TECHNICAL NEWS AND TRENDS FROM PREVAS
#2 2018
editorial
save the date
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Digitalization and automation – in the right way. PAGE 2
Viscando Traffic Systems wins Prevas and Inission Innovation Award for 2018!
Produktivitetsdagen 2018. PAGE 3
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The world’s first user-friendly light measuring wearable and app for a balanced sleep-wake cycle. Page 4
RAMLÖSA SET FOR INCREASED PRODUCTION!
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FROM IDEA, PROTOTYPE TO PRODUCTION IN RECORD TIME!
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More storage capacity but also a smoothly functioning and fully automated whole. Page 12
COLLABORATIVE ROBOT IN SERIAL PRODUCTION GKN Driveline in Köping has completed one of the first installations of a collaborative robot in an assembly line. Page 8
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TREND
DIGITALIZATION AND AUTOMATION – IN THE RIGHT WAY THAT DEVELOPMENT is moving rapidly in automation and di-
gitalization can hardly be overlooked. The development of collaborative robots, 3D printing, connected machines and EDITORIAL smart support systems enables processes to be made more efficient in a ways that have never previously been possible. Investments in the field from the public sector have also come up to speed, not the least through Robotlyftet*, which is intended to promote automation and robotization for small and mid-sized industrial companies. It is important, if not necessary, to benefit from this development if competitiveness is to be retained and strengthened. For most manufacturing companies, digitalization has no value in itself. The goal instead is to facilitate core activities and make them more efficient. By handling existing data smarter and in a more structured manner, it becomes easier to see what is happening, when it happens and how it is possible to either prevent certain behavioral patterns or strengthen others. Structures data can also be used to show investment needs, to more efficiently plan personnel resources or to simulate alternative strategies. Digitalization done in the right way simply makes you smarter and more responsive. Most important is to develop a strategy for digitalization that supports your overall strategy as you work your way forward. How can digitalization strengthen it? How do you develop a strategy for an area where knowledge may still be limited? A good move is to look for new partnerships. When it comes to digitalization, there is no space for protectionism. If you are going to do it all yourself and in your own way, you run the very real risk of falling behind. Instead create alliances with customers, competitors and vendors to exchange thoughts, knowledge and experiences. On page 6 you can read how GKN has begun its journey with collaborative robots and how this has given them knowledge and ideas for taking the next step. Digitalization is no different. . × * Robotlyftet: In English this would be Robot Boost and it is a program that the Swedish government has assigned to the Agency for Economic and Regional Growth to promote automation and robotization for small and mid-sized industrial companies. The purpose of the program is to support small and mid-sized Swedish companies in increasing automation of their production and consequently enhancing their process systems and future competitiveness. PHILIP HOLST Senior Consultant Production Improvement Prevas AB
CAMERA SYSTEM FOR DIGITIZED PROCESS CONTROL
Prevas has developed a vision system to process and optimize the rolling of large plates for Outokumpu - a system that has also attracted much interest in other industries. The digital solution is both scalable and adaptable to various applications and advanced measurement operations combined with cost-effective technology.
DIGITAL FERTILITYTREATMENT
Exseed Health develops a digital platform that can help couples fulfill the dream of becoming parents. Prevas and the Life Science-team has been appointed as development partner in the project.
PRODUKTIVITETSDAGEN SEP 27TH 2018 World Trade Center, Stockholm
www.produktivitetsdagen.se
KONTIGO CARE, THE eHEALTH COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Congratulations to Kontigo Care, who won the eHealth Award 2018. The award is based on the Swedish government’s and SKL’s eHealth Vision 2025, according to which Sweden will be world leader in eHealth in 2025. In the previous issue of Tech Trends, we wrote about Kontigo Care and our cooperation.
JOHAN STRID - NEW CEO Johan Strid will join ‘New Prevas’ as of August 1st, replacing K-G Ramström who have held the position since the spring of 2013.
LIFE SCIENCE & QA INITIATIVE
With 30 years of experience in project life science and product development, Prevas has profiled itself as a competent partner in the development of medical devices. Now, the company is committed to quality assurance, with recruitment of several specialists and a clearer offer in these areas.
Innovation for Growth Prevas has approximately 600 employees and is the primary supplier and development partner for many leading companies in the energy, automotive, defense, life science, telecom and manufacturing industries. • If you do not want to receive Tech Trends from us, you can decline at any time by sending an email to info@prevas.com.
www.prevas.se
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SAVE THE DATE
VISCANDO TRAFFIC SYSTEMS WINS PREVAS AND INISSION INNOVATION AWARD 2018 Spirits were high when the winner of this year’s innovation award was finally announced at the Scandinavian Electronics Event at Kistamässan on April 25, 2018. In the pot was SEK 250,000 in development services from Prevas and SEK 1,000,000 in manufacturing services from Inission. Kim Bergvall, Amritpal Singh and Ulf Erlandsson from Viscando Traffic Systems AB won with their innovation “Smarter traffic control with 3D and AI” and their joy could not be missed. “Incredible. Indescribable. Shocking. I almost feel weak in the knees,” said Viscando’s CEO Amritpal Singh. “I’m really happy for everyone on our team. This has been a true team effort and a confirmation that we’re on the right path. What we need to do now is ramp up our efforts so that we can make use of all the prize money during the one-year period it is available.” The jury’s verdict as followed : “This year’s winner has developed a product that can be widely implemented and has major market potential. A smart and self-learning solution that contributes to more efficient infrastructure for more sustainable cities.” This is the sixth year for the Inission Innovation Award. The purpose of the competition is to help new entrepreneurs and ideas to grow and flourish, but also to put the spotlight on the Swedish companies that manufacture electronics products.
The winners, Kim Bergvall, Ulf Erlandsson and Amritpal Singh from Viscando Traffic Systems AB. Innovation for Growth /
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NEXT GENERATION WEARABLE BRINGS LIGHT INTO YOUR LIFE BACKGROUND
THE IDEA
During wintertime, it is quite normal to feel down and depressed due to the cold weather and lack of light. The type of light you receive affects your body by influencing its natural circadian rhythm – the body’s own sleep/wake cycle.
Christina Blach Petersen, founder of LYS Technologies, and her team designed and developed the concept for a small light-tracking wearable device that could measure the amount and color of the light we receive throughout the day, notifying this to the user via a smartphone application.
Bright blue light tells you to wake up, become energized and boosts concentration - great for when you just wake up. Warm dim hues tell your body to produce melatonin and prepare for restorative sleep. In today’s world our office lifestyles, home lighting and tablet/smartphone usage disrupt this natural cycle of light.
”Prevas’s experience of small, energyefficient internet of things devices made them an obvious partner when I wanted to realize my idea. Christina Blach Petersen, LYS Technologies Founder. ”
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Short-term disruption of a person’s body clock or circadian rhythm is a known cause of jet lag and Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD). A growing body of evidence now exists that long-term disruption can also be a contributing factor in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and even cancer.
LYS – the Danish word for light – is able to not only show the kind and amount of light received, but also give actionable prompts and feedback to ensure the user leads a healthier lifestyle - in other words helping them make light a part of their diet. “The idea sprung from my final year thesis on the effects of light on the human body”, states Petersen, an alumna of the UK’s Royal College of Art and Imperial College. “With the experience Prevas have with small low-powered IoT devices, they were a natural partner to realize my idea”.
“Christina approached Prevas at the end of November 2016 with a need for 150 prototypes by January 2017”, explains Prevas Senior Project Manager Christian Ward. ”We started with a week-long preproject together with Christina to define the requirements, then put our rapid prototyping experience into play. In just a couple of days, we assembled a hardware mock-up to enable the software development to begin. The deadline was especially challenging due to the Christmas holidays, but on the 6th of January 2017 the 150 prototype devices and charging stations were delivered from the EMS partner, and then assembled with batteries in 3D printed cases, all in time for the planned February field trial. The field trial more than proved the validity of the concept. After only 3 weeks of usage, test participants reported a drop in the average time to fall asleep from 27 to 16 minutes and energy levels tripling.
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FROM PROTOTYPE TO KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN AND COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION
From April to June 2017 the LYS concept went through a couple of iterations and prototypes based on the feedback from the field trial and focus groups. The design for the cases and plastic parts also went through major improvements, before being transferred to Taiwan for the creation of the tools for injection moulding. In September 2017, a test run of assembling 300 devices and charging stations was made in Taiwan, using PCBs manufactured in Denmark and injection moulded cases coming straight off the production line. “To see the injection moulded parts come out of the machines and be assembled into completed products was a truly magical moment”, says Petersen, who made sure she was in Taiwan to oversee the first batch. This also coincided with the completion of a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign and the finalising of the smartphone application, created by one of Denmark’s top application development houses. This 0-series production run tested out the assembly process, both of the electronics and the complete product, with some tweaks made to ensure a product of consistent quality. From that moment, the race was on to get units manufactured and dispatched in time for Christmas. Although a huge effort, all the supporters of the Kickstarter campaign received their LYS in, or ahead of, time. Indeed, the future looks increasingly bright for LYS. “I’ve been overwhelmed by the response from both health conscious individuals, high profile companies and researchers, all of which grasp the huge potential of the product, the data and the vision. The world is beginning to understanding the crucial role light plays in our urban environments and I’m thrilled to be at the forefront of the movement,” says Petersen. “The LYS project really shows how Prevas can bring together all the ingredients to take an idea to a successful commercial product in record time”, says Henrik Møller, President Prevas A/S. “We look forward to working further with Christina in the future, to enhance LYS and take it into other market segments”. ×
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INEXPENSIVE TESTING
To keep costs down on the initial order of 10,000 units, Prevas designed the device around a pre-certified PSoC Bluetooth module from Cypress Semiconductors, avoiding the cost of extensive radio testing needed for FCC compliance. However, this still left the problem of how the units would be programmed and tested in production The traditional route of an expensive LabVIEW setup was clearly out of the question, so Prevas engineers hit upon the idea of using low- cost PSoC demonstration boards for programming a panel of devices all at once – in effect, PSoCs were programming PSoCs! In only a couple of days, a dedicated jig was assembled that could programme, verify, run a built-in self-test routine and display the results for 12 devices in only 6 seconds!
For more information contact:
Henrik Møller
henrik.moller@ prevas.dk +45 29 49 92 02
PRESIDENT PREVAS DENMARK
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FUTURE-ORIENTED ROBOT INITIATIVE AT GKN
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GKN Driveline in Köping, Sweden has completed one of the first installations of a collaborative robot in a production line. The new coworker is a dualarm ABB YuMi robot and Prevas has helped with installation.
THE INVESTMENT IN A COLLABORATIVE ROBOT
– or “cobat” – was initiated by GKN’s global management. Robots that can work with people are an important part of the puzzle in the group’s ongoing digitalization related to the visions of Industry 4.0.
The first step for GKN was to survey production to find suitable tasks for a cobot. A few interesting areas were identified in an assembly line for PTU (Power Transfer Unit, the forward part of the driveline on a four-wheel drive vehicle). The procurement process for a collaborative robot was begun in 2016 and five different robot solutions were compared before the choice fell to the ABB YuMi robot with Prevas as the integrator.
here with the heavy lifting. We’re constantly looking at how we can use new technology and the cobot is an important step in our development.”
“As much as possible, we’ve tried to avoid connecting the robot to the overriding automation system,” says Ted Harju. “It instead communicates using a button, just as a human operator previously did at this workstation.”
Prevas has delivered several robot solutions to GKN under a multi-year cooperative arrangement and was also entrusted with installation of the YuMi.
The YuMi’s limited strength – it can lift a maximum of 0.5 kg – is also the property that enables it to work alongside people without needing cages or other safety equipment. It consequently does not require as much space as a conventional industrial robot and materials can be refilled while it works. If the robot collides with anything while working, it stops. FREEING TIME FOR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT
The work the robot is now freeing up time for one person each shift. This means that human resources can be better utilized, such as in conducting preventative maintenance, 5S activities and continuous improvements. “The work the cobot has taken over wasn’t especially stimulating for our employees,” says Thomas Pettersson, technical project manager at GKN Driveline. “Actual assembly went relatively fast, but there was then a waiting period for the operator before performing the same task again.”
“For us it was decisive that the YuMi has two arms since we wanted to use the robot for a task that is normally performed by a human,” says Ted Harju. “Another benefit with the YuMi, as well as other cobots, is that it can be moved around to meet the needs of production since it is not fixed in place.”
There was initial skepticism at GKN as to how the robot would work in production. It now constitutes an important resource that tirelessly carries out its job at its workstation. According to Thomas Petersson, this is appreciated by the employees and is even creating the inspiration for new initiatives.
WORKS LIKE A HUMAN OPERATOR
“We’re seeing how collaborative robots can be used in several parts of our production and a next step can be focusing on ergonomics. As an example, we have a large incoming flow of materials on pallets and in boxes. Robots can help us
At the present workstation, the YuMi mounts two different seals – a rubberized steel seal and a V-ring seal. The robot’s vision system is used to localize and pick seals from four material columns.
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MAJOR INTEREST IN COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS
“It’s been very positive to be out early with collaborative robots,” says LarsErik Forsberg, sales manager for Prevas robot solutions. “There is major interest in these solutions among our customers and many of the larger user companies are now evaluating the technology.” For system suppliers such as Prevas, however, the collaborative robots do not just entail new opportunities but also a considerable challenge. The actual robot is significantly easier to commission and a part of the expertise that integrators provide becomes superfluous. “The main focus of deliveries is shifting closer to the robot manufacturers,” says Lars-Erik Forsberg. “This means we have some things that must be worked out, making collaboration with GKN especially valuable. The industry is continuously changing and for us at Prevas, we must take an active role in development, and not just follow along from the sidelines.”
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“We have a high degree of automation in our production,” says Ted Harju, team leader at GKN Driveline. “We’ve gained the necessary knowhow in automation and we’re now taking the next step in our development. We believe that cobots will play an increasingly important role in future industry.”
It thereafter mounts the seals using its two arms, a job that places stringent demands on the gripping tool’s design and sensitivity. Once the seals are mounted, the robot presses a button and awaits the next PTU.
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Köpings Mekaniska Verkstad began making transmissions for Volvo back in 1927. Operations have been conducted since 2011 under the management of GKN Driveline Köping AB, which is a part of the global GKN Group, with 55,000 employees and operations in 30 countries. About 1,000 persons are presently employed in production at Köping and working with products that make up a part of the driveline for four-wheel drive vehicles.
“We’ve completed one of the first installations of a collaborative robot in a production line,” says Ted Harju. “Throughout the entire project, we’ve seen major engagement from Prevas and ABB. “There are three of us that have worked together towards a shared goal and it has produced very good final results.”
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GKN’s cobot has been in operation for over a year and after resolving certain initial problems and fine-tuning operation, it now does an excellent job of carrying out its assigned tasks. ×
For more information contact
Lars-Erik Forsberg
lars-erik.forsberg@ prevas.se +46 21 360 19 80
SALES MANAGER PREVAS SWEDEN
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RAMLÖSA SET FOR INCREASED PRODUCTION Ramlösa is one of Sweden’s strongest brands and with constantly growing demand, processing plant capacity had to be increased. Prevas was engaged to carry out expansion of the plant during the autumn of 2016. “Demand varies with the seasons,” says Curt Leidig, technical project manager at Ramlösa, which is a part of Carlsberg. “We sell a lot more mineral water during the summer than during the winter. At the same time we have to observe local ordinances that determine how much water we can take from the spring at a certain point in time. This is why we made a strategic decision to add new buffer tanks to our processing plant, for the simple reason of being able to store more water.”
“The process was entirely transparent with several reviews both before getting underway and during the project,” says Curt Leidig. “One aspect that was important for us in planning was that we didn’t want to alter the principles for how we handle the water. We’ve worked in about the same way for 100 years and it’s worked really well.”
Commercial activity began at the spring in Ramlösa, just outside of Helsingborg, in 1707. During the first 200 years, customers came and drank the water while relaxing beside the spring. Spas were very popular at the time. At the beginning of the 1900s, Ramlösa began selling natural mineral water in bottles and demand for bottled water has steadily increased ever since.
The decision for expansion was made in the autumn of 2016 and the plant needed to be in full operation within six months – in time for the peak season for mineral water. This led to iinvestigation early in the project as to whether used processing equipment could be employed, which would save time. This turned out to be an extremely good approach – six buffer tanks that complied with the set requirements were located and purchased.
FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EXECUTION
The project’s goal was to expand storage capacity and to create a smoothly functioning and fully automated whole, with flexible utilization and cleaning of all installed tanks. Ramlösa Carlsberg previously collaborated with the company FR Teknik for operation and maintenance of the processing plant. Prevas acquired FR Teknik at the beginning of 2016 and also took on the company’s personnel. “It was therefore natural that Prevas received full responsibility for execution,” says Curt Leidig. “The project was complex due to us wanting to integrate new equipment into the existing automation system, and without interrupting production. It was a major advantage to be able to work with people who were thoroughly familiar with our plant and that we’d successfully collaborated with previously.” Overall planning of the expansion was carried out jointly with Prevas, which handled selection of the technical equipment and other practical decisions as the project progressed.
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FASTER AND EXPENSIVE WITH EQUIPMENT
LESS USED
“Stainless steel cannot be worn out in our process,” says Curt Leidig. “A used tank works just as well as a new. Prevas found the tanks and this solution enabled us to speed work and also significantly decrease costs.” The relatively tight deadline for expanding the processing plant also entailed other challenges that were dealt with along the way. The project included among other things, construction of a smaller building for pumps and other technical equipment. “Given the schedule, the building needed to be constructed during the winter, which entailed certain risks,” says Henric Persson, business unit manager at Prevas and responsible for execution of the project. “We had a plan B with a tent and heating fans, but
we fortunately had a winter typical for the region and everything went as planned.” MINIMAL OPERATIONAL DISTURBANCES
Prevas contributed in a number of fields of expertise during the project – project management, process design, purchasing, electrical engineering and automaton, for example. The assignment was a comprehensive undertaking and it was not just important to finish on time but to also avoid disrupting ordinary operations. “Much of our prep work could be carried out alongside production,” says Henric Persson. “We do it this way on all of our projects. Some operational disturbances are unavoidable, but it’s important to minimize them. Thanks to good planning and an open dialog with Carlsberg, we did very well in this respect.” The processing plant in Ramlösa is now in full operation with doubled buffering capacity, which provides increased flexibility and substantial market-related benefits. Curt Leidig is pleased with it all in summing up the project. “There were certain misgivings considering the time frames and complexity, and there were also aspects of planning that were not completely right from the start. But we saw considerable flexibility on Prevas’ part. They carried out the project in a very structured and knowledgeable manner, and were quick to come up with new solutions when problems arose.” × For more information contact
Henric Persson
henric.persson@ prevas.se +46 40 691 95 23
BUSINESS UNIT MANAGER PREVAS SWEDEN
www.prevas.se