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Successful safety strategies for manufacturers
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ast August, as many Canadian families enjoyed their final weeks of summer, another family was mourning the loss of their loved one as a result of a workplace accident. A 29-year-old man from Hamilton, Ont., died in August after falling close to 55 floors from a building under construction. According to reports, the man was working on the 70th floor when the metal clasp that holds his harness in place broke and he fell, dropping 181 metres before landing on an adjacent rooftop. Unfortunately, this is not a unique occurrence. Thousands of Canadians are injured and hundreds die every year as a result of workplace accidents. According to the most recent statistics from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, there were 249,511 accepted time-loss injuries in Canada in 2011 — 39,172 were in the manufacturing industry. And the number of workplace According to the most recent fatalities in Canada hit 919 in 2011 — of which 201 were in the manufacturing statistics from the Association of industry. These numbers are marginally better than the previous year’s, but they are Workers’ Compensation Boards still too high. For the last five years, Manufacturing of Canada, there were AUTOMATION’s November/December accepted time-loss injuries in issue has focused on machine safety for the purpose of educating readers on their Canada in 2011 — were responsibilities regarding workplace safety. This typically comes in the form of a in the manufacturing industry. roundtable discussion with machine safety experts who talk about what manufacturers need to do to improve the safety of their workplaces. This year’s article takes a different approach. Instead, I interviewed safety leaders from two manufacturers in Canada — PepsiCo and Molson Coors — who already have successful health and safety programs in place, to learn about their programs and what tips they might have on how to increase workplace safety, particularly on the plant floor. Though their safety programs may be different, their philosophies are the same — safety must be an integral part of what you do every day. And to ingrain safety into your processes, the experts told me that engaging employees in their safety goals, getting leadership commitment, and regularly managing and measuring their risks are key. Check out the cover story starting on page 14 of this issue to read more about their respective safety approaches. Perhaps it’s a strategy that can work on your plant floor. Regardless of the state of your health and safety program, these leaders have valuable tips that are worth reading. And while we’re on the topic of machine safety, if you have an idea related to that topic and are interested in authoring one of our upcoming machine safety columns, please send me an email with your column idea. I am always interested in hearing your story ideas. The more information we can get out there about machine safety and the more tips we can share, the better chance we have at reducing the number of workplace accidents and deaths in the country. As we say goodbye to another year and head into 2014, let’s work together to bring those numbers way down, with the ultimate goal of eliminating workplace accidents entirely. After all, no family should have to mourn the loss of a loved one due to a workplace accident that can easily be prevented.
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November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
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Fieldbus Foundation announces Modbus integration into F-ROM
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he Fieldbus Foundation says it is developing technical specifications for the integration of devices based on the Modbus communications protocol into its Foundation for Remote Operations Management (ROM) technology. Integration of these instruments will help enable an overall remote operations
solution in a wide range of industrial automation applications, the group said. The first development of its kind integrating remote input/output, ISA100.11a, WirelessHART, wired HART, and Foundation fieldbus H1 protocols into a single, standard data management environment, Foundation for ROM extends the capabilities of Foundation fieldbus to wired and wireless devices installed in some of the world’s harshest and most remote
locations. This open, non-proprietary solution provides a unified digital infrastructure for asset management in applications ranging from tank farms and terminals to pipelines, offshore platforms and even original equipment manufacturer skids. The Foundation for ROM technical specifications for the remote I/O, wired HART, WirelessHART and wireless ISA100.11a interfaces have been completed and were demonstrated at a live end user
demonstration at the Petrobras research and development facility (Cenpes) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in April of this year. The Fieldbus Foundation is now proceeding to develop specifications for Modbus integration into Foundation for ROM. Modbus devices, such as well head flow meters and submersible pump controllers, need to be integrated as part of the overall solution in some applications, the foundation said.
Survey shows today’s youth are more open to careers in skilled trades
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new report from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum – Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAFFCA) reveals that youth are more open to considering a skilled trades career than they were in past, are more aware of career options, have better access to information and value the contribution of tradespeople. In the report, “Apprenticeship Analysis: Youth Perceptions of Careers in the Skilled Trades,” CAF-FCA documents the findings of a national survey with more than 800 students across Canada in spring 2013, and compares the results to findings from a parallel investigation in 2004. “CAF-FCA members have placed a high priority on raising awareness among young people about apprenticeship, trade certification and career opportunities in the skilled trades. Apprenticeship remains a first-choice solution to addressing skills shortages,” said Sarah Watts-Rynard, executive director of CAF-FCA. “Over the last decade, the apprenticeship community has expended tremendous resources on this effort. Gauging how youth perceive the trades today tells us where we’ve seen successes and provides a roadmap to inform future initiatives.” While the survey results indicate an improvement in youth awareness and attitudes, Watts-Rynard said there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. “We’re seeing the need for stronger messages around opportunities for women and better outreach to parents and others who provide career direction to students.” Read the full report at www.caf-fca.org. Beckhoff_MA_Nov.indd 1
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Deal makers Invensys acquires InduSoft Invensys, a supplier of industrial software, systems and control equipment, has acquired InduSoft, a provider of HMI and embedded intelligent device software for the automation market. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, and founded in 1997, InduSoft has delivered more than 250,000 HMI software licences to more than 700 customers worldwide, primarily industrial computer manufacturers and machine and system builders. “Combined with Invensys’ existing software offerings, our capabilities and expertise in the OEM and machine-building segments allow us to provide a broader, end-to-end HMI, SCADA and MES solution to our customers,” said Marcia Gadbois, president of InduSoft. “Together, our software tools will make it easier for them to integrate their information and automation systems. They will continue to work with the same strong InduSoft team,
and we will ensure they continue to receive the exceptional products and service they have come to expect from us. But now they will be backed by a company with global capabilities and an excellent worldwide reputation for providing industry-leading HMI, SCADA, historian and advanced applications, such as MES software and solutions.” InduSoft will continue to be managed by its existing executive team, adding employees to Invensys operations in the United States, Brazil and Germany. Invensys has also signed a multi-year, multimillion-dollar contract with global engineering, construction and services company KBR, Inc. to supply its SimSci PRO/II simulation software. Under the terms of a corporate licensing agreement, Invensys will provide PRO/II steadystate simulation software to help KBR accurately model its process technology, used in both the designs KBR provides to its customers and
Easy configuration. Seamless integration. Learn more at: www.eatoncanada.ca/ LogicControl/ OperatorInterface/HMi.shtml
HMi changes the way you interface. Robust features and flexible software — HMi makes complicated configurations a thing of the past. Available in 4”, 6”, 7”, 8” and 10” models, HMi is a true analogue touchscreen operator interface with programmable function buttons. With the ability to store recipes, historical and alarm data, or transfer that data to a USB memory stick, using HMi makes interfacing with your machinery easier than ever. HMiSoft software is the user-friendly program editor of HMi for Windows that simplifies configuring application parameters and provides added capabilities to make monitoring your system intuitive. All units offer RS-232, RS-485 and RS-422 communications with the 7”and larger models having built-in Ethernet. An expansive driver list allows communications on the most popular networks. www.eatoncanada.ca
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the technology it licenses to the hydrocarbon processing industry. In addition, Invensys will provide on-site guidance to assist KBR during the transition from the previous model. New partnership provides electronics design software, support and training CAD MicroSolutions, an engineering and design solution provider, has partnered with Altium, an electronics design software company, to offer additional options for the design and manufacturing industry expanding into the electronic design automation market. Altium’s product line and services join CAD MicroSolutions’ existing line of design tools, including SolidWorks, DriveWorks, Boxx and Dell hardware, and others. Altium products are built to foster design innovation while accelerating time to market. They span the domains of PCB implementation, FPGA design, embedded software development and design data management. The solutions include ECAD/MCAD 3D integration, instant FPGA prototyping, flexible design reuse and robust ECO handling. Luxion and Autodesk partner to transform product design Luxion, makers of KeyShot and a developer of advanced rendering and lighting technology, and Autodesk, a leader in cloud-based design and engineering software, recently announced a partnership expansion between the two companies that establishes KeyShot as an integrated rendering solution for users of Autodesk Fusion 360 software. With KeyShot, Fusion 360 users have the ability to quickly create photorealistic 3D renderings, animations and interactive visuals used in communicating concepts, delivering internal presentations, delivering digital prototypes and creating sales or marketing visuals. Using a custom-developed plugin and the speed and ease of applying materials and lighting in
Emerson to purchase automation systems manufacturer Emerson has signed an agreement to purchase Virgo Valves and Controls, Ltd., a manufacturer of ball valves and automation systems based in Pune, India. A privately held company, Virgo serves diverse markets worldwide, including the oil and gas, power and mining industries. In addition to ball valves, Virgo manufactures high-performance butterfly valves and severe-service valves for critical applications. The company will operate within Emerson Process Management’s final controls business, serving customers in the energy and process-related industries. Emerson Process Management makes pressure regulators, relief valves and related products in McKinney, Texas, and in other locations in the United States and around the world. These technologies help control pressure and flow of industrial gas and liquids, natural gas and propane gas. The company also recently acquired Enardo LLC, a leader in safety and environmental control equipment for the oil and gas, petrochemical, wastewater, refining and other industries. Enardo, with approximately US$65 million in sales last year, employs 140 at its headquarters and operations in Tulsa, Okla. It manufactures tank and terminal safety equipment, including hatches, vent, pressure and vacuum relief valves and flame arrestors used in the oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical and other industries. Enardo was previously a division of HMT, a provider of above-ground storage tank products and services based in The Woodlands, Texas.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Thomas Crone
ProSoft Technology, Inc. has named Thomas Crone the company’s new president and CEO, effective immediately. Crone most recently served as executive vice-president and chief marketing officer of Valin Corporation, a provider of process control and automation solutions. ProSoft Technology specializes in the development of industrial communication solutions for automation and control applications.
Seth Halio has joined Adept Technology, Inc., a provider of intelligent robots and autonomous mobile solutions and services, as chief financial officer. Halio has nearly 30 years of senior financial management experience in public accounting and both public and private venture-backed companies. At Adept, he will be responsible for accelerating the company turnaround from a financial perspective and be a key leader in managing the company’s global finance and IT organizations. Prior to joining Adept, Seth Halio Halio held senior-level finance positions, including CFO at LED Engin, Inc., Novariant, Inc., Diamond Foods, Inc., and Spectra-Physics, Inc.
November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
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KeyShot’s real-time ray-tracing environment, Fusion 360 users can transfer their models to KeyShot directly from inside the application, make updates in Fusion 360 and see changes immediately within KeyShot.
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aWarDs aND aCCOlaDes windsor-Essex recognized internationally for manufacturing tools The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has awarded the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation with two bronze awards for its Manufacturing Capabilities Database (buywindsoressex.com) and corporate website (choosewindsoressex.com). The IEDC announced the winners of the Excellence in Economic Development Awards at their annual conference held in Philadelphia, Penn. The Manufacturing Capabilities Database is an interactive searchable database that itemizes and promotes the capabilities of regional manufacturers and related services. Users such as trade commissioners, procurement specialists and supply chain development companies looking to invest in Windsor-Essex use the database to find new suppliers. Since its launch in 2010, there have been more than 175,000 visits and over 200,000 individual searches accessed through the web, by phone and by tablet from countries such as Canada, the U.S., England, India, China, Japan, Italy and Pakistan. The redesign and refresh of the choosewindsoressex.com website also included the delivery of a mobile-enabled site, with the number one objective to continue to build brand identity, awareness and interest in the Windsor-Essex region, while improving accessibility, search engine optimization, increasing traffic and improving the overall user experience. Since launching the refreshed site, the corporation says visits increased by 24.2 per cent, unique visitors increased by 15.8 per cent and page views increased by 50.5 per cent. The website caters to investors, small business owners, entrepreneurs and current and potential residents and stakeholders. Skf named one of world’s most sustainable companies For the 14th year in a row, SKF has been listed as one of the world’s most sustainable companies by both the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for Europe. DJSI rated SKF as best in class for the company’s approach to environmental management. The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes were launched in 1999 and are the longest running and most prestigious global sustainability benchmarks worldwide. SKF defines sustainability as SKF Care, which encompasses Business Care, Environmental Care, Employee Care and Community Care. SKF BeyondZero is the company’s strategy to create a positive impact on the environment. It consists of two simultaneous approaches: to reduce the environmental impact resulting from SKF’s operations, and to provide customers with innovative technologies, products and solutions that offer improved environmental performance.
IN BrIeF • Automodular Corp. has received a short-term contract extension from Ford Motor Company of Canada. Under the new agreement, Ford will provide certain price and production assurances, and Automodular will continue to provide sub-assembly and sequencing services to Ford until December 23, 2014. • Dynament Corporation, a privately held
electro-surgical device manufacturing company, says it plans to open its Canadian facility in Amherstburg, Ont., by the end of 2013. Once the manufacturing facility is in full production, 25 to 30 jobs will be created in the first year, with an additional 10 to 20 created in year two, the company says. — With files from the Canadian Press
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www.AutomationMag.com • November/December 2013-10-22 2013 10:01 AM7
C O L U M N B U S
The benefits of a new certified body for electrical approval By Ian VeRHaPPen
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ne important part of machine safety is the associated electrical approval for installation in operating environments. A new standard from IEC — IEC 61010-2-201, “Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control and laboratory use” — will impact the way these approvals are made and, therefore, is something that is likely to affect the way you specify and purchase control equipment. The plan by the IEC and ISO is to provide a single set of certification standards for industrial control equipment within a new certifying body (CB) scheme. The new “Industrial Automation” category will be identified as INDAT (INdustrial Distributed Automation Technology). The CB scheme was created to facilitate global trade through the use of IEC standards and, as a result, requires that all testing labs and CBs operate under a single set of rules and operational procedures; undergo the same qualification process to join IECEE (IEC System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrotechnical Equipment and Components), which includes a peer assessment as part of the certification process; use a common test report and certificate format, thus also maintaining the CB brand; and be re-assessed every three years. The incentives for implementing the CB
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scheme include the removal of costly duplication of testing/certification at the local and national levels and, as a result, the associated delays to accessing or delivering new products to the market. I have (and I am sure that many of you have) experienced not being able to purchase a product here in Canada that was available in the U.S. because it did not have the necessary approvals. I also know from my time at MTL that obtaining these approvals can be costly and take up to six months of a 12- to 18-month development cycle. So having portability of assessment results and certificates across multiple countries and preferably a single global approval will help immensely, especially as more and more projects become truly international in scope and delivery. Of course, ensuring the successful operation of the scheme requires that national standards are reasonably harmonized with the corresponding IEC standards, which is often the difficult part. But it is possible — just look at the various free trade agreements and trade zones. The initial starting point for the INDAT scheme will be the development of the following suite of standards related to industrial equipment: • IEC 61010-2-201: Control systems, including PLCs, distributed control systems and process automation controllers.
The completed documents will specify the complete safety requirements for control equipment, including the controllers, I/O devices and HMIs. Safety terms of general use are defined in IEC 61010-1, with more specific terms defined in each part. This part incorporates the safety-related requirements of programmable controllers. Annex DD provides a cross-reference between clauses of this standard and those of IEC 61010-1 or IEC 61131-2:2007. • IEC 61010-2-20a: Standalone power supplies • IEC 61010-2-20b: Actuators where movement is contained, such as rotational, linear valves • IEC 61010-2-20c: Actuators where movement is not contained, such as rotational, linear slides and tables • IEC 61010-2-20d: Human machine interface As can be inferred from the description of IEC 61010-2-201, the standard suite will include Automation System Functional Safety Standards: • IEC 61508: Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems, which refers to generic electrical control systems • IEC 61511: Functional safety – Safetyinstrumented systems for the process industry sector • IEC 62061: Safety of machinery – Functional safety of safety-related electrical, electronic and programmable electronic control systems • ISO 13849-1:2006: Safety of machinery – Safety-related parts of control systems – Part 1: General principles for design The plan is that once the ISA99 standard is accepted as an IEC document, the INDAT will also include automation system security standards, presently known as IECSecure.
November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
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Because the majority of large control and automation equipment suppliers who support the development of IEC, ISO and national standards fully support this initiative and have seen the positive impact of the CB scheme in other industries, it is expected that INDAT will be de facto accepted in the global market by regulators, retailers, buyers and vendors. The good news is that for most of us on the consumer side of the purchasing equation, we should not see much change in the electrical approvals of our equipment, other than just as we are becoming accustomed to seeing FMC and ULC as alternatives to CSA, additional certifying organizations from outside of Canada will be accepted as well, especially if we sign the European Free Trade Agreement. Though many of us take standards for granted, they have a large impact on our work. Our competition in Europe recognizes this. If you want to participate in the Canadian contribution to the development of international standards, such as those developed by IEC and ISO, let me know and I will put you in touch with the right people. • Reference: “IEC 61010-2-201 ed1.0” http://webstore.iec.ch/webstore/webstore.nsf/ Artnum_PK/47585, 2013-09-20 Ian Verhappen (iverhappen@gmail.com) is a professional engineer, ISA Fellow, Certified Automation Professional, member of the Control Automation Hall of Fame and a recognized authority on industrial communications and process analyzer technologies. He has more than 25 years of experience in the hydrocarbon industry. Verhappen provides consulting services specializing in industrial communications, process analytics and heavy oil/oil sands automation.
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How do you measure up? By Paul Hogendoorn
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arly in my entrepreneurial career, my father tried to impress upon me the importance of good accounting disciplines. His words of advice — “you can’t improve what you don’t measure” — fell on relatively deaf ears most of those early years. I was too busy trying to bring in new business or trying to get things working. I saw the accounting function as something that was useful mostly to the bank and the tax man. With all of the more important tasks on my own plate, I ascribed to the wisdom of the classic Kenny Roger’s song, “The Gambler”: “There’ll be time enough for counting, when the dealing is done.” I gradually developed an appreciation and understanding for my father’s advice, and I came to realize that it was not only true for the financial part of the business, it was true for every aspect and function of the business. Indeed, every manufacturer today recognizes the terms and concepts of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, SPC or OEE. Every one of these systems or approaches is based on the premise that you have to measure the things that you want to improve in order to improve them. Being a late convert to my father’s long lingering words of advice, I’ve added some advice of my own: “Anecdotal measurement results in anecdotal improvement.” Effective measurement is the key to improvement success, and the three keys to effective measurement are objective, method and tools. There’s little sense measuring something purely for the sake of measuring. There needs to be a defined outcome objective — be it better quality, productivity or profit. The purpose for any measurement has to be the achievement of an identified desired positive outcome. The second key is the measurement method. Measurements should be granular, automatic and in real-time. If the only indication a company has for its financial performance is a year-end statement that is presented six months late, there is little opportunity to make any significant improvements in the next period, which by then is half over. Plus, there would be virtually no hints or indication where effective improvements could be made. More detailed and timely information is required, and it’s the same for productivity or product quality improvement objectives. The third key is tools. Most people I speak with are in complete agreement with the first two keys. There are plenty of “yep, we get it” nods of affirmation, but I often sense a building tension as the dialogue progresses. “Yes, we know why we
should be measuring, and we know what we should be measuring, but how can we do it effectively?” This is the point in the conversation where many manufacturers share their frustrations, and sometimes even stories of expensive failure. I have three simple rules for tools. First, they have to be simple. If it’s too complex and only your IT person can figure it out, it’s not a good productivity measurement tool. The operator, or the person regularly performing the function, should understand what the tool is measuring and how it’s being done. We often think that we measure things for management’s sake, but the truth is we should be measuring things for the benefit of the operator, because he or she is the one most directly connected with the work being done, and the one most able to make positive changes to the outcome. Second, it has to be automatic. If it requires manual entries to be made, or adds steps to the process or secondary tasks for the operator, it slows production down and it makes the information less empirical and more subjective. And third, it has to be flexible, adaptable and work well with other readily available tools (such as spreadsheet programs). If the measurement tool is built into the IT system or machine control, then only the supplier of that device or program can make changes to it. The cost of the tool should not be mistaken for the value of the tool. The best tools are often the inexpensive ones, and the least effective tools are sometimes the really expensive ones. Choose your tools wisely — try them out and make sure the people that have to work with them like them, too. The better they like them, the better they’ll use them, the better the result will be. Admittedly, these were all hard learned lessons for me, but fortunately, they were also lessons that I learned in time. This past January I embarked on another entrepreneurial adventure — launching FreePoint Technologies, a company that has developed products and tools specifically to help manufacturers measure and improve their productivity. This time, however, I will heed my father’s advice right from the start, because “you can’t improve, what you don’t measure.” • Paul Hogendoorn (paulh@getfreepoint. com) has worked with leading manufacturers for over 30 years. He recently co-founded FreePoint Technologies (getfreepoint.com), a company that takes a “black box direct to spread sheet” approach to productivity measurement. www.AutomationMag.com • November/December 2013 win_MA_May.indd 1
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Machine safety design: Relays versus a single safety controller By KIan SanJaRI
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here comes a point in machine safety design when the designer needs to decide if it makes more sense to use multiple safety relays or to upgrade to a safety controller. This point typically occurs when the application requires three or more safety relays. There are three key influencing factors that will impact this decision for the designer: basic hardware design, safety controller configuration software and cost implications. In terms of functionality and safety I/O density, a safety controller solution is a step above a safety relay solution and a step below a safety PLC. Safety controllers must typically be configured using software. The software allows for simple-to-implement safety circuit flexibility and functionality.
intimidating unknowns. Designers may worry about the required programming expertise level and additional costs. In this writer’s opinion, the configuration software can be a positive aspect. It increases flexibility and offers advanced functionality that a multiple safety relay circuit cannot provide. The software includes: • Drag-and-drop menus: Today’s safety controller software is designed with “drag-and-drop” functionality with “non-programmers” in mind to simplify the design process. (See Figure 2)
Pricing example A – Analysis With three standard safety relays at $220 each, the total cost is $660. The safety controller is $800. The safety relay solution costs $140 less, and space is a trade-off. Since the price of safety relays is directly proportional to the number of safety contacts and to functionality, the safety relays would have to average more than $266 each before the designer saw a cost advantage. However, safety controller flexibility, the ability to stock only one part number and other benefits might be attractive enough to make the safety platform change.
FIgure 2: A screen capture from safety controller software
FIgure 1: I/O number and functionality chart
Basic hardware design One of the key influencing factors that will impact whether a designer selects multiple safety relays or a safety controller is hardware design. This includes: • Load switching: Most safety relay designs have traditionally used safety relays constructed with internal electromechanical, force-guided relays. The key advantage here is voltage flexibility, as nearly any typical control voltage can be switched. As an example, the nominal current at 24 VDC is about six amps for a resistive-based load. Contrast this with a safety controller with typically solid-state outputs that is only designed to switch 24 VDC at a typical maximum of two amps. • Modularity: Safety controllers are typically modular, so safety I/O can be added. If safety controller expansion modules are needed, these costs will be an important consideration. • Dimensions: Width and space are also important factors if DIN-rail space is valued. Safety relay width is directly proportional to the number of safety output contacts and overall functionality. • The number of safety I/O: Safety controllers carry a bigger number of available safety I/O in a relatively compact housing compared to a standalone safety relay. This contrast in size becomes very apparent when wiring for Safety Category 4 or Performance level “e”.
Safety controller configuration software For a designer accustomed to using safety relays, a safety controller’s configuration software is one of the main
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• Safety project simulation: Another powerful aspect of the safety controller is the availability of a “Safety Simulation Mode.” This mode is perfect for designing a safety project at your desk and going into simulation mode to validate your safety project before going onsite to download it to the safety controller itself. Simulation mode is a perfect way to begin your evaluation of a safety controller. It’s a no risk “test drive” of the fully functional software without the need of any hardware attached. • Monitoring and diagnostics: Next, consider the diagnostics ability of the software. It will save time during startup and the troubleshooting of safety circuit failures. Troubleshooting a discrete safety relay circuit can be a daunting task due to all of the wiring and the variety of safety relays being used. With a safety controller, you can connect the software via the USB, upload the project and go online. At this point, the software will indicate the reason the circuit failed to activate. • Documentation: Safety documentation can be a very important part of the machine delivery package. Software configuration packages have a predetermined offering where you can easily document key details pertaining to the safety program.
Cost implications Let’s do a cost comparison exercise. For this cost comparison, we will use a baseline of safety relays with basic functionality. This writer assumes that a fair price for a safety relay with dual input channels and two normally open safety outputs is around $220. This writer will also say that a fairly priced safety controller lists for around $800.
Safety controller software The next extremely important consideration is the potential cost of safety controller configuration software charges. Pricing for a safety controller configuration software package can range from a free download to around $1,800. This writer recommends a free downloadable configuration software package with no licensing fees and a simulation mode. Note: Since free options are available, we will not include configuration software in the pricing examples.
November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
FIgure 3: Three standard safety relays versus a safety controller
Pricing example B – Analysis With five standard safety relays at $220 each, the total cost is $1,100. The safety controller is $800. The safety relay solution is $300 (38 per cent) more expensive and uses 67 per cent more space on the DIN rail. If six safety outputs on a safety controller are enough, then it’s no question the safety controller is a viable option at this point.
FIgure 4: Five standard safety relays versus a safety controller
Conclusion When an application requires at least three mediumpriced safety relays, it makes economic sense to consider moving to a safety controller platform. The more safety relays that are involved, the more this solution makes sense. If a platform change is decided, the next step is to evaluate the safety controller technology to determine if it fits the specific application needs. The designer should also consider functional flexibility, stocking a single part number and the monitoring/diagnostic power. • Kian Sanjari, P.Eng., is product marketing manager for I/O & Networking for Phoenix Contact. He can be reached at ksanjari@phoenixcontact.ca.
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SYSPRO ERP Instrumental in the Profitable Growth of Rock Solid Supply
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hen Rock Solid Supply opened for business in 2003, owner Mike Brunelle delivered countertops from the back of his Nissan Pathfinder. Encouraged by initial success, Brunelle evolved towards a more sophisticated business model, offering high-quality, mass-produced granite countertops and bathroom cabinets. The company, headquartered in Barrie, Ontario, differentiated itself by allowing its customers to mixand-match colours of wood product with colours of granite, and by offering fixed prices with no surcharges or delivery charges. It was a winning combination – since its inception, the company has grown 30% to 40% per year. Jason Treslove was hired in the spring of 2010 to function as Rock Solid’s Operations Manager. “I was brought on board to manage the company’s growth,” says Treslove. “Rock Solid was working to capacity and having problems with organization. When I got here, the operations were being run on QuickBooks, and they had purchased a QuickBooks inventory module called Advanced Pro. I wasn’t impressed – they’d spent over $5,000 preparing the information for Advanced Pro, and it still wasn’t working.” With 15 years experience in Operations Management and ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, Treslove had the skills to successfully implement Advance Pro. “As soon as I saw it running, I knew that we needed to upgrade to a different system. QuickBooks is great for a one-manband, but as a business grows more complex it needs added sophistication.” Rock Solid spent six more months operating on the old system, in order for Treslove to demonstrate its limitations to the owner. “Change can be hard, and it was important to gain the owner’s confidence in the decision to move away from Quickbooks,” says Treslove. “I was asking him to make a leap of faith that would determine how the company operates for at least the next 10 to 15 years. We knew going into it that changing the whole operating system would keep us up at night – especially with the company experiencing rapid growth. In February, 2011, we agreed that we needed a change to remain competitive, and that the best way to ensure our future success was to replace the old system with a fully integrated ERP.” The choice came down to SYSPRO ERP or Microsoft Dynamics NAV. “We compared them both, did our research, and had both companies give us demonstrations,” says Treslove. “It seemed to us that SYSPRO was able to offer more features and more out-of-the box functionality. That allows a business to get up-and-running quickly, for less cost and effort. With SYSPRO, you can essentially flip the power switch and run the business. We operated for a full year out of the box, whereas NAV would have required immediate customization.” The system Rock Solid ultimately chose was SYSPRO ERP. “We appreciated the robustness of SYSPRO,” says Treslove. “In addition, SYSPRO had many specific modules I wanted, such as Landed Cost Tracking (which allows you to track shipping and estimate its arrival time), a fail safe accounting system, Sales Analysis by customer and product, as well as Inventory Management and Distribution.”
business agility. “Inventories tend to grow with sales,” says Treslove, “but despite our own growth we’ve managed to resist that. We now keep larger quantities of fast-moving SKUs, and fewer of the slow. Whereas we used to store massive amounts of popular items, we now order smaller amounts more frequently. By dramatically increasing our inventory turns, we’ve reduced our inventory investment substantially. We’re able to do that because SYSPRO anticipates our inventory needs, and keeps us from ordering as a knee-jerk reaction.” With the new inventory system, Rock Solid also enjoys much more accurate open orders. “Before SYSPRO our purchase orders were made by an e-mail from the owner. Now I can use SYSPRO to measure supplier performance – I can tell when they have open orders, and I can manage an active priority list using the inventory module.” SYSPRO has also automated Rock Solid’s load planning. “We ship all over Canada,” says Treslove, “but maintain our own fleet of trucks for Ontario. SYSPRO allows us to break the province into zones, and plan our distribution over a two-week period. This week we’re going to Windsor, next week to Ottawa. We can accumulate on a load for two weeks, and when it’s ready to go we push a button and receive an automatically generated manifest. SYSPRO knows where the customers are geographically, what’s being sent to them, and the volume of the truck. It sets up our loads accordingly, and we build into the truck using the manifest. That saves on double-handling and makes everyone’s life easier. Shipping is a breeze, now, because SYSPRO does the entire process automatically.” Using the same load planning information, SYSPRO creates packing labels for Rock Solid’s products. “In the past we used a specialized label system,” says Treslove. “SYSPRO wrote us a custom label program – it was inexpensive and saves us about six to eight man-hours a week.” The new labelling system has improved Rock Solid’s order accuracy considerably. “The old way,” says Treslove, “relied on a human bringing information into Excel. The system was fraught with error - we were probably making mistakes on one out of every three orders. Now, because of SYSPRO, our order accuracy is up to near-perfect levels.” In the near future, Rock Solid plans to push its technological capabilities towards EDI (electronic data interchange). “Already, we transmit all of our documents electronically,” says Treslove. “All of our order acknowledgements and invoices are sent or faxed right out of SYSPRO. That’s reduced our paper consumption significantly, and lowered labour costs. Even more significantly, we make a private label line, St. Lawrence Cabinets, for Lowes – the second largest hardware store in the US. Lowes is very automated and computer savvy, and they’re pushing us to take the next steps. Right now we’re moving into bar-coding, and soon we’ll be matching up our systems through EDI.”
One of Treslove’s first priorities was to optimize the company’s inventory system. “It’s critical for us to have accurate, real-time information on our inventory,” says Treslove. “We have several hundred SKUs, and we’re always expanding that to increase customer selection. To make things more complicated, we order a lot of our product from overseas, and for some SKUs there’s a threemonth lead time.”
According to Treslove, Rock Solid’s investment in SYSPRO has been instrumental in allowing the company to grow and become increasingly profitable. “As a very rough measure of ROI,” says Treslove, “during all our recent growth we’ve only needed to add one person to our administration staff. But to me, that’s not nearly as important as the fact that SYSPRO lets us keep our finger directly on the pulse of the business. We no longer need to transfer information to Excel and massage it – everything we want to know about our business is at our fingertips. SYSPRO has given us one-hundred percent confidence in our information, from order intake to final invoicing, and everything in between.”
Without proper control, inventories can become large and costly, in terms of capital, operational efficiency, and even
For more information on Rock Solid Supply, please visit: www.rocksolidsupply.com
Information Supplement
“By dramatically
increasing our inventory turns, we’ve reduced our inventory investment substantially. We’re able to do that because SYSPRO anticipates our inventory needs, and keeps us from ordering as a knee-jerk reaction.” Jason Treslove Operations Manager Rock Solid Supply
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L E A N
I N S I G H T S
Visual management: A picture really is worth a 1,000 words By dR. TIMOTHy d. HIll, PH.d., ClSSMBB, PMP
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t’s more than story telling with pictures. Visual management allows for direct communication without the need for long reports. Visual management tools are all around us. We have gauges in our cars, but fewer than we used to. Some of our cars’ systems have become reliable enough that we no longer have gauges or dials for cylinder temperatures, oil pressure and more. Gone are the days of unreliable Smith’s gauges and Lucas (“Prince of Darkness”) electrical systems! Instead, we have simple visual tools to tell us when something is awry. The same simplicity comes from visual management. It’s more than painted lines on the factory floor. It is a tool for communicating information efficiently, for knowing when a process is under control and stable, and for knowing when an operation is doing what it shouldn’t. One client that I had didn’t know how much (or how little) they were producing. We arranged for an easel to be set up in the production area. It contained a card swipe unit (so that people would swipe in and out), the hand tools that they needed and a display. The supervisor wrote down the number of units that the team was supposed to make in 10 minutes. Above that they wrote the number that they were actually making in those 10 minutes. This easel was set up so that everyone could readily see it. The supervisor would randomly time out a 10-minute interval, count the units produced and amend the sign.
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Visual management is where information is communicated by using visual signals instead of texts or other written instructions. The signals and signs reflect standard work and, therefore, require less policy. Their design focuses on allowing quick recognition of the information being communicated in order to increase efficiency and clarity. As well, these signs can take many forms — from different coloured clothing for different teams, to focusing measures upon the size of the problem and not the size of the activity, to kanban (a simple visual sign for replenishment), obeya (the large Lean “war” room) and heijunka boxes (used in load levelling). In The Toyota Way, it is also known as mieruka. Visual management does not need to be expensive. It must, however, tell a consistent story. No more having each group with its own charts. Keep them simple, keep them obvious and keep them closely tied to the job at hand. No one should be running to a computer keyboard. This distracts them from the task at hand. Keep the visual management consistent across the factory, across the offices and across all of your value stream areas. In another client, we had a tremendous problem with determining how long a process should take. It was taking up to 11.5 hours to do. They had been working at this speed for several years. The time that they wanted the job to take had become their culture. We asked their industrial engineering team in another plant how long it should take, and their team told us 2.5 hours. To get them closer to the industrial engineering time, we created one of the first Andon boards in southwestern
Ontario. We took scrap 2x2-inch little metal squares from the metal shop, drilled holes in them and painted them red, yellow and green. The team decided that green would mean that they’re right on time, yellow would mean that they should hurry up, and red would mean that they’re going too fast and need to slow down. We had a little Andon board set up and I told them that they would each get a hand-made piece of chocolate when that board was all green. They were up to the challenge. Within about three weeks, I received a phone call telling me that I had better make good on my promise! They never had any feedback about progress towards their goals. The simple visual management tool told them how they were doing and, importantly, how their success (or lack of success) was impacting the upstream and downstream processes. They saw that when they went yellow, everyone affected by that went yellow, too. Lastly, we can think of visual management as being divided into two groups — display and control. A visual display group relates information and data to employees. For example, charts showing the monthly revenues of the company or a graphic depicting a certain type of
From the bookshelf...
the Lean 3P Advantage: A Practitioner’s guide to the Production Preparation Process by Allan R. Coletta, Productivity Press This book is another winner of the Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award, and readers know that I like to highlight these. “3P” stands for “Production, Preparation and Process,” and basically means to try out the new process before you implement it. I’ve used this in sectors as diverse as manufacturing to health care, and people have always been impressed. you can literally “cut it out in cardboard” to demonstrate how a new process will work. you can use paper representations of the actual workplace. In some cases, we taped off areas that corresponded to the proposed work flow areas. Or we can start with a “paper doll” layout. This uses an architectural layout and scale cutouts of tables and equipment. The book is really quite valuable because it provides details on how to design the 3P Lean design process a step at a time, all while
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November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
providing many real-world examples. It presents an operations-based perspective that combines the experience of many different companies. The book details the 3P Lean design process, explaining how and why it works so effectively. you really can think of it as a guide to help you mock up your proposed changes, how to simulate them and what things you need to watch out for. It is a form of simulation that everyone can do in the gemba. The Lean 3P Advantage includes various product planning and evaluation criteria, selection of alternatives, timing considerations, construction of prototypes, and measuring effectiveness. Reading and using this book will definitely help you to develop work layouts and other designs that will foster innovation. With greater innovation, shorter development cycle times and less waste, you will be able to meet or best your customer expectations.
quality issue that group members should be aware of. A visual control group is intended to actually control or guide the action of the group members. Examples of controls are readily apparent in our day-to-day lives: stop signs, handicap parking signs, no smoking signs, etc.
Question from the floor
QueSTION: We’ve got Lean boards up throughout our factory now. Some teams are really taking to them, while others not so much. Is there any way to get them all up to the same rate of suggestions? ANSWER: Watch out that some areas are not tackling more difficult issues than others. Is one group putting up more suggestions, but they’re all a bunch of simple “just do its?” Is another group putting up fewer, but bigger suggestions? One thing that I like to do is to have a “kaizen off!” This is where all of the groups put forward their best idea for the month and then compete to see whose is the best, reduced the most waste, decreased the number of footsteps taken, reduced the number of mistakes and so on. Have a monthly meeting where the teams can present their kaizen suggestions and then let the people vote on which idea is best. Incorporate this idea into the monthly management meeting and gently shift the management meeting away from presenting dry reports to actively sharing within your facility the peoples’ ideas and innovations. I think you’ll find that the enthusiasm for using your Lean boards will go way up. For those of you who may not be familiar with the term “Lean board,” it’s a simple whiteboard that people put their kaizen suggestions on. It also serves as a communications tool, with people checking in to look at the status of their suggestions or even just checking in after they’ve been away for some time. • Dr. Timothy Hill is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist and Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with global expertise in Human Resources/ Human Capital. He can be reached at drtim@kyoseicanada.ca.
A utomation
S oftware
The new reality of programming software By Jeremy Pollard
I
have been in the PLC and software game since 1977. I have seen a lot of things transpire between then and now when it comes to programming software. I recently had the opportunity to speak with a few industry guys about PLC programming software and the state of the industry. The three vendors I spoke with were Automation Direct, Rockwell and Siemens. I also spoke with Bill Lydon, managing director for PLCopen. The main point each made was that, today, the software supports the hardware. One needs to look no further than Rockwell Automation’s RSLogix 5000. Each revision is tied to a firmware revision on the hardware. When you install version 24.x, you can install multiple backward revisions as well. Why? Because it supports hardware configurations. End of story. I tried to open a file that was written with version 13.04. I had 13.0, and I couldn’t do it. It was very frustrating. But Rockwell seems to be determined to only support their hardware in this fashion. Others do not. That is not to say that programming software from others is as full-featured, however. The advent of the PAC and the integration of everything under the sun have created this need for various tools and options in the software that supports them. Motion control, for instance, used to be a bolt-on. It was clunky, and programming and troubleshooting were marginal at best. These days, every vendor integrates motion into their standard products. All vendors have top-down instruction sets for their specific hardware configurations to allow the user to interface with those add-ons very easily. The advent of the PAC has defined a needed consolidation of programming software. The components of an automation system include the I/O structure, remote nodes, networking of all sorts, motion, HMI/SCADA, process devices, and graphical display of flow and execution. The new programming software requires that all of these systemic functions are managed and presented in a clear form for both the developer and the maintenance staff. In my conversations, it was clear that the vendor’s focus is on the hardware. We used to be surrounded by programming products that had multiple developers. We had a choice. We don’t now. Even HMI and SCADA offerings are becoming less “open.” Indusoft, which was one of the few independent mainstream vendors, is now part of Invensys. When Wonderware got swallowed by Invensys, one of the more innovative development companies disappeared. With each
software company springing up and then getting bought, innovation with our software platforms begins to stagnate. It isn’t like the good old days where you
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selected software based on features and performance. We are stuck with what we have based on our hardware. And because of that, do we get to use mediocre tools? •
Jeremy Pollard (jpollard@tsuonline.com) has been in the industrial automation industry for more than 25 years. He has worked as a systems integrator, consultant and educator.
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SAfEty
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P T H E IR E M E E K S R E R U T C A F U H O W L E A D IN G M A N
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oday’s safest manufacturers are those that make safety an integral part of what they do every day; those that engage employees in their safety goals, get leadership commitment, and manage and measure their risks regularly. Together, these factors are the keys to a successful safety strategy, according to the health and safety professionals that Manufacturing AUTOMATION interviewed for our annual focus on machine safety. This year, we spoke to four safety professionals from two leading manufacturers in Canada — PepsiCo and Molson Coors — about their strategies for keeping their employees safe on the plant floor. The safety experts also shared their tips on improving safety within an organization.
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the plant floor at Pepsi The safety, health and well-being of its employees is a core value for global food and beverage giant PepsiCo. “At PepsiCo Canada, we believe that all accidents are preventable, and we strive to eliminate all such occurrences,” says Cassandra Coldwell, the director of Health and Safety at PepsiCo Foods Canada. “We believe that health and safety improvement starts by having the highest concern for employee health and safety, and that it is both an individual and a corporate responsibility, with full alignment and ownership across the organization. We strive to create a worldclass safety culture to achieve an accident-free, incidentfree, and a regulatory-compliant work environment.” And while the team at PepsiCo knows they can’t fix
November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
everything at once, they focus on continuous improvement, and target a five to 10 per cent improvement each year. To achieve these commitments, the company has a global environmental health and safety management system, which focuses on five key pillars: lead and commit; manage risk; build capability; perform and measure; and engage. PepsiCo has Global EHS Standards — including Machine Equipment Safety Standards (MESS) — which the company follows to ensure that they are consistent within all of their sites. “At PepsiCo Canada, we use a risk management approach for all our key management system elements, including machine safety,” explains Bryan Farley, regional HSE senior manager with PepsiCo Beverages Canada. “This cyclical process of risk identification, risk evaluation/prioritization and risk control is designed to reduce
on the
PLANT FLOOR
By MaRy del CIanCIO
THE JOB N O E F A S S E E Y O L P M
The below images show safeguarded equipment in PepsiCo Beverages Canada’s Mississauga Falbourne Plant. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEPSICO CANADA.
the risk of this potential hazard for our workers.” The keys to this risk management technique are leadership, competence and proper documentation, says Farley. “Program leadership defines the resources, roles and responsibilities and formal support needed for our locations that have equipment and processes that require machine safety. Once the machine safety program element leader and team have been identified, we ensure that they have the right support and capabilities to execute machine safety risk assessments for all their equipment. This support is a combination of internal HSE resources or external technical experts so that we complete the assessments, identify controls and develop a corrective action plan to close any gaps,” Farley explains. He adds that the risk assessment methodology used at PepsiCo Canada takes into consideration ANSI, ISO and CSA standards for machine safety. It also looks at the
tasks, hazards and affected persons, and determines risk using a scoring system that factors in the potential severity of harm and probability of occurrence of that harm. “To control the risk in new, existing and transferred equipment, a hierarchy of controls is considered to determine the most appropriate risk reduction measure,” says Farley. Typical solutions or controls that the manufacturer uses to reduce risk and close any identified gaps include the installation of fixed or movable guarding, emergency stops, and presence sensing devices (such as light curtains and safety interlocking and control systems). The company also employs a lock-out, tag-out (LOTO) process as the primary method of control to protect employees from potential hazards when access to the machine is required and where an alternate method to LOTO (i.e., safety-related control systems) is not in place. www.AutomationMag.com • November/December 2013
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The assessment methodology used at PepsiCo Canada takes into consideration ANSI, ISO and CSA standards for machine safety. PHOTO COURTESY OF PEPSICO CANADA.
To ensure safe working conditions, all levels of management at Molson Coors complete regular workplace inspections. PHOTO COURTESY OF MOLSON COORS.
“To continuously improve, we require periodic review of our risk assessment to ensure we’re reducing risk and identifying any additions or modifications that may require additional controls,” says Farley. “We also react quickly when a risk is identified. Rapid response serves to quickly eliminate the risk, while demonstrating our overall commitment to employee safety.” Coldwell says that the key to OHS success at PepsiCo Canada is leadership commitment and employee engagement. “Safety is not something that can be effective if only owned by a safety manager,” says Coldwell. “Everyone needs to believe in it and own it every day. Having a vision that has OHS as a core value, and ensuring that everyone is aligned to that is a critical part to this success. Another key to success is the development and implementation of a health and safety management system, which addresses all areas of safety and is applicable across the total business, is verified through both internal and external audits, and embedded within the organization.”
observations are not tied to discipline, as this would not support the behavioural and cultural change aspects.” The next element of the program, SPEAK, focuses on professional, twoway communication. It is about speaking to employees on a regular basis about relevant topics and getting feedback, as well. Sessions are conducted in front of a professionally designed SPEAK board and can incorporate learnings from STEP observations and incidents, says Lay. The third component, CARE, is about ensuring the correct incident response for early and safe return to work following an injury. The final piece of the program, SEARCH, focuses on conducting effective root cause investigations into loss events to ensure that they understand the underlying direct and root cause of an event. The program has already been launched at the company’s breweries in Moncton, N.B., St. John’s, Nfld., and Creemore Springs, Ont. It will be launched in Montreal, Que., by the end of November, with Toronto and Vancouver launches to follow in 2014, and then rolled out at the company’s sales offices and distribution centres across the country. Part of Molson Coors’ approach to safety is an annual audit program to review things like equipment and machinery to make sure that they meet the company’s world-class global standards. This includes conducting GAP assessments, risk assessments and job hazard analysis. Following the annual audit, the safety team develops a three-year plan, and guarding is something that would be included in this plan
Safety the Molson Coors way Molson Coors, North America’s oldest brewer, takes its responsibility to its employees very seriously. “At Molson Coors, we value every human life, and we believe in the journey to zero harm,” says Paul Lay, director of Environment, Health and Safety for Molson Coors Canada. The company has a comprehensive health and safety and environmental program, and Lay is responsible for the execution of the program across Canada — including six
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breweries, 20 distribution centres and all of the sales offices across the country. How does he accomplish such a massive undertaking? Each brewery has a technical governance team, and then there is a centralized team that Lay manages, all with the responsibility of ensuring safe behaviours and working conditions. This year, the company rolled out what it calls “Safety the Molson Coors Way” — an approach designed to simplify safety, and ensure safe working conditions and behaviours. This approach has been utilized in the company’s U.K. operations for the last two and a half years, where they have seen a 60 per cent reduction in lost time. And now Molson Coors wants to mirror the results they’ve seen in the U.K. in their other operations globally. The program has four elements: STEP, SPEAK, CARE and SEARCH. STEP focuses on ensuring safe working conditions and behaviours. To ensure safe working conditions, all levels of management — from the GM to the supervisor — complete regular workplace inspections. To ensure safe working behaviours, employees are asked to volunteer and are trained using a simplified behavioural safety model to conduct peer observations. What is unique about this element is that 90 per cent of those employee observations are positive — acknowledging when employees are doing something right. “This drives a positive safety culture,” explains Lay. “If an employee observation identifies an improvement opportunity, the employee is provided with feedback to correct the behaviour and an agreement to change is made. Safety
When Scott Ellinor began his career as an industrial mechanic back in the seventies, workplace safety was not what it is today. “If a guard bothered us, well it disappeared. If we thought it didn’t fit, we cut it to fit,” recalls the retired health and safety manager. But the rules on guarding have drastically changed since then, and so has the manufacturing industry. Before his retirement earlier this year, Ellinor was a health and safety manager at a large food manufacturer in Ontario. For the last 11 years of his career,
November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
he was responsible for setting the health and safety direction and goals in the plant. The key to plant floor safety these days, he says, is worker involvement. “We always got workers involved in any changes we were making, so when we upgraded some of our older equipment…we got them heavily involved because we needed to know how they interacted with the equipment so that we didn’t guard it to the point where they couldn’t do their job,” he says. Ellinor also worked diligently with the company’s engineering department. “I had the engineers trained in ergonomic design so
to ensure that the machines are in the right category and can be operated safely. The idea is to simplify safety, make it easy to understand, engage employees, and build a critical mass to ensure that managers and employees alike are being safe every day. “Everyone has a role to play,” says Lay. “Safety is not just the safety team’s job. It’s the whole facility.” “Safety isn’t a one-person show,” agrees Jeremy Shorthouse, the member of Lay’s central team who is leading the roll out of “Safety the Molson Coors Way” in Canada. “It’s a team buying into the program and ultimately wanting to be better.” Shorthouse says that employee engagement is the key to any safety program’s success. And he knows a little bit about success. With his previous employers, Shorthouse has been able to reduce lost-time accidents by 90 per cent, and decrease the number of total incidents by 50 to 60 per cent. “The employees have to be involved in what we’re doing and help come up with the ideas and the solutions,” he says. “There’s lots of different ways to guard machines… Go to the one that they think is going to best let them operate moving forward.”
tips from the team How are these safety leaders able to balance safety and productivity to ensure that employees on the plant floor are both safe and productive? It doesn’t have to be one or the other, the experts say. “We believe safety improves productivity, and that a world-class safety culture can be a competitive advantage,” says PepsiCo’s
that they could engineer hazards out of the machines where possible. I had worker representatives trained in risk assessments and involved in all new machinery installations before the machine was purchased.” And, he adds, he worked with the engineering manager to purchase CSA guidelines for guarding and worked with the engineering department to put that level of guarding into the spec sheets for purchasing new equipment. His key to success was communication. “Many safety professionals and senior managers get confused with what is happening on the plant floor. I made it my responsibility to be on the plant
Farley. “We focus on developing a safety mindset in our leaders and front-line employees where it’s not about safety first and then we move on with our work, but rather that whatever we do, we do it safely. We also educate all of our employees that the cost of an accident can be much greater than the cost of working safely.” Molson Coors has a similar philosophy. “When you do safety, quality and environment really well, it actually is a benefit to your overall organization, and your production will therefore increase as a result of it,” says Lay. “We don’t really see them as competing. We see it as the fabric of what we do — embed strong EH&S principles into your approach of everything that you do every day.” Shorthouse has seen firsthand that safety can actually improve productivity. “Ninety-five per cent of the time, productivity has improved in the [companies] I’ve been involved with, and five per cent [it] has stayed the same. So never once have I seen it where we’ve actually slowed the production down,” says Shorthouse. “Safety just needs to be an integral part of our process, just like quality and everything else,” he adds. Having a successful health and safety program is not without its challenges. For PepsiCo Canada, the biggest challenge is competing priorities. “We run a complex business, and our leaders must balance their focus across a number of different areas such as people, quality, service and productivity,” says Coldwell. “This is why we focus on safety being a core value versus a priority. We want to instill in all our managers that safety is not prioritized, because priorities change. Instead, it needs to be with us no matter what we do, so that we do it safely.” For Molson Coors’ Lay, the biggest challenge is shortcuts and complacency. “If you’re rushing or you’re fatigued, you might take shortcuts. Or if you’ve been doing the same role for a long time you become complacent, you don’t see the hazards. So part of our ‘Safety the Molson Coors Way’ program is to understand exactly what are the assumptions and the norms behind the behaviours, and what are our people thinking, and how do we counteract and understand that.” What tips do they have for other manufacturers who are trying to improve safety
within their organization? “Invest in safety leadership training for senior leaders to highlight the employer’s legal expectations and obligations, but also the importance of leadership when it comes to safety,” says Coldwell. “Many serious accidents that occur can be attributed to a leadership decision that was made at some point.” It is also important to “ensure your organizational structure is designed to support a world-class health and safety culture through adequate staffing of health and
safety leadership,” Coldwell adds. “Safety needs to be owned by all employees,” says Farley. “Demonstrate leadership commitment, build the capability of your employees…prioritize your risks and implement the controls, and measure both leading and lagging metrics.” “Involve your employees,” says Lay. “They are probably aware of what will work and what won’t work. Talk to them, engage them and involve them. They’ve been running that machine for 10, 20, 30 years. They’ve seen it before and they know
what will work and what won’t work.” “It’s not going to happen over night,” says Shorthouse. “Safety culture doesn’t change over night.” But when a company has a safety program that engages employees, and has committed leadership that manages and measures risks regularly, everybody wins. Because ultimately, says Shorthouse, everyone wants the same thing. “Safety is something that everybody wants at the end of the day, whether it’s at work or at home.” •
Less is more PPS cushioning has revolutionized the world of standard cylinders. Self-adjusting—clean—safe, for faster installation and immediate start-up. The self-adjustment eliminates the need to think about load and speed change.
floor in every department every day I was at work and occasionally going into the plant on weekends. My work hours were from 6 am to 6 pm every day. This meant I was on the shop floor on every shift,” Ellinor explains. “The worker on the floor believes and will follow a manager who is there when they are and answers their questions as best as he can…If the worker knows that he can go to the supervisor with a concern and it will be looked at, the workers are happier as a group, and happier workers are more productive.”
PPS will take care of that for you. Festo Inc. Tel: 1 877 GO FESTO Fax: 1 877 FX FESTO festo.canada@ca.festo.com www.festo.ca/pps
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OBJECT-ORIENTED
DESIGN
HOW AN UPDATE TO A PLC PROGRAMMING STANDARD
WILL BENEFIT AUTOMATION SOFTWARE PROGRAMMERS
By andy BuRleIgH
W
ith the release of Edition 3 of the IEC 61131-3 PLC programming standard as defined by PLCopen, automation software programmers now have advanced object-oriented design capabilities at their disposal. This greatly expands the programmer’s options in terms of automation programming and future-forward concepts for advanced machine functionality that can be implemented as a result. The powerful, modular Function Block POU (Program Organization Unit) type has been extended with new functionalities that expand the possibilities of software implementation. Programmers already designing in object-oriented environments have class and interface constructs that aid in design, reuse and maintenance of object-oriented programs. Now these constructs are available to the IEC programmer, as well. New keywords in the standard that relate to object orientation are: “interface,” “implements,” “extends,” “property” and “method.” In this article, we will consider the Function Block (FB) as a simple class definition, which includes properties and methods.
the function Block (IEC 61131-3 Edition 2) The IEC 61131-3 standard relies heavily upon the FB POU type for modularity of design. An IEC FB is a smart user-defined type. It wraps the data required for a functional element together with its programmed logical sequencing in a reusable, “instantiable” package.
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The FB is similar to a user-defined data structure: a data structure is defined when it is necessary to create a new data type, and a FB is defined when it is necessary to define data and logic for control of a new component, device or process. A user-defined data structure collects data elements of various types together into an application, component or algorithmically significant type. The structure is a useful designer’s tool — it modularizes the software and syntactically imparts necessary information to other designers working on the software system. By reviewing the data type definitions for an application module, we begin to develop an understanding of the module’s functionality. The FB is an extension of a user-defined data structure. The data structure defines memory for holding actual values without any inherent access control, and contains no algorithm to evaluate and affect the data. The FB incorporates access control over its defined data by clear specification using the IEC keywords: VAR_INPUT, VAR_OUTPUT and VAR. These key terms unambiguously determine access control of the FB’s variable memory by other programs in the control solution. Data declared as VAR_INPUT can be written from outside of the FB and not written inside the FB. Data declared as VAR_ OUTPUT can be read by other programs in the control solution and written only by the FB. Data declared as VAR is internal and can only be written by the FB, and as a general programming practice should not be read from outside of the defining FB. The VAR_INPUT data is used to pass
November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
necessary status information and command values so that the user-created FB can properly apply its internal algorithms. The VAR_OUTPUT data is used to provide the necessary feedback and status information so that callers of the FB can determine if code has been executed successfully. The FB will also contain PLC code to respond to input conditions and thereby modify the internal (VAR) and status (VAR_OUTPUT) data. The FB expresses more meaning to the designer, implementer and maintainer of the PLC system than is possible with a data structure definition alone. The input and output data specifies the formal interface of the FB, and provides us with more information regarding the preconditions, commands and status of functional elements of the control context. Reviewing and understanding the formal interface is required to effectively use FB; however, detailed analysis of the logic inside the block is not required. The FB element is a powerful programmer’s tool because, not only can it be reused infinitely within a solution, but single FBs and collections of FBs can be exported or packaged as libraries and shared between programmers and solutions. As a modular element that encapsulates code and data, the FB does fulfill some of the behaviours central to objects in object-oriented programming paradigms.
the function Block as a Class (IEC 61131-3 Edition 3) While the FB POU type does encapsulate the data and logic of an “object,” the Edition 2 IEC FB has no formal specification for data
attributes and method behaviours as can be found in modern object-oriented languages. For instance, the formal interface of the FB in Figure 1 consists only of input (VAR_ INPUT) and output (VAR_OUTPUT) data. All of the input data is lumped together, even though the cylinder FB has two data values (simulation flag and timeout value) and six separate functional uses — two extension commands, two retract commands, one centre command and a timed opening command. From a usage point of view, the programmer must take care to use the input data correctly, and it is not always clear which input value set(s) should be used together. In many cases, the more complex control components are, the more logical actions of the FB become unclear. This is particularly true if the logical behaviours and data sets of a component are many or varied. In complex solutions, it is easy for the FB interface to become very large, with long lists of formal inputs and outputs. The Edition 2 FB syntax, in some situations, does not assist a programmer learning a new software system. Since there is no syntax to indicate which formal inputs serve as commands and which as parameters, and no formal syntax to specify logical behaviour, the code is not self-documenting. Edition 3 of the IEC standard addresses this concern. Although a FB POU type is implemented in the familiar way, new syntax is available to clearly specify the data (property) and behaviours (method) of a class, and furthermore the data associated with a given method can be unambiguously specified.
Figure 1 In this example, all of the input data is lumped together, even though the cylinder Function Block has two data values and six separate functional uses.
Figure 2 Each property is equipped with accessors immediately as a function of the IEC object model.
Properties – Data members of a class A property is a data item that is declared as a member of a class. This could be the move timeout value for a cylinder or a motor, a set point or status information. Properties can be defined so that they are only internally accessible to a class object, readable from outside of the object, writeable from outside of the object and, of course, readable and writeable from outside of the object. Each property is equipped with accessors immediately as a function of the IEC object model. This is an important part of the datahiding concept in class-based programming. The object always controls the data. These are called the “Get” and “Set” accessors. In modern integrated development environments, the Get and Set templates are created automatically, and the programmer simply fills in a small amount of code to handle the data required in the application. When data is written from outside the object, the Set operation is automatically called and the data can be verified for correctness before it is copied into the internal variables of the object. Likewise, the Get operation is called when outside code attempts to read a value — again, the data can be manipulated before being passed to the calling code. For instance, temperatures can be requested in Celsius or Fahrenheit or speeds in mm/s or m/s, etc., even if the class always internally uses degrees Celsius or inch per minute.
Methods – Logical behaviours of a class Methods are the object-oriented construct
Figure 3 The method has access to all class member variables, which are retentive between code scans.
Figure 4 Methods are called in code by using the dot “.” operator after the Function Block instance name in structured text, or after the Function Block name in the graphical languages.
for implementing the logical behaviour that instantiated objects will provide. In previous editions of the IEC standard, this clear construct did not exist. Only by analysing the formal interface of a FB and using the appropriate input and output data could an object’s behaviour be triggered and monitored. A method in the IEC 3rd Edition standard is very similar to what we know traditionally as an IEC function. A method has a result type, as well as parameters, and can have its own local variables. In keeping with its behaviour as a function, a method does not maintain an internal variable state, and its input, output and internal variables are set to default values with each PLC scan. However, the method has access to all class member variables (those declared within the FB’s VAR, VAR_INPUT and VAR_OUTPUT data areas), which are retentive between code scans. Methods are called in code by using the dot “.” operator after the FB instance name in structured text, or after the FB name in the graphical languages. A method call in structured text will always end with parentheses, even when no formal inputs are required. Formal inputs to the method are specified within the parentheses, such as in the following example: ObjectInstanceName.MethodName(input1:=value, input2:= value). The formal inputs will appear on the left side of the box in a graphical language. Note that in all languages, the formal inputs must be specified. Representing the data element’s name is not optional; however, an actual value need not be supplied if the programmer intends to use the
initialized value of the parameter. For programmers already working in object-oriented languages, the IEC usage of methods and properties will be familiar to implement. For programmers not accustomed to object-based design, a useful exercise is to rethink the most complex FB you have used to date; determine the properties and methods a class version
will require; focus on how the usage of the new property and method keywords can make the functional aspects of the class clearer to other programmers; develop some code that implements this as an object and uses the properties and methods; and note how this simplifies working the formal interfaces. If you bring these new features into your comfort zone, objectoriented programming will become a very useful tool in your program development. The recent extensions to the FB POU type as a class implementation incorporate many new features, and here we’ve considered the use and syntax of properties and methods. We’ve seen that the interface and use of a class is clearer in terms of intent when compared to the Edition 2 Function Block: behaviours of an object are handled by named methods; methods clarify the functional uses of an object; careful method design focuses program implementation; data elements are defined as properties; and properties have built-in functionality that improve data consistency. Application code is simplified using these features, which positively impacts design and maintenance. Furthermore, together with additional features, such as interfaces and inheritance, code developed using object-oriented practices becomes increasingly maintainable and future-proof. Programmers who learn about and begin utilizing these concepts in automation programming today will gain a competitive edge over those that rely exclusively on older, more traditional programming languages. • Andy Burleigh is an applications specialist with Beckhoff Canada (www.beckhoff.ca/ twincat3).
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T H R O U G H
A U T O M A T I O N
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR
I N N O V A T I O N
The “fusion tomato packing line” is the result of an industryuniversity collaboration.
PACKAGING,
PRODUCE AND PARTNERSHIPS An industry-university collaboration helps a produce operation stay competitive By MICHelle MORRa-CaRlISle
N
ot your typical widget, tomatoes are fragile, have a short shelf life and come in many shapes, colours and sizes. Processing the highly popular “cocktail cherry” variety was a challenge for Clifford Produce of Leamington, Ont. Varying weather conditions were creating ever-varying tomatoes, and it didn’t help that customers’ orders differed by the types of packaging they wanted and the combinations of samesized or different-sized, same-coloured
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or different-coloured tomatoes to be packaged. Adding to this challenge was that in order to stay fresh, the produce arriving from the fields had to be processed quickly. Doing their best were six workers — one per tomato colour, plus two more for labelling and other tasks — who had the highly intensive manual task of packaging the tomatoes. But their efforts weren’t necessarily good enough given the competition — the much lower-paid labourers of Mexican producers. There had to be a
November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
better way to sort and package the product from southern Ontario farms. To keep up with demand and stay competitive, the folks at Clifford knew they needed a more automated solution. The need to better manage a variety of products meant the system would have to be flexible, adaptable and responsive to change. Ideally, it would also be affordable. While machines already exist for this sort of process, they cost up to $250,000. The limited acreage of this modest Leamington company didn’t warrant such an expense.
Fortunately, Clifford Produce found a modular, financially viable solution. Its design is fairly simple: At the start of the line, employees dump the various types of small tomatoes into a round, table-top surface. The surface is divided into compartments — one for cherry tomatoes, one for yellow ones, another for zebra-striped green ones, and so on. Once the compartments are loaded, an employee turns the table to start mixing. Tomatoes gradually fall from a chute onto a conveyor where workers grade them for quality and drop them into
clamshell containers. Angelo Fallone, financial analyst at Clifford Produce, says this “fusion tomato packing line” isn’t highly automated, but has dramatically improved the process. “There’s even a nifty little piece of metal that grabs the lid and closes it as the conveyor belt moves toward the end of the line,” he says. So how did the company score the new line?
Research meets commerce Having once sponsored a project involving the University of Windsor’s Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) Centre of Research Excellence, the staff at Clifford Produce were familiar with the centre’s engineers and decided to re-connect with them. These experts conduct leadingedge research in manufacturing systems and related topics — from product design to manufacturing and the complete product life cycle. Surely they might be up to devising a better way to sort and package cherry tomatoes. “Clifford first sponsored an undergraduate capstone project about improving the productivity of some of their operations, not related to packaging cherry tomatoes,” says Professor Hoda ElMaraghy, the IMS Centre’s director and co-founder. “Then after they became familiar with the capabilities of the IMS Centre, they saw an opportunity to work with us on the cherry tomatoes packaging challenge.” The IMS Centre engages in many projects with industry, networks and centres of research excellence, as well as international collaborations and exchanges. ElMaraghy’s team welcomed the challenge. As the principal investigator for the Clifford project, she applied for a grant from the FedDev Ontario Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative. Clifford Produce, which would provide significant in-kind contributions toward the project activities, would act as the sponsoring company. The project qualified for the grant. After receiving it, a team of engineering researchers led by ElMaraghy worked to design and develop a modular, efficient packaging system. They tailored it to the company’s need to be more agile in responding to changing seasonal supply and an increasing variety of produce packages and their contents. For example, compartments can easily be added or removed from the new machine. “A lot of machines built for the agricultural industry are not configurable,” Fallone says. “If we need to double our machine, we can pretty much do it, no problem.” And while the machine hasn’t been installed yet at Clifford Produce — only a prototype existed at time of print — the company does plan to implement the new machine as soon as possible. Thanks to the FedDev grant, and by not having to purchase a far more expensive packaging system, Clifford Produce was able to lower its costs by two dollars a
box — close to 40 per cent — and obtain a unique product. The benefits turned out to be more than just financial. “There’s a two-fold effect,” Fallone says. “By removing three people from that process, we [are] able to station them someplace where they would be more productive. The other benefit is that the job gets done faster.” The machine also does a better job. Whereas the old way was to have each person on the line drop a certain variety of tomato into containers as they passed, the final product looked layered. With the new system, each clamshell container has a real mixture of shapes and colours. “Beyond simple cost benefits, Clifford was able to be involved in the design and research phase in a much more intimate way than with a traditional supplier — locally designed and produced packaging machines can start a local industry to replace the imports,” ElMaraghy says. The cost of the packaging machine was roughly 20 per cent of that of a comparable commercial machine that wouldn’t even be modular, flexible or reconfigurable. The company is expected to save at least 60 per cent in labour while achieving the same production rate. If such an affordable machine was relatively simple, why do so many facilities go without tailor-made solutions? Fallone believes it’s simply a case of where to allocate resources within the sector. “Traditionally, the focus hasn’t been so much on improving operational efficiency as it has been on improving relationships for sales,” he says. “People often take the path of least resistance.” One interesting aspect of the new tomato line is that its creators borrowed from their knowledge outside of the
“There are many resources, talents and expertise in universities and research centres that can be utilized to solve some of their challenges and develop new products, processes and systems. Manufacturers should explore these possibilities.” — Professor Hoda ElMaraghy agricultural sector. While working on this project for Clifford Produce, ElMaraghy says, “We applied the same engineering principles of manufacturing systems — flexibility and changeability, automation, product and machinery design — normally applied in the automotive industry, for example.” Other areas of the agricultural sector could certainly apply similar solutions to improve their productivity and competitiveness locally and globally. According to ElMaraghy, this type of made-tomeasure, ultra-adaptable automation creates efficiencies that can help grow a business in the face of fierce competition from abroad. She also sees potential for manufacturing the machine her team designed here in Canada. Why not start a new high-tech industry to replace the predominantly imported machines, and create jobs and wealth in Canada? As for the collaborative nature of this success story, other manufacturers, too, can benefit from knowing the possibilities
that exist in the research realm. “There are many resources, talents and expertise in universities and research centres that can be utilized to solve some of their challenges and develop new products, processes and systems,” ElMaraghy says. “Manufacturers should explore these possibilities.” Fallone believes that the University of Windsor was interested in the challenge at Clifford Produce because southern Ontario’s agricultural industry is second only to its automotive industry. The university wants to promote growth, not just in one sector, and help the area flourish. What better way than to address a facility’s particular needs and help it thrive? “Having a machine that allows you to reconfigure, respond to various supply and conditions, and be able to organize processes by managing product variety,” Fallone says, “is the future of engineering.” • Michelle Morra-Carlisle is a freelance journalist and corporate writer based in Toronto.
The FedDev Ontario initiative seeks to address the gap between research and commercialization by encouraging collaboration between postsecondary institutions and small and medium-sized enterprises with premarket needs, with the goal of improving productivity and competitiveness for businesses located in southern Ontario.
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www.AutomationMag.com • November/December 2013 21 2013-10-23 9:06 AM
P R O D U C T S
M AtE RIA L
hAN D L I N g
Lever hoist The CM Bandit ratchet lever hoist, Columbus McKinnon Corporation’s lightest and most compact ¾- and 1-1/2-ton ratchet lever hoist, is now available in Canada. Ideal for use in confined spaces, the hoist features a compact design, short handle and 360-degree rotating handle. Its upper and lower hooks swivel and are bolted-on for easy inspection and removal, and both feature wide throat openings for quick load attachment, the company says. Corrosion-resistant parts and zinc-plated load chain also give the product long life in almost any environment. www.cmworks.com
Conveyor pulley
Baldor Electric Company’s Dodge D-LAG conveyor pulleys use a natural rubber compound that is 73 per cent more resistant to wear than standard SBR rubber, the
company says. By increasing lagging life, the conveyor pulleys will extend the operating life of both the conveyor pulley and conveyor belt. The lagging is 100 per cent vulcanized for pulley bonding and strength, making it resistant to cuts and gouges. Two pulley styles are available from stock: D-LAG heavy-duty drum pulleys from 10 to 24 inches in diameter, and D-LAG MDX (mine duty extra) drum pulleys from 12 to 24 inches in diameter. www.baldor.com
rotors, gas turbine parts, thin-wall tubing and cylinder liners for diesel engines. www.dillonmfg.com
Industrial casters
Hamilton Caster’s new five-ton caster series — the Enhanced Precision Super Duty (EPSD) Series — is designed to handle the rigorous applications found in the heavy manufacturing industry. The caster has ½-inch thick forged steel mounting plate 6-1/2 inches wide by 7-1/2 inches long. The legs are 3/8 inches thick by four inches wide, formed and robotically welded to a 6-1/4-inch diameter forged steel ring. The caster is finished with a high gloss enamel in Hamilton’s trademark crimson red. www.hamiltoncaster.com
Schneider Packaging Equipment’s next generation of automatic pallet dispensers/ stackers are meant to replace the hydraulic drive system with heavy-duty electronically powered mechanical components. In addition to eliminating the potential for oil spills or leaks, the units are energy efficient. The automatic pallet dispenser/ stackers are built for demanding palletizing environments and store up to 15 wood or plastic pallets (expandable to 20). Also available with drag chain and roller conveyor sections, the system can be configured to the optimal plant layout. Pallets can be transferred from either side or rear of the machine. Pallets can also transfer to either floor or conveyor level. The low-level detection feature automatically alerts when pallets are low. www.schneiderequip.com
High-speed laser controls
robotic part positioners
Full grip jaws Dillon Manufacturing, Inc. has expanded its line of full grip jaws to 24 inches in diameter. These cast aluminum (356-T6) wrap-around type top jaws can provide minimum jaw force for thin-walled parts and distribute the gripping pressure over more of the work piece’s surface, which helps maintain repetitive accuracy. This type of jaw reduces distortion and provides more friction for drive during turning operations, the company says. With close tolerances and concentricity easily maintained, they are ideal for applications such as valves, cylinders, specialty wheels and gears, housings and enclosures, adaptors and connectors, aluminum and steel shells, flanges, retainer rings, and other thin-walled parts such as automotive smog control air pump
Automatic pallet dispensers/stackers
R oBotI CS robot gripper
The 2-Finger Adaptive Robot Gripper - 200 from Robotiq is an electric gripper with 200 mm of stroke and expanded capabilities. It features three distinct gripping modes — parallel, encompassing and internal — to enable the handling of different part geometries. Additional features include rugged design and sealed casing; high grip force to handle heavy parts; grip detection and realtime finger position feedback; and control of finger speed and force to adapt on-the-fly to heavy or light parts. robotiq.com
freestanding platform. The F9960N precision dispensing and coating system has been designed for work cells that require precise but flexible operational performance. The system can be integrated within a conveyordependent in-line manufacturing environment or installed as a standalone module for independent working. The F9960N is ideal for precision form-in-place gaskets, encapsulation, coating, EMI and thermal-grease applications, underfill and sealing projects. The enclosed environment provides access for fume extraction systems, safeguarding the workforce and workplace from potentially hazardous substances. Access to the working area is provided by an operator fail-safe, high clearance, security door, which is locked while in operation, but easily accessible during programming. www.fisnar.com
Multi-tasking robot platform Fisnar has announced the launch of a new multi-tasking robot model F9960N for safe and secure dispensing applications ranging from miniature SMT circuit boards to larger PCBs and finished assemblies. A comprehensive 600-mm by 600-mm working area gantry robot is mounted within an enclosed
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November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
The Fanuc CNC Series 30i/31i-L Model B high-speed laser controls offer fabricators streamlined efficiency and increased productivity using Ethernet and Ethernet/ IP fieldbus options and newly supported Fanuc NCGuide simulation software. Integration of the Fanuc Series 30i/31i-L Model B CNC and robots to cell controllers, using Ethernet and Ethernet/IP fieldbus options, makes it easy for fabricators to manage operations across equipment controlled by various systems, the company says. Model B CNC has an embedded Ethernet interface, allowing the user to integrate the CNC system into a company network for data collection or for high-speed part program transfers. www.fanucamerica.com
Yaskawa Motoman has introduced new models of its popular “Ferris Wheel” part positioners. Two servo-driven trunnion/station axes are on opposite sides of a central “sweep” axis; one station is positioned in front of one to four welding robots, while the other station is outside the robot envelope where the operator loads/unloads parts. The 180-degree sweep axis rotates the stations over/under the central axis between the robot(s) and the operator. New slim-line positioner models are available with 755-kg (RM2-755SL) and 1,255-kg (RM2-1255SL) payload capacities. A new extra-large capacity positioner was designed to provide a higher payload (two models) and turning diameters in a reduced profile. The new models feature 1,555-kg (RM2-1555) and 2,355-kg (RM2-2355) payload capacities. These larger scale positioners are suitable for truck exhaust assemblies or agriculture/construction machinery components, and they have a turning diameter capacity of 1,524 mm (60 in) and 1,778 mm (70 in) with standard part spans of three or four metres. www.motoman.com
P R O D U C T S C o mm u nica t i o ns Analog I/O modules
and
N e t w o r k in g
CA D/CA M, E R P and P L M S o f t w are
M12 connectors, works in any application requiring an X-Code M12 connector, but especially those where space is an issue. The external diameter is only 16.5 mm to facilitate high integration density on devices like switches. The design features a robust housing capable of resisting torques greater than 1.5 Nm.
AutomationDirect has added discrete and analog I/O modules to its Click PLC line. Available 24 VDC combination discrete modules include eight-point DC input/eightpoint DC sinking or sourcing output models; and a four-point DC input/four-point relay output model. Available 24 VDC fourchannel analog input modules with 13-bit resolution include zero to 20 mA current input and zero to 10V voltage input versions, as well as 12-bit resolution four-channel output modules in four to 20 mA current and zero to 10V voltage versions. Also added is a four-channel input/ two-channel output module in current and voltage versions featuring 13-bit resolution inputs and 12-bit resolution outputs. Fourchannel RTD and thermocouple modules with 16-bit resolution have also been added. www.automationdirect.com
I/O modules
B&R has considerably increased the temperature range of its X20 and X67 control and I/O systems, thanks to the special industrial temperature electronic components installed in the modules. Both the X20 modules with IP20 protection and the X67 modules with IP67 protection function reliably at temperatures from -25 to 60 degrees C, and these modules can be stored at even more extreme temperatures ranging from -40 to 85 degrees C. Because of the increased temperature range, the controllers and I/O modules are well suited for an even wider area of application, the company says. To ensure reliable operation of the X20 and X67 CPUs, B&R uses CompactFlash cards in the PLCs that can withstand these extreme temperatures. www.br-automation.com
Slim design connector Harting has added a Slim Design version to its har-speed X-Code M12 connector lineup developed for the type of category 6A Gigabit Ethernet installations increasingly favoured in machine and plant automation. The har-speed M12 Slim Design with crimp connection, significantly smaller in diameter and length than other
Cloud-based software
or Simatic PCS7, has greatly improved, the company says. Sinema Server has been designed to continuously monitor Ethernet and Profinet networks in industrial and infrastructure environments. www.siemens.ca
Embedded PC www.harting.ca
Full network monitoring Siemens Industry Automation Division has extensively revised its network management software Sinema Server. The new version 12 allows each Sinema Server station to monitor up to 500 devices — double the number of clients monitored by its predecessor. Moreover, as each Sinema Server can display the status of up to 100 other Sinema Servers within the network, the total number of clients that can be monitored by the application is 50,000. Connected components are automatically identified via SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) and Profinet devices via DCP (Device Control Protocol). The new version 12 also allows the user to edit, load and save device profiles. The user interface has been enhanced and the integration into HMI devices and SCADA systems, such as Simatic WinCC
To increase small industrial controller flexibility and connect to a wide range of industrial Ethernet systems, the new CX8093 Embedded PC from Beckhoff Automation is equipped with a Profinet interface and the option to integrate a virtual device. The DIN-rail mounted CX8093 is equipped with a 400-MHz ARM9 CPU for ultra compact PC-based control. It is suitable as a standalone controller for a wide range of industrial applications in smaller sized machines or systems, and can be used as a tie-in to larger Profinet systems. The embedded PC is equipped with a Profinet RT device interface designed as a two-port switch for daisy-chain cabling. www.beckhoffautomation.com
Autodesk, Inc.’s Fusion 360 is cloud-based software created specifically for people looking to fuse stunning aesthetic design with great product engineering. Autodesk Fusion 360 brings together capabilities typically found in separate mechanical, industrial and conceptual design tools into one, cloudbased service. According to the company, the software offers an intuitive user experience, secure access to design information and integrated social collaboration features so that people can design faster, work anywhere and share with anyone. www.autodesk.com
3D simulation solution LMS, which was recently acquired by Siemens and is now a business segment within Siemens PLM Software, announced the latest release of its LMS 3D solutions for real-world simulation — LMS Virtual.Lab Rev 12 and SAMCEF Rev 15. Both software releases simulate real-world behaviour for faster, more realistic and easier product design, the company says. Every LMS 3D simulation solution can be tailored to precise industry and application requirements. www.siemens.com/plm
The unique planet with millions of diverse species Planet earth, home of all known life forms
The world‘s unique gripper with multi-tooth guidance PGN-plus, a universal gripper from SCHUNK
Superior Clamping and Gripping Where clamping technology and gripping systems are concerned, we are the superior provider. SCHUNK is the No. 1 worldwide supplier of high craft smanship, all from a family-owned company. From the smallest parallel gripper, to the largest chuck jaw program. We would be glad to inform you.
www.schunk.com
www.AutomationMag.com • November/December 2013 SCH_WORLD_AZ_PGN_CAN_79x120.indd 1 Schunk_MA_Sept.indd 1
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P R O D U C T S
P r o cess C o n t r o l Electromechanical cylinders
The new EMC Heavy Duty (HD) electromechanical cylinders from Rexroth make the benefits of advanced control technology available, even at high forces, the company explains. The sturdy and readyto-install units are suitable for machinery and equipment, as well as for outdoor use. Users can seamlessly integrate them into intelligent energy management, thus reducing power consumption and CO2 emissions. Force, position and speed can be freely parameterized by the user and flexibly adapted at all times to new tasks via the drive system. Without an additional position sensor, the EMC-HD achieves a repeatability accuracy of up to ± 0.01 mm, and they do so for any number of freely selectable positions within the travel range of up to 1,200 mm. Electromechanical cylinders are extremely energy efficient because they use the energy on demand and implement it with high efficiency in a linear motion, the company says. www.boschrexroth.ca
Differential pressure transmitters
Omega’s PX5200 series of CE-compliant rangeable wet/wet-differential pressure transmitters feature stainless steel, FKM, ceramic wetted parts, flow measurement totalization/square root extraction function, program lock function, quick ranging with internal push-buttons, and a backlit display (rotates in 90-degree increments to fit the location) for easy reading. The PX5200 has rugged aluminum NEMA 4X (IP65) enclosure measures that make this product recommended for flow- and tank-level applications where low dP measurements are required. www.omega.com
Single/multi-pole circuit breaker E-T-A Circuit Breakers has launched a new thermal magnetic miniature circuit breaker (MCB). The E-T-A 4230 MCB is totally interchangeable in “form, fit and function” with existing standard MCBs on the global marketplace. It has international approvals,
including IEC 60947-2 and UL 1077. The 4230 also has UL 489 approval for use in feeder and branch circuits. Available in single and multi-pole versions, the 4230 features toggle activation, visual status indication and high rupture capacity. A positively trip-free snap action mechanism ensures reliable switching. A range of trip characteristics and add-on modules allow for a greater variety of applications, including the protection of industrial process control systems. www.e-t-a.ca
automation capabilities. Multi-point linearization tables are supported in all models, enabling increased reading accuracy. Additionally, robust alarm parameters provide faster warning when a change occurs in the process or pipeline. The standard communications interface is 4-20 mA and total pulse, while the advanced interface adds two control alarms and Modbus RTU over RS485 connectivity. www.badgermeter.com
Digital valve controller
Flow monitor Badger Meter’s ER-500 Series flow monitor is designed to provide a flexible and easy-to-use display platform for monitoring flow metrics in challenging environments. The durable, NEMA 4X-rated design of the enclosure broadens the applications for Badger Meter Industrial Oval Gear (Model IOG) flow meters. Equipped with a suite of powerful, user-friendly operating features and advanced connectivity options, the ER-500 allows users to connect meters to a network for remote monitoring and process
Emerson’s Fisher Fieldvue DVC6200 digital valve controller family gains added capability with its all stainless steel housing that withstands the corrosive atmospheres often experienced in chemical plants, pulp and paper mills, as well as near-shore and offshore oil and gas installations. All DVC6200 series instruments use a patented linkage-less, non-contact feedback design to detect valve position. This valve positioning technology eliminates any travel feedback issues caused by corrosion, high cycle or high vibration applications. www.emersonprocess.com
M ac h ine S a f e t y Safety laser scanners
104.5-mm profile, light 1.3 kg weight and consume just five watts of power (3.75 W in standby mode). www.sti.com
Safety-related position encoders
Safety light curtain
Fail-safe emergency-stop
Omron Automation and Safety’s STI OS32C-DM Safety Laser Scanner is the latest addition to the company’s family of STI Type 3 safety laser scanners. According to Omron, these are the industry’s first safety laser scanners to report status and measurement data via EtherNet/IP, a feature that helps keep machines up and running by enabling users to check the operating state and analyse the cause of an emergency stop via LAN, and take quick corrective action, even in large-scale applications with multiple scanners. The scanners are available with new user tools that help speed customer development time and conserve engineering resources. All STI OS32C safety laser scanners provide configurable object resolutions of 30, 40, 50 and 70 mm to accommodate hand and arm detection applications. They feature a
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EAO Corporation’s Series 04 Fail-Safe Emergency-Stop Switching Element is designed to detect if the stop switch actuator becomes disconnected from the emergency-stop actuator. If there’s any defect, the fail-safe contact opens, cuts power and stops the machinery as if in an emergency shutdown routine.
These new contact blocks will fit any new design that utilizes Series 04 emergency-stop switches, the company says, adding that retrofitting existing applications is easy, as well. The units simply snap on, and three types of connection are possible: push-in terminals with cage clamps, or screw and plug-in terminals. www.eao.com
November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
mechanical self-heating, and reduced sensitivity to radial runout. www.heidenhain.us
Safety-related position encoders have been available from Heidenhain for several years. However, those encoders have been rated to SIL 2, PL d, Category 3. While this meets the requirements of most applications, sometimes there is a need for SIL 3, PL e, Category 4-rated equipment. These applications involve high risks for the operator, such as when they may interact with a robot. For these applications, Heidenhain has developed the ECI 1319 and EQI 1331 inductive, safety-related rotary position encoders. Both encoders showcase improved vibration specifications (400 m/s2 stator and 600 m/s2 rotor), as well as a more durable multi-turn gearbox. They also support the advantages of previous bearingless, inductive encoders, including non-contact design, resistance to contamination, no
The new GL-S safety light curtain from Keyence is designed for applications where space constraints are a major factor. Available in front- and side-view models, the GL-S offers a 50 per cent reduction in overall size when compared to conventional light curtains, the company says. Highly visible, three-colour status indicators allow the curtain’s operational status to be easily seen from any angle. These indicators can be externally controlled to illuminate green, red or orange to indicate work steps, thereby reducing the need for additional equipment. The GL-S also offers a built-in muting function, external device monitoring and interlock function, thus eliminating the need for external devices. www1.keyence.com/PRGLS
P R O D U C T S
M o t o rs and D ri v es Softstarter
Carlo Gavazzi’s new RSGD (two-phase controlled) compact General Purpose Softstarter is for loads up to 40 Hp. During the starting of an induction motor, current levels may reach values up to eight times the rated motor current. Starting these motors via contactors may result in currents as high as 15 times the rated motor current, increasing the occurrence of electrical and mechanical disturbances. The RSGD Softstarter Series reduces the starting current down to three to four times the rated motor current, resulting in smoother starting and stopping of motors, which then increases the lifetime of the motor and reduces the electrical disturbances on the supply network, the company says. Thanks to its extremely compact size, the RSGD Series can fit limited sized panel spaces, providing easier access for replacement of electromechanical contactors. www.gavazzionline.com
XLPE-insulated motor cable
Helukabel has grown its TOPFLEX product line with the introduction of the TOPFLEX 620 VFD, a flexible-PVC, XLPE-insulated power cable ideal for applications with high voltage spikes and long cable runs due to its low capacitance. Built for the industrial sector that requires the use of on/off or slow-down/speed-up VFD motor applications, the special PVC jacket is extremely resistant to oils, coolants and solvents, making it suitable for open, exposed runs, installation in pipes, or in the ground, the company says. In areas where electrical interference may be an issue, the 620 VFD is double-shielded to provide effective protection against electrical disturbances and the resultant failures. www.helukabel.ca
Analog servo drives The B060A400AC and B100A400AC brushless servo drives, from Advanced Motion Controls and available through Electromate, provide up to 21 and 35 kW, respectively. The B060A400AC is capable of outputting 60A peak and 30A continuous, while the B100A400AC outputs 100A peak and 50A continuous.
These servo drives can operate with both AC and DC supply voltages, with an AC voltage range of 200 to 240 VAC and a DC voltage range of 255 to 373 VDC. The built-in shunt circuit alleviates regeneration issues to increase the maximum deceleration rate of large inertial loads. Modes of operation include: Current, Duty Cycle, Voltage, IR Comp, Encoder Velocity, Hall Velocity and Tachometer.
high-temperature applications, as well as in magnetically inductive environments. www.electromate.com
Stainless steel servomotors
adjustment. The small, eight-mm GP8S spindle drives come standard equipped with metric steel spindles or ceramic spindles. The M3 x 0.5 mm spindle is designed for feed forces of up to 32 N in short-term operation. Two pre-loaded ball bearings serve as the axial bearing. Due to the extremely compact design, the GP8S spindle drives achieve a very high force/volume ratio, a characteristic highly desirable for collimators, dosing pumps and many other applications. Ceramic spindles can be used in
www.electromate.com
Kollmorgen’s new line of robust stainless steel AKMH servomotors is IP69Krated and features hygienic housing. The AKMH Servomotor is constructed with materials to provide a long life and trouble-free operation, even with daily exposure to chemicals and high-pressure wash-downs. The AKMH requires no additional protection and can be sanitized without covering it or removing it from the machine. With the new AKMH, OEMs can design and build more reliable and productive machines that are easier and faster to clean, thus minimizing unscheduled downtime for end users, the company says. www.kollmorgen.com
D-Frame drives Danfoss VLT Drives’ next-generation D-Frame VLT Drives are available in a power range from 125 to 450 HP and are up to 68 per cent smaller than previous generation D-Frame drives. The drives also leverage back channel cooling to remove 90 per cent of the heat generated by the drive, reducing both upfront and ongoing costs, and making them an ideal panel building solution, the company says. The new drives are available with IP20, IP21 (NEMA 1) or IP54 (NEMA 12) enclosure protection ratings. For robust protection, they also come standard with conformal-coated printed circuit boards, which together with the optional heat sink access panel, help to extend drive lifetime and reliability. The new units can be factory-fitted with optional semiconductor fuses to further reduce installation costs. Additional factory-fitted basic input options such as mains disconnect, contactor and circuit breaker, eliminate the need to install these basic options externally. www.danfossdrives.com
Small spindle drives
With EPLAN Electric P8, the leader in design automation, you can accomplish in a day what takes a week or more using CAD tools. EPLAN performs the most time-consuming tasks like wirenumbering, device-tagging, cross-referencing and error-checking so you can focus on what’s most important – quality and innovation. Standardization is another powerful project accelerator – storing and re-using data the way only EPLAN can. Creating simple, complex, even scalable macros is a snap. So is finding components you need with a Data Portal search. It takes only seconds. Drag and drop it into your project. EPLAN makes the master data set for you. Automation and standardization are the future. EPLAN Electric P8 maximizes their potential. Feel the power at your fingertips. Request your free 30-day trial at
Two new complete systems composed of spindle, axial bearing and gearhead are now available from maxon motor. The GP16S with ceramic spindle joins the ranks of the existing 16 series spindle drives. With its unique metric M6 ceramic spindle, it transmits up to 315 N in short-term operation. These axial forces are compensated by axial ball bearings in the gearhead’s output stage. The variety of reduction ratios possible in the integrated planetary gearhead makes the spindle drive suitable for highly dynamic applications, such as focusing systems or valve and flap www.AutomationMag.com • November/December 2013 plan_MA_Oct.indd 1
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R E A L I T I E S
A geek goes to the dark side By dICK MORley
I
spent a week in September at an ISA conference in New Orleans. The conference was intended for engineers who want to escape to the dark side. I define the dark side as marketing and sales. I warned my fellow geeks that once they go into marketing and sales for several years, it’s almost impossible to get back into technology because the rate of technological change, as we all know, is something we cannot slow down. I gave three talks at the ISA conference. The first was MIT’s reaction to the marathon tragedy entitled “MIT Media Marathon.” The second was entitled “Why You Shouldn’t Take an Engineer on a Field Trip.” I called the third talk “Pack Size,” and it was intended to give everybody a headache. MIT Media Marathon was a synopsis of MIT’s unofficial attitude to the marathon tragedy. The sequence of events: April 15 (marathon bombings), April 18 (one officer shot dead on campus) and April 19 (suspects and police exchange gunfire, one suspect dead). Instead of rehashing the event, one thing sticks out in my research. The social media we trusted to indicate an event had occurred distorted the event beyond all expectations. I suspect that we will see repercussions about management of social media reporting. MIT has no real opinion here other than to state the obvious. On the second day of the conference, we talked about engineering relationships to marketing and sales. We had some fun with this. On a show of hands, a significant portion of the audience would not take an engineer on a sales call. I know when sales asked me to go on a call, the primary command was to “shut up until I ask you to talk.” I tried hard to describe the engineer’s view to marketing and sales. I presented some Dilbert cartoons — we engineers believe the world is truly a Dilbert world — and a load of Star Trek imagery. To engineers, people issues
are distracting and boring. Having said that, I do believe that engineers will be more successful if they get out more. Here’s why: When we were designing the first fast food cash register (FasFax), we got nowhere when explaining how fast food works. So we put some of the engineers and salesmen to work in a fast food joint. That opened their eyes. The result: Instead of a numerical keyboard on the fast food cash register, we included pictures of the food. The keyboard became large but instantly useable by new employees in a high turnover business. There you go — proof that you can achieve success when the sales and engineering departments get out and work together. But truth be told, you cannot teach an engineer anything. You can’t teach them how to fold a map, soft boil an egg or dress “properly.” We really do believe reality is Dilbert. Ladder logic sequence, sequential function charts and IEC 61131 are languages. And getting an engineer to an event is difficult. He won’t go unless beverages are served in cans, pizza is the common food and Wi-Fi is always available anywhere in the party. In preparing for my talk on why you shouldn’t take an engineer on a field trip, I thought I’d do some homework. I called up my friend Rick at SCADAWare to see what the president’s opinion was. Alas, Rick was on the road. Instead, I got his secretary, so I invited her to answer a question about geeks. I queried, “Do you have a husband or boyfriend?” She replied, “Not serious.” “What do you think about geeks going out and what is your major complaint?” She thought a moment and said, “They have to measure everything,” and giggled. Enough said. The last talk was a technical discussion of human pack size. We’ve talked about this in other columns. The short summary is (by actual experiment) that the pack size is
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November/December 2013 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
for several years, it’s almost impossible to get back into technology because the rate of technological change, as we all know, is something we cannot slow down. less than 10 people. Opinions, not data, vary from seven people down to about three. A recommended reading on this is The Mythical Man-Month. It’s a small, old book written by an IBM geek. The pack size was shown to be true by demonstration. We had several tables in a room trying to decide which city the next conference should be held in. Each table of about seven people could agree on a city, but the group could not — obvious support to the pack size. Well, enough of the social commentary. We’ll return to real geek talk in the next issue. But don’t hold your breath. •
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they go into marketing and sales
Dick Morley is the inventor of the PLC, an author, speaker, automation industry maverick and a self-proclaimed ubergeek. Email him at morley@barn.org.
IT’s FasT, IT’s easY aND IT’s Free! The top five technologies that will impact the plant floor in 2013
I warned my fellow geeks that once
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Automationdirect.com ................................ IFC Beckhoff Canada............................................ 5 Bosch Rexroth Canada................................... 7 Conec Corporation ....................................... 13 Eaton Canada ................................................ 6 Encoder Products Company ......................... 23 ePLAN Canada Inc. ...................................... 25 Festo Inc....................................................... 17 HARTING Canada Inc. .................................. 19 Helukabel Canada.......................................... 8 Hiwin Corporation ......................................... 9 NSK Canada Inc. .......................................... 21 SCHUNK Intec Corp...................................... 23 SEW-Eurodrive ............................................IBC Siemens Canada Ltd. ................................ OBC SySPRO ........................................................ 11
Totally Integrated Automation Portal intuitive, efficient, proven Automate simply and safely with the SIMATIC STEP 7 Safety Advanced in the TIA Portal Now, you no longer need a separate engineering system for safety. The SIMATIC STEP 7 Safety Advanced seamlessly integrates safety engineering into the Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal). The TIA Portal is the intuitive, efficient and proven Siemens engineering framework that has redefined engineering.
• Integrated libraries certified by the global inspection authority TÜV mean that safety functions can be configured – and not programmed • Library concept supports enterprise-internal standardization and facilitates validation of safety-oriented applications
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Intuitive operation • Project planning of F-system is the same as for the standard automation system • The Safety Administration Editor is a powerful tool for administering, displaying and modifying safety-relevant parameters • Uniform, consistent naming of all safety-relevant objects
Short safety-programming learning curve • F-sequence group is automatically generated with insertion of the F-CPU
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