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Tool digitisation delivers immense benefits

Many companies are pursuing different paths as they attempt to realise Industry 4.0. For global electrical engineering manufacturer, Phoenix Contact, the focus has been on integrating digital data about its manufacturing tools to ensure their ongoing integrity and as a step towards creating an increasingly automated manufacturing environment. Phoenix Contact produces over 60,000 different products, including solutions for connection, interface, automation and surge protection. With so many models to produce and the continuous demand for new products, maintaining the operation and integrity of its dies is critical to its ongoing manufacturing success. The dies are used in the production of screws, plastics and metal parts, but also in highly automated assembly machines as well as punching, bending and injection moulding tools. Usually made from hardened steel, the dies can take months to create and are expensive to produce. Phoenix Contact realised that by digitising information about its dies it could create a lifetime digital document on each tool. This would allow it to quickly and easily track the quality of its tools, enhance its manufacturing process, and further interlink systems as it moved towards Industry 4.0. Consequently, all relevant information about each individual die was digitised. The data gathered included the year the tool was produced, material used to construct it, maintenance details, and so forth. It was then incorporated into the overall manufacturing process via the internet so that staff and systems could automatically connect and communicate as well as track and monitor the dies performance, its usage, wear and tear, and to determine its availability in the manufacturing process. Since digitising the information, the benefits for the company have been immense. Dies are now automatically scheduled for maintenance based on usage. Staff and manufacturing systems communicate, and are notified in advance of the required maintenance. The higher-level control […]

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.

Letting our capes fly: Why engineers are awesome

This glimpse of the future was crafted by: Michelle Doolan You don’t have to sit a 5-year old down and teach her the physical and psychological benefits of building forts. Chances are she has wrecked your lounge many times before. Written into the defaults of our DNA is the impulse to create ̶ to bring something that never was into being. Take away the plastic weapons of mass destruction from your toy box, and watch your toddler turn his peanut butter sandwich into a gun. Beach sand becomes castles; snow days invite igloos; the world is a wonderful palette that kids just intuitively want to paint on. Essentially, the engineer is hidden inside all of us. The question for us engineers who still hold the title is, are we still living like one? Because we may need to be reminded from time to time, the job of an engineer is a great one. By comparison to some of the other professions, engineering is often not seen as the “cool” one. TV shows like LA Law and Boston Legal glamorise legal eagles battling it out in high profile court cases. ER, House and Scrubs bring the world of medicine into our living rooms. Even Grand Designs puts architecture on a pedestal. Isn’t it about time that TV producers got in touch with the profession that is shaping the future world we live in like no other? As a discipline, it lies at the very fabric of our society, shouldering the systems and spaces that give our world its meaning. Too often the profession is associated with hard hats and tool belts, viewed as difficult and esoteric. But in reality, engineering is a far cry from ‘restrictive’ and ‘routine’. It is alive and multidimensional, unleashing the power of connected societies to unlock […]

Forget driverless cars: sailorless ships are about to make waves

Sea change … unmanned electric cargo ships could be with us in three years. Norwegian company Yara will launch the world’s first electric cargo ship next year. Initially manned, the vessel will move to remote control in 2019, before becoming totally autonomous in 2020. Named Yara Birkeland, the vessel will sail between Yara’s main factory facility in Norway to some of the country’s bigger ports, carrying cargo which is currently transported by road. It’s estimated that the battery-powered ship will remove the need for 40,000 truck journeys a year. Making ‘drone’ ships a reality Although advances in driverless cars are getting more media attention, major advances have already been made in bringing artificial intelligence to the shipping and freight industries. Rolls Royce is also working on making autonomous ships a reality by the end of the decade, in conjunction with ship builders and researchers in Finland. Meanwhile, research body MUNIN – or Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks – has been part funded by the European Commission to develop the technology needed to make robotic ships. Back on land, Singapore earlier this year signed an agreement with trucking companies Scania and Toyota Tsusho to design, develop and build self-driving freight lorries to haul containers from one port to another. The idea would see one truck with a driver leading a convoy of driverless trucks; it’s being billed as a way to reduce congestion and boost productivity in the country’s already efficient ports. In 2016, a fleet of trucks from a host of leading manufacturers including Volvo and Daf drove their freight across Europe largely without drivers as part of a mission under the Dutch presidency of the EU to prove the potential of AI in the haulage industry. In a report into the driverless car revolution, the World Economic Forum estimated that $2 billion worth of value […]

Exponential Manufacturing Revolution

Diane Francis Member of Advisory Council at Hudson Institute Kleptocracy Initiative The train to Boston from New York speeds past stunning scenery as well as the blight of abandoned factories, scarred with graffiti. These empty buildings are the remnants of a New England that was the China of the Industrial Revolution based on cheap immigrant labour. Today, its towns languish economically, except for Boston, which is enjoying a resurgence as a technology, pharma, and advanced manufacturing hub. This week, American experts from industry, technology, and policy gathered at a conference in Boston, curated by Singularity University, to discuss the role of tech in manufacturing. America remains a manufacturing powerhouse, as well as the world’s pre-eminent technology nation, but marrying the two will take time. In global terms, the industrial sector represents one-third of all global economic output and represents half of the world’s energy consumption and renewables. “This year, offshore wind power generation matched the cost of natural gas power plants in Europe,” said Singularity’s energy expert Ramez Naam. “In windy parts of the world, wind power is cheapest, and in sunny parts of the world solar is.” In solar, record low prices were reached this year too. A major contract in Dubai at 2.91 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour, the world’s lowest — Ontario’s prices average 8 cents per kilowatt hour. India just completed the world’s largest solar farm (4.5 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour) and its federal government intends to have only electrically-powered vehicles by 2030 – completely bypassing fossil fuels. As these industries scale, costs plummet for solar panels and turbines. China is converting to renewables rapidly, but has also earmarked half a trillion dollars to become the world’s advanced manufacturing leader. This is a major pivot, necessary in light of the fact that cheap labour, in […]

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 […]

Forget driverless cars: sailorless ships are about to make waves

Digital simulation for the Industrial IoT

PTC and ANSYS have a solution that will enable ANSYS engineering simulation technology to be rapidly added to applications built on the ThingWorx Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) platform from PTC. Development of a connector between these two technology platforms will enable customers to transform raw data into new forms of actionable intelligence. The connector will integrate intelligent digital simulation models with products as they exist and operate in the real world. This will open up new opportunities for companies to create value by enabling them to optimize operations and maintenance and to integrate them into their product development processes. Simulation helps companies understand situations that may occur – such as a product failure – as early as the design phase. When faced with limited access to rich historical data, companies can leverage simulation models to generate an initial “as designed” set of expected outcomes or product performance. The results of these simulations act as a rich source of data that can be used for supervised machine learning and predictive modelling. The ongoing connection between real-world performance, simulation, and machine learning helps companies make sense of data that can lead to predictive models and a more insightful feedback loop, enabling them to improve product design and modelling. The IoT is making it possible to create a digital twin that combines real-time data about a physical product with the organisation’s digital information about the product. Simulating digital twins provides advanced intelligence and insight into a product’s behaviours. The combination of the ThingWorx platform capabilities with ANSYS simulation models will enable companies to deploy powerful applications that can analyse current operating conditions, rapidly identify and diagnose operations issues, predict future operating conditions, and improve product performance. PTC and ANSYS will make the capabilities of this solution available within IoT applications developed on […]

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?

Exponential Manufacturing Revolution

Diane Francis, Member of Advisory Council at Hudson Institute Kleptocracy Initiative The train to Boston from New York speeds past stunning scenery as well as the blight of abandoned factories, scarred with graffiti. These empty buildings are the remnants of a New England that was the China of the Industrial Revolution based on cheap immigrant labour. Today, its towns languish economically, except for Boston, which is enjoying a resurgence as a technology, pharma, and advanced manufacturing hub. America remains a manufacturing powerhouse, as well as the world’s pre-eminent technology nation, but marrying the two will take time. In global terms, the industrial sector represents one-third of all global economic output and represents half of the world’s energy consumption and renewables. “This year, offshore wind power generation matched the cost of natural gas power plants in Europe,” said Singularity’s energy expert Ramez Naam. “In windy parts of the world, wind power is cheapest, and in sunny parts of the world solar is.” In solar, record low prices were reached this year too. A major contract in Dubai at 2.91 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour, the world’s lowest — Ontario’s prices average 8 cents per kilowatt hour. India just completed the world’s largest solar farm (4.5 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour) and its federal government intends to have only electrically-powered vehicles by 2030 – completely bypassing fossil fuels. As these industries scale, costs plummet for solar panels and turbines. China is converting to renewables rapidly, but has also earmarked half a trillion dollars to become the world’s advanced manufacturing leader. This is a major pivot, necessary in light of the fact that cheap labour, in an era of technology, is no longer a competitive advantage. “China has launched the Artificial Intelligence Institute and its companies are buying companies globally in this space,” said […]

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