DESIGN WORLD JUNE 2021

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June 2021

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inside: PLCs: PLCs — the power of lower voltage

(Peek-A-Boo door - 4” x 4”)

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3D CAD: Configuring new uses for already created designs

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Smart mechatronics

ROBOT REPORT: RBR50 Innovation Awards

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add capabilities to linear motion applications

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Teach an old dog some new skills The idea that people can’t adjust and adapt to new rules is a tired one. I’ve seen plenty of people in my career, om the stereotypical older worker who can’t figure out the email system to the stereotypical younger worker who is totally focused on what everything means about them. But I’ve seen a higher proportion of advanced workers who jump at the chance to try new things or embrace new technologies — and newbies who bring wonderful teambuilding ideas to the organization.

So, I wasn’t surprised to see a recent survey om Mendix that showed that 87% of U.S. manufacturing workers want to learn low-code application development. Further, 67% said they’d like to develop an app that tackles issues in their jobs, and 62% said they see learning new digital skills as important to success in their current role.

The downside here is that a mere 18% said they are happy with digital skills they possess — and they’re not receiving much support om their organizations or bosses. At a time when our manufacturing industry is mired in a decades-long slump and when managers clamor for productivity and more useful so ware applications, much of the nation’s workforce seems illequipped to deal with writing code.

“Low-code solves so many of the problems facing manufacturers and industrialists,” explained Derek Roos, CEO of Mendix. “Like many business sectors, U.S. manufacturing is short of so ware and so ware developers.

Training workers to code is expensive and time-consuming. Low-code enables citizen developers to build applications rapidly, with minimum training.”

This last crazy 14-month period of our lives has taught many of us that we’re more adaptable than we might have thought. Prior to the pandemic, I had been working remotely om the office one day per week, which was perfect in my opinion. The flexibility was great, but I knew there was no way I could ever do it three, four or five days per week. How did those fully remote workers manage to do it? That’d drive me crazy. Well, a er my own trial by fire, I’ve adjusted and realized I truly love the full-time working remote concept.

Whether it’s learning new skills within the realm of manufacturing and engineering technology or the basics of our physical working spaces, it is clear managers have to continue to adapt, listen to their employee’s wants and needs, and provide proper training for working better — not merely in 2021, but in 2025, 2030, and beyond. DW

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Teschler on Topic

When trust in models leads to bad outcomes Three cheers for mathematical models, especially those that help sort out complicated engineering problems.

No question that engineers emerge from their undergraduate years with a healthy respect for the benefits of modeling. After all, math models are a great help not only in engineering but also in decision making. There they help avoid over confidence and weigh data evenly to help eliminate human biases.

But a misapplication of math models can also lead to dubious results and misleading predictions. It is correct to apply math modeling when the behavior of the system doesn’t change, as in physics where F always equals mA. But all bets are off when people can influence the outcome of the thing you’re trying to model.

Hold this thought as you consider recent proposals for U.S. infrastructure spending. Current plans call for spending $85 billion to modernize transit systems and $80 billion for repairing, improving and expanding Amtrak. Airports, ports and waterways would also get some of the funding.

One major problem with this idea is that uses of transit and transport systems change over time and sometimes drastically so. A cautionary tale can be drawn from a case in Scotland. There consultants put

together a model predicting that a tram built between the center of Edinburgh and its nearby airport would easily pay for itself. In fact, the tram project, which is only partly complete, cost about double what was projected and has generated small losses. A public inquiry into the bungled construction has been proceeding for about as long as it took to build the 8.7-mile section.

Somehow, project planners apparently missed the existence of a long-established bus service running between the airport and the city that is cheaper and quicker than the tram would be. Nevertheless, they allowed for uncertainties in their predictions by employing Monte Carlo simulations.

As a quick review, Monte Carlo is a way of estimating joint probability distributions of multiple variables when you know each variable’s underlying probability distribution. Importantly, though, probability distributions can be inferred only when the observations used come out of an underlying process that doesn’t change—in the parlance of statistics, it must be stationary.

Edinburgh tram consultants ginned up many sets of alternatives to the construction and operation costs they came up with and generated a probability distribution of possible outcomes predicting all would be well.

But critics argue the modelers really had no idea what the underlying probability distributions looked like; it was very much a case of garbage in, garbage out.

And a key flaw in these exercises was in assuming the future would resemble the present. The transit situation being modeled was anything but stationary.

The result: Costs and revenues of the unfinished tram project came out to be many standard deviations away from what the modelers expected.

That brings us back to U.S. infrastructure spending. Undoubtedly the proponents have prepared models predicting the money will be well spent.

But as the Scots learned the hard way, models are only as good as their underlying data, and only as good as their modelers.

Thus when it comes to modeling, the lesson from the recent pandemic is how unstationary the trends and practices in our society really are. DW

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

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DESIGN WORLD

6/9/21 9:32 AM

Our solution for the servo drive system SIMATIC MICRO-DRIVE from Siemens.

The drive solutions from ebm-papst for SIMATIC drive controllers from Siemens combine network capability with functional safety. For you, this means an additional plus in simplicity and reliability. SIMATIC MICRO-DRIVE is the new servo drive system for the safety extra-low voltage range. This system is composed of the PDC (Profidrive Control) servo controller, flexible motors and connection cables.

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Technology Forward

How to explode design freedom Thanks to additive manufacturing, a design tool takes on greater importance. That tool is the lattice structure.

Lattice structures are those geometric shapes grouped together to create repeatable patterns for engineering purposes. The idea of lattices has been around for quite some time. For design engineers, though, lattices used in additive manufacturing can deliver specific mechanical properties to an object, often in the form of a stiffness-tomass ratio.

Lattices can sometimes be thought of as kind of a meta-material – an architected material – where you have material properties that are different from an original material, such as a polymer, that you might have used in a design. For some users, the use of lattices is exploding their design freedom.

One basic advantage of lattices is that you can achieve mechanical properties not easily achievable with foams, in addition to having a lattice function like foam in many designs.

But you can also use lattices in areas totally different than those you might use with foam. One example is COVID-19 nasal swabs, which used a lattice design to obtain enough material for testing.

Lattice structures have not been used as often as they could be because manufacturing methods that could produce them easily did not exist until the development of additive manufacturing. Attempting to make these intricate geometric shapes using injection molding and machining is often cost prohibitive.

Today, though, 3D printing easily creates lattice structures. One of the more recent examples is the latest athletic shoe from Adidas. But lattices have been used in helmets, saddles, shoes, nasal swabs, robot grippers, and in other designs.

Lattices are even being studied for use in understanding how pulmonary airways work.

Programs that help you design with lattice structures are trending this year. One reason is that there are thousands of useful geometric shapes suitable for lattices. But it can be a challenge determining which structure is right for a project. Some of the newer programs offer guidance in selecting the right shape for a design.

And, lattices function well in conjunction with topology optimization or generative design programs. This combination helps designers consider different material properties for different points of the design.

Thus, consider lattices as an alternative to obtaining some mechanical properties, as they could be a way to use one material and still get that variation of material properties you need in a design.

The beauty of additive and lattices is that you can specify the mechanical properties you need with minimal material usage and minimal cost.

The wider use of lattices in your design can be one more tool in your toolbox. DW

Leslie Langnau llangnau@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_3Dprinting

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June 2021 www.designworldonline.com

Tech.Forward 6-21_Vs2.LL.indd 8

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Green Engineering

Hydraulic motion control could enable massive energy savings in supercritical CO2-driven rock

pulverization Rick Meyerhoefer

• Delta Computer Systems

Roughly 3% of the world’s generated electricity is consumed in the mining process of breaking down rocks. In Canada alone, mines consume more than 150 petajoules annually. For perspective, 1 petajoule can power the city of Calgary for three weeks, so any significant drop in mining energy requirements could have vastly beneficial consequences, both in cost and environmental impact. Natural Resources Canada figured the problem was worth exploring and announced the Impact Canada Crush It! Challenge, urging applicants to develop “a new clean technology solution that transforms how energy is used for crushing and grinding rocks in the mining industry.” Cliff Edwards of Envisioning Labs has what he thinks is a winning idea; using high-pressure and temperature control to pulverize rock with supercritical CO2.

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The core idea is that breaking rocks through compression is hard; breaking them with tension is far easier. Think about the difference in effort between squeezing a sealed soda can until it bursts compared to simply putting it in the eezer. The U.S. Bureau of Mines had experimented with rock comminution (breaking something down into smaller particles) through steam flashing in the 1930s. Like so many other approaches, though, this may have been discarded because the energy required for the process was too great relative to the results. But Edwards wondered if another fluid might be amenable to a lower-energy approach.

CO2 seemed like a strong contender. At a relatively easyto-achieve 74 bar and 31° C, the substance transitions om

www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

6/4/21 11:40 AM

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6/4/21 3:02 PM

Green Engineering

TEMPO HYDRAULIC CYLINDER

CO2 CYLINDER

a subcritical to a supercritical fluid. At this point, small changes in temperature and pressure can cause large changes in density and thus, volume. In theory, rocks could be bathed in supercritical CO2, allowing the substance to permeate the rocks’ pores, and then depressurized quickly enough to make the CO2 go subcritical and suddenly expand, bursting the rocks om within. Edwards relates the approach to explosives blasting used in mining to liberate rock om the ground, where rapid expansion of gasses om within the rock causes relatively efficient breakage.

He was confident the technology could work for the application.

Unfortunately, an apparatus to put the idea into practice didn’t exist.

From collaboration to execution Edwards reached out to MistyWest, a Vancouver, B.C.-based engineering design consultancy, which tapped project manager and mechanical engineer Cole Crocker to be the project’s tech lead.

“There was a lot of learning,” said Crocker. “I would go and investigate the thermodynamics and decide whether to use liquid CO2 versus filling it with gaseous CO2 in order to reach supercritical. In the early stages, we would do quick tests and learn something, then go iterate on that. Our entire first phase was just reaching a minimum viable experiment.”

That first tabletop device was only 2- long and highly manual, essentially two pressure cylinders piped together with a central rupture disc and manual valves — but it worked. In one cycle, the device turned roughly 100 grams of rock into smaller rocks and dust. One more cycle resulted in nothing but micronsized powder. The team was stunned with their success. The challenge became how to scale it.

MistyWest contacted Vancouver, B.C.-based PQ Systems, a motion control solutions specialist, for help. PQ Systems recommended a novel implementation of a known design, a dual-section cylinder, and worked with Westcoast Cylinders to design. Essentially, there are two cylinders joined through a shared center head with a common rod and a piston on each

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www.designworldonline.com

end of that rod. One side is hydraulic and contains an MTS SSI Temposonics transducer for determining piston position. The other side compresses CO2 and has another transducer for monitoring pressure. PQ Systems decided the optimal motion controller for the system was Delta Computer Systems’ RMC75E. Pulverization in practice The operation is deceptively slow and simple, moving less than one gallon of CO2 per minute. A valve on the CO2 side controls the inflow of CO2 om the supply tank to the secondary chamber (pressure vessel B, or “PVb,” above) as needed and seals shut before compression begins. As the piston in the hydraulic cylinder (HC-1) side extends over a period of 2-4 minutes, the CO2 is compressed into the supercritical pressure regime, sealed into the primary chamber by closing a fast-acting valve, and held there for 10-30 minutes.

Because compressing gas can heat it substantially, a separate temperature probe makes sure that the system stays within allowed limits. The Delta controller retracts the shared rod to a given position, and finally the valve releases, allowing the gas to expand back into the secondary chamber and complete the cycle. Additionally, the RMC75E is responsible for finely controlling pressure levels in the face of fluctuating pressure conditions in a way that won’t incur excessive heat generation.

The second-generation cylinder measured 80-in. long with a 6-in. bore on each cylinder side, with each side allowing a 30-in. stroke. The whole assembly stands 10- tall. The pulverizer system can accept 1-2 kilograms of rock and 1-2 liters of CO2 in its primary chamber. Note that the primary chamber is not shown in the above image. Rather, it connects via pipes and valves to the hole in the bottom of the CO2 cylinder.

The rock loads into the primary pressure chamber. In effect, the CO2 cylinder is dual-purpose, serving as both a compression device for pushing CO2 into the primary chamber as well as a collection tank for expansion of CO2 om that chamber.

DESIGN WORLD

6/4/21 11:42 AM

The motion controller’s role in this system is key, as the volume of the compression chamber is central to managing the pulverization process.

Interestingly, the Delta controller works om a feedback loop based on the CO2 pressure rather than hydraulic pressure, which is unconventional. The system flows hydraulic fluid until the desired CO2 pressure is reached. The decompression stage resets the CO2 chamber back to a set point based on a target system volume.

“The Delta is doing two things,” said Misty West’s Cole Crocker. “It’s compressing the fluid into the primary chamber with the rock, and that will involve feedback om pressure. We close off the primary chamber valve and back off the piston in the secondary CO2 chamber using position feedback.

Exactly how far we retract it is important because we need to know the volume of our secondary chamber, as that determines the resulting pressure a er decompression. So, the Delta is controlling the pressurization as well as the retracted volume. We need to be able to make fine adjustments during compression while knowing we have retracted to the correct volume in preparation for decompression.”

PQ Systems technical sales rep Robert de Rot recommended the single-axis Delta RMC75E, which offers a USB link for communicating to a Windows-based PC running Delta’s RMCTools so ware and Ethernet for communication with the PLC and HMI. PQ Systems points out

DESIGN WORLD

Green.Engineering 6-21.Vs2.LL.indd 13

that RMCTools plays an important role in the pulverizer solution, as “the so ware is quick to learn and offers capabilities such as the dual-loop positionpressure controls and the ability to quickly transition om position to pressure control all in a one-millisecond control loop,” which can greatly aid this application. The control loop can be shortened even further, to 0.5, 0.25, or even 0.125 millisecond if faster response is needed. The RMC75E uses Delta’s AP2 and D8 expansion modules for input and output. The AP2 module allows the RMC75 to perform differential position-pressure control with two 16bit analog inputs and output a control signal to the Moog servo valve. The D8 module provides eight discrete I/O links individually configurable for greater flexibility, helpful in a prototype proof of concept such as this. The RMC75 can accept up to four of these expansion modules.

taken out a provisional patent on the approach, which could be applied to produce anything om smaller rocks to fine powder depending on the need. The system architecture would change at larger scales, but the underlying process would remain.

“The primary application here is to replace typical ball mill or SAG mill grinding in a mine’s comminution circuit,” said Cliff Edwards. “Secondary applications may include the cement industry, where they have to crush and grind limestone. It may also have application in aggregate or recycling industries.”

Edwards hopes that demonstrating the technology at scale in the near future will warrant a pilot plant within the next two years, which would then provide a model for the industry to follow. DW

Delta Computer Systems www.deltamotion.com

Crushing future challenges Natural Resources Canada’s Impact Canada Crush It! Challenge mandated an energy reduction goal of at least 20%.

Envisioning Labs estimates that its CO2 pulverization system achieves at least a 24% energy reduction compared to conventional crushing systems, although fine tuning continues to find the exact CO2 state that will yield optimal rock permeation and expansion acturing.

Once those numbers prove out, Edwards expects the mining industry to get involved. Envisioning Labs has already

www.designworldonline.com

June 2021

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6/4/21 11:44 AM

Contents 6 • 2021

•

vol 16 no 6

•

designworldonline.com

156 142 _MOTION CONTROL

152 _PLCs

Successful lab experiments start with the right pipette motor

PLCs—the power of lower voltage

146 _LINEAR MOTION

156 _3D CAD

Smart mechatronics add capabilities to linear motion applications

Configuring new uses for already created designs

For medical lab applications, motor selection is integral to an electronic pipette’s accuracy and precision.

Industrial automation typically uses 24 Vdc, but many mobile and remote applications are easier to integrate with 12 Vdc PLCs. Produced by Robotics Business Review

Repurposing designs saves design time and money, helping you get to market faster.

6/11/21 10:50 AM

63-141

Medical www.designworldonline.com

A Supplement to Design World - June 2021

The latest standard of broadband technology continues to make waves in 2021. But what about medtech?

How 5G could affect MedTech | By Steve Halama on Unsplash

Industry 4.0 innovations have spurred a new class of smart motion technologies that combine digital electronics and communication interfaces for more design sophistication, functionality, and ease of use.

RBR50 COVER 6-21.indd 63

Medical Tips cover 6-21_V1.indd 161

6/4/21 10:59 AM

161-172 ON THE COVER Smart mechatronics with advanced sensors and operator-friendly controller platforms can help engineers quickly build machines for specific applications. | Bosch Rexroth

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www.designworldonline.com

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

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

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

DESIGN WORLD

6/11/21 10:51 AM

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2/10/21 2:28 PM PM 6/4/21 3:03

6.21

• contents departments 04

Insights

06

Teschler on Topic

08

Technology Forward

10 Green Engineering 18

THIN ENOUGH?

Design For Industry

32

Design Notes

42

CAE Solutions

50

Coupling Notes

52

DfAM

58

Internet of Things

173 Product World

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June 2021

DESIGN WORLD

6/7/21 8:04 AM

DESIGN WORLD

Follow the whole team on twitter @DesignWorld

EDITORIAL

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

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Front End Developer Melissa Annand mannand@wtwhmedia.com Software Engineer David Bozentka dbozentka@wtwhmedia.com DIGITAL MARKETING

VP, Digital Marketing Virginia Goulding vgoulding@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_virginia Digital Account Supervisor Taylor Meade tmeade@wtwhmedia.com @Taylor Meade

CREATIVE SERVICES

Digital Marketing Specialist Sean Kwiatkowski skwiatkowski@wtwhmedia.com

VP, Creative Services Mark Rook mrook@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_graphics

Webinars/Virtual Events Senior Manager Lisa Rosen lrosen@wtwhmedia.com

Art Director Matthew Claney mclaney@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_designer

Webinar Coordinator Halle Kirsh hkirsh@wtwhmedia.com

Graphic Designer Allison Washko awashko@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_allison Graphic Designer Mariel Evans mevans@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_mariel Director, Audience Development Bruce Sprague bsprague@wtwhmedia.com

Customer Service Manager Stephanie Hulett shulett@wtwhmedia.com Customer Service Representative Tracy Powers tpowers@wtwhmedia.com Customer Service Representative JoAnn Martin jmartin@wtwhmedia.com Customer Service Representative Renee Massey-Linston renee@wtwhmedia.com Customer Service Representative Cathy Anthony-Gudel canthonygudel@wtwhmedia.com Digital Production Manager Reggie Hall rhall@wtwhmedia.com Digital Production Marketing Designer Samantha King sking@wtwhmedia.com Graphic Designer Hannah Bragg hbragg@wtwhmedia.com

Webinar Coordinator Kim Dorsey kdorsey@wtwhmedia.com

Digital Production Specialist Elise Ondak eondak@wtwhmedia.com

EVENTS

Events Manager Jen Osborne jkolasky@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_jen

FINANCE

Event Marketing Specialist Olivia Zemanek ozemanek@wtwhmedia.com

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

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Controller Brian Korsberg bkorsberg@wtwhmedia.com Accounts Receivable Specialist Jamila Milton jmilton@wtwhmedia.com

2011 - 2020

2014 Winner

Medical Design & OUTSOURCING DESIGN WORLD

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Design for Industry M a c h i n e To o l

Robot enables flexible machine tool tending

Many automation solutions for machine tending rely on either cobots for flexibility, or industrial robots for performance and larger parts. LoadMate Plus gives users a choice.

The LoadMate Plus is a robot cell that can be easily moved for efficient use. It is targeted towards manufacturers in CNC machine tool applications that find themselves facing a labor crunch, yet need to be more efficient and improve their production. The robot cell provides flexible solutions for traditionally high-mix, low-volume facilities to introduce automation, and is designed with mobility and flexibility in mind.

LoadMate Plus automates the task of loading and removing parts om a machine tool through the use of robotics. It can be mounted next to one machine, between two machines, and otherwise moved around a facility as jobs require. When this cell is paired with a Mitsubishi Electric M8 Series CNC, operators can use the Direct 18

June 2021

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Robot Control (DRC) feature within the CNC controls to also control and program the robot with menus and G-code om the same screen used for the machine tool. No robot programming experience or teach pendant is required, allowing manufacturers to use existing staff to automate and make adjustments.

The cell is flexible, regardless of the robot, and users can choose om a number of robots to match a shop’s specific needs.

LoadMate Plus can be used with a variety of machine tools, including mill, lathe, and drilling/tapping. DW

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, us.mitsubishielectric.com/fa/en

DESIGN WORLD

6/7/21 8:13 AM

BETTER PARTS | BETTER PROCESS Small Metal Experts

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Binder jetting is the ideal metal printing process for manufacturing small complex shapes in high detail. Azoth has established a quality-driven process that utilizes the best technology partners in additive manufacturing.

Connect today for a free analysis of your parts and learn more about how we can be your partner in manufacturing innovation.

Specializing in manufacturing complex functional parts that demand a quality-driven process.

www.azoth3d.com Manufacturing On-Demand

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Design for Industry M a c h i n e To o l

Metrology system handles large parts

The Nexview 650 is a large format metrology system for the automated measurement of injection molding tooling, PCBs, glass panels, and other samples requiring an extended work volume up to 650 x 650 mm. The system provides 2D and 3D measurements of a variety of surface features with sub-nanometer vertical precision and sub-micron lateral precision.

At the heart of the system is a coherence scanning interferometry (CSI), a technology that uses specialized optical microscope objectives that not only provide the imaging and magnification of a surface, but also measure its 3D topography. CSI profiling is completely non-contact, which eliminates any chance of the sample being damaged. Also, in contrast with other microscope-based 3D topography techniques, CSI has the distinct advantage that the height resolution of the measurement is consistent across all magnifications, whether the field of view is 20 µm, 20 mm or larger. CSI offers high-precision, high-value surface metrology benefits, including measurements of all types of surfaces, sub-nanometer measurements, gage capable performance, and SureScan vibration tolerance technology.

The Nexview 650 is a production-oriented tool that can accommodate large parts at the point of need within the factory. It delivers 2D and 3D measurements with sub-nanometer vertical precision and sub-micron

20

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DESIGN WORLD

6/7/21 8:16 AM

Power REVIEW THE POWER BRANDS IN POWER TRANSMISSION

Vol. 10 | No. 2 | 2021

www.AltraMotion.com

Follow Altra Motion on:

TB Wood’s V-Belt Solutions for Forestry and Wood Products Applications INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Universal Joint Rebuild and Repair Service for the North American Metal Shredder Market Warner Electric Original Compact, Powerful and Proven PK Brake Design Leads the Market TB Wood’s and Stromag Couplings for Natural Gas Compressors Boston Gear Micron® True Planetary Gearheads Quick Selection Guide FSO Backstopping Clutches for Cog Railway Coaches

For more information contact us at: info@altramotion.com

Scan to download the interactive version of the Power Review

Altra Industrial_#1_6-21.indd 21

6/4/21 3:08 PM

TB Wood’s V-Belt Drive Solutions for Forestry and Wood Products Applications Industry-leading TB Wood’s sheaves and belts have become a preferred choice for many forestry and wood products OEMs and end users. Rugged, made-to-order sheaves and premium belts from TB Wood’s are designed to provide long service life in a variety of tough applications including chippers, band saws and pellet mills.

TB Wood’s has been pouring quality iron since 1857 with a maximum sheave capacity of 107-inch diameter. Experienced application engineers provide optimum designs to meet specific application requirements. Our integrated foundry and machining center allows us to provide fast response time for made-to-order products. Superior quality iron provides longer sheave life, resulting in less frequent replacement. Less maintenance & downtime equals lower total cost of ownership.

All standard TB Wood’s narrow and classical V-belt sheaves are designed to ensure that they are capable of delivering the dependable performance in smaller HP chipper and larger mill applications.

TB Wood’s Facilities Altra Motio n

North America USA 440 North Fifth Avenue Chambersburg, PA 17201 - USA 888-829-6637 • 717-264-7161 Belted Drives and Elastomeric Couplings

Canada 9779 45 Ave NW Edmonton, AB T6E 5V8 - Canada +1 780-439-7979

Europe Merchant Drive, Hertford Hertfordshire SG13 7BL - England +44(0)1992 501900 Elastomeric Couplings

6305 Danville Road Mississauga, ON L5T 2H7 - Canada 1-800-829-6631

Customer Service 1-888-829-6637 Application Support 1-888-829-6637 2000 Clovis Barker Road San Marcos, TX 78666 - USA 1-888-449-9439 General Purpose Disc Couplings Customer Service 1-888-449-9439

V-Belt Drive Solutions for Forestry and Wood Products Applications

1073 Rue Bégin Saint-Laurent, QC H4R 1V8 - Canada +1 514-332-4812 Mexico Comisión Federal de Electricidad 850, Industrial San Luis, San Luis, S.L.P., 78395 - Mexico +52 444 137 1500

4970 Joule St Reno, NV 89502 - USA 775-857-1800

For more information, download P-8882-TBW from www.AltraLiterature.com

The Brands of Altra

Motion

Couplings Ameridrives www.ameridrives.com Bibby Turboflex www.bibbyturboflex.com Guardian Couplings www.guardiancouplings.com Huco www.huco.com Lamiflex Couplings www.lamiflexcouplings.com Stromag www.stromag.com TB Wood’s www.tbwoods.com Linear Systems Thomson www.thomsonlinear.com

Geared Cam Limit Switches Stromag www.stromag.com Engineered Bearing Assemblies Kilian www.kilianbearings.com Electric Clutches & Brakes Matrix www.matrix-international.co m

Stromag www.stromag.com

Warner Electric www.warnerelectric.com Belted Drives TB Wood’s www.tbwoods.com

Heavy Duty Clutches & Brakes Twiflex www.twiflex.com Stromag www.stromag.com Svendborg Brakes www.svendborg-brakes.com Wichita Clutch www.wichitaclutch.com Gearing & Specialty Bauer Gear Motor www.bauergears.com

Components

Boston Gear www.bostongear.com Delevan www.delevan.com Delroyd Worm Gear www.delroyd.com Nuttall Gear www.nuttallgear.com

Engine Braking Systems

Jacobs Vehicle Systems www.jacobsvehiclesystems.c

om

Precision Motors & Automation Kollmorgen www.kollmorgen.com Miniature Motors Portescap www.portescap.com Overrunning Clutches Formsprag Clutch www.formsprag.com Marland Clutch www.marland.com Stieber www.stieberclutch.com

Neither the accuracy nor completeness of and performance characteristics the information of these products may contained in this publication is guaranteed conditions of sale can vary depending on the be viewed at http://www.altramotion.com/ application, installation,by the company and may be subject to acquire or use a product change in its sole discretion. operating conditions terms-and-conditions/salesreferred to herein, including and environmental The operating terms-and-conditions. any person who buys from a licensed distributor These terms and conditionsfactors. The company’s terms and of these branded products. apply to any person who LLC. All rights reserved. may buy, All trademarks in this publication are the sole and exclusive property of TB Wood’s LLC or one of its affiliated companies.

©2021 by TB Wood’s

Universal Joint Rebuild and Repair Service for the North American Metal Shredder Market Metal shredder facilities in North America, with an eye on increasing output while reducing costs and downtime, can send their damaged Ameridrives or competitor U-joints directly to the Rebuild and Repair facility in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Every hour of shredder downtime can cost thousands of dollars. That’s why the Ameridrives facility is set up and staffed to provide fast turnaround of all customer U-joint repairs and rebuilds.

Ameridrives offers emergency rebuild services for those instances when a U-Joint needs to be repaired within a matter of hours and returned. Their dedicated team of technicians work after hours and over the weekend, if necessary.

Comprehensive services include the inspection, remanufacturing and repair of all shafts, spline sections, yokes, flanges, knuckles and journal cross assemblies. We are also able to provide in-house Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of cracks in the yoke, flange, journal cross and spline.

Altra Motion

Universal Joint Rebuild and Repair Service for the North American Metal Shredder Market

For more information, download P-8030-AC-NA from www.AltraLiterature.com

Warner Electric Original Compact, Powerful and Proven PK Brake Design Leads the Market The Original PK Brake...A Very Thin, Powerful and Proven Design - Installed on more than 500,000 forklift trucks and aerial platforms - More than 30 key OEMs have adopted this solution since 2010 - Manufactured globally Long service life with reduced power consumption - Dual voltage coil/PWM control Vehicle can be moved without power (due to drained batteries) - Mechanical brake release by screw or lever available as an option

Eliminates water ingress and corrosion issues - Up to IP67 protective grade - NEW up to 500h of salt spray resistant coating Increased stability elminates harsh or strong braking - Multi-step option to release torque on demand in gradual steps Reduced maintenance costs and downtime - NEW WES Contactless Monitoring System

Easy, reliable integration with vehicle’s existing controller - PK brakes can become CAN BUS ready with our embedded electronics Compact size fits in limited vehicle space envelope - Thin profile for easier axle integration

Altra Motion

Original Compact, Powerful and Proven PK Brake Design Leads the Market

For more information, download P-8874-WE from www.AltraLiterature.com

Altra Industrial_#2_6-21.indd 22

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TB Wood’s and Stromag Couplings for Natural Gas Compressors TB Wood’s is a leader in couplings for gas compression applications, with multiple products to satisfy all customer power transmission needs.

Stromag GmbH couplings are designed for low to medium speed applications. These products support continuous loading, but are also engineered to handle alternating and vibratory loads that are common in natural gas compression applications.

FSH/HSH and GCF/GCH couplings can be modified for API671 compliance.

GE Heavy-Duty, Multi-Segmented Couplings TRI-R UNIVERSAL Couplings Periflex®-VN “PVN” PLUG IN Disc Couplings

TB Wood’s regularly works with Torsional Analysts to tune couplings for satisfactory system response, by adding inertia or altering stiffness.

• • • •

High Torque, Low Speed Applications Torque Capacity up to 1,600,000 in. lbs.

Special designs are not a problem All couplings have labels with QR Codes for easy access to installation instructions.

Altra Motion

• Standardized products available with short delivery times • Specialists in customized solutions adapted to the torsional dynamics of the application • In house TVA engineers • ATEX compliant couplings • In-house rubber composition and production capability

I N T R O D U C I N G

Couplings for Natural Gas Compressors FSH/HSH and GCF/GCH couplings can be modified for API671 compliance.

TB Wood’s is a leader in couplings for gas compression applications, with multiple products to satisfy all of your power transmission needs.

We regularly work with Torsional Analysts to tune couplings for satisfactory system response, by adding inertia or altering stiffness.

• High Torque, Low Speed Applications

FSH/HSH Couplings – the industry standard for over 50 years GCF/GCH Couplings – new technology, released as an improvement to the traditional FSH/HSH ranges GCF/GCH is an innovation of the traditional coupling series. It targets the typical driver power ranges with fewer couplings.

Thus, reducing the number of spare parts required to support a compressor fleet by 50%.

• Torque Capacity up to 1,600,000 in. lbs.

• Special designs are not a problem

QR Codes All couplings have labels with QR Codes for easy e access to installation instructions.

Original Design

lbf·in

GCF/GCH Size

OD N·m

inch

mm

Rating Size

lbf·in

N·m

OD inch

mm

31 24,000 2,712 8.12 206.2 35 44,000 4,971 4,519 8.38 212.9 9.12 231.6 340 40,000 42 73,000 8,248 11.00 279.4 45 99,000 11,185 11.87 301.5 412 120,000 13,558 11.00 279.4 50 128,000 14,462 13.43 341.1 55 189,000 21,354 15.00 381.0 60 261,000 29,488 16.75 425.5 424 240,000 27,116 15.00 381.0 70 415,000 46,887 18.93 480.8 75 533,000 60,219 20.62 523.7 456 560,000 63,270 18.00 457.2 80 685,000 77,392 22.37 568.2 85 829,000 93,662 23.75 603.3 511 1,100,000 124,280 22.00 558.8 92 1,040,000 117,501 25.75 654.1

Online selection tools for couplings and belted drives: Form-Flex disc couplings: http://www.couplingselector.com/ tbwoods/formflex.php

GE Heavy-Duty, Multi-Segm TRI-R UNIVERSAL Couplingsented Couplings Periflex®-VN “PVN” PLUG IN Disc Couplings

www.tbwoods.com www.tbwoods 2000 Clovis Barker Rd. San Marcos, TX 78666 888-829-6637 • 717-264-7161

For more information, download P-8886-C from www.AltraLiterature.com

Altra Motio n

Highly Elastic Couplings for Natural Gas Compression

New Design

FSH/HSH Size Rating Size

Stromag GmbH couplings are applications. These products designed for low to medium speed also engineered to handle support continuous loading, but are alternating and vibratory common in natural gas loads that are compression applications.

• Standardized products available with short delivery times • Specialists in customized solutions adapted to the torsional dynamics of the application • In house TVA engineers • ATEX compliant couplings • In-house rubber composition and production capability • Multi-coupling connection options, i.e. shaft-shaft, shaft, flange to flange flange to • Extensive experience in the design and manufacture flexible couplings of highly • Stromag’s segmented rubber installation or rapid element designs are available for quick replacement to minimize downtime.

• Various stiffnesses and multi-row combinations of rubber are available to get the perfect fit for your application.

• Fail-safe functionality is available on specific models allowing for temporary emergency operation following a rubber failure.

www.stromag.com Hansastraße 120 59425 Unna - Germany +49 2303 102-0

P-8886-C

4/21

Boston Gear Micron® True Planetary Gearheads Quick Selection Guide 10 REASONS TO CHOOSE MICRON® GEARHEADS RediMount™ – Fast and Error Free Motor Mounting Mounts any Micron gearhead to any motor in just three simple steps in less than five minutes!

Easy Sizing and Selection with Micron Motioneering The most accurate and user friendly gearhead sizing and design tool on the market. Try it at www.micronmotioneering.com.

Superior Technology All Micron gears are case hardened to HRC60 for longer life.

Fast Deliveries 1 – 2 week standard lead times on all standard catalog products.

24 hour “Gearhead Express” delivery service available for all models for just a 10 % premium!

Lubricated For Life Micron gearheads require no maintenance and are grease filled.

Easy Customization Modification requests welcome as well as “white paper” custom opportunities.

Unmatched Product Breadth Largest selection of planetary gearheads in the world with over 3000 size and ratio combinations.

Unmatched Quality All Micron gearheads are tested through our state of the art end of line tester, making our outgoing quality best in the market.

Commitment to New Product Development Micron was first to launch an all stainless steel, IP69K gearhead for the food & beverage market. AquaTRUE is designed for the most harsh and corrosive environments.

Altra Motio n

Made in the USA All Micron Gearheads are manufactured in the USA.

Micron® True Planetary Gearheads Quick Selection Guide

For more information, download P-8885-BG from www.AltraLiterature.com

Formsprag FSO Backstopping Clutches for Cog Railway Coaches The famous Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire has been transporting visitors to the highest peak in the Northeastern US since 1869. At the summit, 6,288 ft. above sea level, the mountain experiences some of the most extreme weather conditions in the world with wind chill temperatures down to -102ºF. The railway fleet consists of a pair of steam locomotives, seven biodiesel locomotives and seven passenger coaches. A backstopping sprag clutch is installed on the down-mountain axle of each coach. The sprag clutch is engaged by the brakeman for the up-mountain portion of the trip, preventing any roll-back of the passenger coach. For the down-mountain leg of the trip, the sprag is disengaged to allow downward movement.

Formsprag Model FSO 800 backstopping clutches were selected and installed on every coach in the fleet due to their torque capacity and the general ruggedness of their construction. The compact FSO units were also able to fit within a small space and around existing hardware when retrofitted to older coaches.

• FSO 800 clutches feature a torque capacity of 13,000 lb.ft. (17,680 Nm) • Grease lubricated and equipped with steel labyrinth seals • PCE sprags with Formchrome® and Formsprag “Free-action” retainers

Application Profile

Photos courtesy of Mount Washington Cog Railway

Product

FSO Backstopping Clutches

Application

Cog Railway Coaches

Highlights

The famous Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire has been transporting visitors to the highest peak in the Northeastern US since 1869. At the summit, 6,288 ft. above sea level, the mountain experiences some of the most extreme weather conditions in the world with wind chill temperatures down to -102ºF. A directly measured surface wind speed of 231 mph is a Northern and Western Hemisphere record. The 6-mile, 3-hour round trip features an average grade of 25% (some sections approach nearly 38%).

• FSO 800 clutches feature a torque capacity of 13,000 lb.ft. (17,680 Nm) • Grease lubricated and equipped with steel labyrinth seals • PCE sprags with Formchrome® and Formsprag “Free-action” retainers

The railway fleet consists of a pair of steam locomotives, seven biodiesel locomotives and seven passenger coaches. A backstopping sprag clutch is installed on the down-mountain axle of each coach. The sprag clutch is engaged by the brakeman for the up-mountain portion of the trip, preventing any roll-back of the passenger coach.

For the down-mountain leg of the trip, the sprag is disengaged to allow downward movement.

Formsprag Model FSO 800 backstopping clutches were selected and installed on every coach in the fleet due to their torque capacity and the general ruggedness of their construction.

The compact FSO units were also able to fit within a small space and around existing hardware when retrofitted to older coaches.

Model FSO 800 clutches have a torque capacity of 13,000 lb.ft. (17,680 Nm). Units are grease lubricated with steel labyrinth seals and feature PCE sprags with Formchrome® and Formsprag “Free-action” retainers.

For more information, download P-8880-FC from www.AltraLiterature.com

Altra Industrial_#3_6-21.indd 23

Grease lubrication was specified because of the concern of lubricating oil leaking onto the adjacent caliper brake rotor, which could allow the brake calipers to slip. Also, grease will seep out slower and presumably more visibly than oil allowing more time to identify a leak.

US (Application Assistance) 1-800-348-0881 Press #2

formsprag.com P-8880-FC

For a complete list of our global sales offices visit:

altramotion.com/contactus

3/21

6/4/21 3:10 PM

Boston Gear's Original Domed Crown™ Stainless Steel 700 Series

®

Certified

The Original Domed Crown™ rounded housing prevents foreign matter adherence and fluid accumulation.

Blending trusted 700 Series worm gearing with an innovative new exterior design, the stainless steel 700 series has been optimized to withstand the harshest washdown conditions. The units feature trusted 700 Series worm gearing, a 316 stainless rounded housing with smooth uninterrupted surfaces designed to prevent particle accumulation and pooling fluids, double lipped shaft seals, covers for all hardware and counter bored holes.

Boston Gear Stainless Gear Drives Enhance Food Safety The Clean Product Advantage • NSF Certified • Sealed motor flange • Electropolished exterior finish • Covered hardware • Maintenance friendly features The Boston Gear Service Advantage • Standard 2 day delivery on any cataloged SS700 Series product • Same day break down service • After hours/holiday hotline • Stocked at local and regional distribution centers

Laser marked nameplate provides worryfree part identification while maintaining a smooth, unetched surface. Rounded housing prevents foreign matter adherence and fluid accumulation.

For more information on the Stainless Steel 700 Series, visit www.BostonGear.com Altra Industrial_#4_6-21.indd 24

Scan to learn more about the SS700 Series full range of products

6/4/21 3:11 PM

profiling. The system can accommodate any of today’s standard PCB substrate panel sizes; custom-defined sample holders for flexible sheets, etc.; and large, high mass injection molding plates that benefit om precise non-contact inspection to minimize potential surface damage.

Custom chucks and sample holders can be designed or supplied by customers to adapt the Nexview for smaller panels or even singulated substrates, maximizing application flexibility. In addition, the system’s integrated recipe-driven automation so ware enables hands- ee metrology of multiple features on each panel. DW

lateral precision — a level of performance that is critical to quali ing components in consumer electronics, manufacturing, optics, and semiconductor businesses.

The system’s large work volume accommodates both large and heavy parts. With an integrated operator station and a split axis motion design, the system footprint is minimized.

Integrated passive isolation is included to enable installation close to the manufacturing process to shorten the time to data.

The Nexview 650 provides a return on investment for years to come. With a metrology area that accommodates lateral dimensions up to 650 x 650 mm, a sample load of > 100 kg, a vertical range of 150 mm, and options for a fully enclosed or partially enclosed system, it offers maximum flexibility for large samples that require precision 3D optical TL Design World V1.pdf

1

6/17/19

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

ZYGO www.zygo.com

Connect and discuss this and other engineering design issues with thousands of professionals online

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Design for Industry M a c h i n e To o l

Sealed linear encoder offers

thermal stability

In metrology, one factory accuracy depends on is thermal stability. These sealed linear encoders fit high-end metrology applications. The MSA 7xx/8xx model encoders offer high quality and easy mounting for use on CMMs, Optical Comparators, Video Measuring Machines, among other types of measuring equipment.

The encoders can be used on or off the shop floor because of the high signal quality and long-term stability of HSP 1.0 (Heidenhain Signal Processing). HSP1.0 supplies online gain and offset stabilization, ensuring signals are generated om the 20 µm grating of the scale inside the aluminum extrusion, even in the presence of contamination.

The thermal behavior of the MSA 7/8 is adjustable based on variable fastening elements, allowing for different thermal fixed points, each of which provide a known temperature growth characteristic for compensation within the control system.

The MSA can also be shipped with glass or glass ceramic (Robax) substrates, providing a standard and low CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) offering, depending on the application need. The encoders also offer high reproducibility due to force- ee compensation of the mounting tolerance. The MSA 7xx encoder offers a fixed connecting cable, while the MSA 8xx connection is detachable. DW RSF Elektronik, HEIDENHAIN CORP. www.heidenhain.us/contact-us

26

June 2021

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DESIGN WORLD

6/7/21 8:17 AM

POWER TRANSMISSION

RETAINING DEVICES &

Medical

maintenance & assembly tools

Breaking the size barrier in CO2

BEARLOK

SHOELOK

BEARLOK Shrink Disc

BEARHUG

CLAMPNUT

TANGENTLOK

PRECISION NUTS & WASHERS

sensing

DW

Materials of: ALLUMINUM and CORROSION RESISTANT STEEL

DFI.6-21_Vs2.LL.indd 27

NUTS & WASHERS

HARDENED TONGUE WASHERS

SPLIT COLLAR

RETHREADING DIES

ADJUSTABLE SPANNER WRENCH

BEARING ASSEMBLY SOCKET

W

HI

TT

ET

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IG

GI

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.

Sensirion www.sensirion.com/scd4x

DESIGN WORLD

ADAPTER SLEEVE ASSEMBLIES

Materials of: CARBON, ALLOY and HARDENED ALLOY STEELS

High levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) compromise people’s cognitive performance and well-being. While energy standards and better insulation help make home more energy efficient, CO2 produced by the human metabolism can accumulate rapidly.

Therefore, CO2 is a key indicator for indoor air quality.

Measuring indoor CO2 concentration enables smart ventilation systems to regulate ventilation in an energy-efficient and human iendly way. Indoor air quality monitors and other connected devices can help to maintain a low CO2 concentration for a healthy, productive environment.

The SCD4x series is a miniature CO2 sensor that is small in size. The series consists of the SCD40 and SCD41 CO2 sensors.

Both sensors are built on the photoacoustic sensing principle the patented PASens and CMOSens Technology. The SCD40 offers an accuracy of ±(50 ppm + 5% of reading) at 400–2000 ppm, while the SCD41 has an accuracy of ±(40 ppm + 5% of reading) at 400–5000ppm. In addition, the SCD41 offers a low-power mode for applications with a limited power budget.

SMD compatibility and the small footprint allow cost- and space-effective integration to boost eedom of design for device manufacturers. The integrated best-in-class humidity and temperature sensor enables on-chip signal compensation and additional RH and T outputs. The voltage ranges om 2.4 V – 5.5 V.

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

June 2021

27

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6/7/21 8:17 AM

Design for Industry Medical

Coolers meet the demands of thermal cycling

The PowerCycling PCX series of thermoelectric coolers meets demanding thermal cycling applications found in molecular diagnostics, PCR and point of care test devices. Thermal cycling exposes thermoelectric coolers to mechanical stresses as the module contracts and expands om repeated heating and cooling cycles. This can quickly degrade the long-term performance and operational life of a standard thermoelectric cooler. PCX thermoelectric coolers are assembled with next-generation thermoelectric materials and enhanced module construction for better performance and long-life operation in thermal cycling applications.

Temperature cycling devices use thermoelectric coolers to achieve faster ramp rates with minimal temperature gradient. Standard thermoelectric coolers are designed for traditional re igeration applications and cannot withstand the mechanical stresses induced by rapid thermal cycling between multiple temperature set points.

Validated to withstand rapid thermal cycling test standards of leading PCR OEM’s, the PCX Series has a construction that reduces the thermal stresses caused by rapid mechanical expansion and contraction.

The PCX Series offers high heat pumping capacities up to 215 W, various footprints to accommodate temperature zoning for various well sizes and is built with enhanced process controls to operate in temperatures up to 120°C. This exceeds the requirements for applications like PCR. DW

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Design for Industry Pharma

Color cameras for true image

processing

In the pharmaceutical industry, image processing is a critical component across an array of applications, om the diagnosis of patients, to the quality assurance of products and labels. The industry was one of the first to embrace color-based machine vision, as well as to apply cameras in the automated documentation and tracing of medicines throughout the supply chain.

Key factors for success in pharmaceutical imaging cameras are: • High optical resolution • High color fidelity for inspection of packaging, tablets and diagnostic applications • Very low dark noise of CCD cameras for high quality microscopy images • High-resolution 3D and color images for tablet inspection • Fast image acquisition and high image transfer rates • Multi-channel flashing to capture up to four images with different parameters in one pass • Precise trigger synchronization for multi-camera image acquisition • Compatibility with standards such as GigEVision and GenICam. This line of vscan cameras and illumination systems has been staples in the medical, life science and pharmaceutical sectors for decades, used in such applications as the 100% inspection of blister packs, the in-line monitoring for physical presence of tablets, and the 3D measurement of tablet shape and dimensions, which are otherwise measured by cumbersome off-line techniques. Superior color fidelity makes the company’s line scan cameras suitable for the diagnosis of skin diseases and in digital recording systems for microscopy. Intensive cooperation with pharmaceutical customers throughout system development ensures an economical and reliable imaging solution with optimized production technology.

The allPIXA wave is a line of cameras featuring a quadlinear true color RGB line scan sensor in resolutions up to 15360 pixels. Available in 10k and 15k models, the cameras deliver CCD image quality with CMOS performance, plus offer added system flexibility of increased scan line lengths up to 15k x 3 lines, along with line equencies topping out at a maximum speed of 47kHz at 850 megapixel/s. These allPIXA wave cameras help pharmaceutical manufacturers, contract manufacturers and packaging companies avoid recalls linked to mislabeling, while reducing downtime, false rejects and rework. DW

Chromasens www.chromasens.com

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Design Notes

Plastics locked down and laser welded Jonathan Magee • Managing Director • ACSYS Lasertechnik UK Ltd, Coventry, U.K.

Laser plastic welded automobile speedometer clock faceplate to housing.

Industrial lasers are used for diverse processing of engineering plastics across many markets. Some examples of the common processes are shown in figure 1, including laser marking, cutting, and welding. Well-recognized markets in the field of laser plastics welding include automotive (see figure 2), and medical devices.

The rationale for laser plastic welding Laser-based welding has several advantages for plastics versus conventional contact methods. Laser welding is a non-contact process at the point of welding that generally takes place at the interface of overlapped parts, and thus the weld zone is encapsulated.

This results in an aesthetically pleasing weld, which is sterile and does not contaminate the surface of the parts being welded. It seems counterintuitive that parts in contact can be welded together, om the top down, without disturbance to their outer surfaces. With conventional plastic welding techniques such as ultrasonic or hot stamping, contact with the outer surfaces of the parts to be welded together is inevitable. Non-contact laser plastic welding works on the principle of partial transmission, reflection, scattering, and absorption of laser light within the polymer chains being joined. By carefully selecting the plastics and laser’s optical properties, sufficient heat is generated at targeted locations to melt and fuse the materials.

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Laser plastic welded automobile speedometer clock faceplate to housing.

Design Considerations for Laser Plastic Welding Plastic products have mechanical, geometrical, thermal, and optical properties among others (refer to figure 3). At a fundamental level, the laser weldability of plastic assemblies can broadly be determined by: 1 Are the materials chosen compatible?

Compatibility refers to the melting temperatures, chemical, mechanical, geometrical, and optical properties of both plastic parts to be welded.

2 Can the laser beam be transmitted through the top layer material efficiently to reach the joint interface, and can the bottom layer material absorb the laser beam to create heat where it’s needed?

3 Can the parts be held together properly during the welding process, and can the force applied be controlled?

Does the geometry of the parts result in a good fit up between the parts without gaps between them?

4 Can the laser beam be delivered to the parts to effectively distribute and control the heat given the geometry?

Thermal and Chemical Compatibility Plastics melt and decompose at much lower temperatures than metals. Typical melting temperatures of engineering plastics are around 250 °C. There are some plastics with much higher melting temperatures, like PEEK, which ranges om 350-400 °C. Close compatibility of melting temperatures will assist mixing of

the weld pool and improve mechanical strength on re-solidification. Certain combinations of plastics relatively closely matched on melting temperature are good candidates for plastic welding. The chemical composition of the plastic is also a factor. For example, one cannot weld high-density polyethylene HD-PE to Polypropylene PP, but it is possible to weld lowdensity polyethylene LD-PE to Polyproplyene, even though the polyethylenes are within the same family. Careful consideration must be given to the material combinations.

Matching of Optical Properties Lasers in materials processing generally emit a light beam at one wavelength or a very narrow wavelength bandwidth. Unlike natural light, the laser beam is coherent and focusable. Nearin ared and in ared wavelengths are most widely used in plastics welding om 800nm - 2um, o en by high-powered diode lasers.

These wavelengths are longer than wavelengths visible to the human eye, such as green, which is 532nm in the visible spectrum, and red, which is 635nm. Using the 800-2000nm wavelengths the plastics to be welded must exhibit some degree of transmission and absorption in this range.

Plastics are, to some degree, semicrystalline structures and have amorphous and crystalline phases. Differences in the re active index

Idealized light transmission and absorption in plastic welding.

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Design Notes Design considerations for laser plastic welding.

Correct choice of Plastics - Thermal and Chemical Compatibility

Successful laser Plastic Weld

Effective Delivery method for laser beam to part

Matching of Optical Properties of plastics and laser beam

Sufficient Part fit up, and fixturing forces along part extremities

between the amorphous and crystalline phases within a plastic cause light scattering and reflection when a laser beam impinges on them. This can be a benefit or a hindrance for laser welding, depending on the level of these effects.

Design combinations of these properties help achieve transmission of the laser beam through the top plastic part and absorption in the lower part, refer to figure 4. Sometimes additives are included in the production of the polymers in the masterbatch to make them absorb laser light. At the design stage, engineers should consider whether additives are acceptable in the product.

For example, would they pass FDA approval in the case of a medical device plastic?

The level of glass fibers in certain plastics such as Polyamide, PA-66, commonly referred to as Nylon, can affect the transmission of light through them, especially at higher levels of glass fiber concentration where transmission is lower. A equent question regarding plastics is which colors can be welded together? There is no simple answer; many combinations are possible. Even the same color materials such as black to black can be joined with careful design composition. Even though visible light does not transmit colored plastics, this can be the opposite for a single laser wavelength.

Sufficient part fit up, and fixturing forces along part extremities Designers must always ensure that the parts are DESIGN WORLD

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molded in geometries that lend themselves to laser plastic welding through a good fit up of the assembly components and joint accessibility. Laser welding is not good at transmitting heat across air gaps, and it is crucial that the components of a joint are in contact. Lap weld configurations achieve this.

Downward force during the welding process is essential for certain complex parts, especially large ones that are difficult to achieve good fit up naturally. The clamping force can be generated by servo drives or through the use of pneumatic clamping. There is a collapse force for plastic welding, which governs how much force the hot and melting plastic can withstand before it starts to significantly deform, and how much force is necessary to push the parts together when molten.

Laser Beam Distributes and Controls Heat in an Effective Manner There are several methods for laser beam delivery to the workpiece in laser welding.

The use of cartesian axes systems where there is a relative movement between a fixed laser plastic welding head and an XYZR table motion system is one example. These devices may not result in a uniform heating of large parts due to the acceleration required at start and stop points and around changes of direction. However, this method is flexible as the laser path can be generated through CAD data.

The use of high-speed galvo scanning heads allows rapid movement of the laser beam at up to 10m/s. Scanning around a weld seam at very high speed, with sufficient power, allows an almost instantaneous heating of the entire welding seam om one end to the other. This reduces the effects of simultaneous heating and cooling that cartesian axes systems create. Another less flexible method is to laser illuminate the parts through a mask.

In this case, the mask aperture takes the shape of the required welded seam but must be manufactured each time there is a design change. DW

ACSYS Lasertechnik | acsyslaser.com

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Design Notes

Connectors improve connections integrity while reducing costs Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

A Powell Power Control Room (PCR).

Powell’s Power Control Rooms (PCR) have improved quality and productivity while lowering costs and reducing labor since their inception in 1968. Used in a variety of markets, om utility substations to oil/gas projects to transportation systems, these PCRs have been transported and installed in all 50 states and over 70 countries. The size of the PCRs varies depending on the final application.

“Some are so large they need to be split apart and shipped in sections,” Powell Production Designer Rick Deiss explained.

When Powell assembles these larger Power buildings, the sections (or rooms) are physically joined together first. Then the interconnect wiring between each building must be terminated during the manufacturing phase and subsequently “determinated” before the buildings are split apart again so they can be shipped to the final job site.

Each section typically includes shipping split boxes for wiring. In the past, when 36

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these boxes were shipped, wires would sometimes loosen due to vibration or installation errors. Upon delivery, before connecting the rooms, engineers would need to go into each box, reconnect the wires, and re-tighten the screws that held the wires in place using calibrated torque screwdrivers. This made the process both costly and time-consuming as these specialty tools carry not only a high initial investment but require calibration annually.

For mounting connections, Powell had previously used an internally fabricated DESIGN WORLD

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NAS_36

Inside Powell’s shipping split wiring compartment: WAGO 832 Series MCS MAXI featuring toolfree, lever-operated termination. It is shown here in a 6-pole wire-to-wire configuration with mounting adapters for DIN rail or panel mounting.

aluminum angle bracket modified with 7 pre-punched square-mounting holes, which would allow a third-party, 2-piece pull-apart terminal block assembly to snap into each square hole. This design, however, was considered labor-intensive and could cause reliability issues, as the connectors would sometimes become dislodged om the mounting bracket.

They began to look for ways to improve their design while simultaneously gaining a higher-quality connection.

“We needed a terminal block for power connections that could be disconnected by pulling it apart,” Deiss said.

In 2016, Ciarah Tapley-Smith of Future Electronics, WAGO’s local

distributor in Houston, Texas, and WAGO Regional Sales Manager Kevin Stevenson, arranged a visit to Powell

by WAGO’s Innovation In Action Tour (IIAT) mobile display. It was then that they were introduced to CAGE CLAMP design technology.

The Powell engineering team assessed 831 Series connectors and learned how they could improve connections integrity while reducing production and labor costs.

Powell requested samples to see if the connectors could indeed fit their company’s specific application needs.

Deiss pointed out that he and his colleagues were also able to visit WAGO’s manufacturing and testing facilities in Minden, Germany, to learn more. “The 831 Series connectors are just what we needed,” stated Deiss, “while touring the WAGO factory in Germany, I saw parts

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being manufactured as well as many tests performed on their products.”

Powell soon realized that the 831 series would prove to be a critical component in manufacturing their PCRs. “It was evident by their implementation of our original tool-operated, DIN-rail mounted 831 Series that they value our connection technology and form-factor not only as a time and labor savings but also for the improved connection integrity it provides,” says Cory Thiel, WAGO’s PCB Interconnect Product Manager.

Powell has since eliminated the cost of lugs and the labor for crimping as well as the need for the pre-fabricated aluminum mounting bracket. With the use of spring pressure connection technology, there are no screws, eliminating loose connections and the need for torqueing. These products have sped up manufacturing, connecting, and disconnecting the shipping splits, ultimately reducing labor costs.

Over the last four years, both companies have developed more solutions to help with the production and shipping of Powell’s Power Control Rooms. So what may be on the horizon?

A new version of the 831 series with tool- ee lever actuation is currently in production. Powell is also looking at using new 832 Series connectors to replace additional competitive devices and some old connections requiring larger wire connectors.

“Powell is looking to implement more of our products in their design and are very excited to hear that we will soon have the 832 Series connectors coming out later this year with a DIN Rail-mount capability,” Stevenson says, “which will allow them to use our CAGE CLAMP technology on larger wiring circuits ranging up to 4 AWG.” Deiss also expressed his enthusiasm for the future, “I am very excited about the 832 Terminal Blocks. These have larger ampacity ratings, so we will pull apart connections for up to #4 gauge wire.

Currently wiring larger than #8 requires lugs, screw terminations, and torqueing.”

With the help of these products, Powell will continue to work on speeding up and simpli ing the wiring process. DW

WAGO wago.com

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Design Notes

Metrology for micro molding —

a case study

Inspection of a microlens (a single lens that is part of a molded lens array). This kind of data is used to find defects and assess overall shape of the molded part. This ensures design accuracy.

Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Accumold operates in an environment where part dimensions are sometimes minute, tolerances are always exacting, geometric complexity can be demanding, and zero failure rates and repeatability are paramount. The key to reaching sub-micron tolerances is risk mitigation, as each step in the product development process can potentially introduce tolerance stack-up. Control requires that Accumold is vertically integrated, with tooling, molding, validation, and automated assembly all under one roof, and each “department” collaborating to ensure optimal outcomes.

Validation is a crucial, which is why Accumold partnered with non-contact optical metrology specialist, ZYGO, to manage some of its more demanding measurement and validation work. Nowhere is the well-worn phrase “if you cannot measure it, you cannot make it” more relevant than in the

The diamond turned surface shows the texture on a piece of injection molding tooling for an optical surface. Understanding and controlling the texture on the mold tooling is important as it will transfer directly into the finished part.

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world of micro molding. Here, parts are o en used in safetycritical applications and can be as small as a grain of sand.

Accumold’s metrology capability is critical during micromolding processes — om initial experimental design runs and stress tests to prototype and production qualifications runs. With measurement taking this central role, metrology moves om being a necessary evil to an enabling technology. Accumold’s metrologists have been successful in helping customers improve their design, re-dimension parts, and better use Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) so that the part is easier to mold, easier to measure, and performs better for the end-user.

O en in micro-molding scenarios, metrology and validation-related issues can be challenging, with part size, part fixturing, print tolerances, and surface roughness introducing complexities. Of these, part size is the most critical challenge. Micro-molded parts can be dimensioned in microns, with features that only become visible under 10x (or greater) magnification. With such small part sizes, noncontact metrology is the best solution.

It is essential to determine how to fixture the part being inspected so repeatable and reproducible measurements are achieved. Accumold designs and manufactures steel

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or 3D plastic custom fixtures designed to hold parts in various orientations to ensure they can measure all the features in either automated or manual measurement processes.

Another challenge for these components is surface roughness.

Due to the small size and essential finish requirements, slight variations can have more dramatic effects on the final product than might be observed with a larger component. Non-contact metrology tools are vital for such applications, as tactile tools can compromise surface integrity.

Metrology instruments are constantly evolving, and it is essential to assess new technology continuall.y. Accumold uses various advanced metrology technology, including automated vision inspection (AVI), robotic handling, and non-contact optical surface metrology, such as the coherence scanning interferometer equipment om ZYGO to measure micro features and surface roughness.

Industry perceptions of optical metrology systems have changed in recent years, and its uptake is growing year to year.

There are obvious reasons for this: its ability to measure without damaging surfaces or features on sometimes delicate components.

However, optical metrology also stimulates the move to greater manufacturing automation due to its speed compared to contact systems. It can also quickly undertake full-field measurement rather than focusing on specific part features one at a time.

Accumold has used ZYGO optical profilers for many years, starting with the NewView 7300 and later adding the next generation NewView 8300 to the fleet. The main reason for selecting ZYGO was to accurately measure parts made om high temperature and clear resins used to mold lenses.

One of the best ways to derive maximum value om metrology is to work more as partners and collaborators to solve a challenging problem. The first collaboration’s optical profiler was the NewView 7300. Both company’s engineering teams devised a customized analysis routine for the micro-molded lenses that were being made. As technology evolved, the two companies continued to work together to solve metrology issues both on the original tool and on the NewView 8300 and its latest so ware platform.

Instead of simply purchasing a tool, ZYGO and Accumold have maintained a dialogue to ensure ZYGO’s product and capability roadmap reflects Accumold’s metrology needs — continually providing value across their entire organization. Accumold thinks that working collaboratively with metrology suppliers is the future and will ensure that technology evolves with market and customer needs. DW

Design-Notes-6-21-Vs3.LL.indd 41

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CAE Solutions

Preview design changes in real time

The 3.0 version of the nTopology so ware offers several enhancements.

One of the new features is an opt-in GPU acceleration that will deliver a 10x to 100x performance boost, which makes it easier to preview design changes in realtime and regenerate parts with complex geometry in seconds.

The so ware also consolidates recent technology improvements introduced to it. These include functional latticing workflows, topology optimization tools, engineering simulation utilities, and advanced design automation capabilities.

The core of version 3.0 is the implicit modeling engine.

This engine describes every solid body by a single mathematical equation, which enables designers to generate complex

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part geometry reliably and error- ee. Any CPU can evaluate this implicit equation in milliseconds.

Through patent-pending technology the so ware can use both the CPU and GPU of a designer’s system for faster performance. The reduction in the time it takes to develop designs

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Lattices let designers change a structure’s behavior by controlling its geometry at the mesoscale level. enables latticing, texturing, filleting, shelling, and other field-driven operations to be previewed in real-time. Complex designs are rebuilt in a few seconds.

According to nTopology managers, you can save 10 to 60 seconds every time you change a design parameter. Thus, making 100 such changes a day can save an average of 60 minutes of time per day.

Other enhancements include: Lattice generation: Lattices let designers change a structure’s behavior by controlling its geometry at the mesoscale level. Thus, designers can alter material response for specific applications. nTopology’s 3rd generation latticing pipeline offers tools to navigate the mesoscale world.

This generation includes a complete set of ordered, stochastic, and TPMS unit cells to control lattice properties at every point in space using simulation results, test data, engineering formulas, and a field-driven design approach.

New utilities help designers create custom unit cells and build the basic process blocks that feed generative design workflows.

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Accuracy Is Nothing Without Repeatability

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with its Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) so ware. nTopCL enables users to call generative nTop workflows in Python or Matlab scripts. It can run on a desktop, a private server, or the cloud. nTopology 3.0 offers three ways to simulate. The results can be an input to drive part geometry, or used to perform design analysis, or users can export meshes for verification in external solvers.

Built-in simulation tools let users run static, modal, and buckling structural analyses, steady-state, transient, and non-linear thermal simulations, and lattice unit cell homogenization. nTopology is also expanding its simulation preprocessing capabilities. These include new meshing utilities, import and export capabilities for FEA and CFD data in the native format of any solver including ANSYS, Abaqus, or Nastran to streamline the design verification process. DW

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CAE Solutions

Industrial CT so ware detects and corrects design flaws and

manufacturability issues The latest version of Volume Graphics’ high-end CT data analysis so ware suite, version 3.5, brings enhanced capabilities to manufacturers looking for better ways to inspect parts and improve designs—however they are made.

Particularly in the automotive, aerospace and defense industries, engineers exploring novel materials and manufacturing methods are increasingly turning to CT scanning to achieve a more accurate, non-destructive evaluation of product robustness and performance. Volume Graphics is a leading developer of so ware technology that interprets CT data om scans of almost any material to detect, analyze and visualize minute structural deviations that might affect part quality.

Version 3.5 provides automated design-geometry adjustment and repair tools that can be used to correct and/or offset issues that stem om the manufacturing process itself.

Moldmakers, casting shops, and additive manufacturing providers can use the so ware to detect and visualize material and/or design defects or distortions— and then use included functions to correct their CAD designs, compare values against nominal limits and ensure that final part quality meets applicable industry standards.

Here are some of the highlights in version 3.5 of the data analysis so ware suite (which includes VGSTUDIO MAX, VGSTUDIO, VGMETROLOGY, VGinLINE, and myVGL):

• A reworked manufacturing geometry correction module. This so ware module benefits all those who work with some kind of mold, i.e., injection molders or casters. Enhancements in usability, with continuous updating and feedback on quality, give the CAD designer information that can be

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used to improve manufacturability.

Filtering out points that can cause erroneous compensation results, the so ware fine-tunes surface fitting and provides compensations that are within tolerances, enabling the user to immediately see if their design changes are compatible with mold-making.

• Enhanced mesh compensation. For those working in simulation and AM/3D printing, this module provides easier navigation and understanding of the relationships between elements for better interpretation of part warpage, deformation and displacement— and automatically compensates designs to correct for deviations om manufacturing intent. Mesh updating is 10X faster, with improved results when scan and reference objects differ greatly in size or show other significant deviations. There are a greater number of control points for more granular and accurate results. In the case of lattice structures and other complex geometries, a uniform control-point placement function ensures full analysis of a design. The so ware

www.designworldonline.com

Manufacturing Geometry Correction Module. When compensating a geometry, a new filter option in Volume Graphics’ industrial CT software version 3.5 allows users to find fit points that cause inaccurate compensation results.

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CAE Solutions Enhanced Mesh Compensation.

A new compensation mesh color overlay in Volume Graphics’ industrial CT software version 3.5 helps users to clearly visualize, analyze and annotate any displacements in the compensation mesh.

can also shorten the 3D-print-and-test process by automatically running two sequential designcompensation results to move a design for AM closer to nominal before the first print.

• Porosity and inclusion analysis of castings. CT scans of cast parts can be inspected for porosity and compliance with Reference Sheet P 203 of the Federation of German Foundry Industry (BDG).

With the help of the BDG P 203 porosity key, users can perform a 3D evaluation of detected volume deficits both in the complete casting and in eely defined sub-areas, such as functional areas with special attributes. The so ware enables inspection of multiple, different regions of interest in a part to see if porosity is within tolerances and whether there are any post-machining issues in the finished part.

The data om this analysis is then ready for Q-DAS process control.

Capability enhancements support engineering across many industries Other enhancements in version 3.5 strengthen existing functions that support science, R&D, medical device development and other industries in addition to automotive and aerospace & defense. Among these is advanced reporting, which is now more user- iendly and fully integrated with viewing. The nominal/actual comparison module has also been made more user- iendly with easy-to-understand visualization of deviations of scanned objects om their reference data sets. DW

New Porosity and Inclusion Analysis of Castings. Usability improvements in the P 203 analysis, in Volume Graphics’ industrial CT software version 3.5, include combining the generation and editing of global and freeform porosity keys in one dialog. A new BDG P 203 name field allows users to add a comment for each porosity key.

Volume Graphics and Hexagon www.volumegraphics.com

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CAE Solutions

CFD simulation so ware puts flow analysis into the design process early

The latest version of Simcenter FLOEFD so ware, a CADembedded computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool, helps users ontload CFD simulation early into the design process to understand the behavior of their concepts. It can reduce the overall simulation time by as much as 75% and it runs seamlessly inside NX so ware, Solid Edge so ware, CATIA V5 and Creo. The latest version includes new functions that let designers take advantage of a seamless working environment, as well as enhancements that extend thermal simulation capabilities and lighting applications.

Simcenter FLOEFD includes improvements within process integration, allowing design engineers to implement CFD solutions within their workflow without requiring process changes. Simcenter FLOEFD for NX projects and results can be managed in Teamcenter so ware. Integrations with HyperLynx so ware, a suite of analysis and verification so ware for PCB engineers, allow for enhanced thermal analysis and more accurate simulation of printed circuit boards (PCBs) by taking into account joule heating phenomena.

The latest version of Simcenter FLOEFD also includes expanded capabilities based on Simcenter MAGNET so ware technology to increase accuracy of thermal simulation by considering electromagnetic phenomena. Direct integration of structural analysis allows CAD-centric users to apply CFD results to perform linear

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structural stress analysis of complex PCBs accurately. A new interface to Simcenter Nastran so ware allows easy transfer of CFD results for structural analysis in Simcenter 3D so ware. In addition, new enhancements for lighting applications include pulse-width modulation of a light source and the simulation of scattering and photoluminescence of phosphor particles, which are used during the manufacture of LEDs. DW

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

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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Coupling Notes Edited by: Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Couplings in the field: two case

histories

Oldham Couplings in capping and filling machine application

Couplings connect the drive motor to the torque capping heads on low-to-medium volume filling and capping machines used by beverage and pharmaceutical customers. | Courtesy of Cap Coder

Cap Coder, a manufacturer of standard and custom capping, filling, labeling, and coding machines, needed precision couplings for its equipment. The couplings connect the drive motor to the torque capping heads on low-to-medium volume filling and capping machines used by beverage and pharmaceutical customers.

Positioned within the main capping torque head, the coupling is considered one of the machine’s most critical components as it transfers power while maintaining position and controlling the applied torque to the container cap. A er reviewing all available alternatives, Cap Coder chose to install Huco Oldham couplings on all capping head assemblies incorporated on its various machines. Oldham-style couplings were selected for their precision and reliability.

The Oldham coupling design transmits torque through a central disc that slides over tenons on the hubs under controlled preload conditions. To meet the capping torque head requirements, the complete 3-part Size 33 Oldham couplings are comprised of two aluminum clamp-style blind hubs and an acetal disc that provides high torsional stiffness and long backlash- ee life. The 1.31-in. (33.3 mm) diameter couplings have a 79.7 in lb. (9 Nm) peak torque rating.

This modified Flex M membrane-type coupling has a torque rating of 100 in.lb. (11.3 Nm). The doublestage version of the coupling, featuring two membranes, was chosen to provide greater misalignment capacity.

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Modified couplings for oil viscosity measuring instrument A manufacturer of tribology testing equipment needed reliable precision couplings for their oil viscometer instrumentation. The fully automated, microprocessor-controlled device uses proprietary so ware to perform ultrashear rate measurements in less than an hour. A precision coupling is used to connect the machine’s rotary head to reach speeds up to 20,000 rpm in short bursts.

The ability to recreate accurate oil shear rates inside engines is critical, especially in the automotive industry as engines continue to operate at higher speeds and temperatures.

Thus, the instrument is widely used in the laboratories of automotive manufacturers, research universities, and lubricant and additive designers.

The Oldham coupling for this application has aluminum alloy hubs with standard acetal torque discs. The coupling eliminates backlash and protects against shock loading.

The OEM contacted Huco for its Flex M precision couplings a er a careful review of the application requirements.

The modified Flex M membranetype couplings provided have a torque rating of 100 in.lb. (11.3 Nm). The doublestage version of the coupling, featuring two membranes, was chosen to provide greater misalignment capacity.

Flex M precision couplings have thin pressed steel membranes — torque is resolved to simple tensile stresses in opposing segments of the membranes.

The couplings have near-infinite life and a dynamically balanced construction,

making them suitable for applications requiring high rotational speed and motion integrity. DW

Huco | huco.com

HOW DOES A

CHECK VALVE WORK? WHEN YOU’RE CREATING A LOW PRESSURE, LOW FLOW APPLICATION, IT PAYS TO UNDERSTAND HOW CHECK VALVES WORK. WILL A CERTAIN STEP AFFECT YOUR DEVICE'S PERFORMANCE? IS THERE A PART IN THE OPERATION PROCESS THAT WILL BE CRITICAL TO YOUR APPLICATION?

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3D-printed circuit boards: How they’re

made and why they matter

Once confined mainly to home-brew tinkering, circuit boards created via 3D printing are now practical for some manufactured products.

J.F. Brandon • BotFactory Inc.

Example of an nScrypt system extruding conductive traces on a FDM-printed substrate.

In the past ten years 3D Printing has gone om a niche prototyping tool to a process acceptable for mass production. Most of the recent hubbub has been about monolithic plastic and metals. But new materials and processes have appeared to help create 3D-printed PCBs that meet long-standing engineering problems.

If the history of electronics manufacturing could be summarized in one phase, it would be, “Shrinking everything to nothing to squeeze out something faster.” The push towards miniaturization has been driven by the inviolable laws of nature – faster devices that consume less power require shorter electrical paths.

However, the printed circuit board is an outlier in the electronics world. PCBs still use basic drilling and plating processes perfected 50 years ago. That is not to say that PCB manufacturing is trivial or antiquated. But the investment in new PCB manufacturing methods is a pittance compared to the hundreds of billions put into chip fabs by IC makers such as TMSC and AMD. 52

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It is worth looking at the details of PCBs and their construction. The word ‘printed’ in printed circuit board only describes half of the process – the silkscreen masks are the only part that is printed.

A PCB is originally copper foil on a rigid fiberglass laminate which is selectively etched, drilled, and plated using a set of silkscreens and chemical baths to produce the final product.

The sole purpose of the PCB is to reliably connect passive and active components and provide a reliable platform for integration or interactions with the rest of a product. For example, the PCB in the average computer keyboard connects electronic elements together, and manages human interactions and provides a sound mechanical connection to DESIGN WORLD

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Examples of inkjet-printed circuitry made with a BotFactory SV2 PCB printer. the body of the product. PCBs must be designed so they can easily be stenciled with reflow solder paste and integrated into industrial surface-mount pick-andplace lines. All in all, modern PCBs can play a variety of roles in the end products. So it is worth considering new manufacturing processes that can expand the capabilities of PCBs. PCBs have thermal, electrical, geometric and mechanical requirements that go beyond what most materials for 3D printing can offer. For example, the average $500 3D printer that uses Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) uses PLA, ABS and PETG which melt under the harsh gaze of any standard soldering station.

Metal 3D printing techniques handle one material at one time. Yet PCBs require, at a bare minimum, a dense and conductive metal for conductors.

Three technical paths have appeared for PCB printing: inkjets, extrusion, and additive manufacturing (AM)-electroless plating. First consider inkjetting. New nanoparticle and particle-free inks have allowed inkjet printing to go beyond CMYK inks and graphics. Inkjets can now lay down metal (overwhelmingly silver) inks in fine patterns on flexible materials.

In combination with a polymer ink, it is possible to create PCBs with complex multilayer circuitry (blind and buried vias

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are trivial items) in only a few steps on a single machine.

The inherent advantage of creating PCBs layer-by-layer this way is that each layer can be tested and validated.

The minimal level of processing simplifies the dispensing solder paste, part assembly, and testing for every layer. The disadvantages are that material dispensing via inkjet printing is slow relative to all other additive manufacturing processes-- deposition speeds can be in the millimeters-perhour range. It’s possible to create precise traces with inkjet printing (metal traces with 100-micron widths are commonly attainable). But the smaller droplets limit deposition speeds.

And there are problems with metal inks: Applying too much can cause bleeding and cracking during drying, thus limiting PCB fabrication speeds.

Solderability is a particular blind spot – silver can wilt under standard pastes like SAC305, suffering from tin ‘scavenging’ silver during reflow. In addition, inkjet polymers melt at temperatures that standard PCBs easily manage.

Fortunately, industry-accepted lowtemperature tin-bismuth and indiumbased solder pastes are compatible with inkjet-printed PCBs. Today there are two PCB printers that www.designworldonline.com

use inkjetting – the BotFactory SV2 and the Nano Dimension DragonFly. Each printer uses the same process to create multilayer circuitry, although the BotFactory SV2 uses inexpensive thermal inkjet heads instead of the piezo heads found in the DragonFly. Nano Dimension has focused on printing for production, whereas BotFactory has emphasized integration of pasting and PCB assembly into a small unit, working on projects with the USAF to automate the entire process. BotFactory offers a commercial product below $20,000.

Single nozzle jetting Inkjetting isn’t the only way that nanoparticles can be deposited to create circuitry. An alternative method extrudes lines onto flat surfaces and uses fused-deposition modeling to provide a polymer structure for the traces to inhabit. Pastes are notoriously difficult to control when creating fine traces and spaces, requiring precise control and extremely close contact with the substrate surface.

Here the target surface must be covered twice – first for mapping, then for pasting. The two-step procedure handicaps the scalability of the process for production. Pastes must be devoid of air pockets lest each bubble act as a kind of ‘spring’ and impede the extrusion process. The flip side of using viscous pastes is that metal-loading is higher and it’s possible to deposit metal in thicker layers, boosting conductivity and solderability. However, at June 2021

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this time, silver is the favorite material and suffers om the same constraints as inkjetprinted PCBs in regards to silver scavenging.

AM + electroless plating (also abbreviated as AMEP, or 3D-Print-andPlate) is a completely new category of AM that combines existing additive manufacturing processes and wellunderstood electroless plating techniques.

An object is printed via stereolithography (SL) or FDM using a distinct metal-loaded material that can be electroless-plated a erwards. AMEP continues to be a topic of academic research. Last year, researchers at UCLA published results on using SL to create multi-material prints that could be selectively plated. Using two vats of pure and metal-loaded polymers, the process enhances the existing premise of AM with no extra constraint on fabrication speed.

Palladium, a metal traditionally extremely expensive, normally serves as a seed material in this process. But on the other side of the world, UK researchers devised a way of printing less expensive metal on a new polyimide material.

Polyimide (also known as Kapton) is prized by electrical engineers in flexible and

printed electronics for its low thermal expansion and dielectric constant. UK researchers found UV energy can be used to chemically bond silver particles and the polymer chains, providing seeds for plating a erwards.

The technology described above has not been commercialized, but the overall concept has been used for creating unique antennae at firms like Swissto12.

There a high-resolution SL print is made, coated, and then electro-plated (not electroless plated). Electroplating requires a current to initiate and control the plating process, whereas a PCB o en has unconnected traces and vias that require plating.

Overall, the greatest challenge to AMEP is that it cannot create conductors within an object unless there are exposed holes or the PCB undergoes multiple dips into the plating baths. As it stands, the technology has the ability to meet all the technical requirements for highperformance PCBs, including ease-ofsolderability and high-thermal tolerances.

What it’s not There is some confusion about what is and isn’t ‘AM electronics,’ and certain lines have been drawn. Any process that builds

The BotFactory SV2 is capabile of printing PCBs and utilizes inexpensive thermal inkjet heads.

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circuitry on pre-existing substrates or augments AM with subtractive processes is not 3D-printed electronics. By conveniently ignoring the drilling process for vias and shaping, one could argue that PCBs are made with AM when they clearly are not.

When an entire model is fabricated using AM, it typically has characteristics and form factors that go beyond what would be possible if subtractive fabrication is included. Use of subtractive processes detracts om the entire point of adopting AM. An example of semi-additive process commonly cited as 3D-printed electronics is Laser Directed Structuring developed

by LPKF. Essentially, an object consists of an injection-molded plastic that has been filled or coated by an organometallic compound. When a laser applies a circuit pattern to the surface, metallic seeds form and create an electroless nickel or copper plating. The technology is limited by the reach of the laser, inhibiting the possibility of allowing conductors to pass thru the object. Thus LDS parts are not true 3D PCBs. The same limitation also applies to aerosol jetting, a concept commercialized

by Optomec. Here a carrier gas (nitrogen typically) jets out of a fine nozzle at high speed and carries a fine suspension of materials such as nanoparticle metal inks.

The variety of viscosity, metal-loading and material choice makes aerosol jetting a candidate for creating sensors on objects, overcoming the limited choice of materials for LDS. As both processes use non-AM elements, they arguably do not create 3D-printed electronic devices.

Credible advances in materials, metals and polymers make it possible to 3D-print PCBs useful in many applications today. The most mature technique is inkjet printing; it comes closest to reaching the necessary geometric and electric properties, with materials advancing quickly to meet the thermal and mechanical needs. Extrusion is well-understood but hard to scale. AM-EP is the dark horse in the race, combining old and new techniques to provide another path to the 3D PCB. DW

BotFactory Inc. | www.botfactory.co

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Three new 3D printers om Stratasys encompass FDM, P3, and SAF technologies Stratasys Ltd., recently introduced three new 3D printers to address a large portion of the multibillion-dollar additive manufacturing of end-use parts market. The systems collectively are aimed at accelerating the shi om traditional to additive manufacturing for low-to-mid-volume production applications underserved by traditional manufacturing methods.

The Stratasys H350 3D printer can produce thousands of parts. Powered by SAF technology, this printer is designed to give manufacturers production consistency, a competitive and predictable cost per part, and complete control for the production of thousands of parts. The H350 printer includes about a dozen different parts 3D-printed with SAF technology.

The H350 printer has been in beta testing since early 2021 with service bureaus and contract manufacturers in Europe, Israel, and the United States, including Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, which is now selling parts on demand using the system. It is expected to ship more broadly to customers in Q3 of this year. Applications include end-use parts such as covers, connectors, hinges, cable holders, electronics housings, and ducting.

Stratasys is using certified third-party materials for H Series systems. The initial material is Stratasys High Yield PA11, which is a bio-based plastic made om sustainable castor oil.

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The Stratasys Origin One brings production scale 3D printing for detailed and intricate parts. Coming om the acquisition of Origin, this 3D printer uses proprietary P3 technology and a so warefirst architecture to produce parts at volume in a range of open, certified third-party materials with industry-leading accuracy, detail, finish, repeatability, and time to part.

Internal Stratasys estimates suggest a $3.7 billion market opportunity by 2025 for the production-oriented segments suited to the Origin One, including automotive, consumer goods, medical, dental, and tooling applications.

The third new system announced was the Stratasys F770 3D printer. For big parts, Stratasys claims this newest FDM 3D printer features the “longest fully heated build chamber on the market and a generous build volume of over 13 cubic feet (372 liters).”

The new system, priced under $100,000, is for prototyping, jigs and fixtures, and tooling applications requiring standard thermoplastics. Soluble support material simplifies post processing, while GrabCAD Print so ware streamlines workflow and enterprise connectivity is enabled through the MTConnect standard and the GrabCAD SDK. DW

Stratasys | www.stratasys.com

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Desktop Metal qualifies another material for its additive systems— 316L stainless steel

Known for its corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties at extreme temperatures, 316L stainless steel is well suited for applications in demanding conditions, such as parts exposed to marine or pharmaceutical processing environments, food preparation equipment, medical devices and surgical tooling. It also exhibits excellent weldability by standard fusion and resistance methods.

Through extensive testing, the Desktop Metal materials science team has validated that 316L stainless steel printed on Production System technology and sintered by Desktop Metal meets MPIF 35 standards for structural powder metallurgy parts set by the Metal Powder Industries Federation. Parts printed with 316L have demonstrated excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, while significantly decreasing production time and part cost.

Because 316L is a surgical-grade steel, it is an ideal material for medical applications like surgical nozzles.

By eliminating tooling, additive manufacturing enables mass production runs of different sized nozzles with no lead time, featuring internal channels that are optimized for individual patient needs.

Printing on the Production System P-50 eliminates multiple fixturing steps otherwise required for machining, and results in a throughput of more than 24,000 parts per week at approximately $2.50 per part.

By comparison, machining the same part would cost $20.00 -$40.00 per part, and require up to two months to create the same number of parts the P-50 can produce in just one week. DW Desktop Metal www.desktopmetal.com

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Internet of Things

Unmanaged Ethernet switch delivers key industrial managedswitch features

The SX5E-HU085B 8-port unmanaged industrial Ethernet switch offers many features to support Ethernet, IoT, and IIoT devices used in critical and challenging commercial and industrial locations. No so ware configuration is needed, and it has flexible installation options.

Industrial networking installations commonly rely on certain advanced functions that are typically only available on managed switches. But such switches o en require configuration expertise, can be more difficult to manage over time, and cost more than other options. To address these and other issues, the switch offers the following features: Quality of Service (QoS) QoS is a networking feature, usually only available on managed switches for prioritizing specified network traffic to handle critical packets first. The QoS function in the SX5E unmanaged switch automatically guarantees priority for EtherNet/IP packets for crucial industrial automation tasks. For instance, a programmable logic controller (PLC) communicating with other intelligent automation devices using EtherNet/IP will receive precedence over other general traffic. QoS can be easily turned on/off with a single external DIP switch to give the user flexibility.

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) snooping Ethernet traffic may consist of some messages broadcast to all devices, and others multicast to select devices. IGMP snooping allows a switch to monitor conversations between hosts and routers, and to create and maintain a map or filter of which links need which transmissions. By delivering messages only where they are needed, IGMP snooping reduces networking traffic and required resources.

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SMARTER

BRAKE & CLUTCH

CONTROL

The SX5E-HU085B 8-port unmanaged industrial Ethernet switch offers many features to support Ethernet, IoT, and IIoT devices used in critical and challenging commercial and industrial locations.

Broadcast storm protection For Ethernet networks, improper ring connections can result in duplicate messages that will cause the network to stall. Broadcast storm protection detects this issue and discards duplicate messages. It can be turned on/off with a single external DIP switch.

Robust networking This switch operates at 10 and 100 Mb/s, with auto negotiation of speed and full or half duplex mode, and every port automatically detects and adjusts for straight-through or crossover cable connections. Store-and-forward technology ensures each communication ame is fully received into memory and CRC-checked for integrity before forwarding it to the destination. This feature introduces a small switching delay, but it secures high quality communication.

Industrial-grade form factor The SX5E is built to withstand extreme conditions. With a rugged metal housing that is IP30 rated, the switch can operate at temperatures ranging om -40 to 75°F, and it is designed to resist electrical noise. The switch can be mounted on standard 35 mm DIN rail, or panelmounted using an accessory direct mounting bracket. The switch is carries approvals for UL508, CE, RoHS, and FCC. Class I Division 2 hazardous location approval is pending.

For easy installation, the power supply terminal block is pluggable, and IP30rated RJ45 covers are available to protect unused ports. To keep the network switch up and running in the event of power interruptions, the switch can be supplied om two separate redundant power supplies for zero failover time, even if one power supply fails. DW

IDEC | www.IDEC.com/usa

SmartSense(IoT)

Sensor-less Brake and Clutch Controls with Status Monitoring Introducing a new way to control and monitor spring-applied, electrically-released brakes and clutches. Electronically sensing armature movement after power is applied, the controller provides real-time operation status and wear condition while communicating with your IoT system. Tracking the brake or clutch lifecycle, scheduling maintenance accurately, reducing energy and extending the lifespan has never been simpler. The SmartSense (IoT) offers:

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• Avoidance of motor and brake/clutch

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drive overlap

• Remote armature motion monitoring • Variable holding voltage • Enhanced positioning and stopping • Increased cycle rates • Real-time brake wear monitoring • Auto-adjust timing to holding voltage

www.regentcontrols.com A Carlyle Johnson Company DESIGN WORLD

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Internet of Things

Smart grid gateways enable IO and Wi-Fi sensors to connect to energy networks

The Ixxat SG-gateway series for networking of energy components has two new multi-IO versions that allows traditional IO-sensors or devices in Wi-Fi networks to be connected to energy systems using IEC 61850 and IEC 60870. This arrangement gives users direct and seamless access to sensor data om the control room, as well as IIoT capabilities for monitoring, maintenance and forecasting purposes.

Digitalization of energy technology is important for mastering the future challenges of sustainable energy supply. With Ixxat SG-gateways, device manufacturers, system integrators, energy suppliers and network operators get instant status information into the control room through direct access to plant data om various sources. This enables efficient system operation, fast reactions to 60

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network disturbances, as well as remote monitoring and maintenance of devices and systems. The compact gateways are suitable for retrofitting plants and digitalization of substations, and are used in many areas of energy automation, including power plants and large energy consumers.

These gateways remove the need for installing several separate gateways, such as fieldbus gateways, sensor gateways, IoT gateways and firewalls. Adding to the existing support for IEC 61850, IEC 60870, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, MQTT and 4G, the two new SG-gateways feature Multi-IO and Wi-Fi capabilities (WLAN

DESIGN WORLD

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Digitalization of energy technology is important for mastering the future challenges of sustainable energy supply.

You don’t need to be an expert in clutches, brakes or torque limiters.

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We Are Your One-Stop Shop For Motion Control Solutions. according to IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n). With this, traditional as well as wireless sensors can be easily connected to control rooms and cloud systems. Besides RS232/485 and Ethernet, eight digital inputs/outputs (24 Vdc) and eight analog inputs (0-20 mA or 0-10 V) are available for direct sensor connection, all switchable via so ware.

The acquired data om sensors, fieldbuses and energy protocols is made available by the SG-gateway in control room applications, SCADA and can also be integrated into the user’s cloud system of choice. For direct use in a targeted system and protocol, the data can be pre-processed by the SG-gateway using the integrated WEBPLC. Data security is ensured via a local firewall, access management and via encrypted data transmission. Depending on the used protocol, this is done either with openVPN or TLS 1.3. DW

HMS Networks www.ixxat.com/energy

When it comes to high-performance, custom-made clutches, brakes and torque limiters, we aim to please. Which is why you’ll find Engineering, Production, Sales, and Product Support all under one roof. All to put you at ease, knowing that we’ll deliver the perfect solution for your applications.

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Internet of Things

Reduce hardware development time for

IoT Proof of Concept applications The Avnet Express Connect tool gives developers and non-programmers a way to deploy combinations of connected IoT solutions.

The tool addresses a problem for IoT projects—implementing projects. It enables a low code-no code drag and drop connection om an initial library of more than 400 preconnected sensors and devices, reducing hardware proof-of-concept (POC) development om weeks to hours without the need for programmers.

The Express Connect tool enables the creation and evaluation of IoT-based designs.

It provides developers and customers the ability to deploy combinations of IoT solutions at the

edge while seamlessly linking the data to cloud dashboards and SaaS applications.

A cloud-based tool, Express Connect contains a library of hundreds, expanding to thousands of industrial IoT sensors, interface boards and gateways that can be linked together in endless combinations all via a drag-and-drop design environment. Once the design is created, the platform generates all the underlying code, which is remotely deployed to any Express Connect Gateway globally within seconds.

The Express Connect Tool supports sensors ranging om simple temperature and humidity to more specialized sensors.

Key suppliers supported include Omega, TE, Amphenol, Advantech, and others.

Avnet manages and secures the IoTbased designs created in Express Connect through the IoTConnect platform built on Microso Azure. Developers and OEMs can create cloud-based applications that communicate with the Avnet IoTConnect API with ease, avoiding the complexity of sensor interfaces, protocols, security and device management. Connected suppliers can expand their market presence with preconnected devices that accelerate customer adoption and reach. DW

Avnet | www.avnet.com/wps/portal/us/

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DESIGN WORLD

6/7/21 10:32 AM

Produced by Robotics Business Review

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The Robot Report

Welcome to the 2021 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards What does a childlike, humanoid robot, a research center, a 5G development platform, and taxis, tractors and interplanetary explorers have in common? Well, if you are reading this paragraph, you can probably guess “robotics,” and you would not be wrong.

But the similarities do not end there, and they are more pointed and correlated. All the examples are representative of winners of the 2021 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards (RBR50).

For nearly a decade, Robotics Business Review has produced the RBR50, which recognizes and celebrates forward thinking companies from across the globe and the original, impactful solutions they have created. Widely recognized throughout the world as a leading indicator of robotics innovation leadership, the RBR50 is also a critical indicator of robotics sector growth.

For the robotics sector, the role, importance, and impact of innovation has never been greater. Moreover, it is the confluence of multiple, diverse innovation determinants technological, business, and market – that act to accelerate robotics sector growth overall.

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The RBR50 reflects that diversity of innovation, and celebrates robotics innovation in all its forms including: • Business and Management Innovation - Business and management initiatives or practices that enhance a company’s commercial standing, fosters robotics sector growth or improves society.

• Technology, Products and Services Innovation – New commercial solutions that have the potential to positively impact markets or the whole robotics sector.

• Application and Market Innovation – Industry specific, newly developed applications that deliver value, provide entry to new markets, or improve performance over existing approaches (i.e. improve productivity, increase quality, reduce cost, etc.).

The editors in WTWH Media’s Robotics Group enjoyed the challenge of evaluating and selecting the 2021 RBR50 awards winners, and learned much during the process. We hope you share that enthusiasm, and the 2021 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards also acts to increase your understanding of the global robotics sector. In that small way, the RBR50 will have done its part to drive the robotics sector forward. RR

www.therobotreport.com

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RBR50 Introduction

Inside the RBR50 A closer look at notable innovators and where this year’s winners are from.

Steve Crowe • Editorial Director • The Robot Report

The first flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was captured in this image from Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on April 19, 2021. The milestone marked the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Credit: NASA JPL

Each year, the RBR50 receives more nominations than can fit in the annual list. This year, the final selection reflects more rigorous judging criteria, current technological and business trends in robotics, and the world, hopefully, emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since companies of different sizes build robots for widely differing applications, it is difficult to compare them directly. Add to that regional clusters, universities and research institutions, and new business models, and it becomes clear the best way to analyze robotics leadership is to see what categories and industries they fit into.

Notable Winners An emphasis on innovation led to 27 RBR50 winners being recognized for their introduction of new products, services and technologies. This included both hardware and software for autonomous systems. Twenty companies were honored for application and market innovations, while three were honored for their business prowess.

No RBR50 winner was more innovative than the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which forever changed space exploration with its near-flawless execution of the Mars 2020 Mission. The organization’s Perseverance Rover landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, traveling 292.5 million miles from Earth. The fifth

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THE ROBOT REPORT

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

1

3 1 4

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6/8/21 4:22 PM

RBR50 Introduction This still image is part of a video taken by several cameras as NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. A camera aboard the descent stage captured this shot.

Investment in RBR50 innovators Several RBR50 winners raised funding or were acquired to continue their development of self-driving cars, end-of-arm tooling, sensors, and commercial robotics systems. Here are some of the notable transactions.

Softbank paid $2.8 billion for a 40% stake in AutoStore, a leading developer of automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). AutoStore currently has a global customer base with more than 600 installations and 20,000 robots across 35 countries.

Hyundai Motor, in December 2020, acquired a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics for about $880 million.

Hyundai became the third owner of Boston Dynamics in seven years. It was acquired by Google in 2013 and sold to Softbank Group in 2017.

After raising about $620 million since it was founded in 2016, autonomous trucking startup Plus is being acquired by Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. V, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.

American Robotics, an industrial drone developer specializing in autonomy for rugged, real-world environments, was recently acquired

by Ondas Holdings for $70.6 million.

American Robotics was the first startup resident of MassRobotics.

Credit: NASA JPL

robotic rover is currently searching for signs of previous life on the Red Planet.

Also attached to its underbelly was the Ingenuity Helicopter, which became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Notable market innovators include AutoX and Waymo, which both introduced to the public Level 4 robotaxi services that don’t have human safety drivers. Waymo launched its service near Phoenix in late 2020, while AutoX followed suit in January 2021 By innovation class:

20

Application & Markets

3

Business & Management

27

Technology, Services & Research

in Shenzhen, China. Both services are far from perfect and are only offered in small, mapped areas. However, L4 robotaxis officially arrived in the world thanks to AutoX and Waymo.

More people are killed or injured each year in the mining industry than any other industry. Australia-based Orica is a perfect example of how robots can be used for dangerous jobs. The company’s Avatel system automates blast hole charging systems for the underground mining market. It enables a single operator to prepare and charge explosives from the safety of an enclosed cabin, several meters from the rock faces and out of harm’s way.

Similar to the 2020 list, one company was recognized this year for social good. READY Robotics was honored for its work to address the skills gap

With Spot Arm, Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped is no longer just a data collection robot, but rather a skilled mobile manipulator that can interact with its environment.

Credit: Boston Dynamics

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THE ROBOT REPORT

6/4/21 1:14 PM

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THE NEW MUST HAVE FOR ROBOTS!

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RBR50 Introduction that has continued to negatively impact the manufacturing industry. It launched a free, online educational platform designed to teach manufacturing professionals how to design, program, deploy, manage and scale automation. The skilled labor shortage that is limiting manufacturing productivity is expected to grow to 2.4 million unfilled jobs by 2028.

A major change to this year’s list is the lack of companies that develop autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for logistics applications. Nine AMR companies that focus primarily on logistics made the list in 2020, while only 3 did so in 2021: BMW’s IDEALWorks, GreyOrange, and inVia Robotics. In part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and growing e-commerce pressures, most AMR companies focused on scaling deployments rather than developing new models. RR

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While the majority of RBR50 winners are based in the U.S. (30), 13 other countries were represented, including Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Within the U.S., organizations from 15 states were included on this year’s list, with 15 winners coming from California alone. Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania each had two winners.

A winner from Massachusetts to keep an eye on is commercial drone developer American Robotics. In January 2021, it became the first company approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate fully autonomous drones without visual observers on site. This approval could unlock long-awaited and widespread drone usage for the commercial market, which is projected to be a $100 billion market.

Denmark-based Universal Robots (UR) once again made the list. This is the 10th time in 11 years that UR won an RBR50 award, far more than any other company on the list. It won for its ActiNav machine loading kit for bin-picking and machine-tending applications. There are only five repeat winners from the 2020 list, including Boston Dynamics, SCHUNK, SICK, UR and Waymo.

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The Motus Labs M-DRIVE series of precision geared solutions offer a higher torque density than competing strain wave gearing with no compromise in performance. The patented design utilizes a series of CAM-driven blocks that engage over 80% of the output ring surface area at all times. This design distributes load stresses over a much larger surface area, delivering a much greater torque per unit size than other technologies.

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RBR50 CHART Company

Innovation

Innovation Type

Innovation Subclass

Accerion

Accerion releases novel positioning sensor with sub-millimeter accuracy, for mobile robots and automated guided vehicles.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Ambi Robotics

Ambi Robotics leverages Sim2Real technology to train its picking robots much faster than by collecting real-world data.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

American Robotics

American Robotics becomes first company approved

by FAA to operate autonomous drones without visual observers on site.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

AutoStore

AutoStore deploys e-grocery micro-fulfillment centers to optimize grocery e-commerce workflow.

Application & Market Innovation

Retail/Wholesale

AutoX

AutoX launches China’s first Level 4 robotaxi service without safety drivers.

Application & Market Innovation

Transportation

BMW/IDEALworks

BMW Group launches IDEALworks, helping itself and becoming an AMR player.

Business & Management Innovation

Leadership

Boston Dynamics

A 6-DoF robotic arm opens new doors for Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Canvas

Canvas releases a drywall finishing robot that can spray and sand drywall mud.

Application & Market Innovation

Construction/Demolition

DreamVu

DreamVu’s single-sensor solution reduces the cost and complexity of providing robots with omnidirectional, 3D vision.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Embodied

Embodied revolutionizes child development with Moxie social companion robot.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

FarmWise

FarmWise leverages machine learning and robotics to power agricultural weeding solution.

Application & Market Innovation

Agriculture

FedEx/PlusOne

FedEx adds pick-and-place robots into its small package sort facility to handle shipment growth.

Application & Market Innovation

Logistics

Ford/University of Michigan

The University of Michigan opens Ford Motor Company Robotics Building.

Business & Management Innovation

Leadership

GreyOrange

GreyOrange and Vicarious launches autonomous vertical picking solution for automated pick-n-pack operations.

Application & Market Innovation

Logistics

Hello Robot

Hello Robot’s Stretch RE-1 democratizes mobile manipulation.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

inVia Robotics

inVia Picker Wall increases warehouse productivity by 10x.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Services Introduction

Material Handling Systems

MHS’ multi-pick robotic end effector picks up 36 items simultaneously.

Application & Market Innovation

Logistics

ModalAI

ModalAI’s VOXL Flight combines powerful autonomy computer and PX4 flight controller on a single board.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Monarch Tractor

Monarch Tractor launches all-electric, autonomous, compact class tractor.

Application & Market Innovation

Agriculture

Motus Labs

Motus Labs’ ML1000 series of gearless drives create high torque and high performance.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

NASA JPL

NASA JPL’s Mars 2020 Mission revolutionizes future of space exploration.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Oculii

Oculii’s intelligent software increases resolution, sensitivity and range of radar.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

THE ROBOT REPORT

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RBR50 CHART Company

Innovation

Innovation Type

Innovation Subclass

Open Robotics

Built on ROS 2, RoMi-H enables interoperability of heterogeneous robot fleets.

Application & Market Innovation

Healthcare

Opteran Technologies Limited

Natural Intelligence the basis for Opteran Technologies’ machine autonomy solutions.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Primary or Applied Research

Orica

Orica uses robotics to improve the speed of the blast charging process while increasing the safety of human miners.

Application & Market Innovation

Mining/Quarrying

Ottonomy

Ottonomy makes air travel a little easier by providing gate-side deliveries to weary travelers.

Application & Market Innovation

Consumer

Photoneo s.r.o.

Photoneo’s MotionCam-3D provides no compromise 3D reconstruction of objects in motion.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Plus

Plus demonstrates value of SL4 for trucking, and paves way for fully autonomous driving.

Application & Market Innovation

Transportation

Prophesee

Prophesee debuts Metavision Intelligence Suite SDK as part of ecosystem for event-based visioning.

Application & Market Innovation

Manufacturing

QLayers

QLayers’ 10Q robot transforms traditional, manual method of coating large industrial surfaces.

Application & Market Innovation

Construction/Demolition

Qualcomm Technologies

Qualcomm’s RB5 provides high-end compute, edge AI, 5G and more for robotics developers.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

RE2 Robotics

RE2 automates solar panel installation and reduces the time to set up new solar energy farms.

Application & Market Innovation

Energy

READY Robotics

READY Robotics launches free, online educational platform to address skills gap.

Business & Management Innovation

Social Good

rideOS

rideOS builds a traffic control center for managing fleets of autonomous vehicles.

Application & Market Innovation

Transportation

Rocos

Rocos enables cloud-based, remote operation and real-time visualization of heterogeneous robotic fleets.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

ROEQ

ROEQ innovates with new coded light sensor to bridge the communication gap between AMR and conveyor docks.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

SBG Systems

SBG Systems’ tiny Ellipse-D inertial sensor provides precise heading and centimeter-level position accuracy.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

SCHUNK

SCHUNK’s Plug & Work portfolios simplify and speed up cobot deployments.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Seoul Robotics

Seoul Robotics Discovery democratizes LiDAR-based 3D sensing.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

SICK

SICK LiDAR-LOC enables contour-based navigation on mobile robotics platforms.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Siemens Digital Industries Software

Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio accelerates innovation for autonomous vehicle startups.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Services Introduction

SLAMcore

SLAMcore releases SpatialAI SDK, a powerful set of navigation functions.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew enables better surgical outcomes with robotic-assisted surgery.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Tevel Aerobotics Technologies

Tevel launches commercial tethered drone solution to identify and pick ripe fruit.

Application & Market Innovation

Agriculture

THE ROBOT REPORT

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Advanced Robotics for Smart Logistics

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RBR50 CHART Company

Innovation

Innovation Type

Innovation Subclass

ULC Technologies

Roadworks operations are safer and easier with robotic-assisted asset mapping and excavation.

Application & Market Innovation

Utilities

Universal Robots

Universal Robots’ ActiNav simplifies machine-loading applications.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

Vention

Vention simplies automation design and specification process with online workcell design and ordering tool.

Application & Market Innovation

Manufacturing

Verizon New Business Incubation

Verizon 5G enables new modes of operation and enhances wireless communication for autonomous mobile robots.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Primary or Applied Research

Waymo

Waymo One launches in Phoenix area in October 2020, becoming first Level 4 robotaxi service.

Application & Market Innovation

Transportation

WiBotic

WiBotic releases WiBotics Commander software for fleet energy management of mobile robots.

Technology, Services & Research Innovation

Product Introduction

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Accerion Triton a Unique Localization Sensor for Mobile Robots Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Accerion Netherlands www.accerion.tech 2015 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In September 2020, Accerion released the vision-based Triton positioning sensor for mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). The Triton provides sub-millimeter accuracy and enables AMRs and AGVs to easily and accurately determine their location, independent om the environment.

Analysis: The Accerion Triton sensor is unique in the market and delivers a necessary element of localization without the need to add infrastructure to the operating environment for AMRs and AGVs. Without Triton, most devices are only capable of centimeter accuracy, but Triton delivers sub-millimeter accuracy throughout the facility. The Triton is a plug-and play replacement for line guiding and magnetic wire following sensors. This enables AGVs that were previously guided by paint or magnetic stripes on the floor

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to become virtual line followers. The Triton system consists of a camera, lighting, CPU, software and database embedded in one sensor measuring 110 x 110 x 40 mm with two connections: power supply and signal exchange. Triton holds CE, FCC and RoHS certifications.

Triton enables robot designers to have a number of navigation options available to them depending on the use case and the economic constraints of the application. RR – Mike Oitzman

THE ROBOT REPORT

6/4/21 12:55 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Ambi Robotics Leverages Sim2Real Technology to Power Picking Robots Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Ambi Robotics U.S. www.ambirobotics.com 2019 1-10 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: Ambi Robotics emerged om stealth in March 2021 and introduced AmbiSort and AmbiKit, AIpowered pick-and-place robots for parcel sortation and e-commerce kitting. Co-founded by leading roboticist Ken Goldberg, the robots can sort a variety of parcel types, including boxes, polybags, and mail envelopes, and successfully pick om bins, chutes, totes, or gaylords.

Ambi’s robots are modular, and the company claimed AmbiSort works over 50% faster than manual labor. The systems get smarter over time thanks to AI-based quality control that improves accuracy to avoid mispicks.

Analysis: Pick-and-place robots for logistics applications are not novel, but Ambi’s operating system is. The robots are powered

by AmbiOS, the company’s advanced operating system that leverages proprietary simulation-to-reality technology to rapidly teach robots unique pick and pack tasks.

AmbiOS leverages The Dexterity Network (Dex-Net) project that automates the training of deep neural networks to improve a robot’s ability to grasp items. Dex-Net was created

by Goldberg and his team at the University of California, Berkeley.

THE ROBOT REPORT

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AmbiOS trains robots in simulation and transfers its deep neural network advancements to real-world systems.

Goldberg claims Dex-Net trains robots in hours, not months, 10,000 times faster than collecting data in the real world.

Faster training in simulation opens up new opportunities for robotic manipulation, creating more capable robots from day one that can help companies handle surging e-commerce demand. RR – Steve Crowe

www.therobotreport.com

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH — Product Introduction

American Robotics’ FAA Approval a Major Milestone for Commercial Drones Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

American Robotics U.S. www. american-robotics.com 2016 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Product Introduction

Description: In January 2021, Marlborough, Mass.-based American Robotics became the first company approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate fully autonomous drones without visual observers on-site. Before this approval, waivers and certifications awarded by the FAA required visual observers to be stationed along the flight path to monitor a drone’s airspace.

American Robotics’ Scout System features advanced acoustic detect-and-avoid technology that enables it to maintain a safe distance om other aircra . Scout is designed for data gathering applications in industrial, agricultural and governmental settings.

Analysis: The value and scalability of the U.S. commercial drone industry has been drastically inhibited, or in most cases, eliminated by burdensome restrictions.

Autonomy, and the ability to fly without an operator, should have a major impact on drone adoption in a variety of industries.

American Robotics’ groundbreaking FAA approval is a critical step forward for the commercial drone industry. The industry can now build on American Robotics’ success by continuing to work with the FAA toward safe

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integration of commercial drones into our national airspace.

With this new regulatory approval, American Robotics is unlocking longawaited and widespread drone usage for the commercial market, which is projected to be a $100 billion industry. As a result, the company is enabling never-before-possible access to real-time information, next-generation analytics, and AI-powered insights to bring dated industries into the 21st century. RR – Steve Crowe

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6/4/21 12:58 PM

APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Retail/Wholesale

AutoStore Micro Fulfillment Centers Enable Grocers to Optimize Delivery Services Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

AutoStore U.S. www. autostoresystem.com 1996 101-500 Application & Market Innovation Retail/Wholesale

Description: During 2020, AutoStore rolled out micro-fulfillment centers (MFC) to enable grocery e-commerce fulfillment workflow. The AutoStore MFC solution fits in the space between largescale but remote automated warehouses and labor-intensive, in-store fulfillment. AutoStore MFCs enable retailers to have more efficient order fulfillment through both in-store pickup and rapid home delivery to customers.

Analysis: Full blown automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) have emerged as one of the key solutions for warehouse fulfillment.

Historically, cube-based ASRS systems, like those delivered by AutoStore, required a huge investment in time and money, along with a large allocation of warehouse floorspace. The innovation of a “micro-fulfillment” center is in the space optimization of smaller footprint ASRS designs. AutoStore leveraged its core knowledge and expertise in ASRS design to produce a high-density storage solution that

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can be deployed effectively into a smaller footprint. An AutoStore MFC can be configured to fit in a grocery store back storeroom or even in a section of the front-of-house retail space to provide a new shopping experience. The solution is easily expandable to accommodate future growth. Finally, unlike in-store fulfillment options for curbside or home delivery, AutoStore MFC provides complete inventory control to minimize the opportunity for stockouts, a common problem for in-store fulfillment. RR – Mike Oitzman

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APPLICATION AND MARKET INNOVATION — Transportation

AutoX is World’s 2nd Company to Operate Driverless Robotaxi Service Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

AutoX China www.autox.ai 2016 100+ Application and Market Innovation Transportation

Description: AutoX, a Chinese autonomous vehicle pioneer, opened its Level 4 driverless robotaxi service to the public in Shenzhen, China in January 2021. This is the first time the general public in China can pay for a robotaxi that doesn’t have a safety driver. The modified Fiat Chrysler Pacifica minivans use a variety of sensing modalities, including cameras, LiDAR, radar, IMUs and GPS. Shenzhen has the highest level of population density of any city in China. To start, AutoX’s fleet of 25 Pacifica minivans will operate within Shenzhen’s Pingshan district, which is 65 square miles in size. AutoX’s vehicles have teleoperators standing by in case the systems encounter situations they can’t handle. AutoX is also testing a robotaxi service in Shanghai, but it currently uses safety drivers.

Analysis: AutoX became the second company in the world to launch a Level 4 robotaxi service to the public without safety drivers. Fellow RBR50 company Waymo was the first to do so, opening its robotaxi service to the public in Chandler, Arizona in late 2020.

In just five years, AutoX launched its public robotaxi service, which shows the rate at which innovation is happening in the space.

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The company is the first to obtain permits in four mega cities in China (name them) and the second to obtain a driverless robotaxi permit in California, although it has yet to utilize it.

There is tremendous activity taking place within China’s autonomous vehicle industry, but none more impressive than what AutoX has accomplished. RR – Steve Crowe

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6/4/21 1:01 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Robot Arm Opens Doors for Boston Dynamics’ Spot Quadruped Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Boston Dynamics U.S. www.bostondynamics.com 1992 101-500 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In February 2021, Boston Dynamics released its long-awaited Spot Arm. Featuring a 6-DoF arm and two-finger gripper, the robot arm attaches to the Spot quadruped and can grab, li , place, and drag a variety of objects, including door knobs, tools, and valves.

Spot Arm features a maximum li capacity of 24.3 lb, while the gripper features integrated time of flight, IMU, and 4K RGB sensors, as well as two accessory ports for power and Gigabit Ethernet. Manipulating objects with Spot Arm can be done manually or semi-autonomously via constrained manipulation or “Touch to Grasp.” If controlling Spot on a tablet, for example, users simply touch the object on the screen that they want Spot to manipulate. The robot will then autonomously figure out how to best grasp the object.

Analysis: Spot first became commercially available in June 2020 for $74,500. There are now 500plus Spot quadrupeds operating in the real world. With Spot Arm, Spot is no longer just a data collection robot, but rather a highlyskilled mobile manipulator that can interact with its environment.

A legged mobile manipulator is a novel form factor. Spot performs whole-body manipulation with its robotic arm, as opposed to just acting as a four-legged base that brings the arm to the desired location.

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Not only will existing Spot users gain greater functionality with Spot Arm, but it will expand the quadruped’s customer base and generate more revenue for Boston Dynamics, which was acquired by Hyundai Motor Group in December 2020 for $880 million.

RR – Steve Crowe

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Construction

Canvas Partners with International Union on Novel Drywall Finishing Robot Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Canvas U.S. www.canvas.build 2017 11-15 Application & Market Innovation Construction

Description: San Francisco-based Canvas exited stealth mode in November 2020, unveiling a semiautonomous drywall finishing robot. The robot combines a mobile base, robot arm, multiple end effectors and multiple sensing modalities to spray and sand drywall mud.

Canvas currently focuses on installing drywall at commercial construction sites larger than 10,000 square feet. It claims it can consistently deliver better than Level 5 finish, what it calls Machine-Finished Level 5, and reduce finishing times by up to 2.5x.

Analysis: Drywall finishing represents one of the dirtiest jobs in construction. It’s also often over budget and behind schedule. Canvas is changing this by putting better tools in the hands of construction workers by creating a new class of robotics.

Canvas also partnered with leading builders, including Webcor, Swinerton, and Suffolk, and District Council 16 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. This will not only help improve the technology, it gets the robot into the hands of more skilled operators. Canvas’

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approach will help construction workers familiarize themselves with and accept robotic technology, which is often a barrier to adoption in many industries.

Canvas considers itself a techenabled drywall subcontractor, not a robotics company. Canvas was set up as a construction company for go-to-market purposes, and the company is hired just like any other subcontractor, except it arrives at the jobsite with state-of-the-art robots in tow. RR – Steve Crowe

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6/4/21 1:07 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

DreamVu Reduces Cost, Complexity of Giving Robots 360° Situational Awareness Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

DreamVu U.S. www.dreamvu.com 2017 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: PAL and PAL Mini, two solid-state, omnidirectional 3D vision systems recently launched by Philadelphia-based DreamVu, includes the hardware (camera) and the so ware required to run the camera and to perform tasks such as obstacle detection and avoidance, localization and mapping. Each system provides 360° horizontal field-of-view, with PAL supporting a 110° vertical field-of-view while PAL Mini offers an 80° vertical field-of-view.

Analysis: The sensor stacks in robots (especially mobile robots) are expensive and complex. DreamVu addresses these challenges by offering the low power, small form factor PAL and PAL Mini, 360° 3D cameras that provide highresolution vision, high-accuracy depth, and color 3D point-clouds.

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The PAL stereo vision systems deliver a large field of view for situational awareness, but at a lower cost than LiDAR solutions or others requiring the use of additional narrow field-of-view cameras to provide the same 360° coverage. RR – Dan Kara

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Embodied Revolutionizes Child Development with Moxie Social Companion Robot Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Embodied U.S. https://embodied.com/ 2016 50-100 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In April 2020, Los Angeles-based Embodied Inc. formally launched Moxie, an engaging robot companion for children designed to promote social, emotional, and cognitive development through play-based learning. Embodied representatives have acknowledged that its vision is a ‘moonshot,’ but the social imperatives for this new class of child development tool forced the company to overcome a number of significant challenges in unique ways.

Analysis: There have been other attempts at developing social robots for children, many of them little more than advanced, consumer-class toys, but a few like Moxie were designed specifically to promote social engagement and cognitive development. These systems largely failed to find a commercial footing.

The developers of Moxie have learned om these earlier attempts. They also benefited om a new generation of critical enablers - powerful microprocessors, computer vision and machine learning – that provide advanced capabilities at a relatively low cost.

For example, Embodied developed its SocialX platform, which leverages machine learning, enabling children to interact with Moxie naturally via conversation, facial expressions, and body language. To ensure privacy, Moxie

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notably does not require cloud-based services to deliver most of the necessary social skills to facilitate spontaneous, two-way interactions.

In addition to the advanced technologies incorporated into Moxie, the Embodied team also created a specialized curriculum for Moxie based on child development research that makes interacting with the robot fun and engaging.

Embodied also opted for a subscription model for Moxie’s launch that includes so ware and curricula updates, access to the Global Robotics Laboratory, an online children portal with games and stories, and behavioral analytics via the Embodied Moxie app.

The technologies, business model, and the decades of children’s development research make Moxie a moonshot with its heart in the right place RR - Dan Kara

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6/4/21 1:19 PM

APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Agriculture

FarmWise Leverages Machine Learning and Robotics to Power Agricultural Weeding Solution Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

FarmWise U.S. https://farmwiselabs.com/ 2016 51-100 Application & Market Innovation Agriculture

Description: In April 2020, Farmwise released its Titan FT-35, the third and most advanced version of its driverless weeding tractor. The Titan FT-35 solution, which is currently offered as a service to vegetable growers in California and Arizona (fee per acre), includes the operation, servicing, and maintenance of the Titan system.

Analysis: Agricultural weeding (and other similar undertakings) is a costly and laborintensive task, and chemical methods, while effective, are expensive and often have negative environmental consequences associated with them. For the Titan system, Farmwise leveraged computer vision and machine learning to distinguish

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vegetables — including broccoli, lettuce and cauliflower —from weeds, which are then removed with robotic arms. No herbicides are involved in the process. The result?

Streamlined farm operations and increased food production efficiency, while reducing the environmental impact of agricultural weeding. RR – Dan Kara

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Logistics

Pick-and-place Robots Help FedEx Handle e-commerce Growth Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

FedEx U.S. www.fedex.com 1971 500+ Application & Market Innovation Logistics

Description: In 2020, FedEx introduced four pick-and-place robots into its small package sort facility at the Memphis Hub. These robots were one of the first of their kind when it came to sorting packages at a major sorting facility.

The robots work two 4-hour shi s - a day sort and a night sort. Each robot sorts anywhere om 1000-1400 packages per hour depending on package mix. In 2021, FedEx plans to expand the number of robots not only in Memphis, but other operations in its network.

Analysis: This innovation shows how far robotics, AI, and vision systems have come when dealing with the diversity of package types that the typical package sort operation deals with. This opens up the rest of the industry to deploy more of these types of systems into their networks.

FedEx’s deployment showcases the state-ofthe-art as Amazon just did something similar with its “Robin” robot.

With the explosion of e-commerce due to

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the COVID-19 pandemic, this breakthrough will help not only FedEx, but the rest of the logistics industry to deal with the continued growth in shipments while also dealing with a shrinking workforce as Baby Boomers retire.

This type of application also allows FedEx and others to reposition and upskill their workforce to address other tasks within their operations and not this monotonous task of picking and placing packages into a sorter. RR – Steve Crowe

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6/4/21 1:23 PM

BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT INNOVATION — Leadership

University of Michigan Opens Ford Motor Company Robotics Building Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

University of Michigan U.S. https://umich.edu 1817 N/A Business & Management Innovation Leadership

Description: In March 2021, the University of Michigan (U-M) held the grand opening of the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building, a four-story, $75 million, 134,000-square-foot robotics research complex. The first three floors of the facility will house U-M robotics research labs, while the fourth floor will lodge Ford’s first robotics and mobility research lab on a university campus, as well as 100 Ford roboticists, including autonomous vehicle researchers.

Analysis: The state of Michigan is headquarters of car manufacturers Ford and General Motors, as well as major automotive systems and components suppliers, all of which rely heavily on robotic automation. So it comes as no surprise that the University of Michigan, home of M-Air, a research facility focused on autonomy and collaborative robotics, and Mcity, a testing ground for autonomous vehicles, was well-regarded as a world-class center for robotics and autonomy research prior to the opening of the Ford research facility. The opening of the Ford Motor

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Company Robotics Building will further enhance that reputation.

The work at the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building and other U-M research sites will generate new robotics capabilities and technologies by participating in both fundamental and applied research. But they will also facilitate robotics innovation through technology transfer activities, networking events, and most importantly, the education of the next generation of robotics researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. RR – Dan Kara

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Logistics

GreyOrange Autonomous Vertical Picking Increases e-commerce Operation 300-400% Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

GreyOrange Singapore www.greyorange.com 2011 500+ Application & Market Innovation Logistics

Description: In March 2021, GreyOrange teamed up with Vicarious to bring a unique, fully autonomous, order picking solution to market. The GreyMatter Fulfillment Operating System (FOS) oversees the entire fulfillment workflow for this solution. FOS provides oversight of the GreyOrange Butler AMRs to bring bulk inventory into and out of the Vicarious work cells. FOS also orchestrates the Vicarious picking robot to properly configure each specific customer order.

Analysis:

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Vicarious’ computer-vision and gripper technology enables it to handle unstructured and hard to grasp items. The Vicarious robot is capable of picking items from vertically oriented bulk storage. The combination of automated order picking by Vicarious, together with the continual flow of bulk inventory with the GreyOrange AMRs, is a unique fulfillment workflow solution on the market. The FOS has knowledge about all of the customer orders for the day, and

orchestrates all of the automation on the warehouse floor to fulfill customer orders.

The result is that this solution is helping e-commerce and omnichannel players increase the efficiency of their operations by 300 to 400 percent while also providing safe and socially-distanced work environments for their associates. RR – Mike Oitzman

www.therobotreport.com

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6/4/21 1:26 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Hello Robot’s Stretch a Major Step Towards Democratizing Mobile Manipulation Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Hello Robot U.S. www.hello-robot.com 2017 1-10 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: A er three-plus years in stealth mode, Martinez, Calif.-based Hello Robot launched its Stretch RE1 mobile manipulator in July 2020. Designed primarily as a research platform, Stretch weighs less than 55 lb, offers a payload capacity of more than 3.3 lb, 3D perception, a compliant gripper, open-source so ware and much more.

A sleek, carbon-fiber telescoping arm can reach up 43.3 inches high and extends outward 20.5 inches, enabling the robot to grasp items on a variety of surfaces. Stretch RE1 also features torque sensing in all its joints to detect contact, a laser range finder, an onboard computer, and differential two-wheel drive. The robot has various mount points and expansion ports that allow researchers to extend the robot with their own hardware.

Analysis: Led by Aaron Edsinger and Charlie Kemp, Hello Robot combines decades of experience in industry and academia. Stretch RE1 is a novel, low-cost approach to mobile manipulation.

At $17,950, Stretch costs a fraction of what other mobile manipulators sell for without compromising its performance. The PR2, for example, cost upwards of $400,000 when it was the state-of-the-art mobile manipulator 10-plus years ago.

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Stretch is a major step towards democratizing mobile manipulation technology. On top of being capable, lightweight and opensource, Stretch ships with out-of-the-box teleoperation and demos of autonomous functionality like path planning and object grasping, facilitating prototyping of new applications. RR – Steve Crowe

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BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT INNOVATION — Leadership

BMW Group Launches IDEALworks, Helping Itself and Becoming an AMR Player Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

BMW / IDEALworks Germany https://idealworks.com 2020 34 Business & Management Innovation Leadership

Description: In 2020 the BMW Group launched a wholly-owned, Munich-based subsidiary named IDEALworks, with the “IDEAL” standing for Industry-Driven Engineering for Autonomous Logistics. IDEALworks was formed om BMW’s Logistics innovation team, which during the previous five years had developed the Smart Transport Robot STR (in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institute and other technology partners such as NVIDIA), an intelligent autonomous mobile robot (AMR) optimized for intralogistics work in BMW’s automotive factories.

The STRs – now renamed iw.hub - had been in use at several BMW production sites prior to the founding of IDEALworks, but in 2020, the iw.hub was made commercially available to companies outside of BMW.

Analysis: The IDEALworks founding and iw.hub commercialization demonstrates business leadership at multiple levels. First, BMW leveraged the company’s domain expertise in logistics to develop a solution optimized for automotive manufacturing (BMW officials have indicated that 3rd party AMR solutions were lacking). By spinning off IDEALworks and commercializing the iw.hub, BMW’s AMR skunkworks goes from being a revenue sink to a revenue source in the very hot AMR market.

IDEALworks intends to broaden its AMR

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offerings targeting applications outside of logistics and possibly industries outside of automotive. This opens up further opportunities for continued growth and systems development, and well as the formation of new partnerships. All the while, IDEALworks benefits from its relationship to the mother company BMW Group, which as a global multinational business will continue to be a driver for robotics innovation and source for in-house proof-of-concepts and testing. RR – Dan Kara

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Services Introduction

inVia Robotics Optimizes Picking Operations with Picker Wall Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

inVia Robotics U.S. www.inviarobotics.com 2015 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Services Introduction

Description: The inVia Picker Wall innovates warehouse goods-to-person workflow by optimizing the target SKUs for each day’s customer orders. By pre-staging ordered quantities and decoupling robots om shi work, inVia Robotics’ customers have seen up to 10x throughput improvement.

Analysis: inVia Picker robots (AMRs) autonomously retrieve goods from the warehouse and put the bulk storage bins onto the wall for workers to pick from. This process decouples the order fulfillment process from the automatic storage and retrieval of goods from warehouse inventory locations. inVia software keeps track of the bulk storage locations of individual SKUs, and continuously optimizes the storage of items based on their demand by customer orders. High volume SKUs are stored on shelves close to the Picker Wall, while “long tail” items are placed into storage

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on shelves in the aisles furthest away from the Picker Wall. Throughout the day, inVia Picker AMRs continuously shuffle bulk storage bins between the inVia Picker Wall and a target storage location based on the demands of upcoming orders.

Some existing inVia customers have seen dramatic throughput enhancements with the implementation of the inVia Picker Wall without any additional robots being deployed. Given that inVia customers pay for the service in a robotsas-a-service contract, this is a win-win for both inVia and the end customer. RR – Mike Oitzman

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Logistics

Material Handling Systems’ Multi-pick End Effector a Step Forward for Pick-and-Place Technology Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Material Handling Systems U.S. www.mhsglobal.com 1999 500+ Application & Market Innovation Logistics

Description: Unlike end effectors that handle a single item at a time, the multi-pick robotic end effector om Material Handling Systems (MHS) can pick up and hold up to 36 items simultaneously and pack four orders at a time into four separate shipping boxes. Working as part of a goods-to-robot fulfillment system, this package offers a throughput rate of 90,000 pieces picked and 42,000 orders fulfilled per day.

Analysis: Today’s e-commerce landscape pushes supply chains to meet faster service levels and overcome labor challenges in the face of intense cost pressures. MHS’ multi-pick end effector uses advanced technology to help companies reduce dependency on a shaky labor pool, control costs, and boost output.

The multi-pick robotic end effector breaks new ground for robotic order fulfillment with an end effector capable of processing

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large numbers of items to plan for and pick higher quantities and then act as an ondemand buffer, holding some items while packing orders of various quantities as available. The multi-pick robotic end effector is a step forward for pick-and-place robotic technology in logistics and offers meaningful productivity advantages for businesses with large amounts of multi-item orders to fulfill.

RR – Steve Crowe

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6/4/21 1:31 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

ModalAI’s VOXL Flight Combines Powerful Autonomy Computer and PX4 Flight Controller on a Single Board Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

ModalAI U.S. www.modalai.com 2018 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In April 2020, ModalAI, a Qualcomm spin out, released VOXL Flight, a development platform for GPS-denied autonomous drone localization and navigation, along with computer vision for AIpowered object recognition, depth sensing and obstacle avoidance.

The SWaP-C (size, weight, power consumption, and cost) optimized VOXL Flight incorporates a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC and PX4 flight controller on a single board, and can support up to four image sensors for simultaneous 4k video capture, streaming and machine vision processing.

An LTE add-on is available that plugs into the VOXL’s board-to-board connector, enabling command and control for operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).

Analysis: VOXL Flight’s single-board architecture (small size, low weight) and powerful compute, imaging and navigation features makes it a great choice for autonomous drone developers building systems for indoor flight (and other GPS-deprived environments), as well as large scale, 4G LTE-enabled BVLOS operations. As such, it enables and simplifies the development of drone-based solutions for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications.

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For companies developing solutions for the U.S. defense department, it is also notable that the VOXL Flight is developed and manufactured in the U.S., and so it is compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2020, which bars the U.S. military from purchasing unmanned aircraft systems that are designed or manufactured in foreign countries. RR – Dan Kara

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Agriculture

Monarch Launches All-electric, Compact Tractor Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Monarch Tractor U.S. www.monarchtractor.com 2018 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Agriculture

Description: In November 2020, Monarch Tractor launched an all-electric, compact-class tractor. With an electric motor, the Monarch Tractor brings a new level of autonomy to small- and medium-sized farms around the world. The tractor works with any existing compact tractor, and opens the door to a new class of “smart implements” that will enable additional automation of in-field operations.

Analysis: Monarch Tractor is “betting the farm” that existing small farm operators will more easily accept an autonomous tractor if the machine can leverage their investment in existing implements. Unlike many of its competitors that are bringing single-purpose robotic agriculture platforms to market, the Monarch philosophy is centered around the ubiquity of the compact tractor form factor on farms worldwide. The Monarch team spent three years designing, piloting and iterating on an entirely new platform. The tractor is completely “drive

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by wire.” This enables the tractor to function autonomously, or even to be remotely operated.

The tractor can also function manually just like a classic tractor. The tractor is equipped with a standard 3-point hitch, making it compatible with existing implements. However, the tractor also includes a power bus and a CAN-bus sensor connection, making the tractor “futureproof” and opening the door for innovation as manufacturers release new “smart-implements” that integrate additional sensing and intelligence. RR – Mike Oitzman

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6/4/21 1:35 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Motus Labs Gearless Drives Create High Torque, Performance Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Motus Labs U.S. https://motus-labs.com 2018 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In September 2020, Dallas-based Motus Labs commercially released its ML1000 series of precision gear drives. The gear drives feature Motus’ proprietary M-DRIVE design that use low iction mating blocks instead of traditional gear teeth.

The cam-driven blocks engage over 80% of the output ring surface area at all times, distributing load stresses over a large surface area. This enables the four models in the lineup to provide more torque for given weight and lower weight for given torque, creating rigidity and stable control over the robot.

Analysis: Motus Labs’ series of geared solutions provides value to new robotic and motion control applications due to the unique gear architecture, compact footprint, high torque density and performance. The collaborative robot market, for example, is demanding new designs that require smaller, lighter joints that rely on new enabling technologies.

The increased torque density from the ML1000 series can lead to a reduction of the

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size and weight of the gear drive at every joint of a robot. This can reduce the inertia of arm links, which potentially allows robot arm manufacturers to reduce the size of the motors used, significantly reduce overall production costs and create wider adoption of their systems. RR – Steve Crowe

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Mars 2020 Mission a Game-changer for Future of Space Exploration Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory U.S. www.jpl.nasa.gov 1936 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: On February 18, 2021, the Perseverance Rover landed on Mars. The fi h robotic rover traveled 292.5 million miles om Earth to Mars. Developed by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the rover is exploring Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient lake that existed 3.9 billion years ago, and searching for microfossils in rocks and soil.

Attached to Perseverance was the Ingenuity Helicopter. Weighing just 4 lb, Ingenuity features four carbon-fiber blades arranged into two rotors that spin in opposite directions at around 2,400 rpm – many times faster than a passenger helicopter on Earth. At press time, Ingenuity completed five test flights on Mars, becoming the first aircra in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Analysis: Perseverance is the most sophisticated rover NASA ever built, following in the footsteps of Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity, Curiosity.

The Mars 2020 Mission was full of firsts, including the first powered, controlled flight, the first recordings of sound on Mars and much more. Safely landing anything after a 292.5 million mile journey is impressive in itself, but Perseverance took things one step further by using terrain relative navigation

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to autonomously determine the best landing location on Mars. And powered flight is difficult to achieve on Mars because its atmosphere is 99% less dense than Earth’s.

NASA JPL’s execution of the Mars 2020 Mission has been nearly flawless. It is one of the greatest technological feats ever and has changed the future of space exploration. RR – Steve Crowe

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R O B O T I C S , S O F T WA R E , D E V I C E S

Considering lab automation to accelerate your science?

In addition to obtaining results, we believe that meta-data, protocol-related data and event tracking will also empower your drug discovery.

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HighRes has you covered!

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We offer scientists a spectrum of solutions from standalone to enterprise level automation along with fully extensible software allowing you to scale and connect your data streams to other platforms.

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Oculii’s Intelligent Software Increases Resolution, Sensitivity and Range of Radar Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Oculii U.S. www.oculii.com 2014 40 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: Oculii introduced two radar sensors incorporating the company’s AI-powered Virtual Aperture Imaging so ware that allows any radar to dynamically adapt and dramatically increase its resolution. At 5 x 5 cm and consuming less than 2.5W, the FALCON is well suited for costsensitive advanced driver-assist systems, industrial robots, and aerial drones. The EAGLE is a commercial 4D imaging radar designed for autonomous navigation capable of generating highresolution visibility of more than 350 meters in all directions regardless of fog, rain, dirt, or other sensor obstruction.

Analysis: Although radar is the most widely used visibility technology in the industry today, improving radar resolution has traditionally been based on a hardware approach (adding more antennas). This significantly increases cost, size,

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and power consumption of the sensors. Because of its software, Oculii’s radar solutions can deliver high resolution and long-range sensing in a more compact, low power, and less costly package.

RR – Dan Kara

www.therobotreport.com

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APPLICATION and MARKET INNOVATION — Healthcare

Open Robotics’ RoMi-H Simplifies Control of Heterogeneous Fleets Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Open Robotics U.S. www.openrobotics.org 2012 11-50 Application and Market Innovation Healthcare

Description: Robotic Middleware for Healthcare (RoMi-H) is an open-source system built on ROS 2 and simulated using Gazebo. It creates uniform communication and monitoring across heterogeneous fleets of robots, sensors and enterprise information systems. Open Robotics, the company behind ROS, recently deployed RoMi-H at Changi General Hospital in Singapore, in partnership with Singapore’s Centre for Healthcare Assistive and Robotics Technology (CHART), IHiS, Hope Technik, GovTech and more.

RoMi-H uses standardized communication protocols for in astructure, environments and automation where robots are deployed to optimize the use of critical resources (i.e. robots, li s, doors, passageways, etc). It adds intelligence to the system through resource allocation and by preventing conflicts over shared resources.

Analysis: As more robotics and automation technologies are introduced, interoperability needs to be front and center for every manufacturer, systems integrator, and end user. This is discussed a lot, and there are several groups discussing how to standardize this need. But Open Robotics’ RoMi-H has already applied this to a real-world robot fleet.

Companies need a unified approach to

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command and control all the robots in a facility, whether it be a hospital, warehouse or manufacturing facility. They need a reliable way to develop and test multi-vendor systems in so ware simulation prior to deployment.

RoMi-H is a significant step in the right direction, encouraging an open, integrated and efficient approach to developing and deploying heterogeneous robot fleet.. RR – Steve Crowe

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6/4/21 1:41 PM

TECHNOLOGY & SERVICES INNOVATION — Primary or Applied Research

“Natural Intelligence” the Basis for Opteran Technologies’ Machine Autonomy Solutions Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Opteran Technologies U.K. www.opteran.com 2020 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Primary or Applied Research

Description: Opteran Technologies has developed a suite of vision-based, edge compute products for robots and other autonomous machines based on eight years of honeybee research at the University of Sheffield. Recently the company announced its Opteran Development Kit (ODK) that includes two so ware-stabilized cameras for panoramic vision weighing 30g and only drawing a few watts of power. The ODK also integrates Opteran See technology that provides 360-degree image-stabilized panoramic vision and Opteran Sense, which calculates optic flow across the entire field of vision for obstacle avoidance and velocity estimation. Two additional components, Opteran Decide for autonomous decision making and Opteran Direct for SLAM, are forthcoming.

Analysis: Many machine autonomy solutions rely on Deep Learning, using massive datasets in enormous datacenters to generate autonomy software trained using statistical methods and complicated pattern matching. This approach has a number of drawbacks, including technical complexity, cost and difficulty scaling.

Opteran Technologies leveraged honeybee research to understand how tiny, real brains

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deliver complex autonomy. The algorithms and chipsets inspired by this work power Opteran’s vision based autonomy solutions - small, lightweight, ultra-low power – that are edge only and do not rely on large datasets or even training. Opteran’s solution, which it broadly deems “natural intelligence,” provides for efficient, robust, and scalable machine autonomy for a number of common autonomy tasks. RR – Dan Kara

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Linear Motion Guides

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THK leading linear motion products are now available in pre-assembled robot components. Our robot arm components feature a human hand shaped three-finger linkage system, allowing for grasping of objects of various sizes and shapes. An allin-one space-saving design integrates fingers, actuator, and the driver controller. THK offers a complete line of linear motion products for the robotics industry.

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Mining

Orica Automates Blast Hole Charging to Improve Consistency, Safety Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Orica Limited Australia www.orica.com 1874 10,000+ Application & Market Innovation Mining

Description: In December 2020, Orica launched Avatel, an automated and mechanized blast hole charging system for the underground mining market. The innovative Avatel solution enables a single operator to prepare and charge explosives om the safety of an enclosed cabin, several meters om the rock faces and out of harm’s way.

Analysis: Mining has always been dangerous work.

Orica has been supplying explosives to the Australian goldfields for more than 150 years, and is a global leader in blasting and productivity solutions. The Avatel is a stateof-the-art machine that combines all of Orica’s knowledge and experience with the latest in robotic technology. Avatel will help reduce errors and improve the consistency in the charging process while making one of the most dangerous tasks in mining safer for the charging operator. The Avatel looks

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like a mechanical incarnation of Edward Scissorhands, and mechanizes the entire charging process. The entire machine can be operated by a single operator, which helps to eliminate any additional miners from the immediate area during the charging process.

More people are killed or injured each year in the mining industry than any other industry, so innovations like the Orica Avatel help to save lives and reduce risks while improving productivity. A win-win for everyone involved.

RR – Mike Oitzman

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Consumer

Ottonomy Delivers to Passengers Waiting at Airport Gates Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Ottonomy U.S. www.ottonomy.io 2020 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Consumer

Description: Ottonomy is bringing the concept of last-mile delivery to the unique use case of airline passengers waiting to board an airplane. Using autonomous delivery pods and a smartphone app, Ottonomy enables airline passengers to securely order fast-food, snacks, and gi s om in-terminal vendors and have the items securely delivered to the passenger waiting at an airline gate. If the airplane loads while waiting for the delivery and you miss the pick up, no problem the item is returned and your fee is refunded.

Analysis: Ottonomy did its market research. The airline terminal delivery application is novel, yet it combines mature technologies that are ready for use. An airline terminal is a self-contained, well-defined space.

Unlike a street or sidewalk, the climate inside an airline terminal is environmentally controlled, and the biggest obstacles for an autonomous mobile robot are moving

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people, electric carts, and luggage bags. The floor surface in an airline terminal is also designed for wheelchairs and carts, making it easy for the Ottomony delivery pods to maneuver around the facility.

Ottonomy is providing a win-win service to both weary travelers and to airline terminal vendors. RR – Mike Oitzman

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6/4/21 1:45 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Photoneo’s MotionCam-3D Provides No Compromise 3D Reconstruction of Objects in Motion Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Photoneo Slovakia www.photoneo.com 2013 101-500 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: Photoneo’s MotionCam-3D, an IP65-rated 3D camera for scanning objects in rapid motion, is based on Photoneo’s patented technology called “Parallel Structured Light.” Implemented by a custom CMOS image sensor, the MotionCam-3D can capture objects moving up to 144 km/h and provide a high-quality 3D reconstruction with a point cloud resolution and with a high level of detail on edges. In addition to capturing dynamic scenes, MotionCam-3D offers modes for scanning static scenes and a 2D mode for texture images without 3D information.

Analysis: The capture and 3D reconstruction of objects in motion is challenging, typically requiring a tradeoff between good quality or high speed. MotionCam-3D’s ability to capture and reconstruct objects moving quickly and unpredictably with high resolution and accuracy makes it suitable for many common industrial applications such as bin-picking and belt-picking, machine tending, quality

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control and more. Perhaps more importantly, Photoneo’s MotionCam-3D opens up completely new opportunities for automation both for the imaging and handling of objects in motion (including employing machine learning), but also the sensing and monitoring of dynamic operating environments themselves. RR – Dan Kara

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90%

faster gripper change SWS Quick-change System

3°

Up to maximum deflection

TCU Tolerance Compensation Unit

NEW: Up to higher gripping force

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© 2021 SCHUNK Intec, Inc

PGN-plus-P Universal Gripper

Everything for your Articulating Arm Robot More than 3,000 components for handling and assembly.

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Transportation

Plus Demonstrates Value of L4 for Trucking and Paves Way for Fully Autonomous Driving Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Plus U.S. www.plus.ai 2016 101-500 Application & Market Innovation Transportation

Description: Plus is beginning the mass production PlusDrive, a driver-in, Supervised Level 4 (SL4) automated driving system designed for Class 8 trucks that can be installed on existing vehicles or built into new trucks (over 10,000 pre-orders, according to the company). Truck drivers can activate PlusDrive with the push of a button to help them handle the most tiring and error-prone parts of driving long-haul, including sitting in traffic, switching lanes, handling merges, and driving at night or over long, monotonous distances.

Analysis: PlusDrive has been under test since December 2020 with SF Express, China’s largest logistics company. Plus reports that the ongoing pilot program has logged over 62,000 miles of supervised autonomous driving with zero safety-related disengagements and a 20% reduction in fuel costs. These statistics, which approximate the results of earlier testing

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programs, also translate into reduced driver turnover, fewer accidents and fatalities, and lower carbon emissions for Class 8 transportation work. Plus’ SL4 PlusDrive solution, and the data generated from realworld operation, will also pave the way for the development of the next generation of fully autonomous, driver-out systems. RR – Dan Kara

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Manufacturing

Prophesee Debuts Metavision Intelligence Suite SDK as Part of Ecosystem for Event-Based Visioning Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Prophesee France www.prophesee.ai 2010 51-100 Application & Market Innovation Manufacturing

Description: In September 2020, Prophesee made available its Metavision Intelligence Suite, a development toolkit that includes 100 algorithms available through APIs, 67 code samples and 11 opensource, use-case specific application modules for designing and implementing event-based vision technology in machine vision systems. This “initial offering”, the result of 5 years of work, is comprised of three components – Player, Designer, and SDK – and will be constantly expanded with new use cases modules and code.

Analysis: Today’s machine vision systems, based on a form of frame-based imaging invented in the 1880s, capture everything going on in a scene at a fixed rate, taxing computing resources and complicating analysis as a result. Conversely, the bio-inspired, event-based sensing systems capture only what changes in a scene, which reduces computational load, and delivers low latency, high resolution imaging with lower power and processing requirements.

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Event-based imaging has a huge potential for automating tasks in environments where traditional cameras are challenged, such as for low light applications requiring lowlatency, high speed, and high dynamic range sensing. With its Metavision Intelligence Suite, Prophesee gives engineers a huge leg up for developing and implementing these systems. RR – Dan Kara

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6/4/21 1:49 PM

APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Construction

QLayers Transforms Manual Method of Coating Large Industrial Surfaces Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Qlayers Netherlands www.qlayers.com 2019 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Construction

Description: In February 2021, QLayers launched its 10Q painting robot that is designed to coat large industrial surfaces. The semi-autonomous system can paint up to 2,150 square feet per hour.

The system’s patented shielding system on the robot allows coating surfaces with high precision, accurate layer thickness and high transfer efficiency of up to 90%. It can paint tanks that are a maximum of 99 feet high and claims to have less than 1% overspray outside of the robot’s hood.

QLayers developed the system in partnership with Van der Ende Steel Protectors Group, which was founded in 1929 and is one of the largest Dutch specialists in the protection of steel against corrosion.

Analysis: When it comes to maintaining and protecting steel surfaces against corrosion, precision and coating quality are essential. Current manual application methods, such as spray coating or application by rollers, have shown many drawbacks as they are laborious, timeconsuming and hazardous for people and the environment. Long-term exposure to chemicals

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found in anti-corrosion coatings can cause chronic health issues due to the paint toxicity.

The 10Q robot from QLayers is an innovative solution that transforms the traditional method of coating large-scale industrial surfaces into a fully controlled, efficient, and safe process. RR – Steve Crowe

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Qualcomm Robotics’ RB5 Provides High End Compute, Edge AI, 5G and More for Robotics Developers Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Qualcomm Technologies U.S. www.qualcomm.com 1986 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In June 2020, Qualcomm Technologies released its RB5 AI-enabled 5G robotics ‘platform.’ The RB5 consists of a set of hardware, so ware, and a rich set of development tools optimized for all classes of robotics systems and drones - consumer, commercial, defense, and industrial. The RB5 platform is available in multiple options, including several chip-on-board and system-onmodule designs.

Analysis: At first blush, the RB5 could be considered just an upgrade from Qualcomm’s RB3 platform that was released in February 2019.

Yes, the RB5 provides multiple incremental improvements over its RB3 predecessor including multiple cameras and extra processing power for machine learning and computer vision work, but the platform also provides a whole range of new features. Most

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critical is the RB5’s built-in support for both 4G LTE and 5G connectivity via a companion module. This makes the RB5 especially suitable for drones and robots deployed outdoors where high-end compute at the edge and 5G’s secure low latency connectivity are critical for perception, localization, mapping, and navigation. RR – Dan Kara

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6/4/21 1:51 PM

APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Energy

RE2 Robotics Automates Solar Field Deployments Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

RE2 Robotics U.S. www.resquared.com 2001 51-100 Application & Market Innovation Energy

Description: RE2 Robotics is being recognized as a leader with the development of a robotic solution for autonomous deployment of solar fields. The Outdoor Autonomous Manipulation of Photovoltaic Panels (O-AMPP) robotic system is capable of both autonomously delivering and installing photovoltaic (PV) modules.

The O-AMPP base unit consists of the RE2 Sapien robotic manipulator fixed to the top of a large unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). This platform is capable of maneuvering in the tight spaces between PV arrays to deliver a new set of PV panels to the installation site.

Using computer vision, the system registers the target installation location and uses the Sapien arm to lift a PV panel and install it into the array.

Analysis: RE2 combines a variety of state-of-the-art technologies to help increase the productivity of solar panel installers. Commercial PV installations are growing at a record rate, and the market is currently understaffed with installers to meet the demand for green power. A solar plant can require the installation of hundreds of thousands of panels.

RE2 solves this market need with a

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completely automated PV panel installation solution. No other autonomous solution exists in the market.

O-AMPP acts as an assistive device, taking on the intensive task of picking and placing PV panels, while workers carry out finer tasks such as wiring, laying cable runs, and validating plant performance. RR – Mike Oitzman

www.therobotreport.com

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BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT INNOVATION — Social Good

READY Academy Helps Address Skilled Labor Shortage Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

READY Robotics U.S. www.ready-robotics.com/ 2016 11-50 Business and Management Innovation Social Good

Description: In October 2020, a er a trial with the East Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI), READY Robotics launched its READY Academy to the general public. The ee, online educational platform is designed to teach manufacturing professionals how to design, program, deploy, manage and scale automation.

It includes 75-plus hours of original educational videos, covering everything om project assessment, end-of-arm tooling, parts presentation, robot safety, robot programming, building machine tending tasks, and more. READY Academy also enables students to learn to program multiple brands of robots.

Analysis: READY Academy addresses the skilled labor shortage affecting the manufacturing industry by enabling anyone to learn the skills needed to design and deploy automation. The skilled labor shortage limiting manufacturing productivity is expected to grow to 2.4 million unfilled jobs by 2028. And the current educational system is insufficient to teach advanced manufacturing

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skills needed, much less the robot programming skills needed to support the deployment of automation at a scale.

READY Robotics believes education and ease of use are keys to unlocking automation for a wider variety of manufacturers. And the READY Academy could play a critical role in addressing the skilled labor shortage. RR – Steve Crowe

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6/4/21 1:54 PM

APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Transportaion

rideOS Develops Traffic Control Center for Autonomous Vehicles Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

rideOS U.S. http://rideos.ai 2017 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Transporation

Description: The rideOS platform provides an end-to-end mobility solution, with flexible routing, optimization, and dispatch technologies. The entire stack leverages a state-of-the-art routing engine with support for custom maps, dynamic operational domain limitations, and tunable costing of roads and turns. rideOS can combine the customization with real-time traffic awareness for better route optimization and accurate travel time estimation.

Analysis: Developers of autonomous vehicles want to deploy their vehicles to do productive work in a fleet. However, their core competencies are in robotics, safety, and manufacturing.

Mobility service providers want to welcome automated vehicles into their fleets, but they often license routing technologies that assume all vehicles are human-operated.

Such atypical routing decisions introduce

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fleet efficiency challenges that are not handled by most mobility platforms. Dispatch decisions are challenging when route predictions are wrong, and individual vehicle performance suffers when vehicles follow naive routes within their limited operational domains. These barriers to deployment can be broken down by the rideOS platform to help get autonomous vehicles doing efficient and productive work. RR – Steve Crowe

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

General Release of Rocos Makes Unified Control Available for Robotic Systems Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Rocos Australia https://rocos.io 2017 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: Rocos generally released its new cloud-based robotic management platform in 2020. The system has a pluggable architecture that enables new robots to connect to the Rocos solution within minutes, without any code changes. The solution enables remote intervention of robotic systems at scale, all om a unified user interface.

Analysis: Rocos is bridging the gap between robot manufacturers and enterprise robotic users to enable the unified management of heterogeneous fleets of robots. Across all industries, enterprises are deploying any number of autonomous mobile robots from a variety of manufacturers. Imagine a retail store with a floor cleaning robot, an inventory robot and a security robot, all from different manufacturers. Each vendor supplies its own proprietary management tool optimized for its specific solution. Robot users currently have to

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control each unit with its own specific app.

Rocos helps an enterprise user control all of the robots in the system through a unified interface to enable remote teleoperation, precision intervention, and a consistent and secure API. This enables the user to recover and restart a system om a remote location, all over the web.

In addition, Rocos can also be leveraged by any specific robot vendor who needs to deliver robots-as-a-service (RaaS) functionality, without the need to develop the supervisory RaaS functions om scratch. RR – Mike Oitzman

THE ROBOT REPORT

6/4/21 1:58 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

ROEQ Enables Instant Communication Between Devices with GuardCom Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

ROEQ Denmark www.roeq.dk 2017 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In 2020, ROEQ launched its latest innovation, GuardCom, to solve the need for instant, secure communication between an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) payload and a fixed conveyor docking station. GuardCom enables seamless communication between an AMR and a conveyor to effortlessly and autonomously transfer cargo between them.

Analysis: Active, roller-top payloads are one of the most popular solutions that ROEQ sells for AMRs. A roller-top conveyor may be simple in design, but in practical implementation, triggering the cargo-exchange interaction between an AMR and a conveyor docking station has to be done wirelessly. ROEQ learned the hard way that WiFi communication, position sensors, contact sensors and many other event triggering options all present inconsistent failure modes.

The GuardCom system uses a proven and robust, coded light sensor technology to enable

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communication between a device attached to the top roller on an AMR and a device attached to a stationary conveyor station. GuardCom signals to the conveyor system that the AMR is in place and ready to receive or deliver goods.

The communication between devices is secure, safe and instantaneous.

The net result is a robust, wireless, event-signaling solution that improves the productivity of conveyance AMRs and delivers a fault-tolerant mode of communication between devices. RR – Mike Oitzman

www.therobotreport.com

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Miniature Actuator with Integrated Servo Drive

The Servo Drive is Inside!

The compact RSF-5 miniature actuator with a zero backlash Harmonic Drive® gear delivers high torque with exceptional accuracy and repeatability. The actuator features an integrated servo drive utilizing CANopen® communication. This evolutionary product eliminates the need for an external drive and greatly improves wiring while retaining high-positional accuracy and torsional stiffness in a compact housing. This new miniature actuator is ideal for use in robotics.

• Actuator + Integrated Servo Drive utilizing CANopen communication conforming to DS402 and DS301 • 24VDC Nominal +7 to +30VDC Supply Voltage Range • Single Axis BLDC Motor Controller/Driver with CAN & TTL-UART Interface • Field Oriented Control • Single Cable with only 4 conductors needed: CANH, CANL, +24VDC, 0VDC

• Zero Backlash • Pigtail Connectors with 2 exit options • 14bit (16384 cpr) resolution motor encoder • Control Modes Including Torque, Velocity, and Position Control, CSP, CSV, CST • Harmonic Drive HDL Software for initial tuning, commissioning, and analysis • Homing modes include: single-ended, doubleended, double-ended with 16bit autoscale hardstop homing or teachable position

42 Dunham Ridge, Beverly, MA 01915 | 800.921.3332 | www.HarmonicDrive.net Harmonic Drive is a registered trademark of Harmonic Drive LLC. CANopen is a registered trademark of CAN in Automation.

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

SBG Systems’ Tiny Ellipse-D Inertial Sensor Provides Precise Heading and Centimeter Level Position Accuracy Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

SBG Systems France www.sbg-systems.com 2007 51-100 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: SBG Systems has released the Ellipse-D, an affordable and tiny Inertial Navigation System (INS) featuring an integrated Dual-antenna RTK GNSS receiver providing highly accurate navigation and orientation data (roll, pitch, heading, position and velocity). The Ellipse-D, which benefits om a 64-bit architecture capable of supporting high precision signal processing, is tested and calibrated to operate in challenging environmental conditions.

Analysis: The Ellipse-D provides high-end performance and reliability without compromising on its optimized SWaP-C profile (size, weight, power consumption, and cost). Different variants of the Ellipse-D are available for OEMs and integrators, and the included D So ware Development Kit incorporates an online ROS driver.

Taken together, the Ellipse-D provides

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developers of unmanned systems – aerial, ground and surface – with a cost effective, fully integrated inertial navigation solution that delivers the precise heading and centimeter level position accuracy formally limited to more expensive and sizable form factors. As such, the Ellipse-D opens up the possibility for new classes of autonomous applications and system types. RR – Dan Kara

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From Customer Concept to Complete OEM Sensor Solution

CHNOLOG Y TE BY

HBK is your partner to design single and multicomponent sensors for use in robotic surgical and industrial equipment measuring system forces. Whether it’s a multi-axis measurement on a joint, force feedback on an actuator, or grip control on a manipulator, HBK is your partner to design and manufacture highly customized OEM sensor solutions.

Learn more on: www.hbm.com/oemsensors

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

SCHUNK’s Plug & Work Portfolios Simplify and Speed Cobot Deployments Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

SCHUNK Germany www.schunk.com 1945 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In 2020, SCHUNK released its Plug & Work Portfolio, a collection of electric and pneumatic grippers, quick-change modules, and force/moment sensors that are compatible with collaborative robotics systems om Universal Robots (19 variants), Doosan Robotics (11 variants), and Techman Robot (14 variants). The Plug & Work modules are optimized for robot arms of the respective manufacturers.

Analysis: When collaborative robots were first introduced, their key value proposition was ease of set-up and integration, ease of programming and ease of use, with the concomitant benefits of fast deployment, greater flexibility and reduced operational costs. This was and is true, but “easy” is a relative term.

Compared to traditional industrial robotics platforms, collaborative robots are, on the whole, easier to deploy and utilize.

Still, for many businesses, especially those

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small-to-medium manufacturers that were the primary target for collaborative robotics systems early on, collaborative robots are still too difficult to deploy and program/reprogram even for common manufacturing tasks.

SCHUNK addresses this problem with its Plug & Work Portfolio by providing highquality electric and pneumatic gripping solutions and supporting modules for a wide range of applications that are easy to use and guaranteed to work with their respective cobot arms. RR – Dan Kara

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Seoul Robotics ‘Discovery’ Democratizes LiDAR-Based 3D Sensing Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Seoul Robotics South Korea www.seoulrobotics.org 2017 30 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: Seoul Robotics recently released its first products, a family of “Lidar Processing Units,” each engineered for different applications, named Discovery. Discovery, which is sensor agnostic, is powered by the company’s proprietary SENSR computer vision so ware, which uses machine learning applied to 3D LiDAR data for object detection, tracking, classification.

Analysis: LiDAR technology is commonly used in selfdriving cars and mobile robots for object detection and autonomous navigation.

A number of companies provide LiDAR hardware, LiDAR so ware or both, for these markets. O en expensive and proprietary, these siloed systems have limited applicability for many emerging applications and use cases – IoT environment monitoring for example – that could benefit om 3D sensing.

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With its Discovery product line, Seoul Robotics offers a cost effective, powerful and efficient AI-powered 3D sensing solution that is compatible with over 70 different 3D sensors from various suppliers such as Velodyne, LiDAR, Ouster, and Innoviz Technologies. As such, Discovery can increase the number of new applications and use cases to which LiDAR-based 3D sensing can be applied. RR – Dan Kara

THE ROBOT REPORT

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

SICK LiDAR-LOC Enables Contour-Based Navigation on Mobile Robotics Platforms Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

SICK U.S. www.sick.com 1946 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In September 2020, SICK released its LiDAR-LOC (Localization On Contour), a so ware solution through which companies can implement contour-based localization – and, hence, navigation - on any automated guided vehicle, cart, forkli or service robot equipped with SICK’s LMS, TiM and NAV 2D LiDAR sensors, along with SICK safety scanners, such as the microScan3.

Analysis: The tenants of Industry 4.0 emphasize flexibility, but in many cases companies with deployed mobile robots use reflectors, tracks, magnetic strips or other fixed, inflexible fiducials as localization references for navigation. SICK is a market-leading sensor provider, and as a result many of these mobile systems are using SICK 2D LiDAR sensors or safety scanners.

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With SICK LiDAR-LOC software running on a SICK Sensor Integration Machine, these systems can be retrofitted to support flexible, contour-based navigation using data pulled from the existing sensors. The navigation paths of these systems can be altered as needs dictate without the cost and delay of installing new fixed, physical localization markers. RR – Dan Kara

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ROBOTICS R&D

DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY. DRIVING INNOVATION. Our engineers collaborate with leading energy, infrastructure and industrial companies to develop and deliver complex robotics, innovative inspection technology, robotics-as-a-service (RAAS), unmanned systems, and machine learning. ULC Technologies focuses on delivering commercial solutions that enable our customers to move faster, work smarter and reduce costs.

READY TO TALK TO OUR TEAM? Contact us at 1-631-667-9200 or learn more at ulctechnologies.com.

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Services Introduction

Siemens Accelerating Innovation for Autonomous Vehicle Startups Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Siemens Germany https://www.siemens.com/global/en.html 1847 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Services Introduction

Description: Siemens Digital Industries So ware and MaRS Discovery District, a Toronto-based innovation hub, partnered to provide over 1,400 Canadian science and technology companies with access to Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio of so ware and services to support and accelerate the development of autonomous and connected vehicle technologies. Some of the products being offered in the portfolio include so ware for 3D CAD, simulation, and design management.

Analysis: The rise of autonomous and connected vehicles is changing the way the vehicles are designed, manufactured and tested. The design and simulation software provided by Siemens will help companies in the MaRS ecosystem conduct early design development and advanced verification of autonomous function and performance systems.

Startups at the forefront of innovation encounter complex design challenges.

It’s vital they have a foundation of digital technology that enables expansion and

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growth as company needs evolve. Having data management and simulation tools they can use from the beginning of their journeys, which can enable traceability, collaboration and early design validation, can improve product delivery and success. Siemens’ industry-leading technology can help the MaRS community to speed innovation in the areas of autonomous and connected vehicle development. RR – Steve Crowe

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Ideal for robotics applications, our super-slim crossed roller bearings can handle complex loads simultaneously from any direction. And, thanks to mounting holes on the inner and outer rings, you can add these bearings to your robots or other industrial equipment quickly and easily for a highly rigid and accurate low-cost joint.

COMPACT RIGID & EASY TO MOUNT To learn more, visit ikont.com/CRB

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

SLAMcore SpatialAI SDK Enables WorldClass Perception Using Low-Cost Hardware Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

SLAMcore United Kingdom www.slamcore.com 2016 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: SLAMcore released the SpatialAI SDK in 2021 to enable high quality perception for autonomous mobile robots. The toolkit allows roboticists to combine proprietary visual positioning algorithms with state-of-the-art calibration and fusion algorithms and complementary tools that use data from low-cost sensors and run on low-power processors such as Raspberry Pi.

Analysis: SLAMcore’s mission is to level the playing field for all AMR providers while delivering highquality spatial awareness of an AMR to its surroundings. An AMR needs to know about the world around it to effectively and safely navigate through it. SLAMcore:Perceive is at the core of the solution and enables semantic understanding of the world by identifying walls, tables, people and even other robots.

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The SLAMcore solution enables an AMR developer to quickly integrate and deploy a powerful full stack spatial AI-based SLAM solution while leveraging consumer grade sensors and compute platforms.

This technology lowers the barrier to entry and enables innovation in mobile robotic solutions, while reducing the overall cost to the end user. RR – Mike Oitzman

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Cori Surgical System for Knee Replacements Creates Better Outcomes Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Smith and Nephew Inc. U.S. https://www.smith-nephew.com 2016 (robotics division) 10,000+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: Smith and Nephew’s Cori Surgical System for knee replacements is a pioneering robotic navigation system that obtains all the information that a surgeon needs in real time during the procedure. No pre-operative CT scans or MRIs are needed.

The heart of the Cori Surgical System is the ATRACSYS tracking system. The compact ATRACSYS fusionTrack 500 is composed of two cameras designed to detect and track fiducials (reflective spheres, disks and/or IR-LEDs) with high precision in real time video streams. Triangulation enables retrieving 3D position of each fiducial with sub-millimeter accuracy.

Analysis: During the knee replacement procedure, the CORI system works in conjunction with a surgeon’s skilled hands to achieve accurate positioning of the knee implant based on the patient’s unique anatomy. The process starts with the surgeon registering the existing knee topology using the robotics-assisted hand piece.

With that information, the system calculates the perfect fit of the implant and

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instructs the surgeon on how much material needs to be removed and exactly where to remove the material in order to prepare the ideal surface for the implant.

The CORI Surgical System enables a surgeon to more precisely fit an implant, which in turn produces better outcomes for the patient and a shorter recovery time.

RR – Mike Oitzman

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Agriculture

Tevel Aerobotics Gets Off Ground to Help Orchard Owners Pick Ripe Fruit Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Tevel Aerobotics Technologies Israel www.tevel-tech.com 2016 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Agriculture

Description: In 2020, Tevel Aerobotics demonstrated the ability to use a tethered drone to pick ripe uit using vision and AI. The innovation is a combination of AI-vision to identi ripe uit and a tethered drone for continuous harvesting operations. The Tevel drones are tethered to the battery in an autonomous mobile base that enables the drones to fly continuously without stopping to recharge.

Analysis: Tevel developed a drone-based solution that uses vision and AI to determine if uit is ripe and then pick it om the tree using an attached arm and gripper. The solution is designed for the uit tree harvesting market as uit farmers struggle to hire seasonal pickers and the work requires dexterity and extended reach to acquire uit high in the tree.

The fruit gripper is also novel in the spinning motion used to remove fruit from

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the branch. The heart of the system, however, is the AI-based vision system that can identify when the fruit is ripe and perfect for picking.

The company is initially focusing on the apple tree market, however, the system can also pick peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots. The company has deployed to orchards in Israel in 2020 and is expanding to Spain in 2021. RR – Mike Oitzman

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Robotics Applications Require Flex Rate Cable Alpha Wire’s Xtra-Guard® Flex offers a wide variety of flexing applications.

These long-lasting flex cables are designed to provide excellent performance in high-flex, high torsion and continuous-flex applications especially with robotics. Available in a variety of configurations allowing exactly the right cable to be selected for the application. These cables are rated up to 14 million flex life cycles (85000 series), up to 6 Million flex life cycles (86000 series).

Alpha Wire’s EcoFlex® PUR are abrasion, UV, and oil resistant. They contain a tough, zero-halogen Polyurethane jacket. This flex cable is 40% smaller and 44% lighter than other 600V continuous flex cables. With its rugged PUR jacket and finely stranded conductors, EcoFlex PUR cable provides 8+ million flex cycles in tough application conditions—while saving space and reducing weight.

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TRR-Ad-Alpha-2021-6-Inca-Eng Supersedes: New

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Utilities

ULC Technologies Improves Roadwork Excavation With All-Electric Autonomous Excavation Robot Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

ULC Technologies U.S. www.ulctechnologies.com 2001 101-500 Application & Market Innovation Utilities

Description: ULC Technologies introduced the the Robotic Roadworks and Excavation System (RRES) project in 2020. RRES combines an industrial robotic arm, an all-electric track drive system, belowground locating sensors, artificial intelligence, machine vision and new vacuum excavation methods for safer, faster and autonomous roadworks and street excavation.

Analysis: Working in collaboration with UK-gas network SGN, ULC Technologies developed the allelectric robotic system to revolutionize the way that utility companies, energy networks and other industries carry out roadworks.

The heart of the system is an industrial robotic manipulator along with a variety of end-of-arm tools that enable the system to autonomously perform all of the roadwork excavation and backfill operations.

The system starts by locating and mapping the target assets underground. It then cuts out

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a road core and excavates soil with a unique vacuum evaluation head. After the pipeline or cableway repairs are made, RRES helps to backfill the excavation, compress soil and replace the road surface core.

The system uses machine learning and vision guidance to position all of the tooling and to plan the entire excavation operation.

RRES is a novel, automated solution to the everyday operations of roadworks departments around the world. RR – Mike Oitzman

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CLOSING THE CIRCLE.

Production and intralogistics in harmony. Once considered two distinct disciplines, now these areas are growing closer and closer. The prerequisite for a smart, networked production. SICK, with their 360° approach, represents optimization of the entire value-creation chain. So the circle is completed – and production logistics gets smart.

We think that’s intelligent. www.sick.com/production-logistics

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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

Universal Robots’ ActiNav Simplifies Machine-Loading Applications Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Universal Robots A/S Denmark www.universal-robots.com 2005 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: Universal Robots in April 2020 launched its ActiNav machine loading kit for bin-picking and machine-tending applications. ActiNav is a “plug-and-produce” UR+ application kit that makes it easier to deploy collaborative robots for common applications.

ActiNav requires a UR5e or UR10e cobot, an end effector of the user’s choice, and an applicationspecific ame or fixture. The kit includes the ActiNav so ware and autonomous motion module controller, the URCap user interface so ware, along with a choice of 3D sensors. The ActiNav system can handle vision processing, collision- ee motion planning, and autonomous real-time robot control.

Analysis: Autonomous bin picking is a common robotics application, but it is rarely, if ever, referred to as “easy to use.” Deploying autonomous bin picking systems usually requires integration and programming efforts customers can’t do themselves.

ActiNav changed that as It doesn’t require programming expertise to deploy. ActiNav uses a teach-by-demonstration approach via a wizard-guided setup process on the cobot’s

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teach pendant. The system can be deployed in less than two hours. ActiNav mirrors the mantra of the other UR+ application kits: make it easier for customers to deploy automation and lower their risk.

In addition, Universal Robots’ applicationoriented solutions help with continuous product introductions, an expanding customer base, and new revenue streams. RR – Steve Crowe

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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Manufacturing

Vention’s Manufacturing Automation Platform Simplifies Deployment of Automation Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Vention Canada www.vention.io 2016 101-500 Application & Market Innovation Manufacturing

Description: Vention’s manufacturing automation platform (MAP) simplifies the process of designing industrial automation equipment. Vention has modularized (and digitized) all of the various components so that they are easy to layout within an online, 3D design tool. MAP includes digital twins of the linear motion components, safety equipment, tooling, filtering, ame elements and more. At the end of a design session, the user is able to output a bill of materials for the workcell and order it all directly om Vention.

Analysis: Vention is closing the loop on the complete design, automate, order, deploy lifecycle.

Vention lowers the barrier to entry and delivers an end-to-end modular automation solution for manufacturers who might not have been able to make the leap to industrial automation with prior options. It also enables non-industrial engineers to design, spec and program an automation work cell.

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With a focus on ease of use and speed, MA) empowers any manufacturing professional to become an automation specialist. MAP is ideal for manufacturers with low volume and high mix production who can’t afford the technologies conceived for those with higher throughput. In this case, there simply is not enough volume to payback the required investment. RR – Mike Oitzman

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6/4/21 2:14 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Primary or Applied Research

Verizon Delivers Foundation of Better Wireless Communication for Mobile Robots Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Verizon New Business Incubation U.S. https://www.verizon.com/about/ new-business-incubation 2000 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Primary or Applied Research

Description: Verizon is incubating cutting-edge robotics solutions fueled by the inherent orchestration power of 5G wireless. Verizon is a leading provider of 5G wireless infrastructure in the U.S. 5G connectivity is now a viable option for industrial mobile robot developers to enable wireless communication with individual vehicles in industrial or consumer settings.

Analysis: In 2020, Verizon incubated a number of robotics-based 5G projects. But in one notable project, a partner company offloaded compute from multiple autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to the Mobile Edge Compute (MEC), and orchestrated them via centralized, MEC-based microservices. The AMRs relied on a centralized, shared 3D map for navigation and routing, and fed near real-time updates to the map to ensure its accuracy.

As a direct result of the reliability and speed of the network and the accuracy of the map, the company was able to reduce

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onboard sensors to one single off-theshelf stereo camera per device, with visual positioning performed on the MEC. The MEC maintained precise knowledge of the autonomous mobile robots’ locations and used complex algorithms and ultra-fast processing to dynamically and safely adjust their routes.

This is just one example of how the speed and stability of 5G connectivity will be able to help AMR companies enhance their capabilities and improve their operations in the future. RR – Mike Oitzman

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APPLICATION AND MARKET INNOVATION — Transportation

Waymo Launches World’s First Robotaxi Service Without Safety Drivers Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

Waymo U.S. www.waymo.com 2009 (formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project) 1500+ Application and Market Innovation Transportation

Description: In October 2020, Waymo opened its Level 4 driverless robotaxi service, called Waymo One, to the general public in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The driverless Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans operate in about a 50-square-mile area in the suburbs of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe.

Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicles around Phoenix for years. Since 2017, some of the cars have had nobody behind the wheel, but that was only for certain tests and select riders. But now anybody can take a paid ride in a Waymo One driverless robotaxi around the clock, seven days a week.

Analysis: With the public launch last year, Waymo became the first company in the world to open a Level 4 driverless robotaxi service without safety drivers to the general public. Although the launch was a bit behind schedule, and Waymo hasn’t scaled this service to any other locations as of press time, this was a monumental moment for the autonomous vehicle industry.

The Waymo One service isn’t perfect, there are still disengagements that require Waymo employees to manually take over

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control of the vehicles. But no other company in the U.S. can match what Waymo is doing.

Fellow RBR50 company AutoX recently launched China’s first L4 robotaxi service without safety drivers in Shenzhen.

L4 driverless cars have arrived in the U.S., albeit in a limited capacity, thanks to Waymo.

It recently ramped up its testing operations in San Francisco, and applied for a permit to charge for rides and delivery services. RR – Steve Crowe

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6/4/21 2:17 PM

TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction

WiBotic Launches WiBotic Commander for Fleet Energy Management Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:

WiBotic U.S. www.wibotic.com 2015 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction

Description: In February 2021, WiBotic announced the availability of WiBotic Commander, a new so ware solution for Fleet Energy Management of mobile robots. WiBotic Commander provides an overlaying so ware layer to monitor and control the energy needs of an entire mobile robotic fleet. The solution takes into account the battery chemistry, voltage and optimal charge rate to ensure that each individual machine gets the most om its battery.

Analysis: WiBotic is one of only a handful of wireless battery charging solution providers, and WiBotic was one of the first to come to market with its wireless charging solutions. The company recently received a CE mark approval for its charging solutions and is actively expanding beyond the U.S. market into Europe.

As interoperability between robots gains acceptance, the mobile robot market has expanded beyond homogeneous deployments to environments where multiple vendor solutions are operating within the same workspace on a manufacturing, warehouse

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or front-of-house retail space. Within this heterogeneous operating environment, it doesn’t take long for the active space to become cluttered with unique and proprietary charging stations for each individual robot.

WiBotic offers a solution that essentially provides a “universal charging” function that every mobile robotic device can leverage to recharge its batteries. Now, with the addition of WiBotic Commander, the entire heterogeneous fleet’s energy management can be managed with a single, unified solution. RR – Mike Oitzman

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Robotics Robotics

Kevlar®- Performance protection for exterior robotic components Kevlar® woven fabrics are ideal materials for protecting exterior robotic components due to its high heat, cut and abrasion resistance.

With a service temperature up to 650°F and great chemical and mildew resistance, this fabric can withstand the most extreme environments. Kevlar® as a fabric is very flexible with little stretching making it perfect for high flex applications like retractable arms. CS Hyde supplies standard Kevlar® and Kevlar aramid fabrics with woven glass fibers, as well as specialty fabrics with PTFE coating for nonstick release applications. For applications requiring fastening we also supply adhesive backed Kevlar® tapes or Kevlar® thread for high temp. sewing applications. Custom cutting, sheeting, and die cutting services also available.

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CS Hyde Company 39655 N. IL Route 83 Lake Villa, IL 60046 www.cshyde.com 800-461-4161

Fully Integrated Speed Controller, within 6.2 mm The FAULHABER BXT Flat brushless DC servo motor family has grown; now available in all sizes with a diametercompliant, integrated speed controller. With an additional attachment length of just 6.2 mm, the combination of the BXT H motors with the integrated speed controller is the ideal solution for space-confined applications, particularly if speeds need to be controlled precisely, and high torques are also required. The default factory pre-configuration, along with the Motion Manager software allows for quick and easy commissioning of the system. Typical applications include medical devices, pumps, hand-held instruments, optics systems, robotics & surgical end-effectors.

FAULHABER MICROMO www.faulhaber.com 14881 Evergreen Ave Clearwater, FL 33762 USA

800-807-9166

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Robotics Robotics

FUTEK We make innovation possible FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology specializes in creating inventive sensor solutions for today’s leading tech innovators: • Load cells • Torque sensors • Pressure sensors • Multi-axis sensors • Instruments • Software Our end-to-end measurement products and services include sensors, amplifiers, and calibration, allowing you to streamline and optimize your system and achieve better results at a lower cost than legacy solutions. All our products are made in the USA. To learn more, visit www.futek.com.

FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology, Inc. 10 Thomas Irvine, CA 92618 USA www.futek.com +1 (949) 465-0900

Harmonic Drive Actuator + Integrated Servo Drive Ideal for use in robotics, the RSF miniature actuator is extremely compact and delivers high torque with exceptional accuracy and repeatability. This evolutionary product eliminates the need for an external drive and greatly improves wiring. Since it communicates via CANopen, only 4 conductors are needed: CANH, CANL, +24VDC, 0VDC.

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• Actuator + Integrated Servo Drive utilizing CANopen communication conforming to DS402 and DS301 • 24VDC Nominal +7 to 30VDC Supply Voltage Range • Single Axis BLDC Motor Controller/Driver with CAN & TTL-UART Interface • Single Cable with only 4 conductors needed: CANH, CANL, +24VDC, 0VDC • 14bit (16384 cpr) resolution motor encoder • Zero Backlash

42 Dunham Ridge Beverly, MA 01915 United States www.harmonicdrive.net

Harmonic Drive is a registered trademark of Harmonic Drive Systems

www.therobotreport.com

THE ROBOT REPORT

6/8/21 4:41 PM

Robotics Robotics

JUST RELEASED: Revolutionary - Motus Labs ML1000 Series precision M-DRIVES offer a higher torque density than competing strain wave gearing with no compromise in performance. The ML1000 family of hollow shaft drives includes standard gear drive sizes ranging from 17-40. Motus Labs’ patented design utilizes a series of cam-driven blocks, instead of traditional gear teeth, that engage over 80% of the output ring surface area at all times resulting in a more rigid drive at a lower weight.

The design distributes load stresses over a much larger surface area, permitting the M-DRIVE transmission to deliver up to twice the torque per unit size and volume and 15% greater efficiencies compared to strain wave drives.

Motus Labs 17815 Davenport Road Suite 130 Dallas, Texas 75252 www.motus-labs.com

Effective Tooling for Assembly Automation

Assembly tasks often present challenges! A lot happens in a small space with fast cycle times.

Some suggestions for common challenges: Utilize Robot Payload – Select gripper fingers that are optimal to their payload to increase reliability and produce better assembled products.

Be Flexible – Quick-change products allow tools to be changed or replaced at the robot wrist, machine table, or even the gripper fingers.

Improve Cycle Time – Mechanical actuators can respond quickly to commands and move faster, thereby reducing cycle time.

Reorientating Workpieces – Parts often need to be flipped or rotated to be accessed correctly as they travel through the process. Accomplish this with a reorientation station.

You do not need to reinvent the wheel for every aspect of custom automation, there are many standard modular solutions to customize to your needs.

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SCHUNK: 211 Kitty Hawk Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560 info@us.schunk.com 919-572-2705

www.schunk.com

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M o t i o n

C o n t r o l

Successful lab

experiments start with the right pipette motor For medical lab applications, motor selection is integral to an electronic pipette’s accuracy and precision.

Valentin Raschke • Application Engineer • Portescap

Laboratory automation has always been a great fit for linear motion.

Within certain laboratory devices, precision is required for moving samples into position, adding reagents, and withdrawing samples. Advancements in the linear force and speed capabilities of stepper linear actuators let device manufacturers increase their throughput with these actuators without sacrificing quality.

Life science researchers rely on pipettes as a dependable means to measure and dispense liquids to a specific volume. Pipettes are typically the first step in many lab processes, so they must perform accurately and reliably to ensure that researchers can successfully reproduce the outcome of their experiments.

Since the pandemic began in 2020, pipettes have become an even more vital laboratory tool, helping COVID-19 researchers prepare lab samples to detect pathogens using techniques like real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction).

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www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

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As pipettes take on this critical role, the choice of component—such as motors—for a design is just as critical.

How pipettes work Laboratories use different types of pipettes, depending on the scale of the lab and the volume of liquid that must be dispensed. The four most common pipette types are air displacement, positive displacement, volumetric, and graduated.

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Inside an air displacement pipette, for example, a piston creates positive or negative air pressure that allows a user to take in or eject a liquid sample using a disposable tip. Meanwhile, the tip’s air column separates the liquid from the non-disposable part of the pipette. Pipettes can either be designed to allow the operator to trigger the movement of the piston using a thumb button, or a motor can move the piston when an operator presses a button. www.designworldonline.com

Electronic pipettes are becoming a more common alternative to traditional manual types, as they offer more accurate and repeatable delivery of samples and reagents in test and medical laboratory settings.

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M o t i o n

C o n t r o l

Used in molecular biology and analytical chemistry as well as in many medical tests, electronic pipettes allow for accurate and repeatable delivery of samples and reagents. These electronic units have become increasingly common among researchers compared to manual types. When an operator uses a manual pipette over a long period of time, the pipette may become uncomfortable or even cause injuries.

For example, the force required to dispense the liquid and eject the pipette tip, combined with repetitive motion for hours at a time, can increase the risk of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) in a user’s thumbs, elbows, wrists or shoulders.

By contrast, electronic or motorized pipettes offer better ergonomics, as well as a more efficient way to increase sample throughput with precision and accuracy. Instead of the traditional thumb-controlled pipetting button and manual volume adjustment, electronic pipettes have a digital interface that allows users to adjust the volume. The motorized piston is used for aspiration and dispensing.

Precision and accuracy Because pipetting is typically the first step of a multi-step process, any inaccuracy or imperfection when measuring such small amounts of liquid will carry through the process and ultimately impact the total accuracy and precision of the entire experiment.

Users can achieve precision when the pipette dispenses the same volume multiple times, while accuracy occurs when the pipette dispenses the exact amount of the targeted volume without any error. While it’s possible to achieve one without the other, most industries that use pipettes require both precision and accuracy—especially because both are needed to reproduce the outcome of experiments.

Comparing dc motors and stepper motors The heart of any electronic pipette is the motor. Not only does the motor greatly influence precision and accuracy, but it also affects other important factors like envelope size, power and weight. Pipette designers can primarily choose either dc motor or stepper linear actuators, and

A diagram of an air displacement pipette shows the major components including the air column and a reagent sample.

Two schematics showing different designs of an electronic pipette; on the left is a dc-motor based system using a gear wheel and pinion attached to a screw, and on the right is a stepper-motor based design with a built-in screw.

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both have strengths and weaknesses.

First, dc motors are simple electronic machines that rotate when dc power is applied. They do not require complex electronics to run the motor. However, because linear motion is required for the electronic pipette, a dc motor will also need an additional lead screw and gearing system to convert rotational movement to linear movement and provide the required force. The dc motor will also need to incorporate a feedback mechanism, such as an optical sensor or encoder, to control the linear piston position. Depending on the design, it may also be necessary to add a braking system to improve the accuracy to account for the rotor’s high inertia. While a dc motor may enhance the pipette system’s overall precision and accuracy, it can be an expensive option.

The other option is to use a stepper motor-based system. Stepper linear actuators are characterized by their ease of integration, high performance and low cost. They consist of a can stack stepper motor with a threaded rotor and integrated lead screw that provides direct linear motion in a small package.

Unlike the dc motor, the stepper linear actuator lead screw moves up and down in discrete step increments when electrical pulses are applied. It can be accurately controlled via an open-loop system, eliminating the need for expensive feedback devices or braking systems for positioning.

Typically, high-resolution positioning can be achieved with a small step angle and a choice of lead screw pitches. To enhance positioning, the stepper linear actuator can be driven in micro-stepping mode. However, to ensure the highest possible accuracy and avoid dispensing inaccuracies, the stepper motor should be sized properly because an improperly sized motor can lose steps and contribute to dispensing inaccuracies.

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Electronic pipettes powered by dc or stepper motors are designed to overcome the human factors associated with manual pipettes.

While both motor types have benefits, stepper linear motors offer the additional advantage of open loop control.

Motorized pipette designers should also follow these important best practices during motor selection: • Keep a minimum 50 percent safety factor from the speed/force curve.

• Avoid low-frequency resonance points during operation.

• Avoid back-driving, sudden movements and external load changes.

The dispensing accuracy of air displacement pipettes comes down to how well the internal piston is controlled.

Electronic pipettes powered by dc or stepper motors are designed to overcome the human factors associated with manual pipettes. While both motor types have benefits, stepper linear motors offer the additional advantage of open loop control. Without the additional control electronics needed for DC motors, a properly sized stepper motor provides pipette designers the reliability they need to ensure precise and accurate dispensing. DW

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M o t i o n

Smart mechatronics add capabilities to linear motion applications

Industry 4.0 innovations have spurred a new class of smart motion technologies that combine digital electronics and communication interfaces for more design sophistication, functionality, and ease of use.

Richard Hansen | Senior automation engineer | Bosch Rexroth Corp.

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Partner with mechatronics suppliers that offer engineering expertise and all components (including linear motion products, controllers, servo drives, and operator software) to build top-performance mechatronics solutions.

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As more manufacturing companies embrace Industry 4.0-ready technology, emerging smart mechatronics technologies are giving machines greater intelligence and versatility. These advanced systems are also easier to specify, order, and deploy than past options — enhancing their value to OEMs and end users.

Understanding the capabilities of smart mechatronics can help system design engineers asses how best to leverage these mechatronics to making their manufacturing solutions highly competitive.

Modern mechatronics are integrated and versatile Mechatronics are systems and subassemblies that combine disparate mechanical and electronic components into solutions dedicated to specific tasks. In the world of motion, two examples are product assembly and transport satisfied by mechatronic linear motion systems and Cartesian robots. Core to DESIGN WORLD

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mechatronics is tight integration of electronic motors, controls, sensors, and linear components.

Smart mechatronics takes the concept further — taking the form of complete solutions that incorporate advanced sensors and operator-friendly controller platforms. These systems yield: • Realtime data on machine performance • Realtime data on manufacturing quality as applicable • Precise control and execution of motion sequences • Automated tracking of production data and throughput • Easy connectivity with machine-level and plantwide management systems June 2021

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Smart mechatronics systems support transparent production processes by enabling realtime condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.

Mechatronics could be considered a forerunner of Industry 4.0 technologies.

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Smart mechatronics step one: Online configuration Smart mechatronics are faster and easier to design and commission than previous mechatronics systems.

That’s helpful because mechatronics are by their very nature quite complex — demanding concurrent consideration and sizing of multiple linear components, drives, controllers, and operator interfaces … and then their careful combination.

The first step in specifying, purchasing, and commissioning a smart mechatronics machine is to leverage online tools accessible via supplier portals.

These configuration tools let engineers build intelligent systems ready to operate “out of the box” with minimal programming … so are perhaps most helpful to engineers having just a basic understanding of electrical and fluid-power actuation (including linear motion) and motion controls. Users enter parameters such as stroke, workpiece weight, and cycle time, which then generates an output that can be verified in the online tool’s CAD environment. The following sizing and configurator prompts, all the components for the complete mechatronic solution — such as a Cartesian robot, pressing machine, or joining machine — can be specified in one go. It’s an option that lets engineers obtain a complete solution from a single supplier — receiving an integrated system shipped with preprogrammed motion sequences ready for plug-and-produce implementation.

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Simpler operational control Smart mechatronics can enhance productivity and flexibility usually with “transparent” production processes — with sensors for realtime condition monitoring.

Just consider how some manufacturers offer operation-specific mechatronic function kits to support such monitoring. For example, one function kit for a pressing machine might include an electromechanical cylinder, servo drive, motor, controller, sensors, and operator software to support pressing and joining assembly operations. Machines built using such a function kit are easy to implement, as the components come with operating software preinstalled … and automatic parameterization ready to run on the servo drive — so no motion control programming knowledge is needed to bring the machine online. The software features a drag-and-drop graphical user interface (GUI) that lets operators intuitively build production sequences — such as pressing ball bearings into a housing, for example.

In addition, the machine can come with an integrated force sensor to measure and track operations. For example, such sensors in a bearingpress application might track the linear actuator to ensure it applies the exact right force to insert the balls into their bearing housing. Meanwhile, system controls can also execute quality control by ensuring that the actuators properly run through their precisely controlled sequences. As such sequences on a pressing machine typically repeat hundreds or even thousands of times per hour, the system’s controller records and then forwards for storage the measurements of each motion cycle. Operators can then use tools in the controller package to create

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visualizations of the process results.

These might map whether pressing forces exceeded or failed to meet process thresholds … and let operators analyze force-displacement curves in realtime at their workstations. Such data lets experienced machine operators maintain top manufacturing quality and productivity sans any specialized programming or quality analytics development by expert software engineers.

Data can also be exported via system interfaces to plantwide or cloudbased manufacturing analytics systems … making the smart mechatronics system an integral component of a company’s Industry 4.0 platform.

Similar capabilities are also being deployed for other factory automation scenarios, including linear motion systems such as Cartesian handling robots for pick-and-place or transport operations. They use similar online configuration tools to size and specify all the linear modules, actuators and end effectors, cabling, sensors, electric drives, and controller necessary for complete handling systems.

Smart mechatronics applications Smart mechatronics demonstrate how sophisticated technology can solve complex engineering issues in a simpler way. In a common industry scenario, machine builders have typically tried to develop their own mechatronics assemblies by ordering and integrating separate components — linear actuators, controllers, power supplies, end effectors and more. This process is often cumbersome and timeconsuming.

At many companies or system integrators, it’s common for the mechanical engineering group to be responsible for specifying and ordering one set of components while the electrical group orders its components. Such arrangements are more challenging for the purchasing department, and the engineering staff

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L i n e a r

M o t i o n

A Smart Function Kit for Pressing from Bosch Rexroth (part of the Smart MechatroniX platform) combines an electromechanical cylinder, servo drive and motor, controller, sensors, and operator software to support a wide range of assembly operations.

is tasked to make it all fit together physically and program it to ensure it works as specified.

The smart mechatronics concept changes that paradigm and, in the process, frees up the engineers so they can devote time and resources to more complex and challenging design issues.

Consider a real-world plug-andproduce smart mechatronics example.

A leading sensor manufacturer was setting up a new assembly line for various types of rotary encoders.

The new line was designed to be highly flexible and economical, with the ability to make different products in small batches with exact pressing and joining processes and automatic documentation of process data for quality assurance. The company opted to use a Smart Function Kit for Pressing, supplied as a preconfigured complete package with zero programming knowledge required. As a result, the sensor manufacturer was able to set up the line in a very short time before starting operation.

A key production step is pressing a small lid precisely onto the sensor housing with the highest precision.

The Smart Function Kit is suitable for forces from 2 to 30 kN and combines standard components such as an

EMC electromechanical cylinder, force sensor, servo motor, drive controller and industrial PC. The browser-based HMI software can also be operated via tablet.

Instead of laboriously writing code for the pressing processes, programming takes place visually.

Select the software blocks via dragand-drop, combine them, enter the parameters and the workflow is complete. The drive controller parameterizes itself automatically, and a wizard guides the user intuitively through the commissioning process.

In addition, the process data can be shown live and is considered along with the force displacement curve in the IT system for quality assurance management and analysis purposes.

No doubt — the benefits and advantages offered by smart mechatronics technology will help manufacturers build more productionready systems with the intelligence and sensor technology built-in to support Industry 4.0 requirements.

Although the smart mechatronics concept is very intuitive, it’s still important to work with mechatronics suppliers whose portfolios and engineering expertise encompass the full range of components — linear motion products, controllers, servo drives and operator software — necessary to build complete, highperformance mechatronics solutions. It’s

Some of the most advanced smart mechatronics take the form of linear motion systems such as Cartesian handling robots that execute pick-and-place tasks. Bosch Rexroth’s Smart Function Kit for Handling lets engineers use online configuration tools to size and specify all linear modules, actuators, cabling, sensors, electric drives, and controls to complete such handling systems.

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also important to assess the quality and ease of use of their configuration tools, to make certain that the ease of use promised by the smart mechatronics movements — from start to finish — is fully delivered. This helps to ensure that machine builders and end users can fully leverage the plug-and-produce benefits of smart mechatronics in their operations. DW Bosch Rexroth www.boschrexroth.com

A Smart Function Kit for Pressing lets engineers leverage the power of Smart MechatroniX online tools and drag-anddrop programming to build, order, and commission their pressing station.

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P L C s

PLCs — the power of lower voltage

Industrial automation typically uses 24 Vdc, but many mobile and remote applications are easier to integrate with 12 Vdc PLCs. Don Pham • IDEC Corporation

Typical industrial automation projects today rely heavily on 24 Vdc for device power and signaling. This voltage level is touch-safe for users and the minimal voltage drop in conductors due to the currents involved at these relatively low voltage levels is acceptable. However, there are several reasons to consider using 12 Vdc as nominal design voltage for many applications.

For example, 12 Vdc is a common voltage for individual batteries and battery banks. Automation of traffic controls, water wells, and other remote equipment is often powered by solar charging systems in conjunction with battery powered storage systems.

Heavy equipment and portable systems driven by internal combustion engines usually have 12 Vdc readily available. Even some oil and gas pumping stations, gas wells, small compressors, and separator/regulator systems using utility power may rely on battery backups in the event of a power failure.

With the wide availability of lower level of power, it makes sense to use compatible programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in many instances.

Figure 2. Traffic controls and signage can use solar/battery technologies and 12 Vdc PLCs, enabling installation anywhere.

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Figure 1. Some PLCs, like the IDEC FC6A MicroSmart family, can be powered and perform I/O signaling using 12 Vdc, which is suitable for solar/ battery equipment, remote installations without utility power, and portable/mobile systems.

Hardwired to smart relays to PLCs Hardwiring 12 Vdc automation with relays, solenoids, and switches has always been common for simple applications. If additional functionality was required, sometimes a smart digital relay could suffice for discrete input/output (I/O) tasks.

However, if any degree of control complexity is involved, a PLC is usually the best choice. This is especially the case if any analog I/O are involved, such as receiving a signal from a pressure transmitter, or controlling a modulating valve.

Some PLCs can be powered using a range of 12 to 24 Vdc, but there are more details to consider beyond the nominal operating voltage, and the price, when choosing 12 Vdc PLC solutions.

Checking all the boxes When choosing a PLC for a 12 Vdc application, designers need to ensure the device can withstand the environment, provide sufficient I/O, and support the necessary communication and visualization requirements (Figure 1). Following are some of the capabilities designers should investigate.

Most lower voltage PLCs will already have a relatively small form factor, which is a plus for remote and mobile applications where space is often at a premium. But these installations also tend to be located in environments that can become extremely

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hot or cold, or where high vibration is present. Selecting a device with the widest possible operating temperature range is a must, along with proper resistance to shock and vibration.

For applications where combustible gases, vapors, or liquids may be present, designers should look for devices carrying a Class I Division 2 rating as an indication of suitability for hazardous locations. For oil and gas installations this is obviously important, but in actuality many types of automated equipment may be used in and around hazardous locations, for example many types of water treatment.

Defining the I/O count may seem straightforward, but a common issue for automation projects is the need for additional future I/O as requirements expand. This is why modular designs are preferred to provide options for configuring the PLC initially, while providing options for future growth.

Communication protocols enable a PLC to talk to intelligent field devices, to other PLCs, and to supervisory systems like human-machine interfaces.

Most PLCs are Ethernet-capable now, and Modbus TCP is among the most common protocols. However, it is also helpful if the PLC can use serial Modbus RTU communications to access legacy devices. www.designworldonline.com

One last look A final concern when selecting a 12 Vdc PLC solution regards what operator visualization is needed. This is often a requirement, with needed functionality varying widely. In some, no visualization is needed once the PLC is programmed and commissioned. Sometimes a small local HMI module is sufficient to let users access important values. In other cases, a full-fledged local HMI display needs to be installed in an easily accessible area.

More advanced applications might need web-viewable visualization and connectivity. In these cases, choosing a PLC with web server capabilities allows it to host web pages, which can be accessed by any device capable of hosting a web browser, such as a laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

Some PLCs can even initiate emails for warning or reporting purposes, often a necessity for monitoring remote unmanned locations. If the PLC includes an SD memory slot, users can store data on the SD card and transmit it as needed.

One other capability can be a great advantage for mobile applications which may not need full-time visualization. Some PLCs can interact with iOS and Android mobile apps over Bluetooth. This means users can connect their mobile devices wirelessly, without opening any enclosures, when they are near an automated installation.

These apps let users monitor the system, change parameters, or perform other control tasks, such as uploading and downloading programs or data.

This can be an ideal way to provide essential visualization right when and where it is needed.

Applications everywhere Because solar power generation performance has increased and prices have decreased, there are many applications which can be purely solarpowered. A typical installation can be powered solely from photovoltaic solar panels when the sun is shining, and by a battery bank in other conditions.

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The battery bank receives a trickle charge from the solar panels, and it can operate for years with little or no maintenance.

Using solar/battery technologies, many types of traffic controls such as speed indicators and crosswalk warning signs can be installed on a single pole without requiring any external power or other connections (Figure 2). This makes it very economical to install them wherever they are needed, even if other infrastructure is unavailable.

Integrating 12 Vdc PLCs with these systems is a compact way to obtain the necessary functionality. In addition, these PLCs can be connected to nearby wireless networks for sending information to the cloud or for receiving remote instructions.

Many types of equipment are built onto portable or towable platforms.

These include manufacturing machines, chillers, air compressors, compressed natural gas trailers, and others. Each of

these systems can be associated with an internal combustion engine or electrical vehicle power that is on-board or part of the towing system, and therefore able to supply 12 Vdc. Using a 12 Vdc PLC is the logical way to control the system devices, and to provide operating indication, safety warnings, alarms, and notifications.

Remotely located chemical injection systems may use solar/battery to run small pumps in addition to the controls, at least as a backup power means, if not the main source of power (Figure 3). Industrial-grade 12 Vdc PLCs built to withstand extremely high and low temperatures allow this equipment to be controlled and data-logged.

option, 12 Vdc PLCs are far more capable and a natural fit for performing any type of automation or communications tasks for these applications. These PLCs also provide an excellent price/performance ratio.

Today’s lower voltage PLCs include significant logic and communications functionality. Protocols are available for integrating these PLCs with intelligent field device and cloud-based IIoT systems. These PLCs come in convenient form factors, and modular configurations are available to support many types and quantities of I/O, both for the initial installation and for future expansion.

A final point is that these PLCs open the door for many types of visualization, whether directly on-board the PLC, via a 12 Vdc PLCs support remote local HMI, using a web-based interface, locations and mobile equipment or using a mobile app. These visualization Per the preceding examples, 12 Vdc is a options make PLC-based systems easy to readily available normal or backup power configure, operate, monitor, and maintain. source at many types of remote locations DW and on-board mobile equipment.

IDEC | us.idec.com Although 12 Vdc smart relays are an

Figure 3. IDEC 12 Vdc PLCs are the robust choice for automating remotely located equipment where backup battery power is available, or on board mobile, portable, or towable equipment with an internal combustion engine that replenishes vehicle batteries.

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Configuring

new uses for already created designs

Repurposing designs saves design time and money, helping you get to market faster.

Jean Thilmany • Senior Editor

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Sometimes you don’t need to re-invent the wheel. You could, for instance, drop the computer-aided design file for an existing wheel into your lawnmower design. Many companies, particularly those that create custom parts or manufacturing systems, integrate alreadycreated CAD parts into an assembly to shave design time.

That’s the idea behind configuration-based design, which allows users to drop an already-created design file into a part or assembly for quick customization. With configuration-based design, the CAD file automatically sizes and fits itself into the assembly.

While today’s CAD systems continue to add that functionality, IronCAD was the originator of the concept with the company’s launch in 1998, says Cary O’Connor vice president of marketing at IronCAD, Atlanta.

With this method, feature, part, and assembly data for each part are stored in a catalog of frequently used parts and assemblies. The piece from the catalog provides precise reference locations when designers drop their components into a larger design, positioning it automatically into any complex orientation required, O’Connor says. www.designworldonline.com

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“In traditional CAD, you start with a sketch, put it into a 3D profile, you insert parts from a file system and you keep drawing like that,” he adds.

“We can do that, but with us, you can also dragand-drop parts and assemblies from a catalog into the design environment, mesh the geometry, and use that for enhanced CAD design.”

Engineers do, of course, need to create the original file for the frequently used parts and assemblies, which are then stored in the catalog, from which they can be pulled from for use again and again.

“But engineers can use these parts confidently without worrying about how the original design was created,” O’Connor says.

The catalog of parts requires only one file, no matter how complex. Assembly part data is integrated into a file’s design rather than linking to external files, O’Connor says.

The CAD maker calls these cataloged parts “intelligent parts” because they contain the geometry and other information to fit the assembly seamlessly.

The designer need not worry about that step.

This is what allows the drop-in and automatic fit, he adds.

“Rather than insert constraints to the part, we’re doing it on the fly, positioning and changing information at the same time. If you want to make it larger, the tool knows how to update the part to make that change,” O’Connor says.

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Robinson Race Cars created parts and chassis for a 1955 Chevrolet owned by Matt Woods. | Matt Woods

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Robinson Race Cars began by designing chassis for touring and other racecars and soon moved on to providing custom parts for many of those cars

The already-designed parts can be dropped within many popular CAD programs as well as into IronCAD designs, he says.

Some companies have integrated IronCAD software with their enterprise systems for even greater hands-off customization. Others have used it as a backbone of their own proprietary software. Still others use IronCAD as their design system.

Automation for quick customization Take the example of Dutch company Van Keulen Interieubouw, which makes fixtures and equipment for retail and office environments, including shelving units and cashier stations made from materials like wood and laminate.

Customer needs vary according to the layout and the look they seek.

The company can manufacture and customize almost any interior element to meet customer requirements.

Van Keulen maintains manufacturing facilities for processing wood, metal, and plastic.

To stay ahead of competitors, the company delivers its products quickly after they receive an order, “Even going

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to the point to state if they need to deliver the next day, they will deliver the next day,” says Eddy Huis in’t Veld, the company’s software manager.

“To move from design to the finished products very fast, we have to be very flexible,” he says. “So, we have a high level of automation within our company.”

Using IronCAD, the company creates and stores the intelligent parts within its parts catalog. Some designs are reusable; others need quick modifications—easy to make on an already-created part where the CAD information also exists—and others need to be redesigned from scratch, Huis in’t Veld adds.

The parts can be added where needed to common CAD designs.

Engineers customize designs as they’re ordered, incorporating the preexisting catalog of parts into their own design. The company has integrated the CAD application into its enterprise resource management system. When the engineer hits done, a parts request is automatically sent to the ERP system, which creates a list of needed parts for the manufacturing floor.

“ERP can extract the size, material technology, and many other aspects

from the drawing,” Huis in’t Veld says.

“It puts them into the production environment, sending them into the right machines in the right order.

“We can be in production within 15 minutes after the designer puts the drawing into the ERP system,” he adds. “Open your drawing, make the changes, and send it to ERP. With a few mouse clicks, we can start production again.”

In other words, designers can design a custom order and send it to the manufacturing floor within the same system.

“They’ve created a kind-of curated process-manufacturing system,” O’Connor says.

The design tool is also useful in the sales process, where salespeople can show potential customers how a potential shelving unit—for example— would look made from laminate, built to a certain size, and standing on particular types of legs. Suppose the customer seeks another shape for the legs, or would like a different style of shelving unit. In that case, a salesperson can make those changes quickly with IronCAD and present them immediately.

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Van Keulen Interieurbouw, which makes office fixtures and furniture, is able to customize designs and get them into production quickly by integrating its CAD tool with its ERP system. | Van Keulen Interieurbouw

On the plant floor and in the race car The drag-and-drop capability to customize parts and assemblies doesn’t stop with CAD itself. Software makers take IronCAD’s core functionality and build their own product around it. One example is Fixture Builder, a 3-D design and modeling product from Renishaw, a supplier of coordinate measuring machines and machine tools.

The software is used to create and document fixturing set-ups. Fixture Builder’s fixtures have intelligence builtin because they’re made with and stored within the IronCAD’s design and catalog application.

“A designer would import the catalog model they want to build fixture around, drop the plate and components into their piece, and then the export file to show how someone in the real world would set up that fixture,” O’Connor says.

And of course, IronCAD is useful as a company’s primary modeling tool.

When mechanical engineer Andy Robinson opened his own business, he turned his love of drag-car racing, designing and building racecar chassis.

And, while racecar drivers won’t be thinking of the software behind the design of their chassis, they’ll certainly appreciate its ability to hold its own in a roll.

While Robinson had long worked with CAD in previous roles, he knew for Robinson Race Cars, in Hampshire, England, he’d need a tool anyone on his team could use.

More importantly, he wanted an environment where they could manipulate, change, and alter designs in

3D easily and on the fly, Robinson says.

Soon, he knew that with the help of CAD technology his company could resupply car parts and design and build chassis.

For instance, CAD enabled Robinson’s team to take a single repair and develop a standard part, which he could stock and sell to all in the industry.

Today, many of the former touring cars featured in the British Touring Car Championship are now in the hands of private clubman racers and, as Robinson knew, those cars still got bent and broken most weekends. The owners—who couldn’t, of course, buy many vital parts off the shelf—had a hard time keeping their cars running.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. Touring cars are particularly suited to racing long distances.

Recently, one such racer came to Robinson Race Cars with a broken suspension upright from a Spanish SEAT touring racecar that needed repair. A common problem and one that possibly dozens of drivers were dealing with across Europe.

Using IronCAD, Andy was able to reverse engineer the part and create a 3D model for evaluation. He could then understand the structure of the upright and look for weaknesses in the original design. He then went to several machine shops for proposals.

Having created the part, Andy was then able to show it on his website and approach other SEAT race teams to offer them replacement uprights.

His love of drag racing got him into this business, and Robinson hopes he can turn his attention to supplying those parts as well. That’s certainly feasible. In 2010, many European countries began to wake up to the sport of drag racing, as abandoned airfields across Poland, Croatia, and Russian were converted into quarter-mile drag strips.

From its early days in the 1990s, configuration-based design has become a stalwart of the design process. While more and more CAD systems today include at least parts of the method, IronCAD first introduced the functionality with its release in 1998.

And users like Van Keulen and Renishaw continue to find new ways to put it to work for them. DW IronCAD | www.ironcad.com

Renishaw Fixture Builder includes configuration management functions to create and document fixturing set-ups in a number of ways. | Renishaw

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5G TECHNOLOGY WORLD Delivers the Latest 5G Technology Trends

5G Technology World is EEWorldOnline’s newest site covering 5G technology, systems, infrastructure, and wireless design and development.

Get caught up on critical 5G information, check out the following articles on 5GTechnologyWorld.com: Massive MIMO performance testing: Emulate the channel Performing MIMO testing using real-world conditions is critical for successful 5G deployments. www.5gtechnologyworld.com/massive-mimoperformance-testing-emulate-the-channel

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

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

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

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Medical www.designworldonline.com

A Supplement to Design World - June 2021

The latest standard of broadband technology continues to make waves in 2021. But what about medtech?

| By Steve Halama on Unsplash

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The latest standard of broadband technology continues to make waves in 2021. But what about medtech?

How 5G could affect MedTech Sean Whooley | Associate Editor | Medical Design & Outsourcing

A cell tower

| image by Steve Halama on Unsplash

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WIRELESS TECH COMPANIES such as Qualcomm predict download speeds as high as 10 gigabits per second as next-generation 5G cellular networks roll out worldwide.

The open question in medtech is how quickly companies will take advantage of the super-speedy connectivity for their products.

“5G is about bringing more capacity and speed to the pipes,” said Don Jones, a member of the advisory council at BrightInsight and a veteran of the digital healthcare space. Jones spent more than 11 years building Qualcomm’s healthcare group.

“What you have to analyze is, ‘Can healthcare take advantage of what essentially amounts to these bigger pipes?’ Because more data can be shoved through them with more speed,” Jones said during a recent interview with Medical Design & Outsourcing.

Put into practice, those increased speeds and “pipe” sizes can bring data together to enable everything from robotic telesurgery to better decisionmaking on vital therapies such as drug delivery.

An evolution toward 5G For now, 4G technology adequately supports telehealth, according to Philips connected care leader Phil Raymond. But Raymond expects new medical technologies to develop as 5G lowers latency and download delays, plus high bandwidth and high numbers of connected devices.

“The road to 5G will be an evolutionary process that will follow

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technology rollout and accompanying new care paradigms that drive innovative disruption in existing care models,” Raymond said.

Some 5G-based applications have already made their way into medtech as the COVID-19 pandemic sped up the adoption of telehealth and remote monitoring.

Wearable biosensor patches and other wireless technologies, along with the 5G-powered Internet of Things (IoT), have benefitted from the scale of cloud storage and computing power already enabled by 5G, Raymond noted.

“Wireless connectivity is pervasive today in healthcare, but with the advanced capabilities and features within 5G, it will be a foundational component of delivering on the promise of the ‘quadruple aim’ of enhancing the patient experience, improving health outcomes, lowering the cost of care and improving the work life of care providers,” he said.

Jones pointed out that ResMed and Philips each have 25 million CPAP machines wirelessly connected through cell phone chips on the market today, indicating that the structure for a higher level of connectivity is already in place.

“The interesting part is beginning to figure out ways that [medtech companies] can use the communications

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capabilities to add more services,” Jones said. “It’s a question of how far they want to go with the capabilities.”

Ushering in robotic telesurgery Robotic telesurgery could be one of the most obvious areas that could benefit from 5G. Simply put, there’s a lot of data involved when surgeons are controlling a robot from a remote location.

AVRA Medical Robotics CEO Barry Cohen wrote in an end-of-2020 letter that as the company looks to meet modern requirements of roboticassisted healthcare, 5G may be a game-changer.

“The company is exploring remote operations for its intelligent robotic system for medical procedures using the new 5G mobile network at a time when social distancing, even in the Dexcom's G6 Pro with a physician reader. Devices like this could benefit from the capabilities provided by 5G. Image courtesy of Dexcom

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spaces reserved for surgical and medical work, has never been more important,” Cohen said. “The effectiveness of 5G has reduced the latency issue encountered in the early days of remote robotic surgery operations, a significant and potentially lifesaving improvement.”

Corindus, which Siemens Healthineers acquired for $1 billion in 2019, has been a pioneer in the robotic telesurgery space. Former Corindus COO and current innovation advisor Doug Teany sees 5G enabling the movement of large data packages with edge computing between a Siemens imaging system and a Corindus robotic system.

Robotic telesurgery system users could pull information for a patient, preprocess that information (with images of the heart or arteries or other areas) and deliver it in a way that offers warnings of potential complications or specifications for a patient’s anatomy.

“Technologies and advancements in imageguided robotics that are enabled by 5G will truly change the quality of care you get,” Teany said.

“Then we move to safer, targeted options that are more prescriptive to the patient themselves, and the risk of remote care will be removed. We’re excited about those possibilities.”

Teany acknowledged that cybersecurity poses a hurdle. Higher levels of security tend to slow networks down, somewhat negating the impact of 5G. But as advances continue, Teany is optimistic about overcoming security snags.

“The world is evolving to maneuver around these continual threats and these continual considerations for cybersecurity and it’s getting better,” Teany said.

“So, I think we’ll all benefit from that. There’s only a path forward, not a path backward for the issue of cybersecurity.”

Enabling more automated insulin delivery Jones recalls how major diabetes technology developer Dexcom brought him in years ago to help move the compmany toward developing connected devices. The networkable continuous glucose monitor (CGM) developed by Dexcom, currently the G6 (with a G7 in development), can connect with several other insulin- or diabetes-related devices, like a Bluetooth-connected pen from Novo Nordisk or a pump from Tandem Diabetes Care.

Faster communications through 5G could help companies overcome some of the safety challenges involved in what has been a holy grail for the diabetes tech space: automated insulin delivery.

“We’re going to have a more complex world of sensors that are intercommunicating, and that’s

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where 5G will start to be of help, for two reasons,” Jones said. “First, in a local area, the 5G allows a lot of computing and interconnectivity to not clog the cellular network. Then, when it needs to go to the cloud, it can go much faster.”

Other major medtech companies including Medtronic anticipate that 5G will make a big difference and are keeping a close eye on technology developments.

“From our perspective, the increased bandwidth, faster speeds and lower power associated with 5G cellular networks offer interesting possibilities for improved connectivity between pumps, sensors, peripherals, digital health devices and cloud services,” said Ali Dianaty, VP of product innovation for Medtronic’s diabetes business.

Dianaty told MDO in a statement: “We continue to monitor technologies like 5G for the potential impact they can have on the way we can help make living with diabetes easier while producing better outcomes.”

Technologies and advancements in image-guided robotics that are enabled by 5G will truly change the quality of care you get. Then we move to safer, targeted options that are more prescriptive to the patient themselves, and the risk of remote care will be removed.

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3M, others may have

unmasked

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a solution to future N95 shortages A handful of companies including 3M are working to ensure that a scramble for disposable masks never happens again.

Nancy Crotti Managing Editor Medical Design & Outsourcing

3M EVF with 3M 6000 series half facepiece respirator Image courtesy of 3M

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THE FACE OF THE NEXT PANDEMIC could be very different than that of COVID-19, thanks to a handful of companies that have redesigned reusable industrial face masks to better protect healthcare workers and help prevent mask shortages.

The makers of reusable elastomeric half-mask respirators designed them for industrial use with two inhalation valves flanking an exhalation valve. The exhalation valve enables wearers to breathe out comfortably and keeps the rubber masks from becoming too hot.

Some healthcare workers had been using them during the pandemic, but the FDA became concerned last year about the possibility of spreading the virus through the exhalation valves.

Three companies — 3M, MSA Safety and Dentec Safety Specialists — recently gained NIOSH approval for elastomeric respirators they redesigned by either removing the exhalation valve or fitting it with a new filter and valve to trap the virus inside. HHS plans to buy some of the redesigned masks.

The proposed fixes may sound easy, but the companies had to figure out where and how to safely and comfortably channel wearers’ outbreaths without leaving them uncomfortably warm, according to NIOSH. How 3M did it Maplewood, Minn.–based 3M developed a new exhalation filter and valve to fit its 6000 series of elastomeric half-mask respirators, which had been used occasionally in healthcare before the pandemic, according to Nikki Vars McCullough, director of application engineering and regulatory affairs in the company’s personal safety division.

In addition to selling new respirators, the company wanted to offer the new exhalation filter and valve to those who already owned them.

“That was really important to us because anytime you buy a new facepiece or a new design, the healthcare workers have to go through

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what’s called a fit test,” McCullough said. “We didn’t want people who already had these respirators to have to go through another fit test.

We didn’t want them to have to go through new training.”

With the 3M elastomeric half-mask respirators, it’s possible to remove the inhalation and exhalation valve filters and wipe them off, as well as separately submerging the facepiece in water for cleaning. “Once the (virus) particles are captured by air filter media, they stick to those fibers. They don’t come back off. They’re really, really stuck,” McCullough said.

Determining the best filter media to capture virus particles and still be comfortable for breathing was another challenge for 3M. Company engineers had to make sure the new exhalation valve filter would seal properly and that it would not impede the wearer’s line of sight.

Plus, the company had to develop new machines to manufacture the new exhalation valve filter and scale that manufacturing capability to meet demand.

NIOSH approved the product in January 2021, and 3M has begun selling it to healthcare providers.

TOP: Dentec white elastomeric respirator for healthcare use.

BOTTOM: Dentec black elastomeric respirator for healthcare or industrial use Images courtesy of Dentec

“NIOSH hadn’t really approved an accessory like this before. These were not ever needed before,” McCullough said. “This was a solution that we came up with in a short period of time. I’m very proud of it.”

Smaller companies take up the challenge MSA Safety, based near Pittsburgh in Cranberry, Pa., developed a half-mask respirator with no exhalation valve for use in healthcare settings. MSA also worked with Allegheny Health Network, a 12-hospital system based in Pittsburgh, to test the masks.

MSA engineers had to figure out how to redirect exhaled breath through the inhalation filters at the same high filtration level while ensuring the breathing resistance was still low, according to Zane Frund, executive director of product research and development for the company.

To test its reusability, MSA staff also immersed their respirator in several types of disinfecting solutions for up to two weeks, then reassessed it for fit and function, Frund said.

NIOSH approval, which typically takes a few months, took just weeks for MSA’s healthcareappropriate respirator, MSA Advantage 290. The company has since sold it to more than 20 hospitals and hospital networks in the U.S. and Canada and is working with a medical consultant on

European medical approvals, Frund said.

Meanwhile, Allegheny Health has switched its entire staff to MSA’s elastomeric half-mask respirators.

It is working with NIOSH (as is the University of Maryland) to develop best practice guidelines for other healthcare organizations to use them.

Making masks personal A third company, Dentec Safety Specialists (Newmarket, Ontario), has been making elastomeric halfmask respirators for industrial use for 40 years in its Lenexa, Kan., factory, according to president Claudio Dente.

Dentec designed its new ComfortAirNx series with two-way filtration through the same filters rather than having a separate exhalation filter.

To test it out, company employees

MSA Safety Advantage 290 elastomeric respirator for healthcare. Image courtesy of MSA Safety

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wore the new mask and measured the temperature inside it at 45-second, one-, two-, five- and 10-minute intervals to see how quickly it heated up. They concluded it was more comfortable to wear than a disposable respirator.

The mask wearer then walked at a brisk pace for 500 steps, simulating a healthcare worker’s movement, then breathed hard for 20 breaths and did temperature readings inside the mask five and 10 minutes later. Repeated

tests showed the ComfortAir Nx MD elastomeric mask produced a temperature slightly below that of a disposable N95 mask without an exhalation valve, according to the company.

“It’s all about how hard it is to breathe,” Dente said. “We wanted to measure the heat buildup inside the mask versus an N95 disposable versus a 3-ply disposable surgical mask.”

The new mask’s material is also different. When the virus first hit

New York City and the country shut down, people frantically called and emailed Dentec, begging for respirators. Dente watched the TV coverage of overwhelmed hospitals and PPE-encased workers hovering unrecognizably over sick and dying patients and vowed to do something — manufacture new respirators out of white elastomeric rubber instead of the usual black.

“I made it in white on purpose so you can write a message,” Dente

LEFT: Woman wearing MSA Safety Advantage 290 elastomeric respirator for healthcare RIGHT: Man wearing MSA Safety Advantage 290 elastomeric respirator for healthcare Image from MSA Safety

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explained. “You can say, ‘I care for you.’ It was about having to have some type of humanity.”

Uncle Sam is buying In mid-February 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted a request for bids to supply the Strategic National Stockpile with 375,000 elastomeric half-mask respirators that meet the new NIOSH requirements. 3M, MSA Safety and Dentec Safety Specialists all submitted bids by the March 17 deadline. HHS has yet to award the contract(s).

NIOSH will send a portion of the respirators it buys under the contract to about 90 healthcare organizations to test the best practice guidelines drawn up by Allegheny Health and the University of Maryland, according to Maryann D’Alessandro, who directs the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory for NIOSH in Pittsburgh. NIOSH will then use that information to draw up best practices for healthcare providers nationwide.

“Our hope is, by offering these elastomerics and the powered airpurifying respirators and putting some good best practice guidelines in place for hospitals … there’s some relief provided to the inventory of respirators to the healthcare organization,” D’Alessandro said.

HHS acknowledged that these elastomeric masks cost more than disposables, but also noted that they last much longer. As part of its study, Allegheny Health concluded that the cost of the reusable masks was 10 times less per month than disposable N95s and that the cost-benefit increased the longer they are needed.

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“In addition, elastomeric masks can be stored for future surges and should be considered an essential part of all healthcare facilities’ supply of personal protective equipment,” the Allegheny Health researchers reported in an article published in September in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. “Implementation of the program has eliminated our dependence on disposable N95s to maintain normal operations during the global pandemic.”

Our hope is, by offering these elastomerics and the powered air-purifying respirators ... there's some relief provided to the inventory of respirators to the healthcare organization.

June 2021 www.designworldonline.com

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Product World Intelligent and simple variable frequency drive Danfoss danfoss.com The VLT AutomationDrive EZ FC 321 provides variable speed control of all asynchronous and permanent magnet motors, on any industrial machine or production line and is packed with standard features with no special configuration or customization required. Save energy, improve flexibility, and optimize processes with this intelligent yet simple variable frequency drive designed for easy stocking and fast turnaround.

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Product World Photoelectric sensors provide condition monitoring data

EtherCAT terminal for direct connection of inductive displacement sensors

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vibration monitoring. The sensor’s signal quality is displayed on LEDs on the sensor, and operating hours and time functions are available using IO-Link.

Two new photoelectric sensors are now available: • BOS0285 – a diffuse sensor with triangulation and a laser red light making it suitable for small part detection thanks to background suppression • BOS0286 – a retroflective sensor with an LED, which can reliably detect clear objects Features: • IO-Link V1.1 (Smart Sensor Profile 2) • Designed for harsh ambient conditions.

• Various operating modes for demanding object detection.

• The sensor monitors itself and its environment: temperature, humidity, vibration, inclination, contamination, function reserve.

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For further information about products on these pages visit the Design World website @ www.designworldonline.com

Connector with 360° shielding for sensor and robotic applications Binder binder-connector.us The Series 718 portfolio has been expanded with the compact molded M8 circular connector. The connector has a new type of 360° EMC shielding, used for the first time in this environment. This shielding ensures reliable protection against EMI in even the most challenging environments, making this connector suitable for sophisticated sensor and machine vision technologies, and conveyor systems, robotics, and other industrial applications.

The M8 cable connector is among the smaller size and lighter weight offerings, providing an option for applications with high-performance needs where space is limited (and will likely decrease even more in the future).

Highlights: • binder series: 718 • Pin counts: 3, 4, 6 or 8 • Degree of protection: IP67 • Lifetime > 100 mating cycles • Cable: PVC or PUR (length customized per customer requirements)

Diaphragm liquid pump KNF KNFusa.com The FP 70 further expands the series of smooth flow liquid pumps. This product line combines the low pulsation of a gear or centrifugal pump with the strengths and advantages of diaphragm pumps.

The versatile FP 70 is available with a selection

The KNF FP 70 delivers up to 850 ml/min while producing up to 29.4 PSIG (2 bar) pressure

of motors to match the functionality and lifetime

under continuous operation. Thanks to the patented 4-point valves, the KNF FP 70 is reliably

requirements of the application — from high-end

self-priming, even at very low motor speeds. It also can safely run dry, handles liquid transfer

BLDC to lower-end DC motors. Depending on the

gently and cleanly, and is available with chemically resistant flow path materials. Thanks to

operating parameters, the high-end BLDC motor

the integration of pulsation dampening technology, there is no need for additional pulsation

achieves a lifetime of more than 20,000 hours.

dampening elements and tubing when using the KNF FP 70, thus reducing space requirements versus a pump-plus-damper approach.

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Ad Index

SALES

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

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

Altech Corporation ........... Cover,1

Kingway USA ............................... 34

Altra Industrial

Mach III ............................................ 61

Motion Corp. .......... 21,22,23,24

Miki Pulley U.S. ............................. 16

Automation24, Inc. ....................... 9

Nason ............................................. 37

AutomationDirect ......................IFC

NB Corporation ............................. 11

Azoth ............................................... 19

Novotechnik .................................44

Bison Gear .....................................151

OKW Enclosures, Inc. ................. 17

Bodine Electric Company ........ 43

PBC Linear .................................... 55

Canfield Connector ....................44

Regent Controls/

CGI Inc. ........................................... 29

Carlyle Johnson ....................59

Clippard ......................................... BC

RIGOL Technologies ................... 31

CMT .................................................39

ROLEC Enclosures Inc. ............. 35

Computer Aided

Smalley Steel Ring ...................... 41

Technology ............................. 62

Smart Products USA .................. 51

Del-tron ........................................ 149

The Lee Company .........................2

DeviceTalks ...................................49

Trim-Lok ......................................... 25

Digi-Key ........................................... 15

WAGO Corporation .................... 47

ebm-papst .......................................7

Whittet-Higgins ........................... 27

igus ................................................ IBC

Zero-Max, Inc ..................................5

Interpower .....................................38

Ryan Ashdown

rashdown@wtwhmedia.com 216.316.6691

Jami Brownlee

jbrownlee@wtwhmedia.com 224.760.1055

Mike Caruso

mcaruso@wtwhmedia.com 469.855.7344

Jim Powers

jpowers@wtwhmedia.com 312.925.7793 @jpowers_media

Courtney Nagle

cseel@wtwhmedia.com 440.523.1685 @wtwh_CSeel

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Mary Ann Cooke

mcooke@wtwhmedia.com 781.710.4659

Publisher Mike Emich

Bill Crowley

memich@wtwhmedia.com 508.446.1823 @wtwh_memich

Jim Dempsey

Managing Director Scott McCafferty

bcrowley@wtwhmedia.com 610.420.2433 jdempsey@wtwhmedia.com 216.387.1916

Mike Francesconi

smccafferty@wtwhmedia.com 310.279.3844 @SMMcCafferty

mfrancesconi@wtwhmedia.com EVP 630.488.9029 Marshall Matheson

Neel Gleason

ngleason@wtwhmedia.com 312.882.9867 @wtwh_ngleason

mmatheson@wtwhmedia.com 805.895.3609 @mmatheson

The Robot Report - RBR50 6 River Systems ......................... 74

IDS Imaging Development .....70

Alpha Wire .................................. 130

IKO International ...................... 126

CS Hyde Company ..................... 71

Lucid Vision Labs Inc .............. 69

FAULHABER MICROMO .......... 98

MOTUS LABS .............................. 72

FUTEK Advanced Sensor

Schunk ........................................ 108

Technology, Inc. ....................67

SICK, Inc. ..................................... 132

Geek + ...........................................76

Sumitomo Machinery ............... 77

Harmonic Drive .......................... 118

THK America .............................. 104

HBK Worldwide ......................... 120

ULC Robotics .............................124

HighRes Biosolutions ............ 100

University of Maryland .......... 138

FOLLOW US ON

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DESIGN WORLD does not endorse any products, programs or services of advertisers or editorial contributors. Copyright© 2021 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.

Medical Tips Supplement Eagle Stainless Tube ............................ 164 Nitto Kohki USA ...................................... 165 Stock Drive Products/ Sterling Instrument ................... 169

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6/11/21 9:34 AM

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