PACE APR 2019

APRIL/MAY 2019 | VOL.72 NO.1 | Est. 1953

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APRIL/MAY 2019 | VOL.72 NO.1 | Est. 1953

INSIDE PACE

IoT/Industry 4.0

Celebration

Cyber Threats

Industry comes together on IoT strategy

BST on 30 years serving industry

How to protect your plant

Post Print Approved PP100008186

IS NUCLEAR FUSION THE ANSWER TO AUSTRALIA’S ENERGY NEEDS?

EXCLUSIVE:

How sensors can make our cities smarter

XXX

CONTENTS

Managing Director: John Murphy Publisher: Christine Clancy Group Managing Editor (Northern): Syed Shah Editor: Mike Wheeler Ph:(02) 9439 7227 mike.wheeler@primecreative.com.au

IN THIS ISSUE 14

Assistant Editor: David Loneragan Ph: (02) 9439 7227 david.loneragan@primecreative.com.au Sales/Advertising: Zelda Tupicoff zelda.tupicoff@primecreative.com.au Production Coordinator: Janine Clements Ph: (02) 9439 janine.clements@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager: Michelle Weston Art Director: Blake Storey Designers: Madeline McCarty, Kerry Pert SUBSCRIPTIONS: $99 p/a incl GST NZ: $A109 p/a & OS: $A119 p/a

20 Editor’s Comment 6

While the IoT has a lot of positives, caution is still needed

Energy 14

Internet of Things 28

On the Move 18

R Stahl’s John Zagame on why the company has moved its head office to Sydney

Copyright PACE is owned by Prime Creative Media and published by John Murphy. All material in PACE is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

The opinions expressed in PACE are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

Process Technology 20

Why one company is bringing together two technologies that have traditionally been developed separately Energy Savings 23

© Copyright Prime Creative Media, 2019 Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

Distributor appointed for a range of energy management solutions Sensors 36

How sensors can ease traffic congestion

Industrial Solutions 24

Linear technology 40

BOC’s Edith Butterfield

Lubrication-free linear systems New Products 41

Is fusion the answer to Australia’s energy needs?

IoT/Industry 4.0

Celebration

Cyber Threats

Industry comes together on IoT strategy

BST on 30 years serving industry

How to protect your plant

IS NUCLEAR FUSION THE ANSWER TO AUSTRALIA’S ENERGY NEEDS?

Nuvo-7164GC Series of Ruggedised Embedded Computers Designed for Artificial Intelligence Platforms, Machine Vision, Deep Learning, Facial Recognition & Autonomous Driving.

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sales@backplane.com.au

EXCLUSIVE:

4 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

Distribution 34

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Thermo Fisher has developed a system for ultra-trace elemental analysis in various applications

Women in Industry 38

INSIDE PACE

www.backplane.com.au

Chemical Technology 32

ON THE COVER

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An IoT summit came to a few conclusions on how important the technology is for industry

Infra-red ovens have proven to be an energy saver for Process Finishing Solutions. Here’s how Backplane Systems is celebrating 30 years in business. We find out why they have been so successful

Head Office 11-15 Buckhurst St South Melbourne VIC 3205 Ph: +61 3 9690 8766 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.primecreative.com.au

Cyber Security 26

News 11

Could nuclear fusion be the answer to Australia’s energy needs? Australia has access to a project that could be a game changer Subscriptions: Gordon Watson Ph: (03) 9690 8766

23

How sensors can make our cities smarter

Over the past 10 years, there has been a lot of talk about renewables being the answer to Australia’s energy needs. While they have made their way onto the energy landscape and are now seen as a viable alternative to traditional sources of power, there is another potential player in the market. The idea of nuclear fusion has been around for

some time. However, trying to make it a practical reality is another thing altogether.

That might be about to change. In this issue, we look at a project in France that this is trying to harness the power of fusion and turn it into a possible energy source over the next couple of decades, whereby Australia has a front seat.

COMMENT

EDITOR’S MESSAGE

Mike Wheeler Editor

Going nuclear to be carbon-free

ENERGY – the one ingredient that no business can do without. Whether it’s via traditional coal-driven power stations, solar panels, wind farms or hydropower the main sources of Australia’s energy always seem to be under pressure from consumer demand at both domestic and commercial levels.

Then there is nuclear power, which is surrounded by controversy – mainly because it creates radioactive waste that will not break down for thousands of years.

However, there is one nuclear option, that although it is still some time from being viable, is making great strides in terms of being possible – nuclear fusion.

6 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

Not to be confused with its similar cousin nuclear fission, fusion could possibly be a long-lasting source of carbon-free energy. In France, a 23,000tonne reactor, called a “tokamak”, is being built that will try and harness nuclear fusion as a power source.

It is an expensive and complicated process. And Australia has a seat at the table. Our feature story on page 14 gives and interesting insight as to how the project got off the ground, its ramifications for the energy sector and why Australia has become involved in the process.

Also in this issue, PACE covered the third Industrial Internet 4.0 Summit,

which laid out just how far the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 has progressed in the past three years. The discussion three years ago during the first summit focussed more on what the IoT and Industry 4.0 actually were.

This year, it was all about how products embedded with these technologies would not only help a company develop its business, but also how it won’t cost its whole maintenance budget to start implementing processes that will help them grow.

Finally, there are sensors. The humble sensor is coming into its own not only to make cities smarter, but to also make them more liveable. Associate

Professor Flora Salim from RMIT University is leading a collaboration with Mornington Peninsula Shire that will hopefully help relieve traffic congestion in the area. It will do so by implementing sensor technology that will feed information into smart signs and other amenities whereby users can then get an app and see an array of information. This can include real time information such as the number of car parks available at your favourite beach, through to where the pressure points are in traffic flows. All these sensors have to come from somewhere and they might as well be sourced locally. PACE

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NEWS

AMGC announces new board chair

T

Paul Cooper has taken over as chair of the AMGC.

he Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Karen Andrews has announced the new board chair of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), as Paul Cooper.

Cooper has more than 25 years’ manufacturing experience and has been a member of the AMGC Board since 2015. He is owner of Rinstrum, a Queensland-based industrial electronics manufacturing company that exports globally through its wholly owned subsidiaries based in the United States, India and Germany.

He replaces outgoing chairman Andrew Stevens, who has been appointed to chair the Innovation and Science Australia’s (ISA) board and is to continue its important work as Bill Ferris AC completes his tenure.

“I am delighted to be appointed as chair of AMGC,” said Cooper.

“As someone who is passionate about Australian manufacturing and what it means to be a globally successful business, there are many synergies between my experience and what AMGC is tasked to deliver.

I look forward to building upon what Andrew Stevens, the AMGC board, and the team have achieved, and working with AMGC members and the wider manufacturing community to further accelerate our industry’s resilience, innovation and transformation.”

Under Stevens’ stewardship, AMGC has become the industry’s voice for transforming the sector.

Established in 2015, the Centre has realised many notable achievements including its Sector Competitiveness Plan – a 10-year vision for the industry in how it can lift its global reach.

In addition, AMGC has close to 600 national and international

members representing diverse manufacturing sub-sectors and leading research institutions. AMGC has co-invested with industry in over 26 projects that are projected to deliver 1100 new jobs and an estimated additional $240 million to the economy.

Reflecting on AMGC’s accomplishments, Stevens said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time steering AMGC into this leadership position and helping many Australian manufacturers scale to their potential.

I welcome and congratulate Paul in his new role. He brings exceptional experience and will be of great service to the team and broader industry. At the same time, I remain dedicated to increasing Australia’s global presence and will carry what I have learnt from the manufacturing sector and improving its competitiveness into my new role.” PACE

Tesla to buy Maxwell Technologies mission of accelerating the advent of sustainable transport and energy.”

Maxwell Technologies executives informed investors in January that it had developed and patented a dry electrode technology that could significantly increase the driving range and reduce the cost of electric vehicle batteries.

The company also stated that it expected strategic alliances centred around the technology to be established within six months.

Maxwell Technologies also produces makes ultracapacitors, which discharge energy faster than batteries and complement battery technology. According to the company, ultracapacitors combined with the energy of batteries of can enable rapid response times, function across a broader temperature range

and lengthen battery life by up to two times.

Observers have noted that Tesla could use Maxwell’s solvent-free battery electrode manufacturing for a

viable path to lower battery costs.

Maxwell said that it anticipates the merger will be completed in the second quarter of 2019 or shortly thereafter. PACE

Tesla has entered in an agreement to buy Maxwell Technologies for $300 million.

Image: shutterstock.com

T

esla has entered into an agreement to purchase developer and manufacturer of energy solutions Maxwell Technologies for $300 million in an all-stock deal.

Following the purchase, Maxwell Technologies will be merged with a Tesla subsidiary and become a wholly owned subsidiary of Tesla.

“We are very excited with today’s announcement that Tesla has agreed to acquire Maxwell. Tesla is a wellrespected and world-class innovator that shares a common goal of building a more sustainable future,” said Dr Franz Fink, president and CEO of Maxwell.

“We believe this transaction is in the best interests of Maxwell stockholders and offers investors the opportunity to participate in Tesla’s

APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 11

NEWS

“Alarming” decline in engineering course enrolments, according to Engineers Australia

The past three years have seen a decline in applications for engineering courses.

T

he continued decline in Australian students enrolling in engineering courses is cause for deep concern, according to a report by Engineers Australia.

The 2019 report Australia’s Next Generation of Engineers states that the eight years following 2007 saw steady growth culminating in a record level of graduations. Since 2015, however, since completions have been declining.

Most concerning is the contraction in domestic student intake and completions.

12 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

In contrast to this, undergraduate and postgraduate completions by international student has been on the rise.

According to Engineers Australia, international students have increased their share of entry-level commencements from 23.5 to 34.3 per cent since 2001.

Though significant, this growth seems minor when compared to the astonishing increase in postgraduate student intake. In 2001, international students made 40.6 per cent of commencements in postgraduate engineering courses.

By 2017, this share had increased up to 74.4 per cent.

While this trend is apparent across the board, it’s especially evident in the subsea engineering field. Subsea engineering is arguably one of the most technically challenging aspects of the offshore oil and gas industry.

With a vast proportion of Australia’s gas deposits located at great distances offshore, in deep-water, and in extreme conditions, having these skills locally available is vital.

According to Marius Martens, Chairman of Subsea Energy Australia, growing and engaging with the next

generation of engineers is crucial to ensure the longevity and sustainability of the subsea industry.

“Our young engineers are the future of the subsea industry, and it’s critical to our businesses to attract them, our responsibility to nurture them, and our duty to excite them with the possibilities of this extraordinary industry,” said Martens.

Martens will be chairing the “focus on processing” session on day one of the Subsea Forum at the Australasian Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (AOG) on 13 March at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The University of Western Australia (UWA) recently launched a specialist subsea engineering centre specifically to drive research into new technologies for offshore oil and gas production.

In partnership with operators Chevron Australia and Woodside Energy, the Centre for Long Subsea Tiebacks will further develop Western Australia’s global reputation in deep water energy production.

UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater said the Centre for Long Subsea Tiebacks would further establish UWA as a recognised hub for subsea engineering and inspire the next generation of leaders through real-world research and teaching excellence.

“The Centre for Long Subsea Tiebacks will be an important hub for connecting research and industry, offering a unique collaborative environment that will equip our researchers with the expertise to address the pressing challenges of Australia’s energy security and strengthen our contribution to the global LNG market,” Freshwater said. PACE

NEWS

3D printing of automotive parts

A

collaborative project at Swinburne University has successfully used a robot to 3D-print a replacement lug on an automotive headlamp assembly.

The Repairbot project is an industry collaboration with Tradiebot, supported by AMA Group, and backed by the federal government via the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC).

An in-house formulated polypropylene composite material, developed by Swinburne’s materials scientist Dr Mostafa Nikzad, was used in the process.

To guarantee the compatibility with automotive grade injection moulded plastic, Nikzad and his team had to create a material with the right characteristics for 3D printing polypropylene, as well as the strength and toughness required to meet

automotive quality standards.

The new material has enabled the robotics team, led by Swinburne’s Dr Mats Isaksson, to engineer the 3D print of a replacement lug directly on a headlight housing. By using a robotic arm to manipulate the headlight under a stationary 3D print head, complex geometries can be printed without the need for support material.

The application has the ability to add value to an industry impacted by skills shortages and a lack of newly skilled personnel. It also opens the door to a new way of developing skills in the automotive repair industry as technicians are able to work alongside robotics systems to fast-track their on-the-job training. “It’s amazing to witness something I envisioned three years ago becoming reality. It was such a complex project with many challenges to overcome,” Tradiebot

founder Mario Dimovksi said.

“What the Swinburne team have delivered is Australian innovation at its best. The Repairbot will allow repairs to be conducted on damaged automotive plastic parts not currently repairable by technicians. The benefits will affect repair shops, consumers and flow on to the environment diverting these damaged parts from landfill. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Repairbot project leader, Isaksson, said he was thrilled about the recent development, calling it a major step towards fulfilling the project goal of a complete prototype for automatic repairs of headlight assemblies. He said the close collaboration between roboticists and material scientists as the main contributor to the success.

“The truly cross-disciplinary nature of this project has made it possible to develop new materials and

methodologies hand-in-hand with the novel robotic solutions,” Isaksson said.

David Chuter, CEO and managing director of IMCRC, congratulated the Repairbot team on reaching this significant project milestone.

“The Repairbot project is an example of industry and research collaboration. The researchers have embraced Tradiebot’s idea of developing a technology-driven solution that will automate the repair service for automotive plastic parts,” Chuter said. “Reaching this milestone demonstrates how committed they are to pushing materials and technology boundaries to help solve an industry specific problem that has the potential to not only transform Tradiebot’s business but the whole automotive repair industry. IMCRC as a collaborative partner is proud to help catalyse these outcomes.” PACE

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ENERGY

It is hoped that the tokamak will be the first fusion device to produce net energy.

Is nuclear fusion the answer to Australia’s energy needs?

Fusion energy offers the possibility of a highly potent power source without waste and dangerous emissions, and with almost unlimited fuel. David Loneragan speaks to nuclear physicist Richard Garrett about Australia’s role in a promising fusion project.

D

iscussions about the best way forward for energy production and supply invariably centre on the pros and cons of renewable sources, such as solar and wind, and the various debates about how to transition from fossil fuels to these environmentally sustainable solutions.

When nuclear power is brought up, discussions tend to circulate around nuclear fission and the weighing of the costs and benefits of an energy source that provides high output with low greenhouse emissions, but which, in the process, produces hazardous radioactive waste.

But what about a nuclear energy 14 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

source that can, potentially, provide even higher energy output than fission, but without the dangerous, long-living waste – what about nuclear fusion?

The energy source of the sun and other stars, nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more hydrogen nuclei collide and fuse into heavier helium atoms. This process releases enormous amounts of energy.

In the twentieth century, fusion science determined two hydrogen isotopes – deuterium and tritium – to be the most efficient in terms of their fusion reaction, producing the highest energy gain at lower temperatures.

Very high temperatures

(approximately 150,000,000°C) are required to produce fusion in a laboratory setting. At extreme temperatures, electrons are separated from nuclei and a gas becomes a plasma. Fusion plasmas provide the environment in which light elements can fuse and produce energy.

Producing a viable source of energy generation from fusion plasmas has proven to be an elusive goal for well over half a century. But in Saint Paul-lez-Durance in southern France, a 35-year-old international collaboration between 35 countries is bringing the possibility of fusion energy closer than ever before. Named ITER (Latin for “the way”), the

project is the most ambitious attempt to prove the viability of fusion as a source of large-scale carbon-free energy.

The project is building the world’s largest tokamak, a 23,000-tonne reactor that can confine and compress plasma into a doughnut shape in a powerful magnetic field. The term “tokamak” is a Russian acronym that stands for “toroidal chamber with magnetic coils.” First developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, tokamak technology is considered to be the most promising configuration for a magnetic fusion device.

Inside the vacuum chamber of the tokamak, gaseous hydrogen fuel

ENERGY

becomes a plasma under extreme heat and pressure. The plasma particles can be shaped and controlled by the superconducting magnetic coils placed around the vessel, which enable the extremely hot plasma to be kept away from the walls of the tokamak.

It is hoped that the ITER tokamak will be the first fusion device to produce net energy – where the total power produced exceeds the thermal power injected to heat the plasma.

The project is now around 60 per cent complete, with plans to have the tokamak up and running by 2025.

Australia has a long history of involvement with fusion research.

Australian scientists Mark Oliphant and Paul Hartek, under the guidance of Lord Ernest Rutherford, were the first to identify a fusion reaction in their lab by firing some deuterons into a deuterium gas.

Over the past half-century, the Australian fusion community has carried out important research. In

Tokomak Physics Activity (ITPA) in France. While there, they discussed the most recent developments on the ITER project, as well as the next steps ahead. He was also able to visit the construction site where the tokamak will eventually be situated.

“It’s approximately 60 per cent complete now. Construction is being carried out hammer and tongs. There are thousands of workers on-site, with huge infrastructure being erected,” he told PACE. Some of the more recent progress on the site has been the construction of a massive assembly tool that will put the tokamak together – an impressive engineering feat in itself. “The site up to now has been dominated by a massive assembly building. Now, the huge concrete structure that will house the tokamak itself is taking shape. Segments of the tokamak structures and components will be assembled in the assembly tool, and will then be craned and lowered down into the tokamak pit

Very high temperatures are required to produce fusion.

1946, Australian scientist Peter Thonemann pioneered studies of plasma magnetic confinement in a toroidal configuration at Oxford University. The design was the basis of the tokamak reactor. In the 1960s, the Australian National University (ANU) built and operated the first tokamaks outside the Soviet Union.

In January this year, Dr Richard Garrett from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) attended the most recent meeting of the coordinating committee of the International

where they will then be fitted together like segments of an orange,” Garrett explained.

“There is also a huge cryostat being welded up. That will be installed first and then eventually the tokamak will be placed inside that.

Because the magnetic fields are very high, ITER needs superconducting magnets that in turn need the cryostat to cool the magnet coils to just a few degrees above absolute zero.”

While not being a member state, Australia has in recent years become closely involved in the ITER project

“In some countries there is huge investment going into the non-emitting forms of energy. China and in India, for example, are seriously invested in both this and in next-generation fission reactors as well.” signing a technology cooperation agreement in 2016. “Until recently, the project was basically closed off to all apart from the member states.

Australia was the first country outside the member states to sign anything like this. Basically, what it means is that we can undertake research with all the same advantages as the members,” Garrett said.

Garrett himself was closely involved in establishing the relationship with the project.

“Australia had a seat at the International Energy Agency forum, which overlooks some of the fusion research. I started going to the meetings, and ITER would come and report each year. So that set up a bit of a relationship. The head of ITER science and operations at the time was an ex-pat Australian and we started working on the possibility of some kind of official engagement with ITER. That’s how it started,” he said.

Six Australian universities are working with ANSTO to participate under the terms of the agreement, which ANSTO signed on behalf of the Australian fusion research community. There are currently several planks to the collaborative agreement.

The major player is the Australian National University (ANU), which has run fusion devices since the 1960s (the last closed down last year), and where a team led by Professor John Howard has developed a great deal of expertise in this area, especially in plasma diagnostics. “ANU can image the plasma in the visible light range and measure a whole lot of parameters of the plasma via analysing the light that it gives off,” Garrett said. “The major project under the agreement is to install an ANU developed diagnostic on ITER. It will be one of 50 or more diagnostics that will look at many different aspects – infra-red x-rays, particles, and so on.”

This plasma diagnostic imaging instrument operates at the emission

lines from elements in the plasma, including impurities that, for example, have come off the walls or other surfaces. “It will enable us to measure, element by element (if you can get enough light) what the velocities are, what the temperatures are, and other instabilities,” Garrett said.

“A lot of these diagnostics are very fundamental for understanding exactly what’s going on in a machine of this scale. ITER will probably be quite a bit more complex than an actual power reactor because it is set up for all these experiments.”

A researcher from ANU is currently at ITER, while several ANSTO engineers were there for two to three months last year, helping with the design and engineering for this project. “We are working towards what is called a conceptual design review in March, which will be the first big milestone for this aspect of the project. We’ll present the whole layout of the diagnostic to an international review panel”, Garrett said. “This is not a simple or an easy project. The complicating factor is that ITER is a nuclear device – the first one that will produce a lot of neutrons from the fusion reaction – so everything gets harder.”

Another important plank of the research collaboration is in advanced materials, an area which is of special interest to ANSTO, which has a whole division that looks at materials in extreme conditions, both fission and fusion reactor appropriate. “A big part of ITER, where most of the power will be deposited, will be a tungsten wall, and we really have to understand how that interacts with the plasma, with neutrons smacking into it and huge mega-watts per square-metre power loads, etc.,” Garrett said. “Under the leadership of Dr Cormac Corr, ANU has developed a small but quite powerful plasma device that can expose materials to a customised plasma and APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 15

ENERGY

A 23,000-tonne tokamak is being built in southern France.

make a lot of measurements before, during and after plasma exposure. We are collaborating with ANU on that, and it is probably ANSTO’s major science interest.”

Australia is hosting a meeting of the ITPA diagnostic technical group in April, hosted by Howard at ANU. They will be reporting on the range of diagnostics that are going to be installed, and will be trying to set priorities, determining which need the most work, and what diagnostics have to be developed. The major focus of the ITPA is ITER, but they are also looking ahead as well, determining what research we need to do for the next step.

The next step, after the successful completion and demonstration of ITER, will be development of a trial fusion power plant. While ITER is designed to produce 10 times more energy than used to create the plasma 16 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

“If you look at what comes out of this project, even aside from the fusion experiment itself, it is remarkable. If we can get some further funding for this collaboration, I think it could expand well and potentially make Australia a significant player.” and to maintain it via the fusion energy – the fusion energy generated will actually maintain the plasma – it will not itself be a power reactor. It is an experimental device with ports all over it for all different sorts of diagnostics that will refine what is needed for a real power reactor. And the project to create that reactor is DEMO – Demonstration Power Reactor. DEMO will be the machine that will bring fusion energy research towards a prototype fusion reactor

and open the way to the industrial and commercial development of fusion energy.

“That is now under design, and it should probably be under construction in the 2030s,” Garrett said. “We are talking long-time frames. But the reason people have stuck with fusion is that the fuel is pretty much inexhaustible, and, of course, there are no greenhouse emissions, no waste, and no risks of meltdown or explosion.”

While progress has been made in recent years, according to Garrett, most prognoses on the widespread commercial introduction of fusionsourced energy place the timeframe in the 2050s. It has taken many decades to get to where we are today with the ITER project, and it will, therefore, take several decades more to have fully functioning fusion power generation. Garrett said that there was an increasing sense of urgency about the transition to non-fossil, fuel-based energy sources, including fusion.

“In some countries there is huge investment going into the non-emitting forms of energy.

China and in India, for example, are seriously invested in both this and in next-generation fission reactors as well,” he said. “It still remains to be shown, I think, that you can run a power grid using intermittent sources,

ENERGY

such as wind and solar, and it still seems likely that we will need some base load component – and there are not many of them that aren’t fossil fuel based. Fusion could be the solution here.

“Fusion, it seems to me, doesn’t have anywhere near the fear associated with it that nuclear power generally seems to – it seems to have a reasonably high level of acceptance.

And I think if ITER works, then things will accelerate dramatically – I would say it is the ‘make or break’ project.”

Among the international fusion research community, there was in the past a feeling that governments could be doing more to push the project along. “Until around five years ago, ITER was not in a great shape as a project – it was late, it was always pushing time out,” Garrett said.

“Then Bernard Bigot was appointed as director-general of the project in 2015. He has been amazing.

Under him, the scheduling issues were dealt with and the project is

back on a good footing – everything is coming together.”

With the looming problems of climate change on the horizon, or already occurring, ITER, it appears, could well be one of the world’s most important scientific and engineering projects. And Australia, through its involvement in the project, is getting access to some of the top infrastructure, technology and research in the world.

“Hopefully we can continue that, because the benefits are way out of proportion to what we actually need to put in in terms of cost. Just concentrating all these scientists and engineers on this one site, on this one project, tends to have a lot of benefits that you would have never foreseen,” Garrett said. “If you look at what comes out of this project, even aside from the fusion experiment itself, it is remarkable. If we can get some further funding for this collaboration, I think it could expand well and potentially make Australia a significant player.” PACE

The building of the tokamak is 60 per cent complete.

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ON THE MOVE

R Stahl heads to Sydney Electrical equipment specialist R Stahl has moved its head office to Sydney as it initiates a worldwide strategy to streamline its processes. PACE explains.

R

Stahl was formed in Germany just over 140 years ago and has been on the ground in Australia for almost a decade.

Specialising in developing explosion-proof and hazardous-area electrical equipment, the company has recently moved its head office from Wollongong to Sydney as it consolidates its presence in the market.

As well as the oil and gas industries, the company also has

big footprints in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as food and beverage, which means it has a lot of business with some of the biggest primary industries in Australia.

It is in the top three companies in the world in the global hazardous area market and when it comes to the application to the Australian standard, IECEX, it is the number one in the world. It made sense for the company to move closer to where a lot of its business is carried out.

“The reason we moved here is that

John Zagame (seated right) with his staff and the new building in Sutherland, Sydney.

18 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

if you look at where a lot of corporate headquarters are, and where a lot of the design and consulting work is done, then Sydney is the place to be,” said R Stahl Australia’s managing director John Zagame.

This move is part of a strategy the company is undertaking worldwide – R. Stahl 2020, which focusses on group organisation, optimisation of product portfolio, project and contract management, supply chain and lean manufacturing, sales organisation effectiveness, as well

as harmonised global IT systems. It is designed to help the company to reduce complexity in key areas with its focus having the best support for its global customers and other stakeholders with the development of innovative products and solutions. By the end of 2019 it wants to have the strategy largely implemented.

“We wanted to reduce our complexity in key areas of the company,” said Zagame. “We’re really looking at how we aligned our group activities because we have a number of different business units.

I think all-in-all we have seven different production sites around the world. We have 28 subsidiaries but we also have a really good network around our 50 sales representatives and distributors globally with two of our most prominent being in located Australia. We are working towards a global efficiency programme and to reduce complexity. What that is also doing is allowing us to realise our focus on areas where we can better look at opportunities for profitable growth and where we can do more to help our customers and focus on key customer relationships going forward.” One of the main reasons for the move to the new facility is so that R Stahl is in a closer locality to some of its key customers. It has a lot of customers in and around the city.

“We are close to a lot of design consulting firms like lighting design and electrical design for hazardous areas,” said Zagame.

“We have automation companies such as Emerson, Siemens and Yokogawa who work with our automation products. We are close to those markets and close to systems integrators in the Sydney Metropolitan area. Also, the location is more convenient because we import products from Germany that come through Sydney airport and the Botany container terminal.”

Zagame said the company is also looking towards the future, not only

ON THE MOVE

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The new premises brings R Stahl closer to Sydney’s airport and port.

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“I think all-in-all we have seven different production sites around the world.

We have 28 subsidiaries, but we also have a really good network around our 50 sales representatives and distributors globally with two of our most prominent being in located Australia. We are working towards a global efficiency programme and to reduce complexity.” in terms of where the company is heading, but the new technologies that are starting to become part of the industrial landscape.

“We have a good product range – all these high innovation products,” he said. “What we really want to do is focus on putting together solutions for our customers that covers the engineering and consulting services. We want to bring in new technologies which we are still developing but we also see an opportunity with some of the innovations within automation and industry 4.0 for example. And then in new industries that are emerging like renewables. What we are doing is really focusing on those systems, developing our automation capabilities further and then looking into the aforementioned new markets.”

Partnerships are also key to the company’s success.

An important part of making those relationships a success is ensuring that R Stahl provides support for its products and services. “We are organising inhouse customer and channel partner training sessions out of our Sydney office,” said Zagame. “Bringing end

users and customers in is important, which is why we are organising these training sessions. At the moment we are organising lighting training, but we are also organising training for our automation and electrical products.”

And while the move was necessary, it was performed with a lot less fuss than can usually be expected with such an upheaval. Because the company moved to the Sutherland Shire in Sydney, not only does it bring it closer to the export outlets, such as ports and airports, it also meant that staff didn’t have to be relocated as it is a close commute to Wollongong.

“That is why we chose Sutherland,” said Zagame.

“It’s a 40-minute drive from Wollongong up the expressway. But we are also only 20 minutes to Sydney airport and Port Botany. We can catch a train in 35 minutes to the CBD and it’s easy to get out west as well. It’s more convenient for our customers in Sydney. And of course, travelling overseas and interstate it’s nice to be close to the airport.” PACE

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APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 19

PROCESS TECHNOLOGY

Two worlds converging Beckhoff is bringing together two technologies that traditionally have been developed separately. PACE explains why.

W

ith the introduction of specific solutions for the process technology market, Beckhoff is not introducing new components, but bringing together two automation concepts that for decades, have been developed separately, yet side-by-side.

While traditional PLC-based systems were optimised predominantly for short cycle times as a replacement for complex relay technology in machine controls, Distributed Control Systems (DCS) for classic Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) closed-loop control focussed mostly on scalability and system integration.

Driven by customer requirements and technological progress, both DCS and PLC have advanced and increasingly converged over the years. As a result, PLC systems have acquired ever more extensive visualisation systems.

These are very similar to those that process engineers have used from the start and are implemented to manage many wide-ranging and complex processing workflows.

DCS, on the other hand, were optimised with regard to their performance and cycle times.

Improvements such as these help accommodate even highly time-critical processes and equip process plants for safety-related requirements such as emergency stops and fire protection.

PC-based control simplifies plant operation and engineering.

20 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

Growing requirements bring separate worlds together

The systems also converged in terms of scalability. DCS, which were designed from the start for large installations with tens of thousands of I/Os, were successful with simple engineering and retrofit capabilities. However, for today’s PLC-based systems, even I/O points in the high five digits don’t pose a challenge anymore. In addition, modern engineering environments like TwinCAT 3 software, feature a range of libraries and plenty of function blocks so that even highly complex closedloop control structures can be designed quickly and reliably.

Developments regarding system architectures also deserve special attention. DCS focussed almost from the start on distributed I/O chassis, for example. These systems can collect data from areas exposed to explosion hazards with little wiring complexity and accommodate installations that are spread over large areas. PLC-based systems, on the other hand, initially concentrated on self-contained machines in small areas.

This has changed as simple machines have evolved into highly complex production lines within tightly networked plants, and operators have become more interested in using distributed peripherals that can be linked to fast fieldbus systems and

The openness of PC-based control concept devices allows for easy integration of Beckhoff controllers into existing architectures.

deliver the bandwidth needed to accommodate the resulting flood of data. As a result, systems that can offer distributed intelligence, like the DIN rail-mountable Embedded PCs in the CX series from Beckhoff, are now a prevailing option, enabling direct connection of the EtherCAT based I/O system. In addition, deploying EtherCAT communication throughout allows operators to implement timecritical and highly synchronised control processes across distributed production steps. This includes the ability to integrate with central production control systems, and to perform data analysis and optimise processes.

PLC system offers maximum innovation potential

In terms of system architecture, the developments already mentioned have made PLC systems similar to the remote I/O systems that users are familiar with from the process control field. Especially in the context of Industry 4.0 concepts, the PLC approach has proven to be an innovation driver and has taken on a highly advanced structure that is superior, particularly in terms of performance.

It is above all the vision of the Internet of Things (IoT), which has led PLC-based systems to take on some characteristics of DCS in the past few years, especially in terms of integration

capabilities. This, in turn, has increased support for mature protocols that offer cross-system data exchange, for example based on OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA), but also for communication between the supervisory control level and the cloud through protocols such as Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) and Advanced Message Queuing Potocol (AMQP).

While machine builders use these capabilities to implement the Industry 4.0 concept in its totality, process engineers require fully integrated solutions for a variety of reasons. They must cover all hierarchy levels ranging from data acquisition in hazardous areas to remote diagnostics of globally distributed systems via centralised process control systems. The goal is to reduce the required number of operators and maintenance staff. While this reduces costs, it also opens up new opportunities to make systems more efficient and reliable through the use of extensive diagnostics and analytics tools.

Open and modular automation technology as a complete solution

With PC-based control, Beckhoff offers an automation toolbox to implement all these requirements in an integrated solution. Through the addition of specific innovations for process technology applications, process engineers now have access to

PROCESS TECHNOLOGY

the same automation system that has long been proven in machine design and factory automation.

The openness of the PC-based control concept deserves mention, as support for all major bus systems allows the easy integration of Beckhoff controllers into existing architectures.

Also, long-term product availability and backward compatibility provides the best possible investment protection and ensures spare parts supply. Even first-generation EtherCAT components can communicate with the latest product introductions. Benefits like these make it easy to upgrade existing systems, for example by adding cloud connectivity and IoT functions.

The benefits of integrated and open automation systems from Beckhoff become especially apparent when designing new plants. On the field level, the use of ELX-series EtherCAT Terminals for the direct connection of intrinsically safe field devices enables reductions in space requirements, and therefore, cost requirements.

In addition, the elimination of the

EtherCAT communication allows operators to implement time-critical control processes. need for separate safety barriers delivers advantages with regard to installation and diagnostics. DIN rail-mountable embedded PCs from the CX series, equipped with up to 12 CPU cores, make it possible to distribute the execution of even the most complex control tasks with their high processing performance.

Comprehensive product certifications ensure compliance with explosion protection requirements and enable installation in close proximity to the

actual process. On the control level, the finely scalable portfolio of industrial PCs from Beckhoff enables custom-tailored solutions that can not only perform a range of control tasks, but also provide integration into process control systems. Support for many standards and protocols ensures cross-system data communication on both the higher-level control and field system levels.

The advanced TwinCAT HMI software solution enables the implementation of visualisation tasks

according to the highest standards for efficient and reliable plant operation.

In addition, the responsive TwinCAT HMI runs just as well on mobile devices as on industrial control panels and panel PCs. For process visualisation and control in hazardous areas (Zone 2/22), specific devices are available in the form of the CPX panel series with state-of-the-art, multi-touch technology and robust aluminium enclosures.

With the range of TwinCAT functions available, engineering for the plant operation and data transmission to a higher-level control system or cloud services become intuitive processes.

Many diagnostic options and interfaces, such as the TwinCAT FDT container for integrating field device drivers (DTM), ensure quick and productive commissioning and easy access to the world of Beckhoff control technology.

The integrated Beckhoff automation toolbox “for both worlds” is up to the task whether the requirements originate in the discrete, or in the process automation landscape. PACE

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ENERGY SAVINGS

Getting the edge to become more competitive A local manufacturer is producing its own infra-red ovens designed to save energy. PACE explains.

A

s Australian manufacturing companies compete with growing overseas markets, traditional methods of producing and conveying parts through various manufacturing steps are coming under close scrutiny. Being lean and smarter are two ways to become more competitive.

“We have been looking at smarter manufacturing designs for our clients and the Lean principles help with those designs,” said Chris Emmins, a director of Process Finishing Solutions, a company specialising in designing and installing finishing systems.

“Existing finishing equipment is often found to be oversized, over-powered, aged or ill-equipped to handle reduced volumes, new parts configuration and multiple colour changes,” he said.

This is counter to the accepted lean manufacturing concept that aims to reduce idle time – one of the eight lean wastes – between manufacturing processes, as they shorten the point of order-to-delivery time for a particular product. Lean manufacturing also

aims to reduce the amount of finished stocks held and to only manufacture and coat the part at the “pull” of the customer. Lean also aims at pursuing an economical batch size of one.

“This means that batch sizes are reducing as manufacturers start applying lean techniques,” said Emmins.

A number of lean thinkers have also added a ninth waste, namely energy – a key part of the finishing process.

“When it comes to energy, this is where we excel,” Emmins said. “The old concept of a continuous finishing line with a conventional, low efficiency convection oven blasting away now looks wasteful and non-green.”

By contrast, infra-red (IR) ovens can reduce energy consumption by up to 90 per cent compared to convection ovens and can also decrease curing times by 80 per cent. Emmins first looked at infra-red heating 20 years ago when he walked past a catalytic gas emitter at a trade show. “I couldn’t believe the heat energy coming out of this emitter, and it didn’t even look hot,” he said.

He has since started producing his own range of infra-red ovens under

NikoTrack conveyor systems offer low running costs.

The conveyor system has a smaller plant footprint than some other set ups. the QuickCAT brand name. These ovens utilise explosion-proof, catalytic gas and infra-red emitters. The long wave length of the emitter coincides with the absorption range of organic coatings resulting in up to 95 per cent of the infra-red energy being absorbed by the coating.

Sensitive substrates can also be passed through infra-red ovens because only the coated part surface is targeted, affecting a cure without the mass of the part reaching the curing temperature.

A new approach is needed for finishing these varying batch sizes with multiple colour and texture choices to address the needs of lean enterprises.

Recently, a number of finishing lines have been installed to do this. The lines are powered with catalytic gas infra-red ovens and overhead track shuttles with manual and powered conveyor systems.

“We have just started our involvement with the NikoTrack conveyor systems in Australia,” said Emmins. “The versatility of this product is amazing and the ideas and layouts you can design is endless. You can just make things happen at competitive prices.

Systems can work for a one-man show or a large multi-national, and the layouts can be scaled to grow as the client grows without starting again.

“Some have innovative loading and unloading sections where the track disengages and lowers. This enables safe work practices and eliminates interaction between forklifts and operators, while manipulating heavy components.

“The advantages of these lines over traditional lines are lower capital investment, smaller plant footprint, long part capability, lower running costs and increased production throughput,” he said.

The lines also achieve all the lean goals and will aid in driving manufacturing costs down. The production flexibility of coating various batch sizes, while requiring multiple colour changes, is achievable using NikoTrack design. Operating with this degree of flexibility using an energy efficient, low carbon-emitting curing system, is achieved with the use of QuickCAT IR technology.

While this may not apply to all coating scenarios, a growing number of manufacturers and coaters are turning to these systems to meet different and new economic challenges of finishing parts and components – for example, extra-long structures, multi-racked components or medium-density fibreboard (MDF) – while getting lean at the same time. PACE APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 23

INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS

Staying at the forefront of industrial computer technology After 30 years, Sydney-based Backplane Systems Technology (BST) is still providing the process and control sector with leading-edge computer solutions. PACE catches up with CEO Kristy Comb to find out how customer service has been the bedrock of the company’s longevity.

B

ackplane Systems Technology (BST) has been in business since 1989.

Before it became BST, the company started out as the Australian branch office of a UK company looking responding to the rising demand for custom backplanes in the Australian industrial control and automation sectors. But before long, branch manager Andrew Tuft, bought the business and became the managing director of a new and completely Australian-owned company operating out of Sydney.

Initially focusing on backplanes, PLCs, and the niche market of systems integrators, Tuft and his close-knit team expanded the business over the next 30 years, keeping up with the ongoing developments in industrial computer technology.

Current CEO Kristy Comb, who has been with BST for 21 years, is leading the company into its next phase of development. Her experiences in the industry are a measure of the changes BST has seen throughout its development over the last two decades. “When I started with the

The MI995 comes with eDP, HDMI(2.0a) / DVI-D and DisplayPort. company, everyone was worried about the consequences of the infamous Y2K Bug, otherwise known as the Millennium Bug,” Comb recalled. “In the lead-up to the 1st of January 2000, we had a huge number of projects – including with government agencies – to update systems to Y2K compliance.

In the end, the anticipated catastrophe didn’t happen. But 1999 was a

The Nuvo-7164GC supports NVIDIA Tesla P4/T4 and Intel 8th-Gen core processors.

24 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

good year for us, and that’s where it all started for me.”

The industry landscape has changed considerably since that time, with the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics emerging at the forefront.

Looking at many of the units that BST provides the industry, one could be mistaken for thinking that not much has changed. The outside designs and casing still look somewhat similar to products sold a decade ago, but the technology that is inside and the capabilities that the product have evolved considerably. “Our new products have the functionality to support the emerging markets,” Comb said. “We’ve really kept astride of the developments in technology.” The products that BST sells today provide the latest industrial computer solutions in areas ranging all the way to artificial intelligence, machine vision, and autonomous vehicles.

Among the many interesting areas where BST provides solutions is the agricultural sector. “There’s a cotton

company in Queensland that we supply, which uses robots enabled with radio-frequency identification (RFID),” Comb said. “It’s an automated process.

They’ve got ruggedised tablets mounted on buggies that drive around. The cotton is mapped out into categories with RFID tags, and the tablet on the front of the buggy has the RFID reader on the side. Orders are sent to the tablet and the tablet tells the buggy where to go and where to pick the cotton from.”

An automated nursery is doing much the same thing with BST-supplied systems. Tablets installed on tractors receive information about which plants to collect and send off for orders. “In addition to that, it’s an automated nursery,” Comb said.

“It uses sensors in the ground, which test every morning how much water is in the ground. If the soil gets to a certain level of dryness, the automatic sprinklers come on–and that uses some of our computing technology as well.”

Reflecting on the longevity of the

INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS

“‘We’re not sell-it-and-forget-it merchants.’ We will actually support the client through the whole process of finding, delivering, and maintaining a solution.” company, Comb said that maintaining close relationships with customers and offering customised solutions has been critical.

“We provide solutions that will solve problems. Like our founder Andrew said to me, ‘We’re not sell-it-andforget-it merchants.’ We will actually support the client through the whole process of finding, delivering, and maintaining a solution,” Comb said. “A client will come to us with a problem or a gap in their existing systems, and we’ll go through the full process of developing an effective solution for that and making sure it helps long term.”

Stacey, BST’s office manager, explained that customer service has always been an integral part of the company’s ethos. “When clients come to us for a solution, we contact our suppliers directly to get that solution.

And it’s an ongoing relationship. We don’t say, ‘Here’s your product, see you later’, we talk in detail with them about what they require,” she said.

“It can take a little bit of time between the client making the initial call to having that solution up and running. It’s not just one phone call.

We go away and figure out a lasting

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solution that will work for them.”

BST has long-term clients across a range of industries and organisations, ranging from the mining sector, industrial process control, manufacturers, electricity providers, train operators, and government departments.

“We have been working with many of our clients for a long time. Many of them have been dealing with us for more than 10 years,” said Comb.

“The products that we sell have a very long life; they are designed to be in the market and available in an identical design for more than 10 years. So, in a manufacturing environment, for instance, it means the client has spares for a decade. They don’t have to upgrade their software or their operating systems, because they can reorder the identical product. If something happens, they can quickly and easily replace it without all the software needing to be redesigned.”

Having close relations with suppliers is also important, according to Comb. “We select our suppliers very carefully, and we deal directly with the manufacturers, who are all leaders in their particular fields. That means that

The G-4514PD-4GAU is just one wireless solution Backplane offers.

if we have a technical question, we can actually go back to an engineer who has possibly been involved in designing that product and talk with them to develop a custom solution,” she said. “So, we provide both standard products off the shelf and customised products that have been developed to suit a customer’s really specific needs.”

The BST team has over 50 years combined experience with the company, meaning they have the skills and know-how to provide in-depth advice and guidance for clients who are looking to improve their processes and systems. Stacey explained that the relationship the company has with clients is not a passive one. “It’s a very active form of engagement. The sales team will present the client with options based on their needs that they might not have even considered,” she said. “If someone rings up and says they need something, the sales team will go through all the various options with them that are best tailored to their needs.”

With customer service central to the values of BST, the company also guides its long-term customers through the process of phasing out old products and bringing in new ones.

“This is something we’re undertaking at the moment with two

of our major clients,” Comb said.

“And it’s how we work in general. We don’t just provide a client with a single product and walk away. We work with them and we continue to evolve their systems, sometimes working up to a year or more to develop the best solution to replace the older one. We’ve had several generations of systems that we have developed for long-term clients.”

Among the cutting-edge systems that BST now supplies to the Australian sector is the new Nuvo-7164GC series of ruggedised artificial intelligence inference platforms from Neousys Technology. Designed for advanced inference acceleration applications such as voice, video, and image services, Comb said it was at the forefront of current solutions for AI inference, deep learning, autonomous driving, facial recognition, and machine vision.

“These products really are leading edge. And we are proud to still be at the forefront of industrial computer technology for the Australian market.

We’re in a process of renewal at the moment, with a new website that further enhances our accessibility for our customers,” Comb said.

“We have the same values, but we’ve modernised. It is important that we continue to adapt. And we will.” PACE APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 25

CYBER SECURITY

Combatting cyber threats With more industrial systems seeking to get ahead in the Internet of Things (IoT) space, there are more and more risks from online hazards. PACE speaks to Schneider Electric about how companies can better protect themselves.

T

he development of the IoT has transformed the industrial process and control sector, with digital connectivity increasingly becoming the requisite path to follow for companies and organisations looking to enhance the performance of their systems and achieve advances in productivity and efficiency. The benefits of IoT are well known – the risks that increased connectivity brings to process and control systems, often less so. Once upon a time, operators and managers of these systems had to confront risks from potential physical damages; now, increasingly, with systems connected to mobile phone apps for monitoring and predictive maintenance, there are abundant vulnerabilities and risks from

26 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

malware, denial of service (DoS) attacks, remote hackers and other cyber threats.

Over the last 20 years, process and control systems have been employing supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) connectivity over Ethernet, and now almost every facility has ethernet as a part of their control environment in some way. With connection to ethernet and with the appropriate gateways and routers in place, devices can be accessed across the internet from anywhere. And, as we start to see the proliferation of mobile devices and ever more data being consumed by business systems, we are seeing organisations creating connections from their facilities straight into the cloud to provide capabilities like remote monitoring and analytics.

According to Peter Clissold, senior industrial cyber security consultant at Schneider Electric, there are many process and control systems that are not as secure as they could be against the array of threats today. “The simplest is a DoS attack, where unexpected behaviour on the network can disrupt the process control system and lead to a serious increase in downtime,” Clissold said.

“Hackers present a more sinister problem. A remote hack could lead to code changes, such as a change in a process set point that might result in a tank potentially having a spill or running dry, or a situation where material being worked in machinery can end up with defects or damages.”

And, in larger facilities, such

as refineries and chemical plants, which rely on robust safety systems, a malicious hack could impact on the performance of safety systems, with serious consequences. “Safety risk assessments need to encompass cyber security threats and determine what would happen in the instance of a denial of service attack or someone making unauthorised changes. It is necessary to determine what sort of implications that will have for the overall safety of the facility,” Clissold said.

There are also challenges for older control systems in operation. “You can take for granted some of the features you see in newer switches, security appliances and devices with the ability for data encryption and other security features,” said Clissold. “These features

CYBER SECURITY

Plants are becoming vulnerable to cyber security threats brought about by new technologies that are being adopted. are not necessarily available in older equipment where plants in days gone by were using either unmanaged switches or in hubs that are not designed to provide any level of control for the network environment or devices that had no default passwords.”

Assessing the risks

For Schneider Electric, these kinds of situations become part of the larger pool of considerations that they examine when determining when to go about securing particular process and control environments. “It does pose a challenge, but when addressing cyber security and developing a strategy, you have to consider people, processes and technology – cyber security is not only a technical solution. With older equipment and processes, we will often need some level of procedural controls where we typically look to ringfence at-risk processes, while ensuring that this ringfence is not only secure but does not affect the overall performance of that process control system. This would be a temporary solution until such time that further upgrades can be carried out to bring the process in line

with contemporary techniques.”

When providing consultation and service in the cyber security space, Schneider Electric takes a holistic view when attempting to solve a customer’s cyber security dilemma: assessing their cyber security environment, looking for vulnerabilities, defining solutions, implementing them and monitoring their performance. But, within that, the company works with its customers to help them understand how to build a cyber security management system that helps support that environment, so that the right kind of cyber security threat-awareness framework is provided to identify issues and determine what processes need to be put in place.

“Our services are set up with the entire lifecycle approach to cyber security in mind,” Clissold said. “At the beginning of this process, our clients often have little to no maturity in their cyber security framework. We help put them in a position where they are running an effective cyber security management system tailored to their needs. Likewise, companies that relied on one person handling their security are brought along the maturity curve to a point where they have an established framework within the management organisation. The goal is to help organisations move along the maturity curve to a position where the cyber security management system is maintaining itself rather than relying on the efforts of individuals.”

Clissold said that organisations, at the executive or management level, had to determine what systems are at higher and lower risks. “The challenge is to try and help those responsible for maintaining these facilities to acknowledge that risks and vulnerabilities apply to more than just the equipment they see in front of them and is in fact all-encompassing,” he said.

“When a company wants to take advantage of IoT and connectivity they open themselves up to different risks than what were there before. Just having a firewall in place is not enough.

You need to practice defence in depth, you need to implement better rigour around the people and processes you’re employing to make that environment more secure.”

Defence in depth

Historically the idea of “defence in depth” comes from military strategy,

referring to approaches that delay the advancement of the enemy. Moreover, it refers to strategies that incorporate into their design the awareness that there will be a point in time that any single line of defence can be compromised. In other words, there have to be several barriers to keep threats out. Clissold said that companies relying on a single barrier make themselves especially vulnerable to cyber threats. “If that barrier is compromised, your whole environment is compromised. Defence in depth in relation to cyber security means going through each of level of defence within your industrial environment, allowing an organisation to assess security requirements at each level,” he said.

For example, if a cyber-attacker breaks through a firewall and gets into the production environment, in such an instance a system must have measures in place so that the attacker can’t just log on to the nearest SCADA computer that they find in that environment.

Other layers of defence can include managing and maintaining security and privileged access control within that environment or segmentation of the network, so that when an attack compromises the SCADA network, it won’t also compromise the PLC network or IO network.

In concert with defence in depth is what Clissold calls “detection in depth”, which refers to monitoring of assets. “Again, a lot of people set up firewalls, but the last time they looked at the firewall was when they first put it in service. There is a lot of evidence out there suggesting that while a compromise or an attack can happen within minutes or hours, the vulnerabilities could have been sitting there for months or years before they were exploited,” he said. “Constant monitoring is therefore necessary. Both defence and detection in depth addresses the realisation that no single barrier is going to be enough to protect the system absolutely.”

Clissold explained that people who transition from IT to OT cyber security can look to industry standards such as IEC 62443 which are guidelines and standards that help organisations make a start in addressing industrial cyber security. This is an international standard, and a good place for professionals to see what measures need to be put in place for securing industrial systems.

“People are also looking for a quick fix to their cyber security problems; and, ultimately, any quick fix that has not been considered in its entirety tends to still leave gaps in their system security.

This can lead to a false sense of security, which means they miss the opportunity to take informed steps to protect their systems from threats.”

Schneider Electric is now expanding its cyber security offering, recently forming a partnership with Nozomi Networks.

“Nozomi has quite an interesting approach to addressing cyber security, in that they look at the network traffic that is flowing inside network segments, and, with control systems being fairly static in nature, they are very quickly able to develop a profile of what is communicating on the network, and what the nature of those communications are,” Clissold said. “So, within that environment, we are able to get a full understanding of the network traffic; we are able to identify any traffic that is not supposed to be there and understand the hygiene of the network.

“Once we get a clearer picture of that environment, we can start to make informed decisions on what to address, how to address it, and prioritise further remediations that might have to take place within that networked environment. So, what that does for Schneider Electric is that it helps us fill a gap that we have in our solutions offering where we can deploy network anomaly detection in industrial areas next to our PLCs and control equipment in the same cabinet.”

Clissold said that organisations needed to assess the vulnerability of their devices and each of their systems, setting a measure of how much effort an organisation needs to put into protecting that environment. This means that, as new threats and vulnerabilities emerge, organisations ought to be reassessing and recalculating.

“I believe where things stand at the moment is that not enough is being done by organisations in assessing the vulnerabilities in the first instance and how these can affect their systems,” he said. “Organisations need to put more focus on how to assess their environment and then measure the risks to their systems that they have installed today – that is a big challenge, but one that can be overcome.” PACE APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 27

INTERNET OF THINGS

Clear vision needed on importance of Internet of Things At a recent summit on the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), panellists were blunt in their assessment of where businesses should be with regard to the technology. Mike Wheeler explains.

O

n a balmy summer day in February, the Industrial Internet 4.0 Summit took place at Aerial Function Room at Sydney’s UTS. It was the third such summit after the first one was launched in 2017. Three years ago, a lot of the delegates were still dipping 28 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

their toes into what some thought were murky waters. How could it help my business? What kind of outlay was needed? Did my business even need to adopt an Internet of Things (IoT) or Industry 4.0 strategy? Today, the answers are, “several ways”, “depends” and “definitely”.

The 2019 summit had an impressive number of speakers, all dedicated to spreading the IoT word. Most do have a horse in the race, but they all spoke a lot of common sense. At the main panel session on the first day, there were a few clear and concise messages: • If you are in the manufacturing

sector, you need to get onboard with artificial intelligence (AI), the IoT and all the peripheral possibilities that go with it.

• If you don’t get on board, your competition will have an advantage.

• It won’t cost you an arm and a leg to get started.

INTERNET OF THINGS

Initiating IoT protocols might soon be necessary if companies want to keep up with the competition.

The five panellists included university academics and CEOs of consultancies and small manufacturing enterprises. On a wider scale, some of the speakers represented multi-nationals that are IoT and AI acolytes.

Professor Michael Blumenstein, who is the associate dean (research strategy and management) at UTS Sydney said that the relationship between business and academia is changing due to the digitisation of industry.

“Not everyone has the internal capability in the Industry 4.0 context – with data science and AI – to come up with solutions they need off-the-shelf,” said Blumenstein. “The universities now become the research arm [of some businesses] – particularly in the SMEs where the capacity is not significant enough to have internal capabilities.

Universities are now more geared towards trying to give solutions that give real benefits to the industry. Some of those areas – from robotics, AI and data science – are not easy skills to come by. This is definitely something that is being done better now and I think industry is taking more advantage of it.”

An issue that was mentioned early in the discussion was that the IT department should not be in charge of the IoT transition. Dr Herbert Hermens, the CEO of Tezamen, explained why.

“This technology we are talking about cannot be driven by IT,” he said.

“It has to be an industry-wide project.

It has to be driven by the companies.

Start with having a vision. You need to be able to understand what is possible.

It almost means you have to be able

to dream about it. You have to look at your business in the broader scope, from design through to application.

That means that people need to work together.

“What we are finding in the difference between Industry 3.0 and Industry 4.0 is that Industry 3.0 just created a lot of data. Really, we were the interface to the change to that data and to interpreting the data and making sure the data was utilised as best we could. We worked well with the data that was being created, but we had to.

The major difference with industry 4.0 is that we get situational awareness in machinery. Machinery is really AI. It is about being able to make some of the basic decisions – some would say a lot of the basic decisions – for us. It is both scary and really exciting.”

Reed Leighton is the CEO of Leighton O’Brien, a company that specialises in working in the petroleum industry. He said that the IoT is not just about sensors, but the data they produce. He said the petroleum industry has been using sensors since the 1980s, but they were not part of the IoT because there was no AI involved. He also said that the uptake of digitisation has been phenomenal – not only in terms of the adoption itself, but the storage power needed to accommodate the growth.

“About seven per cent of our industry has adopted IoT with AI,” he said. “This means there are 50,000 stations around the world out of 700,000 that have really embraced [the technology]. Although seven per cent seems small, it is accelerating fast.

In 2016, we were looking after about 7,000 sites. This year, that number is going to be 25,000 sites. The growth is extraordinary. In 2016, we had 700GB in the cloud. Now we have 48TB. By December 2019 it will be 200TB.” David Hart, CEO of Dematec, is a champion of SMEs, and believes that a lot of them are holding back on adopting IoT initiatives. He said this can be a mistake, not only because it might give somebody else a competitive advantage, but the costs are not as high as some might think.

“A good example is how we helped a small company where we put some sensors on their three laser cutting machines that were manually operated,” said Hart. “[It was a] very noisy environment and they didn’t

really know what sort of utility they were getting from their machines.

They knew they were losing time, but not how much. What we did was put some sensors on those machines so they could start capturing some basic metrics on how much utility they were actually getting.”

Then Dematec persuaded them to put a stack lamp on top of each machine with a loud audible siren, which meant as soon as the machine stopped producing products – whether that be a minute or 30 seconds – the siren would go off and the lights flashed. An operator could take immediate action. The company had an immediate productivity boost from something as simple as that, said Hart.

“Then they went that one step further to capture the data and analyse it and get a performance baseline in place. The next step was to get the operators to designate down time so they can do maintenance and create a bit of granularity and continue to improve. It can be as simple as that,” said Hart.

Chris Janssen, CEO of electronics manufacturer GC Electronics, pointed out that it was important to make sure you needed IoT and AI, and not just take them onboard because they’re there.

“We are an SME and the reality is what drives us is not Industry 4.0 but rather the dynamics of what we need to do in business in terms of competitiveness,” he said. “Companies have to look at productivity; how efficient they can make things; look at quality and yield; and make sure that what they are doing, they are doing well – how fast can you do things to how fast can you respond to different things. And when you start looking at those things then naturally you put in feedback loops and what you might need to do to make fixes.

Janssen said his company did those things because of competitive pressures and afterwards they got told it was called Industry 4.0. To him, the important thing was to drive his business and understand how GPC could compete and use the tools to help them do that.

“Don’t drive to be a 4.0 player and then work how it’s going to fit out into your business,” he said.

And the future? All the panellists had their own ideas on how industry APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 29

INTERNET OF THINGS

Digitising a business may not be as expensive as some people think. will progress over the next decade or so. While most were excited about the future, there was also caution.

“I’m very excited about the way business will develop over the next few years,” said Hermens. “Money in the future will not exist in a physical form, it will more be a concept in the thinking and the processes – that’s where the money will go. Overall, we need to realise that other countries are leading in this area and we are lagging in Australia. It scares me a little bit. We need to start thinking with a broader mentality. From designs through to application – what the IoT promises to integrate [is where we need to look to].

“The key difference between Industry 3.0 and 4.0 is that you are enabling interplay with AI. And what AI will do is reduce the cost of manufacturing. It will reduce the amount of bodies needed to manufacture. We need to think about that in Australia if we want to start to catch up with the rest of the world.” “[The IoT and AI] are ways of developing plant and looking at how you can work in the workforce and 30 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

actually create more meaningful jobs,” said Janssen. “And as a result of that, you get more competitiveness and hopefully create a lot more revenue.”

Blumenstein believes that although there will be job losses, there will be new job opportunities and growth. But he is concerned about data, and what will become of it and how people will use it. And, who will own it.

“In IoT systems there is such a huge amount of data being generated that we are all aware of the importance of this data and how it is the oil of business,” he said. “Harnessing that data and making the best use of it in the IoT age is extremely important. Of course, just as there are vast amounts of data, there are other issues that have to be addressed. Where do we process it?

Where do we store it? How do we keep it secure? How do you make use of it to enhance the business? Unfortunately, that is not an easy step to consider, especially in cyber security. However, if it is done properly it can be of huge benefit to every business. I’ll also say that we need to Industry 4.0 right before we look too far into the future.”

As for Janssen, he thinks that where the IoT comes into its own is linkages and how they can save money.

“Linkages are important,” he said.

“Within the factory – how we get flow, how we connect things and make things work from one end to the other. We don’t have pictures, or drawings of things any more. The real difference is, if you can actually create linkages, you can eliminate waste. Every time there is an interface that someone has to receive, someone has to pack, shift, inspect and document; and on the other side you have to do the reverse.

If you can create linkages across things, then you can save huge amounts of time, effort and waste. I think the IoT gives you the tools to be able to create linkages.”

Leighton was more blunt in his assessment. He intimated that if you don’t get on board soon, you might be too late as your competitors start making it big in their respective industries.

“If you don’t adopt IoT and AI, where are you going to be in five years’ time if your competitors do?” he said.

“Are you going to be okay? I bet you are going to have higher costs, lower margins, losing customers – someone is going to eat your lunch. Get on the IoT train or get left behind. It is that important. It is not easy. Having it is not as expensive as it used to be.

Sensor costs are coming down. It’s easy to do AI. Start with early steps.

You are going to be at a competitive disadvantage if you do not get on this.

I guarantee you.”

The last word was left to Hart, who believes that there are still teething problems to be had with the IoT, but they are solvable. Much like Leighton, he thinks the future is here now, and business had better start implementing the technology.

“In terms of looking into the future, obviously there is a long way to go with Industry 4.0, and there are some issues including servicing Industry 4.0,” he said. “The future will be resolving those through artificial intelligence, better interoperability – breaking down those supply chain barriers so it just becomes a seamless experience, system to system.” PACE

B E F E A TURED IN

Energy management is something that CEOs and plant maintenance managers are acutely aware. Setting up a gas, electricity, solar – any type of power supply – in plant can be a massive overhead. That is why it is important to have an energy management system in place that is not only cost-effective, but meets all the production needs of a processing plant. The June/July feature of PACE magazine concentrates on Energy Management and how it impacts on how you do business.

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN TAKING PART IN THE NEXT EDITION OF PACE, contact Zelda Tupicoff at Zelda.Tupicoff@primecreative.com.au

CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY

Routine determination of ultra trace elements in semiconductor-grade nitric acid Thermo Fisher has developed a system for ultra-trace elemental analytics in applications such as geoscience, which require high elemental sensitivity. PACE explains.

T

hermo Scientific iCAP Qs ICP-MS has been specifically developed for ultra-trace elemental analysis in applications such as semiconductor, nuclear and geoscience that require the highest elemental sensitivity. The iCAP Qs ICP-MS is equipped with an inert sample introduction system and a high transmission interface.

Through the combination of a lightning fast, solid-state, swing frequency RF generator, proprietary 90-degree ion optics and effective interference removal using the Thermo Scientific QCell,

the iCAP Qs ICP-MS provides the high elemental sensitivity and low backgrounds required for ultra-trace elemental analyses.

In semiconductor manufacturing support applications (for example, incoming supplier or process control) target concentrations are generally below 10 ng/L. In this experiment, a single ICP-MS measurement using three instrumental modes (hot plasma, cold plasma and hot plasma with KED) was used for the analysis of semiconductor-grade nitric acid.

Table 1. Instrument configuration Spray chamber

Quartz cyclonic

Nebuliser

MicroFlow PFA-100 (self- aspirating)

Injector

2.0mm I.D., sapphire

Interface

latinum sampler and high sensitivity P platinum skimmer

Extraction lens system

Cold plasma

Table 1.

Hot plasma Forward power

Cold plasma

1550 w

550 w

Auxiliary

0.8 L/min

Cool gas

14 L/min

Nebuliser gas

0.9 L/min

Collision cell gas KED barrier Dwell time

-

KED 1550 w

0.74 L/min

0.9 L/min

-

pure He gas at 3.5 mL/min

-

2V

100 to 300 ms per peak, 3 sweeps

32 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

For many elements, the use of single-mode He KED with hot plasma (HP) is sufficient for the suppression of background and sample matrix induced spectral interferences to allow for reliable measurement at these concentration levels.

For some elements however, in particular first and second group metals as well as some transition metals, analysis using cold plasma is preferable to hot plasma since contamination

from the sample introduction system is reduced, leading to lower backgrounds and improved detection power.

Sample and calibration solution preparation

Precleaned PFA bottles were used for the preparation of all blanks, standards and samples. The bottles were rinsed with ultra-pure water (18.2 MΩ) and left to dry in a laminar flow clean hood before use. Multi-element standards

Table 2.

Analyte 7Li

Mode

LoD (ng/L)

BEC(ng/L)

Recovery (%)

Cold

0.03

0.04

96

9Be 11B

Hot

0.5

0.3

101

Hot

2.0

11

107

23Na 24Mg

Cold

0.2

0.2

114

27Al 39K 40Ca 45Sc

Cold

0.02

0.06

101

Cold

0.3

0.8

108

Cold

0.7

5.2

108

Cold

2.5

5.1

106

KED

0.7

0.6

104

48Ti 51V

KED

0.8

0.3

94

KED

0.5

0.2

98

52Cr 55Mn

Cold

0.3

0.3

98

Cold

0.1

0.06

98

56Fe 58Ni

Cold

0.6

1.9

95

Cold

0.3

0.5

103

59Co 63Cu

Cold

0.09

0.03

99

Cold

0.5

0.5

96

66Zn 71Ga

Cold

0.01

0.01

101

Hot

0.13

0.14

103

74Ge 75As

KED

0.8

0.09

100

KED

0.9

0.3

94

CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY

Analyte 77Se

Mode

LoD (ng/L)

BEC(ng/L)

Recovery (%)

KED

0.01

0.01

112

85Rb 89Y

Cold

0.8

1.4

100

Hot

0.2

0.01

100

90Zr 93Nb

Hot

0.09

0.06

92

Hot

0.02

0.01

96

98Mo 101Ru

Hot

0.5

1.2

99

Hot

0.08

0.02

99

103Rh 105Pd

Hot

0.04

0.01

101

Hot

0.13

0.07

99

107Ag 111Cd

Hot

0.25

0.64

96

Hot

0.32

0.13

99

115In 118Sn

Hot

0.08

0.11

100

Hot

0.83

2.39

103

121Sb 125Te

Hot

0.12

0.05

104

Hot

0.46

0.1

100

133Cs 137Ba

Hot

0.21

1.77

99

Hot

0.36

0.13

98

139La 140Ce

Hot

0.01

0.001

99

Hot

0.01

0.002

102

141Pr 146Nd

Hot

0.003

0.001

99

Hot

0.05

0.01

101

147Sm 153Eu

Hot

0.04

0.01

100

Hot

0.01

0.003

99

157Gd 159Tb

Hot

0.03

0.006

101

Hot

0.001

0.001

99

163Dy 165Ho

Hot

0.02

0.002

100

Hot

0.001

0.001

99

Hot

0.01

0.003

103

166Er 169Tm 172Yb 175Lu 178Hf 181Ta 182W 185Re 193Ir 195Pt 197Au 202Hg

Hot

0.003

0.001

100

Hot

0.01

0.001

100

Hot

0.01

0.001

99

Hot

0.03

0.01

101

Hot

0.01

0.001

94

Hot

0.33

0.65

102

Hot

0.03

0.01

96

Hot

0.01

0.002

96

Hot

0.25

0.6

100

Hot

0.10

0.08

103

Hot

0.48

1.4

104

205Tl 208Pb

Hot

0.09

0.17

98

Hot

0.08

0.07

99

209Bi 238U

Hot

0.15

0.35

97

Hot

0.004

0.001

98

at concentrations of 50, 100, 500 and 1000 ng/L were prepared by gravimetrically adding the appropriate quantity of a multi-elemental stock solution (SPEX Certiprep, Metuchen, USA) directly to the one per cent HNO3 samples. In order to assess recovery in the one per cent HNO3, a spike recovery test at 10 ng/L was performed. Semiconductor grade HNO3 (Fisher Scientific OPTIMA) was used for the rinse and blank solutions.

Instrument configuration

The iCAP Qs ICP-MS was configured for routine ultra-trace elemental analyses in semiconductor applications.

The instrument configuration and operation parameters are shown in Table 1. The iCAP Qs ICP-MS used in this study was not installed in a cleanroom.

The iCAP Qs ICP-MS was equipped with a self-aspirating PFA 100 MicroFlow nebuliser (ESI, Omaha, USA), a peltier cooled quartz spray chamber (operating at 3ºC), a 2.0mm ID sapphire injector and a demountable quartz torch.

Results

Background equivalent concentrations (BEC) and detection limits (LoD), based on three times the standard deviation of ten replicate measurements of the calibration blank, were determined for 62 elements in one per cent HNO3. Each sample was analysed in a single mixed mode acquisition with automated switching between hot and cold plasma using the same instrument configuration. Results from this measurement as well as percentage recoveries from a 10 ng/L spike recovery test are presented in Table 2.

The results in Table 2 shows the suitability of the iCAP Qs ICP-MS for ultra-trace multi elemental measurement at sub ng/L concentration levels in common semiconductor process control matrices.

Improved cold plasma performance

With some earlier RF generator designs cold plasma wasn’t suitable for the routine analysis of high acid concentration samples and further dilution was required, risking contamination from additional sample handling. With the introduction of

the swing frequency RF generator on the iCAP Q ICP-MS, matrix stability in cold plasma was improved allowing for higher acid concentrations to be routinely analysed.

In order to test this improved cold plasma performance, calibrations at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 ng/L were achieved for 12 common cold plasma elements in a seven per cent HNO3 matrix using the iCAP Qs. A 1 ng/L spike recovery test was also performed.

It was shown that cold plasma on the iCAP Q ICP-MS effectively suppresses argon based interferences and provides the high sensitivity required for pg/L (ppq) level LoD and BEC values required in semiconductor applications.

Spike recoveries from 91 per cent to 108 per cent for 12 elements at 1 ng/L in seven per cent HNO3 further support the good performance of the iCAP Qs ICP-MS in this application.

Conclusion

The Thermo Scientific iCAP Qs ICP-MS has been shown to provide the high sensitivity and freedom from interferences required for the measurement of ultra-trace (sub ppt) concentration levels in semiconductor grade acid samples.

Fast, automated, in-measurement switching between hot and cold plasma is made possible with the swing frequency RF generator leading to improved reliability in mixed mode applications. PACE

Table 3.

LoD (ng/L)

BEC (ng/L)

Recovery

7Li 23Na

0.02

0.09

98

0.03

0.52

106

24Mg 27Al

0.04

0.07

103

0.10

0.09

106

39K 40Ca

0.18

4.78

94

0.47

1.45

108

52Cr 55Mn

0.11

0.69

94

0.20

0.81

92

56Fe 58Ni

0.09

0.76

101

0.08

0.14

94

59Co 63Cu

0.21

0.81

97

0.08

0.18

92

APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 33

DISTRIBUTION

Australian distributor appointed for SyxthSense PACE looks at a new range of building energy management solutions.

U

nited Kingdom-based SyxthSense is offering building energy management solutions to many building types, as well as solutions for home automation.

Its BMS solutions are flexible, based on common industry standards, provide energy savings and are intuitive and easy to use, according to the manufacturer.

SyxthSense BMS solutions are designed based on 10 years’ experience in the industry. They are innovative, fresh and utilise the latest technology standards. Recently, Melbourne-based Ocean Controls was appointed a distributor for its products.

SyxthSense has recently expanded its SRC-50, SRC-60 and SRC-601 touchscreen room solutions range.

The range consists of thermostats, graphical user interfaces (GUI) and room controllers. The products are suitable for both building and home automation and have BACnet/Modbus connectivity for system purposes.

One of the most popular models is the SRC-601, which is a flushmounted BACnet MS/TP or Modbus RTU controller with a large colour intuitive 3.5-inch touchscreen for viewing the system status and modifying the settings. The SRC-601 controllers are designed for hotel, hospitality, offices, commercial applications, houses, apartment buildings and any other area where a user interface is required. The SRC-601 controller has control functionality on-board allowing it to be used in a variety of applications. All inputs and outputs are configurable to the required application.

The SRC-601 controller has a built-in temperature sensor, one resistive NCT10 input, one digital input, two analogue 0-10 Vdc outputs (e.g. heating/cooling), three 230 V relay outputs (e.g. three-speed fan)

34 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

The BMS solution is intuitive and easy to use.

and BACnet MS/TP or Modbus RTU RS485 communication. The optional measurements include relative two per cent accurate humidity, CO2 measurement and alarming, and 0-10 Vdc inputs for feedback monitoring.

All inputs and outputs are configurable to the required application.

The SRC-601 controllers can operate in “Comfort”, “Eco” and “Off” modes allowing energy savings.

The intuitive touchscreen shows the “energy ring” indicating if there is heating or cooling demand, and the screen can also be dimmed at night.

The SRC-601 controllers have fan control functionality allowing one, two and three-speed fan manual control as well as EC fan control.

Advanced logic inside the device allows room space to be monitored for both temperature and CO2 and the environment can be controlled to the optimal conditions.

With CE (Control Extension) optional, the device will have also control for lights, blinds and additional party mode to activate boost conditions.

The SRC601 BACnet MS/TP, or Modbus RTU communications, allows simple integration to building management systems. The device has a list of BACnet network objects, and all configuration parameters are accessible over the network using device configuration object.

Features:• 24V AC/DC power supply • Up to four stages of heating/cooling • Fan speed display and override icons • Modern designer look with black/ chrome colour scheme • Setpoint adjustment using up and down arrows (temperature) • Energy ring advising the system status at a glance • Possibility to show network

• • • • • • • • • • •

temperature (e.g. outside temperature) Alarm display for out of range of measurements ˚C to ˚F unit selection for hospitality applications Traffic light alarms for CO2, temperature and humidity Cleaning mode Lockable screen with four-digit lock code Number of lock screen options depending on the applications Maintenance mode password protected Simple to use maintenance Mode configuration menus Bacnet or Modbus communication models With CE-options; lights and blinds control, party mode boost options Humidity sensor option for internal humidity display and monitoring PACE

IICA

Importance of instrumentation highlighted at IICA meeting The importance of accurate and reliable instruments is critical in manufacturing and can have an impact on the quality of a process – this can also be true of other monitor, control and feedback activities. PACE explains.

T

he recent IICA committee meeting was held at the Royal Motor Yacht Club Port Hacking, where matters and decisions affecting this year’s activities were discussed.

Following the meeting our committee member John Zagame offered to take the committee on a social yacht race in the Port Hacking estuary to enjoy the sunset over the water and a short sailing adventure. It also proved to be a lesson in how important instrumentation can be – even with leisure activities.

The yacht was a Hanse 430e, which was 43-feet long and made of epoxy fiberglass and equipped with various instruments and sensors to assist the skipper while sailing. These instruments measured wind speed, Instrumentation made sure the boat was kept on course.

wind direction, boat speed, boat direction, GPS, water depth, AIS position and autopilot settings.

Communication was via both NMEA 2000 and Ethernet-enabled networking with other displays, AIS and other instruments that allowed all of the important information needed about the vessel to be displayed on a single display. These instruments assisted the skipper to achieve maximum efficiency from the yacht by extracting the maximum energy available in the wind and navigating the vessel as efficiently through the course as possible. Maximising the use of the energy available from the wind and direction of travel maximised the yacht’s speed, while choosing the shortest most efficient path with the least number of tacks necessary to

IICA committee members.

navigate the course would hopefully result in a win.

The instruments played a major role in controlling the yacht and its direction, but this was not a fully automated process and required the operator to make decisions based on the reading available to him.

The instruments on the yacht form part of a feedback loop relying on the skipper to interpret the values and make decisions based on these readings. While not an automated process, especially on a vessel of this size, it did demonstrate the importance of reliable, accurate readings and the effect they have on the decisions, which are based upon them.

The committee all enjoyed the adventure on the water and the practical application of various instruments available to measure over 10 parameters.

The next event the NSW IICA

has organised is the Wollongong Tech Expo which will be held on Wednesday 27 March at Wests Illawarra, 1 Hargreaves St, Unanderra, NSW and will be open to all to visit. PACE

Accurate information was key to making sure there were no mishaps.

APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 35

SENSORS

Sensors and the smart cities of the future Sensors have long been used in industrial settings to monitor and improve processes and systems.

PACE speaks to Associate Professor Flora Salim from RMIT University about how researchers are using sensor technology to enhance the liveability of our cities.

M

anufacturing plants and refineries are usually highly-structured environments. They typically feature machinery, automated systems, and computerised technologies and software operating within a delimited space administered by a particular company or administration and all geared towards particular goals – profitable and efficient production, for instance. These days, industrial processes are becoming increasingly predictive. A recent study by McKinsey, for example, has outlined how the combined uptake of big data, advanced analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) is boosting industrial productivity by reducing unpredictability. Life in our large modern cities, by comparison, can appear chaotic, unstructured and unpredictable. The activities carried out by individual citizens are by no means necessarily pursued with systematic goals or the activities of others in mind. Sometimes, in fact, the simultaneous pursuit of the same goal by many individuals can lead to mutual obstruction. An ordinary trip to a desirable beach location, for example, can lead to frustration when one finds that several hundred, if not thousands, of other people have exactly the same plan – roads are congested, the best picnic or bathing spots taken. All the while, another equally tempting location may lie empty and unused.

The rational and efficient use of the resources and infrastructure upon which peoples’ working and leisure time depends is something that frequently animates policy discussions around urban planning. The federal government, for example, has itself established a long-term “smart cities” plan that seeks to develop policies towards greater utilisation of real-time data and IoTtechnologies in urban

36 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

settings. The use of digital data to measure human activity is something that has been around for a number of years now. Companies like Google and Facebook, for instance, have long captured user data to target consumers with products and services.

Capturing data on the everyday interactions of people within their urban environment and infrastructure, influencing those interactions in realtime to make cities more sustainable, efficient, accessible and liveable, is a goal of projects aimed at forging future smart cities. This means cities that employ sensor, data and internet technologies to provide better living and working

environments for their populations.

In most people’s minds, sensors are associated with the monitoring, measuring and testing of industrial processes, helping maintain the smooth, safe and efficient functioning of systems ranging from manufacturing to gas, water and other utilities plants. But researchers are now also seeking to use sensor technology to not only measure human behaviours, but to also use the collected data to help individuals make better decisions about how they manage their day.

Preliminary steps in the direction of testing small-scale smart city technologies are being trialled in a

collaboration between RMIT University and Mornington Peninsula Shire at the popular beachside town of Rye. It is hoped that the project, led by RMIT’s Associate Professor Flora Salim and Dr. Andy Song, will provide a glimpse at how utilising existing digital technologies can make cities more liveable in the future.

Once the project is up and running, traffic sensors will feed into smart signs displaying real-time availability of parking, while also guiding traffic to the least congested route. Sensors will be placed on barbecues and in bins to let council workers know when they need attention, and air quality sensors

Associate professor Flora Salim is hoping to show how sensors can make cities more liveable.

SENSORS

set up at toilet blocks. The historic Rye Pier will have air and water quality sensors attached.

“Mornington Peninsula is a really hot tourist attraction – there are a lot of beaches with popular picnic and barbecue areas,” said Salim, a member of RMIT’s Centre for Information Discovery and Data Analytics. “During the holiday period, it is very congested in some of the tourist towns, so people find it hard to locate a place to park their cars. Even the local residents, who just want to go down the street to the shop, are having trouble finding parking. Also, at some places, there are very few barbeque pits. A group could go to a barbeque or picnic area and find that it is already occupied.

So, sometimes it can be very hard for people to plan even a simply daytrip to Mornington Peninsula.”

Salim explained that there is currently no data that can provide any information on the usage of the locations and their amenities. Rolling out the sensors across the township will change that. Salim and her colleagues will develop models that can predict ahead of time the availability of these different services by five to 30 minutes. “For example, if someone is arriving at Mornington, they can know within 15 minutes prior to their arrival which parking area they should head to, based on the current availability and historical data, both of which will be collected via the sensors,” Salim said. “We’ve had a lot of experience in building these kinds of predictive models. So, that is the first thing we will do. The goal is to ease up congestion and alleviate some of the consequences of that, such as having people endlessly driving around looking for somewhere to park or to have their picnic.”

One of the important features of the project is that the data will be publicly available. Within a year, the team will develop and release a daytrip planner app, enabling people to engage with the data in real-time. “If someone is planning their day, and they want to target three or four sites, then we can recommend the best route for them for the day. And this data will be updated throughout the day. You will be able to select a preferred region, day and time, and other preferences, such as whether you want to visit a quiet or less crowded area. Through the app, we will be able

Sensors could help alleviate traffic congestion issues in major cities.

to provide a presentation of the best option on the basis of the available data,” said Salim.

“In this project, we will observe when people start consuming this data, how it influences their behaviour and decision-making. This includes decisions about what time someone might visit a location or not. For example, a person might look at the data and determine that at a certain time it will be busy and decide to visit at a later time. We want to be able to determine whether it might actually enhance individual productivity.”

Beyond this, the data will inform public authorities and potentially change how operations are carried out.

For instance, data from the bin sensors will provide information on when garbage trucks will need to empty bins at various sites.

Going forward, Salim said that she sees the application of sensor technology expanding to encompass more complex and expansive urban environments, providing data for the more efficient use of resources or infrastructure. Her research team has also been working with the City of Melbourne, utilising its live sensor data from the city, including parking sensors and pedestrian sensors.

“Using data can help city planners to be more predictive. For example, they will be better able to anticipate the

numbers of people coming and going and help them determine how many parking spaces will be required, or if more parking spaces are necessary. It can show how many people are overstaying in their parking spots in certain areas because they might require longer time periods to park, due to the scarcity of street parking in the CBD.” Salim said that while much smart city work was being done in research settings, the difficulties in securing approval for more trial projects meant that developments towards genuinely data-driven smart cities were going to take time. “There are a lot of things happening in research, but in order for this to be trialled, you need to go through so many different layers of approvals,” she said. “For this reason, I am very excited about the Mornington Peninsula project, because it will not just exist at the research level; it is actually going to be a real trial of these technologies.”

Going forward, Salim said that research was being planned that would see researchers working with road and public transport authorities to be able to utilise data from the traffic to ease up traffic congestion in big cities like Sydney or Melbourne. “We hope to be able to use data to recognise deviations in movements of people across a city – for example, a delay in a public

transport network or a major road.

These impact on the daily trajectory of people’s lives, so the idea is to develop a system to warn ahead of time that there are problems, enabling individuals to respond in real-time,” she said.

For Salim, a smart city would be one where there is a high level of responsiveness and engagement between individuals and their decisions, technology and the authorities responsible for providing the infrastructure and services we rely on in our day-to-day lives. “In a smart city, the enabling technology, in a sense, has to disappear – it is there, but you are no longer aware of it. All you know is that it is a great city to live in, because you are engaged, you feel like you are part of the decision-making, you know things are running efficiently, and you feel involved,” Salim said.

“The Internet of Things is already embedded in everyone’s lives – the core of IoT is faster computation with sensors and devices that are miniaturised. And this doesn’t happen in an industrial environment, it’s taking place in everyday life – our smartphones are IoT devices, for instance – but in a more powerful way. If you can capture the dynamics and the pulse of the city, then that will really help us to understand how a city could be more sustainable.” PACE APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 37

Growing skills on the job An education in STEM needn’t be seen as narrowing career path options. BOC’s Edith Butterfield talks to PACE about how having an inquisitive mind has helped her adapt to her many roles in the company.

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hese days, it is considered highly unusual for younger members of the workforce to stay within one industry for longer than a few years – let alone forge an almost 14-year career with a single company. But that is exactly what Edith Butterfield has done. After graduating from the University of Nottingham in the UK with a Master of Science (Chemistry) in June 2005, Butterfield joined BOC in October of the same year. It was the first job she applied for upon graduation. She has been with the company ever since.

“I remember telling the two people interviewing me that I was looking for a company that I could grow with and stay with, and that I didn’t want them to hire me if they were just going to have me do one job and then nothing else,” Butterfield told PACE. “But, luckily, I was entering into a company that invests in its people and develops them.”

Her first role was in BOC’s UK customer service team, where she answered customer enquiries and serviced accounts, before moving into product management in 2006, where she worked across the company’s water treatment, pharmaceutical and medical sectors. The roles required her to work closely with customers, helping her to develop high-level interpersonal skills that she hadn’t learned at university.

“I didn’t come to the company with the skills that I’ve got today.

While my science background helped me get my foot in the door – as I was initially working in the scientific side of customer service – working closely with people meant taking on another range of skills,” Butterfield said. “In my product management role, I was getting out there interacting with our customers, which is crucial if you are to understand what their business actually is and what drives them.”

Butterfield said BOC was a global company with a broad reach into

38 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

It hasn’t taken Butterfield long to be leading a team of her own.

“I remember telling the two people interviewing me that I was looking for a company that I could grow with and stay with, and that I didn’t want them to hire me if they were just going to have me do one job and then nothing else.” many different industries and sectors, and it offered STEM graduates like her the opportunity to follow many interesting paths. “You can go into engineering, you can go into marketing, you can work in the healthcare sector or in food and leisure. And I think that’s something that’s important for those studying in STEM – it’s about realising there are so many things you can do. If you’re keen to learn and willing to work hard, the opportunities are endless – especially if you partner with a company that genuinely wants to invest in you and help you grow.”

Butterfield’s eagerness to grasp opportunities took her out of the UK and to Australian shores. In 2011,

Butterfield applied for a working holiday in Australia, moving to BOC’s North Ryde office in Sydney.

“I was looking for a change and I had never been to Australia. I only planned on staying for a year, but I loved the role and I loved the country,” she said. As a fumigation and pest control representative across NSW and Queensland, Butterfield was confronted with the vastness of the Australian landscape. “For my first customer visit, I developed a plan and sent it to my manager. He sent it back and said ‘That’s great, Edith, but that will require 16 hours’ worth of driving in one day, and that’s not even including your customer visits’.

It made me realise just how big

Australia is,” Butterfield said.

“Travelling around those rural areas made me fall in love with Australia. I remember driving on these remote country roads where I could look around and see nothing but fields and natural landscape for miles. I found it very striking. And to this day I still have a great love for little country towns.”

Butterfield said she has always had a thirst for learning and a passion for discovering how things work – it’s what drew her to science in the first place when she went to university.

And it has been fundamental to her growth within BOC. Taking a technical approach, she has educated herself on many industry practices – from medical standards, engineering processes, up to obtaining a fumigation licence – to further her engagement and understanding of the sectors she worked with.

“I come from a STEM background, and, even as a kid, I wanted to pull things apart to see how they worked. My science degree further bolstered my analytic and inquiring mind, my keenness to learn and my determination to search for the truth,” she said. “And that has also helped me develop my people skills at BOC. When you boil it down, being good at dealing with others is about being able to understand difference personalities and work with them to discover what needs to be done.”

Butterfield has also been determined to grow these skills, taking courses in communication and negotiation skills and engaging in facilitation workshops.

And now is she in a role where these skills are put to the test daily. In 2018, Butterfield was made customer service manager BOC’s industrial business, where she oversees a team of 45 customer service operators.

Having been supported in her career growth throughout her time at BOC, Butterfield said she was

enjoying providing that role for a new generation of employees. “It’s probably the thing I love most about my current role. Throughout my own career, I’ve had really excellent managers who have always been supportive and willing to develop me – and now I get to be that person,” she said.

Butterfield’s strengths as a manager were recognised last year at the 2018 Women in Industry Awards, where she was a finalist in the Rising Star category. Her depth of knowledge and vast experience– gained over a career in many roles dealing with several different industries – is helping her get the best out of her team.

“After over 13 years at BOC, I’ve got enough experience now to genuinely have something to give.

I love working with my team to

develop them and improve them and help them find roles in the company that align with their interests,” she said. “They’re coming into the company the same way I did – through customer service. This gives them a good grounding in the company and the industry. They can take that knowledge with them into their next role. For me, it’s about looking at the diversity of the team and thinking about where they can grow within BOC.” With the number of young Australians pursuing degrees in STEM shrinking, Butterfield said it was more important than ever that STEM was not narrowly conceived as a one-track path. “I did chemistry at university because I loved it.

My career, however, has not been

“I love working with my team to develop them and improve them and help them find roles in the company that align with their interests.” in chemistry. But the analytical frame of mind, the preparedness to question and probe and get to the crux of the matter – these skills have been fundamental to my journey at BOC,” she said.

Butterfield said that the analytical and inquisitive skills that she acquired at university, along with her thirst for knowledge, have enabled her to grow within a company that wants to support and develop its people, and give them the tools to move forward.

“A STEM background can be a great platform for helping a person build a whole array of skills if they join a company that is willing to help them grow,” she said.

“I would always encourage people to study STEM degrees. And if you have an engineering or a science degree, work on the skills you have and look at what skills you can build.

I’ve always felt that the opportunities are endless when you are willing to learn.” PACE

Butterfield said she loves working with her team to help them reach their potential.

APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 39

LINEAR TECHNOLOGY

Lubrication-free and wear-resistant linear systems High-performance plastics are the key to Treotham’s drylin T linear systems. PACE explains.

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or performance, mechanical engineering and handling applications, Treotham introduces the drylin T linear systems series from igus, featuring wear-resistant sliding elements made of high-performance plastics.

Lubrication-free and long-lasting, the drylin T linear system has dimensions identical to recirculating ball-bearing guides, with users able to select a standard solution from stock.

By adopting an efficient production processes, Treotham ensures its igus

drylin linear guides are available for fast delivery from stock. The plastic sliding pads are injection moulded, the carriages are either made of zinc die-casting or an aluminium profile, and the production of all guide rails is carried out in an aluminium extrusion process with a hard-anodised finish.

New, leaner assembly solutions at the factory in Cologne also ensure even more efficient assembly of drylin linear guide systems. The rails are available individually cut to the desired length and with no minimum order quantity,

Plastic technology makes the product lighter.

rails. In contrast to recirculating ballbearing guides, which are susceptible to corrosion when used outside and therefore must be constantly oiled or greased, plastic bearings can be used anywhere.

The use of plastic materials makes the drylin linear technology lighter and silent. They are equally resistant to moisture and heat. Water, dirt and swarf cannot harm the linear systems in many applications.

New drylin T series for performance applications

The igus drylin T series features high-performance plastics and solid bearings.

and then assembled with the appropriate carriage and elements. The mounting holes on the system match those of the rails and carriages on conventional recirculating ball-bearing guides. This allows engineers to take advantage of a quickly available and cost-effective alternative, enabling them to bring their machines to market faster.

An online fact check page can be found on the igus website that explains whether the drylin T solution will work for a given application. A comparison list of ball guides to drylin T guides with identical mounting dimensions is also provided.

The series is developed for performance applications, such as in packaging, mechanical engineering or handling.

The tough linear carriages are available in four different installation sizes.

Equipped with captive sliding elements made of iglidur J200, the system offers up to 50 per cent longer service life compared to the standard igus material used for linear guides. The bearing clearance of the carriages can be adjusted individually to a precision of 20μm.

As with all drylin T series, the new performance series has the same mounting dimensions as recirculating ball-bearing guides, making quick replacement possible at any time. PACE

Sliding vs. rolling: Highperformance plastics for linear technology

In the linear systems sector, igus relies on the principle of sliding in its drylin linear technology in contrast to conventional recirculating ballbearing guides. Sliding pads made of high-performance plastics integrated in the carriages ensure a lubrication-free movement of the carriages on the linear 40 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

The drylin T series is resistant to moisture.

NEW PRODUCTS

New features for industrial gas flow meters

XXX xxx The In-Flow Mass flow meters and controllers by Bronkhorst HighXxx Tech, are of rugged design according IP65 (dust- and waterproof). The instruments are available for flow ranges from 0,05-1 mln/min up to 200-10000 m3n/h air-equivalent.

In addition to the optional ATEX approval for use in Category 3, Zone 2 hazardous areas, the In-Flow series can now be offered with FM approval for Class I, Division 2.

Furthermore, Bronkhorst has announced the availability of a PROFINET fieldbus interface on their industrial mass flow meters and controllers for gases (for this new fieldbus the FM and ATEX approvals are pending). PROFINET is said to be the “new standard for industrial automation”, offering savings in configuration and commissioning. The flexible architecture of PROFINET, with its scope of functions, enables innovative, flexible, and cost-saving machine automation: maximum performance and precision, flexible address assignment and modular design, fast commissioning thanks to open access and defined interfaces and optimal diagnostics of devices, as well as the network.

Bronkhorst has many years of experience with fieldbus communication.

Depending on customer requirements, its digital flow meters and controllers can be equipped with one of the six available fieldbus interface options. The range of digital metering and control devices is applied in many different markets, including the food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration 1800 804 516 www.ams-ic.com.au

Dual-channel transmitters reduce costs and save space Acromag now offers dual-channel versions of its process transmitters for signal conditioning of temperature, voltage, current, and resistance sensor inputs.

Acromag’s new DT Series of dual transmitters offer a cost-effective and space-saving solution to interface a variety of process and sensor signals in control systems.

With two independent signal conditioning channels in a 17.5mm-wide module, savings can be achieved compared to using multiple single-channel transmitter units. A signal splitter mode lets one input drive both outputs.

Loop-powered two-wire and externally-powered (7-32V DC) four-wire versions are also available.

Input options include process current, DC voltage, thermocouple, RTD, and resistance signal types with proportional process current or unipolar/bipolar voltage output.

A USB port simplifies setup on a PC with Windows software, or on an Android mobile device using Acromag’s Agility app. Hazardous location approvals, high noise immunity, and a wide operating temperature range make DT transmitters suitable for use in harsh environments.

High-resolution A/D converters perform high accuracy measurements with repeatability and stability. High-voltage isolation separates each input, output, and power circuit from each other. The free configuration software helps select I/O ranges and precisely scale input/output limits. Each model supports several input ranges and can output a proportional 0/4-20mA, 0-10V, or ±10V DC signal. Removable, front-facing terminal blocks facilitate wiring. A rail power bus option can supply multiple units from a single connection or establish redundant power.

Metromatics (07) 3866 4255 www.metromatics.com.au

APRIL/MAY 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 41

NEW PRODUCTS

New line of power supplies Vicor Power Systems has introduced a new family of VITA 62 compliant power supplies for MIL-COTS VPX applications.

Vicor Power Systems’ new line of VITA 62-compliant power supplies are designed for 3U Open VPX systems and achieve high-efficiency and high-power density in a rugged, conduction-cooled chassis.

The initial products operate from a nominal 28V or 270V DC input, with predefined output voltages ranging from 3.3V to 12V and delivers up to 600W of power.

Customers requiring different output voltages or power levels, can request a customised power supply to meet their own specifications.

This family of products has been fully tested and will meet MIL-461F and MIL-704F standards. In addition, the 28V input version also meets MIL-1275D standards.

Vicor www.vicorpower.com

MaxGuard for control voltage distribution Weidmüller is showcasing the pioneering connectivity solution for efficient planning, installation and operation. As part of the Klippon Connect product portfolio, Weidmüller is offering maxGuard and is therefore consistently further developing control voltage distribution. maxGuard provides load monitoring and potential distribution in one complete solution that is convincing, efficient and innovative. maxGuard is an application product that is matched to the specific requirements in panel building.

Generally speaking, fail-safe and maintenance-friendly control voltage distributions that can also be installed in a time and space-saving manner are therefore, a must for efficient machine and facility operation. The new maxGuard system integrates the potential distribution terminal blocks (that were previously installed separately) in the electronic load monitoring’s outputs as a complete solution in a 24 V DC control voltage distribution component. A new combination of load monitoring and potential distribution such as this saves time during installation, increases safety against failure and reduces the amount of space required on the terminal rail by up to 50 per cent. maxGuard is characterised by its ease of servicing. Operating, testing and connection elements developed for the panel building application permit safe access to all voltage potentials and load circuits during commissioning and maintenance activities. maxGuard can be used in a customised way. The range of variants and the different potential distribution terminal blocks and additional components enable customised solutions at all times. The integrated test points in the maxGuard control voltage distribution’s input and output have proven themselves to be user-friendly, as they speed up troubleshooting. For testing and checking purposes, the potential distributors have practical disconnecting levers for simple galvanic isolation of the load circuit. maxGuard is also equipped with cross-connectors that are unique on the market, so it reduces the time and effort needed for wiring due to cross-connections between load monitoring and potential distribution terminal blocks. The new control voltage distribution system has a space-saving design – electronic load monitoring elements and distributors have a 6.1 mm pitch.

Weidmuller (02) 9671 9999 www.weidmuller.com.au/au/home

42 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2019

1300 886 122

ASSEMBLY, PAINTING, PRODUCTION AND STORAGE SOLUTIONS ... Quality in motion NikoTRACK conveyor systems provide an economic and flexible solution for loads up to 2000kg.

The manual operation can be combined with our power chain conveyor to power either segments or the entire conveyor.

Versatile and reliable overhead handling can be achieved for a variety of applications using the Niko modular design which allows extendibility and is fully relocatable if required for future upgrades.

Manual systems can be upgraded to powered systems with minimal downtime and cost.

Robust design and low maintenance achieved by self-cleaning enclosed track profiles and maintenance free bearings.

Motorised Drop-Lift units reduce product damage and potential injuries to workers when loading and unloading.

1300 886 122 www.profinsol.com.au nikotrack@profinsol.com.au

| PI11-01E |

Automation and process technology in a single system: with PC-based Control

www.beckhoff.com.au/process With a comprehensive range of components for explosion protection and the common interfaces in TwinCAT, Beckhoff offers the possibility to integrate automation and process technology in a system without barriers into Zone 0/20. The range extends from the narrow, intrinsically safe EtherCAT Terminals from the ELX series and the high-grade Control Panels and Panel PCs from the CPX series through to EtherCAT, the fast process technology fieldbus, and the TwinCAT control software with specific process technology interfaces. This allows users to directly connect intrinsically safe field devices and to realise integrated control architectures with barrier-free process technology.

TwinCAT 3: with process technology interfaces

Complete EX range: from Panels and Panel PCs to the I/Os