Design Engineering May/June 2012

22 Dell unveils its high-powered workstation line for 2012

28 RMT’s ADAM robot marries AI with material handling

46 Tricorders inspire consumers to

take their own “away missions”

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Contents | Volume 58, No. 3

IN THE NEWS

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CAE appoints Military Group President

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Yokogawa appoints head of Canadian business

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Magna, CRIBE to add wood fibre to auto parts

Columns

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Stratasys and Objet announce merger

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Canadian tech firm shows off huge touch screen

22 Hardwire Dell unveils its high-powered Precision Workstation line for 2012.

12

Hodgson wins 2012 Canadian Fluid Power Challenge

24 Rapid Prototyping Additive manufacturing system makers roll out latest models at RAPID 2012.

12

Queen’s researchers create life-sized 3D hologram for videoconferencing

34 Materials To balance performance with efficiency, auto designers turn to light weight materials.

14

Autodesk Research tests “under-skin” interfaces

15

Canadian automotive R&D receives $22 million funding boost

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16 CAD Report MapleSim simulation helps launch Canadian planetary rover development.

20 CAD Beat SolidWorks boosts design of world’s first practical jetpack.

READER SERVICES

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36 Fasteners & Adhesives Unique internal thread form helps truck and auto industry withstand extreme turbocharger heat and vibration.

24

26

38 Power Transmission Which ball spline technology is right for your application?

40 Idea Generator The latest in industrial products including motion control, sensors & fluid power.

28

Features 26 Extreme Mobility

B.C.’s amphibious Arktos Craft reigns as the ultimate “go anywhere” vehicle.

28 Industrial Droid

RMT’s intelligent AGV marries AI with robotic material handling.

46

30 Mechatronics

When disciplines blur, engineers need to be as flexible as their projects require.

46 Canadian Innovator

Inventor’s Tricorders to inspire consumers to take their own “away missions.”

January/February | 2012

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6 EditorialViewpoint

The People’s EV

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his past May, members of the Automotive Journalist Association of Canada (AJAC) and 22 alternative energy and high-efficiency cars took a leisurely road trip across Southern Ontario. Called the Brighton-to-London EcoRun, the event provided Canada’s automotive media with the opportunity to test how well the latest generation of electric, hybrid and high efficiency fuel burning vehicles deliver on their efficiency claims.

On the PR side, however, the EcoRun intended to call attention to what Canadian drivers can do to combat the escalating cost of gasoline while also promoting automakers and their fuel-efficient products. The convoy—comprised of seven pure electrics, seven hybrids and seven cars with various fuel efficiency technologies—gave Ontario universities and ministers every opportunity along the 330-kilometre route to show their commitment to the “greening” of the automobile.

What the event made clear, however, is that automakers have missed the real selling feature of an EV. Buyers don’t want the reality of electric and hybrid vehicles; they still have limited range and whether they actually benefit the environment is a complicated issue, given their reliance on fossil fuel burning electric generation plants. What’s desirable about them is the perception of environmental responsibility. But with the possible exception of the distinctive Toyota Prius and Smart USA’s diminutive Fortwo, most models on AJAC’s EcoRun look very similar to any other gas-burning car on the road.

What the industry needs then, to launch alternative fuel vehicles into the mainstream, is an EV or hybrid with the same low entry cost, mass appeal and cult status of the original VW Beetle. When it became a North American hit in the mid-50s, a previously untapped market of car buyers flocked to its uncomplicated, unpretentious promise of mobility. And with no radiator and only 200 moving parts, the Bug’s straightforward and inexpensive upkeep appealed to a generation low on disposable income and high on, among other things, ideals.

But it was the Beetle’s quirky exterior that was its most appealing feature. In place of hard, linear edges, its curves and organic shapes encouraged owners to anthropomorphize the Beetle as mechanical companions. It would be hard, for example, to imagine Disney filming “Herbie the Love Cutlass” in 1968. And like any fashion accessory, the Beetle’s design unmistakably signalled to others that the owner held certain opinions and attitudes.

Volkswagen seems to have had the same thought. At the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the automaker showed off its zeroemission E-Bugster concept car with similar styling to the modern day Beetle but with a 114-horsepower (85 kW) electric motor and a lithium-ion battery.

While cute, the E-Bugster fails to apply the lesson of its predecessor. Its design harkens back to the original and all the cultural baggage, good and bad, that comes with it.

To succeed, the People’s EV would have to be unique, charismatically quirky and instantly identifiable, so as to make it as much a cultural status symbol as a mode of transportation. After all, what’s the point of saving the world if nobody sees you do it.

Mike McLeod

@

I enjoy hearing from you so please contact me at MMcLeod@design-engineering.com and your letter could be published in an upcoming issue.

May/June | 2012

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Publisher Alan Macpherson (416) 510-6756 AMacPherson@design-engineering.com Group Editorial Director Lisa Wichmann (416) 510-5101 LWichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com Accounts Manager Laura Gergley (416) 510-5230 lgergley@design-engineering.com Editor Michael McLeod (416) 442-5600 ext. 3231 mmcleod@design-engineering.com Technical Field Editor Pat Jones, P. Eng. Art Director Kathy Smith (416) 442-5600 ext. 3215 KSmith@plant.ca Market Production Manager Jessica Jubb (416) 510-5194 jjubb@bizinfogroup.ca Circulation Manager Cindi Holder (416) 442-5600 ext. 3544 CHolder@bizinfogroup.ca BIG Magazines LP Executive Publisher Tim Dimopoulos Vice-President of Canadian Publishing, Alex Papanou President of Business Information Group, Bruce Creighton Publications Mail Agreement #40069240 ISSN number: 0011-9342 Privacy Notice: From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374 Fax: 416-442-2191 E-mail: privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca.

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Design Engineering, established in 1955, is published 6 times per year except for occasional combined, expanded or premium issues, which count as two subscription issues. Published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. Tel: 416-442-5600, Fax: 416-510-5140 80 Valleybrook Dr., Toronto, ON M3B 2S9.

Contents of this publication are protected by copyright and must not be reprinted in whole or in part without permission of the publisher. DE receives unsolicited features and materials (including letters to the editor) from time to time. DE, its affiliates and assignees may use, reproduce, publish, re-publish, distribute, store and archive such submissions in whole or in part in any form or medium whatsoever, without compensation of any sort. DE accepts no responsibility or liability for claims made for any product or service reported or advertised in this issue. DE is indexed in the Canadian Business Index by Micromedia Ltd., Toronto, and is available on-line in the Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

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8 DesignNews Up Front CAE appoints Military Group President CAE has appointed Gene Colabatistto as its group president, military simulation products, training and services, replacing Martin Gagné who is Gene Colabatistto retiring after 16 years.

Prior to joining CAE, Colabatistto was a senior vice president in the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Group at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).

Previously, Colabatistto was president of Olive Group North America, a global security corporation and served as president of Space Imaging Solutions, responsible for the satellite imagery products and services. He was also president of SPOT Image Corporation, a subsidiary of the world’s first commercial provider of satellite imagery.

Colabatistto has an M.S. in electrical engineering from George Washington University, and a B.S. in aerospace engineering and an M.S. in systems management from the University of Southern California (USC). www.cae.com

Yokogawa appoints head of Canadian business Yokogawa Electric Corporation appointed Ian Verhappen as managing director of Yokogawa Canada.

Prior to joining Yok- Ian Verhappen ogawa, he spent the first 25 years of his career with Petro-Canada (now Suncor) and Syncrude Canada Ltd. Verhappen left the Oil Sands industry for MTL Instruments. More recently, he has been working in the engineering services business.

Verhappen holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Alberta, and a Certified Automation Professional. He is a Fellow member of the International Society of Automation and Professional Engineer in Alberta. www.yokogawa.com/ca May/June | 2012

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Magna, CRIBE to add wood fibre to auto parts

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Will Harney, Executive Director Research and Development at Magna (left) and Minister of Economic Development and Innovation, Brad Duguid.

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he Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) announced that it’s investing $1.3 million in a partnership with Magna Exteriors and Interiors on a project to integrate wood fibre in auto parts.

Currently, Magna molds a number of components and sub-systems using long glass filled polypropylene (LGFPP) for global automotive manufacturers. In certain applications, however, glass fibre can be substituted with wood fibre while providing the required mechanical and physical properties and offering a lower cost and lighter weight option.

For its role in the partnership, Magna will develop high-volume process and product technology that integrates wood fibres from Canadian-sourced pulp into its automotive parts. Once initial testing is complete, the goal will be to increase percentages of wood fibre for further optimized performance. In a second phase, knowledge gained from using wood fibre in automotive parts will be transferred to high-volume consumer and industrial products.

A Canadian pulping company will be selected as a technical advisor to support the development of processed wood fibres and as a future candidate supplier. For lab-scale material development, Magna Exteriors and Interiors will work together with pulping companies to develop wood fibres that can be commercially available on a large scale.

Magna also plans to collaborate with Alberta Bio-materials Development Centre (ABDC), Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures and the National Research Council (NRC) to develop the technology.

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DesignNews Up Front Stratasys, Objet merge Stratasys, Inc. and privately held Objet Ltd. approved a merger agreement to create a new company with a combined equity value of approximately $1.4 billion. The combined company, which will retain the Stratasys name and operate under the name Stratasys Ltd., will have dual headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minn., and Rehovot, Israel, and will be registered in Israel.

According to Stratasys and Objet, the combined sales and marketing organization will include more than 260 resellers and selling agent entities globally.

Fiscally, the combined company expects to save between $7 million to $8 million of annual overhead expenses, as well as $3 million to $4 million in annual tax savings, beginning 18 months after the transaction closes. Scott Crump, co-founder, CEO and chairman of Stratasys, will become full-time chairman of the combined company, while Objet CEO, David Reis, will take over as Stratasys’ CEO. www.stratasys.com www.objet.com

Dassault to acquire B.C.’s Gemcom Software Dassault Systèmes announced it will acquire Vancouver-based geological modeling and simulation company, Gemcom Software International, for approximately US$360 million.

Rick Moignard, current president and CEO of Gemcom, will become the CEO of the newly created brand, after completion of the acquisition. In addition, Dassault says Gemcom’s 360 employees and management will remain in place after the closing of the transaction. www.gemcomsoftware.com www.3ds.com

3D Systems Acquires Paramount Industries 3D Systems Corporation acquired Paramount Industries, a direct manufacturing and product development solutions provider for aerospace and medical device applications.

According to 3D Systems, the company plans to integrate Paramount’s manufacturing facilities and advanced tooling and assembly operations with its own on-demand direct manufacturing services. www.3dsystems.com May/June | 2012

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Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Innovation Brad Duguid gets creative with Baanto’s ShadowSense touch screen at OCE’s Discovery 2012.

Canadian tech firm shows off huge touch screen Touchscreen maker, Baanto International of Mississauga and partner Christie Digital, made a splash at the Ontario Centre’s of Excellence Discovery 2012 show in May by applying the company’s ShadowSense technology to one of the largest multi-touch screens at 10.6 by 4-feet.

Located at the show’s entrance, the “touch wall” was comprised of 32 of Christie Digitals’ scalable and stackable MicroTiles displays.

According to Baanto, ShadowSense has a response time of approximately seven milliseconds and touch detection of up to 18 objects simultaneously down to 5 millimeters in diameter, at this size. To ensure performance, processing is performed by a touch controller through a standard USB HID. Unlike the capacitive touch screens in an Apple iPhone or iPad, which require a conductive material like human skin to pinpoint touch location, ShadowSense is perimeter-based. Optical sensors along the bezel assembly detect the “shadow” of a finger or stylus created by multiple LED lights.

Consequently, its touch capability works independent of the screen material. In addition, the technology allows for touch screens that are easily configurable and scalable.

This approach also gives ShadowSense an edge over surface acoustic wave (SAW) screens–which measure the distortions created by a finger or other object in an acoustical field over the screen surface–due to SAW’s susceptibility to background noise and vibration. Optical imaging is also less expensive to manufacture at larger sizes than vibration sensing technologies or acoustic pulse recognition.

One potential downside to optical imaging can be its susceptibility to ghosting, whereby the shadow of one touch object or finger obscures the position of another; however Baanto Founder and CTO, Av Utukuri, says the company has overcome this limitation.

“Our patented technology and position sensing algorithms have allowed us to create low-cost, high-performance sensor architectures and avoid the ghosting, obscuration and ‘dead zones’ that plague imager or camera-based solutions currently on the market,” he says.

“It scales well, doesn’t require constant recalibration and is incredibly easy to integrate.” www.baanto.com www.design-engineering.com

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12 DesignNews

Hodgson wins 2012 Canadian Fluid Power Challenge In May, students from Toronto middle schools competed in the 2012 Canadian Fluid Power Challenge. This year, students were tasked with building devices that needed to pick up a wooden block and deposit it in one of the designated areas along an annulus. The greater the arc covered to the drop-off point, the greater the number of points earned.

“I was amazed at some of the designs that the students

Queen’s researchers create life-sized 3D hologram for videoconferencing Researchers at Queen’s University have created a human-scale 3D hologram pod that allows people in different locations to videoconference as if they are standing in front of each other.

Called TeleHuman, the technology is the creation of professor Roel Vertegaal, director of the Human Media Lab, and his graduate team at the Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Similar to the Star Trek holodeck, participants can walk around the 3D hologram of the remote person they’re talking to and view them from all sides.

More importantly, the system captures 3D visual cues that 2D video miss, such as head orientation, gaze and overall body posture.

To create the holographic effect, the system uses six Microsoft Kinects 3D video cameras perched atop a life-sized cylindrical pod (a 1.8 metre-tall translucent acrylic cylinder).

The cameras capture participants as they converse, gesture and move in relation to the 3D hologram-like images of each other. An additional four depth-sensitive Kinects are stationed around the cylinder to capture side and back video.

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conceived for getting the blocks to the high point drop off areas,” noted Steve Rogers, facilitator of the Challenge.

“Some of their solutions I had never thought of or seen in previous competitions.”

The team from Hodgson Senior Public School was the overall winner of this year’s Challenge with a low profile device that moved through 120 degrees of rotation with impressive speed. The award for the best portfolio went to Hollycrest Middle School.

The Challenge, which is a partnership of the Canadian Fluid Power Association and the Toronto District School Board, is intended to provide Grade 8 students with handson experience building a mechanism with real world applicability and to open their eyes and those of their teachers to the world of technology careers.

At a minimum, the organizers hope that the Challenge will encourage students to select more mathematics and science courses in their high school curricula to keep their options open for technology-based post-secondary studies.

This was the twelfth year for the Canadian Fluid Power Challenge (previously known as the Hilltop Tech Skills Challenge) in Toronto. The CFPA’s Western Chapter also holds a Challenge in Edmonton that involves both high school and middle school students. www.cfpa.ca

Once captured, depth information in the 3D video is then assigned 3D vertices values for every pixel of the user to create a 3D mesh model. The 2D RGB video is then “overlaid” on this mesh as a texture. The resulting 3D video is then transmitted to the other user’s “pod” where a 3D projector at the base and a convex mirror at the top display the holographic image, seemingly, within the cylindrical tube.

To maintain the illusion of telepresence, the Kinex cameras not only capture video and depth data but also track the viewer’s position in relation to the display pod. This allows the system to display a “motion parallax corrected perspective of the 3D video model of the other user,” according to Dr. Vertegaal’s published paper on the system.

In addition to TeleHuman, the Queen’s researchers have also developed BodiPod, an interactive 3D anatomy model of the human body. The model can be explored 360 degrees around the model through gestures and speech interactions. www.hml.queensu.ca www.design-engineering.com

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14 DesignNews

Autodesk Research tests “under-skin” interfaces Autodesk may not be hatching cyborgs as yet, but its Canadian R&D wing has taken the first step in that direction. At the Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) conference in Austen Texas in May, Autodesk Research presented its findings on the logistics and challenges of sub-dermal user interfaces — that is, electronic input and feedback devices implanted beneath a user’s skin.

The CAD giant’s R&D department, housed in the company’s offices in downtown Toronto, is better known for its ground-breaking software interface research, including the contextual “marking menus” found in Maya and Inventor Fusion and the ViewCube model orientation UI element.

For this project, however, Autodesk Research looked at creating an interface that always stays with the user. As elec-

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tronics like smart phones have become smaller, more portable and multi-functional, users have become increasingly dependent on them as an extension of themselves. The logical continuation then would be to integrate them, or parts of their interface, into the user himself so they are available at all times.

Leveraging its long-standing partnership with the University of Toronto, Autodesk Research tested the feasibility of typical input and feedback devices when surgically implanted. In addition, the team’s research looked into the challenge of communication with external devices and keeping the implant powered.

For input, they tested a button, pressure sensor and tap sensor, as well as capacitive and brightness sensors, to detect hover above the skin and a microphone for sound input.

For output, an LED light, vibration motor and speaker were

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DesignNews 15 tested along with an inductive charging mat as a way to charge a battery and a Bluetooth chip for data transfer.

The team then implanted the devices into the forearm of a cadaver to see if they worked (e.g. LED light shined through skin; microphone recorded sound; bluetooth transmitted data, etc). In addition, test subjects were fitted with a prosthetic latex skin, covering input/output sensors on their forearms. They were then asked to perform a series of tasks in and around downtown Toronto, while interacting with the “implanted” device.

According to the study, all the devices were functional, potentially paving the way to more elaborate devices in the future. However, the paper concludes that the long-term medical effects of implanted electronics, as well as the public perception of “proto-cyborgs” interacting with their implants, would need further study. www.autodeskresearch.com

Canadian automotive R&D receives $22 million funding boost

two years and includes $10 million from the Government of Canada through the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence program. The remaining $12 million consists of contributions from Canada’s automotive sector, including numerous automakers, parts manufacturers and material suppliers.

Nearly 200 academic researchers will contribute to the 40 projects, which will also provide training opportunities to about 400 graduate students. Topics include advanced material research, biofuels and clean diesel, children’s vehicle safety in Aboriginal communities, and improvements to manufacturing processes.

AUTO21 supports research projects in six key areas: health, safety and injury prevention; societal issues; materials and manufacturing; design processes; powertrains, fuels and emissions; and intelligent systems and sensors. www.auto21.ca

AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence announced a $22 million investment in 40 automotive R&D projects at Canadian universities in partnership with more than 100 public and private sector companies.

The funding will support the projects for

University of Waterloo researcher, Dr. Behrad Khamesee’s work on regenerative electromagnetic suspension systems is one of 40 Canadian automotive research projects to receive funding from Auto21.

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16 CADReport

Mars Bound MapleSim hardware-in-the-loop, realtime simulation helps launch Canadian planetary rover development.

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n the space industry, the design, building and testing of rover prototypes is extremely expensive. System testing typically does not occur until late in the design/testing process, leading to a long development time.

In response to this, Dr. Amir Khajepour, Canada Research Chair in Mechatronic Vehicle Systems and Professor of Engineering in the Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering department at the University of Waterloo (UW), and his team worked with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Maplesoft, to develop a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test platform for solar powered planetary rovers.

Their approach allows component testing within a simulation loop before a full rover prototype is available. It essentially creates a virtual testing environment for the component under test, “tricking” it into thinking it is operating within a full prototype. Using MapleSim, the modeling and simulation tool from Maplesoft, high fidelity and computationally efficient models were created for this real-time application.

Using this test platform, scenarios that are hard to replicate in a lab setup, such as the Martian environment, or components that are not yet available, can be modeled while hardware components that are available can communicate with these software models for real-time simulations.

The goal is to progressively add hardware components to the simulation loop as they become available. In this way, system testing takes place even without all the hardware components, bridging the gap between the design and testing phases.

The main advantage of this approach is that it significantly reduces the overall development time of the project. In addition, it allows for component testing under dangerous scenarios without the risk of damaging a full rover prototype.

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Rover Kinematics In addition to simulating the rover dynamics, the MapleSim modeling environment was used to automatically generate the kinematic equations of the rover.

These equations then formed the basis for other tasks in the project such as HIL simulations, path planning, and power optimization. The modular system setup enables users to quickly change the rover configuration and explore different approaches in a short time.

Figure 1 shows an overview of the test platform. Information regarding the rover’s position, orientation, tilt, speed and power consumption (obtained from dynamic models of the rover) is used as input to the software models. A library of rover components was developed within MapleSim and imported within LabView Real-Time where the HIL program and GUI of the simulations were developed. The program was then uploaded to the embedded computer within National Instruments PXI where communication between the hardware components and the software models was established and the real-time simulation was run.

“Due to the multidomain nature of the system (mechanical, electrical and thermal), it was desirable to model all the components within one modeling environment such that critical relationships can be easily discovered,” said Dr. Khajepour.

“In addition, computational efficiency is crucial in real-time simulations,” he added. “MapleSim was found to be the ideal environment for this application due to its multidomain abilities, use of symbolic simplification for higher computational efficiency and ease of connectivity to LabVIEW.” Multi-Domain Modeling In addition to making use of MapleSim’s built-in component library, custom components were also developed. A model to estimate the solar radiation that a tilted surface would receive on Mars was implemented using MapleSim’s Custom Comwww.design-engineering.com

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CADReport

Figure 1 - Hardware-in-the-Loop Framework.

ponent Block. This model took into account the sun’s position and the rover’s latitudinal and longitudinal position as well as orientation and tilt as it traveled from point A to point B. This was used together with a solar array model to estimate the power generation of a rover throughout the day.

“The intuitive nature of MapleSim allowed my team to create high fidelity models in a short period of time,” said Dr. Khajepour. “This played a key role in the success of this modular HIL test platform which allowed for component

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testing, power level estimation, as well as the validation of power management and path planning algorithms.”

The team also used MapleSim as a key tool in an earlier part of the project to develop a full solution for the power management system of autonomous rovers. They used MapleSim to rapidly develop high fidelity, multi-domain models of the rover subsystems.

The goal was to develop a path planning algorithm that took rover power demands (and generation) into account.

Using the models developed, the path planner found the optimum path between point A and point B, such that the rover maintained the highest level of internal energy storage while avoiding obstacles and high risk sections of the terrain.

Dr. Khajepour and his team were able to create the mathematical model of the 6-wheeled rover without writing down a single equation.

“MapleSim was able to generate an optimum set of equations for the rover system automatically, which was essential in the optimization phase,” he said.

Dr. Khajepour was also impressed with MapleSim’s graphical interface. “In MapleSim, you can simply re-create the system diagram on your screen using components that represent the physical model,” he said. “The ability to see the model, to see the moving parts, is very important to a model developer.”

DE www.maplesoft.com

www.design-engineering.com

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20 CADBeat

Jetpack Joyride SolidWorks boosts design of world’s first practical jetpack.

simulation, and flow simulation tools that we needed to quickly optimize key components.”

“There’s no doubt that SolidWorks has helped us to accelerate development and save time and money,” Martin adds. “It’s fantastic to have access to a modern tool like SolidWorks, which gives us as a small company the same skills and capabilities as a multinational corporation.”

T

he concept of the jetpack reaches back to the early days of science fiction, yet previous models were unwieldy, unsafe or unrealistic.

That’s until Martin Aircraft developed the Martin Jetpack, the world’s first practical jetpack.

Creating a jetpack for the mass market has long been Glenn Martin’s dream. For the past 30 years, Streamlining prototyping the founder of Martin Aircraft has cycles pursued that goal, culminating in One of the key productivity benefits the founding of the New Zealandthat Martin Aircraft has realized based company in 1998. since moving to SolidWorks softInitially, development proware is a substantial reduction in gressed slowly, with the company New Zealand’s Martin Aircraft used SolidWorks to the time required to produce comprimarily using 2D CAD tools and accelerate the development of its Martin Jetpack. posite molds and parts, which has outside design contractors. Howdramatically streamlined the comever, Martin decided to move all pany’s prototyping operations. development onto a 3D design platform in 2008 to accelerProducing composite parts from a mold used to require a ate the process. The move resulted in the selection of the minimum of three weeks. Martin Aircraft can now create Martin Jetpack as one of Time magazine’s 50 Best Inventions molds and parts within 24 hours, and has eliminated the need of 2010. to produce prototype molds.

“Upgrading to 3D was more a matter of necessity than a “The combination of SolidWorks and our CNC machine luxury,” Martin recalls. “R&D had progressed to the point at allows us to make molds and parts more quickly and accuwhich we needed to streamline processes and refine the design. rately,” Clemence explains. “Testing multiple variations is an In addition to needing better design, simulation, and visual- integral part of our design process, and with SolidWorks we ization tools.” can make parts with a very short turnaround.”

Accelerating R&D Since the company moved to SolidWorks software, development of the jetpack has accelerated at a rapid pace. The Martin Jetpack is unique in its use of vector controls and a custom-designed gasoline engine, which drives twin-ducted fans that produce sufficient thrust to lift and stabilize the jetpack during vertical takeoff and landing, enabling sustained flight. It’s also less expensive than previous jetpacks and will sell at a price comparable to a high-end motorcycle or car.

As the design nears completion, SolidWorks surfacing and mold development tools have become increasingly important, says design engineer Bill Clemence.

“Designing the engine and main structural frame was fairly straightforward, involving generic shapes,” he says.

“Creating the fan blades and housings was another matter.

On some parts, everything is a curve, and many are made using composite materials. SolidWorks gave us the surfacing, May/June | 2012

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Making it look good Because the Martin Jetpack will be sold in leisure and recreational markets—in addition to military, search and rescue and first responder markets—the design must be aesthetically pleasing.

The company also needs to show and demonstrate the design’s attractiveness. Using PhotoView 360 rendering and SolidWorks eDrawings communications tools, Martin Aircraft is able to show cool-looking renderings of the jetpack, as well as detailed engineering views of how it operates.

“We’re using the renderings that we created in SolidWorks in our brochures and pamphlets,” Martin points out. “When I’m traveling overseas, I use these renderings and eDrawings files to show how the jetpack works in as much detail as necessary. SolidWorks solutions are integral to every facet of the jetpack’s development.”

DE www.martinjetpack.com www.design-engineering.com

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12-06-11 8:26 AM

22 Hardwire

Under the Hood Dell unveils its high-powered Precision Workstation line for 2012.

by Ralph Grabowski

I

arrived in San Francisco for Dell’s worldwide workstation launch event with high expectations. HP had recently announced its 27-inch Z1 workstation-in-a-monitor desktop; might Dell match it? Rumours had Intel launching its next generation Ivy Bridge CPU/GPUs the following Monday; would the new workstations have it? And the event was being held at Autodesk’s San Francisco office; could a new tablet or cloud service be attached to the announcement?

The morning began with an introductory video that differed from the usual “rah-rah” style we have come to expect. It was explicitly anti-Apple. In the video, concerned MCAD and digital media professionals described the hiccups they faced when running Mac computers and OS X software. It’s no secret Apple fumbled the last release of Final Cut Pro X, and so in the video professionals stated repeatedly that they could no longer trust Apple software. In contrast, they expressed happy amazement at the reliability of Dell’s newest workstations.

With that, the Dell VP of marketing ripped away the brown cloth hiding four new workstations:

Dell’s latest line of Precision Workstations from the T7600 to T1560.

• T7600: The highest end desktop from Dell, the T7600 can hold up to 512GB RAM and operate two eight-core Xeon CPUs. It can house eight drives, be home to three graphics boards, and keeps things warm with a 1300W power supply. It is as powerful as the #1 supercomputer six years ago, an Intel rep later tells us. US$2,149 and up.

• T5600: Meant for film editing and complex 3D modeling, it too holds two Xeon CPUs for US$1,879 and up.

• T3600: For general CAD users and designers, the T3600 holds one Xeon CPU. US$1,099 and up.

• T1650: The entry level workstation which holds one “Ivy Bridge” Core i3 or Xeon CPU starting at US$639.

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How Dell Differs Dell is #2 in the desktop workstation market, with HP in the lead and Lenovo coming up behind it. The company does have a happy lead in mobile workstations, having launched the niche in 2001. It’s not uncommon to see CAD classrooms filled with Dell’s powerful laptops instead of desktops.

For this year’s line of workstations, Dell’s goal was to maximize user productivity and IT control through customerinspired design, along with secure, managed and tailored software solutions. So, what does this mean?

“First and foremost, we wanted a clean design,” we were told. I have found the look of past Dell workstations kind of ugly. These new ones are downright handsome. Handles at each end move the heavy units more easily.

Some sites require hard drives pulled at the end of the day, and so all drives are accessible from the front on these new workstations, and not buried inside. (Drives cannot be hot swapped; power should be turned off first.) Power supplies are held in place with just a clip; they too can be pulled from the front. To slide the T7600 into racks, the top can be taken off.

The motherboard is placed in the center, so that system hardware is on one side, with drives on the other. Systems are certified to ensure they work with specific software packages, such as SolidWorks or Inventor—although this is the norm with HP as well.

Also unique is Dell’s Reliable Memory Technology (RMT).

It records every memory error in a log, and then that location of RAM is no longer used. After a DIMM module has seven errors, a message is generated suggesting it be replaced. nVidia and Intel, Too The event had speakers from graphics board manufacturer nVidia and CPU maker Intel. The T7600 can have three GPUs plugged in at the same time: one nVidia Quadro 6000 and up to two Tesla C2075 boards for doing multiple computations at the same time. The new host controller interface from Intel allows multiple GPUs to work more efficiently.

The Intel representative trod a sensitive line, for he had to find a way to praise Dell at this Dell-sponsored event, yet not tick off the likes of HP and Acer. He began by describing a picture he once saw of some critical spaceship event and seeing a Dell computer in the background, and then he went on to talk strictly about the latest Xeon CPU, the E5.

Intel has two primary lines of CPUs for laptop and desktop computers: “Core” for consumers and “Xeon” for professionals. The two start with same technology under the curious www.design-engineering.com

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name of “Uncore,” but then diverge in • Integrates vPro for managing workstatwo significant areas. Core CPUs, such tions by administrators as i3 and i7, integrate Intel’s own GMA It’s important to point out that Intel graphics chip (short for “graphics media confusingly also offers a low-end Xeon accelerator”). The GMA was initially a that lacks many of these features, matchjoke, but Intel keeps making it better ing more closely the feature set of a each year so that in my own benchmarkhigh-end Core CPU. Consider yourself ing, I found a recent GMA to be as fast warned: a workstation boasting a “Xeon” as nVidia’s Quadro 2000 in many areas label isn’t necessarily significantly betof AutoCAD display. The main differter than one with a Core i7 Extreme ence? GMA is free.

Edition CPU; you should confirm the Most Xeon CPUs don’t have the GPU; exact model of Xeon E5—a 2600, 1600, instead they support the following funcor the hobbled 1200. tions not available in Core CPUs: In the end, we saw no all-in-one, no • Larger built-in cache (up to 20MB, tablet, and just one Ivy Bridge computer; instead of just 8MB) Dell’s top-line T7600 can house two 8-core CPUs, Autodesk acted only as host. But we did • Support for EEC RAM (error cor- up to 512GB of RAM and three graphics boards. see that Dell could design a handsome recting memory) desktop workstation, and introduce new • Higher limit to RAM (up to 768GB, instead of just 32GB) technology that makes desktop computers safer to run and easier • Uses Direct I/O to increase input-output by up to 2.3x to fix.

DE • Has Integrated I/O to increase the bandwidth by up to 2x www.dell.com • Boasts twice the memory channels for faster data access • Adds an AVX extension for 256-bit instructions that Ralph Grabowski is a CAD journalist and the author of 140 perform vector processing faster books on computer-aided design.

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24

RapidPrototyping

RAPID AM Round-Up Additive manufacturing system makers roll out latest models at RAPID 2012.

A

t this year’s 20th anniversary RAPID 2012 and MP. The 7000 SD Exposition in May, additive manufacturoffers layer resolution ing analyst, Terry Wohlers, kicked off the event of 0.125 mm with either by citing some impressive numbers. In 2011 0.125 mm (HD) or alone, he said, approximately 6,500 systems 0.100 mm (UHD) laywere sold and sales of AM materials amounted ers. The HD and MP— to $327 million. In the future, Wohlers predicts designed for medical the industry will grow to $3.1 billion worldwide and dental applicaby 2016 and $5.2 billion by 2020. tions—offer an XHD To take advantage of this expanding adoption mode with a resolution of the technology, the industry’s three big playof 0.075 mm with 0.050 ers—Objet, Stratasys and 3D Systems—intromm layers. Each prints SLA duced new products targeted at the mid-additive Stratasys’ Mojo delivers a complete 3D parts with an accuracy of 0.025-0.05 manufacturing market. According to Bruce Brad- printing package for less than US$10,000. mm (0.001-0.002 inch) per inch of shaw, director of U.S. marketing for Objet, there part dimension. is a pool of customers waiting for machines that fall in the 3D Systems refers to the 6000 and 7000 series as crossover middle ground in terms of price and capabilities. printers, in that they can output SLA parts but also create “There is a group of professional designers who see the value patterns for RTV molding and casting for metal parts. In in 3D printing, but not in the low-end systems,” he says. “At the addition, the machines can print five different materials same time, they don’t have the budgets to jump into a high-end including VisiJet Flex, Tough, Black, Clear and HiTemp, addmachine, so they sit on the sidelines and either outsource or buy ing to the versatility of the systems. a low-end machine that ultimately doesn’t meet their needs.”

While the Objet and 3D Systems printers offer multiple mateTo satisfy this demographic, Objet unveiled the Objet30 Pro. rials and high resolutions, their price points put them out of the An upgrade of the Objet30, the Pro version of the polyjet system reach of some. Stratasys entered the sub-US$10,000 space with prints 28 micron layers with an overall accuracy of 0.1 mm and its Mojo 3D Print Pack, which includes a desktop printer, matea build envelope of 300 x 200 x 150 mm (11.81 x 7.87 x 5.9 in.) rials and a WaveWash support removal system. At US$9,900, Like its sibling, the Objet30 Pro’s print speed is around 112 the system short on frills but long on ease-of-use. cm³/hr for opaque materials but also 60cm³/hr for transparent.

In practice, the Mojo functions more like a laser printer The fact that it prints a transparent material—as well six others than a traditional 3D printer. First off, it’s compact, measurincluding a new high temperature material—is what gives the ing 25 x 18 x 21 inches and weighs only 50-pounds. Consenew system its “Pro” moniker. quently, it has a smallish build space of 5 inches in all “Clear material is a game changer on the desktop,” Bradshaw dimensions with layer resolution down to 0.007 inch. In says. “Previously, you couldn’t get it on a 3D printer for less the addition, the printer attaches to one computer at a time by six figures, so this material USB and all configuration is done within Mojo’s opens the system up to a preprocessing software, Print Wizard. much larger audience.”

Most importantly, though, Stratasys opted to 3D Systems is also lookmake loading the machines single material, ing to expand the utility of ABSPlus, as simple as possible. The plastic spool its mid-tier systems. The and print head come as a set, which the company company unveiled the ProJet calls the QuickPack Print Engine. According to 7000, a SLA printer series Stratasys, this makes replacing material as simple that improves upon its 6000 as swapping out ink-jet cartridges. series with a larger build “We wanted to offer a system with everything space—15 x 15 x 10-inches. needed to build parts,” says Stratasys Product Like the 6000 series, the Manager Mary Stanley. “We are focusing on ProJet 7000 comes in three building the Print Pack so there are no surprises models: The entry-level SD The Objet30 Pro’s translucent material capabilities when people purchase a printer.”

DE as well as higher-end HD make it singular in the desktop 3D printing market. rapid.sme.org May/June | 2012

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26 CoverStory

Extreme Mobility

B.C.’s amphibious Arktos Craft braves fire and ice to reign as the ultimate “go anywhere” vehicle.

By Mike McLeod

I

n the 1980s, Canada’s big players in the oil and gas industry realized they had a problem. Operating an off-shore oil platform in temperate parts of the world was dangerous enough. But when the rig is located in the rich oil fields of the Arctic’s Beaufort Sea, evacuating the crew in case of emergency would be no trivial matter.

For example, offshore structures like BP Exploration’s North Star Island—an artificial island off the northern coast of Alaska— are surrounded by rubble fields and miles of ice-infested waters.

In case of an explosion or oil slick fire, the industry’s standard life rafts would be clearly inadequate. What they needed was an evacuation craft that could navigate the ice-transition zones of the Arctic Ocean, yet also carry 50+ passengers and cargo onto and over some of the most forbidding terrain on the planet.

With funding and technical input from a Who’s Who of oil and gas companies—including ESSO, Gulf Canada and Dome Petroleum—Surrey, B.C.-based Arktos Developments Ltd. (formerly Watercraft Offshore Canada Limited) began development of what would become the Arktos, a one-of-a-kind amphibious craft that redefines the concept of “go anywhere” transport.

But when you design arguably the world’s most mobile vehicle, you have to plan for all possible operating environments.

That’s especially true, says Nathan Kew, technical supervisor for Arktos Developments Ltd. (ADL), when it has to protect its passengers from temperatures down to -50°C yet simultaneously survive the heat of an oil slick fire.

“Basically, the Arktos is built like a Thermos bottle,” he May/June | 2012

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says. “Its structure is composed of an e-glass/Kevlar-hybrid composite sandwiched around a foam core, so it’s very well insulated. And because it is a composite structure and hollow inside, it’s relatively light and very stable on land or water.”

To prove its insulating effectiveness, the company engulfed the Arktos in flame for nearly 20 minutes at the Justice Institute of British Columbia Fire & Safety Training Center’s test pool.

While the outside reached several hundred degrees Celsius, Kew says the temperature inside the craft rose by only one degree. In addition, he says the composite hull protects the craft from the abrasive and potentially crushing forces encountered while traveling through and over ice floes.

To traverse this rugged terrain, the Arktos looks similar to a tank or bulldozer, but Kew says the track system is also designed to maximize the vehicle’s interior space. Rather than a drive chain, the grouser tubes that comprise the track segments are mounted to a rubber belt and act as the chain, driven by large sprockets.

“We also don’t have bogie wheels or suspension other than the inherent flexibility of the hull,” Kew explains. “Instead, the track travels on a slider system which is only an inch and a half thick. That allows us to use the track carriage for the engine room, passenger accommodation and cargo space.”

In addition, the tracks are covered in spikes, optimally shaped and angled to help the vehicle claw itself out of the water and scale icy inclines as steep as 34-degrees.

For propulsion, each of the vessel’s hulls or units is independently powered by a 260 horsepower Cummins diesel engine. On land, the engines are linked, through hydraulic motors, to the tracks and propel the 15-metre long, 32-ton www.design-engineering.com

12-06-11 12:36 PM

CoverStory 27 Arktos at speeds up to 16 kilometres per hour. On water, the amphibious vessel operates more like a very large Jet Ski. A water jet, combined with a 360-degree steer-able nozzle, propels the craft at speeds up to 5.5 knots.

“The diesel engines drive a set of hydraulic pumps and the power is distributed through a big logic manifold,” Kew explains.

“That power can then be channelled to either the track system, the water jet or the ancillary consumers which control steering and articulation. We can also re-route the circuit to drive in combo mode—that is most of the power runs through the water jet and a portion goes into the tracks, to help make the transition from water to land.”

It’s the transition, Kew says, that presents the greatest challenge and accounts for its dual hull design. A single unit, he says, reaches a certain angle as it climbs out of the water before it begins to claw away at the edge of the ice.

“But with the two hulls, the front unit uses the buoyancy of the back unit as a support, like getting a hand up on your foot,” he says. “When the front gets on land or ice, its tracks pull the back unit out of the water.”

To help that process, the Arktos’ two hulls are linked by a hydraulically powered articulation arm that allows each unit to

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operate at independent angles with three axis of motion. Articulation is controlled by the driver, giving the craft added mobility.

“If you are approaching an ice edge, the hydraulic cylinder on the articulating arm can pitch up, which pulls the forward unit’s front end up in the air and exposes the climbing surface of the tracks to the ice edge,” Kew says.

Currently, there are 25 Arktos Craft serving in remote locations around the world, including the North Caspian Sea, China’s Bohai Delta and the northern coast of Alaska. Most in the field serve as evacuation craft and are fitted with seating for 52 passengers, a fi re fighting water cannon and a positive air pressure system to expel sour gas.

However, the company continues to expand on the original design for different applications. The Arktos MultiTask Craft, for example, was developed for the Albertan oil sands and features a crane and pontoons for added buoyancy.

“Currently, we are also working closely with one of the oil companies to do oil spill response,” Kew says. “Our task would be to carry response equipment to difficult locations other craft simply can’t get to.”

DE www.arktoscraft.com

May/June | 2012

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28 Automation

Industrial Droid RMT Robotics’ intelligent AGV, ADAM, marries machine AI with robotic material handling to connect “islands of automation”.

By Mike McLeod

I

n the sphere of industrial robotics, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) have been around since the 1950s, serving primarily as semi-automated material handlers for tugging light to bulky raw materials to the manufacturing line or large quantities of finished product to shipping bays.

While these “unmanned forklifts” help save on labor costs, their utility is somewhat limited. Traditional AGVs only travel set paths demarcated by wires, guide tape or another guidance solution. In addition, they don’t address larger manufacturing issues, such as having to store excess material at the manufacturing line. They can also introduce problems of their own such as dealing with pathway blockages, maintaining power levels and managing traffic congestion.

Enter Grimsby, Ontario-based RMT Robotics and its intelligent AGV called ADAM. Since their introduction in 2005, the robots have been defining a new class of mobile robot, capable of largely autonomous operation. According to Bill Torrens, director of the ADAM Systems Group, RMT’s ADAM robots facilitate a higher level of lean manufacturing.

“ADAM allows companies to deliver the needed quantities of material, when and where they are needed—basic principles of lean manufacturing,” he says. “But, even in 2012, many companies still use manual process for the transportation of raw and work-in-process material between an automated storage and retrieval system and an automated production machine.

When you connect these ‘islands of automation,’ you not only reduce labour but, more importantly, you also improve product quality and increase throughput.”

To facilitate this, RMT’s ADAM differs from traditional AGVs in that the cylindrical robots are designed for maximum flexibility. For example, they are fairly small; from floor to deck, the robot stands about 510 mm high and is 1020 mm in diameter, giving it access to most floor aisles and walkways. Constructed largely of aluminium, the units are also relatively light, but can carry up to 300 kg. In addition, individual servo motors power May/June | 2012

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its two drive wheels, giving the unit a 0 turning radius and a maximum speed of 1.5 m/s.

More importantly though, Torrens says, the ADAM robot is a random start/random end unit, capable of finding its own way from any point A to any point B by any route available. When first placed in an unknown location, the ADAM robot uses a technique called “Simultaneous Localization and Mapping” (SLAM) to incrementally build a map of its environment. Once the map is complete, the unit’s laser range finding system, servo encoders and gyroscopic motion sensors allow the robot’s internal industrial computer to compute the unit’s location, “visualize” where it needs to go and determine how best to get there.

Although an optimized route is planned, the robot’s Open Path Navigation feature allows it to recalculate new pathways on the fly if material or personnel block the original route.

ADAM units are also self-maintaining in the sense that it monitors its power level and docks with variably-placed recharging stations when the opportunity allows.

Of course, ADAM units rarely work alone; each unit communicates with others through a wireless network to transmit new map information and resolve routing conflicts. While traffic management is distributed between ADAM units, dispatching is centralized and mission-based; operators call for an ADAM unit and assign new destinations via the robot’s onboard controls or through an HMI system. Most recently, the company implemented an interactive text-to-speech or sound file audio component, called ADAM RAP, to help it interact with humans.

“One of the things we’ve found with a vehicle with no fi xed path, human beings don’t know what ADAM is doing and why it’s doing it,” he says. “So we created an interactive capability for the vehicle so that, within a human environment, ADAM could say, ‘Excuse me, you’re standing on my destination. Can you please move aside?’

DE www.adamrobot.com www.design-engineering.com

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30 Mechatronics

It all started with Mechatronics When disciplines blur during the design process, engineers need to be as flexible as their multi-domain projects require.

By Peter Thorne

T

he word ‘mechatronics’ successfully highlights the importance of systems that combine mechanical parts, actuators and hybrid electronic/computer-based controls.

Designers and engineers working on products from consumer goods to industrial machines have embraced mechatronics, and developed concepts, skills and techniques to deliver more flexibility and performance at lower cost.

But this has not been easy. Bringing together multiple technical disciplines exposes issues including organization structures, standards and complexity. Practitioners have been pushing the boundaries of the tools they use, tools that very often have their roots in a single technology – mechanical CAD, electronic design automation, software development, stress analysis, kinematic analysis, etc.

So not only has it been necessary to solve problems of integration of the various technologies, but, in parallel, designers and engineers have had to solve problems of integration of the tools they use. Systems-engineering approaches have helped structure a suitably broad view—the product as well as its development and operating environments.

Today, the scope of the mechatronics problem and opportunity has grown dramatically due to the low cost and easy availability of network connectivity. Every device has the potential to be connected to the network, so designers have to consider the relative merits of all possible divisions of function between the ‘local’ device and ‘remote’ capabilities.

There are examples in every sector: products that phone home for software updates; medical imaging devices that use a connected service for archiving; jet engines that transmit sensor readings for in-flight monitoring and analysis; agricultural machines that regulate fertilizer concentrations according to GPS location and many more. In all these cases, design choices about which side of the network interface boundary will provide the resources are critical. These choices impact in-service performance, and indeed the value proposition for the product and service.

The network can also enable innovation of a type that can transform the competitive playing field. For example, industrial machines often come with controllers that include a network interface and embedded software that will deliver machine May/June | 2012

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S F A

status information and accept control parameters via a web page. It’s not a big step for a machine designer to add more embedded software into the controller. Imagine adding software to integrate the machine to the customer’s corporate asset management system. Delivered with professional services, this capability could allow a customer to rethink and perhaps automate more of their maintenance activity.

And this kind of thinking can be repeated in every product that can carry a network connection.

With software taking this central role, it’s not surprising that engineering management teams have a sharp interest in the way their companies handle this critical technology. They know they want to manage every technology that differentiates their products from the competition—and this includes software.

But software development can be a bit of a culture shock. The widespread visibility of ‘apps’ in the consumer world has helped de-mystify the intangible nature of executable files. But the relationship of these to complex build structures of source code; the subtle effects of interaction of multiple software objects around a network; the threat of malware; and the willingness of software engineers to handle changes at rates ten or a hundred times the rates you might expect for mechanical components, are all factors that take a bit of getting used to.

Consequently, engineering management teams need a method or process that gives them the visibility they need, and provides a framework within which multi-disciplinary team members can be creative; avoid being constrained by artificial boundaries between each technology discipline; and assemble toolsets to meet the needs of the range of disciplines they handle.

Vendors of software tools for product development recognize this challenge. Consider the tools that support systems engineering and embedded software development. There’s plenty to choose from in this $2.6B market, and some ‘turbulence’ as both technology and provider boundaries change.

For example, PLM vendor PTC acquired embedded software tools provider MKS. Other global PLM vendors such as Dassault Systèmes and Siemens offer systems engineering tools, which integrate with their design systems and cover multiple technologies. Dassault bought Geensoft and extended its requirements management and automotive software capabilities.

Similarly, EDA companies such as Cadence, Mentor and Synopsys offer tools such as system-level design, virtual prowww.design-engineering.com

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Mechatronics totyping and requirements management in which embedded software is a usual component of, say, system-on-a-chip designs.

IBM Rational offers requirements management, systems engineering and software development tools. National Instruments offers the LabView system, a way of creating embedded software (especially for test systems) directly from diagrams.

This is a long yet still very partial list. Microcontroller manufacturers usually offer plugins to an open-source, freeof-charge, development environment (almost always Eclipse).

The plugins enable the development environment to generate code and interface to the hardware provided by the microcontroller manufacturer. Many tools address multi-domain simulation by interfacing to Mathworks Simulink multidomain simulation software.

Of course, many traditional engineering concepts apply to embedded software in mechatronics devices. An interesting example is make-or-buy. There is a large and growing market for software components for use in embedded systems. Components range from the underlying real-time operating systems and device interfaces to libraries that handle signal processing, physics or user interfaces. For any hardware component that is seen as a mechatronics ‘commodity’, designers and engineers prefer to specify components that come complete with a software stack. This means they can avoid the effort of writing software to interface to the component, and focus their software development efforts that represent added-value for their customers.

At one level, this use of bought components simplifies version and change management. However, software always has the power to surprise. Does the software stack for a network interface handle the security requirements of the product? If we change the speed of the memory on the controller, will the camera interface stack still work? Will all the bought-in software modules co-exist and function correctly in the single software addressspace we are using? It is perhaps no surprise that with software integrated into the product, there are even more possible outcomes of a design review meeting.

Mechatronics had its origins in a specific technology area, but today’s reality is software everywhere; products in every sector depend on the successful integration of mechanisms, sensors, actuators, interfaces and software. So the message to designers, engineers and their managers is loud and clear – skills in individual disciplines are essential, and so are the skills and tools that break down the walls between technologies. Teams that are comfortable moving functions between technologies as they develop a design proposal will search a less constrained solution space. This will give them a better chance of coming up with an optimum way of meeting requirements—or, at least, something better than the competition.

DE www.Cambashi.com

Peter Thorne is the managing director of IT research and analysis firm Cambashi, Inc.

ULTIMATE VERSATILITY PGN-plus the worldwide unique 2-finger parallel gripper with multi-tooth guidance.

www.schunk.com/efficient-gripping

Higher maximum moments for up to 20% longer gripper fingers Robust multi-tooth guidance for precise handling Oval piston drive for up to 35% higher gripping forces Manifold options for adaption to your case of application www.schunk.com – Tel. 905-712-2200

EXCEPTIONAL PRECISION FROM THE COMPETENCE LEADER FOR CLAMPING TECHNOLOGY AND GRIPPING SYSTEMS. May/June | 2012 SCHUNK_PGNplus_86x124_CA_0811.indd 1 30-33-DES.indd 32

www.design-engineering.com 16.08.2011 11:29:06 Uhr 12-06-11 8:33 AM

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Materials

Losing Weight To balance vehicle performance with sustainability and efficiency, automotive manufacturers are turning to light weight materials.

By Chris Needes

T

he automotive market has undergone a revolution in recent years. Despite a decline in disposable income in North America and Europe, most of the global growth seen has come from the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and other emerging markets. Their buoyant economies and fast-growing consumer markets have led to a surge in demand for luxury passenger vehicles.

Additionally, consumer-buying behavior has changed, with new concerns about financial constraints and carbon.

More and more, consumers worldwide are also selecting vehicles based on safety requirements.

In this climate, manufacturers are redoubling their search for inventive and cost-effective ways to balance consumer and regulatory demands for performance and sustainability. Meeting these seemingly disparate consumer requirements has spurred solutions that are lightweight, to reduce CO2 emissions, while meeting cost-effectiveness and performance standards.

For example, manufacturers have started to evaluate the use of magnesium in place of steel in convertible car roof frames.

However, using traditional steel-backed bearings in the pivots of a magnesium roof frame may leave the frame at risk of galvanic corrosion. Additionally, aluminium door hinges are increasingly being used to reduce the weight of car doors. However, aluminium is more susceptible to thermal expansion than traditional steel, which can affect the performance of the hinge.

To circumvent this problem, steel-backed bearings have been developed with a larger outer diameter, creating a stronger press fit to compensate for the expansion of the housing.

Aluminium-backed bearings are also used since the bearing will expand the same amount as the housing. Aluminiumbacked bearings can also prevent galvanic corrosion.

In the car’s interior, manufacturers have also discovered new ways to reduce weight while offering the same performance values. To achieve this, they are now using ultra-high strength steels instead of traditional materials in seat frames, which have enabled them to develop thinner, and therefore lighter, components. At the same time, weight reduction in the seat frame has led to an increase in load on the adjustment pivots and on the bearing. To combat this, manufacturers have turned to higher quality bearings, which combine a thin design with a robust internal structure, to enable the component to withstand the extra loads.

We can also look at chassis design for examples of reducing weight in a cost-effective manner. Electric power steering systems have been adopted over the past ten years to replace traditional hydraulic systems. These motors have traditionally May/June | 2012

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been large and heavy to ensure high performance under high loads.

However, more and more manufacturers are developing smaller electric motors to help them meet weight reduction targets. To maintain the same steering experience, high-performing PTFE-coated bearings with low friction values are now being used at the interface between the motor and the rackshaft, enabling the smaller motors to turn the shaft as easily as larger models.

Thanks to advances in technology, powertrain components have been developed that support consumer weight requirements while offering improved NVH reduction. Dual mass flywheels, for example, dampen torsional vibrations from the engine to prevent them reaching the gearbox. The trend towards “downsizing� engine components, such as reducing the number of cylinders, can actually increase the intensity of torsional vibrations.

To combat this, manufacturers are now using PTFE-coated bearings in the dual mass flywheel. The low friction values combined with the internal structure of the bearing, designed to perform under both axial and radial stresses, have led to improved NVH reduction. This in turn has enabled the development of smaller engines that reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions without sacrificing comfort.

The market trends of recent years are clear and look set to continue well into the future. Rising oil prices and more stringent legislation regarding CO2 emissions are driving weight reduction and other energy saving innovations in the automotive industry. The demand globally is for high-quality vehicles that are affordable yet meet performance and safety demands. With innovative components, manufacturers can respond to these global trends without compromising on quality or cost.

DE www.plastics.saint-gobain.com

Chris Needes is the global market manager automotive for Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics. www.design-engineering.com

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36 Fasteners&Adhesives

Turbo Charged Unique internal thread form helps truck and auto industry withstand extreme turbocharger heat and vibration, while reducing cost, assembly and warranty issues.

L

ong been used in heavy trucking, turbochargers are The wedge ramp allows the bolt to spin freely relative to increasingly used in light trucks and autos to deliver the female threads until clamp load is applied. The crests of the power of a V8 engine in a V6, resulting in lighter vehicles standard male thread form are then drawn tightly against and better fuel economy. But V-Band clamps, which seal off the wedge ramp, eliminating radial clearances and creating hot exhaust so the turbocharger can force compressed air a continuous spiral line contact along the entire length of into the intake, have presented a challenge when traditional the thread engagement. This continuous line contact spreads fastening nuts loosen in the extreme heat and vibration of the clamp force more evenly over all engaged threads, improvthe turbocharger environment. ing resistance to vibrational loosening, axial-torsional loadSince exhaust temperatures commonly reach up to 1,300°F, ing, joint fatigue and temperature extremes. the V-Band Clamp assembly could quickly be compromised if exhaust leaks. With component temperatures reaching up to Eliminating Down Time 1,000°F around the turbocharger, nut locking features using When a major heavy truck turbo manufacturer was breaking adhesive or nylon rings would burn up.

T-bolts driving a clincher nut that galled on a V-Band Clamp In addition, vibrational fastener loosening, already a assembly previously, they had to take the turbo off the producchallenge in well-supported engine blocks, can be a greater tion line to repair. Switching to the free-spinning Spiralock challenge in turbochargers, which typically V-Band Clamp saved them the loss of hang off the side of the engine, with less about 15 V-Band Clamp assemblies structural support and, consequently, more per day at the plant, eliminating vibration. related production downtime Since V-Clamp nuts must run down and remanufacturing cost. the length of the long T-bolt stud— With higher heat in which can be 6 to 8 times the body gasoline engines than in diameter of the nut—prevaildiesel engines, the U.S. ing torque type locking feaauto fleet may benefit tures can gall and wear out the most from Spibefore the nut is properly The unique 30-degree internal thread form ralock V-Band Clamp seated. If this happens on of Spiralock Corp.’s V-Band Clamp Nut Nut. It’s already being the assembly line, each evenly distributes clamp force, improving used on one of the fi rst incident can cost up to resistance to vibrational loosening. applications of dual turbo $2,000 to stop the line, engines in light trucks. remove the engine and As vehicles from light trucks remanufacture the to SUVs and crossovers look to V-Band Clamp assemproduce V8 power in a V6 engine bly. For this reason, plain with turbo, the V-Band Clamp Nut may metal V-Clamp nuts are be just what engineers need to keep turbotypically used. However, as chargers sealed and prevent exhaust leaks. soon as they lose tension, they can start to back off, which The Spiralock locking fastener has been validated in can raise performance and warranty issues. published test studies at leading institutions including MIT, To keep turbochargers sealed and prevent exhaust leaks, the Goddard Space Flight Center, Lawrence Livermore truck and auto engineers are turning to a V-Band Clamp National Laboratory and British Aerospace.

Nut called Spiralock, developed by Spiralock Corp. Its unique Some of its automotive applications include Cummins, internal thread form is helping the truck and auto industry Mack Trucks and Shanghai Diesel Engine. It has also been withstand extreme turbocharger heat and vibration problems, used in extreme fastening applications with virtually no chance while reducing cost, assembly and warranty issues. This of recall: from medical implants, artificial limbs and heart re-engineered thread form adds a unique 30-degree wedge pumps to the main engines of NASA’s Space Shuttle, the ramp at the root of the thread which mates with standard Saturn Cassini orbiter and Titan Huygens probe.

DE 60-degree male thread fasteners. www.spiralock.com May/June | 2012

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38

PowerTransmission

The Pros and Cons of Rotary Ball Spline Technologies Different ball spline technologies affect performance; know which to pick for your application.

by Naoki Yamaguchi

I

f you are considering a rotary ball spline, you know that in addition to a ball spline’s forte – transference of torque – the rotary ball spline adds a nut that rotates on the ball spline shaft making the unit capable of simultaneous linear and rotary motion with sub-millimeter accuracy.

These linear and rotational capabilities would seem perfectly suited to a multitude of automation applications. However, design considerations make choosing which kind of rotary ball spline critical, (i.e., whether the rotational nut rides on angular contact ball bearings or crossed roller bearings.)

Initially, however, since the performance of a rotary ball spline is also affected by different ball spline technologies, a quick look at basic ball spline technologies is in order.

Ball Spline Construction A ball spline is constructed with three basic components: A grooved shaft, a spline nut and ball bearings. Unlike ball bushings, the ball spline nut rides on a grooved shaft, which prevents the nut from rotating on the shaft. This allows transfer of torque through a shaft to a nut or vise versa. However, a typical application requires the shaft or the nut to be mounted to a fixed structure.

When the shaft needs to be fixed, the ends of the shaft can be turned down to accommodate the mounting of radial bearings which will support rotation. However, when the nut needs to be fixed, the radial bearing must be mounted on the outer diameter of the nut, which can make overall assembly bulky. In addition, the nut isn’t as easily modified to accommodate various bearing sizes.

This is where the rotary ball spline becomes efficient and economical. Because the rotary ball spline already has a radial support bearing built into the ball spline nut, there is no need for a user to integrate one. Moreover, the overall dimension of the rotary ball spline nut is much more compact than a standard ball spline nut with an added radial support bearing.

ABCs of ‘Crossed Roller Bearings’ Crossed roller bearings work similarly to ball bearings, except that the bearings housed within the rotary nut are cylindershaped instead of ball shaped. The rollers crisscross each other at a 90° angle and move between “V” grooved bearing ways or grooves ground into the spline nut outer diameter and rotary flange attached on the nut.

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Crossed roller bearing rotary ball splines carry heavier loads, provide greater accuracy and take up less space, at the cost of speed and wear.

Crossed roller bearings offer a line of contact versus a ball bearing’s points of contact, thereby creating a broader contact surface that can carry a heavier load. This provides more rigidity, less deformation and thus more accuracy compared to the point contact of balls. Because of this, crossed-roller bearings are the most accurate form of mechanical motion component.

As rotary support bearings, both angular contact bearings, which ride on balls, and crossed roller bearings can support both axial load and radial load as both types of loading or combined loading can be expected depending on ball spline applications. An angular contact bearing achieves this with two rows of balls whereas a crossed roller bearing can do this in a single row, but with some disadvantages such as speed and wear issues.

When comparing dimensions, one is immediately struck by the difference in size between a crossed roller rotary ball spline (RBS) as opposed to an RBS whose rotary support bearing rides on ball bearings. The RBS whose rotary support bearing rides on crossed roller bearings is much more compact. The reason is that the rotary nut and spline nut is one unit. The crossed rollers are directly attached to the spline nut’s outer cylinder. In addition, the crossed roller rotary support bearing is thinner.

In addition to being compact, the crossed roller type has a relatively high load capacity in terms of the size of the crossed roller section. It’s ideal when you need to keep something compact and support a high load for an application that doesn’t require continuous rotation. Since an angular contact type www.design-engineering.com

12-06-11 8:56 AM

PowerTransmission is larger, the rotational section is larger, with the overall spline dimensions being larger than the crossed roller type. Its large footprint reduces the compactness of the overall application.

Crossed rollers provide a larger contact area than ball bearings, reducing elastic deformation. Because of this greater stiffness, crossed rollers provide consistently precise movement. There is a direct correlation between the contact area of the crossed rollers and load capacity. Load capacity can be increased greatly by roller-to-raceway contact. Balls, typically, make contact at two to four points.

However, for applications that continuously rotate, crossed rollers wear out more quickly than ball bearings because more of their contact area is in use. For example, an angular contact type is a better choice for driving the spindle drive shaft of a grinding machine, a conveyor belt or a wire winder. Whereas, crossed rollers are highly desirable when the attached gripper rotates back and forth, such as moving a half or quarter rotation when changing the angle of an item.

In a rotational speed comparison, the angular contact type

39

is more advantageous than the crossed roller type. Comparing the two types at a standard 16mm (the diameter of the spline) size, the crossed roller type nut is capable of 1,080 rpm versus the maximum rotational speed for an angular contact type nut, which is 4,000 rpm.

Since crossed roller rotary nut technology is newer, most existing applications already use the angular contact bearing supported ball spline. That makes changing to the newer technology expensive since it’s not the same size – it’s more compact.

However, most angular contact bearing supported ball splines are interchangeable, size-wise. Though outer dimensions of interchangeable rotary ball splines may be the same, there are design advantages to consider such as the number of grooves on the spline, the points of ball contact within the grooves and shaft rigidity.

DE www.nbcorporation.com

Naoki Yamaguchi is the Assistant Technical Manager for NB Corporation of America.

keeping guard

HS35 Motor Feedback Encoder Rugged, Accurate, Programmable Unparalleled Flexibility

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Baumer Inc. · 4046 Mainway Drive · Burlington · Ontario · L7M 4B9 Phone 905-335-8444 · sales.ca@baumer.com · www.baumer.ca

www.design-engineering.com

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40

IdeaGenerator Motion Control Servo Lite Drive Festo Canada introduced its EMMSST stepper motor to complement its range of electric drives fitted with an encoder option and a high speed position controller CMMS-ST to offer a dynamic “Servo Lite” solution. The electrical drives offer controllable motion, operating reliability and options for torque and force control in high-performance closed-looped applications.

According to the company, the servo motors and controllers are designed for high accuracy; position flexibility; and quick response, as well as high acceleration capacity and top speed. www.festo.ca/servolite

Coupler Housing HARTING introduced surface mount housings and covers to its Han-Eco connector series. The housings are available in four sizes and with one or two cable inlets. The appropriate M32 cable fittings for sizes 6B and 10B and M40 for sizes 16B and 24B are supplied along with the surface mount housings. Han-Eco housings are made from fiber-glass reinforced plastic which provides IP 65 protection when the connector is closed and locked. It also meets the flammability requirements of UL 94 Class V0. Han-Eco can be configured with a number of available Han-Modular modules. In addition, all Han-Eco combinations offer tool-free assembly with the ability to apply the locking levers to either side of the connector, making it easy to configure, repair and install. www.harting.com

High Performance Couplings Zero-Max introduced its Series A1C High Performance CD Couplings, which feature torque capacity from 40Nm to 564Nm with speed ratings from 6700 RPM to 15,000 RPM depending on model.

All CD A1C hubs are made from ISO grade 7075-T6 aluminum and are black anodized to MIL-A-8625 Type 2, Class 2 finish. Its recessed fasteners are ISO 4762 grade 12.9 socket head cap screws. Its composite disc is made of high precision composite material that is manufactured to strict aerospace and Six Sigma practices. www.zero-max.com May/June | 2012

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Integrated Stepper, Drive Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions released its integrated Size 17 “captive” stepper motor linear actuator and DCM4826X microstepping drive module. The drive can be configured for full step, half step or microstep. The integrated linear actuator / drive unit is available in both single and double stack motor configurations with a wide range of lead screw resolutions. The system is capable of maximum output force of 220N (50 lbf) in the single stack version and 337N (76 lbf) in the double stack version. Linear travel per step is 1.5-127 microns (0.00006-in to 0.005-in), depending on the lead screw pitch and stepper motor step angle. www.HaydonKerk.com

Sensors

Analog Position Sensor Balluff has introduced a high pressure inductive analog sensor rated up to 500 bar. The sensor has a sensing range of 0.5 to 2mm and switching for final position detection. In addition, its M12 stainless steel housing carries an IP68 rating. This high pressure sensor is designed for applications that involve the control and service measurements of valves, position monitoring in mobile hydraulic systems, parked positions of cranes, final position of installation supports and control of agricultural technology. It features corrosion-resistant housing materials, high strength ceramic sensing faces and special sealing techniques. www.balluff-usa.com

DC Motor with Analog Tach Midwest Motion Products has released its Model No. MMP D22-376F-24V T-03-C, a DC motor with integral analog tachometer. Accepting any 24 Volt DC source, the motor measures 2.24 inches in diameter by 5.4 www.design-engineering.com

12-06-11 9:42 AM

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! OCTOBER 30, 2012 Mississauga Convention Centre

DesignEngineering

EXPO2012 A one day tabletop show highlighting the latest design and manufacturing technologies for the OEM market An effective forum for face-to-face interactions where engineers, product developers, machine builders and systems integrators can discuss, network, solicit advice and ‘kick the tires’ on the latest technologies and applications that drive your business.

Featured technologies include: • CAD/CAE • additive manufacturing • reverse engineering • motors • drives • motion control • automation • fluid power • power transmission • adhesives & fasteners … and much more.

DesignEngineering

EXPO2012

FREE admission for ALL attendees!

Registration is required:

www.DEX2012.com Design Solutions for Canada’s OEM and MRO markets

Exhibit sales have started and space is filling quickly!

To discuss sponsor and exhibitor options, contact: Laura Gergley National Accounts Manager 416-510-5230 lgergley@design-engineering.com

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Presented By:

12-06-11 9:42 AM

42 IdeaGenerator inches long, including the 3.0V/Krpm analog tach. The output of this reversible motor is rated for 25 oz-in continuous torque, at 2800 RPM, with a peak torque of 150 oz in. Weighing approximately 3 pounds, the motor requires 2.4 amps at 24 volts DC to generate its full load torque. The analog tach features an output of 3.0 volts DC, per 1000 RPM of rotation, with a maximum ripple of 3 percent. www.midwestmotion.com

Linear Encoders HEIDENHAIN announced that its absolute LC 115 and LC 415 sealed linear encoders are now available in lengths up to 4240 mm with double sealing lips extrusions that ensure high vibration resistance. The LC 115/415 are designed for purely-serial absolute systems and have a resolution increase from 5 nm to 1 nm. The first product in the series is the safety-related Endat 2.2 (up to 16 MHz) encoder version. In addition to safe processing of the position values, the encoders provide fault exclusions for the loosening of the mechanical coupling for various types of mounting. www.heidenhain.us

Demand more...

Electrical Solid State Relays Omega introduced its G3NA SSR, a series of general purpose solid state relays which are used to control large resistance heaters in conjunction with temperature controllers. This CE compliant solid state relay with LED operation indicator is capable of millions of hours of operation and has a built-in varistor to absorb external surges. The G3NA SSR is available for both AC and DC loads and control voltages, in current ratings up to 50 amps. www.omega.ca

Power Supplies

Balluff announced its GlobalPower line, a range of industrial power supplies designed to deliver reliable power for automation control suites.

The eleven model line includes a range of 24 VDC models with single and three phase inputs. With efficiencies up to 92 percent, the line’s output current ranges from 0.75A (18W) to 40A (960W).

The GlobalPower line’s features include built-in advanced overload and overvoltage protection; load regulation to +/- 1 percent; and ripple/noise less than 50mV. They also include adjustable voltage outputs; din rail mounting; and MTBF of more than 210,000 hours/24 years.

Our only products are encoders. www.balluff.com

We always deliver Whatever your industry, we’ll satisfy your expectations for exceptional quality and value supported by superior service.

Our proven reliability allows us to offer the industry’s only

Automation

FIVE-YEAR WARRANTY. Expect more... and get it.

Multi-touch Panel Series

Industrial Encoder Corporation Member of the GESgroup of companies

www.globalencoder.ca May/June | 2012

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22 Commerce Place St. Catharines ON, Canada L2R 6P7 Toll free 1-888-277-6205 Fax 1-866-278-1301 info@globalencoder.ca

Beckhoff Automation introduced its CP2xxx and CP3xxx Control Panel and Panel PC series that feature multi-touch technology.

The widescreen panels come in various sizes and resolutions in addition to the classic display sizes in 4:3 format. The new widescreen displays are available in: 7-inch with a resolution of 800 x 480; 15.6-inch with 1366 x 768; 18.5-inch with 1366 x 768; and www.design-engineering.com

12-06-11 9:42 AM

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IdeaGenerator 24-inch with the full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080. The CP2xxx and CP3xxx use Projective Capacitive Touchscreen (PCT) technology, with high touch-point density. The series is implemented with IP 65 protection at the front and IP 20 at the rear. The CP22xx built-in devices are also available as Panel PCs with an Intel Celeron Core i3, i5 or i7 processor. www.beckhoff.com

Mobile Machine Display Sauer-Danfoss introduced its PLUS+1TM compliant DP600LX Series Mobile Machine Display. The series provides mobile off-highway machine OEMs with next-generation color and monochrome graphical displays for both in-cab and open-air applications. The DP600LX Series models are high-resolution, TFT displays with eight soft keys and six buttons for navigation. The displays also feature an ARM-11 processor, 532MHz clock speed and support higher screen resolu-

tion. The displays run on a Linux OS and feature 15-bit true color and optional optically bonded LCD/lens technology to enhance clarity and sunlight visibility while preventing fogging. www.sauer-danfoss.com

Wireless I/O and Gateway Weidmuller expanded its Industrial Wireless Portfolio with its WI-I/O-9-U2 Wireless I/O, which combines multi I/O and/or gateway functionality with secure and scalable mesh distance communications. Using IP-based addressing, the gateway provides mesh/selfhealing network communications, multi-hop repeating and remote over the air re-configuration and diagnostics.

The WI-I/O-9-U2 is a 900Mhz FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) device, with 1 watt of radio transmit/receive power.

It carries a combination of digital, analog and pulse inputs/ outputs. In addition, the gateway combines 128bit AES encryption and a unique algorithm to provide secure communications. www.weidmuller.com

DesignSolutions Dust Collectors Full Line Literature Guide This impressive guide outlines dozens of N.R. Murphy dust collectors, installations, capacities, styles and models. A must for any reference library. N.R. Murphy Limited has been in business over 65 years and has thousands of satisfied customers.

“Dust Collectors are all we do; so get it done right the first time. Just Ask the Experts.”

Contact: 4nodust@nrmurphyltd.com Visit us at: www. nrmurphy.com

OMEGA’s Thermocouple/Voltage Input USB Data Acquisition Module Omega’s new OM-DAQ-USB-2401 series of USB 2.0 full speed thermocouple/voltage input data acquisition modules are fully compatible with both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 ports. This module is user programmable for type J, K, T, E, R, S, B, N thermocouples or voltage input and features 8 Differential or 16 Single-Ended Analog Inputs, 24 Bit Resolution with up to 1000 Samples/Sec throughput.

This module is powered directly by USB port or an External DC Power Supply.

Contact: info@omega.ca Visit us at: www.omega.ca

Clippard Quality Stainless Steel Cylinders Pneumatic cylinders feature polished I.D 304 stainless steel tubes for low friction. Available in 12 bore sizes with strokes to 40”. Precision-rolled construction, clear anodized machined aluminum heads, and rods ensure long life and performance.

Roller-burnished rods • Interchangeable design • Long lasting seals • Replaceable rod seals • Long cycle life • 100% testing • Made in the USA with pride Clippard—The Preferred Cylinder!

Contact: sales@clippard.com Visit us at: www.clippard.com/cylinders

To advertise your solution in this section call Alan Macpherson at 416.510.6756 May/June | 2012

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www.design-engineering.com

12-06-11 9:42 AM

IdeaGenerator 45 Fluid Power Diaphragm Pump Gardner Denver’s Thomas Division introduced its 1410 Series DC miniature diaphragm pump. The 3.3 x 1.2 x 2.1-inch pump has a range of motor options and several design configurations, depending on the life requirements and specifications of the application.

Intended for medical and other high performance applications, the 1410 Series features a low sound level, weighs 0.4 lbs (180g) and is EMC suppression qualified to EN55011-B on some designs.

Maximum flow is 4.3 lpm, with a maximum pressure of 27.5 psig (1.9 bar) and a maximum vacuum of 22.0 in.Hg. www.gardnerdenver.com

Actuator Control Valve Midland-ACS announced that a range of its actuator control valve products have undergone thirdparty assessment to the IEC 61508 functional safety standard, and are now certified to support SIL3 capability. The first tranche of products to receive SIL3 capability status include direct-acting solenoid and pilot operated poppet valves; pilot operated spool valves; and a number of pilot operated and direct-acting solenoid hydraulic valves. For example, all variants of Midland-ACS’ 70 Series direct-acting solenoid 3/2 poppet valves are now certified. In addition, a number of 1750 series poppet valves and 1500 and 1600 series spool valves now support SIL3 capability. As well, many Midland-ACS hydraulic valves are also certified for SIL3 capability. www.xyleminc.com

Low Temp Hose Parker Hannifin introduced its 472LT and 722LT hose lines, engineered to work in temperatures as low as -70°F (-57°C). Available in -4 to -16 sizes, the No-Skive, two-wire braided 472LT hose is rated for applications that operate at up to 5,800 psi (40 MPa), and uses Parker’s standard 43 Series fittings. Rated up to 4,000 psi (28 MPa), the No-Skive, four-wire spiral 722LT is available in www.design-engineering.com

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sizes from -6 to -24, and incorporates a spiral reinforcement construction that provides longer life in heavy-duty applications.

It also uses Parker’s 43 Series fittings, as well as the 71 Series (for size -24). Both hoses feature a half-bend radius, and are rated for applications with an operating temperature range of -70°F to 212°F (-57°C to 100°C). www.parkerhose.com

Pilot-Operated Check Valves Clippard Instrument Laboratory, Inc., introduced its JPC series check valves, which utilize the company’s poppet design and provide a variety of port configurations. The JPC series works as a standard check valve, but can be operated with an air pilot signal providing for “free flow” in the normally checked position. The valve provides a reliable method to check flow in one direction, with the ability to remotely signal a free flow through the valve. www.clippard.com/jpc-a

Advertisers Index Advertiser

Website

Page

Automation Direct Baldor Electric Company Baumer Electric Inc. Beckhoff Automation Bosch Rexroth Century Spring Corp.

Clippard Instrument Laboratory Daemar Inc. Design Engineering Expo (DEX) Drive Products Inc. Dura-Bar Encoder Products Festo Canada Inc. Forest City Gear GTC Falcon Inc. Henkel Canada Corp.

Industrial Encoder Corp.

Master Bond Inc. Nord Gear Ltd. Omega Engineering Inc. Parker Hannifin Corp.

Proto Labs Inc. RotoPrecision Inc. Schaeffler Canada Inc. Schneider Electric Canada Schunk Canada Scott’s Directories Siemens Canada Siemens PLM Swagelok Company

www.automationdirect.com 7 www.baldor.com 48 www.baumer.ca 39 www.beckhoff.ca 13 www.boschrexroth.ca 17 www.centuryspring.com 9 www.clippard.com 29 www.daemar.com 41 www.dex2012.com 27 www.driveproducts.com 33 www.dura-bar.com 32 www.encoder.com 32 www.festo.ca 31 www.forestcitygear.com 37 www.gtcfalcon.com 23 www.loctite.com 19 www.globalencoger.ca 42 www.masterbond.com 39 www.nord.com 14-15 www.omega.ca 3 www.parker.com 11 www.protolabs.com 21 www.rotoprecision.ca 18 www.ina.com 4 www.schneider-electric.com 25 www.ca.schunk.com 32 www.scottsdirectories.com 43 www.siemens.com 47 www.plm.automation.siemens.com 2 www.swagelok.com 35

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46 CanadianInnovator

“Scanning for life-forms, Captain” ried to an upgraded processor, rechargeable battery and more.

“I wanted the second model to be capable of much more sophisticated visualizations and connectivity,” he says. “The iPhone had just come out, and that inspired me to also create a beautiful device.” It was a remarkable achievement. The hardware, explains Jansen, ended up being comparable to a ‘Gameboy Advance,’ and it was capable of running Linux and displaying data on two organic LED touch displays.

The Mark 3’s creation began in mid-2010 with the aim of dramatically cutting costs, but Jansen soon abandoned its development, feeling it was a move in the wrong direction.

“This model departed too much from the goal of a large sensor array with intuitive Canadian inventor’s Star Trek Tricorders to inspire visualization for the sake of cost savings,” consumers to take their own “away missions.” he notes. “With the Mark 4, which I started working on in spring 2011, I’m aiming for

By Treena Hein excellent visualization capabilities in a unit that can be mass-produced at a low cost.” nyone who’s ever watched Star Trek can’t help but want Jansen says the biggest challenge with each model has been a tricorder, a transporter and a starship with “warp drive.” integrating so many diverse sensors into such a small package— Dr. Peter Jansen is no exception. Of those three, the one that a goal that itself is a moving target as more and more types of he chose to tackle first was, understandably, a tricorder. sensors become available. The fact that sensors have become “My Dad taught me how to design, build, program and smaller helps. Of course, housing for the device was also needed, solder from a young age,” he says. “He’s been there for advice and rather than gluing plastic pieces together, Jansen turned at each stage of the Tricorder Project. We both very much to rapid prototyping to make a case. wanted one to play with.”

“Five years ago, you had a buy an expensive 3D printer or But creating a tricorder device goes beyond Star Trek ‘cool- build your own and my Dad and I decided to do the latter using ness’ for Jansen. “While there’s so much around us that we the open source 3D printer initiative RepRap,” he explains. “We can see and hear and sense in a few other ways, there’s an ended up making two printers, but the quality of the cases was inconceivably large universe of things we can’t directly sense,” very poor and things like the hinge that passes cables between says the researcher, who completed a PhD in cognitive science the top and bottom parts of the tricorders were too difficult to at McMaster University in 2010. “The Tricorder Project aims fashion.” He says today’s high-resolution 3D printers can make to develop handheld devices that can sense a diverse array of quick work of a case, though a little expensive. phenomena and intuitively visualize them so we are able to A lot of the focus on improving the usability of each new ‘see’ temperature or magnetism as easily as colour.” model has involved upgrading the hardware to allow more For Jansen, accessibility is paramount. “The devices are complex and attractive user interfaces. Jansen says that’s why meant to be as inexpensive and user-friendly as possible,” he having his designs open source is so exciting. “Who knows says. “My hope is that someday every household will have what software people will create with the Mark 4 in terms of one. It’ll be able to turn an everyday experience like a walk novel visualization techniques,” he says. “The biggest challenge through the park or a home repair into an opportunity to with this model is designing for manufacture – keeping costs develop a deep fluency with the science of our world.” low while also including enough sensing hardware that it’s a During 2007 in his spare time, Jansen created the ‘Science fun and useful tool.” Once he has a tricorder in everyone’s Tricorder Mark 1’ prototype with an array of 11 sensors, includ- hands, Jansen isn’t sure what he’ll move onto next – a transing temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and magnetic porter or a warp engine – both also fun and useful.

DE fields. It also sported an infra-red thermometer, ultrasonic www.tricorderproject.org distance sensor, GPS beacon and light sensors. In 2008, he moved on to the Mark 2, in which the same sensors were mar- Treena Hein is a Pembroke, ON-based freelance writer.

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May/June | 2012

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