PACE Oct 2019

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 | VOL.72 NO.5 | Est. 1953

INSIDE PACE

Internet of Things

Sensors

The vision of the IIoT for Australia

Why protecting product quality is so important

Test & Measurement The latest in level and pressure measurement

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CONNECTING & MANAGING INDUSTRIAL ASSETS

EXCLUSIVE:

IICA’s 2019 Christmas in July event explores future of the industry

CONTENTS

CEO: John Murphy Publisher: Christine Clancy Group Managing Editor (Northern): Syed Shah

IN THIS ISSUE

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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.

Update from IICA NSW chairman Peter Veron

Digitalisation 16

How the oil and gas industry is overcoming the challenges of digital transformation Instrumentation 22

Report on the IICA Sydney Christmas in July event

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.

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Internet of Things

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Connectivity in the oil and gas industry

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 | VOL.72 NO.5 | Est. 1953

INSIDE PACE

How conductivity sensors can protect the quality of food and beverage products Explore the benefits of the VEGABAR 80 series for level and pressure measurement

News 8

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Sensors 26

IICA’s 2019 Christmas in July event explores future of the industry

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is transforming industrial sectors across Australia, from mining to manufacturing.

The technologies associated with this now almost ubiquitous concept – cloud platforms, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and smart devices – promise to help companies cut costs, boost productivity, reduce downtime and, it is hoped, become more competitive in an increasingly global marketplace. In the

wake of the oil price downturn between 2014-2016, the oil and gas sector has been slow to adapt to the digital transition, but now many Australian companies are getting on board with new developments.

In this issue of PACE, we talk with Rockwell Automation’s Craig Segers and David Turner to find out how the sector is overcoming the challenges of implementing cutting-edge digital systems and what concrete benefits these technologies offer.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 3

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EDITOR’S COMMENT

EDITOR’S MESSAGE

Syed Shah Managing Editor

More than a buzzphrase: IIoT

From manufacturing, to mining, to oil and gas refining and beyond, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is disrupting industries across Australia.

Associated with the real-time, highspeed transfer and analysis of data from assets, systems and processes, IIoT has often been held up as a revolution with the potential to completely transform all facets of production. But the concept of IIoT and related terms such as “digitalisation” and “Industry 4.0” are somewhat nebulous, and they can too often sound like buzzwords, abstractions without substance.

Companies that have been carrying out their processes in the same way for decades might occasionally wonder what all the fuss is about.

But there is a good reason for all

the fuss: IIoT offers the potential to improve efficiency, boost productivity and lower costs through real-time monitoring, advanced analytics and predictive maintenance. The problem persists, however, in making these benefits more tangible for those that stand most to gain. Companies want to know how new technologies can improve operations and, ultimately, their bottom line.

Take, for instance, the oil and gas industry. In many oil and gas operations today, data is still often collected manually and frequently remains unintegrated across different systems. And sometimes, even where there is a mass of valuable data from digitised systems, it remains in siloes, under-utilised and unable to effectively

shape important operational and business decision-making.

The sector has recently begun moving in the direction of adopting IIoT cloudbased digital technologies to enhance production and efficiency across operations. In this issue of PACE, we speak to Rockwell Automation’s Craig Segers and David Turner about the challenges the oil and gas industry faces in implementing digital systems and how they can be overcome.

In July, the Sydney Branch of the Institute of Instrumentation, Control and Automation (IICA) celebrated its annual Christmas in July event at the 150-year-old Athol Hall in Mosman. In this issue we report on comments from Michael Sharpe, the NSW head of the Advanced

Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) and IICA NSW chairman Peter Veron on the role of Industry 4.0 and IIoT on the instrumentation and manufacturing sectors.

Also in this issue we speak with Rockwell Automation’s new Australia regional director, Anthony Wong, about how IIoT is moving from hype to practical solutions, the state of the automation industry today, and the benefits of working closely with partners. We also feature an interview with Ali Hafeez from Endress+Hauser.

Hafeez gives a clear exposition of the tangible benefits of IIoT technology and how it differs from traditional control systems, particularly in enabling effective upper-level decision-making across company-wide operations. PACE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 5

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COMMENT

Get involved with upcoming events with the IICA Members of the instrumentation and control sector are encouraged to take up the opportunities for networking, training and other activities presented by IICA events, writes the association’s NSW chairman, Peter Veron.

T

he Institute of Instrumentation, Control and Automation Australia (IICA), as the relevant industry body, provides a unique opportunity for the corporate sector to access our wide range of resources and benefits. The IICA conducts activities for the benefit of members from the manufacturing sector.

As a member, you are invited to attend site visits, technical presentations, technology expos, training courses and social networking activities. These are conducted all around Australia and are free for members to attend, with a small charge for non-members. The insight and networking opportunities provided prove to be mutually beneficial for vendors and industry professionals keeping abreast of latest trends and technologies.

The next Sydney Tech Expo will be held on 30th October at the Rosehill Racecourse. This is expected to be the largest expo for the IICA this year, with over 68

IICA events offer great opportunities for networking and the showcasing of the latest technologies and products.

exhibitors presenting their latest instrumentation, automation equipment and services.

These Tech Expos present an opportunity to speak to industry experts and get advice on applications and optimising process control techniques. Latest technologies such as IO-link, IIoT, self-calibrating process thermometers, Profi-BUS instruments, inline process analytical instruments and many more devices that can optimise manufacturing processes will be on display.

The venue will be open to industry visitors between 2-6 pm at no charge.

Register prior to the event at https://iica.org.au/events/ to minimise delays on the day.

Other Technology Expos to be held later this year in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia are listed on the IICA website. These will provide an opportunity for regional manufacturing centres to contact suppliers to industry in a convenient informal setting. Take advantage of

IICA NSW chairman, Peter Veron.

these events and spend a few hours updating your knowledge of the latest products and practices.

Technical evenings and site visits provide an opportunity to visit manufacturers and get an insight into their manufacturing process and techniques used to optimise their process. Our CIP members often permit members to visit and get a behind the scene look into their manufacturing process. Members such as ANSTO, Qenos and Sydney Water often hold special evenings for the IICA which are very popular.

For a summary of future activities and a list of our CIP members participating in the Technology Expos, please refer to our site, https://iica.org.au/.

The Institute of Instrumentation, Control and Automation is an open arena for members to build their network and knowledge, to enhance their professional career and make some lifelong friendships. PACE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 7

NEWS

More businesses transitioning to Industry 4.0, new report finds Cyber security threats remain a growing and evolving risk management issue for many businesses.

A

new report from the Australian Industry (Ai) Group has outlined the state of business digitalisation as more companies transition to Industry 4.0, providing a set of recommendations on how to overcome lingering challenges.

The report, titled The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Australian businesses in transition, indicates that an increasing number of company business models are being transformed to take advantage of the possibilities of connected devices, data analytics and other technologies.

Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said while business engagement with Industry 4.0 is growing and maturing, many companies are yet to get on board.

“This report assesses progress on digitalisation and changes to the underlying technological landscape;

highlights case studies from leading innovators; and sets out key policy priorities for work by government and businesses,” Willox said.

“In our latest report we find that Australian businesses are currently transitioning to and within Industry 4.0. An overall finding is that there has been substantial progress in embracing Industry 4.0. But the gap between 4.0 leaders and the majority of businesses is substantial.”

Willox said that the steps towards Industry 4.0 were not easy, with successes also involving the countering of many challenges.

Further, some businesses are not yet finding any clarity of the advantages of technologies and methods associated with Industry 4.0.

“For example, despite expected cost efficiencies through adoption of connected devices, often called the Internet of Things (IoT), challenges

8 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

remain for promoting the business value of IoT. According to the latest ABS data on business use of IT, more than 60 per cent of businesses did not see any value in IoT – a pillar of Industry 4.0,” he said.

“Cyber security threats remain a growing and evolving risk management issue for many businesses. 2018 saw the commencement of a range of significant data privacy legislation including the Australian Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) Scheme, as well as the controversial Assistance and Access Act which requires suppliers of secure systems to help circumvent them.”

Over 30 per cent of businesses surveyed by Ai Group experienced a cyber security incident, with the most common arising from hacking, phishing, and malware. Ai Group data also found nearly 80 per cent of

businesses invested in cyber security measures, up from just over 20 per in its 2017 report.

“Even with improvements in cyber security investment, notifiable data breaches under the NDB Scheme point to the need for improved cyber security and data management posture within organisations, where government support might assist,” Willox said.

In addition to Ai Group’s key findings, the report also includes recommendations to support the transition to Industry 4.0. These include a strong focus on cyber security, promotion of business investment, encouragement of innovation and sustainability, flexibility of legal and regulatory frameworks, clarity of standards for digitalisation, strengthening workforce skills and workplace relations, and a reduction of barriers to trade. PACE

NEWS

ACOLA report encourages further embrace of AI-related technologies

A

report from the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) on artificial intelligence (AI) is encouraging Australians to embrace the emerging technology.

The panel, co-chaired by UNSW Sydney Professor Toby Walsh, urges Australians to reflect on what AI-enabled future the nation wants, as the future impact of AI on our society will be ultimately determined by decisions taken today.

AI is the collection of interrelated technologies, such as natural language processing, speech recognition,

computer vision, machine learning and automated reasoning, that give machines the ability to perform tasks and solve problems that would otherwise require human cognition.

“With careful planning, AI offers great opportunities for Australia, provided we ensure that the use of the technology does not compromise our human values. As a nation, we should look to set the global example for the responsible adoption of AI,” Professor Walsh said.

Launching the report, Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel emphasised that nations had choices.

“This report was commissioned by the National Science and Technology Council, to develop an intellectual context for our human society to turn to in deciding what living well in this new era will mean,” Dr Finkel said.

“What kind of society do we want to be? That is the crucial question for all Australians, and for governments as our elected representatives.”

The findings recognise the importance of having a national strategy, a community awareness campaign, safe and accessible digital infrastructure, a responsive regulatory system; and a diverse and highly

skilled workforce.

“By bringing together Australia’s leading experts from the sciences, technology and engineering, humanities, arts and social sciences, this ACOLA report comprehensively examines the key issues arising from the development and implementation of AI technologies, and importantly places the wellbeing of society at the centre of any development,” Professor Hugh Bradlow, Chair of the ACOLA Board, said.

ACOLA’s report is the fourth in the Horizon Scanning series, each scoping the human implications of fast-evolving technologies in the decade ahead. PACE

Two operating units at Muja Power Station to be retired

T

he Western Australian government has announced that two of four operating units at Synergy’s Muja Power Station will be retired from October 2022, a move which it says will protect against higher power bills for households and ensure the state’s electricity supply remains stable.

According to WA premier Mark McGowan, keeping the two units operating at Muja C beyond these dates would cost Western Australian taxpayers in excess of an additional $350 million.

“It no longer makes sense to keep the Muja C units operational. They are expensive to run, and demand for electricity from the units is declining dramatically,” McGowan said.

“Keeping them open will lead to higher power bills for Western Australians and put our stable electricity supply at risk.”

The two Muja D units, Collie

Power Station and Bluewaters will continue to operate. The retirement of Muja C will ensure Muja D units operate more frequently, increasing their stability and long-term viability.

Increasing levels of residential

rooftop solar power has reduced the demand for traditional coal-fired baseload power generation in the South West Interconnected System.

Synergy’s Muja Power Station is the oldest power station in WA. The The closure of this unit is expected to have minimal impact on coal production.

generation output for units 5 and 6 within Muja C continues to decline and they are only being used around 35 per cent of the time.

The reduced demand means the 40-year-old units are not being deployed as designed. Closing the two C units will allow the two D units to work more often, more efficiently and more cost-effectively.

The high operating costs of Muja C, plus increased maintenance requirements due to the additional cycling of the plant, will force power prices up if it remains open.

It is expected around 30 workers will be affected by the closure of the first Muja C Unit 5 on October 1, 2022. The closure of this unit is expected to have minimal impact on coal production.

A further 40-50 workers will reportedly be potentially impacted by the Muja C Unit 6 closing on October 1, 2024. PACE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 9

NEWS

Australian additive manufacturing company starts product trials

A

dditive Assurance, a company based on research from Monash University, has launched with an investment from IP Group and is now conducting trials with aerospace, defence, and energy companies.

The company has been founded to commercialise a metal 3D printing quality assurance technology, developed at Monash University in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE).

Reproducibility and reliability issues are hindering the mainstream adoption of metal 3D printing in a number of industries such

as aerospace, defence, energy and medical device manufacturers.

Additive Assurance has developed a novel sensing technology powered by machine learning analytics to solve these issues and dramatically increases the adoption of metal 3D printing.

Additive Assurance originated from a research team at Monash University led by PhD candidate Marten Jurg and Dr Andrey Molotnikov, an adjunct at Monash University.

The company is working closely with leading global aerospace, energy and defence organisations and is now conducting product trials. The in-situ monitoring tool is capable of providing

Additive Assurance has developed a novel sensing technology powered by machine learning analytics. real-time defects alerts with full process traceability, enabling qualification of metal 3D printed parts.

“Additive manufacturing is the future and we’re delighted to have made this investment and look forward to working with the team to bring this technology to market,” Michael

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“This is Monash’s second investment with IP Group providing funding and expertise to rapidly translate our research outcomes into real world impact,” Alastair Hick, senior director of Monash Innovation, said. PACE

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NEWS

Queensland government funds hydrogen plant feasibility study

A

$5 million study is underway into a hydrogen plant at Stanwell Power Station in Queensland.

State energy minister Anthony Lynham told Queensland parliament that the 12-month study would assess the technical, commercial and strategic feasibility of a large hydrogen electrolysis plant near Stanwell Power Station.

The government-owned generator Stanwell Corp is looking at a 10MW or larger demonstration plant, the largest plant of its type in Australia.

“By deploying hydrogen

electrolysis at large scale, the demonstration plant could help drive down production costs and support the development of new domestic and export markets for hydrogen,” Lynham said.

The study started in July and is looking at building an electrolysis plant. Demineralised water already produced at Stanwell would then be treated at the plant to produce hydrogen.

The hydrogen produced could then be used in three ways: to produce liquid ammonia for

fertilisers and as an industrial chemical; compressed and sold as a gas for various uses, including for manufacturers; and compressed and used to generate electricity in a gas turbine or a fuel cell.

Lynham said Stanwell has had discussions with potential local and international commercial partners and customers.

“The proposed site is well located near local ports for access to export markets,” he said.

State development minister Cameron Dick said the surge of

interest in hydrogen development in Central Queensland showed the government’s Queensland Hydrogen Industry Strategy 2019-2024 was working.

“I’m confident that in partnership with industry, universities and research institutes, we can develop a clean, green hydrogen export industry in Queensland,” Dick said.

“Our government is working hard to drive this industry forward, to create more local jobs, especially in our regions, and a stronger state economy.” PACE

Installation of SPEE3D metal parts printer at university’s Factory of the Future

A

first-of-its-kind 3D metal parts printer, LightSPEE3D, has been installed at Swinburne University’s Factory of the Future.

This latest installation, developed

by Australian 3D metal-printing company SPEE3D, is the first 3D metal parts printer to apply supersonic deposition, where metal particles are fired faster than the speed of sound, creating industrial quality metal parts in just minutes.

“Unlike traditional 3D printing technologies, supersonic deposition does not use heat to melt the metal particles,” said Swinburne advanced manufacturing researcher, Associate Professor Suresh Palanisamy.

“Instead, the metal particles are sprayed at a support plate, layer by

Supersonic deposition is cheaper than other 3D metal manufacturing methods. layer, through a rocket nozzle using high velocity air, allowing for a much faster build.”

Supersonic deposition is cheaper than other 3D metal manufacturing methods.

“This technology can print complex geometric parts without

the need for specialised tools such as fixtures, jigs, gauges, moulds, dies and patterns,” said Associate Professor Palanisamy.

“The only inputs required are computer-aided design (CAD), compressed air and metal powder.

“This not only reduces the time

needed to manufacture a part, but also the cost.”

The Factory of the Future houses a suite of advanced visualisation and design tools that allow researchers, students and organisations to explore conceptual ideas for manufacturing next generation products.

The collaboration between the Factory of the Future and SPEE3D, will help local manufacturers create new products and become more globally competitive. It is supported by the Victorian state government and its Future Industries Sector Growth Funding Program.

Swinburne students will also have the opportunity to intern at SPEE3D to further develop their manufacturing abilities. PACE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 11

NEWS

Standards Australia: Adoption of international standards can help Industry 4.0 transition

A

t the recent Industry 4.0 Advanced Manufacturing Forum (I4AMF), Standards Australia outlined how developing standards can help Australia tackle the next major industrial revolution.

Standards Australia presented at the conference about how Australian businesses can optimise their supply chain processes, reduce risks, eliminate inefficiencies, and improve productivity.

“The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, is changing industries around the globe with a move towards seamless integration of physical and digital systems. Every year, we are adopting new technologies like 3D printing, blockchain as well as IoT and edge computing – standards play a huge role in outlining how they operate in our current industrial landscape.” said Standards Australia’s head of stakeholder engagement, Daniel Chidgey.

Around the world there are standards being developed that assist with the adoption of Industry 4.0 on a global scale such as the ISO Joint Technical Committee 1, Working Group 12 – which is currently exploring 3D printing and scanning for adoption in the med-tech and construction industries.

Chidgey said that Standards Australia can work alongside industry and government to identify Australia’s opportunities for adoption of

new technologies.

“By leading this conversation, we look forward to shaping the way Australia responds to new technologies and by working with industry experts we can navigate this emerging industrial era,” he said.

Standards Australia reported that it has identified opportunities to assist small to medium sized manufacturers transition to modernise, grow and employ digital capabilities which will be pursued in the months ahead. PACE

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12 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

NEWS

ARENA announces funding for BOC hydrogen project in Queensland

T

he Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $950,000 in funding for gas company BOC for a renewable hydrogen production and refuelling project in Queensland.

The $3.1 million pilot project will involve the installation of a 220kW electrolyser and a 100kW solar array at BOC’s Bulwer Island gas facility to produce green hydrogen via electrolysis and will utilise the industrial gas equipment and infrastructure onsite. The electrolyser will have the capacity to produce 2400kg of hydrogen per month.

The project also includes a hydrogen refuelling station in Brisbane. In addition to supplying BOC’s existing industrial customers, 50kg per day of renewable hydrogen will be produced by BOC for the vehicle refuelling station.

Hydrogen from fossil fuels is currently produced at BOC’s Altona steam methane reformer in Melbourne. Once this project is complete, green hydrogen produced at Bulwer Island will reduce the need to transport hydrogen. The electrolyser will be configured to produce hydrogen via electrolysis drawn from the onsite solar or grid sourced renewable energy via a power purchase agreement.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said BOC’s project would demonstrate the production and use of renewable hydrogen in refuelling, and in existing gas production and supply chains.

“BOC’s project is a great example of leveraging current industrial gas equipment and infrastructure and will also trial renewable hydrogen in refuelling. Producing hydrogen on site will reduce shipping costs, while being able to help grow the

ARENA has thrown its weight behind Australia’s increasing focus on hydrogen as an alternative fuel source.

local Brisbane fuel cell vehicle market and also meet demand from local industry,” Miller said.

“Hydrogen is a huge opportunity for Australia, both in our domestic economy and internationally as an emission-free energy source but it is still in its early stages. In Australia, hydrogen has applications across transport, heavy industry, and as energy storage injected into our existing gas networks. Internationally, we are well placed to become a leading exporter of hydrogen.”

Last year ARENA commissioned a report by ACIL Allen Consulting to look into the opportunities for Australia from hydrogen exports.

The report found that Australia is in a strong position to become a leading exporter of hydrogen, as global demand increases over the next decade, predicting Australia’s hydrogen export industry could be worth $1.7 billion annually to the economy and create 2,800 jobs by 2030.

ARENA has thrown its weight behind Australia’s increasing focus on hydrogen as an alternative fuel source.

Previously, ARENA has supported Toyota’s hydrogen centre at their Altona former car manufacturing plant, ATCO’s hydrogen microgrid in Western Australia and Jemena’s power-to-grid gas demonstration in western Sydney. Last year, ARENA also awarded $22.1 million to 16 hydrogen research projects. ARENA is also contributing to the National Hydrogen Strategy being led by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel.

“ARENA is playing a leading role in helping to get Australia’s hydrogen economy off the ground by supporting innovation from early stage research to demonstration-scale projects like this,” Miller said.

BOC South Pacific’s managing

director, John Evans, said this will leverage BOC’s existing infrastructure and expertise across the entire hydrogen supply chain, and support the growth of hydrogen as a zeroemission fuel.

“BOC is delighted to be working with ARENA and our project partners to establish a local supply of renewable hydrogen in Queensland that can be

easily scalable and replicated across the country,” said Evans.

“Through this project, we will deliver added environmental value to our industrial customers and facilitate the introduction of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in Queensland – while also enhancing our own production processes at Bulwer Island.” PACE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 13

NEWS

Virtual reality industrial safety solution wins UNSW Maker Games

U

NSW University students have designed a virtual and augmented reality system that enables workers to safely shut down dangerous machinery in industrial plants, an effort that has seen them win this year’s UNSW Maker Games competition.

Now in its third year, the Maker Games encourages UNSW students from multiple faculties to come together and design prototypes that solve real-world problems as set by industry partners.

This year’s winner, Team safAR, impressed the judges after responding to a challenge from construction materials manufacturer Boral to come up with a way to prevent its workers from being accidentally electrocuted after incorrectly isolating – or turning off – heavy machinery in its manufacturing plants.

The cost of making a simple mistake while trying to isolate a machine can be fatal, with an average of 27 workers dying each year from electrocution, while more than 530 people are hospitalised with electrical injuries, Team safAR said in its pitch to the judges.

The Team safAR students – Saloni Goda, Derek Sun, Dean Hou, Charles Chan and Neel Iyer – responded to the problem by creating a system that uses augmented reality (AR) to provide stepby-step instructions to workers about how to safely isolate machinery.

A worker wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset loaded with the safAR software simply needs to look at the machine in question to be offered AR video prompts that direct him or her to safely shut it down.

“It uses augmented reality, and also machine learning to recognise the machine. And then augmented reality provides a visual reminder or alerts if

The software uses AR object recognition and speech recognition. the machine is on,” said team member Saloni Goda, currently studying computer science.

“The software uses AR object recognition and speech recognition,” added colleague Derek Sun, a student of maths and commerce.

“So, it’s a really easy-to-use tool that any construction worker can look at the machinery and instantly get feedback on what they should do in the field. It uses some small safety glasses, which are essentially similar to [Microsoft’s] HoloLens, that give you a VR/AR kind of display. So that while you’re in the field, you can operate our software hands free.”

Up until now, workers in industrial plants like Boral have had to rely on long and complicated manuals to follow the correct procedure, with risks of harm increasing when people

14 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

specialising in this knowledge are away from the workplace.

“When we went to Boral’s Maldon concrete factory, we realised that over the next 10 years, there’s going to be a generational shift, especially in the training and how they’re going to be doing electrical isolation,” team member Charles Chan said. “So, this is the best opportunity to cut in and teach the new people the strict method and giving them step-by-step instructions.”

Boral’s chief people transformation officer Wayne Reade played mentor to Team safAR and said in addition to being very proud of his young charges, he was impressed with the fresh approach they brought to solving the problem.

“Having people that weren’t fixed, but were very open minded around how to solve problems really differently

– and having them go out to site and listen and engage with people at the front line, and understanding what are their pain points – was a really, really important step for Boral,” Reade said.

Dean of Engineering Professor Mark Hoffman said the Maker Games was a great opportunity for students to apply their learnings to the real world and a key component of UNSW’s strategy to provide “quality at scale” engineering education.

“One of the reasons the Maker Games is such a wonderful learning experience is it gets the students and industry partners together and we get some really interesting problems solved by people who aren’t constrained by pre-existing ideas,” he said.

“And we have students learning by doing real-world projects, not ones we’ve created on campus.” PACE

NEWS

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Swinburne University awarded for Industry 4.0 Initiative

S

winburne University has been awarded the 2019 Australian Business Award (ABA) for Business Innovation for its Industry 4.0 Initiative.

The ABA program honours high-performing organisations that implement world-class business initiatives and develop innovative products and services.

Swinburne University has been working with industry partners to solve challenges in the transition to Industry 4.0 and create opportunities from this transformation.

“Swinburne is very proud of its Industry 4.0 Initiative, and we are

pleased to have it recognised with an Australian Business Award,” said Swinburne University’s deputy vice-chancellor (research and development), Professor Aleksandar Subic.

“Swinburne has made a real difference through its strategic industry links, preparing our business partners, as well as the current and future workforce for Industry 4.0 transformations.

We have positioned ourselves as a national and international leader in Industry 4.0 research, innovation and education across the entire continuum – from vocational to research training.”

Swinburne’s Industry 4.0

Swinburne’s Industry 4.0 Initiative focusses on strong industry relationships for social and economic impact.

Initiative focusses on strong industry relationships for social and economic impact. Its collaboration model has led to projects such as the creation of Australia’s first Advanced Diploma for Industry 4.0, co-sponsored by Siemens and Ai Group, and the Victorian Industry 4.0 SME Hub for Advanced Manufacturing and the National Industry 4.0 Testlab Network, established with industry, state and federal governments, among others.

The Initiative is supported by Swinburne’s research Institutes who engage and collaborate with industry in the key sectors of manufacturing, smart cities, data science, health and social innovation, while the university’s Innovation Precinct provides timely, technology-based solutions to commercial partners.

“Each year the ABA100 Winners are recognised for their innovative initiatives, products and services, which are leading business and digital transformation within the Australian marketplace,” Australian Business Awards program director Tara Johnston said.

“Innovation is vital for every company, but it’s even more important for business growth and expansion. Innovation makes it easier to grow, regardless of the size of the business. You need new, unique ideas, and the ability to bring them to market before the competition.”

As a national winner, Swinburne will be given the opportunity to participate in the World Business Awards. PACE

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DIGITALISATION

Digitising oil and gas PACE caught up with Craig Segers and David Turner from Rockwell Automation at the company’s recent TechEd on the Gold Coast to talk about the challenges that face the oil and gas sector in carrying out digital transformations.

W

ith operations spanning multiple and often remote regions, with heavy capital investment and vast supply chains, the oil and gas industry is a sector that stands to benefit from the adoption of new digital technologies and advanced analytics. Increasing asset utilisation, for instance, is a critical area for the oil and gas industry, as it opens up significant opportunities to lower costs and drive efficiency. Utilising the developments associated with the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can provide the sector with ways of connecting assets

to drive optimisation of processes.

But the scope and size of oil and gas operations pose particular challenges for digital transformation in the sector. According to a 2018 McKinsey report, while the oil and gas industry, particularly in upstream operations, has embraced sophisticated analytics to reduce risk in exploration and production, the sector has been relatively slow to implement digital technologies.

According to Craig Segers, oil and gas executive account manager with Rockwell Automation, among the most important things that need to be considered when thinking about

Companies are on a long-term trajectory to having their sites being fully optimised with IoT-related technology.

16 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

the move to IIoT in the oil and gas sector is that it is a journey: while not every company is at the same place, there is a long-term process involved in getting a site from having no IoT-related technology at all to having full implementation of a system and being able to operate and optimise a plant based upon the data that is received.

“For every single customer there is a journey that they have to take in preparation of getting to that point of full implementation of a system,” Segers told PACE. “If we look at the sector as a whole and where it is, and we ask, ‘Are

they on the path?’ My answer is that they’re all doing something to get to the point where they have access to data. Are they all there yet? Absolutely not. Do they have heaps of data that they have access to? Absolutely.”

According to Segers, while the oil and gas industry has been moving slowly and cautiously in getting on board with IIoT technologies, there are companies are currently deeply involved in discussions about the next steps forward in realising the potential value of available data via implementation of digital systems.

“A lot of them have these data lakes of information available to make

DIGITALISATION

Oil and gas industries may be slow to adapt to new technologies but they are seeing the value of the IIoT.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 17

DIGITALISATION

them; it is now about how they make sense of that data. Some might believe the sector is slow on the uptake when it comes to IIoT. I don’t think they are. I think, in fact, because of the size of the organisations and the number of the assets that they have, they have to take time to get their infrastructure in place to enable that implementation and that realisation of valuable data for optimisation later,” he said.

Overcoming challenges

There are also challenges in the way that infrastructure in the sector is dispersed, especially in the upstream market where a company might have hundreds or thousands of wells that need to be connected to gather data.

“They are faced with some technical challenges that they are trying to overcome to confirm that the number of resources that they have actually get connectivity to a point where they can use the data,” said Segers.

The challenge here is not due

purely to the size of oil and gas operations, but on the logistical and geographical issues that companies face, including in the implementation of robust security. “It can be particularly challenging because, for the most part, we are talking about remote areas. There are challenges that a typical manufacturing facility wouldn’t have.”

A further challenge involves making the benefits of IIoT and cloud-based technologies concrete and tangible. Companies making decisions about costly, large-scale investments need to have a detailed view of how digitalisation will impact positively on their bottom line.

“It is an enormous task to get them to a situation where they have full visualisation of the operation with optimisation and everything,” explained Segers. “So, again, it is about how you take them on that journey to get them there. Like all industries, the oil and gas sector is heavily driven by return on investment. Unless you can actually

prove to them that it will bring a return on investment, as opposed to just throwing out attractive buzzwords, you’re not going to get it across the line.”

Segers said he recently spoke to a potential client who indicated that the number one driver for implementation of new technology was the potential to reduce cost.

“They said, ‘If you can help us reduce that cost through implementation of analytics or some sort of IoT infrastructure, then we’ll look at it.

There has got to be a cost benefit and a value proposition for us,’” said Segers.

“To me, you can’t go to them with this big picture and say, ‘This is what you need to do’. It is a journey of taking small pieces of the puzzle, seeing the value for those pieces and moving on to the next step.

And, like the availability of data and infrastructure to get them to that point, you now need to start using that data effectively to show those returns go back into their business.

Moreover, driving their cost down enables them to reinvest in the next portion of technology.”

Undergoing transformation

There is, then, currently a high level of maturity being displayed by companies in the Australian oil and gas sector: they understand the scope of the challenges ahead and they understand that they need to start small. They also know they have the data, and they know they need to make changes, but in order to justify those changes they need to be showing the value to their business.

“The industry has been traditionally slow to adopt change; they’ve had their specifications, and they’ve stuck to these specifications for a long time. As mature end-users, they’ve also – because suppliers haven’t had that IoT infrastructure and the technology to take them along this path – had to develop their own. A lot of them have therefore had multiple packages, including home-grown packages, that they are

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DIGITALISATION

maintaining and using to operate their business,” Segers said.

“This can be a challenge. But getting through that requires a change management process, where we go to a company with value proposition which might involve taking out some of those older technologies that are costing them money to maintain and bring in new technologies. Some of these larger users have a lot of that infrastructure in place, which might not be terribly efficient. But they have a long-term investment in those technologies that they are currently using. For us, it is about convincing them of the value proposition of newer technologies and how that value proposition, that cost of ownership of those technologies, reduces over time.”

David Turner, who works for Rockwell Automation as regional segment manager for oil and gas across the Asia-Pacific region, said the challenges are dependent on the particularities of the conditions in each country, which are all different.

While there is a relatively mature market in Australia, other countries in Asia are not at that level, and have their own challenges, such as total lack of connectivity, or very little.

“Not all countries are equal,” Turner told PACE. “For instance, look at China: onshore, there is a very low-cost environment, and they cannot justify spending the money.

I know of one particular field, the largest in the world, that has 108,000 oil wells, and only around 50 of them are instrumented. In India, traditionally, the wells are often naturally-flowing, and are located in remote farmland. And they can’t instrument the wells because the local thieves take everything and sell it. So, there are many challenges. And each country has their own.”

According to Turner, the Australian market is quite buoyant, having developed the technology at the right time. While from 2014 to 2016 the oil price crash and the associated reduction in the sale price of gas led to a dearth of investment, things are starting to look up.

“And, on the upside, because we at Rockwell Automation continued to invest in technology during the downturn, it has meant that those who are now investing in the

technology are going to be in a better position. We’ve taken some costs out, added a lot more features,” said Turner. “And, for the companies that are wishing to invest in some kind of digital transformation, now is the right time to get on to that journey.

And we are getting a lot of traction here in Australia. There is certainly a

Turner explained that they have worked with a particular end-user who already has a full digitalisation system for site visualisation, one which is partially home-grown and has been cobbled together over about 10 years. And it is now no longer fit for purpose.

“Some of the technology is

“All companies are on some part of this journey. They might be going in different directions, but they generally have the same end-goals or objectives. How they are getting there will also be different: they each have a different budget, they each have different types of assets they are trying to connect. But, ultimately, they want

obsolete; they don’t have licences; there is no technical support available, and they cannot scale it any further than they have currently without huge incremental costs. They now recognise that they can’t go forward with that existing system, and they are going to keep the parts that work and which are serviceable, and then put a completely new front end on to that system,” said Turner.

“And that is going to happen in the next two to three years. And, again, that comes with its own drivers and goals that will add value back to the business at every level. In this particular case there is a very real need at the executive level to get visibility into the operations anytime, anywhere.

these systems to drive early, fact-based decisions, which they are currently not able to do.”

Rockwell Automation has developed a platform for the oil and gas industry which is device agnostic and open protocol. Turner explained that this means the customer is not locked in – it can integrate with everything that they already have in place. “Our opening conversation is about what they currently have in place, what is working for them, what isn’t working for them – where are they now and where do they want to be tomorrow – and how much of this infrastructure can we leverage because of their existing investment,” said Turner. “So, we are not trying

There is a currently a high level of maturity in the Australian oil and gas sector as companies are aware of scope of the challenges ahead.

lot of interest.”

Segers concurred. Depending on the end user, he said, there are projects ranging from smaller solutions that are showing value back to the business, with a relatively quick return on investment, to others that are investing in a full implementation, which will be a cycle that is going to take multiple years to complete across their business.

“There is interest, but it will be a long journey – from beginning to digitise assets and enabling edge devices to then carrying out a wider implementation. It is not something that they are going to do in six months; it might take multiple years to complete,” Segers said.

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DIGITALISATION

to displace anything – we are trying to put a visualisation layer on top of what already exists and then help them fill in the gaps with the correct technologies. And we can supply the latter or we can recommend someone else. Or they can develop their own.”

There are lingering challenges.

For instance, there are companies that are currently not ready for this transformation, Turners and Segers said. Nonetheless, they are the few.

Most companies understand and realise that digital IIoT technology is the future, and that there are common objectives and goals across the industry. “This is a difficult journey: this has to be a top-down driven solution to release the budget; it cannot be bottom up. It has got to come from the executive level and they need to understand why they need this business transformation: not because everyone else is doing it, but because it has a meaning for them,” said Turner.

assets in terms of maintenance –they can repair pumps before they fail, and they can plan ahead and make sure they have inventory to replace the pumps. And, ultimately, what we are looking to do is provide operational expenditure savings: fewer personnel have to go to the well site as everything is visualised remotely,” said Turner.

“We can also have shortfall analysis on their production, meaning that if they are having a decline in production, recommendations can be made on how to reset production and

all of the assets, not based on the few that the engineer is looking at. There is greater visualisation further up the hierarchy,” said Turner.

It is also important that the transition to new technologies are managed in terms of cultural change.

“It is a long journey and it is not without problems. Internally, a company has to get organised. And there have to be changes in mindsets because there is a fear of these systems as well. People think that they will lose their jobs as more and more things become automated. But for

it is going to change and impact the business moving forward, and how they are an integral part of that implementation.”

While the journey towards implementing digital IIoT systems across large, complex sites, and throughout organisations, is a long and difficult one, both Turner and Segers are impressed with the progress that has been made in the Australian oil and gas industry.

“In Australia, what is impressive to me is that, without exception, I have not visited a customer who has not

the manager, the more and more jobs that are automated, the more high-value jobs you can create,” said Turner.

According to Segers a client looking to at full implementation of a new system needs a change management process to achieve effective adoption of that system.

“If they are not going through that change management, there is no system in the world – it doesn’t matter how good it is – that will be able to sustain a business that has not adopted that change,” said Segers. “They need to go through this change management process with the workforce for them to understand what the vision is, what the drivers are of the business, why the technology is important and how

started this journey. Everyone is at a different point on that journey, but absolutely everyone is doing it,” said Turner.

Segers said that he has been most impressed by willingness of companies to think outside of the box and their willingness to start doing things differently to effect change and reduce the cost of operation generally.

“It is not just about maximising production. It is also about how they are trying, on the one hand, to minimise cost, energy use and risk, and on the other hand, increase safety. It is not a singular focus. They are imaginative about the way they are going about their businesses and trying to look at it holistically. And to me, that has been the most refreshing thing I’ve seen.” PACE

Improvement across the whole operation

For Turner and Segers, effectively communicating the benefits of IIoT in oil and gas is necessary. But, again, it is also important, they explained, to address the particular circumstances and needs of each company, which will often be different. And within an organisation itself, the requirements for data vary between different departments.

“One of the ways we can address some of the concerns they may have is to start small and address something relatively simple,” said Turner.

For example, when speaking to a production engineer or a petroleum engineer, the focus will be on production optimisation. This can be achieved with the installation of an edge-based device with connectivity back to his desktop computer where he can see his operations in real-time with dashboards and can help determine production optimisation opportunities.

Edge-based and server-based analytics can also give him a visualisation of his site’s current operating state and what it is trending towards.

And it could be trending towards failure. Among the chief benefits of the technology is to predict failures before they occur. “And this can defer costs by helping to manage

Companies need to communicate effectivtely with staff when implementing new systems. get it back to where it should be.”

Within an organisation, there are different goals and drivers for the implementation of digital technology depending on job role. Further up the hierarchy, those who are responsible for whole areas, and ultimately, for whole enterprises in a country or internationally, have different data needs than an engineer.

“We want to try and optimise operations at the individual well level, and then to try and balance that production to make the targets at the field level or the region level. And as you go further and further up the value chain, the CEO will be looking at his business KPIs on a dashboard, and he will get real-time updates and see what the problems are, tracking actual versus planned production for

20 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

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INSTRUMENTATION

The spectacular view from Athol Hall – the location of this year’s IICA Christmas in July event.

Industry 4.0 and the instrumentation sector Celebrating it’s the IICA Sydney branch Christmas in July event, members of the instrumentation, control, and automation profession came together to discuss how their field will be impacted by the fourth industrial revolution.

H

eld in the 150-year-old Athol Hall located on Bradley’s Head in Mosman, the Sydney branch listened to presentations on the state of the instrumentation and control sector and how it was being shaped by new digital technologies.

Peter Veron, chairperson of the Sydney Branch of the IICA, reflected on the past year for the Institute’s NSW branch, noting the successes that each tech expo achieved. With over 50 exhibitors at the Unanderra expo, 66 in Newcastle and a healthy turnout in Griffith, each expo

provided an opportunity for IICA to facilitate the connections between providers of instrumentation controls and customers. The next NSW expo will be held at Sydney’s Rosehill Racecourse, for the first time, on October 30.

“We’ve got 66 exhibitors already

Peter Veron, chair of the IICA Sydney Branch reminded attendees about Industry 4.0 trends and the urgency to stay abreast of them.

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booked, so we’re looking forward to a really successful event there,” said Veron.

In addition, IICA has organised expeditions to Sydney Water, Origin Energy, and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).

Veron also reminded the gathered attendees that the IICA had been hosting evenings devoted to informing members about the latest trends in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0.

“It’s going to hit our industry before we know it. We’re all waiting for it, the digital connectivity and wireless connectivity, and we’re about to get it,” said Veron.

Following dinner, Michael Sharpe, the national director of industry at the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Sector (AMGC), expanded on how technologies associated with IIoT and Industry 4.0 were shaking things up.

Funded by the federal government and tasked with helping enable the Australian manufacturers to more advanced processes, techniques and business models, AMGC currently has close to 800 members, and is continuing to expand.

“If we can accelerate and transform manufacturing, we’ll see Australia break out into the world. We need

INSTRUMENTATION

more companies to look at the export potential,” said Sharpe. “And you’ve heard the term Industry 4.0: a lot of the work and research involves talking to companies big and small.”

Sharpe detailed how $220 billion investment by the federal government in defence, the largest in Australia’s peace time history, presented a great opportunity for Australian businesses to be part of significant global supply chains, as government contracts require local content. Leveraging this investment could allow Australian businesses to both scale up their operations and increase their technological complexity.

“The fourth industrial revolution, which is Industry 4.0, is intelligent or digital production, and we’re just riding the crest of that wave now,” said Sharpe. “It’s no longer what you make; it’s how you make it. That comes down to integrated supply chains, investing in technology to boost the business to add more value than ever before.”

“The digital economy is upon us and will impact upon the industry that you’re a part of. We need to get that out to the SMEs to see how they can transform their business. We’ve got companies today that are so stuck in the way they’ve done things in the past. Now when we can share our research and what other companies are doing, suddenly it opens up their eyes and they can see the potential for their business which adds value to their company. They can employ more people, and it’s great for communities and it benefits all of us in Australia because we can build and boost our nation’s potential.”

According to Sharpe, manufacturing has the opportunity to add value at the beginning and end of the production process, in areas where traditionally it has not been as focussed. At the beginning, this is greater investment in research and development via collaborations with universities.

“We at AMGC say it’s much more

than just production: it’s no longer what you make but how you make it. And that comes down to supply chains, the purchasing of products to boost the business and add more value and more than ever before,” said Sharpe.

“There’s so much more work now going into research and development and, on the other side, there’s a lot more work going into sales and marketing and ‘servitisation’.

“And if we can get more Australian manufacturers doing more research and development and partner with our great universities, we can unlock all this potential for Australian companies to export to the world.”

According to Sharpe, in the past manufacturing had underestimated the potential of sales and marketing.

The current generation of manufacturers, he said, should look to the digital tech companies as an indicator of what can be achieved.

Holding up his iPhone, Sharpe highlighted how a manufacturer

– in this case Apple – had created a sales environment through its online and physical stores that encouraged customers to purchase Apple products. In addition, Apple is utilising the intellectual property that it holds in the applications which run on the iPhone as a revenue stream by offering subscriptions to services such as iTunes or Apple Music. Sharpe encouraged attendees to think about whether manufacturers were looking at this potential in the same way.

“If we can unlock that potential, brand Australia will remain strong.

People love the brand. Think about anything that has Australian made on it: people will pay a premium around the world. We’ve got companies in Brisbane that are reshoring their production from China to make products in Brisbane that they can export back to China with ‘Made in Australia’ labels. The Chinese are paying a premium on that because they trust Australian made goods.

This is the potential we have.”

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 23

INSTRUMENTATION

Sharpe said that AMGC’s partnership with the universities was key to unlocking this potential.

“We’ve got some of the greatest minds in the world right here in Australia, and my mission is to get them out onto the factory floor. I’ve been taking some of these professors out to places like Dubbo out to Wagga up to the north coast and out to Western Sydney to talk with customers big and small and to share their knowledge. And you know what? When I get them on the floor, they actually learn something new as well,” said Sharpe.

“To get them involved with research is a difficult task so once we can connect people and share the research, share the knowledge and we’re to get them involved with research is a difficult task so once we can connect people and share the research, share the knowledge and we’re unlocking this huge potential.

We’re connecting the dots.

“One in ten Australians are

involved in manufacturing – ten per cent of the workforce. That’s worthy of our recognition, it’s worthy of the research we’re doing and $9 billion dollars each and every month are exported. We’ve got the technology, we’ve got the ingenuity. But the collaboration is the key driver, by all of us working together we can take on the world.”

Returning to the stage, Veron noted that the work of the AMGC fitted with what he hoped the IICA would provide to its members.

“Our industry sees manufacturing shrinking and going offshore, while the AMGC are trying to bring some relevance back to Australian manufacturing, so I think there’s a lot of synergies between what we’re trying to do for manufacturing and what their group is trying to do,” said Veron.

“At the moment we provide services that connect industry to our members. Most of our members are vendors of instrumentation and it helps connect end users with suppliers

of the product.

The IICA also carries out training on various aspects of instrumentation, along with safety education. Veron noted that the association was planning to continue its popular tech expos, which allow operators and engineers to see the latest from vendors.

“We’d also like to incorporate more training and work in setting industry standards. At the moment, instrumentation hasn’t got its own legal body. Further, with regards to education, the TAFEs have rolled instrumentation into electrical engineering or electricians courses, which means, by default, those that are becoming instrument technicians, are often not trained well enough,” said Veron.

“We hope to provide training courses to give them that edge to understand the latest in technology and keep up with what they need to know.”

Veron said that the focus had to remain on quality, both in products and services and in the

education of the next generation of instrumentation technicians and control engineers. And a big part of helping the sector grow, he said, would be the expansion of the manufacturing industry.

“I think we need to get manufacturing relevant again in our country, make it a priority and people will learn and then get a job and hopefully sustain the industry,” he said.

“We’ve been holding Christmas in Julys for over 20 years and, traditionally, they’ve been held at a small restaurant, maybe with four or five tables. Last year was our big 75th celebration and a lot of members expressed interest in maintaining the larger scale events so they can meet other people and mingle and network and get some value out of the night and not just a nice meal.

“Bringing people together like this makes everybody aware of what unities us, so we pull together even though we’re competitors.” PACE The IICA has been holding Christmas in July events for more than 20 years.

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2019

AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARDS

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SENSORS

Protecting the quality of your food and beverage production ifm is introducing some very technically advanced and quite revolutionary products to ensure the safety and quality of your valuable food and beverage products during manufacture and clean-in-place (CIP). Glenn Thornton, national product and brand manager at ifm, explains.

i

fm has recently introduced new technology with a new approach to protecting your product with our advanced conductivity sensors. The importance of knowing the exact process points of your product are of extreme importance.

When producing products such as milk, yoghurt, beer, wine, a manufacturer needs to know many details about the process cycle.

At the completion of a production run, there needs to be a cleaning process started with different fluids from water to cleaning fluids to decontaminate the process lines.

There are a few key questions to keep in mind along along the way: when does the product finish and the cleaning flush begin? When has the cleaning fluid been introduced and then fully flushed through to be totally clean and ready for the next production cycle? Is there any cleaning fluid contaminating our packaged product? All this information is now captured by technology within the Industry 4.0 realm with smart data.

The information gathered by the conductivity sensor is read with the possibility to record this data 24/7.

Now, I’ll explain the production process and where our conductivity sensor is installed. An example scenario: a production run of milk is now finished and the cleaning process begins. Water is now introduced to flush out any leftover milk which is the beginning of the CIP. But we don’t know where the water and milk are. Where is the transition from milk to water where I stop filling and start cleaning? Well, to date it has been time-based. To save from contaminating the final product, the filling is stopped early, wasting good

product. There is actually a very clear point where the interface from water to milk passes through the pipe work.

Milk (and other products) have a high conductivity as compared to water, which is easily read by our conductivity sensor. Water is then flushed that has a low conductivity reading, which is very

26 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

clear to our smart system that gives a very clear message back to the control system to show where this interface is, milk to water.

So now, the process needs to have the system hygienically flushed with a cleaning fluid which has a very high conductivity reading, where

our sensor reports to the control system when it’s in cleaning mode.

Now a final rinse is performed with water and the sensor provides a clear message that all cleaning fluid has been flushed and the next process can begin with safety.

As an added advantage, if product

SENSORS

is running and cleaning fluid sneaks in accidentally, the conductivity will jump and report back to the system of the fault and warn or shut down production.

Some typical applications for the conductivity sensor are food and beverage in hygienic areas, e.g. water, milk, wine, beer, yoghurt, and CIP liquids. Some other applications are detection of rinsing processes in a process system, product monitoring, and detection of a change of medium, phase separation. The uses are ongoing from any industry such as contaminants in water cooling systems to protect against build-up of salts and minerals.

I would also like discuss where the technical advances are coming from and how technology can be a major contributor to food safety and production improvements.

Our local food and beverage

When producing products such as milk yoghurt, milk or wine, a manufacturer needs to know many details about the process cycle.

industry within Australia is one of the biggest producers, employers and innovators alongside mining and general manufacturing. There has been large investment over many years to make it one of the strongest industries in our country with products manufactured for local consumption and for a very strong export market. ifm Australia is a proud participant by partnering with machine builders, OEMs and the very important manufacturers by not only supplying but innovating with cutting edge technology from the well-known phrase “Industry 4.0”.

The transition from standard technology up to factory automation and then onto Industry 4.0 connectivity and communication has been revolutionary. Industry leaders from plant managers, production supervisors, business owners, quality assurance and so on understand the need to have critical data produced from the factory floor transferred into the cloud to have a simple way to evaluate and then decide how to improve efficiencies, increase productivity, have quality assured products, and have known predictive machine issues reported before they occur.

It sounds big and difficult to get a grasp on the buzzwords or the ensuing technology but it is quite easy. As an explanation, in the past, we had a temperature sensor installed in our plant; it gave a basic temperature output to the control system – very basic, but we don’t know the actual health of the sensor with respect to accuracy. We would need to wait until a batch fault occurred and the product possibly got through the process and to into a customers fridge. Not a good outcome for any producer.

So, now ifm has introduced technology that has masses of data from the same sensor: temperature output, temperature diagnostics and accuracy, 24/7 sensor health, calibration status, manufacturer info, historian recorded (also 24/7), and even if the sensor is connected to the system, which adds a higher layer of security to plant operations. All this data is sent to the higher level computing systems. So, instead of having a simple temperature reading, the production becomes alive where

ifm Australia partners with manufacturers by supplying cutting-edge technology.

complex decisions are being tracked and traced by smart programming.

With data from smart sensing technology the OEE, (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is now available.

Once all this data is captured, production schedules are fully known, as are production rates, throughput,

waste and spoilage, planned and unplanned downtime, costing (including profitability). The OEE is a simple calculation of actual vs planned at peak performance. If we can find any small percentage point gains this will move straight to the bottom line of a business making them more competitive. PACE

ifm has now introduced technology that collects masses of data from the same sensor.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 27

TEST AND MEASUREMENT

Easy-to-use pressure transmitters With the introduction of the plics family around 10 years ago, VEGA turned the vision of simple, standardised measurement of level and pressure into reality. The VEGABAR 80 series represents a systematic further development of the concept and the products.

VEGABAR 82 boasts a measuring range of only 25 mbar.

T

he clear structure of the new VEGABAR 80 instrument series ensures easy selection when looking for the right instrument for a particular application. The new handling with “quick start” procedure allows fast, simple and reliable setup and commissioning. What is more, the integrated diagnostics system now makes really fast maintenance and servicing possible.

Making three from five

With the new VEGABAR 80 series, all conceivable applications can be covered with only three process pressure transmitters: the all-rounder VEGABAR 82 with ceramic measuring cell, which can cover 80 per cent of all applications; the VEGABAR 83 with metallic measuring cell, the first choice for high pressure applications; and the classic VEGABAR 81 with chemical seal, which is always deployed when high temperature and/or chemical resistance is required.

Ceramic versus metallic

A lot has happened in the development of both metallic and ceramic measuring cells in recent years. The biggest leaps in technology, however, are being experienced by the ceramic measuring cell CERTEC. No wonder it is our core technology. Only a few

suppliers have ceramic-capacitive cells in their portfolio, and fewer still have the know-how to produce them themselves. Eighty per cent of all units sold operate with ceramic sensors. In principle, both technologies can be used in the majority of applications.

But we are firmly convinced that in many cases ceramic is the better technology because it is more robust and durable.

Of course, there are two sides to every coin. Ceramic measuring cells have many advantages, but also some weaknesses – for example, their susceptibility to thermal shock and moisture. Through intensive further development of CERTEC, both of

28 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

these problems could be significantly reduced or even eliminated altogether.

Equipping VEGABAR 82 with temperature shock compensation resulted in a technological masterpiece.

A patent for this worldwide innovation has already been applied for. When sudden temperature changes occur, it can take several minutes before sensors with ceramic measuring cells begin delivering reliable readings again. Users often did not know that a sensor was experiencing a temperature shock and transmitting incorrect values. With the ceramic measuring cell in VEGABAR 80, customers can be absolutely sure that they are getting correct measurement data. Because now, even

very fast temperature changes cannot affect the pressure measurement.

And this is how it works: in addition to the usual temperature sensor on the backside of CERTEC, there is a second sensor in the glass joint directly behind the ceramic diaphragm – this sensor is mounted in an extremely technically challenging process. Due to its exposed position, it doesn’t miss even the slightest temperature change. Any thermal shock is fully compensated by means of a sophisticated algorithm.

A side benefit of the second sensor directly next to the process is a temperature measurement of exceptionally high quality, with an

TEST AND MEASUREMENT

accuracy of ± 2 K. Earlier versions of the measuring cell could also output a temperature signal, however, due to its slowness the sensor was only suitable for storage tanks, which normally have a relatively stable temperature. So now, in many applications, installation of a separate temperature sensor can be eliminated.

NAMUR has already commented very positively about this feature.

The new VEGABAR 80 series enables safe, reliable pressure measurement.

Moisture? No Problem

The typical moisture sensitivity could also be significantly lowered. The problem with the naked electrodes of capacitive systems is that ingressing dielectric fluid, such as water, changes the dielectric constant and the capacitance, and thus the pressure reading. However, the instrument cannot distinguish the reason for the change in capacitance. The solution: in the new instrument generation, VEGA has applied a measurement and a reference capacitor and covered the entire surface of the measuring cell with a thin layer of glass. Since due to the glass passivation there is no longer any contact with the medium, the dielectric constant in the entire system changes, i.e. for both the measurement and the reference capacitances. A coefficient is formed from the two values and computationally balanced for the measuring result.

Outstanding properties

Another special feature of the VEGA ceramic is its high overload resistance of up to factor 200 – more than double what other ceramics are able to provide.

Progress has also been made with regard to the temperature range. 120° C was previously the limit with the standard version, but CERTEC can now withstand temperatures up to 130° C. These additional 10° C are especially interesting for the food and pharmaceutical industry because, in many cases, customers no longer have to buy the high-temperature version for their sterilisation processes.

Application temperatures have increased in relatively small steps, but when it comes to extending the measuring ranges, one could rightfully say that VEGA have put on a pair of proverbial “seven-league boots.”

VEGABAR 82 boasts a tiny measuring range of only 25 mbar (previously 100 mbar). And that completely without

electronic turndown. In this area, too, VEGA are in the lead – there has never been anything like it before. The measuring range has also significantly increased in the upward direction, from previously 60 to 100 bar. This has clearly extended the application limits. Customers will thus be able to solve even more applications with the standard VEGABAR 82 sensor in the future.

CERTEC is the only ceramic measuring cell on the market that allows absolute front-flush mounting, as its radial seal is recessed and protected from the medium. It can bring this advantage to bear especially in abrasive applications. Not without reason is it used worldwide in the paper industry in more than 40,000 measuring points. Buildup is also a thing of the past. The sensor simply cleans itself in the flowing medium.

Safe, reliable operation

Another key topic is what is called the “second line of defence”. This feature is absolutely indispensable, for example, in phosgene applications, in order to prevent the highly toxic medium from penetrating into the terminal compartment and endangering people and the environment. At present, customers have to resort to encapsulated absolute

pressure transmitters with special chemical seal assembly. Now there are alternative solutions from VEGA. VEGABAR 82/83 is a fully welded sensor module with a second line of defence, which, in combination with climate compensated electronics, can reliably and accurately measure relative pressure even in such applications. This unique innovation allows very high measurement accuracy to be achieved also with small process fittings.

Reliable and stable measurement data are the most important feature of a pressure measurement setup.

VEGABAR 80 with SIL differs from a standard instrument both in hardware and in software. VEGABAR 80 with SIL is a separate instrument developed according to the guidelines of IEC 61508. In single-channel systems VEGABAR 80 can be implemented up to SIL2, and in homogeneously redundant systems even up to SIL3 via the software.

Electronic differential pressure

An innovative software and hardware concept makes it possible to combine any two instruments from the VEGABAR 80 family, whether all-rounder, high-pressure or hightemperature sensor, into an electronic differential pressure system. What

does this mean in practice? For example, the customer only has to take a VEGABAR 82, a standard instrument that he has in stock anyway, order an additional sensor, select the “slave” electronics version and connect them together. Done.

Users benefit from simple selection, identical adjustment and operation as well as simplified stocking. And speaking of handling: VEGA gets positive feedback again and again on the simplicity and ease of use of its classic differential pressure system. These features have been systematically improved and further developed in the VEGABAR 80 series.

Further advantages of the electronic differential pressure system: There are no oil-filled capillary tubes that need to be insulated – usually at great cost – to avoid environmental influences such as temperature changes or strong vibration and the resulting measurement errors. And oil-filled chemical seal assemblies are usually quite expensive. If you add everything up, an electronic differential pressure system is in many cases not only a simpler solution but also a more cost-effective one. VEGA is, by the way, the only supplier on the market that has a solution with ceramic sensors in its portfolio. PACE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 29

B E F E A TURED IN

Test and measurement instruments and devices are an integral part of monitoring and maintaning effective and safe operation of industrial processes and systems. Advances in smart sensor technology and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is transforming devices and what they can bring to operational management. Getting informed about what is happening next at the frontier of these developments will be crucial to those working in process control. The December-January feature of PACE magazine focusses on the latest in test and measurement technology across a variety of industrial sectors.

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

IIOT

Making the abstract concrete in IIoT

IIoT must move from being just a buzzword to a concrete reality according to Endress+Hauser.

Talk about the Industrial Internet of Things is all the rage. But what are the real advantages of digital technologies associated with the concept? PACE speaks with Ali Hafeez from Endress+Hauser to find out about the tangible benefits of data-based technology.

T

he concept of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has become pervasive across industrial sectors. Associated with the use of big data, cloud platforms, machine learning, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, IIoT presents companies with opportunities to boost productivity, increase efficiency and eliminate waste.

However, without a focus on precise strategies the transition to IIoT can either seem overwhelming or nebulous and ill-defined. While the benefits of data-driven technology and devices are often painted in broad brushstrokes, the focus too frequently fixates on technology, leaving people scratching their head about how they can help their business’s bottom line and whether making the investment is worthwhile.

According to Ali Hafeez, Solutions manager at Endress+Hauser, the term IIoT has been a buzzword for some time, to the point where it even causes some in the industry to cringe when they hear it. In Hafeez’s mind, the focus must now fall on moving from buzzword to practical reality.

“We are seeing that there is a large appetite in industry for mining data and analysing it for trends,”

Hafeez told PACE. “But, also, we are noticing our clients are starting to become savvy and looking beyond data mining to gathering actionable insights.”

Currently, niches are developing where customers want predictive analysis for small processes or assets, while not necessarily having to go to the expense of integrating this into the existing SCADA/DCS

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 31

IIOT

system. While the future industrial automation architecture is very different to the current stack (IOPLC/DCS – HMI/SCADA – MES – ERP), there is for existing sites a more pragmatic approach for cloudbased solutions that sit alongside the traditional process control architecture.

However, according to Hafeez, there have been some challenges in the communication of the tangible benefits of IIoT that are only now beginning to be overcome.

“For a long time, IIoT was confused with just uploading masses of data in a repository,” he said.

The benefits of IIoT are well beyond the mere collection of data, but what can be done with that. “The data has always been there, but what customers want now is to be able to utilise that data in a meaningful way,” he said. “And we are now moving to a place where this is enabled by new technologies, including new platforms and artificial intelligence software, which can analyse the data, determine trends and extract actionable insights out of it.”

Indeed, where IIoT has changed things up is in new sophisticated software and the way in which devices are now becoming “smarter”

Endress+Hauser has developed its own cloud platform, which allows its customers to access asset information that enables prediction and conditioning monitoring.

32 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

in response. For example, now that platforms can handle large volumes of data and pull more data out of it, Endress+Hauser has been innovating its devices that make the extraction of more extensive and detailed data easier for IIoT-type approaches.

“Traditionally, a flowmeter, for instance, would just measure the flowrate through pipes. But we have developed sophisticated hardware on top of that that enables you to pull out additional variables like density, temperature, but also detailed diagnostics. Some of our flowmeters can monitor over a hundred diagnostic parameters. The

technology enables us to now send this large amount of data relatively easily to IIoT platforms for detailed analysis” said Hafeez.

These kinds of parameters can be correlated to certain process issues and offer predictive analyses of where the plant and asset is headed – particularly whether the process is headed towards a fault, or if a product quality issue is imminent and could be pre-emptively rectified. Alongside developments at the device level, Endress+Hauser has also developed its own cloud platform, allowing customers to access detailed asset information that enables this type of

IIOT

prediction and advanced condition monitoring.

“That means IIoT can help with maintenance and asset life-cycle analysis. It can help you very quickly understand what is happening in a plant and indicate trends or tendencies that will lead to faults.

At the device level, that is really an innovation,” said Hafeez.

The additional parameters can also help companies limit their turnover of devices and prevent waste. Hafeez said that pH sensors are a good example of this due to their limited lifespan.

“People tend to chuck out pH sensors and treat them as a

There is for existing sites a more pragmatic approach for cloud-based solutions that sit alongside the traditional process control architecture.

consumable – they get calibrated once or twice and then they are replaced. But what we can do with our pH sensors is provide additional parameters which can provide accurate estimations of their lifespan.”

These estimations can enable companies to extend the lifespan of their pH sensors, as it can now be determined more precisely whether or not the devices need to be replaced. And in instruments with longer inherent lifespans, like level transmitters and flowmeters, Endress+Hauser offers what it calls “Heartbeat technology” where the devices are able to self-verify and monitor themselves, and in some cases even self-calibrate. “They monitor all the parameters inside the flowmeter against the initial calibration. If the results are within the threshold limits set during the initial factory calibration, a company won’t have to send someone out to calibrate the device,” said Hafeez. “Our cloud asset management system can tell them when they need to bring in the technicians, and precisely what needs to fixed – making repairs more efficient and reducing time spent on site by contractors. All of these result in very tangible cost-savings – and this is really what’s been missing in the

whole IIoT story to date – the link between the action and the benefit.”

“In the IIoT space, it’s also about monitoring information to make economic or environmental decisions, rather than safe process control decisions. “Upper-level decision-makers don’t necessarily need to know the same information that interests the plant engineers and operators such as temperature or pressure information. They just want to know the overall productivity of a plant, or how long the stock currently in the tanks will last,” said Hafeez.

Cloud technologies are transforming the way in which data is gathered, stored, transferred, and analysed. “In the past, on a remote mine site, for instance, while the operator may have many processes with a lot of throughput information about the site’s productivity, all of that information was essentially on a Distributed Control System (DCS) or SCADA system, and to get that information back to decision makers at head office was difficult and therefore expensive,” Hafeez said. It isn’t just large distributed mine sites, with less infrastructure required to monitor and analyse operations, IIoT is also wellsuited to widely-distributed processes such as those found in aquaculture or

water networks.

Now, with IIoT, the data can be sent online via edge devices, data can be stored and analysed in the cloud and dashboards can simply be viewed via a web browser on a computer or mobile devices. This provides those who are not necessarily sitting in the plant to help shape important business-wide decision making.

Further notifications and alerts can be sent to these decision makers when certain thresholds have been passed, enabling fast response where and when it is needed.

Overall, IIoT is offering industrial companies the opportunity to effectively harness the data that is already abundant in their systems, providing fruitful avenues by which companies can make better informed decisions on the basis on real-time advanced analytics.

“And that is what we have been working on at Endress+Hauser,” said Hafeez. “As a progressive instrumentation manufacturer, we are working on utilising our expertise to help our customers get access to highly relevant information quickly so that they can make important decisions for their businesses going forward, and, ultimately, become more efficient.” PACE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 33

IIOT

Getting automated one step at a time Rockwell Automation’s new Australian regional director, Anthony Wong, gives PACE his thoughts on his new role and where automation is heading over the next decade.

A

nthony Wong is very engaging. He has an easy laugh, but a serious undertone that lets you know he is here to do business.

Recently appointed as Australian regional director of automation giant Rockwell Automation, Wong has big shoes to fill in departing MD Scott Wooldridge. Not that he’ll have to look far if he needs the odd bit of advice – Wooldridge is now the company’s regional vice-president for Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.

Wong, an electrical engineering major, brings experience from both the software and hardware streams of automation. With more than 24 years in the industry, he started out as customer support with Citect, before graduating to sales engineer, then account manager through to sales director. In 2006, Schneider Electric purchased Citect, which opened up new opportunities to Wong, including a five-year sojourn at the company’s headquarters in Paris, France, where he had several roles mainly in the strategy, merger and integration sectors. Just under three years ago, he decided to come home where he worked for Schneider until taking up the Rockwell Automation position in July this year.

As well as the usual challenges of the role, there are several other reasons the new job was attractive to Wong.

“What attracted to me to the role is that Rockwell Automation is one of the most respected companies in the automation space,” he said. “I have always been in the industrial automation space, and with Rockwell Automation being purely a player in that space, that was definitely one of the things that attracted me to join the company.”

He said another reason was that Rockwell Automation has moved into addressing the digital space. For him that was signalled when the company took an 8.4 per cent stake in Internet of Things (IoT) and augmented reality (AR) specialist PTC. That showed Wong that there was going to be complementary technology for smart factories between two companies, which in his eyes, made for a unique value proposition.

“With my strong background in software, that was one of the things that really excited me because it meant we could really allay a lot of the concerns and challenges customers have as they move on their digital Anthony Wong is now Rockwell Automation’s Australian regional director.

34 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

journey,” he said.

The third reason he was attracted to the opportunity was that Rockwell Automation is admired for its ecosystems – how they work with partners in Australia, and how they work with customers, whether that’s distributors, system integrators, OEMs, and other technology partners.

“Rockwell Automation tries not to do everything, but it is good at partnering with other companies that are best in class,” he said. “That ecosystem and going to the customer with a strong solution is also something new to me in terms of how they manage these business models that go to market.”

Over the past 12 months, a few

companies in the Industry 4.0, IoT and digitisation space have been pushing the “small steps” agenda, and Rockwell Automation is no different. While new manufacturing sites are bound to put in the latest technologies in these spaces – to not only make their companies modern, but also very efficient – this doesn’t necessarily mean those SMEs and those looking to upgrade have to invest a multitude of capex into their companies to gain efficiencies.

“There seems to be a lot of hype in the market that everyone needs to transform their whole business, and the magnitude of it sounds huge,” said Wong. “It’s a matter of just being practical about what needs to be done with plant, and companies need to prioritise.

“I see the story where people think everything needs to be transformed – it needs to be digital, it needs to be automatous, and everything needs to be done remotely. Then there are drones and all this sort of stuff, which sounds overwhelming,” he said. “But I also see the other end of the spectrum where there are definitely solutions and applications that are quite easy to implement, and you can get quite a bit of benefit from that. There is no reason why a company should not look forward at the journey over the next three-five years. Then I think you need to come back to day one and say, ‘Okay, what is practically possible? What is the next first step as I move along on my journey?’”

But Wong also said that companies need to move sooner rather than later. Again, it can be in small steps. He sees Rockwell Automation as not just an automation company who provides hardware and software, but also as a Technology ally in the digitisation journey. Sure,

IIOT

The IoT and Industry 4.0 are becoming less hype and more practical.

the company has an agenda, who doesn’t? But there is more to the journey than just fitting out a factory with all the latest gizmos and gadgets designed to collect data in real time and help with a manufacturing plant’s bottom line.

“Companies need to be careful,” said Wong. “Things can creep up on you slowly. Most customers know things need to be done, but they need a technology ally like us to help them go through that journey. We can help leverage other things that we have done around the world that can apply from one industry to another with similar benchmarks.

“The IoT and Industry 4.0 are becoming less hype and more practical. A few years ago, when sensors were a little bit more expensive, people were worried about putting data on the cloud and all that

“There seems to be a lot of hype in the market that everyone needs to transform their whole business, and the magnitude of it sounds huge. It’s a matter of just being practical about what needs to be done with plant, and companies need to prioritise.”

sort of thing. It seems to be more expected now to do that.”

Being in charge of the Australasian operation means that Wong also has to enforce the vision of the parent company in the US. This also means he has ideas on how the manufacturing and processing landscape will look in the near future. Of course, he wants Rockwell Automation to be at the forefront of what that future will look like, but he also invokes another buzzword that is entering the lexicon of the automation space – collaboration.

“My vision of the future is to accelerate our offerings along with the technology of our partners,” he said.

“Our brand promise is ‘Expanding Human Possibility’ – it really is about taking human intelligence and supplementing it with augmented reality with digital technologies. If

you look at what we are doing with augmented, it’s almost like a heads-up display for your plant. It shows you the consequences of not taking safety seriously, without putting anybody at risk.”

Then there is the issue of finding not only enough but the right type, of people to take up the mantle that the previous, one-job-for-therest-of-my-life generation had. This brings its own set of problems as that generation starts retiring.

“Our industry is quite mature and there is a lot of people with 20- or 30-years’ experience who can listen to a machine and tell you whether it is sick or not,” he said. “As we start to attract younger people into our industry, they are not going to wait 30 years. They’ll be lucky to wait five.

It will be the millennial economy and we need to ignite them.

“The only problem is: can we get them up to speed in terms of experience? That’s where I think the technology starts to bring in simulators – an environment almost like a flight simulator to accelerate their learning so they don’t have to wait for an actual incident to learn from.

“This is why digital twin is getting a lot of air play from a simulation point of view – to try things to see how that would work into a digital environment before you make it in a production environment. You can save a lot of money if you redesign a piece of plant in an efficient way before you start to construct it.”

At the end of the day, Wong is an optimist even as the industry is in a state of flux.

“I think a lot of it is coming together and working out what the next best step is for you and your company,” he said. “Whether it is around putting some basic infrastructure in the automation to get the data in a way that can be readily and moved up into the information space. It could be if that you’ve already got it centralised and all the data is already there. The question becomes: What is the next step to utilising that data? Is it around better asset utilisation, is it about predictive maintenance, is it about ways to present that data with analytics, is it about improving your OEE and downtime? Every customer will have a specifically different challenge at a different point of time.” PACE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 35

, D E E N U .

O T Y E R R E R .

V E N E F O T N S A I O H W D IT RCH A N I E F ES TH

RELY ON AUSTRALIA’S MANUFACTURING, MINING AND INDUSTRIAL HUB 70,000 monthly users can’t be wrong. Find what you’re looking for with over 12,000 business listings and 8,000 specific product listings. Access relevant information and resources, empowering you to make a qualified purchase decision. You can always rely on your industry hub.

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NEW PRODUCTS

Innovative maxGUARD control voltage distribution Weidmüller’s maxGUARD provides load monitoring and potential distribution combined in one convincing complete solution. It has a modular design, so the customer only pays for the load monitoring they actually need.

Substantial savings can be made in terms of both space and wiring.

Innovative ideas are required in panel building for control voltage distribution. With Klippon Connect, 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 thus conclusively and consistently further developing control voltage distribution. maxGUARD provides load monitoring and potential distribution in one complete solution – it’s convincing, efficient and innovative. maxGUARD is an application product, so in other words, it’s precisely 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 extreme 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. In addition, maxGUARD can be used in a customised way. Indeed, the sheer range of variants and the very different potential distribution terminal blocks and additional components enable customised solutions at all times. The consistently integrated test points in the maxGUARD control

voltage distribution’s input and output have proven themselves to be particularly user-friendly, as they speed up troubleshooting operations.

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. Last but not least, the new control voltage distribution system has a particularly space-saving design – electronic load monitoring elements and potential distributors have a 6.1 mm pitch.

Weidmüller 02 9671 9999 www.weidmuller.com.au

Sciencetech solar simulators Sciencetech Inc. manufactures light sources, solar simulators, monochromators and other optical spectroscopy instruments. In addition, far infrared Terahertz spectroscopy systems, photovoltaic testing equipment, and custom-made instruments.

Sciencetech Inc. solar simulators produce high intensity, uniform illumination on a target area. Typically, high power solar simulators use an ellipsoidal reflector to capture light from an arc lamp source inside the reflector, an arrangement that results in a light pattern with a bright outer region and a dark centre. This non-uniformity is unacceptable in many solar simulator applications and as a result, forces many solar simulator competitors to use designs involving diffusers to reduce the non-uniformity. This results in a reduction of intensity and a distortion of the spectrum on the target area.

Sciencetech’s solution to these problems is to use a unique system of mirrors that ‘fold’ the light onto the target plane, effectively reducing the light that is lost with little to no spectral distortion and also ensures no chromatic aberration in the output beam.

In addition, each of Sciencetech’s solar simulators are customizable to best suit your requirements. The design of the fully reflective solar simulator permits a trade-off between power and uniformity. Higher uniformity can be achieved with lower power; or power can be increased when uniformity is reduced. Sciencetech Inc. designs and fabricates more than thirty different variants of solar simulators.

Scitech Pty Ltd 03 9480 4999 www.scitech.com.au

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 37

NEW PRODUCTS

Backplane Systems Technology presents Neousys’ Backplane Systems Technology presents Neousys Technology’s Nuvo7000 Series of next generation fanless Embedded PCs, powered by Intel’s latest generation of processors.

The Nuvo-7000E/P is powered by Intel 9th/ 8th-Gen Core ‘i’ Processors with up to 8/ 6-Core Architecture that offer significant performance improvement over previous 6th and 7th-Gen Platforms.

This series includes Neousys’ Track-Proven Technologies for superior ruggedness and versatility, such as effective Fanless Design, Patented

Expansion Cassette and Proprietary MezIO Interface. It also incorporates cutting-edge computer I/O like USB 3.1 Gen2 with up to 10 Gbps throughput and M.2 2280 M Key Socket for NVMe SSD or Intel Optane Memory for ultimate system performance.

The plethora of On-Board I/O Ports (GbE, USB and COM) feature sophisticated Protection Circuits to endure stress from ESD and Power Surge. This makes Nuvo-7000 series by far the, most Rugged Embedded Computer ever created by Neousys.

Flexible and versatile for a variety of applications, Nuvo-7000 variants are available with different Cassette Expansion Options. With Neousys Nuvo-7000 series, you get a true rugged platform that can accommodate a Single PCIe Card (Nuvo-7000E), Dual PCIe Cards (Nuvo-7000DE) or a Single PCI Card (Nuvo-7000P) according your application needs.

Key features: • Intel 9th/ 8th-Gen Core i 35W/ 65W LGA1151 CPU • Patented cassette for PCI/PCIe add-on card accommodation • MezIO interface for easy function expansion •R ugged, wide temperature range from -25°C to 70°C fanless operation • Up to 6x GigE Ports, supporting 9.5 KB jumbo frame •M .2 2280 M Key Socket (Gen3 x4) supporting NVMe SSD or Intel Optane memory • 4x USB 3.1 Gen2 Ports and 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Ports • VGA/ DVI/ DP triple independent display, supporting 4K2K resolution Backplane Systems Technology 02 9457 6400 www.backplane.com.au

ICP Electronics Australia presents iEi Integration’s FLEX-BX200 AI Ready Box and Panel PC Solution ICP Australia is proud to introduce iEi Integration’s New FLEX-BX200 AI Ready Box and Panel PC Solution. The FLEX-BX200 is an AI Hardware Ready System ideal for deep learning inference computing to help you get faster, deeper insights into your customers and business. FLEXBX200 supports graphics cards, Intel FPGA acceleration cards, Intel VPU acceleration cards, and provides additional computational power plus end-to-end solutions to run your tasks more efficiently. With the Nvidia TensorRT, QNAP QuAI, and Intel OpenVINO AI development toolkit, it can help you deploy your solutions faster than ever.

This system also doubles as a modern ultra-fast Modular Panel PC; the system supports several different monitor configurations from 15” all the way up to 23.8” monitors. With modular design it allows for systems to be quickly swapped out and changed if you decide more computing power is needed.

This series offers four 2.5” HDD bays with high speed SATA 6 GB/s interface that can expand storage capabilities and enable fast data transfers. The system has built-in high-performance hardware for RAID protection to back-up your media and critical information. You can configure the RAID 0/1/5/10 from the BIOS menu to increase performance and/or provide automatic protection against data loss from drive failure.

The FLEX series can also support Thunderbolt 3 by way of the IEI Thunderbolt 3 card, the TB3-40GDP-R10, to support dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for connecting displays and USB devices and provide more speed.

Key features: •2 U AI Modular PC with 8th Generation LGA 1151 Intel Core i7/i5/i3 and 38 www.pacetoday.com.au OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

Pentium Processor •4 x hot-swappable and accessible HDD Drive bays, support RAID 0/1/5/10 • 2x PCIe 3.0 by 4 and 2x PCIe 3.0 by 8 slots • Dual M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD support • QTS-Gateway support • Modular LCD panel kit design ICP Electronics 02 9457 6011 www.icp-australia.com.au

NEW PRODUCTS

Chainflex cables with cleanroom rating: more reliability with IPA certificate No abrasion, no particles – and durable. The path to the IPA cleanroom rating is not easy. Products have to pass a multitude of tests before they receive the official certificate from the Fraunhofer Institute. This is the same for igus chainflex cables. They have to withstand different conditions in the in-house test laboratory over a longer period of time. igus has developed the CFBUS.LB.045 and CFBUS.LB.049 in order to provide users with cleanroom-compatible Ethernet cables. In the test, they successfully completed over 24 million strokes without failure with just 55mm bend radius.

An impressive 21,900 hits are returned when you search for bus problems on the internet. This is amazing, because actually bus technology embodies the progress in automation like no other. How can this be explained? As a rule, companies that use fieldbus cables today have a clear objective: to combine many sensor cables on field devices into one cable that can be easily and quickly routed to a centralised or decentralised control system. The advantage is that the total cost of ownership (TCO) can be reduced, since an integration of all communication functions into a single network already promises significant savings potential during assembly. For many controllers, however, that remains just a theory, over the entire lifecycle. This is often because they tried to save money in the wrong place, with connector and cable. Incidentally, this is not a phenomenon that is only found with classic bus cables: forum posts often reveal connectors and cables as the cause of connection problems for Ethernet cabling, network connections or fibre optic cables.

One solution is to buy preassembled cables. The user who selects these bus systems, keeps the installation costs of their manufacturing plant low and ensures long-term optimal transmission qualities.

A positive side-effect when buying harnessed bus cables: the significantly leaner storage and spare parts inventory. However, the theory does not necessarily match the practice: incorrect connectors and cables can delay commissioning or repair.

Often all the measuring devices are then “on green”, but nothing happens where something should be moving. The consequence is often the replacement of all systemically relevant components.

Because, for many companies this is sometimes more efficient than troubleshooting - which the igus test laboratory undertakes.

The objective was to develop products that precisely exclude these problems during installation and maintenance. In thousands of tests in the in-house laboratory, the engineers test cables in motion and in combination with a large number of plug-in connectors, contacts or core end ferrules for functionality and service life. The result: Several hundred harnessed cables, which are used, for example, in energy chains as the bus cable of the chainflex family.

Sits, fits, has no air – faultless contact Whenever Profinet cables or Ethernet connections are exposed to highly dynamic loads, the link between connector and cable is decisive. Because, the biggest weaknesses are to be found in dynamic applications such as robotic production lines. In order to ensure maximum operational safety and error-free data transmission even after thousands of hours of moving operation, two decisive evaluation criteria are required: first, a cable that does not change its electrical behaviour, even after many millions of movements, which means the defined attenuation values and characteristic impedances must not shift too much; second, a faultless contact between connector and cable cores, an exact fixation of the connector to the system and a snug fit of the terminal brackets in the plug-in connector. And this is exactly where the problems start in most cases: countless companies offer an almost infinite variety of bus cable and connector combinations. They all have to work together.

And this is where theory and practice diverge, because statistically

this is rather unlikely. igus took up this challenge: it focused on the development of bus cables and their long service life in motion. In addition, the focus was placed on tests involving well-known connector manufacturers, who – in addition to the functional reliability of the electrical connection – also had an optimal coordination to each other’s goal.

Relaxed bus pairs ensure safety Numerous tests in the igus laboratory showed that the so-called Insulation Displacement Contact (IDC) brings everything that makes the perfect permanent fit of a conductor in a connector, if the selected conductors and insulation materials match it. Because, here the insulated conductor is first pressed into a gap. This tapers, whereby its flanks are designed as a cutting edge. If the conductor and clamp are brought together, the blades cut through the insulation and strike the conductor. As a result, a contact is formed, which, due to the long-term stable cold welding, is gas-tight and therefore does not age. Corrosion by the ingress of oxygen as well as chemical reactions are prevented, as they may occur in automated processes of petrochemistry.

Keyword automation: igus knows more than anyone else about global regulatory approval requirements. The many certified components and cables secure companies an uncomplicated entry into the digital world and Industry 4.0 anywhere in the world. The fact that stable systems and secure processes are extremely important for the establishment of Industry 4.0 can also be seen from the growing number of industrial robots in use worldwide. An estimated 2.6 million robots will already be in operation next year, many of them with certified chainflex cables. At the same time, these are also examples of a successful combination of cable and bus elements of the CF bus families for Ethernet and Profinet.

In order to ensure data transmission over a long period of time and in adverse conditions, the elements were stranded with a particularly short pitch length. In addition, they are protected by a gusset-filling extruded TPE inner jacket. This relieves the bus pair mechanically and fixes the cores in a defined position. The combination of design details, IDC technology and precisely fitting (bus) cable altogether ensures stable data transmission in a manufacturing or industrial process. Here it does not matter whether it is the classic manufacturing process in the automotive industry, or use in the harsh environment of the petrochemical industry or safe handling under cleanroom conditions: the core requirements for a cable can be defined in detail by a multitude of configuration parameters. It starts with choosing the right connectors, their design or the manufacturer, then it goes on to details such as travels and ends up with the choice of specific requirements, which in many cases call for certification. Stable processes and compliance with regulatory requirements not only keep the total cost of ownership transparent, but they also keep it within limits.

The new chainflex bus cables are available from Treotham Automation.

Treotham Automation 1300 657 564 www.treotham.com.au

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.pacetoday.com.au 39

A radar beam focused like a laser!

The future is 80 GHz: a new generation of radar level sensors

The latest cutting-edge technology from the world leader: the unsurpassed focusing of VEGAPULS 64. This enables the radar beam to be targeted at the liquid surface with pinpoint accuracy, avoiding internal obstructions like heating coils and agitators. This new generation of level sensors is also completely unaffected by condensation or buildup and has the smallest antenna of its kind.

Simply world-class! www.vega.com/radar IFAT 2016: Hall A5, Stand 239/338