Latest News

3D toothbrush made from metal

Zare from Boretto, Italy, has ventured to design a new toothbrush in collaboration with Nussbaumer Design, headed by Christoph Nussbaumer. The result is very unusual – this toothbrush is made from metal. Under the brand name MIO, this 3D-printed toothbrush featuring a timeless design is produced by means of additive manufacturing. One of the technical strengths of 3D metal printing lies in its ability to redefine the function and geometry of products. So it’s hardly surprising that a 3D toothbrush made from metal has a different effect than a common toothbrush. And this holds true even though injection-molded toothbrushes made of plastic have been design objects or years now. When we buy a new toothbrush, today we can find ergonomic designs that combine customisation and functionality, with colors and shapes that are intended to captivate us. Zare’s 3D metal toothbrush goes one step further. In 2013, Zare procured its first 3D metal printer – an M2 cusing from Concept Laser. Thanks to the company’s experience with conventional machining techniques and plastic prototyping, Zare quickly realised the advantages of 3D metal printing, introducing its customers to the new possibilities. Zare breaks the mould Though Zare was already successful in 3D metal printing, the company never really had the idea to create a designer toothpaste made from metal. The objective was to take a normal object of daily use and create a luxury item not yet available that could only be created using additive manufacturing based on its design. In the end the company chose a “customisable” toothbrush made from metal. The production costs didn’t play a decisive role, the focus instead placed on a unique design, exclusivity and user friendliness, in this case ergonomics. At Zare, a company originally from the prototyping sector, these dependencies were ground for a new approach. […]

Hitachi to disrupt Industrial IoT platform market with Lumada Software Stack

Hitachi’s first commercial Lumada Internet of Things (IoT) platform offering, the Lumada IoT platform has been fully updated with an elegant, portable architecture that enables it to run both on-premises or in the cloud and to support industrial IoT deployments both at the edge and in the core. The new software stack is designed to help customers quickly and easily gain insights, predictions and recommendations from their data, and can be easily adapted to support mid-to-large-scale environments. Lumada’s integrated advanced analytics have also been enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) functionality at scale. The result is a highly intelligent and flexible platform that accelerates superior outcomes for enterprise and industrial customers, such as increased operational efficiencies and cost savings, enhanced operational safety and reliability, improved asset utilization, performance management and product quality, and the creation of new business models. Among the notable advancements to the Lumada IoT platform are asset avatars, Hitachi’s unique approach to what is commonly referred to as “digital twins.” Asset avatars provide a digital representation of physical assets and rich metadata for analytics, serving as a digital proxy for business and industrial assets and providing rapid data-driven insights into their health and performance, with continuously updated sensor values. This approach helps to eliminate “blind spots” in operation-critical systems by providing improved access to – and insights from – business, machine and human data, which can help users move more rapidly from measurement to management to improvement. The newly enhanced software stack also provides IoT developers and architects with powerful design tools and features that simplify the creation and deployment industrial IoT solutions, with faster time to insight. Since introducing Lumada to the market as a co-creation platform in May 2016, Hitachi has hardened and optimised its Lumada IoT platform. These improvements are based on numerous deployments in […]

FARO introduces next generation FaroArm

The QuantumS is certified to ISO 10360 -12:2016, the most rigorous international measurement quality standard in existence. This global standard, unlike the various regional standards such as VDI/VDE 2617, establishes the consistent, critical testing procedures that enable objective performance comparisons across any and all Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring devices. Also, the QuantumS sets a new standard for ruggedness as it tests to the International Electrical Commission (IEC 60068 -2) standards for shock, vibration and temperature stress relief. With the addition of the FAROBluT Laser Line Probe HD, the QuantumS continues the FARO tradition of delivering maximum measurement consistency for both direct-to-parts contact and non-contact requirements in every working environment. It enables users to capture more, richer detail faster than any other comparable product on the market. Usability The advanced man-machine interface and enhanced ergonomics make the FARO QuantumS a virtual extension of the human arm and enables up to 15% less effort and fatigue for the operator with direct, contact only units. This dramatic increase in both comfort and portability increases operator productivity by facilitating continuous use over extended periods during the workday. Portability QuantumS advances the concept of true portability and ensures additional floor reach by up to 40%. Advanced wireless capability ensures that the reliability of cable-free scanning and probing is comparable to scanning and probing with a cable attachment. Furthermore, the availability of dual, hot swappable batteries supports continuous operation anywhere on the factory floor without the need for external power.

Companies embracing, and finding value in, the circular economy

Shifting to the circular economy could release $4.5 trillion in new economic potential by 2030. The circular economy – an economic model focused on designing and manufacturing products, components and materials for reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling – promises big opportunities for the private sector to drive new and better growth and accelerate innovation. Shifting to the circular economy could release $4.5 trillion in new economic potential by 2030, according to Accenture. But how do we take that vision of a circular economy – which imagines a world without waste – and translate that into profitable and scalable action? Let’s look at how companies are translating their circular economy aspirations into action – and how that in turn drives greater resource productivity improvements, eliminates waste and inefficiency, and contributes to a stronger and more competitive economy. Aramark: Reducing food waste Food services provider Aramark has set a goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030 from its 2015 baseline, such as by setting standards for ordering, receiving, preparing, serving and tracking food production. Through its partnership with food waste reduction experts LeanPath, Aramark is accelerating its waste prevention and minimisation efforts by integrating LeanPath’s tracking and analytics technology platform into its largest 500 accounts. Since 2016, Aramark has rolled out LeanPath’s platform across 161 sites, slashing its food waste on average by 44% and reducing the amount sent to landfill by 479 tonnes. In instances of overproduction, Aramark donates unserved food to local food relief agencies or for composting. Eileen Fisher: The path to 100% circularity Eileen Fisher take-back programme, in which employees and customers can bring back unwanted Eileen Fisher clothing for $5 store credit per piece, started in 2009 under the name Green Eileen. Funds raised from the programme are donated to organizations that support women, girls, and the […]

Student designing his own solutions to new challenges

Mark Cooper is a person who gets on with things. Mark was a shepherd and began coming up with ways which would allow him to still use a ute. He needed a hoist to get his electric wheelchair into the restricted space in the back, but could find nothing available which met his needs, so he made his own device. He designed and built a large arm which lifts his chair neatly into the back cabin, just above where the sheepdogs fit. Mark faced another issue with the ute, however. He needed to be able to easily access the vehicle cab when he left his chair, but most off-the-shelf solutions required extensive modifications to the ute, which he wanted to avoid. With the help of an engineering firm in Nelson, he solved that problem too. He came up with another design utilising a support platform which fits into the seat frame, allowing him to get in and out of the driver’s seat. But he didn’t stop at the ute. Mark has designed a wheelchair hoist for his jetboat too. With no engineering background he has gone through a process of trial and error, with some help from the professionals. Mark is hoping to move into a rural valuation, rural banking or consultancy role when he finishes his studies, though his hoists suggest a future in design. He is doing engineering as part of his degree, but has no special projects lined up, and does not see any commercial potential in the things he has made so far. They were all made to meet specific needs. However, if those needs change, or he has new ones and can’t find anything that meets them, who knows what else he might come up with?

Panic button emergency alert notification launched

Employee communications software company SnapComms (www.snapcomms.com) has launched a new feature designed for emergency situations in the workplace. SnapComms Panic Button enables first-at-the-scene employees to send a pre-configured emergency alert straight to the mobile phones and desktops of colleagues, as well as large display screens in communal areas. The Panic Button emergency alert overrides all other applications in use at the time. It displays fully across a screen’s real estate, greatly increasing the chance of employees immediately seeing the alert at a time when every second counts. For additional impact, the emergency alert can include an audio notification. Customer demand led to SnapComms developing Panic Button, explains Sarah Perry, CEO, SnapComms. She says: “Organisations are increasingly conscious of their responsibilities to staff in emergency situations. They need to minimise the risk, should the worst happen. “In response, we’ve created a high-impact notification tool that’s exceptionally quick and easy to trigger. It saves valuable minutes during a time of extreme stress.” An important feature of SnapComms Panic Button is real-time reporting. This provides critical metrics such as delivery and receipt of emergency alerts, highlighting which staff have (and have not) seen the message. Panic Button also eliminates a time-wasting step that most other emergency notification systems still insist upon: the official internal publishing process. In other words, first-at-the-scene staff are empowered to broadcast a pre-configured alert without delay – and without having to waste time trying to track down the person who normally publishes internal communications content. Use-case scenarios include: a severe weather warning; a wide-scale medical emergency; a suspected terrorist threat; an active shooter on site; a natural disaster; a fire; or any other time of duress. The emergency alerts can be sent to targeted staff within 60 seconds (this is the standard setting, subject to network connectivity and third […]

Enabling employee productivity through technology

Charlie Camphin, WorkForce Software Vice President of Sales, APJ Employee productivity, or how effectively employee time is managed, is key to ensuring a business can execute its overall strategy. In the competitive manufacturing industry, a sustained increase in employee productivity can give the business a competitive advantage. Manufacturing businesses that implement workforce management technology can achieve a significant increase in employee productivity and improvement in their bottom line. Manufacturers are often at the forefront of automation technology. However, many still rely on old-fashioned time sheets and scheduling systems that require manual input from both the business and its employees. Automating workforce management systems can help to improve communication and save time and resources that could be better spent on strategic priorities. Automation technology lets companies minimise the costs of processes such as absence management. Automated absence tracking, for example, can reduce the time HR managers spend on manual absence-related tasks. Top-performing organisations are increasingly integrating automated absence management tools to relieve managers of the burdens of handling short- and long-term employee absences. There are three key ways that manufacturing businesses can enable employee productivity through technology: Improving engagement and satisfaction Boosting employee engagement has a direct impact on productivity. However, almost half (49.5 per cent) of employees are not engaged and 16.5 per cent are actively disengaged.[1] Workforce management technology can give employees self-service tools for tracking time-off balances and requesting leave. This means they have greater control and insight over their own shifts and holiday time, helping to create an engaged, productive and loyal workforce. Analyse performance Information on employees’ activities and performance is essential to how well a business can harness its true value. The data provided by workforce management systems can provide greater insight than traditional methods of worker observation. Manufacturing businesses with robust workforce analytics and […]

Why modernise control platforms

As products age and give way to new technologies, the need arises to proactively plan and manage the transition from existing equipment to leading-edge products and technologies. Automation components, software and systems represent major capital investments that are instrumental to the success of industrial operations. In the face of rapidly changing markets and technologies, the industrial enterprise must keep step to remain competitive. Today’s contemporary automation systems offer unprecedented advancements in performance, flexibility, and security, with the potential to provide a competitive edge. Technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, accelerated by the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things and advances in enabling technologies, including data analytics, remote monitoring and mobility. Rockwell Automation continues to incorporate these latest technologies in control and automation platforms and although the PLC-5 programmable logic controller has been a valuable part of their portfolio for more than 30 years, no technology can last forever. Modern control systems provide a higher level of integration, driving improved asset utilisation, increased system flexibility and easy access to information. The high performance, Rockwell Automation ControlLogix platform delivers the capabilities to converge production disciplines (discrete, motion, process and safety), including extreme environments and high availability applications, into an integrated plant-wide architecture enabling a connected enterprise. Information shared between Information Technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT) across a secure network enables: · Greater production visibility, for quicker response to customer demand · Higher profit margins through improved inventory management, cycle times and quality control · Improved capacity and asset utilization, leading to greater Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) · Regulatory compliance and reduced exposure to security risks Migrating to the ControlLogix family of programmable automation controllers (PAC) provides the platform to leverage advancements in technology, including improved access to information, more informed business decisions, faster performance for more throughput and […]

«‹ 11 12 13 14

News Ticker

Latest News