NUT RACEWAY TWO WITH THE STEEL SHAFT

LINEAR-BUSHING GOTHIC-ARCH CONTACT BETWEEN BEARING STEELELEMENTS SHAFTAND ROUND SHAFT GOTHIC ARCH THREE CONTACT POINTS

BEARING PLATE

TWO WITH THE BEARING PLATE ONE WITH THE SHAFT

RECIRCULATING BALL STEEL SHAFT

LINEAR BUSHING

OPEN LINEAR BUSHING

PROFILED-RAIL GOTHIC-ARCH CONTACT BETWEEN BEARING ELEMENTS AND RACEWAY

PERCENT SLIP =

CIRCULAR ARCH TWO CONTACT POINTS

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D1 - D2 D1

× 100

OFFSET GOTHIC ARCH

GOTHIC ARCH FOUR CONTACT POINTS

have a highly engineered radial surface with a concave profile. That’s in contrast with flat rollers, crowned (rounded) rollers, vee-shaped (notched) rollers, chamfered rollers, and flanged rollers. In Gothic-arch linear guides, the track is: • A machined and treated surface on a section of standard rail • A round hardened steel race embedded in a section of standard rail — with the latter often made of lightweight anodized aluminum. When the ends of the build are obscured, these can visually resemble profiled-rail linear guides. Strength and straightness is to ±0.5 mm per 300 mm. The wheels’ Gothic arch geometry ensures the wheels securely and smoothly ride these races … and many pre-engineered variations boost performance by integrating three, four, or even five gothic-arch rollers that are offset and trapped between the races of the linear track. One final note: Track-roller wheels with Gothic-arch external profiles often contain double-row angular-contact ball bearings within. That allows them to bear the axial loads induced from both sides of their OD — as well as high radial forces with its tread — the wheels’ thick OD working surface. Linear-bushing linear guide Gothic arches: Gothic arches in the context of linear bushings typically refers to the geometry of the raceways inside the ball-spline nut. Gothic arches in the nut raceways impart higher rigidity and lower backlash than nuts having other raceway shapes. Ball-spline linear guide Gothic arches: Gothic arches in the context of ball-spline linear guides typically refers to the shape of the grooves along the long axis (or spiraling around) the ball-spline shaft … with the assumption that the assembly nut also has Gothic-arch geometry as described above for linear bushings. In fact, ball splines Gothic-arch groove geometries can often outperform those having grooves with circular (actually elongated elliptical) arch geometries. That’s because Gothic arches ensure the ball bearings are contacted at four points — at two points on the nut raceway and two more points on the shaft groove. That’s in contrast with circular geometry that only contacts each ball bearing at two points — at one point on the nut raceway and another on the shaft groove.

Raceway geometry affects axis stiffness, friction, and moment load capacity in both profiled rail linear guides as well as track-roller linear guides. In both linear guide types, Gothic arch geometry (on the raceway for profiled rail and on the track-roller OD for track rollers) provides four-point contact instances between the linear guide element and the rolling subcomponent. Gothic arch geometry can make for load capacities that are lower than other options, but also enables exceptional linear accuracy.

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CYLINDRICAL ROLLER BEARINGS IN A TRACK-ROLLER LINEAR GUIDE

CYLINDRICAL ROLLER BEARINGS IN A ROTARY BEARING

CYLINDRICAL ROLLER BEARINGS IN A CROSSED-ROLLER LINEAR GUIDE

ROLLERS BARINGS ARE CROSSED (ALTERNATE IN ORIENTATION) AND HELD IN A CAGE

The term roller bearing always refers to cylindrical roller load-bearing elements. Where there’s no other context, it usually refers to rotary bearings with these elements. Otherwise, it refers to one of two linear-motion technologies using these loadbearing cylinders.

As with all uses of Gothic-arch bearing track, there’s higher rigidity (as well as low or even no backlash) but more friction arising from heightened ball differential slip (skidding) due to the inclusion of more contact points. Ball splines with shafts having circulararch groove profiles excel on machine axes somewhat tolerant of slight backlash — namely those having low inertial moments and fairly consistent torque requirements. In contrast, ball splines with shafts having Gothic-arch groove profiles — which are often precision ground as described in several articles on linearmotiontips.com — excel on axes requiring dynamic torque transmission and rigidity. Note: Though it’s beyond the scope of this article, there do in fact exist ball splines that have custom-engineered shaftgroove geometries.

linear-guide load capacities. Circular arch grooves contact ball bearings at two points. Gothic arch grooves contact the ball bearings at four points. Though beyond the scope of this article, a third option called an offset Gothic arch is also available. Gothic arches in profiled rails offer multi-axis load bearing and high moment load capacities. Their main drawback is the tendency to fall out of pure rolling with differential slip resulting from speedvarying disparities in the elliptical contact areas between ball and raceway — as well as an increase in sliding friction. More dramatic differentials between ball and arch diameters (as well as increased contact area) makes for more differential slip. The relationship between this slip and contact

Profiled rail linear guide Gothic arches: Gothic arches in the context of profiled rail linear guides are found in the geometry of the linear rail raceways — not the carriage or rolling elements. In fact, profiled-rail raceways usually have either circular-arch grooves or Gothicarch grooves. These groove geometries (both of which are associated with guides employing ball-bearing elements) arose from industry innovation aimed at boosting

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area means the effect also puts a limitation on allowable preload. One rotary and two linear-motion meanings for roller bearing In mechanical engineering, the term roller bearing with no other context (and no mention of linear motion) usually refers to rotary bearings with cylindrical roller loadbearing elements instead of spherical ball load-bearing elements. Rotary bearings are common and indispensable components in motion systems. They’re used in gearboxes, motors, pulleys, fans, and pumps … and in fact, virtually any time a shaft is rotating, rotary bearings are there to reduce friction and support radial and often axial loads.

Often the term rail in the context of linear motion does in fact imply profiled rail — paired with a carriage block recirculating or nonrecirculating rollers.

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Track roller linear guide: Roller bearing in the context of track rollers can refer to the entire linear-guide design or just the rolling wheel or cam follower of the design. Case in point: Certain linear-component manufacturers’ products are often called roller bearing linear guides or rail guides. In fact, the wheels in track-roller linear guides can incorporate cylindrical rollers, though they usually incorporate ball-bearing elements. Profiled rail linear guide: Roller bearing in the context of profiled rail refers permutations that use cylindrical or barrelshaped rollers instead of spherical balls for the carriage’s load-bearing elements. These are particularly common in machine-tool applications … though rollers’ performance benefits are worthwhile in other industries as well. Roller-based designs have higher load capacity, rigidity, and power density than comparable ball-element designs … making them excel on gantries and other multi-axis arrangements that benefit from compact linear components. The main caveat here is that they can be costlier.

Two meanings for rail Track roller linear guide: The term rail is often just a more casual way of referencing the technology known as track-roller linear guides. Some manufacturers put the term in their product names, especially when the offering can in fact serve as an appropriate alternative to profiled rail in moderateload designs needing high speed and precise linear strokes. That’s most common in automation and machine-transfer applications. In other contexts, rail might specifically imply the track geometry and its surfaces that serve as the wheel raceways. Profiled rail linear guide: Often the term rail in the context of linear motion does in fact imply profiled rail — paired with a carriage block recirculating or nonrecirculating rollers as described above. DW

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Avoiding singularities in FEA boundary conditions FEA boundaries can usually be obtained using simple fixed constraints. But, this can result in singularities that produce erroneous results. To determine whether results show a real stress concentration or a singularity, an accurate solution can usually be obtained by either using elastic supports or modeling contact between components. Dr. Jody Muelaner • PhD CEng MIMechE

Singularities in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) can cause real issues, even for an apparently simple structural analysis. Singularities lead to completely erroneous results and stresses that continue to rise as a mesh is refined. Many singularities are caused by stress raising geometry such as holes and sharp internal corners, and this is generally well understood. Singularities caused by sudden changes in boundary conditions can be harder to spot and resolve. In fact, setting up realistic boundary conditions is often the most challenging aspect of a simulation. What is a singularity? A singularity is a point in the model where a value, such as stress, tends to infinity. As the mesh is refined, the increasingly small elements get closer to this point and the value therefore rises. As the element size tends to zero, the stress will tend to infinity. This produces nonsensical results and prevents mesh convergence. Geometry that causes singularities Singularities caused by stress raising geometry such as holes and sharp internal corners are well understood. In the real world, there is likely to be a small radius on any internal corner, meaning the stress would not actually continue to rise. In any case, local yielding will limit the stress in such features. The location of these singularities can often be readily identified,

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excluded from convergence results and localized models used to predict the true stress in the features responsible. Singularities at corners are similar to cracks and the stress intensity factor can be calculated using the J-Integral, or considering the strain energy release rate – the energy dissipated during fracture. There is, however, another type of stress raiser in FEA models that is talked about less often and which can be more difficult to deal with. Where there are abrupt changes in boundary conditions, such as a split line where a fixed constraint ends, this can also result in stress that continues to rise unrealistically and causes mesh convergence to fail. Let’s explore why this happens and how it can be avoided. How can boundary conditions cause singularities? The most obvious way that a boundary condition can cause a singularity is when a force is applied to a single node. Since stress is force divided by area, applying a force at a single point will give an infinite DESIGN WORLD

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stress. If the area where the load is applied is not of interest, then it can be acceptable to use such a boundary condition. Due to Saint-Venant’s-principle, which states that, if the distance from the load is large enough, two different but statically equivalent loads create essentially the same effect. This can be easily seen where the same total force is applied to the sponges in two different ways. The fingers represent point loads and the flat hands distributed loads. Although the affects close to the applied loads are different, in the center of the stack, at a sufficient distance from the loads, the effect is virtually the same. When loads are simplified to point or edge loads, it is simply important to understand that the very high stress around the applied force does not represent reality. These regions must not be included in results, mesh convergence or adaptive meshing. Next, we’ll look at some more involved examples of boundary conditions casing singularities. www.designworldonline.com

Singularities caused by sudden changes in boundary conditions can be harder to spot and resolve. In fact, setting up realistic boundary conditions is often the most challenging aspect of a simulation.

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3 D

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Saint-Venant’s principle states that, if the distance from the load is large enough, two different but statically equivalent loads create essentially the same effect. This image illustrates the point. The fingers represent point loads and the flat hands distributed loads. Although the affects close to the applied loads are different, in the center of the stack, at a sufficient distance from the loads, the effect is virtually the same.

The most obvious way that a boundary condition can cause a singularity is when a force is applied to a single node. Since stress is force divided by area, applying a force at a single point will give an inﬁnite stress.

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Abrupt changes to a fixed boundary condition It is often convenient to fix a face of a model, to constrain a component which is loaded with forces applied in some other area. It should first be noted that such a fixed constraint can never truly represent reality. A fixed boundary condition essentially means that the face is bonded to an infinitely stiff body. In the real world, all solid bodies have some flexibility and often a part will actually be clamped rather than bonded. However, if the peak stresses are not expected in the region being represented by a fixed boundary, this may seem like a reasonable approximation. As with point loads, it can therefore, be a good idea to simply exclude the stresses in this region from any mesh convergence. However, not all software allows this, and it is particularly problematic if automatic mesh refinement, or adaptive meshing, is being used. A shaft can provide a good example of these issues. The shaft illustrated below

has been cut in half and a symmetry fixture applied. The smaller cylindrical face at the right-hand end of the shaft has been split into three separate faces to allow a vertical force to be applied to a defined region. The other end of the shaft would be held by two bearings, with the outer bearing constraining axial movement against a shoulder and the end face. When standard inelastic fixtures are used, stress singularities occur where the fixtures end. This effect is equivalent to the edge of a stiff part digging into a soft part. This can be seen below, where a bearing support extends between a split line and an external radius. It also occurs on the face of the shoulder which was constrained using a roller/slider constraint in SolidWorks Simulation. When the mesh is refined on the radius it is clear the singularity occurs where the fixtures end and is not a real stress concentration in the radius. This is particularly problematic because the radius is also a stress concentration and this region cannot, therefore, simply be excluded from the results or mesh refinement. Using elastic supports One solution is to use elastic supports rather than fixed constraints. In a fixed constraint, each node on the constrained surface is forced to zero displacement. An elastic support consists of an additional spring element for each node on the constrained surface. One end of the spring is attached to the node on the surface and the other end of the spring is fixed with

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The shaft has been cut in half and a symmetry fixture applied. The smaller cylindrical face at the right-hand end of the shaft has been split into three separate faces to allow a vertical force to be applied to a defined region. The other end of the shaft would be held by two bearings, with the outer bearing constraining axial movement against a shoulder and the end face.

zero displacement. The actual stresses in the springs are not normally included in the results. Using elastic supports can eliminate the issues with stress singularities at the edges of boundary conditions, but care must be taken to select realistic stiffnesses for the supports. If the stiffness is too small, the model may encounter excessive displacements which cause the solver to fail. On the other hand, if the stiffness is too great, a spurious stress concentration may still be seen at the edge of the constraint. Although an initial value for the support stiffness may be calculated by considering the type and thickness of the actual material which would provide the support. The image below shows that, with correctly set elastic supports, the model properly converges on the actual high stress region.

Mesh convergence and adaptive meshing Mesh convergence is one of the most important methods to ensure a reliable FEA simulation. The basic process is simply to rerun the simulation a number of times, refining the mesh around areas of interest and recording the relevant values for the simulation using each mesh. When the value of interest varies randomly, and by a

Modelling contact Another similar approach is to model contact between the supporting components and the component of interest. This can be the most accurate, but can also be seen as simply pushing the problem to another area, since the supporting components must then be constrained in some way. However, if the supporting components can be excluded from the mesh convergence and final results, the supporting components can be simply constrained by fixing faces.

When standard inelastic fixtures are used, stress singularities occur where the fixtures end, as shown here where a bearing support extends between a split line and an external radius. This effect is equivalent to the edge of a stiff part digging into a soft part. DESIGN WORLD

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•• ••

With correctly set elastic supports, the model properly converges on the actual high stress region.

•• ••

When the value of interest varies randomly, and by a small amount, in both directions, the model can be said to have converged. If there are large differences in the result, or the result keeps creeping in the same direction as the mesh is refined, then this indicates a problem, often a singularity.

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small amount, in both directions, the model can be said to have converged. If there are large differences in the result, or the result keeps creeping in the same direction as the mesh is refined, then this indicates a problem, often a singularity. What constitutes a small change is somewhat subjective but can generally be considered as a few percent of the value under consideration. Adaptive meshing takes mesh convergence a stage further, automatically refining the mesh at areas of interest and rerunning the simulation until the model is converged, or convergence fails according to some criteria. There are two types of adaptive meshing: H-Adaptive reduces the element size and P-Adaptive increases the element order. SolidWorks Simulation does not currently support P-Adaptive meshing for elastic supports.

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Conclusions In many cases, it may be possible to obtain useful results while using simple fixed constraints. However, this can result in singularities that may prevent mesh convergence and produce erroneous results. It is important to be aware of this issue, since some judgement may be required to determine whether results show a real stress concentration or a singularity arising due to simplified boundary conditions. When this happens, an accurate solution can usually be obtained by either using elastic supports or modelling contact between components. DW

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How 3D printing

can transform supply chains 98

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F A S T E N E R S

Additive manufacturing is no longer just for prototypes. These processes can also produce unique parts for tools and fastening while optimizing supply chains. Michelle Froese • Editor, Fastener Engineering

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing — the process of building an object one layer at a time based on a digital file — has evolved significantly since its inception in the early ‘80s, particularly in terms of cost and capabilities. “Additive manufacturing is a bit of a generic term,” shares Mikhail Gladkikh, Ph.D., technology & operations leader, with Baker Hughes’ Formyst – Additive Manufacturing Services division. “For example, one of the most popular additive processes is called fused deposition modeling or Industrial 3D printing services offer a streamlined and efficient method to reduce the development times of certain parts and simplify supply chains. | Würth

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•• ••

F A S T E N E R S

An engineer hard at work, reviewing an additive manufacturing project. | Würth

FDM. And you can think of it like adding icing decoration to the top of a cake, where you’re extruding the icing through a device to form a certain design or shape.” It’s somewhat analogous to adding flower designs to the top of a wedding cake. “There are multiple methods of additive with a variety of materials but it’s the process of building a shape or object layer by layer — which is unlike the traditional subtractive methods that remove material until an ideal shape is formed,” he adds. FDM is one of the most extensively used techniques, where thermoplastic materials are extruded through a nozzle tip (much like icing) and then solidify. It’s ideal for plastics. But additive manufacturing offers several processes that allow for different materials to build objects, such as resins, ceramics, and metals. “With metal, the most popular process is called powder bed fusion or PBF, which is a welding process that’s been adopted to build shapes. It involves a powdered metal material that’s laid out on a build blade, then you selectively melt certain areas with a laser, and deposit the next layer,” says Gladkikh. Essentially, the PBF process uses a thermal source to induce fusion between metal powder particles, one layer at a time. Aside from advancements in the materials and equipment used for 3D printing, the processes that relate indirectly to this form of manufacturing are 100

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also improving — such as the use of heat treatment. “Similar to any other metal-working procedures, there are certain postprocessing mechanisms for stress relief and improving material properties so they are now similar to or often better than traditional manufacturing,” he says. Another notable improvement in additive manufacturing relates to reliability, particularly for engineers and manufacturers. Where once a printed part might have only been strong enough for use as a prototype or model, with the proper equipment that part is now durable and consistent enough to be used with the final application. “When you think of using this equipment in an industrial setting to ‘print’ and replace everyday tools or parts, previously failure was a big concern,” explains AJ Strandquist, director of 3D product solutions with Würth Industry North America. “You simply cannot fail six out of 10 times and continue to rely on that process. But that’s no longer the case if you’re choosing the ideal materials and taking care of your equipment correctly.” Gladkikh agrees. “The mechanical properties you can achieve with these processes are now very comparable to traditional methods and, for instance, are often better than metal castings.” Würth Industry North America and Baker Hughes have recently partnered www.designworldonline.com

to offer customized 3D printing services to customers in a range of industrial sectors, offering a new level of scale and automation to customers’ supply chains. “The key here is the industrialization of additive manufacturing, meaning it’s not just for prototypes or enthusiasts anymore,” says Gladkikh. “It’s truly an industrialized process that companies are adopting to enhance their product designs, processes, inventory, and their overall offerings.” “Of course, this technology should not replace standards nuts, bolts, or washers,” adds Strandquist. “And I say this because we’re often asked if we print fasteners. There are extremely capable machines that can pump those out rapidly and by the thousands. Additive’s sweet spot is with complex geometry. So, maybe it’s a few pairs of exotically shaped washers or a couple of dozen unique brackets that are required. It’s here that it can excel.” Another sweet spot that additive manufacturing can potentially solve? Product failures. “Honestly, look for what’s failing or what’s causing you a headache that could be redesigned,” says Strandquist. “The answer could be in eliminating certain fasteners in a part and completely redesigning a stronger one, thanks to additive manufacturing. It’s certainly not the right tool for every job but it can make a major difference for some parts.” The top items at a manufacturing site that can likely benefit from 3D printing? “The tool crib,” he says. “Several of those parts and fixtures can be printed for more customized tooling and at lower costs while freeing up your skilled machinists.” Another example: drilling and completion tools — which were done for Baker Hughes’ oil field services. Components for these tools must be optimized for downhole performance to withstand high pressure, temperature, and vibration. “We had one of these components that consisted of seven different parts, joined and welded together. But the assembly process resulted in reliability issues because every joint is at a failure risk,” says Gladkikh. “This is where additive comes in DESIGN WORLD

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as it can create those shapes and combine the different assembly components into a single part that’s completely closed from the outside. ” The result is a safer, more reliable product.” To determine where additive manufacturing is ideal, it’s important to assess one’s inventory. Consider parts that are: Unreliable or that break easily Unique or that have low manufacturing runs Designed with multiple attachments parts Made of rare or unique materials

• • • •

“Where we see the biggest advantage is with assessing existing products and asking, ‘what is the form fit and function of that product?’ Consider its optimal shape and where it experiences pressure, stress forces, or if it needs to flow in a certain way. Then ask, ‘How would I make it optimal?’” shares Strandquist. With additive manufacturing, there are no constraints within the design (because you can make any shape) so if a product could be optimized or customized in an ideal manner, 3D printing might be the answer. “The biggest advantage is what we call, ‘complexity for free’ because of additive’s versatility. You can get terrific results with next-to-zero human interaction,” says Gladkikh. “This is why it’s also considered part of the fourth industrial revolution.” What Gladkikh means by this is that additive manufacturing is not just a technique for rapid or unique product production. It can also transform industrial supply chains. “Beyond metalworking or production processes, additive can significantly change the way supply chains and businesses work,” he says. “Take the music industry as an example, where now you can make digital copies of songs and listen to or share them, rather than requiring the physical copies of albums. Well, now you can apply this principle to physical objects and spare parts at a manufacturing facility. This changes the way industries can work.”

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Prototype 3D-printed, hex-head bolts rest on a buildplate. A wide range of print materials offer true fit, form, and function without the cost of machining. | Wurth | Mason Fischer Paul

Baker Hughes has been applying AI or artificial intelligence to support this effort — creating an algorithm that goes through the inventory of different parts and components at a facility to identify those with designs that are suitable for editing. The result can be parts that, ultimately, perform more reliably and cost-effectively. “We’ve already quantified more than 500 parts that could benefit from additive manufacturing and have been learning a lot during this process,” says Gladkikh. “We’re typically moving beyond simple parts here and assessing end-use applications or critical parts and inventory,” says Strandquist. “And this is where we want to support and educate companies and organizations so others are aware of this option. We want companies to know what’s possible for their business.” Through a combination of machine learning algorithms, inventory and maintenance records, and production forecasts, it’s possible to select parts that are suitable for additive manufacturing, digitalize those parts, and provide ondemand ordering using an existing Würth VMI program. This can greatly reduce excess or unused inventory, reduce logistical challenges, and allow for more www.designworldonline.com

accurate budgeting. “This fourth industrial revolution, of which additive manufacturing is a part of, is so much larger than product fabrication,” says Gladkikh. “It also offers a digital form of inventory management, which can completely change the supply chain for manufacturers.” DW

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Product World Proximity sensors AutomationDirect automationdirect.com The Prosense Basic series of proximity sensors are round inductive proximity sensors made from nickel-plated brass and are offered in barrel sizes from 8 to 30 mm. Flush and non-flush mount styles are available in sensing distances up to 15 mm. They offer an LCP (liquid crystal polymer) active face. PNP logic models are available with either an N.O. or N.C. output; NPN logic is also available with a N.O. output. M12 quick-disconnect or 2m pigtail termination styles are available for all sizes.

Photoelectric sensors with IP67 and IP69 protection Balluff balluff.com These photoelectric sensors provide the benefits of IO-Link with a detection range up to 20 meters. New additions deliver the same high quality as the existing 21M product line with three optical operations — a diffuse sensor, a retroflective sensor, and a through-beam emitter and receiver. Each is rated IP67 and IP69K and is also Ecolab approved, thanks in part to a newly design metal housing with improved sealing and a plastic lens. This makes them a suitable choice for packaging, food and beverage applications, and general factory automation. Their highly visible red light with impressively large light spot (an inch square at one meter) makes them simple to set up and easy to align. The diffuse version can detect objects up to 1 meter, the retroreflective version up to 8 meters, and the through-beam has up to a 20-meter range. Adjustments are easy via a potentiometer. And the IO-Link interface provides all the traditional benefits of IO-Link — simple installation and reliable diagnostics.

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Precision modules for clean production Bosch Rexroth boschrexroth-us.com With a sealed Ball Screw Assembly on both sides and an upgraded lubrication concept, the Precision Module PSK from Bosch Rexroth — manufactured in the United States —meets the operational requirements of semiconductor production and the electronics industry even better than before. In this new generation, designers have increased the frame’s rigidity and cover various usage scenarios in an application-oriented way with two accuracy classes. In most applications, the focus is on ensuring that no outside contaminants get into a mechanical system while in controlled areas and clean room production. The revised PSK ensures that no material makes it outside into the mechanical system. The precision ball screw nut and linear carriage assembly are sealed from both sides with Rexroth ball screw assembly seals. This detail significantly reduces the risk of lubricants escaping outside.

Flow sensor Emerson emerson.com/en-us/catalog/aventics-af2 The Series AF2 flow sensor monitors air consumption in pneumatic systems, enabling actionable insight around air consumption and leakage. The leakage rate can be monitored by looking at the used air volume, so leaks can be diagnosed early and addressed before becoming an issue. By giving users actionable insight into machine data such as flow, pressure, and temperature, the AF2 helps optimize energy consumption, prevent machine downtime, and reduce costs. The AF2 is a flexible flow sensor that can be directly interpreted by many controllers and offers multiple communications options, including an IO-Link connection, Ethernet connectivity, OPC-UA server, MQTT communication, and onboard webserver. The sensor can be fitted on new installations, and its seamless IoT integration makes it suitable for retrofitting existing machines.

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