Design World January 2024

www.designworldonline.com January 2024

2024 Leadership

in Engineering ALSO INSIDE:

2023 LEAP AWARD WINNERS PAG ES 8 5- 124

january 2024 DW cover final.indd 1

1/18/24 10:39 AM

Miniature Linear Motion Products

BIG ON ACCURACY & SPEED

RAU

KR

BNK

MTF

SRS

THK is a leading manufacturer of high quality and ultra precise miniature linear guides, ball screws, cross roller rings and actuators for a wide range of industries, including industrial automation, medical, aerospace, semiconductor, machine tool and robotics.

LM Guides - SRS Series - Featuring patented THK Caged Technology, the SRS Miniature LM guides perform with smooth and quiet motion, long-term maintenance free operation, increased speed and accuracy, low dust generation and a long life.

Cross Roller Rings - RAU Series - THK Micro Cross Roller Ring Series RAU are compact and lightweight and even more rigid than a double row angular contact ball bearing type. Spacer retainers enable smooth movement and high rotation accuracy.

Ball Screws - BNK and MTF Series - BNK with finished shaft ends and MTF Roll-Formed screw shaft are known for their high accuracy, low noise, smooth movement and long-term maintenance free operation.

Actuators - KR Series - KR Actuators consist of LM guide units on the ends and ball screw unit in the center making them highly rigid and highly accurate in a minimal space.

To learn more, call us at 1-800-763-5459 or visit www.thk.com.

See Us At ATX West February 6-8 at the Anaheim Convention Center Booth #4254

THK – DW 01-24.indd 5

1/12/24 11:29 AM

More DC power...Less cost!

RHINO DC Power Supplies

WAGO DC Power Supplies

RHINO power supplies provide the efficiency, affordability, and durability required for industrial applications. With a variety of form factors, power ratings, and output voltages (up to 48 VDC), along with the industry’s best prices, RHINO power supplies are the most practical solution for your DC power needs.

WAGO Pro2 series high-efficiency power supplies reduce losses, save cabinet space, and increase energy savings. With TopBoost, PowerBoost, and configurable overload behavior, the WAGO Pro2 power supply protects equipment and provides intelligent current and switching modes. The free configuration software includes long-term monitoring for preventative maintenance and service, preventing costly downtime.

starting at $13.00

starting at $179.00

NEW! RHINO PSR series DIN rail mount power supplies feature high power density, high efficiency, and overcurrent protection in constant current mode, making them ideal for charging applications. PSR power supplies offer an ultra-slim design in a rugged aluminum housing, adjustable output voltage, and are available in: • 120/240 VAC single-phase input models with 24-28 VDC outputs at up to 480 Watts • 480 VAC three-phase input models with 24-28 VDC outputs at up to 960 Watts

RHINO PRO PSRP series power supplies offer a sleek, space-saving design with push-in connections and a rugged aluminum housing.

International Power Linear DC Power Supplies starting at $77.00

International Power IH series regulated open frame linear power supplies are designed to operate over a wide range of AC power sources. They maintain a constant output voltage, regardless of changes in input voltage or load variations, and offer better voltage regulation than other types of power supplies, ensuring accurate and consistent power delivery.

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Order Today, Ships Fast! * See our Web site for details and restrictions. © Copyright 2022 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved.

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1/12/24 11:30 12/19/23 10:49 AM AM

NEW!

4 AXIS SERVO

Insights

from

2.25”

Keeping a focus on engineering leadership Within each January issue of the magazine, we focus on the topic of leadership in engineering. And while that’s usually focused on the leadership qualities of manufacturers as well as individual engineers, I’m proud to announce here that our parent company, WTWH Media, continues to take a leadership role in covering the engineering space.

Last month, we acquired Engineering. com, the widely respected Torontobased media site that covers some key

- brushed or bldc motors - 5 amps per axis - 16 analog inputs - 16 on/off drivers - home and limit in - live tech support - made in the USA See the

EZQUAD SERVO in action!

WWW.ALLMOTION.COM

(510) 471-4000

Eng-Tips Forums:

DW Direct:

areas that we know our audience is very interested in. The site’s editorial staff is renowned for coverage in topics such as CAD, CAM, simulation, 3D printing, digital transformation, computing, AI, and more.

We’re so excited to bring them into our corporate family — and you can expect to see more content from those critical topic areas on our designworldonline.com site.

The other exciting part of this new partnership is the vast array of online communities we now have in Eng-Tips. com, which boasts more than 1 million user sessions monthly and features roughly 160 topic areas in everything from bearing design to engineering methods to ethics. I encourage you to sign up for

the forums, as well as the Design World Direct newsletter and the Engineering. com newsletters to keep abreast of all that’s happening in our fast-changing manufacturing world.

And speaking of digital transformation in manufacturing, we’re excited to announce a joint project between Design World and Engineering.com, the Digital Transformation Forum, scheduled for May 1-2, 2024 in Boston. This dynamic new event will run in conjunction with the Robotics Summit & Expo and DeviceTalks Engineering.com:

2024 Leadership:

Boston, a medical device focused conference. We plan to have the site live in February, so please take note of the new URL, digitaltransformationforum.com.

Lastly, you’ll notice that the Leadership in Engineering listings that are normally in this issue have been moved to a digital format at www.leadership. designworldonline.com. Please visit this link or scan the QR code above to cast your vote for which companies are the leaders in each product area.

More big things to come in this new year — and as always, thank you for reading Design World. DW

30097 Ahern Avenue Union City, CA 94587 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 X (formerly Twitter) @wtwh_paulheney

4

insights – DW 01-2024 v3 final.indd 4

January 2024

www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 10:52 AM

The TRUTH About

COMPRESSED AIR!

If you think compressed air is too expensive and noisy - read this.

The facts will surprise you!

Compare These Blowoffs

Drilled Pipe This common blowoff is very inexpensive and easy to make.

For this test, we used (2) drilled pipes, each with (25) 1/16" diameter holes on 1/2" centers. The drilled pipe performed poorly. The initial cost of the drilled pipe is overshadowed by its high energy use. The holes are easily blocked and the noise level is excessive. Velocity across the entire length was very inconsistent with spikes of air and numerous dead spots.

There are a variety of ways to dry, clean or cool products and surfaces, but which method is best? To decide, we ran a comparison test on the same application using four different blowoff methods: drilled pipe, flat air nozzles, Super Air Knife (each using compressed air as a power source), and a blower supplied air knife (using an electric motor as a power source). Each system consisted of two twelve inch long blowoff options.

Flat Air Nozzles Th is inexpensive air nozzle was the worst performer.

It is available in plastic, aluminum and stainless steel from several manufacturers. The flat air nozzle provides some entrainment, but suffers from many of the same problems as the drilled pipe. Operating cost and noise level are high. For some flat air nozzles the holes can be blocked - an OSHA violation. Velocity was inconsistent with spikes of air.

The following comparison proves that the EXAIR Super Air Knife is the best choice for your blowoff, cooling or drying application.

Blower Air Knife The blower proved to be an expensive, noisy option.

As noted below, the purchase price is high. Operating cost was considerably lower than the drilled pipe and flat air nozzle, but was comparable to EXAIR’s Super Air Knife. The large blower with its two 3" (8cm) diameter hoses requires significant mounting space. Noise level was high at 90 dBA. There was no option for cycling it on and off to conserve energy. Costly bearing and filter maintenance along with downtime were also negative factors.

The goal for each of the blowoff choices was to use the least amount of air possible to get the job done (lowest energy and noise level). The compressed air pressure required was 60 PSIG. The blower used had a ten horsepower motor and was a centrifugal type blower at 18,000 RPM. The table below summarizes the overall performance.

EXAIR Super Air Knife The Super Air Knife did an exceptional job

of removing moisture on one pass due to the uniformity of the laminar airflow. The sound level was very low. For this application, energy use was slightly higher than the blower but can be less than the blower if cycling on and off is possible. Safe operation is not an issue since the Super Air Knife can not be dead-ended. Maintenance costs are low with no moving parts to wear out.

The Super Air Knife is the low cost way to blowoff, dry, clean and cool.

Blowoff Comparison

SEE THE AIR KNIFE IN ACTION!

https://exair.co/58_akv_ad

SCFM

SLPM

Horsepower Required

Sound Level dBA

Purchase Price

Annual Electrical Cost*

Approx Annual Maintenance Cost

First Year Cost

4.1

174

4,924

35

91

$50

$4,508

$920

$5,478

60

4.1

257

7,273

51

102

$208

$6,569

$1,450

$8,227

Blower Air Knife

3

0.2

N/A

N/A

10

90

$5,500

$1,288

$1,500

$8,288

Super Air Knife

60

4.1

55

1,557

11

65

$842

$1,417

$300

$2,559

Type of blowoff

PSIG BAR

Drilled Pipes

60

Flat Air Nozzles

Compressed Air

*Based on national average electricity cost of 8.3 cents per kWh. Annual cost reflects 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.

Facts about Blowers

Here are some important facts:

Energy conscious plants might think a blower to be a better choice due to its slightly lower electrical consumption compared to a compressor. In reality, a blower is an expensive capital expenditure that requires frequent downtime and costly maintenance of filters, belts and bearings.

Filters must be replaced every one to three months.

Belts must be replaced every three to six months.

Typical bearing replacement is at least once a year at a cost near $1000.

• Blower bearings wear out quickly due to the high speeds

(17-20,000 RPM) required to generate effective airflows.

• Poorly designed seals that allow dirt and moisture infiltration and environments above 125°F decrease the one year bearing life.

• Many bearings can not be replaced in the field, resulting in downtime to send the assembly back to the manufacturer.

Manufacturing Intelligent Compressed Air® Products Since 1983

exairTACAad_DW423.indd 1 5 EXAIR – dw january 2024.indd

11510 Goldcoast Drive • Cincinnati, OH 45249-1621 • Phone (513) 671-3322 FAX (513) 671-3363 • E-mail: techelp@exair.com • www.exair.com

Blowers take up a lot of space and often produce sound levels that exceed OSHA noise level exposure requirements. Air volume and velocity are often difficult to control since mechanical adjustments are required.

https://exair.co/58_423

@EXAIR

12/6/23 11:30 2:40 PM 1/12/24 AM

Technology Forward

A look back at some remarkable forward-thinkers

THIN ENOUGH? BXR Brakes · Up to 480 in-lbs static · Up to a 1.125'' bore · 19 watts or less · Produced for over 10 years Our Innovative design features a very thin profile, reducing weight and space.

For more information: Call: 800.533.1731 www.mikipulley-us.com

As a technical writer in engineering and IT, I have spent countless hours documenting procedures, equations, laboratory instructions, manuals, specifications, and the like. As critical and satisfying as that work is (to me and my kin), something was always missing.

And it took more than 15 years and many professional iterations to figure out what.

Turns out, it’s people.

Since I became an editor of Design World and our sibling publications, Fluid Power World and R&D World, a little more than a year ago, I’ve met incredible people who influence our world and move technology — and humanity — forward.

I’ve met inventors of ingenious patented technology. Academic professors and researchers developing world-changing innovations. CEOs of powerful companies. Engineers whose minds could be studied for centuries and never fully understood or replicated.

For instance, Sir David McMurtry, cofounder and chief executive of Renishaw, who changed the aerospace industry forever in 1973 with revolutionary metrology solutions. He humbly walked beside me as I toured Renishaw’s manufacturing facility in Wales during a press tour.

Tatiana Minav, professor at Tampere University, chaired the SICFP 2023 conference in Finland and fearlessly leads fluid power’s evolution in the age of electrification. She escorted me around the Innovative Hydraulics and Automation Mobile Laboratory with poise and a wonderful sense of humor.

K.C. Liu, founder and chairman of Advantech, saw the future of industrial computing in 1983 and is now a leader in automation and the Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT). He was approachable and relatable at the 2023 Advantech Industrial IoT World Partner Conference in Taipei, as he addressed my questions during a press meeting.

6

#6804 Miki Pulley BXR ad r3 Design v2 World.indd tech Brake forward – DW 01-2024 final.indd1 6

8/12/15 2:59 PM

January 2024

Jim Heppelmann, chairman and CEO of PTC, took the reins in 2010 and elevated the company’s status as a global leader in software technology.

He shook my hand cordially and shared a few laughs during Dierks Bentley’s performance at LiveWorx 2023. (He’ll pass the torch to Neil Barua in February.)

Eileen Collins, retired U.S. Air Force colonel and NASA astronaut, was the first woman to pilot and command a space shuttle mission. She told me her inspirational story during an interview, which felt like a private mentoring session on life and career — a treasure I’ll always hold onto.

These people (and so many others) are remarkable, and their dedication to problem-solving and collaboration advances technology, changing what’s possible for decades to come.

But they didn’t start on top.

No, they started like Asa Garner, a mechanical engineering student who leads the Space Enterprise at Berkeley structures team and designs and launches custom rockets. And Mark Finley, an engineering graduate of Texas A&M who led the school’s fluid power club to victory in a vehicle design contest in 2023. And Charlotte Böhning, a Pratt Institute graduate and inventor of the Gutsy Port, a revolutionary medical port design that enables bag-free moments for ostomates.

The list goes on.

As we launch into this new year with new inventions and new problems to solve, I can’t wait to meet more outstanding individuals who consistently and courageously move technology forward. DW

Rachael Pasini rpasini@wtwhmedia.com

www.designworldonline.com

@WTWH_Rachael

DESIGN WORLD

1/12/24 3:39 PM

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1/12/24 11:32 AM

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Contents 1 • 2024

•

VOL 19 NO 1

•

DESIGNWORLDONLINE.COM

2024 Leadership ON THE COVER

in Engineering PAGE 42

42 LEADERSHIP 2024 Leadership in Engineering

Recognizing firms that are driving innovation and making a difference.

44 MOTION CONTROL Frameless motors versus torque motors

Frameless motors are rotor-and-stator subcomponent sets that aren’t prefixed in a traditional motor housing. Here we outline some of their benefits … along with those of toque motors.

52 MOTION CONTROL Industrial cable jacket considerations

Here we outline the basics of cables (and their connectors) to withstand the rigors of automated applications.

12

January 2024

toc (features + supps) – dw january 2023 v1.indd 12

58 LINEAR MOTION Linear actuators take care of business

From more power to higher precision, new linear actuators have a lot to offer machine designers.

64 ELECTRONICS PCB design best practices for ECAD/MCAD collaboration As designs grow in scope and complexity, collaboration between the electronic and mechanical domains is even more critical. For example, as PCB designs face tighter requirements, problems resulting from electromechanical interference are becoming more common. Handling these problems across disciplines requires constant collaboration and synchronized data.

www.designworldonline.com

70 MECHANICAL Feel the burn: Making industrial furnaces more energy-efficient

Even as countries strive to meet climate goals and reduce their carbon footprint, the current rate of improvement is not sufficient to meet the targets set out by the Paris Agreement. With industrial furnaces being one of the biggest energy consumers, it’s no surprise that manufacturers are investing in research and development to create more energy-efficient solutions.

74 PNEUMATICS Sizing FRLs for efficiency

Proper sizing ensures efficient operation of filter-regulator-lubricator systems.

DESIGN WORLD

2/7/24 7:52 AM

231108_CJCI_DW_US.indd 1 5 digi key – dw january 2024.indd

11/8/23 1/16/24 1:22 8:39PM AM

NOW ONLINE!

1.2 4 • CONTEN TS departments

Help us honor the companies that have provided the most leadership in engineering It has been a fascinating decade for all businesses, including manufacturers. We’ve seen the difficult supply chain issues brought on by the worldwide pandemic, along with a shortage of qualified workers and the strong reshoring trends in many industries. If nothing else, this helps to show how resilient manufacturers can be.

04

Insights

06

Technology Forward

16

Design For Industry

24

Design Notes

34

Digital Transformation

85

2023 LEAP Award Winners

127

Ad Index

128

Technical Thinking

These companies represent the best and brightest, and they reflect the continued vision, integrity, and creativity of their design (and manufacturing) engineers.

We think they deserve recognition from you, too. Vote online for one or more of the companies listed through October.

VOTE ONLINE leadership.designworldonline.com

14

January 2024

www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

DESIGN WORLD Follow the whole team @DesignWorld

EDITORIAL

Director, Audience Development Bruce Sprague bsprague@wtwhmedia.com

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

WEB DEV / DIGITAL OPERATIONS

Managing Editor Mike Santora msantora@wtwhmedia.com @dw_mikesantora

Web Development Manager B. David Miyares dmiyares@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_webdave

Executive Editor Lisa Eitel leitel@wtwhmedia.com @dw_lisaeitel

Senior Digital Media Manager Patrick Curran pcurran@wtwhmedia.com @wtwhseopatrick

Senior Editor Miles Budimir mbudimir@wtwhmedia.com @dw_motion

Front End Developer Melissa Annand mannand@wtwhmedia.com

Senior Editor Mary Gannon mgannon@wtwhmedia.com @dw_marygannon

Software Engineer David Bozentka dbozentka@wtwhmedia.com DIGITAL MARKETING

Senior Editor Rachael Pasini rpasini@wtwhmedia.com @WTWH_Rachael

VP, Digital Marketing Virginia Goulding vgoulding@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_virginia

Associate Editor Heather Hall hhall@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_heathhall

Digital Marketing Manager Taylor Meade tmeade@wtwhmedia.com @WTWH_Taylor

CREATIVE SERVICES

Digital Marketing Coordinator Meagan Konvalin mkonvalin@wtwhmedia.com

VP, Creative Director Matthew Claney mclaney@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_designer

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Art Director Allison Washko awashko@wtwhmedia.com

Webinar Coordinator Emira Wininger ewininger@wtwhmedia.com

Senior Graphic Designer Mariel Evans mevans@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_mariel Graphic Designer Shannon Pipik spipik@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_shannon

2023

2023

2023

SILVER NATIONAL AWARD

SILVER REGIONAL AWARD

BRONZE REGIONAL AWARD

asbpe.org

asbpe.org

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WTWH Media, LLC TOP 1111 Superior Ave. WORK PLACES 2022 26th Floor Cleveland, OH 44114 Ph: 888.543.2447

EVENTS

Key technology content produced by the editors of Design World.

Digital Design Manager Samantha King sking@wtwhmedia.com

Available for FREE download in individual PDFs.

Marketing Graphic Designer Hannah Bragg hbragg@wtwhmedia.com

Find these technical design guides on the Design World Design Guide Digital Library:

Digital Production Specialist Elise Ondak eondak@wtwhmedia.com HUMAN RESOURCES

2014 - 2016

Medical Design & OUTSOURCING DESIGN WORLD

toc (dept) + staff – dw january 2023 v1.indd 15

www.designworldonline.com

Vice President of Human Resources Edith Tarter etarter@wtwhmedia.com

January 2024

www.designworldonline.com/ design-guide-library

15

1/16/24 8:58 AM

Design for Industry MEDICAL

Impressive accuracy with the latest chip technology Accuracy, small size, and resolution are paramount in many medical devices. As such, Faulhaber launched the IEP3 incremental encoder, characterized by high accuracy in the smallest installation spaces. Application areas include prosthetics in medical technology, optical applications — such as telescopes, microscopes, lasers, or cameras — semiconductor production, or robotics.

With a diameter of just 8 mm, the IEP3 is lightweight and compact yet offers a resolution of up to 10,000 lines per revolution — made possible by

the latest chip technology with high interpolation. The standard version’s resolution is freely programmable from 1 to 4,096 lines per revolution. Moreover, the chip technology ensures a high positional accuracy of typically 0.3 °m and a high repeatability of typically 0.05 °m due to accuracy compensation.

The IEP3 can be powered with a supply voltage of 5 V and 3.3 V. This makes it suitable for battery-powered applications, which typically operate with 3.3 V. Its wide temperature range of -40 to 125° C opens various possible uses.

EL

E B R AT I N G

C

TRIMS AND SEALS

YEARS

Trim-Lok Corporate 6855 Hermosa Circle Buena Park, CA 90620 Trim-Lok Midwest 5540 Beck Drive Elkhart, IN 46516

design for industry – DW 01-2024 v3 final.indd 16

CALL US TODAY!

800-933-4915

The ON-axis encoder with a 2-polesensor magnet is simple and robust.

The new product can be combined with dc motors of the 0816SR, 1016SR, and 1024SR series and stepper motors of the AM0820, AM1020, and AM1524 series. Various options are available for the electrical connection, such as PVC or FEP cables, connector options, and different cable lengths. DW Faulhaber • www.faulhaber.com

NEW LOCATION

NOW OPEN!

WWW.TRIMLOK.COM • INFO@TRIMLOK.COM

1/12/24 3:41 PM

POWER TRANSMISSION

Design for Industry

RETAINING DEVICES &

A E R O S PAC E

maintenance & assembly tools

Meet the smallest member of the frameless family Frameless brushless dc (BLDC) motors are on the rise in industries such as aerospace, robotics, medical devices, and even handheld power tools. Appreciated for their spacesaving properties, high torque, smooth motion, and high efficiency, these motors have become an ideal choice for many applications in the market.

Delta Line has significant experience designing motion solutions driven by frameless BLDC motors and has expanded its portfolio with the new 38BLF07 — the family's smallest member with a 38-mm outer diameter. This model complements the company’s range, which includes sizes 38, 50, 70, 85, and 115 mm, to cover various application needs.

The 38BLF07 motor has a length of 14 mm, a rated torque of 0.1 N-m at a rated speed of 8,000 rpm, and can produce a peak torque of 0.3 N-m. At only 57 g, this motor has been designed to minimize inertia, making it an ideal solution for dynamic movements with high acceleration and deceleration rates.

The 38BLF07 has been developed for high torque, efficiency, and compact size. With the frameless design, the motors easily integrate directly into a device or machine, so overall efficiency is maximized while the footprint can be kept as small as possible. DW Delta Line • www.delta-line.com DESIGN WORLD

design for industry – DW 01-2024 v3 final.indd 17

January 2024

17

BEARLOK

SHOELOK

BEARLOK Shrink Disc

BEARHUG

CLAMPNUT

TANGENTLOK

PRECISION NUTS & WASHERS

INCH and METRIC THREADS LEFT HANDED as well as RIGHT -HANDED

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HARDENED TONGUE WASHERS

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RETHREADING DIES

ADJUSTABLE SPANNER WRENCH

BEARING ASSEMBLY SOCKET

W

HI

TT

ET

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IG

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NS US

A

WHITTET-HIGGINS manufactures quality oriented, stocks abundantly and delivers quickly the best quality and largest array of adjustable, heavy thrust bearing, and torque load carrying retaining devices for bearing, power transmission and other industrial assemblies; and specialized tools for their careful assembly.

Visit our website–whittet-higgins.com–to peruse the many possibilities to improve your assemblies. Much technical detail delineated as well as 2D and 3D CAD models for engineering assistance. Call your local

or a good distributor.

33 Higginson Avenue, Central Falls, Rhode Island 02863 Telephone: (401) 728-0700 • FAX: (401) 728-0703 E-mail: info@whittet-higgins.com Web: www.whittet-higgins.com

1/12/24 3:41 PM

Stainless Steel Gearmotors.

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Powered by an AC inverter-duty motor with stainless steel, corrosion resistant housing, our new IP-69K rated hollow shaft gearmotors are fully watertight and can withstand rigorous daily washdowns. These geared motors deliver maintenance-free performance where standard gearmotors can’t survive.

w w w.bodine-electric.com

BOD designWorld full page5 stainless leadership-2024.indd 1 bodine – DW 01-24.indd

| info@bodine-electric.com

| Nor thfield, IL USA

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1/2/24 4:32 PM 1/16/24 8:40 AM

Design for Industry M I L I TA R Y

CONNECT TECHNOLOGY WITH CONFIDENCE

High-temperature ceramics 3D printing is in the works For more than a decade, U.S. military branches have adopted 3D printing technologies to create replacement parts and structures.

To explore the processing and additive manufacturing of non-oxide ceramics, Lithoz and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are working on technology to shape non-oxide ceramics with high-refractive indexes, such as silicon carbide, for use in extreme temperature applications.

Lithoz recently launched its LaserInduced Slipcasting (LIS) technology to produce parts that are far more complex in geometry and larger in scale than can be achieved using conventional molding techniques. By incorporating intricate inner channels and 3D-printable complex designs, the parts it can produce are lighter and more efficient when compared with current methods. This technology is also capable of increasing the range of materials that can be printed by processing dark ceramics, such as silicon carbide and silicon nitride, in a way that is unachievable with other processes.

The collaborative project aims to scale up the production of ultra-hightemperature ceramic parts to an industrial level. The team will look to develop this technology by assessing its technical capabilities using a common oxideDESIGN WORLD

/ / WWW .H A RW I N . C O M

ceramic material. This will involve printing and debinding the primary material — such as silicon nitride and silicon carbide, two highly in-demand substances for aerospace applications — from the molded component. Using heat, the substance will be formed into a solid material in a process known as sintering. The performance and properties of the printed materials will then be tested.

“This project will build on ORNL’s years of research in developing and testing high-temperature materials and ceramics,” said Corson Cramer, Extreme Environment Materials Processing Group staff scientist at ORNL. “By combining our expertise with Lithoz 3D printing capabilities, we have the potential to change the concept of high-temperature ceramics processing for heat exchange, aerospace, and defense applications.”

DW

Oak Ridge National Laboratory www.ornl.gov

www.designworldonline.com

design for industry – DW 01-2024 v3 final.indd 19

Harwin’s connector products are proven to perform in extreme conditions, with shock, vibration and temperature range rigorously tested.

Lithoz • www.lithoz.com

January 2024

19

WITH OUR QUALITY, SERVICE, SUPPORT, AND HIGHLY RELIABLE PRODUCTS, YOU CAN DEPEND ON HARWIN.

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LIN-ENG-WTWH-TED-AD-FULL-PAGE.pdf 1 12/7/2023 9:08:36 AM

logy o n h c e T r o t o eer in DC M

t n e t a P h t 5 2 s i h s e t a r b Cele

a Pion

Ted Lin In a field as complex and demanding as DC motor technology, a figure like Ted Lin stands out as a beacon of innovation and expertise.

Congratulations to Ted on securing his 25th patent, a significant marker that underscores his enduring impact on the field of motion control for the past 45 years.

Many of Lin Engineering's high-performing products stem from Ted Lin's patents:

3709 Series Ultra Smooth Stepper

Z417 Series Zero Detent Torque

417 Series Unmatched Accuracy

4418 Series 35% More Torque

to learn more about Ted, visit:

LinEngineering.com/Ted lin engineering – dw january 2024.indd 5

1/16/24 8:41 AM

Design for Industry OFFSHORE

Seawater-lubricated bearing systems reduce marine pollution

Interpower®

Significant financial and environmental consequences can result when a propeller shaft seal failure occurs in marine applications. According to Gard, a Norway-headquartered marine insurance firm, there has been a significant increase in seal failures directly correlated with synthetic lubricants that comply with the U.S. EPA’s Vessel General Permit (VGP) rules introduced in 2013.

Gard’s research, published in October 2023, dives into shaftline damage claims data from the past 10 years and shows that 80% of incidents involved stern tube seal failures where an environmentally acceptable lubricant (EAL) was used.

“It appears that the introduction of a synthetic EAL as a means of mitigating the risk of mineral oil pollution has had unforeseen consequences,” said Craig Carter, VP of business development at Thordon Bearings. “Seawater alone is the only 100% pollution-free means of lubricating a ship’s propeller shaft bearing.”

One reason for the seal failure hike could be synthetic EALs’ chemical composition. Though environmentally preferable to the mineral oils being phased out, EALs are typically inferior in performance. However, two key features set EALs apart from traditional mineral oils: viscosity and pressure coefficient.

DESIGN WORLD

Under high-load operations, such as hard turns at high speeds, EALs can operate with a lower safety margin of the minimum oil film between the propeller shaft and the bearings. Secondly, EALs typically operate with lower viscosity under lower temperatures in situations such as mooring trials and cold startup.

There have also been countless reports that an increase in discarded fishing nets or rope adds to the aft seal damage of oil-lubricated shaftlines.

“This research from Gard underscores our own findings that the most environmentally acceptable lubricant is seawater, as was recommended by the U.S. EPA in the Vessel General Permit,” said Carter.

Thordon’s COMPAC bearings are at the heart of the company’s open seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearing system, which results in zero oil pollution in the marine environment.

The system eliminates the need for the aft seal and reduces friction, diminishing fuel burn and main engine emissions.

This shaftline design also has improved bearing wear life, predictability, and reliability with lower maintenance costs, easier installation, and future-proof compliance. DW

design for industry – DW 01-2024 v3 final.indd 21

January 2024

New IP54-rated IEC 60320 Face & Plug Seal Kits

After passing UL’s Solid Particle Protection and Liquid Ingress Protection Tests per IEC Standard 60529 (Sec. 4.2, 13.4, and 14.2.4), Interpower’s C14 inlet Face Seal Kit as well as its Plug Seal Kit was given an Ingress Protection rating of IP54 per a UL test report. The IP “5”rating (solid particle ingress level), prevents corrosive dust and solid particles from reaching the terminals, which could create loss of electrical continuity.

®

®

Toll-Free Phone: (800) 662-2290 E-mail: info@interpower.com Business Hours: 7 a.m.–5 p.m. CST

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Protection—

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yaskawa – dw january 2024.indd 5

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Design for Industry F O O D & B E V E R AG E

Corrosion-resistance valve indicators designed for harsh environments Intelligent valves and proximity sensors help manage and control operations more efficiently under demanding conditions. Additionally, clear and highly reliable feedback on valve position helps operate at peak efficiency and safety in a small footprint.

Emerson’s new TopWorxTM DVR Switchbox is an entry-level addition to its DV Series of valve position indicators.

It combines a durable resin enclosure, compact size, and a patented cam design that provides food and beverage production lines, water and wastewater systems, and industrial utilities with a reliable valve position feedback tool.

The TopWorx DVR Switchbox uses a low-profile indication for easy-toread local position feedback. This vital real-time data helps technicians and operators keep processes on target.

Engineered for harsh environments, it features stainless-steel components to provide a reliable, corrosion-resistant valve indication solution to keep processes running smoothly.

The TopWorx DVR Switchbox cam design enables swift position configuration for faster, easier installation and maintenance. The TopWorx DVR provides a compact and versatile design for confined spaces for many process industry applications.

In addition, its enclosure has an ultraviolet (UV) F1 rating, providing UV resistance that ensures the DVR performs reliably over the long term in outdoor conditions. DW Emerson • www.emerson.com

Interpower®

Protection— New IP54-rated IEC 60320 Face & Plug Seal Kits

After passing UL’s Solid Particle Protection and Liquid Ingress Protection Tests per IEC Standard 60529 (Sec. 4.2, 13.4, and 14.2.4), Interpower’s C14 inlet Face Seal Kit as well as its Plug Seal Kit was given an Ingress Protection rating of IP54 per a UL test report. The IP “4” rating (liquid ingress level) prevents liquids from short circuiting the terminals and possible arcing, which could lead to fires or electrocution.

®

®

Toll-Free Phone: (800) 662-2290 E-mail: info@interpower.com Business Hours: 7 a.m.–5 p.m. CST

Order Online!

DESIGN WORLD

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design for industry – DW 01-2024 v3 final.indd 23

January 2024

23

www.interpower.com

1/12/24 3:41 PM

Design Notes EDITED BY MIKE SANTORA

Building wheelchairs with the help of 3D printing When German-based digital manufacturing company Replique was focused on creating simple and sustainable industrial processes, they chose HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology.

The system is helping change the way wheelchairs are designed and manufactured, making production more efficient, cost-effective, and personalized.

Replique’s mission to empower a seamless shift to decentralized manufacturing with ease and confidence was a key driver in its work with RehaMedPower, a German-

based medical supplier specializing in wheelchairs. When RehaMedPower was preparing to develop and bring to market a new electric wheelchair, the RP1, it struggled to find a costeffective solution for part production, with traditional manufacturing methods requiring high initial investment costs and expensive molds as well as an increase in prototyping and productmarket time. Using HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology, Replique partnered with RehaMedPower to explore additive manufacturing (AM) for wheelchair design from prototyping to serial production. Together, RehaMedPower and Replique identified many more parts than initially planned that could be manufactured in PA12 using 3D printing, taking advantage of the technology’s greater flexibility in early production

When RehaMedPower was preparing to develop and bring to market a new electric wheelchair, the RP1, it struggled to find a cost-effective solution for part production with traditional manufacturing methods.

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www.designworldonline.com

stages and cost-convenience compared to traditional manufacturing methods.

Between 19 and 23 individual parts are 3D printed for each wheelchair, depending on the specific customer or patient purchase.

From the attachment of the footrest to the body kit, up to the headrest cover, up to 23 parts of the RP1 are 3D printed.

In addition to the significant costs saved from bypassing injection mold production, costs were further reduced thanks to the digital storage of design files through Replique’s digital warehousing platform, enabling a faster go-to-market strategy and keeping RehaMedPower’s working capital low.

At present, RehaMedPower has seen a 30% reduction in development time and a 60% reduction in prototyping costs compared to injection molding, but the real winners are the global customers and patients benefiting from more personalized care.

No two disabilities are the same, but until now, there have been few personalization options available for wheelchair users. 3D printing technology is paving the way to make this possible so that wheelchairs can be more flexible in design and adapt to individual patients. The RP1 supports every aspect of life, whether lying down, standing, or sitting, enabling a life as independent as possible.

With RehaMedPower’s RP1 wheelchair, patients were in the driver’s seat, able to customize and tailor various parts to their needs and choose from a wide color range.

DESIGN WORLD

1/12/24 3:51 PM

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The successful launch of the RP1 wheelchair last year generated widespread adoption across Europe and as far as New Zealand. Going forward, RehaMedPower plans to build on this momentum by incorporating more AM designs in the RP1 wheelchair and developing new products that further advance its line of accessibility solutions. Fast spare part availability will also soon be offered during the use phase via Replique’s global production network, bringing on-demand production of spare parts to patients and customers whenever and wherever they need them.

Also, smaller components of the wheelchair can be quickly reproduced in repeatable quality, benefiting the secure digital warehouse solution of Replique.

“With 3D-printed prototypes, we were able to reduce our development time significantly,” said Thyl Junker,

Development Engineer at RehamedPower. “When it comes to serial production in our industry, it also offers some crucial benefits, such as flexibility in demand planning with production on-demand and the ability to implement changes rapidly and offer special parts to meet the individual needs.”

“Our collaboration with RehamedPower shows that 3D printing offers so much more than just efficient prototyping.

It enables companies to deliver highly customer-centric solutions while remaining cost-effective and flexible in serial production thanks to our digital warehouse solution,” added Mark Winker, Technical Sales Manager at Replique. DW

Between 19 and 23 individual parts are 3D printed for each wheelchair, depending on the specific customer or patient purchase.

HP • hp.com

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design notes – DW 01-2024 v2 final.indd 27

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Design Notes EDITED BY MIKE SANTORA

Feeding time: HMIs and PLCs help in grain blending application When a grain blending company realized it was time to upgrade its aging controls originally developed in-house, it looked for just the right combination of PLC and HMI automation to advance its capabilities.

The grain production company batches and blends ingredients to produce various livestock feed. Over the years, the operation applied equipment and electrical/electronic components to perform necessary tasks. However, changing from one

formulation to the next required significant effort and sometimes even wiring modifications; this process raised additional concerns.

Even though the company recognized the value of upgrading its systems, the team simply did not have the expertise or time to make the required changes.

For these reasons, the grain batcher connected with systems integrator Taylor Controls to provide them with the path forward.

The new PLC/HMI panel incorporates the weighing instruments and provides a detailed graphical operator interface, which works with selector switches and magnetic product name tags to provide maximum flexibility.

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www.designworldonline.com

A more complicated recipe As the grain batcher’s clientele grew, there was an increasing call for more formulations and recipes. Coupled with a need to increase throughput and support more rapid changeovers between recipes, the existing semiautomated system was pushed to the brink and exhibited unexpected errors.

Using auger feeders, start-stop motor controls, and weigh cells, the existing system met production requirements in the past. But changing recipes was difficult, and because the ingredient types and weighments could vary so much between recipes, it was sometimes necessary to alter which component was added by a given feeder. Typically, this required a skilled electrical technician to make hardwired changes, which was timeconsuming and unsupportable over the long term. As more wiring needed changing, and some starters required replacement, it became clear that a more flexible recipe system was a top priority.

Furthermore, the existing system did not have any self-learning provisions. Because the material behavior through a feeder could vary greatly depending on the type, quality, and moisture content of each component, the actual weighments fluctuated from target by an unacceptable amount, sometimes from batch to batch. The company desired a dynamic and responsive method to overcome this.

Each recipe ingredient needed to feed into a weight-scaled vessel, one at a time. The feeder would operate DESIGN WORLD

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Celebrating the Women of Cinch We recognize the dedication and knowledge the women of Cinch provide as essential parts of the team.

Their efforts continue to drive the development and engineering of products built to support Commercial Air, Defense, Space, Industrial, and Transportation applications. www.belfuse.com/cinch

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Franklin, Massachusetts at a high “bulk” speed for as long as practical to improve throughput but would slow to a low “dribble” speed as the fill approached the setpoint to hit the target weight. Even at low speed, it would be important for the system to self-learn the free fall amount of product after the feeder stopped to account for varying conditions.

One key change to support the flexibility required upgrading motor controls from simple starters to a VFD connected on a network with the host PLC using Ethernet to easily command any speed.

The PLC/HMI platform needed to be capable of performing these tasks but accessible and easy to use so on-site technicians could maintain it to the greatest extent possible — close integration with the VFD was a must.

Implementing the solution It was determined that a new control panel would house the PLC and HMI, while the VFD would be installed in a remotely located motor control panel.

Furthermore, because only one material feeds at a time, it was determined that only a single oversized VFD would be used, and it would be connected to whichever motor was needed using contactors and coordinated overload protection.

This retrofit was also an opportunity to provide well-organized code, providing far better operational reliability than the old system. One main logic sequence is used, and each ingredient is “mapped” to this logic, so any future modifications only need to be performed in a single location. The code also takes advantage of userdefined structures (UDS) for creating custom-grouped sets of related tag data, making it easy and efficient to organize and use the type of data associated with each ingredient.

The on-site staff has found this

DESIGN WORLD

January 2024

design notes – DW 01-2024 v2 final.indd 31

800-528-8650 www.eagletube.com

ISO 9001 & ISO 13485

STAINLESS STEEL TUBING MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR DESIGN

Distribution

Eagle ships products from inventory, including tubing, bar stock, hollow bar, wire. Stocking both seamless and welded tubing, from an extensive inventory.

Precision Cut-to-Length Eagle’s manufacturing facilities enable the cutting and deburring up to 2” diameter of fractional, metric, pipe, and hypodermic tubing.

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Working to customer specifications and specializing in Bending, CNC and EDM/ ECG machining and Laser machining. Eagle can produce close-tolerance parts for the medical industry as well as other industries.

Rob Bubencik Jr. VP Operations “Eagle’s philosophy has always been that quality can only be realized through the meticulous care of our employees and the consistency of commitment” says Rob Bubencik Jr. VP Operations

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Design Notes

programming approach straightforward and convenient.

For interfacing the new automation with the user’s servers to provide production data, the MQTT Internet of Things (IoT) messaging protocol was used. MQTT provides an efficient and lightweight way for industrial devices to communicate with other systems, and it is natively supported within the Productivity PLC platform. The development team reviewed the comprehensive PLC documentation regarding MQTT and was easily able to configure this functionality.

There are plenty of possible future expansion capabilities, and other advancements, such as remote monitoring and alarming, may be added for further production improvements. DW Taylor Controls • taylor-controls.com

A large 15-in. AutomationDirect C-more HMI provides plenty of graphical real estate, with many displays for (clockwise from top left): batching and mixing current status, dry ingredient auger free fall calculations, formula selection, and dry ingredient recipe configuration.

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design notes – DW 01-2024 v2 final.indd 32

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HIGH FLOW-TO-SIZE RATIO

COMPACT, EFFICIENT MICRO GAS PUMPS Compact KNF micro gas diaphragm pumps offer an efficient and durable solution for environmental and industrial hygiene monitoring, inkjet printing, medical device and diagnostics, analytical instruments, and more. With flow rates ranging from 0.05 – 24 l/min, vacuum deeper than 29.6 inHg pressure up to 43.5 psig, and linear flow vs. speed, these products are well-suited for portable and handheld applications.

Options include various materials, configurations, and motors to balance required performance, lifetime, controllability, and cost.

Learn more at knf.com/en/us/micro-diaphragm-pumps

knf – DW 01-24.indd 5

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Digital Transformation B Y R AC H A E L PA S I N I • S E N I O R E D I T O R

Generative AI advances intelligent factories The tagline Enabling an Intelligent Planet might spur the question: What does “intelligent” mean? And in the context of IIoT, how does a factory become intelligent?

According to Willie Lin, director of iFactory Solutions and WISE-IoT at Advantech (whose company uses this tagline), an intelligent factory features two things.

First is the knowledge and understanding of what’s happening in the factory, which requires sensors to gather information. The second is problem-solving — using knowledge to quickly identify and solve problems.

Most factories have knowledgeable

people who can extract information, make sense of it, and devise solutions based on experience. But as these workers retire, change jobs, and leave companies, transferring experiencebased information is challenging.

“We need to record this kind of knowledge so that no matter how staffs change, it can be transferred to other people, and they can immediately solve problems,” said Lin. Data from sensing, operator knowledge, and problemsolving power what make intelligent factories different, he added.

The second feature that defines an intelligent factory is the use of AI to boost functional capabilities and

reduce the time it takes to digitally transform its operations. That’s true with any combination of people, machines, processes, or software.

Lin notes that digital transformation is typically associated with people’s learning curves, even for basic tasks such as where to click on a screen to start an application. He predicts that generative AI will change that learning curve and shift the cognitive load onto AI chatbots.

“With generative AI, no matter how you transfer from different software, you will use chatbots to get answers.

Maybe not now, but in 10 years, I think that will change the way we control

Linda Tsai shared Advantech’s strategy for advancing digitalization with AIoT. | Advantech

34

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www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 10:36 AM

GEARBOXES | COUPLINGS | RACK & PINION FOR PRECISION MOTION CONTROL & ROBOTIC APPLICATIONS Articulated Robot Joints and 7th Axis

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designed to simplify the process of designing and building a cartesian system. Everything Between the Motor and the Actuator PMK

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GCL Cycloidal with integrated pre-stage

GSL Strain Wave with harmonic gearing for precise motion

Distance Coupling Connect actuators without additional external bearings

GSL Strain Wave Theta/Wrist Axis

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Zero-backlash gearboxes provide precision positioning

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Vibration-free, continuous coordinated motion between trunnion & robot

GAM offers a full range of robotic and servo gearboxes, along with rack & pinion, couplings, and linear mount products for motion control and robotic applications.

With our broad product offerings in the gearbox market, as well as the in-house engineering design experts and manufacturing capabilities to develop customized solutions, we can help with your application.

GAM Can.

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T h i s in a u g ura l even t provide s a u n iqu e platfor m for manufacturers to e ng a ge with in du str y le ade r s, te ch n ology expe r ts, and peers who are nav i gatin g th e complexitie s of digital tran s for mation. Parti ci pants wi l l g ai n invalu able in s igh ts in to strate gie s , e me rgin g te chno l o gi es, and b e st practice s th at are re sh apin g th e man u factu r in g l andscape. Fro m i m p l e me n tin g In du str y 4 .0 solu tion s to leve ragin g data anal y ti cs and s m art te ch n ologie s, th e for u m de lve s in to strate gie s that can redefi ne m anu factu r in g proce sse s an d e levate ope ration al excel l ence.

• • • S U M M I T

&

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You’re not using AI to repress a human; you are using it to make smarter decisions devices, the way we control machines, and the way we get answers … and that will hasten digital transformations,” said Lin. But Lin doesn’t think that AI will replace people, so there’s no risk in removing reliance on human experience.

“You’re not using AI to repress a human; you are using it to make smarter decisions,” said Lin. “We are using this technology to make things better and make decisions faster. I don’t think AI will replace people, but it will make them smarter. That’s what I see in the next generation.”

Magic Pao, AVP of Advantech’s Industrial Cloud & Video Group, notes that AI is like accelerated computing and can’t be pushed into factories to increase adoption. Instead, it needs to impress the end user first.

“When we talk to end users, they always ask, ‘How does the solution help me complete my job and make my life easier?’ It’s an ongoing discussion,” said Pao. Pao recently visited one U.S. warehouse to learn how the company implements certain technologies.

The warehouse reported that slightly adjusting camera positions trimmed seconds off every barcode scan. That may sound trivial, but when scanning millions of packages each year, the seconds add up quickly and save significant time to boost facility throughout. In fact, initial AI implementations are often small and seemingly trivial but can make huge impacts over the long term.

After improving efficiency, Pao says the next step is to use generative AI to increase safety.

“Right now, we still see lots of facility personnel being injured. One solution is to use machine vision to monitor behaviors and stop workers, robots, or machinery as needed to avoid injuries. Of course, that relies on connectivity,” said Pao. Here, both wireless connectivity and very low-latency connectivity are paramount to ensuring immediate equipment response to an instruction to stop, Pao added.

In two or three years, Pao believes factories will be able to implement real intelligence beyond simply collecting information from sensors to display on dashboards. He says operators will be able to use DESIGN WORLD

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generative AI to answer factory status questions and communicate with robots in more humanlike ways.

As such, David Jen, AVP and head of Advantech’s Intelligent System Group, encourages users to view generative AI technology as a coworker — someone (or something) providing information that workers would otherwise need to search for proactively.

It’s more of a collaboration between a worker and the technology. He notes that humans make mistakes and are influenced by emotions and external factors, such as the weather, which can vary worker performance. That’s when our AI coworker intervenes.

“IoT data-driven applications with generative AI will facilitate efficiency, especially for production manager decisions,” said Jen. “Besides data, it’s all about image and video.”

For example, AI can expedite notifications when images or videos show anomalies, especially for safety purposes. Instead of capturing video and waiting for a human to notice an anomaly or problem and then notify others, the AI can “watch” the video continuously and alert workers immediately.

One challenge, however, is creating AI models for different cultures around the world — or even for different factories within a state or province.

“You can’t generate one AI model and deploy it worldwide,” said Jen. “Different countries and different cultures will change the AI model because of different behavior. That’s why we collaborate with domestic partners in Europe, the U.S., and China, for example.”

The 2023 Advantech Industrial IoT World Partner Conference was evidence of such collaboration. IIoT professionals from more than 300 companies worldwide convened October 2628, 2023, in Taipei, Taiwan, to discuss trends and projections — and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) took center stage.

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DESIGN WORLD

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“We see that there are many implementations going on to digitalize factories with AIoT,” said Jash Bansidhar, managing director of Advantech Europe and AVP of Industrial IoT. “To give you some facts, 50% of the manufacturing industry in Europe is implementing AIoT to modernize their facilities, increasing quality management, asset tracking, monitoring, as well as managing inventory.”

Bansidhar also noted that it’s already been a decade since the global adoption of Industry 4.0 and digital transformations in manufacturing. Though smart factories remain at the center, adjacent sectors such as warehousing, smart grids, and transportation directly contribute to the Industry 4.0 ecosystem, as evidenced by certain suppliers’ sector-driven product lines. Adding AI to these ecosystems enables even more possibilities.

“We believe that with the integration of AI, digitalization, edge management and orchestration, and security, we can make a new edge era,” said Linda Tsai, president of Industrial IoT at Advantech.

“People think that AI is in proof-of-concept, but AI is here now.”

To watch on-demand videos from the conference, visit www. connect.advantech.com/videos/ondemand/wpc2023. DW Advantech • advantech.com

digital transformation – DW 01-2024 v2 final.indd 40

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•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• Leadership in Engineering

2024

Leadership

in Engineering RECOGNIZING FIRMS THAT ARE DRIVING INNOVATION AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE

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www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

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Any

time a manufacturer listens to and partners with its customers, its engineers will design and build the kind of products that can accelerate innovation. Engineers want to solve problems, whether with custom or off-the-shelf solutions — but they want their products to be reliable. After all, no one would build himself or herself an “almost good enough” product ... so why should an average product ever be acceptable for a customer?

Each year, Design World takes pride in celebrating those outstanding manufacturers that were voted the best in their category by engineers in the field and industry peers. These companies take great pride in their products and provide stellar customer service.

This year, after feedback from both readers and component manufacturers, we’re moving our Leadership profiles online, to digital form. You can find the profiles here: leadership.designworldonline.com. The products described in these profiles were designed and manufactured for use in many categories, which include advanced materials, digital manufacturing, electrical, fastening and joining, fluid power, mechanical, mechatronics, motion control, networks, software, switches, and test and measurement.

It has been a fascinating decade for all businesses, including manufacturers.

We’ve seen the difficult supply chain issues brought on by the worldwide pandemic, along with a shortage of qualified workers and the strong reshoring trends in many industries. If nothing else, this helps SCAN THE QR to show how resilient manufacturers can be.

CODE TO VOTE These companies represent the best and brightest, and they reflect the continued vision, integrity, and creativity of their design (and manufacturing) engineers. I think the most noteworthy aspect of this recognition is that you, our readers, are able to select the winning engineers and companies with the votes you cast throughout the year. I urge you to go to leadership.designworldonline.com and vote for the outstanding leaders in our industry during 2024.

PAUL J. HENEY • VP, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

DESIGN WORLD

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www.designworldonline.com

January 2024

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1/24/24 10:55 AM

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Frameless motors commonly actuate the DOFs of mobile robotics.

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www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

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Frameless motors are rotor-and-stator subcomponent sets that aren’t prefixed in a traditional motor housing. Here we outline some of their benefits … along with those of torque motors.

FRAMELESS

MOTORS versus TORQUE MOTORS

BY LISA EITEL • EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Frameless

motors don’t include a motor housing or output shaft (or shaft-support bearings) either. Instead, the OEM or design engineer works with the supplier to tightly integrate the frameless motor stator and rotor directly into the machine and framing.

However, the fundamental operation of frameless motors is just like that of conventional permanent-magnet and induction motors. Frameless motors: • Are powered by drives • Are sold in frame sizes and according to the voltages for which their windings are intended • Almost always leverage Hall sensors and encoder feedback for high resolution • Are often UL listed to simplify design verification for OEMs.

DESIGN WORLD

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Note that some frameless motors take the form of brushless servomotors to drive precision axes as any other servomotor system. In contrast, other frameless motors function as torque motors. These direct-drive electric motors usually have large diameters and higher pole-counts and run at lower speeds than servo motors ... which in turn means they deliver higher torque than traditionally designed servomotors.

One major advantage of frameless motors is extremely high stiffness. Of course, a design’s overall stiffness depends on that of all its components. Traditional designs include a motor with a shaft coupled to mechanical transmission components like belts and pulleys, leadscrews, and gearboxes. Even shaft stiffness can have a significant effect on system stability — as it’s a function of diameter cubed.

www.designworldonline.com

January 2024

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Frameless motors are often used in commercial and residential-grade washing machines featuring directdrive operation.

Frameless torque motors don’t need the transmission components with their attendant lost motion and stability issues. The result is output-transmission stiffness that’s sometimes dozens of times more torsionally stiff than traditional motor outputs.

Design variations of frameless motors abound. Often the focus is on frameless motors that are shaftless — the most common variation implied with the term frameless. The bore on these motors lets machine builders

configure machines in a myriad of ways. But consider another variation … a housed torque motor that includes a bearing set, position feedback device and usually a temperature monitoring device. This concept requires less application engineering by the user but also limits design flexibility.

One caveat: Though frameless motors offer many advantages, they require more application-specific engineering, which means they are generally found only in higher quantity production products such as CAT-scan equipment or in lowquantity builds where cost is not the primary consideration like a telescope. That said, the engineering investment in frameless-motor integration can impart competitive performance advantages.

In fact, customized winding designs on frameless motors can accommodate special voltage requirements; thin-lamination variations can boost efficiency in high-speed applications, and frame diameter size is basically unlimited.

Class F winding ratings on some

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The KBM frameless motor series from Kollmorgen features direct-drive technology. In fact, all KBM frameless brushless motor models are engineered to provide high-performance and simple installation. Optional latching digital Hall effect sensors are pre-aligned and factory installed with added axial rotor length for proper triggering. Choice of insulation allows operation over a wide range of line input voltage. | Kollmorgen DESIGN WORLD

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January 2024

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motors allow for temperatures to 155° C. Likewise, rare-earth neodymium iron boron magnets are standard on many frameless-motor offerings … but some manufacturers offer motors with samarium-cobalt magnets to withstand very high-temperature environments.

Reconsider a common application for frameless servomotors — that of torque motors. They are available frameless as motor kits (consisting of a stator and rotor pair) or are supplied with a housing, bearings, and feedback sensors. Some in industry liken torque motors to their linear direct-drive cousins — linear motors.

One common application for torque motors is that of direct-drive rotary tables.

A torque motor is a direct-drive electric motor (usually of relatively large diameter) that applies torque to a driven shaft directly without intervening mechanics. Torque motors usually have higher polecounts and run at lower speeds than servo motors – but they deliver much higher torque than standard servo motors. Many in industry liken torque motors to their linear direct-drive cousins — linear motors, which are sometimes called force motors.

Torque motors taking the form of limited-angle torque motors are for applications needing less than 360° of rotation.

Because the load connects directly to the motor’s rotor (with no intermediate power-transmission

components) torque motors are called direct drives. Torque motors can work as actuators for direct-drive mechanisms to replace traditional setups that include geared electric motors, for example.

Usually torque motors take the form of permanent-magnet synchronous motors with especially wide diameters; toroidal winding construction; rare-earth magnet rotors; and (in some cases) cooling options to prevent overheating during high sustained torque output. Conceptually, these motors are like traditional servomotors except they are wide with short axial length (instead of the small diameter and long length of traditional arrangements) and they have far more poles than servomotors. The high pole numbers enable torque motors to output high torque but at lower average speeds than servo motors.

In addition, torque motors usually

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Direct-drive rotary actuators are often based on torque or pancake-style motors having a flat low-height design.

Some such pancake motors have a printed armature (rotor) between two permanent magnet stators. This gives them an especially thin profile with a large overall diameter.

offer a large hollow shaft or bore that allows passage of tubing, light beams, and so forth through the center of the motor and driven axis.

One torque-motor application is on web-winding applications that benefit from direct drives on the spools for controlled take-up and unwinding. Controls drive them from low torque to high torque to achieve uniform metering of the paper, film, or other web material without the need for intermediate gears, couplings, or clutches.

Another common application for torque motors is on indexers and rotary tables. Why is that?

Well, many indexing tables make use of traditional servodrives that incorporate mechanical power-transmission linkages and powertrains paired with low-inertia servomotors and high-resolution feedback. But the catch here is that some high-speed indexers and especially precision rotary tables cannot be accurately and quickly indexed or positioned with good stability when there is backlash from mechanical gearing and coupling in the loop. Here, direct-drive torque DESIGN WORLD

motors can output high peak torque to position quickly without any lost motion to worry about. Plus the high-resolution feedback device is directly mounted with the motor on the driven shaft — which eliminates a source of loop instability.

In a lot of cases, torque motors come as frameless motors. That because these direct drives often go into specialty machine builds benefitting from a motor that can be designed right into the machine. After all, direct motor integration eliminates the need to accommodate motor housings, bearings, feedback, gearing, and mechanical couplings.

In contrast with traditional drive sizing and specification, the selection of torque motors isn’t based on power but rather torque.

Peak torque is the motor’s maximum torque possible for short periods; continuous torque is the torque the motor can supply indefinitely if its mounting is correct for proper cooling. Application duty cycle dictates the levels of peak and continuous torque needed to affect the overall motion design goals. DW

www.designworldonline.com

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Industrial

CABLE JACKET

considerations

BY LISA EITEL • EXECUTIVE EDITOR Here we outline the basics of cables (and their connectors) to withstand the rigors of automated applications.

POWER

Inaccessible equipment requires power and data cables that are maximally reliable. | Moreno Soppelsa

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and data-transmitting cables on industrial automation equipment must satisfy international safety standards; withstand the oft-extreme environments of manufacturing, processing, and packaging settings; resist mechanical wear from typical everyday use; survive exposure to chemicals; and prevent the generation and propagation of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). Even more challenging are applications that install cables on the moving axes of cartesian machines and robots that must often execute routines dozens to thousands of times a day. Such motion can stress machine components — including the electrical and fiber-optic cabling that transmits power and data between various components and subsystems.

Various cables are used in industrial settings for networking, power transmission, and communication — taking the form of coaxial, data, and instrumentation cables as well as power cables for low-voltage power (not to be confused with the 12 or 24-Vdc “low-voltage” designation) as well as medium-voltage power cables.

www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

1/12/24 4:41 PM

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Motion Control

Industrial power and data cables must often operate in tight spaces and may even need to regularly flex and move. To prevent wear and tear caused by these requirements, cables must have bending radii that are five to 15 times the overall cable diameter. Plus, to prevent cracking, flexible jacketing materials should be used whether: • • •

Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). chlorinated polyethylene (CPE).

Industrial cables can be found in everything from outdoor equipment to buried trenches to cable carriers and conduit in cleanroom settings. But no matter their destination, machine builders must ensure all cables in an application earn applicable approvals

for its place of manufacture, such as the U.S. National Electrical Code (NEC), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Conformité Européene (CE), RoHS, and Canadian Standards Association (CSA), among others.

More on standards that dictate cable choices International, national, and industry standards provide rules and guidelines that outline the features of cables to be integrated into everything from aerospace and military designs to industrial equipment to consumer products. Laws and binding industry requirements can necessitate the CE mark and certification as well as those of the German Verband der Elektrotechnik (VDE) informing electric safety standards of the Deutsches

Institut für Normung (DIN) or the Italian (but internationally applied) Comitato Elettrotecnico Italiano (CEI) … just to give two of many examples. For example, other designs may need cabling to satisfy Russian requirements outlined in the Compliance Test Plan (CTP), formalized cleanroom rules, lead-free certifications, and EurasianConformity (EAC) certificates.

For example, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) dictates cable features to preserve fire, electrical, and building safety in applications in North America and around the globe.

Many indoor applications also demand halogen-free cable containing in their sheaths or jackets no elements from the 17th column of the periodic table. In fact, halogens such as fluorine

Hal (salt) gen (producing) elements form salts upon their reaction with metals. Halogen-free cables are applicable in high-temperature settings and (in case of fire) don’t release toxic acids.

Hal (salt) gen (producing) elements form salts upon reaction with metals.

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DESIGN WORLD

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and chlorine (as in polyvinyl chloride or PVC, for example) are insulators commonly found in cable sheaths.

But in a fire, halogen-containing cable jackets can release toxic acids that are poisonous to humans and harmful to building structures. Halogen-free cables jacketed with PUR or TPE — unlike PVC-jacketed cables — are applicable in designs that see high temperatures.

A third standard to prevent fire hazards as well as shock is NFPA 79, which requires that cable in applicable designs not exceed 50-foot lengths; contain only copper conductors; and withstand temperatures to 85° C. Generally prohibited are appliance wiring material or AWM cable and wire products unless included in an approved UL-listed subsystem.

Offshore standards in the U.S. include NAVSEA coax as well as military MIL24640 (lightweight cable), MIL-C-24643 (low-smoke cable), MIL-C-17 (coaxial radio and satellite cable), and MIL-C915E (submersible cable) standards. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ IEEE 1580 standard for single and multiconductor cables also outlines good engineering practice for applying 300-V to 35-kVac and up to 2,000 Vdc cable aboard offshore platforms and marine vessels. A P1580a amendment further details the suitable cabling for offshore wind operations.

In fact, outdoor settings are especially brutal on cables, so UVresistant variations are in order where automated machinery is exposed to sunlight. Sheathing with up to 2% carbon black and other electric and fiber-optic cable-construction features satisfying International Electrotechnical Commission IEC 61196 UV-resistance measures should be chosen with the caveat that all polymers degrade over time when exposed to UV radiation.

Additional forms of specialty cable protections Cables with coolant and other chemical resistance are necessary where automated equipment relies on propylene or ethylene glycol for cooling; mineral oil and other greases to lubricate and prevent corrosion on mechanical components; and washdowns with caustic blends and acidic detergents to clean off bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants. Chemicalresistant cable is also necessary where chemical processing, machining, printing, packaging, painting, and other manufacturing involves processes that involve or emit substances that can degrade cables having standard construction.

Polyurethane or PU-jacketed cable resists exposure to oil and notching (as from gouging). Hydrolysis-resistant cable

The NFPA 79 limits the length of cable transmitting power to minimize heat rises, voltage drops, and the effects of motor-related currents in dynamic applications. | Katsiaryna Kollontai

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with polyurethane jacketing can also withstand extended heat and humidity exposure as quantified by ISO 1419 socalled jungle tests.

Cable that’s inappropriately applied in such chemically challenging settings can stiffen, crack, and swell … even to the point of failure.

UL-marked chemical-resistant cabling often features fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) jackets and insulation that resist degradation by oils, solvents, and other chemicals; such products may be further enhanced with flex-capable insulation and anti-wicking fillers.

Cables for the connection of controls and instrumentation can include polyurethane (PU) sheaths that withstand chemicals and oils and survive flexing and contact with abrasive surfaces as well. Fluoropolymer cable jackets impart resistance to abrasion and heat.

Useful in alternative-fuel processing operations, some cable is specifically designed to be resistant to oxygenated organic bio-oil that subject the jacket to alcohols, acids, ketones, esters, and other compounds found in bio-crude. Polyurethane (PU) variations withstand exposure to bio-oil and UV radiation — useful for outdoor crude-processing applications — though TPEsheathed cabling has superior UV and high-temperature resistance compared to PU. DW DESIGN WORLD

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•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• Linear Motion

From more power to higher precision, new linear actuators have a lot to offer machine designers.

Linear actuators take care of business Miles Budimir • Senior Editor

Linear

actuation plays a major role in motion for many industrial systems and machines. From factory automation and manufacturing machinery, to medical equipment and robotics, linear actuators are common components in these systems used to create linear motion.

Linear actuation can be achieved by a number of well-known means.

Some of these are mechanical based, including rotary to linear actuation

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methods where the rotary motion produced by a motor is converted into a linear motion. Examples include rotary motors attached to linear translation methods, or screw-based actuation using lead screws, ball screws, or roller screws.

Other direct linear actuation methods include a variety of designs including linear motors and other types of actuators. Linear motors in particular have some advantages over traditional rotary motor-based linear actuators. www.designworldonline.com

For one, they offer more precision and better reliability than other methods.

This is largely due to the fact that many of the power transmission components involved with rotary-to-linear transmission are eliminated. As linear motors typically generate force via the magnetic field of the motor coil which is directly coupled to the load, there is no need for added mechanical devices to convert rotary to linear motion.

Recently, linear actuator manufacturers have introduced a DESIGN WORLD

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•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Beckhoff’s AA3000 electric cylinder series offers units with a peak force of up to 12,500 N.

number of offerings responding to application demands. For instance, there are more linear actuators offering more power to rival well-established fluid power technologies. There is also more variety and flexibility to accommodate a range of application requirements, including fitting into space-constrained locations.

New electric cylinder offerings An example of more options for heavy duty linear motion needs comes from Beckhoff. Offering options with more power (to rival well-established fluid power technologies), the company has added more devices to its scalable AA3000 electric cylinder series aimed to extend the advantages in total cost of ownership, footprint, energy efficiency and sustainability to more applications.

Specifically, the new AA3100 devices offer the necessary force, dynamics and compactness needed for linear motion applications. However, this direct-drive DESIGN WORLD

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solution delivers all the advantages of servo technology, including controlled positioning, safe holding at a standstill and high efficiency.

The AA3100 series is designed as a drop-in replacement for hydraulic or pneumatic actuators. These fluid-power based actuators can waste excess energy and floorspace required for compressors, while adding the cost and complexity of mechanical components.

In the case of hydraulics, they can leak and create messes on the plant floor. To simplify replacement of these devices, the AA3100 devices leverage an ISO 15552 flange size and bolting points on both sides as well as an external thread mount on the shaft end of the spindle to mount ball heads, clamping hooks or other common adapters.

There are two variants each for the first products in the series, the AA3123 and AA3133 electric cylinders. The AA3123 variants feature 5,300 N of peak force, and 1,300 N continuous www.designworldonline.com

force, with maximum speeds of 0.28 m/ sec, and the other variant boasts 2,650 N of peak force, 650 N of continuous force, and a maximum speed of 0.56 m/ sec.

On the other hand, the AA3133 variants have a peak force of 12,500 N, 2,800 N of continuous force, and feature a maximum speed of 0.12 m/sec, while the other variant has 6,000 N of peak force, 1,400 N of continuous force, and 0.24 m/sec maximum speed.

Like their predecessors in the AA3000 series, the new AA3100 devices offer a number of benefits, chief of which is an integrated mechanism.

This means that the devices feature precise roller bearings, a ball screw and guide to provide backlash-free, purely translatory motion. The devices also can be commissioned quickly. A safe 24-bit multiturn encoder with high resolution, One Cable Technology (OCT) and an electronic identification plate all make startup go faster. They also feature January 2024

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Linear Motion

simplified data access with TwinCAT 3 automation software. The software automatically configures position travel limits and known position offset for the encoder after reading in the device’s electronic nameplate. Plus, there is significant customizability with these devices. A range of spindle pitches and a backlash-free holding brake are available to help meet the unique requirements of any application.

Space-saving linear actuators Other applications calling for linear motion may not require high forces but have other unique demands, such as where space is limited.

For applications like these, Rollon offers its TLS Series of telescoping linear actuators. The new series is designed to maximize productivity for applications where space is limited — especially for applications with minimal vertical clearance, such as between a machine and ceiling, or

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horizontally between machines.

TLS telescoping actuators integrate seamlessly into multi-axis systems and are available in two- or three- stage versions. Their telescopic design enables long stroke lengths with minimal closed lengths. The TLS Series features a synchronized drive system, requiring only a single motor for motion. These actuators are also equipped with a built-in automated lubrication system, ensuring a prolonged lifetime while requiring minimal maintenance.

The TLS Series comes in four sizes; 100, 230, 280 and 360. The units feature a stroke length of up to 3,000 mm in a single direction and repeatability as low as ± 0.05 mm.

They also feature a maximum speed of 6 m/sec and acceleration up to 20 m/sec, The actuators’ unique combination of high stroke to closed length ratio, synchronized drive system, simple mounting, and minimal maintenance

The TLS Series of telescoping linear actuators from Rollon are suited for applications where space is limited and machine footprint must be optimized.

1/16/24 7:26 AM

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Linear Motion

requirement lets designers easily optimize their machine footprint or floor layouts for a wide range of industrial equipment including CNC, part transfer, and assembly machinery.

SX Series linear servomotors from Nippon Pulse feature high-performance positioning with an encoder resolution of less than 10 nm.

High precision in a small package When it comes to linear motors, a number of factors are making them a more attractive option in some applications. With demands for greater productivity, improved product quality, as well as lowering engineering costs with simpler designs that eliminate some mechanical components, linear motors are increasingly the answer for some motion projects.

Case in point; Nippon Pulse’s latest offering, a new series of motors added to its extensive line of Linear Shaft Motor servomotors. The SX series features high-energy magnets for greater force in mid-range sizes, to supplement the existing sizes of the standard S-series motors.

The SX series motors are available in 6, 8 and 10-mm shaft diameters.

Each size has three standard windings options, as well as the possibility to designate low-voltage windings. The motors can achieve stroke lengths between 50 and 300 mm, and analog Hall sensors can be added to eliminate the need for external feedback devices.

The SX series is capable of greater flux due to the larger compressed magnets in the motor shaft. This allows for more continuous force in a smaller package. Linear Shaft Motors are ultraprecise, compact, and efficient linear servomotors that provide smooth, contactless motion for maintenancefree operation. DW Beckhoff www.beckhoff.com Nippon Pulse www.nipponpulse.com Rollon www.rollon.com

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Electronics

PCB design best practices for

ECAD/MCAD

COLLABORATION Alex Grange • Siemens EDA

As designs grow in scope and complexity, collaboration between the electronic and mechanical domains is even more critical. For example, as PCB designs face tighter requirements, problems resulting from electromechanical interference are becoming more common. Handling these problems across disciplines requires constant collaboration and synchronized data.

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What isn’t working today Most issues with collaboration can be traced back to the limitation of the format used during the collaboration.

For older designs, the Intermediate Data Format (IDF) and Data Exchange Format (DXF) provided a powerful mechanism for collaboration between electronic and mechanical domains.

Yet, neither IDF nor DXF has been updated for decades. And with the evolution of the workforce, the everchanging product complexity, and the scale of the products we design, these static formats can end up hindering the design process instead of facilitating it.

The IDF process flow restricts the frequency of electromechanical www.designworldonline.com

collaboration, requiring the entire data set to be transferred for each incremental collaboration exchange.

Exporting collaboration data often results in electronic designers manipulating or misinterpreting information or manually recreating the received data. Often you need to spend a lot of time resolving issues, which is typically a largely manual process, with the other domain expert looking over the shoulder of the other and a string of back-and-forth emails. Making matters more difficult, given the tight requirement of modern designs, the entire database must be represented.

For example, a common issue for electromechanical designs is the DESIGN WORLD

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The Siemens Xpedition and NX databases allow the mechanical assembly team to share the mechanical models directly with the ECAD designers. In the PCB layout, the designer can see in real-time, for example, the mechanical interference caused by moving a component too close to the edge of the board, thus interfering with the enclosure. One company reviewed all their PCB design respins over the last year and found that mechanical interference was the number one cause of respins, accounting for over 60% of their overall design respins that year.

need to represent copper data in the mechanical assembly. This data must be included to identify assembly shorts and inform thermal simulation.

DXF, on the other hand, does not provide any intelligent information.

Therefore, it’s up to the designer to identify and understand how each drawn item is associated with each item within their design. These gaps in information between electronic and mechanical design significantly increase with design complexity. Additionally, divisions increasingly function within their silos due to the globalization of engineering groups. Thus, designers face language and time zone challenges when identifying the true design intent DESIGN WORLD

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that another design domain is trying to convey. This lack of intelligent communication results in duplicated effort and tedious reworkings to understand the complete set of requirements set by either domain.

Because most companies’ electronic and mechanical divisions are divided, they frequently follow separate standards. Without a synchronized library structure, the product of the collaboration between ECAD and MCAD design often has components that are offset or rotated.

In some cases, the mechanical designer sends an initial baseline data set to an ECAD designer. Right after it’s applied, the ECAD designer immediately

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As PCB designs face tighter requirements, problems resulting from electromechanical interference are becoming more common. Integrating the entire systems-design flow with a seamless digital thread from concept through manufacture can help eliminate problems before they arise.

sends a DXF file back at them. This allows the mechanical designer to overlay the placement outline and the component shape on top of the components in the mechanical assembly. Due to the complexity of the design, they have to manually comb through dozens, if not hundreds, of components to see if any component is offset. It also creates issues if the pin 1 location in the mechanical library is rotated 180° from that in the electronic library.

This misalignment causes many design respins because the component looks like it was placed in the right location in the same X and Y coordinates in both the ECAD and MCAD assemblies. But, in reality, pin 1 is different, so when the component is fabricated and inserted, it will not work.

Every company has its own story of how a small mismatch between the ECAD and MCAD data resulted in design respins that cost them a lot of money.

IDX for electromechanical exchange To address these costly shortcomings, the ECAD/MCAD Implementer Forum was formed in 2010 to develop the IDX standard. Its main intention was to replace IDF and DXF to provide a more incremental data exchange — rather than dumping all the data back and forth from side to side. It is essential to DESIGN WORLD

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understand that we need to move away from these obsolete data exchange formats no longer being developed by any vendor and move toward an incremental data exchange, the IDX format.

IDX enables the creation of a more efficient and unified collaboration workflow. This workflow allows designers to accept or reject any proposed items from the other domain.

To keep the data synchronized, every proposal comes with a response from the other domain. This helps to understand the board’s current status within both domains to ensure they stay in sync. This also makes it much easier to fix the problem as they are encountered, rather than doing a long design review at the end and updating the project when it’s complete.

The ECAD/MCAD Implementer Forum also wanted to provide a higher resolution of data exchange between ECAD and MCAD. Since 2010, the forum has added nine major schema updates to the IDX format, offering a wide range of features — including support for copper, solder mask, and silkscreen objects, flex, and rigidflex designs, stack-up and primarypin information sharing, and a lot of additional functionality that makes collaboration easier.

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Best practices for collaborative design The communication between the electronic and mechanical designers should be able to occur at any time or frequency. This simplifies the exchange process, as they send only the incremental data, allowing them to collaborate more often and earlier in the design cycle.

In most electromechanical projects, the mechanical designer first defines critical design constraints. This means the mechanical engineer usually defines the board outline, mounting holes, placement and routing obstructs (keep-out areas), connector placement, and other objects that may be critical for their design. This data is then exchanged with the ECAD designer to ensure the correct information is used when they start their PCB layout.

This initial exchange is the baseline file, containing the entire assembly from the mechanical to the electronic domain.

With the IDX standard, design teams can go beyond sending a single static file to and from each other by allowing each domain to send incremental data, which only consists of the elements that have been added, deleted, or modified since the last incremental or baseline sent. Any item in the incremental data can have a comment associated with it, and the

item can be accepted or rejected.

Each proposal includes a response file to ensure both domains stay in sync. If a component was moved and the change was rejected, the initiator will see that it was moved back to its original location. This process continues throughout the entire design cycle until the project is finalized and sent off to be manufactured. IDX fosters closer collaboration and enables the early identification of critical issues during the design flow.

Seeing only the items that have been added, modified, or deleted is extremely important because designers only have to find what has changed in a couple of dozen components rather than the entire database, which contains tens of thousands of objects. This ensures design consistency and synchronization and allows teams to shift their current process and detect violations much earlier in design development.

With IDX, users can access all the relevant information in the other domain. This improves the two-way flow of information, avoids potential issues, and accelerates project development. DW Siemens EDA • www.siemens.com

A multi-discipline, multi-domain workflow supports real-time collaboration.

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Mechanical

feel the

burn:

MAKING INDUSTRIAL FURNACES MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT EDITED BY MIKE SANTORA

Even as countries strive to meet climate goals and reduce their carbon footprint, the current rate of improvement is not sufficient to meet the targets set out by the Paris Agreement. With industrial furnaces being one of the biggest energy consumers, it’s no surprise that manufacturers are investing in research and development to create more energy-efficient solutions.

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Bearings are critical components in industrial furnaces, as they help to reduce friction and wear between moving parts.

According

to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2022, the global economy used energy 2% more efficiently than it did in 2021. While this is an improvement, there is still some way to go, and energy efficiency improvements need to average 4% a year this decade to align with the IEA’s Net Zero Emission by 2050 Scenario.

With this increasing emphasis on reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption, there is a growing demand for energy-efficient industrial furnaces.

As a result, manufacturers are investing in R&D to develop advanced furnaces that consume less energy, emit fewer pollutants, and ensure better combustion efficiency.

High-temperature bearings Industrial furnaces operate at extremely high temperatures and often in harsh environments, which can cause significant wear and tear on the machinery. Bearings are a critical component of these machines, as they help to reduce friction and wear between moving parts. However, at high temperatures, traditional bearings can fail, causing damage to the furnace and reducing its efficiency.

High-temperature bearings are designed to withstand extreme temperatures and harsh environments, making them a good solution for industrial furnaces.

The materials used for manufacturing bearings depend on the temperature requirements of the application. For temperatures up to 150°C, chrome steel bearings are suitable when paired with an appropriate lubricant. Meanwhile, 440-grade stainless steel bearings can withstand temperatures up to 300 °C with the right lubrication. Beyond these thresholds, alternative materials are needed.

At higher temperatures, full ceramic bearings without ball retainers, also known as full complement bearings, are used. These bearings find application in temperatures above 300 °C and where lubrication poses challenges such as contamination. Full complement ZrO2

S

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Brushless Motors

Full ceramic bearings without ball retainers, or full complement bearings, are used in temperatures above 300°C.

ceramic bearings can be employed in temperatures up to 600 °C, while full complement Si3N4 bearings have successfully performed at up to 1200 °C. By employing high-temperature bearings, manufacturers can effectively minimize friction and wear, resulting in reduced energy consumption and enhanced operational efficiency. The selection of the appropriate bearing material ensures optimal performance and reliability in diverse temperature environments.

Driving factors The demand for energy-efficient furnaces is growing rapidly, driven by several factors. One of the most significant drivers is political, with governments worldwide setting ambitious climate goals to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. This has led to increased regulations and incentives for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency.

Another factor driving demand is the growing industrial sector, particularly in countries such as China and India.

As these countries continue to develop, the demand for energy-efficient furnaces will increase as manufacturers seek to reduce costs and improve their efficiency further.

Finally, technological advances are also driving demand, with new materials and designs being developed to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

High-temperature bearings are just one example of manufacturers investing in R&D to create new solutions.

Benefits of investing Investing in high-temperature bearings offers a range of benefits for businesses. In addition to the obvious environmental benefits, they can also help to extend the life of the furnace, reducing maintenance costs and downtime.

As countries strive to meet the climate goals set out by the Paris Agreement, industrial furnaces, being significant energy consumers, must become more energy efficient.

Fortunately, specialized high-temperature bearings, such as those provided by SMB Bearings, are essential in this endeavor. These specialized bearings withstand extreme temperatures and harsh environments, reducing friction and wear. In doing so, they can help drive the transition towards more energy-efficient industrial furnaces and contribute towards a greener future. DW

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•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• Pneumatics

Sizing

FRLs for efficiency

Proper sizing ensures efficient operation of filterregulator-lubricator systems.

BY J O S H C O S F O RD • CO N T R I BU T IN G E D I TO R

Pneumatic

systems are widely used within industrial environments to power machinery and equipment, providing reliable and efficient performance. The Filter-RegulatorLubricator (FRL) is vital in maintaining optimal air quality and pressure within these systems. FRLs are combination devices used to treat compressed air by filtering it, regulating its pressure levels and lubricating any pneumatic tools or equipment that use it. These devices require careful selection and care to ensure long-lasting, efficient operation.

Here are some keys to maximize the efficiency of your FRLs. Understand proper sizing and selection.

Sizing an FRL correctly is the first step, as improperly sized designs can increase energy costs. The filter must be sized for minimal pressure drop and for the highest flows the assembly will see. When in doubt, sizing up is best, as too-small filters

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Precision

Control Solutions Designing efficient systems involves much more than simply understanding a few basic principles. There is a true art to balancing the specific requirements of an application in order to achieve the desired goals in the best possible way. Help us understand the unique needs of your application and together, we’ll develop something that surpasses what any of us could have done alone.

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will increase pressure drop and will have shorter lives because they have smaller capacity to capture and hold contaminants.

Understand the environment where it will operate. Ensure that all parts of the FRL are constructed of compatible materials, for example, those that are rated for washdown environments in food and beverage processing.

Consider ambient temperatures as well, especially if used in harsh environments like offshore, which require corrosion resistance and sealtight designs.

QUALITY IS IN OURS It’s good to know where you come from. At Nitto Kohki, we come from a line of engineers and businessmen dedicated to exceptional manufacturing execution. In our line of vacuum and pressure pumps, this is seen in the unique linear-piston design, where one moving part resolves to exceptional reliability, low vibration and noise, high energy efficiency, and long, consistent performance life (>10,000 hrs.) for a host of critical medical applications. It’s why the medical device industry has specied Nitto pumps for over sixty years— the quality in our DNA. Find out how you can use it to your advantage.

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Pick the right filter location. Adopt a preventative maintenance program to avoid saturated filter elements. Do not over-use these devices; only use them when and where the air needs to be treated. They should be installed as far away from the compressor as possible, to allow for cooling and condensing of the air and vapors. In addition, filters should be installed as close to the tools as possible. Ensure the filter is installed first before the lubricator and regulator — and in the correct airflow direction (airflow direction is indicated by arrows on top).

Don’t forget about maintenance.

Monitoring filter elements is perhaps the most important step in FRL maintenance. Once a filter element reaches its contaminant capacity, its pressure differential will increase.

Use pressure-drop indicators such as differential pressure gauges — these simple devices indicate when a filter needs to be changed. Filters should be changed if outlet pressure drops below normal or air does not flow smoothly during operation.

Additionally, regular inspections of the air filter’s, regulator’s and lubricator’s bowls should be

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Pneumatics

performed to detect cracks, scratches or other damage, which can affect performance or create a dangerous situation. Replace the bowl when this type of damage is found. Checking for dirt is also necessary. If found, clean with a mild cleaner to prevent damage.

Flow Characteristics

Use lubricator oils. Using the correct oil for lubrication is critical. Depending on the manufacturer, you could be using non-fluid oil or turbine oils. Automotive oils should not be used as they don’t have the right lubricating properties.

Ensure it is filled to the top of the bowl or the fill line. This level must always be maintained for proper tool lubrication, so daily checks are required.

Know about proper regulator installation.

Regulators ensure the working pressure is at its optimum level at point of use, for maximum compressed air system efficiency. They should be installed at the pipe for each service application and tool that requires different working pressures. They should be downstream from the filter and upstream

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Selecting the proper size of filter should be done by determining the maximum allowable pressure drop, which can be caused by the filter.

The pressure drop can be determined by referring to flow curves provided by the manufacturer.

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Pneumatics

Airflow is critical in determining the efficiency of pneumatic systems, as any pressure created to overcome restrictions is forever lost as heat.

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of the lubricator, and once again, install them with the flow direction arrows pointing towards the tool.

Understanding air flow and FRLs When selecting an FRL, one must not overlook the significance of understanding FRL air flow characteristics, which is more complex by nature than more simple components. By comprehending and considering airflow, one can make informed decisions to enhance system performance, reduce downtime, and extend equipment lifespan.

Airflow is critical in determining the efficiency of pneumatic systems, as any pressure created to overcome restrictions is forever lost as heat. An FRL matching the system's required flow rate ensures that the equipment and actuators receive an adequate supply of clean, pressure-regulated air. Insufficient airflow can lead to decreased system performance, slower actuation times, and compromised productivity. On the other hand, oversized FRLs may result in unnecessary energy consumption, increasing both capital and operational costs. Understanding air flow helps strike the right balance, optimizing efficiency and maximizing output.

Regulating air pressure is crucial to ensure safe and reliable operation of pneumatic systems. By understanding airflow requirements, one can select an FRL that can effectively regulate pressure within the desired range. Insufficient pressure control can result in erratic actuation, unstable operation, and potential damage to components. Conversely, excessive pressure can cause leaks, premature wear, and even equipment failure. FRLs’ flow characteristics are described in two ways — flow rate and pressure drop.

The flow rate through an FRL is dictated partially by the size of the filter, regulator and lubricator, as well as the construction style of each component and the pressure setting of the regulator. The filter media construction and micron rating affect the backpressure across the filter, with deep pleated designs down to 0.01 micron tending to resist flow more than inexpensive 5-micron filters. Still, it's easy to oversize your assembly rather than sacrifice filtration quality.

The lubricator reduces flow the least in the FRL and instead is just an oil reservoir using the Bernoulli principle to atomize the lubricating fluid into the air stream. The flow reduces slightly as it passes through the venturi, where the increase in flow rate reduces localized pressure, thereby pulling oil up the capillary tube where it's introduced into the air stream.

The regulator influences airflow the most through an FRL and, by its very nature, may restrict flow to subsequently reduce pressure. The essential function of a regulator inherently restricts airflow to reduce downstream pressure.

Using poppets, pistons or diaphragms, the regulator's spring and its preload control the force required to open the valve and allow flow to occur. Users may adjust the spring tension to adjust the preload to increase the pressure that prevents

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Pneumatics

This diagram shows the key components in a pneumatic system for industrial use. It is crucial to understand system design and proper installation of FRLs for optimum efficiency.

the restrictive element from closing as easily. The regulator seamlessly balances the restriction with the outlet pressure to smoothly control pressure at the desired setting, opening the valve to increase pressure or closing it to reduce pressure.

Regulators have an operating range best suited to their design, and any pressure and flow used outside that range results in either weak pressure control with unstable flow or a locked regulator with no flow. Downstream pressure must remain well enough below the regulator set pressure, or the unit may lock up and allow no flow at

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all. Conversely, when the flow is high while pressure is low, much energy is wasted to pressure drop. It's also important to know that the higher you set your regulator, the less it will flow.

As previously mentioned, the regulator restricts flow to reduce pressure, so trying to regulate pressure in the upper reaches of the design range may restrict flow to an unacceptable degree. Be sure to select a regulator that flows well in the upper-pressure range, should you need it.

The above descriptions are simplified because regulator design is surprisingly varied. Single stage www.designworldonline.com

regulators work well with stable, lowpressure regulated machines and tools.

However, if your plant's air usage varies widely or machine demand is not stable and constant, a two-stage regulator provides a superior choice. In some cases, regulators are also available with the pressure-compensated option that helps maintain stable flow despite fluctuations from inlet or downstream pressure. DW

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2023 Winners

A D VA N C E D M AT E R I A L S In the category of Advanced Materials, this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

SiTime sitime.com

Product: SiTime’s MEMS-based precision timing devices Timing devices are the heartbeat of every electronic system, providing accurate, stable frequency control of digital components. SiTime is disrupting the timing market by replacing fragile quartz crystals with resonators built with advanced microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Traditionally, the most common clock sources are crystal oscillators, a 70-year-old technology that has reached a point of maturity, yielding only marginal improvements.

SiTime’s silicon MEMS-based resonators and oscillators are 50 times more reliable than quartz, making them a suitable alternative to crystal oscillators for today’s demanding applications. Silicon MEMS devices are used throughout electronic systems, serving as gyroscopes, accelerometers, microphones, sensors, magnetometers, and many other functions. All silicon MEMS devices, including SiTime’s MEMS resonators, are manufactured at scale in mainstream fabs, providing cost-effective technology for countless applications.

MEMS resonators are much smaller than quartz crystals, enabling smaller footprint timing devices for space-sensitive designs. Smaller size and less mass mean more resilience to environmental shock and vibration. Compared to quartz, MEMS resonators have 100x better resilience to EMI disturbances.

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A D VA N C E D M AT E R I A L S

SILVER

TE Connectivity te.com

Product: GreenSilver Surface Technology TE is leading the change in advances toward CO2 neutrality efforts by achieving an industry breakthrough for delivering a significant environmentally sustainable alternative to a surface technology process that has been used for over a hundred years. At the same time, automakers can achieve substantial improvements in the environmental footprint of their products with the use of GreenSilver — TE’s sustainable high-performance contact surface technology.

GreenSilver’s breakthrough surface plating technology uses virtually no freshwater, generates no hazardous wastewater, and uses 35% less energy while at the same time delivering the pinnacle of superior performance, vibration, temperature, and mating force and mating cycles, and green connectivity after being applied to TE’s HPF 1.2 and AMP MCP high-performance connector systems.

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2023 Winners

A D VA N C E D M AT E R I A L S

BRONZE

Jabil, Inc. jabil.com

Product: Jabil PLA 3110P Jabil PLA 3110P is a novel powder based on a renewably sourced biomaterial that offers a biobased alternative to petrochemical-based powders, such as Nylon-12 (PA 12). Developed in collaboration with NatureWorks, a leading manufacturer of polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers, PLA 3110P is made with NatureWorks IngeoTM PLA while leveraging Jabil’s “beaker to box” material innovations to deliver the first-ever PLA-based powder made from a renewably sourced biomaterial and optimized for powder-bed fusion technologies.

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2023 Winners

CONNECTIVITY In the category of Connectivity, this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

LEMO Corporation lemo.com

Product: LEMO M Series Multi Coax LM.232 LEMO is expanding its field-proven M Series with a new multi-coaxial configuration, the LM.232. This innovative configuration, available in size LM, offers up to 12x coaxial contacts, making it suitable for applications that require exceptional high-frequency performance in harsh environments, such as telecommunications, aerospace, and defense. LEMO's dedication to innovation and cutting-edge technology is exemplified in the development of the LM.232. One of the standout features of this new insert configuration is its ability to integrate 12x coaxial contacts type 0R (50 Ohm). This allows for a frequency range of up to 26.5 GHz, ensuring reliable and efficient signal transmission. Not only does this configuration deliver superior performance, but it also maintains a low Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR), further enhancing its suitability for high-frequency applications.

SILVER

Astera Labs asteralabs.com

Product: Leo Memory Connectivity Platform for CXL Astera Labs’ Leo Memory Connectivity Platform is the industry’s first purpose-built silicon solution to support memory expansion, pooling, and sharing using Compute Express LinkTM (CXLTM) 1.1 and 2.0.

It eliminates memory bandwidth and capacity bottlenecks by enabling up to 2TB more memory per CPU. Leo is optimized for meeting the complex computational needs of applications such as generative AI, machine learning, in-memory databases, and more at low latency. It is sampling with all strategic customers and partners.

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2023 Winners

CONNECTIVITY

BRONZE

EMP Shield empshield.com

Product: Guardian Data Series EMP Shield The term electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is used to describe a transient burst of electromagnetic (EM) energy and the associated electromagnetic disturbances due to energy coupling to conductive surfaces and lines, including communication lines. The presented device is designed to protect from the effects of High-altitude Nuclear EMP (HNEMP) generated by a nuclear bomb detonation, directed energy system for high-power EM generation, or other devices for intentional EM interference (IEMI).

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Molex molex.com

Product: 224G Product Portfolio Molex’s groundbreaking 224G product portfolio sets a new standard in chip-to-chip communication with unprecedented speeds of up to 224 Gbps-PAM4.

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www.designworldonline.com

Microchip Technology microchip.com

Product: Switchtec Gen 4 PCIe Switches With the market’s first Gen 4 automotivequalified PCIe switches, the Microchip SwitchtecTM PFX, PSX, and PAX switch solutions deliver low-latency, low-power, and high-performance connectivity for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

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2023 Winners

CONNECTIVITY

HONORABLE MENTION

Banner Engineering bannerengineering.com

Product: R95C-8B22-KQ 8-Port 2-Channel IO-Link Hub Expanding Banner Engineering’s line of IO-Link hubs, the R95C-8B22-KQ 8-Port 2 Channel Discrete IO-Link Hub quickly and easily integrates many non-IO-Link devices into an IO-Link system, whether connected directly to a sensor or anywhere in-line.

EMBEDDED COMPUTING In the category of Embedded Computing this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

Ambarella ambarella.com

Product: Centrally Processed 4D Imaging Radar Architecture for Autonomous Mobility Systems Ambarella has introduced the world’s first centralized 4D imaging radar architecture, allowing both central processing of raw radar data and deep, low-level fusion with other sensor inputs for the first time — including cameras, lidar, and ultrasonics. It combines Ambarella’s highly efficient 5nm CV3-AD AI central domain controller SoC and its OculiiTM adaptive AI radar software.

This optimized hardware and software provides the industry’s best AI processing performance per watt, and the most accurate and comprehensive AI modeling of a vehicle or robot’s surroundings. That allows designers

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www.designworldonline.com

to achieve new levels of environmental perception and realize the full potential of ADAS and L2+ to L5 autonomous driving systems and robotics. Additionally, electric vehicles’ ranges can be extended by 10s of kms using the same battery capacity.

Ambarella’s Oculii radar technology includes the only AI algorithms that dynamically adapt radar waveforms to the surrounding environment. This allows an order-ofmagnitude fewer antenna MIMO channels, reducing data bandwidth and achieving significantly lower power consumption than competing 4D imaging radars.

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WE HAVEN’T SWITCHED A THING. We make more products than ever, including transducers, cylinders and switches of all types. But our reliable temperature switches are still the perfect fit for all kinds of industrial applications. Our TT, TW, TD, TF and TS switches are available in a wide range of configurations, and are all 100% tested for accuracy.

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2023 Winners

EMBEDDED COMPUTING

SILVER

Texas Instruments ti.com

Product: AM6xA vision processors TI’s new vision processors bring intelligence from the cloud to the real world by eliminating cost and design complexity barriers when implementing vision processing and deep learning capabilities in low-power edge AI applications.

These processors feature a system-on-achip (SoC) architecture that includes extensive integration. Integrated components include Arm Cortex-A53 or Cortex-A72 central processing units, a third-generation TI image signal processor, internal memory, interfaces, and hardware accelerators that deliver from 1 to 32 teraoperations per second (TOPS) of AI processing for deep learning algorithms.

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Silicon Labs silabs.com

Product: BG27/MG27 The BG27/MG27 is suitable for low-power battery-powered IoT and supports Bluetooth 5.3, Bluetooth mesh, and proprietary networks.

The BG27 features an integrated DCDC boost that allows operation down to 0.8 volts, enabling support for single-cell alkaline and 1.5-volt button cell batteries that are typically used in medical applications for batteryoperated patches and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. More applications include portable medical devices, home end devices, fleet/asset monitoring, industrial automation, access control, power tools, Bluetooth mesh, sports, fitness, and wellness devices.

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Microchip Technology microchip.com

Product: RISC-V-based PolarFire SoC FGPA The Microchip PolarFire SoC FPGA is the first SoC FPGA to support the royalty-free RISC-V open Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), marking a major milestone in the evolution of embedded processors.

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2023 Winners

FLUID POWER In the category of Fluid Power, this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

Domin domin.co

Product: The Domin S4 Pro High-Performance Servo Valve The Domin S4 Pro High-Performance Hydraulic Valve, with patented Rotary Valve Technology, has been developed using cutting-edge technologies, including Additive Manufacturing, brushless DC motors, and onboard electronics. Domin has returned to the drawing board and created the world’s smallest direct drive valve, which delivers a zero-compromise hydraulic control product.

The direct-drive servo valves are as small or smaller than a two-stage vale but with the benefits of cutting-edge onboard electronics and energy efficiencies.

The core elements of this innovation are: • Architectural engineering design to create small, perfectly manufactured hydraulic valves, using platforms like CAD. • Novel direct drive rotary valve solution, using a rotary motor and rotary spool that creates advanced high-speed hydraulic control.

• Using additive manufacturing to create compact structures that have very low-pressure loss, making the fluid’s journey as easy as possible. In addition, additive manufacturing allows Domin to print small structures with inbuilt bi-directional flexibility.

SILVER

Danfoss Power Solutions danfoss.com

Product: Thorx CLM 8 S cam lobe motor The Danfoss Thorx CLM 8 S cam lobe motor is designed for machinery with chain drives, such as skid steer loaders.

Compared to other cam lobe motors on the market, the Thorx motor offers better performance, higher efficiency, and a longer lifetime.

The Thorx motor features newly developed two-speed technology, which offers 70% shock reduction when shifting speeds compared to other cam lobe motors. The technology delivers smoother speed changeover with a quick and consistent response time, regardless of temperature, resulting in superior machine handling and better operator comfort.

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FLUID POWER

BRONZE

Gefran gefran.com

Product: TWIIST Linear Position Transducer TWIIST is a contactless linear position transducer in the Hall effect category.

In addition to processing position data, its unique helical magnetoelectronic design measures other process variables - temperature, velocity, acceleration, and tilt angle — to improve machine designs and performance and increase operator safety.

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Moog

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2023 Winners

INDUSTRIAL In the category of Industrial this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

HP, Inc. hp.com

Product: HP Jet Fusion 3D Powder Handling Automation Solution and Automation Accessory To help customers combat increasingly complex workflows associated with scaling additive manufacturing, HP designed two automation solutions for HP Multi Jet Fusion customers.

Compatible with the HP Multi Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Printers using PA12, the HP Jet Fusion 3D Powder Handling Automation Solution is a pneumatically connected, closed-loop material processing system that minimizes labor and

SILVER

provides cleaner, more efficient material flow while enabling quality control and operational traceability.

The HP Jet Fusion 3D Automation Accessory provides automatic build unit exchange for two consecutive prints without requiring manual support and can be easily and completely integrated into existing factory configurations with Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs).

Bishop-Wisecarver bwc.com

Product: LoPro RTU The LoPro RTU is a 7th-axis system designed from the ground up for durability, ease of installation, and low total cost of ownership. It is compatible with all your favorite brands of robot and cobot.

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2023 Winners

INDUSTRIAL

BRONZE

Banner Engineering bannerengineering.com/us

Product: Asset Monitoring Gateway with Snap ID Banner Engineering’s new Asset Monitoring Gateway with Snap IDTM, along with compatible wired sensors, combines hardware and software as part of a comprehensive condition monitoring solution.

HONORABLE MENTION

AutomationDirect automationdirect.com

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2023 Winners

MECHANICAL In the category of Mechanical this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

Bishop-Wisecarver www.bwc.com

Product: Solid Lubricant DualVee Guide Wheels DualVee guide wheels are known for their ability to excel in harsh and extreme environments. The new solid lubricant wheel offers even greater life and ingress protection than ever before seen in guide wheel motion systems. In most applications, this guide wheel will last several times longer than guide wheels of a similar size and capacity.

Instead of using a grease to retain the oil for lubricating the internal bearings, this wheel uses an oil-impregnated solid polymer matrix. This matrix improves the environmental resistance of the internal elements and keeps the bearings running well-lubricated for longer. Plus, it retains the vee wheel geometry of DualVee guide wheels. This means the matching 90° angles in the wheel and track generate a selfcleaning wiping action that clears away debris as the wheel rolls.

DualVee Solid Lubricant provides smooth and quiet motion over any length, with the highest degree of protection and the longest wheel life of its kind.

SILVER

HP Inc. www.hp.com

Product: Thermal Diverting Valve 3.0 The John Deere Thermal Diverting Valve 3.0 is a redesigned, 3D-printed part for the company’s cold starter option agricultural machinery. In collaboration with GKN Additive’s (Forecast 3D) additive manufacturing network, John Deere is using HP’s Metal Jet Fusion technology to create 3D-printed metal parts that prevent diesel fuel from gelling or waxing. The valve is part of John Deere’s 6R and 6M tractors and opens and closes at certain temperatures, maintaining fuel temperatures in the most extreme weather conditions without affecting engine performance.

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2023 Winners

MECHANICAL

BRONZE

Emerson emerson.com

Product: Branson GMX-HP The Branson GMX-HP ultrasonic metal welder is a new member of Branson’s GMX ultrasonic metal welding product portfolio. The GMX-HP delivers higher power with greater downforce, essential for larger welds like electric vehicles, batteries, and energy storage systems. The GMX-HP features increased weld power, furnished by a high-capacity, 8-kilowatt, 20-kilohertz power supply. Welding power is transmitted through a direct-press actuator equipped with dual linear bearing guides, precision distance sensors, and a dynamic pressure trigger that delivers greater part-holding downforce with the high stability needed for repeatable weld quality.

MOTION CONTROL In the category of Motion Control this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

Harmonic Drive LLC harmonicdrive.net

Product: SHA with Integrated Servo Drive The SHA-IDT Series is a family of compact actuators that deliver high torque with exceptional accuracy and repeatability. These hollow shaft servo actuators feature Harmonic Drive precision strain wave gears combined with a brushless servomotor, a brake, two magnetic absolute encoders, and an integrated Servo Drive with CANopen communication. This revolutionary product eliminates the need for an external servo drive and greatly simplifies cabling yet delivers high-positional accuracy and torsional stiffness in a compact housing.

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DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 8:21 AM

YOUR CUSTOM SOLUTIONS ARE

CGI STANDARD PRODUCTS

Advanced Products for Robotics and Automation CGI Motion standard products are designed with customization in mind. Our team of experts will work with you on selecting the optimal base product and craft a unique solution to help differentiate your product or application. So when you think customization, think standard CGI assemblies.

Connect with us today to explore what CGI Motion can do for you.

copyright©2021 cgi inc. all rights reserved.

800.568.GEAR (4327) • www.cgimotion.com

CGI – DW 01-24.indd 5

1/16/24 8:22 AM

2023 Winners

MOTION CONTROL

SILVER

onsemi onsemi.com

Product: ECS640A three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor controller onsemi’s ECS640A is a three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor controller designed for reliable high-voltage operation up to 600 V. The highly integrated, small-form-factor ECS640A system− in−package (SiP) IC enables scalable BLDC motor solutions by integrating cutting-edge Arm Cortex— M0+ core capable of supporting traditional motor control techniques such as trapezoidal and vector control (e.g., FOC).

BRONZE

ADVANCED Motion Controls a-m-c.com

Product: 20-90 VDC FlexPro Servo Drives The FlexPro drive series is designed for high power, small size, and the best available servo motor control. These units have a 25-amp continuous (50-amp peak) current rating and a 1.5 x 1-in. footprint. FlexPro drives are designed to operate within a network, but like previous digital drives, they can also operate stand-alone via stored indexes and sequences with I/O.

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DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 8:21 AM

Don’t Compromise use MAIN Manufacturing The hydraulic flange you want, when you want it.

Informed - MAIN’s engineers are active in SAE, NFPA, & ISO tech committees

Dependable - Over 60 years of service to the industry

Quick - MAIN has over 200 tons of raw material

and over $5 Million SAE J518/ISO6162 flanges and adapters

main manufacturing – DW 01-24.indd 5

MAINmfg.com

Made in Grand Blanc, MI

800.521.7918

info@mainmfg.com

1/16/24 8:23 AM

2023 Winners

POWER ELECTRONICS In the category of Power Electronics this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

onsemi onsemi.com

Product: M3S EliteSiC devices onsemi M3S EliteSiC devices are a good solution for high-frequency switching applications that employ hard-switched topologies. The range of MOSFETs and modules are designed to optimize performance and efficiency. The devices provide a 40% reduction in total switching losses compared to their previous generation counterparts and are well-suited for various applications such as solar power systems, energy storage, onboard chargers, and electric vehicle charging stations, and uninterruptible power supplies.

The M3S EliteSiC MOSFETs are well-suited for a broad range of applications including, solar power systems, energy storage, onboard chargers, electric vehicle charging stations, and uninterruptible power supplies.

These MOSFETs are offered in industry-standard power discrete and power module packages. While the discrete solutions are used for low- to mid-power conversion by paralleling, power modules are ideally suited for high-power conversion stages.

SILVER

Microchip Technology microchip.com

Product: Hybrid Power Drive Module Aircraft manufacturers designing More Electric Aircraft (MEA) are looking to convert the flight control systems from hydraulic to electric to reduce weight and design complexities.

Microchip’s comprehensive hybrid power drive modules, which feature 12 different variants with either silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs or silicon (Si) IGBTs, meet the needs for an integrated and configurable power solution for aviation applications.

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DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 8:21 AM

WHEN PERFORMANCE MATTERS trust ACE Controls with your motion and vibration control problems

AUTOMATION

MOTION

VIBRATION

SAFETY

800-521-3320 · www.acecontrols.com ACE Controls · Farmington Hills, Michigan

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2023 Winners

POWER ELECTRONICS

BRONZE

Power Integrations power.com

Product: 1SP0635V2A0D gate driver The 1SP0635V2A0D singlechannel, plug-and-play gate driver for 190 x 140 mm IHM and IHV IGBT modules up to 3300 V combines Power Integrations’ proven SCALE 2TM switching performance and protection features with a configurable isolated serial output interface, which augments driver programmability and provides comprehensive telemetry reporting for an accurate lifetime estimation.

HONORABLE MENTION

Texas Instruments ti.com

Product: BQ79718-Q1 battery cell monitor and BQ79731-Q1 battery pack monitor for battery management systems The BQ79731-Q1 and BQ79718-Q1 devices provide an unprecedented level of accuracy and precision in measuring battery voltage, current, and temperature to effectively determine the true range of a vehicle and increase the overall life and safety of the battery pack.

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DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 8:21 AM

bradley nameplate – DW 01-24.indd 5

1/16/24 10:57 AM

2023 Winners

SO F T WA R E In the category of Software this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

ECM PCB Stator Technology pcbstator.com

Product: PrintStator PrintStator is ECM’s proprietary Motor CAD platform. ECM pairs PrintStator to patented PCB Stator innovation to create next-generation electric machines with premium performance characteristics.

PCB Stators replace the bulky copper windings in traditional motors with an ultra-thin disc. PrintStator powers the design of PCB Stator electric motors that are smaller, quieter, and more energy and space-efficient.

Motors designed via PrintStator — ­ incorporating PCB Stator technology — are up to 70% lighter than conventional options while achieving efficiencies as high as 96% and requiring just 20% of the raw materials.

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1/16/24 8:21 AM

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2023 Winners

SO F T WA R E

SILVER

Rockwell Automation rockwellautomation.com

Product: FactoryTalk Design Hub from Rockwell Automation The new FactoryTalk Design Hub allows industrial organizations to transform their automation design capabilities with a more simplified, productive way to work, powered by the cloud. Teams of all sizes, skill sets, and locations can work smarter through enhanced collaboration, lifecycle management, and on-demand access. The result is increased design productivity, faster time to market, and systems that cost less to build and maintain.

BRONZE

Gates Corporation gates.com

Product: Design Power Mobile Design PowerTM Mobile is the next revolution in belt drive engineering and management.

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DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 8:21 AM

ǐǐǐ DŽǒLjƼƾNjƺ ƺǏǑ ƼLjdž

kyocera – DW 01-24.indd 5

1/17/24 4:03 PM

2023 Winners

SWITCHES & SENSORS In the category of Switches & Sensors this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

Gefran gefran.com

Product: TWIIST Linear Position Transducer

TWIIST is a contactless linear position transducer in the Hall effect category.

In addition to processing position data, its unique helical magnetoelectronic design measures other process variables like temperature, velocity, acceleration, and tilt angle to improve machine designs and performance and increase operator safety. This patented technology results from a decade-long partnership between Gefran’s internal R&D department and the University of Brescia’s engineering department in Brescia, Italy.

SILVER

Banner Engineering bannerengineering.com

Product: ZMX 3D Time of Flight Sensor The ZMX Series 3D Time of Flight (ToF) Sensor is a single-sensor solution able to detect multiple objects of any size, shape, or orientation spread over an area at uneven heights. Simplifying applications that would otherwise require multiple single-point sensors, the ZMX 3D ToF Sensor is suitable for automated industrial applications in which materials, products, or packages accumulate within a defined area. The ZMX combines digital imaging and approximately 56,000 laser measurement points to measure and monitor objects within a three-dimensional area. A completely selfcontained solution that requires no separate controller or PC for operation, it is a single-sensor solution for filling applications that can detect both the greatest peak height and average volumetric fill level.

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DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 8:21 AM

chroma – ev engineering december 2023.indd 5

1/16/24 8:25 AM

2023 Winners

SWITCHES & SENSORS

BRONZE

onsemi onsemi.com

Product: NCS32100 Rotary Position Sensor Onsemi’s NCS32100 rotary position sensor is based upon its patented dual-inductive technology. This new approach is used in rotary and linear position sensing as well as for sensing torque and identifying maintenance needs in industrial machines.

HONORABLE MENTION

Analog Devices analog.com

Product: ADTF3175 The ADTF3175 module is the industry’s first high-resolution, industrial quality, indirect Time-of-Flight (iToF) module for 3D depth sensing and vision systems, fully calibrated for depth data and ready to image a scene. It enables cameras and sensors to perceive 3D space in onemegapixel (MP) resolution.

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DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 8:21 AM

F O SICK NGS? I R P S L I CO We were too.

That’s why we invented the wave spring.

• Optimize Application Space & Weight • Industry-Specialized Design Support • Large Selection from Stock • Easy to Customize Crest-to-Crest® Wave Springs

Request Free Samples at 847-719-5900 or smalley.com

smalley – DW 01-24.indd 5

1/16/24 8:25 AM

2023 Winners

TEST & MEASUREMENT In the category of Test & Measurement this year’s LEAP Award winners are…

GOLD

Littelfuse littelfuse.com

Product: LTKAK2-L Series 2 kA Surface Mount TVS Diode in Modified SMTO-218 The LTKAK2-L Series High Power TVS Diodes is a surface mount solution that addresses the market demand for automated PCB assembly process-compatible TVS diodes with a high surge rating. By using one LTKAK2-L instead of four or eight 15KPA or 30KPA axial-leaded TVS diodes, electronics designers can save 60% and 80% of PCB space, respectively.

The LTKAK2-L Series TVS Diodes offer a compact, surface mount package compatible with automated PCB assembly processes. The smaller solution in a modified SMTO-218 package allows designers to achieve robust circuit protection with less PCB space than the available axial leaded solutions. The 2 kA surge current rating enables designs to comply with IEC-61000-4-5 Level 4 requirements, which protects numerous high-reliability AC and DC power supplies and their applications.

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DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 8:21 AM

Since 1898, we have partnered with the most innovative companies in the world to solve complex challenges and advance technology.

Our legacy of decades of expertise and unrivaled reliability makes us the industry leader in custom wire and cable solutions.

Manufacturing Custom Wire & Cable Solutions Since 1898 603-838-6624 • newenglandwire.com Lisbon, New Hampshire USA

new england wire & tube – dw january 2024.indd 5

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2023 Winners

TEST & MEASUREMENT

BRONZE

Pickering Interfaces pickeringtest.com/en-us

Product: MEMS-based PXI/ PXIe RF multiplexer family [40/42-878] The first PXI/PXIe MEMS-based RF multiplexer (MUX) modules on the market, this new RF MUX family from experts in modular signal switching for electronic test and verification, Pickering Interfaces introduces new switching technology — with MEMS switches replacing conventional EMRs (electromechanical relays) — to deliver a step change in performance.

HONORABLE MENTION

ITECH ELECTRONIC CO. itechate.com/en/

Product: IT2800 Graphical Source Measure Unit IT2800 Series are compact and cost-effective bench-top Source Measure Units (SMUs) with the capability to source and measure both voltage and current. These capabilities make the IT2800 Series suitable for various IV (current versus voltage) measurement tasks that require both high resolution and accuracy.

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DESIGN WORLD

1/16/24 8:27 AM

EW

N

PBC15 Bayonet quick locking Screw clamp connection technology 3 Power + PE + 2 Signal, IP67 Shieldable

www.binder-usa.com binder USA – dw january 2024.indd 5

1/12/24 4:01 PM

Simulate real-world designs, devices, and processes with COMSOL Multiphysics® comsol.com/feature/multiphysics-innovation

Innovate faster.

Test more design iterations before prototyping.

Innovate smarter.

Analyze virtual prototypes and develop a physical prototype only from the best design.

Innovate with multiphysics simulation.

Base your design decisions on accurate results with software that lets you study unlimited multiple physical effects on one model.

COMSOL – dw january 2024.indd 5

1/12/24 3:59 PM

SALES

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Ryan Ashdown

Publisher Mike Emich

rashdown@wtwhmedia.com 216.316.6691

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jbrownlee@wtwhmedia.com 224.760.1055

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mcooke@wtwhmedia.com 781.710.4659

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smccafferty@wtwhmedia.com 310.279.3844 @SMMcCafferty

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mmatheson@wtwhmedia.com 805.895.3609 @mmatheson

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kgradman@wtwhmedia.com 773-680-5955

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Follow the whole team

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DESIGN WORLD does not pass judgment on subjects of controversy nor enter into dispute with or between any individuals or organizations. DESIGN WORLD is also an independent forum for the expression of opinions relevant to industry issues. Letters to the editor and by-lined articles express the views of the author and not necessarily of the publisher or the publication. Every effort is made to provide accurate information; however, publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of submitted advertising and editorial information. Non-commissioned articles and news releases cannot be acknowledged. Unsolicited materials cannot be returned nor will this organization assume responsibility for their care.

DESIGN WORLD does not endorse any products, programs or services of advertisers or editorial contributors. Copyright© 2024 by WTWH Media, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

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DESIGN WORLD (ISSN 1941-7217) is published monthly by: WTWH Media, LLC; 1111 Superior Ave., Suite 2600, Cleveland, OH 44114. Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, OH & additional mailing offices.

Ad Index Able Electropolishing ..........................26

John Evans’ Sons, Inc. ........................86

Ace Controls ............................................111

Keystone Electronics Corp .................. 3

Actuonix Motion Devices, Inc. ........... 57

KHK-USA ...................................................84

Additive Manufacturing

KNF Neuberger ...................................... 33

Users Group ......................................... 105

Koford ....................................................... 73

Aerotech ..................................................38

Kyocera ....................................................117

AllMotion .................................................... 4

LEMO USA, Inc. ......................................30

Altech Corporation ..................cover,8,9

Lin Engineering .....................................20

APEC .........................................................66

Main Manufacturing ........................... 109

ARRIS Composites ...............................53

Master Bond ........................................... 37

Automation24, Inc. ..................................7

METCASE .................................................69

AutomationDirect .................................... 1

Miki Pulley .................................................. 6

Balluff, Inc. ...............................................68

Mitsubishi Electric Automation ........115

Beckhoff Automation ..........................87

Nason ........................................................95

binder USA .............................................125

NB Corp .....................................................61

Bodine Electric Company ....................18

New England Wire & Tubing

Boker’s .................................................... 100

Technologies .........................................123

Bradley Nameplate Corporation ......113

Nitto Kohki U.S.A. Inc. ..........................76

Cadence ................................................... 27

Ogura Clutch .......................................... 57

Canfield ....................................................62

OKW Enclosures, Inc. ...........................65

Canon U.S.A. Inc .................................. IBC

OMS Motion, Inc ....................................48

Carlo Gavazzi .........................................88

P-DUKE Technology Co., Ltd. .............91

CGI Inc. .................................................... 107

Parvalux, by maxon ..............................97

Chieftek Precision .................................60

PBC Linear ...............................................63

Chroma Systems Solutions .............. 119

PI (Physik Instrumente) .......................78

Cinch Connectivity ...............................29

Pyramid ...... 73ROLEC Enclosures, Inc.

Clippard .................................................... 75

67

CMT ............................................................ 72

Rotor Clip .................................................50

COMSOL ................................................. 126

Ruland Manufacturing .......................55

Coxreels ...................................................80

Smalley .....................................................121

CS Hyde ...................................................56

SMC Coproration of America ............ 77

Del-tron ....................................................46

SMW Autoblok Corp .................. 47,49,51

Diequa .......................................................81

Sorbothane .......................................... 102

DigiKey Corporation .............................. 13

Stock Drive Products/

Dura-Belt .................................................. 37

Sterling Instrument .............................79

Eagle Stainless Tube

Super Swivel ...........................................98

& Fabrication, Inc. .................................. 31

Tadiran ......................................................39

Encoder Products Company ............. 32

The Lee Company ................................ 25

Exair LLC .................................................... 5

THK America, Inc ..................................IFC

FluiDyne ................................................. 103

Trelleborg ................................................93

GAM ...........................................................35

Trim-Lok .....................................................16

Harmonic Drive ....................................... 41

Veljan Hydrair .........................................89

Harwin ........................................................19

Whittet-Higgins ....................................... 17

igus ........................................................... BC

Yaskawa Electric America .................. 22

Interpower .......................................... 21,23

Yates ...................................................... 10,11

ITT Enidine ..............................................40

Zero-Max, Inc. ........................................... 2

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Design World, 1111 Superior Ave., Suite 2600, Cleveland, OH 44114

DESIGN WORLD

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Technical Thinking

By Mark Jones

Use AI — but with care ChatGPT can write code. All who have written code likely thought it required human creativity. It can now be done by a computer. I’ve played with ChatGPT. I’m growing less impressed.

ChatGPT is not creating code; it is copying code. It simply regurgitates what it finds on the internet. It turns out, at least for code, the game is rigged. It only finds working code on the internet. There aren’t collections of flawed code to confuse it. The problem with ChatGPT comes when the game isn’t rigged, when the data sets contain clearly erroneous data, and when definitive data lies outside its reach.

“Most dinosaurs are classified as reptiles,” was the first sentence of ChatGPT’s answer to my asking, “Were dinosaurs reptiles?” No hedging.

ChatGPT answered with conviction.

More than 20 years ago, The Dinosaur Heresies taught me dinosaurs were endotherms, not reptilian ectotherms.

The Jurassic Park movies showed dinosaurs as intelligent pack animals.

Very un-reptilian. Discoveries of dinosaur feathers, of rookeries, and of bone structure more bird-like than reptilian all point non-reptilian dinosaurs. ChatGPT, it appears, doesn’t read books and doesn’t look at the scientific literature.

“Yes, hot water freezes faster than cold water for a wide range of experimental conditions. This phenomenon is called the Mpemba effect after the student who observed it,” was ChatGPT’s response to “Does hot water freeze faster than cold water?” Once again, ChatGPT is wrong.

It doesn’t know about the 2016 paper, “Questioning the Mpemba effect: hot water does not cool more quickly than

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cold.” The academic literature that puts to rest the notion that hot water cools faster was either out of reach or outnumbered.

“According to a new study, on average, people could be ingesting approximately 5 grams of plastic every week, which is the equivalent weight of a credit card,” was the response to “What is the weight of plastic consumed by a person per week?” It was an answer I’d heard before.

The study at the heart of ChatGPT’s answer gave a range between 0.1 and 5 grams per week. The WWF published a report based on the study showing a credit card between two chopsticks. It didn’t attempt to show the range, likely because one-fiftieth of a credit card between the chopsticks wouldn’t be a compelling picture. News outlets picked it up. Reports that we were eating a credit card’s worth of microplastics per week were suddenly

www.designworldonline.com

everywhere. California’s Attorney General quoted it. Turns out it is wrong.

A reanalysis was published in the same journal as the original study concluded that the original article overstated — by approximately one million times. A more thorough study agreed. The actual amount, the newer work concluded, was a couple of hundred nanograms per day, far from the near gram per day a credit card per week implies. The follow-ups were only narrowly reported, easily missed

by ChatGPT’s popularity over accuracy algorithm.

ChatGPT and its ilk are dangerous.

Associative AI training values what is said most, not what is correct. It doesn’t check references. Paywalls can limit access to high-quality data. Yet, it makes statements with certainty. The algorithms don’t possess judgement — but give the illusion that they do. So remember to use with care. DW

DESIGN WORLD

1/12/24 11:34 AM

Final toUSA send.indd 1 canon – DW 01-24.indd 5

12/5/23 11:36 8:13 AM 1/12/24 AM

Build or buy End-to-end and custom automation solutions for less

• 6-axis maintenance-free ReBeL® cobot • Fully modular Apiro® gearbox system • Dry-running drylin® linear actuators • Robot transfer unit for robotic arms • Lightweight e-chain® cable carriers • Self-lubricating gantry & delta robots

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1/12/24 11:36 AM