DESIGN WORLD JANUARY 2021 - MAIN ISSUE

January 2021

www.designworldonline.com

2021

Leadership in Engineering

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More thoughts on women in engineering In 2018, Design World’s editorial staff — which is primarily made up of degreed engineers and is split roughly 50-50 between men and women — came up with the concept of dedicating a whole issue of the magazine each year to profiling Women in Engineering and exploring the issues they face, as well as their accomplishments.

At one end of the spectrum, it’s clear that we need to continue to graduate engineers in the United States and keep investing in our future.

The interest in STEM and STEAM programs has helped illuminate how many young women in this country are interested in taking pathways into engineering and science fields — something that was o en discouraged (if not outright ridiculed) in previous generations. At the other end, we’re constantly seeing examples of brilliant female engineers who are making a difference in their companies and their industries.

And diversity is a positive thing, whether that be in teams, departments, engineering labs, or in leadership positions.

We’ve recently released our third annual Women in Engineering issue, and it has received tremendous feedback om our readers. Each year, the issues have grown in size, as well as in editorial and design quality. Our whole staff is proud of the stories and issues that we have highlighted over the past three years.

Now, in 2021, we’re taking this topic live and virtual, as a way to expand its reach and allow you more of an opportunity to interact.

Starting on January 27th, you can tune into our monthly Women in Engineering Chat Series. These webinars, moderated by our editors, will feature female engineer panelists talking about their careers, their successes, their challenges, their outlook on the future, and more.

Registration is ee, and all are welcome to listen and ask questions of our panelists. Visit designworldonline.com, choose the Resources menu item and then select Webinars.

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1/15/21 7:47 AM

The TRUTH About

If you think compressed air is too expensive and noisy - read this.

The facts will surprise you!

COMPRESSED AIR! Compare These Blowoffs

Drilled Pipe This common blowoff is very inexpensive and easy to make.

For this test, we used (2) drilled pipes, each with (25) 1/16" diameter holes on 1/2" centers. The drilled pipe performed poorly. The initial cost of the drilled pipe is overshadowed by its high energy use. The holes are easily blocked and the noise level is excessive. Velocity across the entire length was very inconsistent with spikes of air and numerous dead spots.

There are a variety of ways to dry, clean or cool products and surfaces, but which method is best? To decide, we ran a comparison test on the same application using four different blowoff methods: drilled pipe, flat air nozzles, Super Air Knife (each using compressed air as a power source), and a blower supplied air knife (using an electric motor as a power source). Each system consisted of two twelve inch long blowoff options.

Flat Air Nozzles Th is inexpensive air nozzle was the worst performer.

It is available in plastic, aluminum and stainless steel from several manufacturers.

The flat air nozzle provides some entrainment, but suffers from many of the same problems as the drilled pipe. Operating cost and noise level are high. For some flat air nozzles the holes can be blocked - an OSHA violation. Velocity was inconsistent with spikes of air.

The following comparison proves that the EXAIR Super Air Knife is the best choice for

Blower Air Knife The blower proved to be an expensive, noisy option.

As noted below, the purchase price is high. Operating cost was considerably lower than the drilled pipe and flat air nozzle, but was comparable to EXAIR’s Super Air Knife. The large blower with its two 3" (8cm) diameter hoses requires significant mounting space. Noise level was high at 90 dBA. There was no option for cycling it on and off to conserve energy. Costly bearing and filter maintenance along with downtime were also negative factors.

your blowoff, cooling or drying application.

The goal for each of the blowoff choices was to use the least amount of air possible to get the job done (lowest energy and noise level). The compressed air pressure required was 60 PSIG. The blower used had a ten horsepower motor and was a centrifugal type blower at 18,000 RPM. The table

EXAIR Super Air Knife The Super Air Knife did an exceptional job of removing moisture on one pass due to the uniformity of the laminar airflow.

The sound level was very low. For this application, energy use was slightly higher than the blower but can be less than the blower if cycling on and off is possible.

Safe operation is not an issue since the Super Air Knife can not be dead-ended.

Maintenance costs are low with no moving parts to wear out.

below summarizes the overall performance.

The Super Air Knife is the low cost way to blowoff, dry, clean and cool.

Blowoff Comparison Type of blowoff

SEE THE AIR KNIFE IN ACTION!

https://exair.co/58_akv_ad

PSIG BAR

SCFM

SLPM

Horsepower Required

Sound Level dBA

Purchase Price

Annual Electrical Cost*

Approx Annual Maintenance Cost

First Year Cost

Compressed Air

Drilled Pipes

60

4.1

174

4,924

35

91

$50

$4,508

$920

$5,478

Flat Air Nozzles

60

4.1

257

7,273

51

102

$208

$6,569

$1,450

$8,227

Blower Air Knife

3

0.2

N/A

N/A

10

90

$5,500

$1,288

$1,500

$8,288

Super Air Knife

60

4.1

55

1,557

11

69

$664

$1,417

$300

$2,381

*Based on national average electricity cost of 8.3 cents per kWh. Annual cost reflects 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.

Facts about Blowers

Here are some important facts:

Energy conscious plants might think a

Filters must be replaced every one to three months.

Blowers take up a lot of space and

blower to be a better choice due to its

Belts must be replaced every three to six months.

often produce sound levels that

slightly lower electrical consumption compared to a compressor. In reality, a blower is an expensive capital expenditure that requires frequent downtime and costly maintenance of filters, belts and bearings.

Manufacturing Intelligent Compressed Air® Products Since 1983

Exair 1-21.indd 5

Typical bearing replacement is at least once a year at a cost near $1000.

• Blower bearings wear out quickly due to the high speeds (17-20,000 RPM) required to generate effective airflows.

• Poorly designed seals that allow dirt and moisture infiltration and environments above 125°F decrease the one year bearing life.

• Many bearings can not be replaced in the field, resulting in downtime to send the assembly back to the manufacturer.

11510 Goldcoast Drive • Cincinnati, OH 45249-1621 • Phone (513) 671-3322 FAX (513) 671-3363 • E-mail: techelp@exair.com • www.exair.com

exceed OSHA noise level exposure requirements. Air volume and velocity are often difficult to control since mechanical adjustments are required.

https://exair.co/58_423

@EXAIR

1/12/21 10:39 AM

Teschler on Topic IEEE conferences: Another reason not to believe everything you read The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers got some notoriety om its research activities when it retracted more than 7,300 abstracts, most om authors in China. It turned out that most of the retractions stemmed om numerous technical conferences in Asia that were fake, set up mainly to collect bounties paid by the Chinese government for published research.

The fake conference problem has since been cleared up, but the IEEE is once again taking flak because of its publication practices. This time questions have been raised by researchers om Tableau Research and the Sorbonne in France who authored a paper at an IEEE conference. A er the conference, they noticed some factual errors in their paper. They asked the IEEE to republish the corrected paper or, barring that, add a notice about the corrections.

Surprisingly, the IEEE said no. A er a period of several months, the authors received this reply: IEEE does not allow for corrections within the full-text publication document (e.g., PDF) within IEEE Xplore, and the IEEE Xplore metadata must match the PDF exactly.

Unfortunately, we are unable to change the information on your paper at this time.

One of the paper’s authors, Dr. Steve Haroz, didn’t think much of the reply. On a blog covering visualization research, he wrote, “This response is absurd. For any publisher of scientific research, there is always some mechanism for corrigenda (making author corrections).

But IEEE has a policy against it.” Haroz says he also emailed IEEE to point out that its response seems to contradict the organization’s own code of ethics, which states that IEEE members agree to acknowledge and correct errors.

Haroz says he cc’d the IEEE ethics board and got no response. But he eventually heard om someone involved in “Board Governance & Intellectual Property Operations.” They again refused to issue a correction but added that, any conference author who identifies an error in their work is ee to build upon and correct a previously published work by submitting to a subsequent conference or journal.

Namely, the IEEE wanted Haroz and his collaborator to submit an updated version of the paper to another conference or journal. Haroz points out that this approach is unworkable for multiple reasons. The most serious problem is that leaving the original paper floating around potentially

spreads misinformation. Plus, a new version would likely be rejected for being too similar to the old one. “According to IEEE’s policies,” Haroz points out, “if you update a paper and submit a new version, it must include ‘substantial additional technical material’….But some authors have added entire additional experiments to their papers and gotten negative reviews about the lack of major improvements over previous publications. In other words, minor updates would get rejected.….It could even be rejected for self-plagiarism unless we specifically cite the original paper somehow.”

Haroz also looked into retracting the paper, but “IEEE doesn’t seem very interested in retracting papers that make demonstrably incorrect statements or that incorrectly convey the authors’ intent,” he writes.

So Haroz and his coauthor remain stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Fortunately, the errors they spotted didn’t affect the major conclusions of their paper, which concerned data visualization.

But suppose their paper had instead covered some aspect of Covid 19. You would then have a situation where a scientific publisher was unwilling to correct Covid 19 research findings.

That would be my nomination for the worst-ever example of fake news. DW

Leland Teschler • Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler

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www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

1/15/21 7:48 AM

DW Blog_TermsTP_Medical_Glucose_P_1-21.indd 1 KEYSTONE 1-21.indd 7

12/14/20 11:07 AM 1/12/21 10:40 AM

Technology Forward A crystal ball forecast for additive

manufacturing in 2021 Do we dare predict? Remember, very few, in anyone, predicted a global pandemic in 2020. With the understanding that just about anything can happen, let’s give it a go.

Occasionally, a technology or development has an opportunity to really grab attention. This opportunity happened to additive manufacturing last year when the pandemic shut down global supply chains for a while and additive technology was used to fill in those gaps in the supply of needed products, especially medical protection products.

According to many CEOs in the additive industry that I have interviewed, their counterparts in other industries are seriously looking at adding additive manufacturing technology to their mix of manufacturing tools. As Eric Pallarés, Chief Technology Officer at BCN3D notes, additive manufacturing proved itself to be a technology that is adept at overcoming supply chain issues and offering the efficiencies of localized and decentralized production. So, it’s a fair bet that additive will continue to enjoy more acceptance in the supply chain, especially as industrial users look to work smarter as businesses recover om the effects of the pandemic.

Additive manufacturing brought the possibility of realizing the goal of digital manufacturing to the fore ont.

It is one of the first technologies designed to make parts through the

use of a digital file and an internet connection. One of the great benefits of additive is that you can send a digital file to a 3D printer located near your customer, who could be countries away om your location. Most legacy manufacturing machines still need to get connected through the Internet of Things or Industry 4.0.

As additive technology gains acceptance, what are the trends for 2021? Here are a few: Full production. One of the criticisms of additive manufacturing involves quantity and speed of build capacity. According to a recent survey om additive provider Essentium, the number of companies now using additive manufacturing for full-scale production runs of hundreds of thousands of parts doubled om 7% in 2019 to 14% in 2020. The study revealed that while 41% of companies that use additive manufacturing are now doing so for the full-scale production of parts, this number is set to increase to 49% soon.

Leasing versus buying. The effects of the Covid pandemic will not go away anytime soon.

According to users of industrial additive manufacturing systems, increasing the use of additive could potentially save billions of dollars in production costs while building

stronger production approaches that can withstand even a once-ina-century crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the challenge brought on by the pandemic is that for a number of companies, its effects are straining capital expenditures.

Some additive CEOs I spoke with think getting approvals for capital investments will remain a challenge throughout 2021.

Leasing may become the dominant way companies acquire not only additive equipment but other manufacturing equipment as well.

Additive will make gains in aerospace. Hundreds of airline parts can be manufactured on additive systems in the same time it takes to assemble the components by traditional methods. Noted Blake Teipel, CEO and Co-founder, Essentium, recent longitudinal work with the USAF to certi 2X-3X more new materials in the coming years is a signal that the move to additive is accelerating.

Here comes the money. Expect to see a few companies go public, as Desktop Metal recently did, which many see as a sign of overall health for this industry.

A sidenote here, more venture capital firms and others are investing in additive manufacturing.

Thanks in part to the effects of Covid, various groups are accelerating their investment in

Leslie Langnau llangnau@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_3Dprinting

8

January 2021

Tech.Forward.1-21_Vs2.LL.indd 8

www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

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Technology Forward Flexible shaft systems that safely and efficiently transmit rotational power.

additive manufacturing. But you can also expect the consolidation seen across the market in 2020 to continue into 2021.

Shi s in the supply chain.

According to one survey, 57% of manufacturers increased the use of additive manufacturing to produce parts to keep their supply chains flowing during the pandemic.

Because the pandemic highlighted additive manufacturing’s flexibility and versatility, more companies realize that producing parts themselves, without relying on global suppliers, puts them in a stronger position to get their products to market.

Indications are that investment plans in additive technology have changed at many companies with 25% of manufacturers ramping up 3D printing to meet supply chain needs and 30% evaluating industrial-scale 3D printing to fill supply chain gaps.

Flexible Shaft for Construction Flexible shafts are used in a range of construction tools, such as concrete vibrators, power screeds and trowels, drywall sanders, and duct cleaners.

Infiltrating more industries.

As design engineers get better acquainted with additive technology, the range of uses will expand. The core industries of aerospace, automotive, and healthcare will continue to grow, but other industries will present opportunities. Applications that involve high mix – low volume production take advantage of the benefits of additive manufacturing.

DW

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Connect and discuss this and other engineering design issues with thousands of professionals online

So ware takes additive to next level. When I was a younger engineer, the pattern of technology development was first hardware advanced, then so ware followed and leap- ogged hardware, then hardware caught up, then so ware bypassed hardware, and so on. This pattern seems to be happening in the additive industry. We’ve had years of hardware development.

Now the focus is on so ware to address those issues that smooth the additive production process om beginning to end. This trend will continue throughout 2021.

One of the better benefits of additive so ware, though, is that it enables companies to scale the technology as their business needs warrant. “Scaling doesn’t mean just doing more, it means doing additive efficiently and consistently,” states Greg Kress, CEO of Shapeways.

3D printing at scale involves nesting, tray planning, file fixing, build planning and more. So ware provides the insight required to get prints manufactured correctly and

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January 2021

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1/15/21 7:43 AM

Green Engineering Paul J. Heney

• VP, Editorial Director

Battery cells power stationary

energy systems

|F re u d en b er g S ea lin g c Te h n ol og ie s

The Freudenberg Group’s lithium-ion battery operation, XALT Energy, is supplying high-performance battery pouch cells to Commeo GmbH. Commeo, a German energy system specialist, is using the cells in stationary energy storage systems and a wide range of system applications that will provide an uninterruptible, flexible energy supply.

Due to the growing private and industrial demands for energy — and the shi away om base-load capable conventional power plants to renewable energies — the need for stationary energy storage systems worldwide continues to grow.

By delaying the storage and delivery of energy, these systems can contribute to the supply security and stability of the electricity grid. They also can supply energy when needed to prevent extreme power peaks and accompanying increased grid charges.

Another application area is the emergency power supply for automation systems: If there is a power failure at large companies, for example, stationary storage systems temporarily supply energy, preventing expensive production shutdowns. The storage systems are also used to provide energy to electric,

12

January 2021

Green.Engineering.1-21.Vs3.LL.indd 12

emission- ee and maintenance- ee, driverless transport systems.

The growing use of electric mobility is creating additional demand for stationary energy storage systems. This is because charging stations for vehicles place high demands on the grid connections, which can be met by battery systems.

Their high-capacity and high-cyclelife capabilities make the battery cells om XALT suitable for such applications.

The power cells, which are cells with high charge and discharge rates, perform more than 10,000 cycles at a depth of discharge of 80%, thus ensuring the systems’ desired longevity and reliability.

“Quality and reliability are very important … both in terms of components and suppliers.” said Frank Vöge, Head of Sales of Commeo GmbH. “In Commeo GmbH, we have found

www.designworldonline.com

a strategic partner with whom we can establish the XALT cells in highperformance systems for stationary energy storage systems and emergency power supply on the market in the long term – and we can also develop new applications for them,” said Nils Martens, SVP Battery & Fuel Cell Systems at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, explaining the focus of the partnership.

The first systems with battery cells om Freudenberg will be delivered in the first quarter of 2021. DW

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies www.fst.com

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1/12/21 10:44 AM

Contents 1 • 2021

•

vol 16 no 1

•

2021

designworldonline.com

Leadership Pages 179-3

57

108 68 _MOTION CONTROL

94 _ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

122 _ELECTRONICS

The benefits of integrating vision into machine control

3D printing metals or composites— How to choose

When there’s water everywhere— Choosing the right switch technology

Scalable PC-based automation, robust network solutions and open camera standards allow machine vision to ditch black boxes and increase throughput.

76 _MOTION CONTROL The significance of functional safety certification for brakes

Safety is a serious concern for machine builders, system integrators, and end users. These engineers must provide a safe production environment and meet regulatory requirements for machine safety. Here we review how functional safety is quantified and one new servomotor-brake option with functional-safety certification.

88 _INTERNET OF THINGS Pneumatics and digital transformation: Overcome what’s wrong holding you back

With the right approach to IIoT technology, you can turn data into actionable information that helps ensure machines are self-diagnosing, provide transparency to end-users, and never fail.

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January 2021

CONTENTS.1-21_Vs3.LL.indd 14

By understanding which 3D printed materials are most suitable for a given project, engineers can take full advantage of the efficiency and convenience of 3D printing.

100 _3D CAD Developing a Parametric Model of a Bicycle and Human

A general-purpose parametric SolidWorks model has been created to enable rapid evaluation of novel bicycle concepts.

108 _MECHANICAL How to choose the right bearing material for the job

The bearing industry uses different materials for the production of the various bearing components.

Only a few technologies are suitable for underwater applications or those involving extremely high humidity.

128 _PNEUMATICS Upgrading equipment with solenoids

Pneumatic solenoid valves make it possible to remotely operate and automate equipment, with a range of product and technology options available for upgrading designs.

136 _NETWORKING The lowdown on Single Pair Ethernet

As more manufacturers join the SPE Alliance, questions about its functions and uses abound. Here’s a look at critical information about Single Pair Ethernet.

116 _MEDICAL Overcoming fear of failure in medical device development

All failures are a lesson learned. But cultivating relationships across disciplines, especially when projects “fail,” improves the odds of success. www.designworldonline.com

A Z B E E S A S B P E Aw a r d s o f E x c e l l e n c e

A Z B E E S A S B P E Aw a r d s o f E x c e l l e n c e

A Z B E E S A S B P E Aw a r d s o f E x c e l l e n c e

ON THE COVER

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Follow the whole team on twitter @DesignWorld

OPERATIONS

VP, Editorial Director Paul J. Heney pheney@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_paulheney Senior Contributing Editor Leslie Langnau llangnau@wtwhmedia.com @dw_3dprinting Executive Editor Leland Teschler lteschler@wtwhmedia.com @dw_leeteschler Executive Editor Lisa Eitel leitel@wtwhmedia.com @dw_lisaeitel Senior Editor Miles Budimir mbudimir@wtwhmedia.com @dw_motion Senior Editor Mary Gannon mgannon@wtwhmedia.com @dw_marygannon Associate Editor Mike Santora msantora@wtwhmedia.com @dw_mikesantora

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• c o n te n ts departments 04

Insights

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Technology Forward

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Green Engineering

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Design For Industry

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Design Notes

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Internet of Things

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Design for Industry Aerospace

Easy scanning for large parts

A

A number of options are available for metrology needs, ranging om hand-held and arm scanners to tripod supported scanners. For some large parts, however, a different scanner is needed.

The PolyScan XL scanner is part of the Polyrix PolyScan Surround 3D Scanner family. These scanners are motionless by design during an inspection. Their unique calibration avoids the need for data alignment or sticker targets, and multiple baselines increase accuracy when measuring points.

The PolyScan XL6 measures parts up to 1600 mm, combining 12 cameras and 12 projectors to provide 210 effective scanning units. Thus, it suites metrology needs for medium-to-large aerospace castings or automotive sheet metal components.

Complete part inspection is done in 6 minutes.

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Surround design and simplicity of automation means it can be easily integrated into a production line, while being 100% safe for operators.

PolyScan XL8, the larger version of XL, measures parts to 2000 mm. It combines 16 cameras and 16 projectors for 376 effective scanning units.

Surround Scanning is made possible by the R&D investment that Polyrix placed on so ware development since 2005. The PolyScan Control Center (PCC) manages data acquisition om all scanning units, thus generating 3D models.

Furthermore, PolyScan operation is easy with the simple interface of the Automation Manager, or by 3rd party plug-ins (e.g.

Polyworks Inspector Plug-in).

All PolyScan scanners are simple, fast and safe. There is no need to program inspection trajectory, unlike CMM and robotic scanning solutions. Data are quickly captured om every angle. With PolyScan, there is no risk of collision with an operator. No costly enclosure and safety systems are needed. DW

Exact Metrology www.exactmetrology.com

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Design for Industry Aerospace

3D printing functional prototypes for aerospace

Triton Space Technologies, LLC is a Boston, Massachusetts-based engineering design and manufacturing company that specializes in producing rocket propulsion systems. In addition to manufacturing its own line of high-pressure fluid system components and propulsion solutions, it provides contract engineering and prototype manufacturing services for customers requiring custom products, which it manufactures onsite in its state-of-the-art CNC machine shop.

“We have a customer going to the moon in 2021 who commissioned us to build some valves for them,” said Luke Colby, President and CEO of Triton Space Technologies.

“We wanted to create a functional prototype of the valve, to check that all the parts fit together properly, and that the internal parts could slide and move as they should.

We went into it not really expecting that the 3D printer would be able to keep the tolerances needed for the sliding parts to move, but it did.”

Colby founded Triton Space Technologies in 2014, following 10 years as Lead Propulsion Engineer for Virgin Galactic’s suborbital space tourism vehicle. Despite

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using large-scale industrial 3D printing machines throughout his career, it was not until the launch of the MakerBot METHOD X 3D printer that he considered the possibility that a desktop machine could be used to produce truly functional prototypes.

“The printer has evolved as a tool, providing us with a high level of reliability during part production. In our line of business, this is essential – especially in comparison to other 3D printers where there’s a risk that the final part will not come out as you’d expect. METHOD X mitigates risk by helping us to answer questions earlier in the design phase,” said Colby.

Previously, Triton had to machine prototypes om sheet aluminum in its machine shop, a costly and inefficient process that took 2-3 days per prototype and created a lot of material waste. The alternative was to outsource to a 3D printing service bureau. However, this took longer – up to a week for each prototype – and didn’t always result in a usable part.

“We know what our design intent is, so when we print something, we know if the part is going to be useful.

If we have to send it out to an external agency, the part might not necessarily be oriented in the direction that’s most useful to us,” said Colby. “Now, if a design doesn’t come out quite right, or we want to make a change, we can do that ourselves quickly. The reliability of the 3D printer means we can set a part to print overnight knowing it will be ready to use in the morning. Using the app, we can check on the progress of the print remotely. That is a really practical feature,” he added.

The ability to print with Stratasys SR-30 soluble support material is key to enabling Triton Space Technologies to produce functional prototypes with the tolerances required for the aerospace industry. If produced without supports,

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or using snap-off supports, parts would have to be filed and sanded, reducing their utility. Harnessing 3D printing’s ability to produce complex geometries, with fewer individual parts, the engineers can create increasingly sophisticated prototypes capable of meeting the diverse needs of customers.

“We also used the METHOD X to create a prototype of an injector head assembly for the manifold of a small rocket engine,” explained Colby. “The idea was that it should have one common, sliding surface that would open up flow passages for both propellants at the same time. That would not have been possible with traditional manufacturing methods, as you end up with an assembly of many different parts coming together with a whole lot of seals in between them.”

The option to print prototypes in durable real engineeringgrade ABS is another benefit of using the 3D printer. However, Colby is excited about the possibilities offered by MakerBot’s rapidly expanding materials portfolio, in particular MakerBot Nylon Carbon Fiber.

“The modularity of the extruders will enable us to continually expand and improve what we are able to do with different materials. That’s really important to us, because most products become obsolete almost as soon as you buy them,” concluded Colby. DW

MakerBot | www.makerbot.com

DESIGN WORLD

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Design for Industry Food & Beverage

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withstand over 1,100 washdown cycles Rigorous testing at a state-of-the-art hygiene laboratory verifies that these food safe stainless-steel motors can withstand frequent sanitation. The motors emerged in full working order after being subjected to tests simulating years of

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operation in harsh washdown environments.

These motors feature a stainless-steel housing to resist corrosion, and IP69 ingress protection to ensure that hightemperature, high-pressure spraying will not cause damage.

They are also easy to clean, with a smooth, self-draining outer surface that has no angles where contaminants could gather.

The test regime reproduced typical cleaning practices in the food and beverage industry with a seven-stage cycle representing a full week of daily washdown procedures.

Detergent and sanitizer were applied during every stage, with acid applied once per cycle. This reflects the common industrial practice of washing down with acid once each week.

Temperatures up to 55oC and pressures up to 25 bar were used.

In all, a total of 158 cycles were performed, corresponding to 1,106 daily washdowns or 418 total hours of testing.

Two IEC stainless steel food safe motors were subjected to the tests and were largely unaffected and still in full working order at the end of the test program. In particular, no water, condensation or indication of corrosion was found inside the motors. All the three main O-rings and drain plugs remained tight.

For comparison purposes a standard painted aluminum motor was also tested. It started to deteriorate quickly and failed before the end of the test. The paint on the housing blistered and flaked off, and the shaft and other steel components suffered severe corrosion. Washdown chemicals penetrated both the terminal box and the main housing, causing short circuits between the phases and ground. The aluminum rating plate became detached from the motor.

These food safe stainless-steel motors eliminate the need for motor shrouds, providing 360-degree access for inspection and sanitization. The easy-to-clean surfaces also mean that less water and chemicals are needed. DW

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Design for Industry Food & Beverage

FDA-compliant cable entry plates

Motors, actuators, and other components for food and beverage applications are plentiful. Finding cable components can take more effort. The KEL-DPZ-HD cable entry plate has been developed for the use in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Meeting Hygienic Design guidelines, the surface is smooth so that there are no dirt-collecting recesses on the visible side. The outer contour radius of 6 mm - instead of the required 3 mm - exceeds the EHEDG specifications. The KEL-DPZ-HD uses an FDA-compliant material in accordance with food approval 1935/2004 / EG and (EU) 10/2011. A clear visual color recognition is given with the signal color blue.

Cables and hoses with a diameter range of 3.2 mm to 22.2 mm are routed and sealed with IP65 / 66/67/68. Depending on the version,

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up to 35 cables can be routed. The plates are initially available with a metric thread in sizes M32, M40, M50 and M63. A major advantage over conventional cable glands is the significantly greater packing density. The fixing of the cable entry plate with a lock nut is fairly simple.

There are also detectable cable ties KB-HDD and cable tie holders KBH-HDD available, plus plugs of the type ST-B-HD as a detectable version - ST-B-HDD, in order to seal any pierced cable entry membranes which are no longer in use. DW

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Design for Industry Medical

Designing a handheld ultrasound device

The design goal was to empower healthcare workers at all levels of expertise to make life-altering decisions at the point of care — while removing the technical barriers and capital outlays contributing to the high cost of healthcare.

Thus, began the process of designing a handheld ultrasound device.

The developers were Dr. Amin Nikoozadeh, of Stanford University and founder of Vave Health, and the engineering team at Box Clever.

The ultrasonic device is as easy to carry as a stethoscope and wirelessly connects with any smartphone or tablet.

To achieve this goal meant looking at ultrasound in a totally new and innovative way. Dr. Nikoozadeh and the engineering team at Box Clever worked with a team of health care specialists, engineers, and medical technicians to unlock the complexities around creating a novel handheld ultrasound technology that would be both simple and intuitive for users.

The choice of materials was key to the product’s overall functionality and user experience. As the ultrasound processors quickly rise in temperature, the chosen material could not overheat. The design team settled on a castmetal magnesium case for the outer shell of the ultrasound as the magnesium prevents overheating and allows for the device to meet thermal testing requirements.

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A so grip would also enhance user iendly design during clinical use. The design team chose to introduce a silicone sleeve that enhances the grip and is easy to disinfect with hospital-grade cleaning agents — a feature that would turn out to be essential in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mobility is essential. The design team put in a flex button for wireless pairing with a mobile phone, tablet, laptop or desktop, allowing the versatility to act as an extension of these devices.

The battery was designed as an independent element to the sleeve, allowing for it to be swapped out and replaced in a matter of seconds. Retention features require the battery to slide off the end of the product on a track system, allowing for a smooth interchange without having to open any covers or press any buttons.

DESIGN WORLD

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Ultrasound is a high-intensity function, requiring equent charging so the team also created a battery charger that can live on a countertop or be mounted to a wall, further aiding the device’s accessibility. Much like a smartphone, Vave’s ultrasound-as-aservice model also ensures continuous upgrades of the device’s so ware.

Wireless, HIPAA-compliant cloud storage enables tech support and access to education and expertise om anywhere in the world. And Vave replaces the ultrasound probe hardware every 24 months for a closed sustainability loop.

With ultrasound already an integral part of healthcare practice and diagnostics, the design team wanted to reimagine its profile, prioritizing the human user while eschewing the staid color palettes usually adopted in medical design.

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The shape and size of the Vave device were carefully cra ed for balance in the hand, making it small enough so that you can hold it in multiple orientations.

Exploring so forms and patterns in an ergonomic design, the team sought maximum ease and comfort for daily and prolonged use, while allowing for Vave to be set down or stood up.

To create a futuristic, sleek design while still retaining a professional medical feel, the team chose a combination of white and muted blue to enhance the structure and silhouette.

The final result was a product accessible and essential to healthcare professionals, clinicians and medical students around the world. DW

Box Clever bxclvr.com

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Design for Industry Medical

Silicone adhesive for longer wear times

Acrylate and silicone have dominated the medical adhesive market for years.

But the adhesives currently available require device engineers to choose between strength and wear duration, or comfort and pliability. A new silicone adhesive, the Hi-Tack Silicone Adhesive Tapes, features longer wear times, supporting heavier devices and offering more secure adhesion.

The adhesive provides increased sheer performance, higher tack, stronger adhesion and longer-wear duration. The adhesive is repositionable, flexible and conformable to work well with various medical devices, including continuous glucose monitoring systems, wearable monitors, sleep and incontinence devices.

It is strongly bonded to the backing to minimize residue on both skin and production equipment. The 2480 3M Hi-Tack Silicone Adhesive is compatible with ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization. DW

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Design for Industry O f f- s h o r e

Modular solutions for carbon

neutral shipping

A methanoloperated fuel cell system was issued “Approval in Principle” by the classification society DNV GL. This system will be installed on the AidaNova cruise ship as soon as in 2021.

Converting the approximately 100,000 commercial ships on the world’s oceans to CO2-neutral propulsion systems is one of the greatest challenges facing climate policy, since a large part of this fleet is operated on the high seas. The range of any new propulsion systems must be able to cover these distances. In merchant shipping, for example, container ships travel the route om Shanghai to Rotterdam without a stopover. Due to the heavy weight of batteries, electricity is not an option as an energy source. If used directly, “green” hydrogen obtained om solar and wind power is also suitable only to a limited extent.

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The volumetric energy density of hydrogen – even when liquefied and stored at -253 degrees Centigrade – is seven times lower than that of conventional marine diesel. This would require huge fuel tanks, which in turn would not be practical. It’s thus a good option to chemically bind the regeneratively produced hydrogen. An ideal candidate for this is methanol, a simple alcohol that is liquid under normal conditions and has about three times the energy density of liquefied hydrogen. The technical methods for the production are tried and tested because methanol is already an important basic material in the chemical industry. If the carbon for the methanol production isn’t derived om fossil sources but separated om the air, for example, or if the methanol is generated om biomass, the fuel is completely climate-neutral.

DESIGN WORLD

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Methanol can be used in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells that operate with an upstream reformer.

Through steam reforming, the system produces hydrogen, which reacts with oxygen in the fuel cell to produce the electricity required for the propulsion as well as the on-board power supply.

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies developed such a fuel cell operated with methanol in a container design with a view to its implementation in shipping.

The fuel cell stack, reformer, control electronics and all components for the media supply are in a prefabricated container that makes on-board installation easy. The individual container can have a rated output of up to 500 kilowatts and can be scaled with additional units to achieve total outputs in the double-digit megawatt range.

These performance data are essential

in order to use ships safely. Due to the high degree of thermal and mechanical integration of the full system, the heat required for the reformer can be obtained directly om the waste heat of the fuel cells.

The fuel cell system with integrated reformer is for applications in which range isn’t an essential criterion and hydrogen in astructure exists on site.

Fuel cell systems without reformers for pure hydrogen operation are also available, as are fuel cells with liquefied natural gas (LNG), where the required reformer is also integrated into the container.

LNG can also be produced based on green hydrogen. Due to strict emission regulations, LNG-operated combustion engines are increasingly used in coastal areas worldwide, so that the corresponding tank in astructure already

exists in many ports and on ships.

The safety concept for fuel cells with an integrated methanol reformer has now been certified by the classification society, DNV GL. These solutions aren’t just suitable for cruise ships and yachts but also all kinds of cargo ships and ferries. More than 95% of ships require a solution that will work on the high seas.

DW

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January 2021

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Design Notes

Fighting COVID-19: gas springs help intensive care teams Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

When a patient is infected with SARS-CoV-2, intensive care physicians need pictures of the patient’s lungs quickly. Mobile X-ray devices are the most effective medical equipment for diagnostic purposes. To make time-critical work with these high-tech aids fast, safe, and uncomplicated, one international manufacturer relies on gas springs om ACE Stoßdämpfer GmbH. The central Chinese metropolis of Wuhan was the first center of the spread of the novel coronavirus. At the onset of exponential growth in infection rates, crisis managers implemented an unprecedented lockdown and reacted by building entirely new hospitals within a few days. The logistical challenge included the engineering and work on-site and the planning and production of the medical services in the hospitals. With little time to spare, the demands on doctors, nurses, medical equipment providers, and their suppliers were high. This also applied to Beijing Wandong Medical Technology Co. Ltd. With the urgently needed digital mobile X-ray devices, it became apparent that additional support on the part of the supplier was necessary concerning the rapid supply of industrial gas springs.

Mobile X-ray devices for digital radiography (DR) meet the special requirements of intensive care units, emergency rooms, and Wandong mobile pneumology X-ray system ready for transport.

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departments. As the coronavirus outbreak showed, this also applied to the processes in special quarantine zones. Mobile DR devices are reliable, and their images are as good as those of fixed DR devices. They also help medical staff reduce radiation exposure for patients and themselves compared to older X-ray technologies. To further increase the safety for users and patients, the involvement of a partner for industrial gas springs was aimed at reducing the risks arising om the device’s mechanics.

“Even when designing the mobile unit long before the current developments, we were already looking for a reliable solution to support the beam arm of the digital X-ray device,” explains Lu Fei, one of the project managers at Wandong.

The reliability of the gas spring is critical during mobile X-ray operation; the medical personnel has to li the arm supported by the gas springs to a certain control position, which can vary each time according to the patient’s anatomy.

Because there is a theoretical risk that the beam arm can drop, the gas spring must maintain its holding force.

While the weight of the beam arm in the mobile X-ray unit is 10 kg, the X-ray device mounted to it weighs 30 kg.

Given the total weight, the starting point and opening angle had to be taken into account when selecting the right gas spring. While the maximum opening angle should be 130°, the starting point is 0°.

Because the gas springs are installed inside the beam arm for ergonomics and space savings, it also explains why stainless steel versions could be dispensed with here, despite stringent hygiene regulations.

The selected ACE pull type GZ-28-450 gas springs also have a positive effect

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Make your machine move

The Wuhan mobile X-ray diagnosis during Pandemic.

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on user- iendliness in other respects: they reliably hold the beam arm in the final position but also support the muscle power during raising and lowering. In doing so, they work in the opposite way to the principle of gas push type springs. This means that the gas pressure in the cylinder draws the piston rod in and, when moving the arm, supports the manual force required for a controlled motion.

The gas springs also offer maximum service life with chromeplated piston rods and integrated sliding bearings. With these maintenance- ee and ready-to-install components, designers can choose between body diameters om 15 to 40 mm and traction forces om 40 to 5,000 N. In the mobile X-ray solution offered by Wandong, models with an outer diameter of 28 mm and a maximum force of 1,200 N at a stroke length of 450 mm work reliably. An additional advantage: no matter what the stroke length, the traction force can be subsequently adjusted via a valve by letting gas escape or by filling it with the filling case available om ACE, depending on the application.

The mechanical assistants have increased the safety and user- iendliness of Wandong’s mobile digital X-ray units. This functionality relieves the medical staff so they may concentrate on the task at hand — saving lives. DW

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DESIGN WORLD

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P RoHS

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Design Notes

Composite materials help place Italian race team in pole position Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

The Dynamis DP11 on the racetrack.

Motor racing has always been at the fore ont of research and development as every team looks to glean an advantage over rivals and shed away those few precious seconds per lap. To help develop automotive engineers of the future, the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (Formula SAE) is a global student competition that pits various university teams against each other to develop small, Formula-style race cars.

In 2019, the racing department at Italian university Politecnico di Milano, Dynamis PRC, was looking for a new material to improve the performance of its car’s steering column and suspensions. To do this, Dynamis PRC got in touch with leading composite technology company Exel Composites to bring material innovation to high-speed engineering design.

Student projects aren’t o en considered to be at the head of design sophistication. While Dynamis PRC is a student-led organization, its practices are anything but amateur. Based at

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one of Italy’s premier engineering universities, Dynamis focuses on designing and building formula-style vehicles to compete in the Formula SAE. While the roster may be filled with students, its hierarchy is business-like, and so is its determination to learn and innovate.

A er a reasonably successful year in 2018, when the team was able to secure top ten finishes in all its competitions, Dynamis was looking for a method to push the following year’s Formula SAE car further than ever before and achieve a pole position. www.designworldonline.com

Shedding weight, not strength “We had just come off the end of a successful year, but the team knew that our vehicle could perform better,” explains Andrea Vezzoli, technical director at Dynamis. “There were two main objectives we wanted to achieve for that year’s model, named the DP11.

The first was to reduce the weight of the car, and the second was to improve the suspension because we felt that in the previous year, this is what had held us back.”

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Dynamis began searching for new materials. Making weight improvements was critical because every other team would also be finessing their cars, many of which had received support om major car manufacturers.

When researching new materials, Dynamis encountered Politecnico di Milano alumni Francesco Ierullo, who is currently Head of Sales for South and West Europe and IMEA at Exel Composites. “When they reached out, I had a flashback to my own experiences studying engineering at the Politecnico,” explained Ierullo.

“I had been aware of the Formula SAE during my time studying and have been pleasantly surprised by its growth and the caliber of the design skills that many of the students in these teams possess. We are always looking for ways to get composites into the hands of students,” continued Ierullo.

Minimizing time and weight A er reviewing the focus areas with the racing team, Exel Composites suggested a variety of carbon fiber tubes. “During the meeting, it was great to see their passion for the project, and we did our best to suggest potential methods to help with their design,” elucidates Ierullo.

“We reviewed a few different carbon fiber options before choosing the tubes we felt best suited our needs,” said Andrea Vezzoli. “Using carbon fiber was a real breakthrough for reducing the weight of the driving column. We were able to shed 15 kilograms, which helped shave two seconds off our lap time.”

Another bonus of carbon fiber is its strength. The car’s driving column must resist three times the peak load, which for our design was 100 newton meters (Nm). Using Exel’s carbon fiber, we were able to push it to 140 Nm and the material was still functional, unlike with many metals that would snap.”

“We were impressed by the performance of the material,” explained Ernesto Riccardo, head of suspension and drivetrain department at Dynamis.

“We built a database of materials and used an algorithm to indicate which material was best for certain components. Once we input the properties of Exel’s products into the database, the algorithm told us to use it every time without fail. It was on another level compared to everything else we had tried before.”

Exel’s tubes were also used to increase the rigidity of the vehicle’s suspension without increasing its weight. With many other materials. the forces would deform the car’s parts and reduce their effectiveness, but using carbon fiber completely avoids this issue.

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Design Notes Integrating innovation There were two potential issues that could arise when transitioning to composites. The first issue is the difference in the methods used to cut and work the material. The risk with composites is that they become delaminated during cutting, especially while using tools such as water jets, which can cause the material to lose properties and can compromise its stability.

Another issue is that, to fix the composites in place, the ame must be modified because composites cannot be welded in place. Instead, they must be glued. These modifications can alter the weight of the vehicle’s profiles, meaning that it is imperative that gluing is carried out correctly. Exel prevented these problems om occurring by recommending the best options for

Design-Notes-1-21-Vs3.LL.indd 36

composite material connectors while also explaining the best way to cut each material.

“The integration process of the parts was very smooth, Exel Composites explained some necessities to us, but for the most part, it was getting accustomed to gluing instead of welding,” explained Vezzoli. “The whole team was equally surprised by how easy it was to work the material; we were expecting to encounter some hiccups, but the quality of the material meant that the changeover was seamless.”

and teams are awarded points for each focus area, with the team scoring the most points winning the competition.

With the new carbon fiber pieces installed, Dynamis was able to take the car to four races. The first race took place in Holland, where the team won overall.

Returning to Italy for the third race, Dynamis saw another victory.

Held in Germany, the homeland of many of the world’s largest car manufacturers, the final race was the toughest. “We were ready for a challenging competition,” explains Vezzoli. “Many of the German teams are directly linked with Hitting the road running their local car manufacturers, so we knew While Formula SAE is a racing event, the car would have to perform well to help there is no single race to decide a winner. us hit our targets.” Even against some of Instead, each team competes in a variety of the most competitive teams in the world, events that measure the different qualities Dynamis achieved a strong third-place of the cars. Stopping time, acceleration, position, making the season one of its and agility are all tested at different stages, most successful to date.

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Design Notes Forward drive While the 2020 season has been delayed, the Dynamis team is looking forward to its next challenge. “One of our long-term plans was to begin competing in the electric car version of Formula SAE. This was one of the reasons behind our strategic weight shedding focus for the 2019 season,” explains Vezzoli.

Using composites has been a breakthrough for Dynamis’. In the next season, the team plans to start incorporating some of Exel’s fiberglass elements in its aerodynamic wings for a new phase of lightweighting.

Composites are becoming a mainstay in the automotive industry. Whether carmakers opt for carbon fiber of fiberglass, the potential benefits for performance, strength, and weight savings can really push what cars can do.

Exel Composites already provides composite tubes, profiles, and laminates to the automotive industry.

Electric vehicle (EV) battery enclosures, for example, are just one instance that demonstrates how the power of a lightweight composite material holds the potential to support our increasing need for e-cars.

Racing is a constant source of innovation, not only for technology but also for the engineers that work on the cars. Material choice is at the heart of many of these innovations, with composites demonstrating numerous benefits that can make vehicles lighter, stronger, and more efficient. Ensuring that the engineers of the future are exposed to composites as early as possible is key to ensuring that the next generation is ready to use the material and let it lead them to victory. DW

Exel Composites exelcomposites.com

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Design Notes

How to keep load peaks in check Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Especially for gantry systems, rapidly accelerating heavy loads can shoot the electrical power demand of equency drives through the roof. At the same, time while braking, regenerative energy is being put back into the drive system. For Ilsemann Automation,

This rotary axis has eight depositing positions on each side. The retrieval robot travels into the injection molding machine twice for a set of eight. The axis then turns by 180° and passes the eight cups on.

the challenge was to make the most effective use of the braking energy and not dissipate it in braking resistors. In its retrieval robots for plastic processors, the company uses a drive solution om SEW EURODRIVE that minimizes energy consumption while at the same time boosting the operational reliability of the system.

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Design Notes

The MOVISUITE engineering software from SEW EURODRIVE is used for planning, startup, operation, and diagnostics. It reduces time and cost outlay for users and improves usability.

Thin-walled plastic cups are widely used in the food industry. Given the millions of pieces involved, the injection molding technology demands are incredibly high in terms of productivity, efficiency, and availability. These requirements also apply to the retrieval technology that removes the finished plastic cups om the injection molding system. For this task, Ilsemann Automation uses an XYZ gantry with multi-axis- coordinated servo drives. An MDP92A-series central supply unit om SEW EURODRIVE

provides power to the gantry drives and other rotary, transfer, hinged, and depositing axes in the DC link connection.

In a new development, the Bremenbased company integrates a doublelayer capacitor for buffering the energy released in the power supply. The MOVI DPS-series storage unit is placed between the supply unit and the seven MOVIDRIVE drive equency inverters. This construction has three key advantages — operational reliability, energy efficiency, and the limitation of peak loads.

Ilsemann Automation is a global provider of handling systems for injection molding technology. It’s new power supply system’s key unique selling point is its robustness in voltage fluctuations.

Thanks to the temporary storage, the systems can be used in countries with limited grid quality without any additional protective measures.

Compensating for supply fluctuations is important because the retrieval system is at work near the injection molding machines. In this, it must be ensured

SEW EURODRIVE servo drives provide the XYZ gantry from Ilsemann Automation with coordinated movements. In the image: The motor for an axis in the retrieval system.

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Design Notes

An MDP92A-series central supply unit provides power to the gantry drives and other rotary, transfer, hinged, and depositing axes in the DC link connection. The PES modules are arranged on the left.

that the plastic cups are removed in exactly the correct time window to stack them on a conveyor belt. The limited time for this is linked to the production speed of the injection molding system.

The retrieval must happen within a 0.7-second window. This speed can only be achieved with highly dynamic forward and backward movements. If supply fluctuations occurred, the risk of a collision between the tool and the handling unit would increase because the required movement ramps can no longer be realized.

“We must ensure that our system will not collide with the expensive injection molding tools, even if there is a power failure,” says Gerhard Kropp, Design Manager for Electrical Engineering at Ilsemann Automation.

The robot kinematics experts om Bremen, Germany, therefore got together with the SEW EURODRIVE team in a joint engineering project to find a way of achieving greater supply reliability.

The development goal led to the indirect supply of the multi-axis system om an EMF plate capacitor. This feeds the

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DC link of all the drives via its storage buffer with the requisite level of reliability and safely equalizes any potential supply fluctuations all the way to complete failure.

The unit’s capacity is sized in such a way that the handling unit can safely complete the work cycle that has begun before the gantry shuts itself down in a controlled fashion. This eliminates any potential collisions with the open injection molding tool.

Along with increased operational reliability, the unit integrated into the DC link connection also offers further benefits such as the increased energy efficiency and the reduction of load peaks. Both of these factors are directly linked to the fact that the energy currents in the gantry are harmonized, and above all, retained.

Especially in highly dynamic gantries, accelerations and decelerations happen successively within a short time ame. The capacitors in the Ilsemann Automation handling units collect the energy released by the motors while braking and make it available to the drives again when they accelerate. The capacitor module acts as a short-term battery with a booster www.designworldonline.com

function during acceleration. Ideally, this construction works so effectively that no kinetic energy needs to be dissipated via braking resistors.

Measurements have shown that the energy solution was able to halve the gantry’s energy consumption.

Regenerative units that feed back into the power grid are much less suited to this application because they cannot reach anywhere near the same level of efficiency. A calculation example om Germany provides a further argument in favor of buffer storage — the current generated under braking is not fed cheaply back into the grid, only for the system to draw energy for acceleration om the local power supply company at a more expensive rate.

Keeping the braking energy in temporary storage positively effects the grid usage fees and annual service costs end users pay to the local utility company for its services. It should be considered that the cost of extraordinary load peaks can become enormous a er just a few minutes, as the power supply costs are calculated annually.

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Design Notes

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Here is a calculation example for a company with its own medium-voltage supply, over 2,500 hours of power usage a year, and costs of 120 euros per kW. If load peaks drive the planned usage up by 100 kW within the 15 minutes, this will lead to costs of 12,000 euros. Smoothing out these load peaks is vitally important in the context of energy management.

This effect is supported by the slimmer design of the supply installation that can be achieved because the storage handles the peak loads of the Ilsemann gantry.

The supply in astructure, therefore, only has to provide more continuous power.

In one of the first gantries configured with SEW EURODRIVE, the peak load was cut om the 70 Hp typical of such an application to just 8 Hp. The cable cross-sections were also cut accordingly — om 16 mm² to 2.5 mm². By removing the need for an uninterruptible power supply, saving space, and making installation easier overall, this also cuts the installation costs.

With its retrieval gantry, Ilsemann Automation shows how easily a storagebased DC link connection can be implemented in a multi-axis-coordinated drive application. Since the braking energy remains in the system, achieving effective load management is also relatively straightforward. The advantages include lower input power, greater operational reliability during supply fluctuations, and more efficient use of electrical energy overall. DW

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Internet of Things

Has Industry 4.0 failed?

Dave Evans • CEO • Fictiv

Many claim that manufacturing is undergoing a transformation to a digital model. For digital transformation to work, though, it has to deliver tangible dividends to all stakeholders. While the fourth industrial revolution has delivered many grandiose ideas, it has delivered few real examples in terms of achieving a tangible digital dividend. What’s more, Industry 4.0 has failed to spread innovation and access of manufacturing expertise to the masses.

For digital transformation to succeed in these dual goals of dividend and democratization the focus needs to be less on the factory and more on the entire manufacturing ecosystem.

According to Capgemini report Smart Factories at Scale, “Organizations realize that success is hard to come by, with just 14% characterizing their existing initiatives as successful.”

Industry 4.0 defined The term “Industry 4.0” was coined in Germany around seven years ago and promised a future of self-managed, heavily automated manufacturing, offering a “lot size of one” model that would deliver efficiency and agility. If it had delivered on its promise in its first five years the manufacturing world would have been much better placed to weather the perfect storm of disruption caused by COVID-19. The pandemic showed quite clearly that it had not delivered and the industry was largely still dependent on spreadsheets and paper trails.

Attempts to transform industry has resulted in confusion and has overwhelmed those attempting to shi .

The result has been simultaneously filling column inches and occupying hours of boardroom discussions, but what has been achieved? Industry 4.0 has felt like too much talk and not enough action and we’ve not really seen any digital dividend.

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Unfortunately, it took a pandemic to convince the world that traditional supply chains and manufacturing were a little too…well, old school. Outsourcing bids to the cheapest overseas vendor, managing relationships via archaic spreadsheets and late-night phone calls, and performing quality audits by sending teams of people for lengthy international visits all seem so quaint in retrospect.

The pandemic has hammered home the need for digital transformation to mitigate this and future disruptions.

But with travel still at a virtual standstill and social distancing guidelines prohibiting teams om performing in-person inspections, the old ways of managing partners and supply chains no longer suffice. To survive, companies need to compress the next decade’s worth of supply chain innovation into a much shorter time ame.

The many challenges of 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic have forced a range of industries, including healthcare and education, to prioritize digital transformation to adapt to a more virtual world. That evolution is especially critical for those with complex supply chains or manufacturing needs. Fictiv recently released a report, 2020 State of Manufacturing Report, which found that 87% of companies are focused on digital transformation to revamp supply chain strategies and avoid future disruption. But while the majority of

www.designworldonline.com

companies are looking to accelerate digital transformation, only a small percentage had well thought out, wellfunded plans.

We see a need to shi the focus om bits and pieces of manufacturing to more of a Digital Manufacturing Ecosystem, a term we coined for our processes.

Focusing on the entire ecosystem of manufacturing can make it possible for companies large and small to reap the dividends of digital transformation without huge up ont investment in internal solutions. It’s not just the machinery that needs transformation.

Processes, including purchasing and supply chain management need to be changed, and o en these provide an ideal leaping off point for brands wishing to accelerate their digital journey.

We have found that many companies are too inwardly focused when they explore digital transformation. The greatest opportunities for agility, resilience and efficiency come om looking externally, om exploring changes in the ecosystem in which they operate. Accessing digital manufacturing ecosystems can shorten time to market for innovators, while adding value and security. DW

Fictiv www.fictiv.com

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Design quieter gearboxes with multiphysics simulation.

Visualization of the noise pressure level outside the gearbox and vibrationinduced von Mises stress in its housing.

Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) testing is an important part of the design process, but you are not limited to conducting physical experiments. When optimizing gearbox designs, you can perform vibroacoustic analyses using simulation software — producing virtual test results you can see and hear.

The COMSOL Multiphysics® software is used for simulating designs, devices, and processes in all fields of engineering, manufacturing, and scientific research. See how you can apply it to modeling gearbox vibration and noise. comsol.blog/NVH-simulation

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Internet of Things

TwinCAT IoT supports MindSphere The TwinCAT IoT product family transmits data to the cloud or between networked machines, creating the potential for increasing production efficiency. MindSphere, the Industrial IoT as a service solution om Siemens, is one of the latest solutions that can integrate with TwinCAT. TwinCAT 3 automation so ware can communicate with HTTP(S) servers as an HTTP(S) client, for example for exchanging data via a REST API. Establishing a connection with MindSphere is also possible through this HTTPS communication for exchanging telemetry data. This connection is secured by TLS (Transport Layer Security) and uses MindSphere-specific authentication mechanisms.

The sample implementations of the TwinCAT 3 Function TC3 IoT HTTPS/REST (TF6760) in the relevant documentation show how to establish connections with MindSphere. These examples provide a simple introduction to connecting TwinCAT with MindSphere and help users to adapt the program code to suit individual requirements. DW

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Internet of Things

Driving the IIoT Revolution— challenges, benefits and simple next steps

In the age of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), plants, products, and systems are becoming increasingly networked. The intelligent combination of IT and OT in industrial environments forms the basis for transparent and efficient processes and reduced production costs, making it possible to tap into new business segments.

When using many of the deterministic fieldbus protocols and IIoT protocols currently available on the market— including OPC UA, MQTT, and REST API—it can be difficult to maintain a comprehensive understanding of product features and recognize differences in protocol options. What are the differences between the individual protocols, which type of protocol is most suitable for which applications, and what are the specific advantages for the user?

Until recently, it was difficult to control time-critical processes using a PLC while also allowing cloud-based and SCADA systems access to the recorded sensor data.

How do the parallel communication capabilities of IOLink master with MultiLink technology help to provide maximum benefit for the user?

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Many businesses are looking for a simple and cost-effective way to modernize their plants and make them suitable for Industry 4.0. How could we create a retrofit solution for this purpose without having to replace the control system or intervene in an existing system?

Industry is already reaping the benefits of implementing hybrid systems that use both a control system and a cloud solution. What will the transition to fully cloud-based systems with no higher-level control system look like and what are the possible application scenarios? DW

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Internet of Things NEWS

Moxa and Allied Electronics partner for better connectivity in harsh environments Faced with harsh operating conditions, and an increased demand for remote monitoring and automation during the global COVID-19 pandemic, industrial customers need edge connectivity, industrial computing and network in astructure solutions that can establish and maintain secure connectivity in the face of moisture, extreme heat, eezing temperatures, vibration, and more.

Thus, Allied Electronics & Automation and Moxa have partnered to make more than 1,000 industrial communications products, including ethernet switches, protocol converters, and routers rated for performance in harsh environments newly available as part of Allied’s ready-to-ship inventory.

New product lines include Moxa’s EDS-2000 series of unmanaged ethernet switches which feature up to 16 ethernet ports and two gigabit combo ports to meet ever-growing needs for additional nodes and bandwidth.

EDS-2000 series plug-and-play switches are slim enough to fit into crowded control cabinets, and allow for simply configured deployment or upgrading of existing devices. DW

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The choice for harsh environments

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Extending the reach of simulation

Simulation is a powerful tool that helps users save time and money when studying physics phenomena within designs in order to predict operating conditions before prototyping. However, computational modeling is o en le to a simulation specialist, which can limit resources and production within a company.

While other team members may not be experts in simulation, their insights can be invaluable to research, design, and manufacturing processes.

Extending the reach of multiphysics simulation enables companies to get higher-quality products to market faster and at a lower cost, even more so than going through multiple iterations. By creating and distributing simulation applications, specialists can include non-simulation experts in the process, demysti ing it and breaking down barriers within an organization so that there is more room for collaboration, innovation, and optimization.

At Veryst Engineering, AltaSim Technologies, and GLL Bio-Med Analytics, building and distributing applications helps make their customers’ design workflows more efficient.

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Figure 1: Users can access applications via COMSOL Server and run them on a web browser or client.

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CAE Solutions Application development and distribution made easy To get an overview of the workflow om model to application, a simulation expert will start by creating a model in COMSOL Multiphysics. Then, the expert can use the Application Builder in the program to turn the model into an application.

Applications can be created in minutes using drag-and-drop functions.

When finished, the result is a specialized interface with restricted inputs and outputs so that the end user focuses only on the parameters pertinent to their work.

“The application development process itself is easy and user iendly,” says Nagi Elabbasi om Veryst Engineering, a consulting firm that offers simulation expertise to customers. He added that applications have a lot of functionality, and for Veryst, they are also a good marketing tool. As Elabbasi explained, “In the applications, you have access to extensive Java functionality,” which means that Veryst can link applications to their material library, PolyUMod, allowing more advanced

Figure 2: Applications and their usage can be managed using COMSOL Server. application development to share with their customers.

To give collaborators access to applications, there are two methods: compiling standalone executable files or distributing them with an applicationmanagement tool. COMSOL Compiler is used for creating compiled applications that can be run without a COMSOL so ware license on Windows, Linux, or macOS. COMSOL Server is for those who want to upload and manage applications for their organization and let their application users run simulations through a web browser or client (Figures 1–2).

Figure 3: A spring calculator application. | Courtesy Veryst Engineering

Simulation applications as customer solutions The ways in which consultants use simulation applications with customers varies. For instance, the engineering team at GLL has received positive feedback om their customers about how applications allow even those without a physics background to run analyses. “You can see a light going on in their head,” says Gary Long of GLL, “when they realize they can produce their own simulations and results.”

Sometimes, a customer realizes the possibilities opened up by applications a er working with a model developed for them. In Veryst’s experience, customers will “realize how the model is useful to them, want to use it internally, and then they see how an application can help them do that,” says Elabbasi, adding that the more the awareness of applications spreads, the earlier they will be able to introduce applications when working with customers.

At AltaSim, applications come into play a er learning more about what their customers need. “We go through a lot of discovery with our clients to understand what exactly they are looking for,” says Kyle Koppenhoefer of AltaSim, “and if we find some key parameters, then we typically suggest an application.”

Building specialized applications Even the most complex models can translate into easy-to-use interfaces (applications). Veryst’s customers

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CAE Solutions use applications to simulate design variations and perform parametric studies and sensitivity analyses, which “helps them focus on their core expertise of improving the product,” says Elabbasi, “and not worry about the simulation settings.”

Some of Veryst’s customers just use applications as interactive model viewers that enable them to visualize model results in 3D, including rotating the model, looking at results at different cross-sections or at different times, and more (Figure 3). That helps them better understand the model predictions.

Applications enable organizations’ internal simulation experts to focus on more advanced modeling projects by distributing applications to other teams. Koppenhoefer says that applications give field engineers a better understanding of how their designs operate, so they are better able to make design decisions.

AltaSim assists with customers’ challenge of reducing rework. For example, variations in factors like temperature and flow rate make it difficult to accurately predict a device’s real-world behavior, leading to designs that have to be continuously reworked. This process can be greatly reduced with applications, because engineers om a range of specialties can run as many tests as they need.

(Figure 4)

Figure 4 Left

Figure 4 Right

Figure 4: An application can be built with restricted inputs and outputs for ease of use. | Courtesy AltaSim Technologies

Figure 5: Two simulations in one application: a thermal and nonthermal tumor ablation application created

by Gary Long of GLL. | Courtesy GLL

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Figure 6: A medical device application enables users to study thermal or nonthermal necrosis zones. | Courtesy GLL. Figure 6 Left

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Many of GLL’s customers are medical device startups that o en perform their own experiments. GLL simulates these experiments to demonstrate the accuracy of modeling. “It’s powerful to see the [simulation] results and compare them to experimental results,” says Long. They then build applications om the validated models to get simulation engineers, application users, and other team members (o en doctors) on the same page by visualizing simulation results in real time.

GLL built a medical device application (Figure 5) that simulates thermal and nonthermal tumor ablation. The application helps engineers design devices that ablate cancer cells, visualize ablation zones, and even import MRI and CT scans for specific anatomies.

The user interface for the application includes a menu so that users can easily choose a study. For instance, because the temperature and thermal necrotic zones are time dependent, users can speci a time at which they can see the damage due to the heat or temperature profile in the results (Figure 6). The application includes three inputs for parameters: thermal voltage, nonthermal voltage, and electrode spacing. The current can be plotted with the experimental current so that users can easily validate the simulation.

Collaboration promotes innovation As these three simulation experts illustrate, making the design of applications easier is well underway. The Application Builder makes it simple to build a simulation application in as little as a few minutes, and COMSOL Server and COMSOL Compiler help bring the applications to the people. Through the democratization of simulation, specialists, researchers, engineers, and customers can develop and innovate by working together. DW

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CAE Solutions

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The new version of the 3D printing So ware 4D_Additive uses artificial intelligence algorithms to achieve optimal heat distribution. This technology ensures an even arrangement of parts in the build space during nesting.

The nesting function automates intelligent behavior and machine learning, simulating certain human decision-making based on the programming and by this means the computer independently processes complex tasks in nesting.

With its “pack and optimize” strategy, the nesting module ensures maximum filling of the installation space and even distribution of the mass to be printed, thus ensuring the most constant possible slice surfaces.

In addition, further functions are available to optimize heat distribution within the components. An analysis to determine massive zones, for example, shows problematic areas with large material volumes and displays these zones graphically. These zones then can be hollowed out with a few mouse clicks using the hollow and lattice functions and, if necessary, reinforced with an internal support structure. To remove powder om the inside of the hollowed parts, holes and the appropriate lids can be created automatically.

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For the preparation of 3D printing data, the 4D_Additive tool has CAD data interfaces for all B-Rep native and standard formats as well as the common 3D printing formats such as STL and 3mf. DW

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CAE Solutions Latest release of IronCAD helps move 3D designs to production faster IRONCAD 2021 contains many improvements and capabilities that help customers drive innovation and move to production faster.

Based on customer feedback, the main focus on the 2021 version was on improving productivity to help create designs and production drawings faster.

Specifically, the program improves the performance om 3D to the 2D detailing stage, the detailing user experience, and improvements that make the design process more productive. A few specifics include: • Improved IntelliShape Handles – New behaviors to quickly symmetrically size shapes with a right-click drag, quick access to handle values attached to the cursor, and more powerful snap options to get precise locations om a point or center point that allow users to design faster with IronCAD shapes.

• User interface improvements – Easier access to multiple catalogs, direct feedback on face and edge length/area information, direct selection access to assemblies, parts, features, and faces in the current selection viewing direction, TriBall shortcuts to reduce steps in repeating copy/link commands, and more to improve the user workflow in design.

• Sheet metal design improvements and accessibility – Improved processes in selecting stocks, automatic bend alignment on angled sheet metal stock for creation and updates, and accessing common commands for sheet metal bends to speed up the design and editing of sheet metal.

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improvements – 2D Annotation catalog for common annotations, 2D Template catalog to quickly change templates for drawings, new tools for revision clouds and ISO Tolerance Codes for dimensions, improved bulk view creation options to automatically generate drawing layouts that speed up the 2D detailing, and many other improvements to enhance the detailing process for production designs.

• Communication improvements for sharing – The ee Share 3D viewer has an improved user interface and support for measure and textures while supporting large geometry data sets that allow users to communicate 3D designs faster and easily with customers on any tablet or laptop device on any platform with an HTML5 supported browser.

“In a year with major uncertainty and with businesses and people across the globe impacted in unique ways, IronCAD worked closely with our customers to shape the 2021 release to meet their current needs and to help plan for future capabilities for remote working and collaboration,” stated Cary O’Connor, V.P. of Marketing for IronCAD. DW

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The benefits of

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vision into machine control

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M Scalable PC-based automation, robust network solutions and open camera standards allow machine vision to ditch black boxes and increase throughput.

Daymon Thompson

U.S. Software Product Manager Beckhoff Automation LLC

Advanced image processing using GigE cameras and specialized algorithms is now indispensable for quality inspection, track-and-trace and more.

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Machine vision has become indispensable for many tasks in quality inspection, track-and-trace and more. As costs decrease and capabilities increase, practically any machine in any industry stands to benefit. But image processing suffers from high latency and less-than-ideal performance due to one critical flaw: It typically remains separate from the controls environment. Standalone smart cameras and either a separate high-performance computer or standalone vision controller each require specific configuration tools and programming languages.

This can make companies dependent on external vision specialists for all changes, along with increased system complexity and costs.

From a technical standpoint, standalone vision hardware acquires an image and, only after processing, communicates the results to the controller via a fieldbus or communication protocol. Communication between image processing and the control system is often application specific and prone to error. The controller must wait to process those results in the next PLC cycle, then decide what to do with the results. This delay can reduce throughput or cause other issues for applications combining motion control and vision. Similarly, traditional PC-based vision solutions offer greater CPU and hardware availability for vision algorithms generally, but external processes, such as the OS, affect processing and transmission time.

But the times, and tech, are changing. Engineers today can run motion control, safety technology, measurement technology and robotics, among many other functions, on one machine controller versus multiple black boxes. Contemporary automation vendors are applying the same integrated approach to vision.

Implementing all functionality in one engineering environment and runtime removes the standard barriers and boosts performance.

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The determinism and synchronization of EtherCAT enable precise, microsecond-level trigger timing, even in applications with advanced coordinated motion.

From a technical standpoint, standalone vision hardware acquires an image and, only after processing, communicates the results to the controller via a fieldbus or communication protocol.

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Integrated method for enhanced image processing The integrated method involves completely integrating vision into a scalable Industrial PC (IPC) platform.

Machine operations benefit in several ways, including deterministic reactions to results and no additional communication of results. Integrating vision algorithms and camera configuration into the same tool as the configuration of fieldbuses, motion axes, robotics, safety, and HMI is equally beneficial. TwinCAT Vision software, for example, places vision in the real-time context. By executing all algorithms on one deterministic, multitasking and multi-core CPU real time, vision, PLC and motion control are consistently synchronous.

By storing images in PLC memory, it’s easy to access and display the current image on the HMI without having to store to an intermediary file. This could be the raw incoming image or any image at a current intermediary vision algorithm processing step. Not only images should be displayed in the HMI, but also, for example, the configuration

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of vision or camera parameters. This lets the end users of the system access vision application parameters to adapt them to the respective conditions.

Fully integrated image processing solutions let engineers use known function blocks or IEC 61131-3 languages for programming and setting camera parameters. By removing the need for proprietary graphical languages, C++/C# and special configuration tools, machine builders save substantial effort and cost.

PLC function blocks can, for example, change the state of the camera or trigger the camera for a new image. With this method, controls engineers who are familiar with Structured Text (ST), Sequential Function Chart (SFC), Ladder Logic (LD) or Continuous Function Chart (CFC) remain in control of the vision system and the entire machine.

Plus, moving machine vision away from black box systems and into the real-time environment allows watchdogs to monitor the timing of image processing functions.

Image processing algorithms, due to the different image information, need different lengths of time to calculate, which can DESIGN WORLD

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Fully integrated image processing systems, such as TwinCAT Vision software come from the machine control world and enable programing in familiar PLC languages.

create throughput issues on production lines. For example, in a continuous flow process, the line should not – and typically cannot – slow down because there is more product grouped than usual. Even though this situation requires more time to review images in the vision system, attempting to stop product flow could be disastrous. With effective watchdogs, the vision algorithms can stop processing an image and return any partial results available.

Scalable processing power key to IPC PC-based automation offers many options for scalable connectivity and computing power in applications with machine vision.

Connectivity options in modern IPCs enable, for example, easily adding 10-plus network interface cards to allow individual communication channels for each camera to efficiently transfer the image to the PC for processing. This eliminates expensive switches, which can induce unnecessary latency and complicate wiring.

The IPC performance spectrum begins with cost-effective platforms and scales all the way up to many-core machine controllers with 40 processor cores. Having such a range is ideal for selecting the right computing power for individual image processing projects. Modern industrial control systems are architected from the ground up to harness the scalability of PC processors from single to many cores.

Vision systems integrated into powerful PC-based control systems can also leverage the multi-core capabilities.

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To make multi-core and core isolation implementation extremely easy for the programmer, configuration on some IPC platforms simply involves allocating “job tasks” to the cores. These tasks, which should be used for vision algorithms, are then grouped into a “job pool.” As vision is executed in the control system, the algorithms that can take advantage of parallel processing are automatically split between the multiple cores. They process in parallel, bring the results back together and present them to the PLC and the image algorithm’s results variable(s).

In this way, programmers need not worry about multiple cores, multiple threading or multiple tasks. They only need to implement the machine control logic and vision code, which allows the system to handle the multi-core processing on its own.

GigE standard establishes networking for vision systems Integrated image processing on a powerful IPC first requires transmitting the image captured from the vision sensor to the controller. GigE Vision, a standardized and efficient communication protocol, makes this possible. This common industrial camera standard is based on Gigabit Ethernet with scalable speeds. There are no requirements for extra connectivity hardware and camera cables can extend up to 100 m.

A wide-ranging group of companies from every sector within the machine vision industry worked to develop the GigE

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standard, and now the Automated Imaging Association (AIA) maintains it. The original purpose was to establish a standard that would allow camera and software companies to seamlessly integrate their solutions on Gigabit Ethernet fieldbuses.

GigE is the first standard that lets images be transferred at high speeds over long cable lengths.

While Gigabit Ethernet is a standard bus technology, not all cameras with Gigabit Ethernet ports are GigE Vision compliant. In order to be GigE Vision compliant, the camera must adhere to the protocols established by the GigE Vision standard and must be certified by the AIA. It’s crucial to check this when specifying components for a vision application.

Manufacturers of cameras with the GigE Vision interface provide a configuration description in GenApi format. Integrated machine vision configuration tools read the parameters and make them available to the user in a clearly arranged manner. In this way, configuration changes, such as adjusting the exposure time and setting a region of interest, can happen quickly and easily. In terms of complexity, the parameterization of a camera for a vision application is comparable to the parameterization of a servo drive.

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industrial Ethernet system. Due to the high determinism of the EtherCAT protocol and device synchronization via distributed clocks, extremely precise trigger timing and timestamp-based output terminals can send a hardware trigger signal with microsecond-level accuracy to the camera.

Because everything takes place in real time in a highly accurate temporal context, image acquisition and axis positions, for example, can synchronize with high precision – a task that PLC programmers frequently handle. Many cameras can also send output signals at previously defined events, such as the start of image capture.

These signals can be acquired with a digital input terminal on the EtherCAT network and then used in the PLC for precise synchronization of further processes.

Specially developed vision lighting controllers triggered via EtherCAT enable flash lighting with pulses at 50 µsec. Each individual flash can be triggered with great precision by the controller via distributed clocks and timestamping. This ensures that products on a conveyor, for example, reach the exact position before each trigger event. Synchronicity is ultimately a major factor driving the integration of vision technology inside the machine controller and fieldbus. This gives an EtherCAT lighting device high cycle synchronicity, because it’s triggered in the same cycle as the camera recording or the robot movement.

Image processing will continue to grow more important and, in many situations, replace sensors as the price point lowers.

By standardizing on PC-based automation with scalable controller hardware and a combined real-time and engineering environment, engineers can future-proof vision-intensive applications. DW

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Nexen Group now offers three of its brake products with functional-safety certification under its NexSafe trademark name. Shown here from top to bottom are a NexSafe Rail Brake (for installation on profiled guide rails on linear axes), NexSafe Servo Brake (for installation between servomotors and their gearboxes), and NexSafe Rod Lock (for installation with or on pneumatic cylinders).

In fact, NexSafe brakes are certified to meet the ISO 138491 standards as described — as well as IEC 61508, ISO 12100, ISO 13850, and ISO 4414.

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safety certification for brakes

Safety is a serious concern for machine builders, system integrators, and end users. These engineers must provide a safe production environment and meet regulatory requirements for machine safety. Here we review how functional safety is quantified and one new servomotor-brake option with functionalsafety certification.

Danielle Collins and Lisa Eitel | Engineer editors Machines should be rendered safe with minimal impact on operational efficiency and productivity. Fortunately, functional safety features in machines and systems allow both scenarios to be realized — mitigating the risk of injury without needlessly affecting production.

Designers of industrial machinery and equipment have to account for the fact that automated motion poses a significant risk of injury or damage. The aim of functional safety is to ensure that equipment operates correctly in response to its inputs. It requires a system to detect potentially dangerous conditions and to activate DESIGN WORLD

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The NexSafe Servo Brake from Nexen Group shown here has failsafe mechanical connections with the servomotor and gearbox; patented frustoconical friction-facing structures (with tapers on both the outer and inner surfaces) for simultaneous engagement with two mating surfaces; and optional sensors for feedback.

These features along with industrytrusted spring-set operation of engagement allow this brake to deliver on the requirements of functional safety certification.

According to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) the IEC 62061 standard specifies requirementsand makes recommendations for the design, integration and validation of safetyrelated electrical, electronic and programmable electronic control systems (SRECS) for machines.

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a protective or corrective device or command that will prevent (or reduce the consequences of) a hazardous event.

Although the EU was the first market to mandate integrated safety functions in machinery, manufacturers around the world have begun to integrate functional safety features in machines marketed and sold outside of the EU. There are two primary standards that govern machine safety for industrial equipment — EN/ IEC 62061 and EN/ISO 13849-1. Most equipment that includes integrated safety follows one of these two standards.

According to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) the IEC 62061 standard specifies requirements and makes recommendations for the design, integration and validation of safetyrelated electrical, electronic and programmable electronic control systems (SRECS) for machines. It is applicable to control systems used, either singly or in combination, to carry out safety-related control functions on machines that are not portable by hand while working, including a group of machines working together in a coordinated manner.

According to the International Standards Organization (ISO) the EN/ ISO 13849-1:2005 standard provides safety requirements and guidance on the principles for the design and integration of safety-related parts of control systems (SRP/CS) — including the design of software. For these parts of SRP/CS, it specifies characteristics that include the

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performance level required for carrying out safety functions. It applies to SRP/CS for high demand and continuous mode, regardless of the type of technology and energy used (such as electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or mechanical) for all kinds of machinery.

So why do some standards begin with the prefix EN? In short, the EN prefix designates a harmonized standard. That means it is listed under the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. The Machinery Directive specifies essential safety and health requirements that all machines in the EU must meet. Harmonized standards include standards from ISO, IEC, and the European Union. These standards provide the technical specifications and procedures to fulfill the Machinery Directive requirements.

Comparison of EN/IEC 62061 with EN/ISO 13849-1 EN/IEC 62061 uses the SIL (Safety Integrity Level) rating system to indicate the level of functional safety and ...

• Assigns a numeric score from 1 to 4, with 1 being the lowest and 4 being the highest; example: SIL3 (note that only levels 1-3 apply to machine systems) • Risk assessment for determining the required SIL level is based on severity of injury (Se), frequency and duration of exposure (Fr), probability of occurrence of a hazardous event (Pr) and probability of avoiding or limiting harm (Av) • SIL rating indicates the Probability of

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M o t i o n

C o n t r o l

SAFETY RATINGS FOR SPRING-SET PNEUMATICALLY RELEASED FRICTION BRAKES Shown below are the control circuits for various safety-rated servomotor brakes.

AIR TO DISENGAGE SERVOMOTOR BRAKE CONTROL WIRING SENSOR FEEDBACK WIRING

CATEGORY B OR CATEGORY 1 EXAMPLE: ONE BRAKE — NO SENSORS REQUIRED Category B Performance Level

Filter Dryer a

b

If DC is …

MTTFD (years)

0% 3.1

0% 13

Maximum average cycle rate (sec/cycle)

2.3

9.7

Maximum operation time (years)

0.3

1.3

Air supply

b

c

If DC is …

MTTFD (years)

0% 31

0% 40

Maximum average cycle rate (sec/cycle)

23.2

30

3.1

4

Maximum operation time (years)

Control System

3/2 (3 Way) N.C. Valve

Quick Exhaust Valve

Category 1 Performance Level

Gauge

Regulator

Safety Servo Motor Brake

Lock Inlet

Filter Dryer

Gauge

Air supply

CATEGORY 2 EXAMPLE: ONE BRAKE • ONE SENSOR

Control System

3/2 (3 Way) N.C. Valve

Quick Exhaust Valve

Category 2 c

Regulator

Performance Level If DC is …

MTTFD (years)

d

60% 23

90% 17

60% 63

90% 37

Maximum average cycle rate (sec/cycle) Maximum operation time (years)

17.2 2.3

12.7 1.7

47.2 6.3

27.7 3.7

Safety Servo Motor Brake

Lock Inlet

Operating Mode Sensor

CATEGORY 3 EXAMPLE: TWO REDUNDANT BRAKES ...

ONE SENSOR ON EACH

Filter Dryer

60% 25

90% 14

e 90% 63

Maximum average cycle rate (sec/cycle)

18.7

10.5

47.2

2.5

1.4

6.3

Maximum operation time (years)

d

Gauge

Air supply

3/2 (3 Way) N.C. Valve

Category 3 Performance Level If DC is …

MTTFD (years)

Regulator

Quick Exhaust Valve

Brake Inlet

Quick Exhaust Valve

Safety Servo Motor Brake

Brake Inlet

Operating Mode Sensor

CATEGORY 4 EXAMPLE: TWO REDUNDANT BRAKES ...

TWO SENSORS ON EACH

Filter Dryer

Control System

3/2 (3 Way) N.C. Valve

Safety Servo Motor Brake

Operating Mode Sensor

Regulator

Gauge

Air supply

Category 4 Performance Level If DC is …

MTTFD (years)

e 99% 31

Maximum average cycle rate (sec/cycle)

23.2

Maximum operation time (years)

Quick Exhaust Valve

EN/ISO 13849-1 …

• Uses the PL (Performance Level) rating system to indicate the level of functional safety; assigns an alphabetic score from a to e … with a being the lowest and e being the highest — as expressed in Category 4 PLe, for example • Risk assessment for determining the required PL is based on severity of injury, frequency and exposure time to the hazard, and possibility of avoiding the hazard or limiting harm • PL rating indicates the system’s architecture (referred to as Category), Mean Time to Dangerous Failure (MTTFd), Diagnostic Coverage (DC), and Common Cause Failures (CCF) • Takes into account only high frequency demand Note that the Performance Levels (PL) under ISO 13849-1 correspond to certain PFHD ranges so can be cross-referenced to SIL levels from IEC 62061. When implementing functional safety, machine builders, integrators, and users are free to choose either standard — EN/IEC 62061 or EN/ISO 13849-1.

Remember that functional safety is applicable to the machine and its control system — not to a specific component or device type. For example, a servo drive may include features and functionality that enable a system to achieve a specific EN/IEC 62061 or EN/ISO 13849-1 safety category, but the use of the drive itself does not confer that safety level to the machine.

Many motion-component manufacturers have published brochures or white papers addressing functional safety, and for good reason. While the concept of functional safety is relatively simple, the decision regarding what safety level should be applied to a particular machine or process is based on a complex mix of quantitative factors and qualitative assessments. Some manufacturers have even developed proprietary software to assist designers in determining what functional safety level is required and in choosing the appropriate components to achieve that safety level.

Control System

3/2 (3 Way) N.C. Valve

Quick Exhaust Valve

3.1

Each brake must have two operating-mode sensors to achieve a Category 4 safety rating.

The control system must compare all four sensors’ data before use.

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3/2 (3 Way) N.C. Valve

Dangerous Failure per Hour (PFHD) and the Risk Reduction Factor (RRF) • Takes into account both low frequency demand (i.e low frequency of a machine process or action) and high frequency demand.

Brake Inlet

Safety Servo Motor Brake

Dual Operating Mode Sensors

Brake Inlet

Safety Servo Motor Brake

Dual Operating Mode Sensors

Shown here are several examples of brake arrangements possible with Nexen’s NexSafe Servo Brake components. Note the specific requirements for each functional safety category.

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The NexSafe Servo Brake shown here can include up to three sensors to monitor the disengagement condition, engagement condition, and wear. This feedback helps the brake satisfies the requirements for functional safety certification and deliver IIoT connectivity.

Servo brakes with functional-safety certification Consider one example of a spring-set pneumatically released friction servomotor brake now having a third-party safety rating (from Intertek Group) certifying compliance with international safety standard ISO 13849-1. Intertek is an international London-headquartered inspection, assurance, product testing, and certification organization that issues functional safety standards to industrial products. Testing on these components is executed at more than 1,000 Intertek laboratories and offices across the globe.

Spring-set power-off brake excel at locking servomotor-driven loads (and providing unbeatably safe holding) without consuming electrical power or exhibiting torque fade — plus provide far more safety assurance than holding a load with the servomotor … which can also overheat if required to hold an axis stationary too long.

SIL

1 2 3 4 82

PFH

0.00001 to 0.000001 0.000001 to 0.0000001 0.0000001 to 0.00000001 0.00000001 to 0.000000001

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MEAN TIME TO FAILURE AND SAFETY RATINGS

PL

10-4 10-5 3x10-6 10-6 10

MTTFd

a

low

MTTFd

b

medium

c

high

MTTFd

d

-7

10 PFHD -8

e DC

DC

none

none

Cat. B

Cat. 1

DC

DC

low

medium

Cat. 2

DC low

DC

medium

Cat. 3

DC

high

Cat. 4

This chart shows the relationship between Category, Diagnostic Coverage, and Mean Time to Dangerous Failure for PL levels under EN/ISO 13849-1. Note the correlation with PFHD rates.

PFH (power) -5

10 -10

-6

-7

-8

-8

-9

10-6-10-7 10 -10 10 -10

RRF 100,000 to 1,000,000 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 10,000,000 to 100,000,000 100,000,000 to 1,000,000,000

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The four SIL levels defined by EN/IEC 62061 indicate the Probability of Dangerous Failure per Hour and the Risk Reduction Factor.

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M o t i o n

C o n t r o l

PLr P1 F1 S1

F2

P2 P1 P2 P1

S2

F1 F2

P2 P1 P2

LOW RISK

a

FUNCTIONAL SAFETY RISK ESTIMATION To calculate the performance level required (PLr) ...

b c d e

S S1 S2

Severity of injury slight (normally reversible injury) serious (normally irreversible injury or death)

F F1 F2

Frequency and/or exposure to hazard seldom to less often and/or exposure time is short frequent to continuous and/or exposure to time is long

P Possibility of avoiding hazard or limiting harm P1 possible under specific conditions P2 scarcely possible HIGH RISK

The first step in any functional safety analysis is to conduct a risk assessment to determine the required Safety Integrity Level or Performance Level.

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The new servomotor brake mechanically attaches to the servomotor via an integrated clamp collar with keyways that serve as a backup in the unlikely event that the clamp collar fails. The brake most commonly installs between the motor and a gearbox … and customized inputs and outputs are possible to complement the design’s exact configuration.

When installed in the recommended configuration, the brake is Intertekcertified to operate at a functional-safety Category Level up to 4 and Performance Level up to e.

Safety-certified brakes adherent to standard ISO 13849-1 have a cycle life (B10D) of two million cycles and a common cause failure (CCF) of 75% — indicating a reliably predicable failure mode. Mission time (defined by ISO 13849-1 as the time between complete replacement or refurbishment) is 10 Years.

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Mean time to dangerous failure (MTTFD) is 100 years assuming the above B10D along with a H(op) value of 16 hours/day, a D(op) value of 260 days per year, and a maximum cycle rate of 74.8 seconds per cycle.

Diagnostic coverage (DC) depends on the level of brake redundancy along with its sensor setup. If DC is 0% no sensor feedback necessary. If DC is 60% then a feedback sensor will be required to monitor the brake’s operating mode. If DC is 90% then a feedback sensor will be required to monitor the brake’s operating mode of brake … and the brake must be cycled (engaged and disengaged) at least every three months to check for brake functionality. If DC is 99% the same applies and the brake must be cycled once every day to check for brake functionality.

Brake features to help achieve these levels of functional safety include: 1. Multiple engagement springs that default to lock.

2. Friction surfaces with a proprietary frustoconical friction facing — tapered on both the inner and outer friction surfaces.

(Frustoconical indicates a truncated cone shape.) Those surfaces apply the braking (locking) force via springs concurrently to both the rotating shaft and brake housing to hold the shaft from rotating … all with zero backlash.

3. Up to three operating-mode sensors for feedback to ensure safe emergency stopping and holding. These are essentially inductive proximity sensors to sense three different brake conditions: Disengagement: This proximity sensor in the brake activates when rated air pressure enters the brake’s the piston circuit to essentially pull the friction-facing pair apart — for a disengaged (free-running motor torque) axis condition.

Engagement: This proximity sensor in the brake activates when the piston and facing friction-surface pair move into engagement and application of braking (stopping) torque.

Wear: This proximity sensor in the brake activates when the brake is engaged but the friction facing is worn enough to necessitate replacement.

Look for a follow-up functional-safety article in Design World’s Trends issue coming soon that details linear brakes having functional safety certification and how sensors within brakes can help designs satisfy both safety and IIoT design objectives. DW Nexen Group | www.nexengroup.com Motion Control Tips | www.motioncontroltips.com

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® DESIGN WORLD

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I n t e r n e t

o f

T h i n g s

Pneumatics and digital transformation:

Overcome what’s holding you back With the right approach to IIoT technology, you can turn data into actionable information that helps ensure machines are self-diagnosing, provide transparency to end-users, and never fail.

Mark Densley • Director Business Development Factory • Automation at Emerson

W

While the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offers the promise of a revolutionary impact on manufacturing, implementation of the technology has presented real-world challenges that can slow adoption.

What holds us back from a broader embrace of Digital Transformation, especially in pneumatics? And, just as importantly, how do we move past that challenge to embrace the opportunity for real improvement in productivity and efficiency?

For end-users responsible for maintaining machines and keeping them running, the path is clear. An IIoT system provides data from the machine, ensuring its systems or components are working within their normal range. In that regard, the end-users are the ones pushing for IIoT implementation.

The disconnect is often with machine builders. They may have multiple customers pushing them for IIoT solutions, so OEMs are asking, “How do you implement that? Who has the product to do that? And what should we be monitoring?”

Pneumatics has taken advantage of diagnostic features for some time. For example, we can sense whether the power is too low or too high, or whether

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Emerson’s AVENTICS Series AF2 flow sensor monitors air consumption helping to improve machinery performance.

there is a short circuit in an I/O system which causes a failure.

Now, we move it a step further with sensors and the ability to use I/O systems to capture component performance data. The most common struggle causes people to ask questions such as, “I have all this data, but what does it mean? How do we turn that data into useful information?”

Understanding how this struggle creates challenges — and opportunities The focus has shifted to how end-users convert that data into useful machine

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insights to react to, or even predict, failure. For example, programmable sensors can measure travel distance and velocity for pneumatic cylinders. They can sense the velocity of the piston in the cylinder, but can also use the sensor data to monitor the performance of cushions and shock absorbers used to dampen the load being moved by the cylinder. This ensures they perform within a certain specification window. If you interpolate that data, you can ensure the cylinder is performing as expected and quickly determine if it needs maintenance attention. www.designworldonline.com

Such data can be seen in a PLC and, with an IIoT Edge Device, you can collate, analyze and aggregate the data to create actionable insights to provide continuous realtime monitoring of a machine.

Let’s look at energy consumption, for example. You can measure the system pressure and system airflow by using a technology like the AVENTICS AF2 Air Flow sensor, and correlate the result to an event and conclude that when you turn on a given valve, you get a certain flow. If the flow deviates from a derived nominal when the valve is on next time, this indicates something leaking within this circuit or actuator. For example, the seals January 2021

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OEMs working with Emerson AVENTICS solutions can develop an open IIoT architecture to make sure that appropriate sensors are in place and are sensing correctly so machines can run full-time.

may be wearing on the cylinder. You may know something is off, but what you do with that information and how you use it is the differentiator. As you know, machine builders seek to implement ways to leverage IoT capabilities.

The responsibility to address problems uncovered by the data falls on both the OEM and the component manufacturer. Success requires collaboration and support as well. OEMs and end-users

would typically like to have some additional monitoring to make sure that their machine processes are being controlled correctly. Collaborating with the OEM to create an open IIoT architecture ensures appropriate sensors are in place and are sensing correctly to help keep that machine running fulltime. This maximizes the end-user’s return on investment by lowering the total cost of ownership of the machine.

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Involve IT experts early Customers are increasingly familiar with the concept of a higher level of analysis and data sharing. More importantly, it depends on who you are speaking to within the machine design process. In the past, when we worked with machine designers, we discussed things like power and the air connection. Now, the discussion needs to involve factors such as network connections, security and VPN connections.

It is more important than ever to include the IT department in the design architecture and discuss what those connections look like and how the data are moving. Security issues are also important, especially to end-users, so involve IT experts early in the design to understand factors like how much data will be processed, where it is going and how it is going to connect.

Leverage partnerships for IIoT success Component manufacturers outfitting the machine need to work together to understand how pneumatics come into play, creating a true partnership that develops the best IIoT solutions for customers. At the field level, pneumatics, drives, controllers and I/O systems must all work together. The key is knowing how the data are passing between those items and making sure that the data go to wherever they need to go, whether that is locally on a web server, or out to a cloud system.

Consider the energy consumption example again: The best way to realize energy savings is to use the correct compressor dependent on the required load. Although we may not produce compressors or control systems for compressors, we can tell the compressor control system what the demand for air is over the next 12 hours with smart pneumatics. And from that, the controls can manage the energy involved in producing compressed air accordingly, because it may not need all the air being produced. This is just one example of components and systems “talking” to each other to affect energy savings.

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Put the pieces together for better pneumatics performance How do these pieces come together to improve the situation for a manufacturer?

One vision is to enable a highly autonomous maintenance process.

That means the pneumatic circuit, or ultimately the machine, has 100% uptime and never fails. Obviously, components wear out; valves and cylinders go through their specified life cycles and need to be replaced. But the data are there to predict failure before it happens and prevent costly catastrophic failure.

For example, one application predicts the performance degradation of things like pneumatic valves. Based on a life-cycle benchmark and B10 life-cycle credits, we can use the data to track when a given valve will reach, for example 75 million cycles, and needs to be replaced. The operations team can receive a message about predictive failure and schedule when to replace the valve before production is disrupted.

Data from sensors also allows us to predict when a shock absorber on the end of the actuator is deteriorating by sensing an increase in the cycle speed, even by a few milliseconds. This would trigger an alarm or even send an automatic email to the component supplier that maintenance needs to be completed or that the component is ready to be replaced. The system could even generate an order and a new component would be automatically shipped to the customer, so the installation could be scheduled to minimize any production downtime.

Thus, with the right approach to IIoT technology, data can be actionable information that helps ensure machines are self-diagnosing, provide transparency to end-users, and never fail. DW

Emerson www.emerson.com

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3D printing

metals or composites-How to choose By understanding which 3D printed materials are most suitable for a given project, engineers can take full advantage of the efficiency and convenience of 3D printing.

Daniel Lazier • Strategic Application Engineer • Markforged

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A D D I T I V E

M A N U F A C T U R I N G

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on every industry imaginable.

When the 1918 influenza pandemic caused historic loss of life and huge economic disruption, health and safety concerns were a forcing function for entirely new labor patterns and factory work streams. As manufacturers strained to adapt and maintain business continuity in the face of these challenges, they turned to a 35-year-old technology to make it happen: Electricity.

Looking back at the past few decades, the manufacturing industry has been in a state of malaise, struggling to implement and reap the rewards of a digital transformation enjoyed by nearly every other major vertical. Manufacturing was thus unsurprisingly one of the hardest hit industries in the face of the pandemic due to its lack of ability to respond with agility and geographically localize. This time around, cloud-based 3D printing is the decades-old technology poised to take manufacturers out of the woods and up to new heights of supply chain efficiency and productivity.

Right now, we are seeing one of the most important transitions in the history of the additive manufacturing industry. Manufacturers are becoming empowered and in fact emboldened, through accessible digital platforms that produce parts with all of the applicable mechanical properties for the highest-value engineering applications.

High-strength continuous-fiber composites bring the strength and performance composite-laminate structures to the engineering desk and the front lines of problem solving. Metal parts printed on Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) architecture represent a step change in the affordability, safety and design space, opening an entirely new application space for metal 3D printing.

Few materials have the versatility of onyx, a micro carbon fiber-filled nylon that offers high strength, toughness and chemical resistance. For

Metals For decades, metal printing was restricted to niche applications where the burdens of exorbitant cost, hazardous working conditions for highly-skilled technicians and specially designed facilities could be overlooked, either due to the incremental performance benefits associated with printing that part, this reason, onyx is the most heavily or more often due to the novelty factor of printing these parts with exotic, used plastic matrix material for previously unachievable geometric features. In either case, the applications composite parts. were limited to a small subset of parts that often took years of effort, millions of dollars in research and development and qualification to implement.

The advent of FFF metal 3D printers has increased the breadth of geometries achievable in a wider range of metal materials, while also drastically reducing the hurdles associated with implementation. With this newfound digital manufacturing DESIGN WORLD

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A D D I T I V E

M A N U F A C T U R I N G

The advent of FFF metal 3D printers has increased the breadth of geometries achievable in a wider range of metal materials, while also drastically reducing the hurdles associated with implementation.

capability extended to metal, engineers and designers may not only attack high-flying, future-looking parts, but also some of the lowhanging fruit that represent a larger portion of day-to-day manufacturing work streams, like tools and fixtures that would traditionally be machined in steel on a CNC mill. In doing so, manufacturers cut costs and lead times by 8090%, allowing them to make product decisions with greater agility.

By contrast with conventional processes, where complexity drives up overhead, setup and labor costs, intricate features come free of charge with this new means of 3D printing metal parts. This newfound flexibility allows manufacturers to explore designs that were previously off-limits with the materials that are most relevant to the problems they face.

For example, Guhring is a UK-based company focused on manufacturing precision cutting tools for the world’s largest companies, like

BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Airbus, BAE Systems and more. When they came under pressure to produce a better-performing cutting tool they printed a version in tool steel that used unique internal passageways for cutting fluid. The higher speeds and durability achievable with this previously unattainable design delighted customers. Since beginning to use metal 3D printing, the company has saved 66% of time in production and 75% in low-volume tooling costs and seen a 60% tool weight reduction.

Another significant difference between conventional manufacturing and the newer modes of metal printing is the accessibility. Since it is no longer the case that organizations need to build up specialized facilities and operator expertise, metal printers can go anywhere, unlocking enormous value in distributed maintenance and aftermarket parts work streams.

Metal parts printed on Fused Filament Fabrication architecture represent a step change in the affordability, safety, and design space, opening an entirely new application space for metal 3D printing.

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Companies like RPG are harnessing this capability and producing legacy parts that are difficult or impossible to obtain from the original vendor. This alternative is financially compelling relative to conventional processes like CNC machining.

Most metal additive manufacturing machines produce parts through fusing metal powder particles. Since free metal particles present numerous risks, including respiratory harm and toxic bloodstream absorption for humans and explosive potential when in contact with oxygen, the feedstock media for the raw material has a significant bearing on the accessibility of the specific type of metal 3D printing.

For example, metal 3D printing can often occur in a three-step process: printing with a bound powder filament; washing to dissolve the primary binding material; and sintering to convert the washed part into its high quality, dense final metallic form.

This process allows manufacturers to create fully dense metal parts without the risk of working with loose powders, making it generally safe to use in a shop environment.

One additional strength of this process is its broad material applicability. While there have been a handful of materials that have been industrialized for key applications today, there is an exciting potential future for the technology, which is only limited to the metals that can be powderized and welded.

Of the materials that are currently printable through this technique, stainless steel is among the most commonly used due to its high strength and excellent corrosion resistance. The material allows engineers to print robust parts for a variety of applications, like end-of-arm tools, functional prototypes, lightweight brackets and more.

Printing with tool steels is also a common work stream for anything on a production line that is intended to cut, stamp, mold or form. This material can withstand harsh conditions because of its high hardness and excellent heat and abrasion resistance. However, these benefits do make tool steels difficult and expensive to machine – presenting immediate advantages for manufacturers DESIGN WORLD

techno

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Copper allows manufacturers to 3D print complex parts with high electrical and thermal conductivity. These parts are expensive, time consuming or sometimes impossible to machine traditionally. This material is best suited for low-volume production parts like bus bars and heat sinks, as well as spot welding arms, which require high electrical and thermal conductivity.

Within the superset of metal parts manufacturing, metal 3D printing today fits into a subset of low-to-mid volume production spanning the entire product life cycle.

Metal 3D printed high fidelity prototypes, durable tools and fixtures, high performance custom parts, legacy spares, and replacement parts all deliver superior value relative to conventionally manufactured parts.

Composites Composites 3D printing provides yet another alternative to traditionally machined custom high strength parts.

Composites are characterized by the structural integration of multiple unique materials and the resulting mechanical properties of the combined part that are superior to that of the individual component materials. Engineers may create parts with material properties comparable to metals with materials like carbon fiber, along with others designed specifically for high temperature applications. Moreover, these printed structures take advantage of the fiber’s properties on the interior of the part while using the plastic matrix material on the outside of the part, leaving a tough, nonmarring surface.

Engineers turn to composites for a variety of applications, including end-use parts where high-strength-to-weight ratios are favorable, as well as everyday work holding and forming tools. Composite 3D printing allows fabricators to produce high-strength custom parts without consuming CNC machine and operator bandwidth. As a result, low-cost tooling and fixturing is possible and parts can handle high loads and machining fluids.

Few materials have the versatility of onyx, a micro carbon fiber-filled nylon that offers high strength, toughness and chemical resistance. For this reason, onyx is the most

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heavily used plastic matrix material for composite parts. Flame-resistant variants are available, too, which are designed for use in applications where parts must be nonflammable, such as weld fixturing, aerospace clips or brackets and laser marking fixtures.

Manufacturers also use white nylon as a matrix material for applications that require even lower abrasiveness.

The library of continuous fibers is flag shipped by carbon fiber. Well-known in the industry for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio, carbon is best-suited toward high performance end-use applications, tools and fixtures that require best-achievable stiffness.

Another specialty fiber, called HSHT (High Strength High Temperature) fiberglass, performs well in applications like welding fixtures and low-volume injection molds which expose the printed parts to elevated temperatures. Other commonly-used fibers include fiberglass, which has great properties across the board, as well as Kevlar which has excellent mechanical compliance, durability and impact resistance.

Wärtsilä specializes in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets and has a portfolio of products that range from engines to propulsion and renewable solutions. In an example of the strength and versatility of carbon fiber printed parts, Wärtsilä saw an opportunity to save time and money by printing lifting tools for 800 kg engine pistons.

They went on to get the tools CE certified, unlocking common use of them in factories all over the globe. As a result, the team estimates that it has saved over €100,000 in tooling alone over the past eight months, and reduced the lifting tool’s weight by 75%, thereby improving worker safety.

BECAUSE LIFE ISN’T MEASURED IN MINUTES. The heartbeat of any component supplier is performance; and perhaps nowhere is this truer than for those that supply the medical device industry. Performance, then, is our heartbeat; and for over 60 years we have been providing vacuum and pressure pumps that support the life of our customers’ products and the lives of those who use those products.

Nitto Kohki’s linear-piston design means quieter operation, lower vibration, ease of maintenance, exceptional energy efficiency, and long, consistent product performance.

Find out why this beat goes on and on.

Bottom line Additive manufacturing helps manufacturers speed up innovation and develop more agile processes—factors that played a role in helping them adapt to the pandemic. As 3D printing continues to gain momentum in the industry, manufacturers are finding new use cases for additive manufacturing for maximum business impact. DW Markforged | www.markforged.com

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FIND OUT WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW NITTO: 800.843.6336 | NITTOKOHKI.COM/PUMPS

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Developing a

Parametric Model of a Bicycle and Human A general-purpose parametric SolidWorks model has been created to enable rapid evaluation of novel bicycle concepts. It can be used for ergonomics, checking clearances, aerodynamics, kinematic and degrees of freedom studies, and product visualization.

Dr. Jody Muelaner • PhD CEng MIMechE

For this study in ergonomics, a set of anthropometric models from 3D Human Model were used as the starting point. Key bicycle geometry was defined using reference geometry in individual part files, located using distance and angle mates. This geometry includes the contact points at the saddle, handlebar grips and pedals, as well as the steering axis and wheel positions. Anthropometric models were then configured to fit to these contact points, with a few additional angle and distance mates that allow further adjustment of the rider position. The included models represent 5th percentile females, 50th percentile males and 95th percentile males. The model is stored as an assembly template file, enabling it to be easily reused as a layout for different design concepts. It was created for the BriefBike project, which is developing a new class of folding bicycle that will effortlessly fold into a roller-case.

Key bicycle geometry There are three ways that references can be parametrically defined within an assembly. Using a sketch or creating reference geometry (point, axis or plane) is often more straightforward and, in the case of a sketch, allows multiple parameters to be defined in a single model tree feature. However, parameters defined in this way cannot be animated or adjusted using the Mate Controller. The Mate Controller is particularly useful within this model

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Kinematic chains for various parts of the body.

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• Grip_Sweep parts are mated to define the position and backwards sweep, with the following constraints: • Two translations by mating the origin coincident with the Bar axis • The remaining translation, the width of the grips, is defined by a distance mate between the part’s origin and the assembly Right plane.

• Two rotations are constrained by mating the part’s Top plane parallel with Top in the assembly.

• The backwards sweep is the only remaining degree of freedom. It is defined with an angle mate between the part’s Front plane and Front in the assembly

The Mate Controller feature allows parameter sets for different riding positions to be stored independently of configurations.

To provide greater flexibility, parameters must be defined using distance and angle mates. This means the reference geometry is first defined with a part file, and the part is then mated in the assembly file.

as it allows parameter sets for different riding positions to be stored independently of configurations. It is, therefore, possible to apply different standard riding positions to any configurations that a are created. In order to provide this greater flexibility, parameters must be defined using distance and angle mates. This means the reference geometry is first defined with a part file, and the part is then mated in the assembly file.

The parametric bicycle geometry definitions are: • Planes parallel with the Right plane, defining the width of each pedal from the centerline (Right plane).

• The crank length part three axes – the bottom bracket axle and the two pedal axles. The crank length is defined by different configurations of the part file. The part is mated on the right plane with the bottom bracket axis on the Front plane and at a distance from the Top plane, representing the bottom bracket height from the ground. This leaves the pedals free to rotate.

• Pedal thickness parts contain a pedal axis and a plane representing the top surface of the pedal. They are mated to the pedal axes in the crank length part.

• A Seat part contains planes representing the seat tube angle and the top surface of the saddle. The seat tube angle is mated coincident with the bottom bracket axis and at an angle from the top plane. The top surface is mated at a distance from the bottom bracket axis.

• A Bar part contains an axis to represent the handlebar. It is mated at a vertical and horizontal distance from the bottom bracket axis.

• The orientation the handlebar grips is defined in terms of two sequential Euler rotations – the backwards and downwards sweep. A separate part is used to define each rotation.

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• Grip parts are then mated relative to the Grip Sweep

part, defining the downwards sweep.

• All three translations are constrained by mating the origin coincident with the origin of Dum_Grip_Sweep • Two rotations are constrained by setting the Front plane parallel with Front in Dum_Grip_Sweep • The downwards sweep is the only remaining angle.

It is defined with an angle mate between the Top plane and Top in Dum_Grip_Sweep

• Wheels contain an axle axis and a ground plane set at the wheel radius. Different configurations are used for different wheel sizes. Certain configurations may also include basic solid geometry to visualize the tire. The wheels are mated with the ground plane on the assembly Top plane and at distances forwards and rearwards of the bottom bracket axis.

• A Steering Axis part contains a plane to represent the steering axis angle and an axis to represent the line where this plane intersects with the ground. The axis is mated coincident with the Top plane of the assembly. A distance mate between this axis and the Front plane of the front

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The assembly template contains three different anthropometric models.

Different pre-configured body positions are also included. These are defined using a Mate Controller for each percentile model.

wheel defines the steering trail. The steering axis angle is then set with an angle mate.

Care must be taken when using angle mates. The direction in which the angle is defined can flip when changes are made to the model, causing assembly rebuilds to fail or result in unexpected behavior. These issues can usually be avoided by defining a reference entity for each angle mate, which is not defined by default. This is normally just a one click operation, by selecting Auto Fill Reference Entity.

Kinematics of the Human Models The human model has parts or sub-assemblies for hands, lower arms, upper arms, clavicles, head, neck, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, upper legs, lower legs and feet. These 19 rigid bodies have 114 degrees of freedom (DoF) without any joints or other constraints. Joints between the body parts are either spherical,

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removing the three DoF for translation, or revolute which also removes two rotations, constraining a total of five DoF. When all of the joints are added to the body parts, the human model still has 43 DoF. Considering the kinematics of the model as a whole is, therefore, overly complicated.

Luckily, it can be broken down into smaller kinematic chains which behave independently. For example, each leg forms a kinematic chain which also includes the crank, and each arm forms a kinematic chain between the shoulder joint and the handlebar grip.

An understanding of how a person should be positioned on a bike was provided by Mike Veal, who created the DIY Dynamic Bike Fitting guide.

• The hip joints should align with the plane of the seat post angle.

• The angle of the line between the hip and shoulder joints is typically between 45° and 55° from the horizontal. 45° to 50° is usual for a road bike and 50° to 55° is typical for a more relaxed upright position. Dutch bikes can be from 65° to 90°.

• The angle of people’s feet relative to the floor is quite personal but a typical value is 15°.

• The leg does not completely straighten at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Typically, the angle between the upper and lower leg does not exceeds 140°. Although some literature puts this angle closer to 150° this is due to static measurements with the foot parallel to the floor.

When pedalling, the foot assumes a natural angle which reduces the extension of the leg.

• Wrists allow three types of rotation and should ideally be in a neutral position for all of them: • Flexion/Extension can be fixed at the neutral position, with the flat plane of the hand aligned with the forearm axis. It can be adjusted without significantly changing the position of the arms by rotating the hands around the axis of the grip.

• Deviation is sideways movement of the hand, towards the thumb is radial deviation and towards the little finger is ulnar deviation. The neutral position does not position a griped bar perpendicular to the axis of the forearm but rather that the third metacarpal bone is aligned with the forearm axis. One study found that a natural grip results in a mean angle of 65° between the grip axis and the third metacarpal, with the grip sweeping back as though the wrist was in 25° ulnar deviation. However, the standard deviation was 7°, due mostly to variation between individuals, suggesting significant adjustability may be desirable for this aspect of the grip position.

• Supination/Pronation: Rotation about the forearm axis is known as supination when the thumb is rotating towards the back of the hand and pronation when it is rotating towards the palm.

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Kinematic chain from pelvis to head and shoulders This section of the body is made up of the pelvis, abdomen, thorax, clavicles, neck and head. The pelvis is fixed at the saddle, but is free to rotate so that it tilts forwards. The clavicles are mated parallel with the front and top planes of the thorax, effectively forming one ridged body with the shoulders in a neutral position.

Although the components could be mated in series, starting with the tilt angle of the hips and then setting the angle between each part, this would make it hard to set an overall lean angle. A reference part is therefore introduced with a plane which defines the lean angle. This part is mated with an axis through the hip joints and with an angle mate relative to the assembly Top plane.

A symmetry mate is used to apportion half of the forward lean to the pelvis tilt. The Front plane of the pelvis is the plane of symmetry. The seatpost angle and the forward lean planes are symmetric about it. The abdomen is mated parallel with the dummy lean plane, and the shoulder joints are set to be coincident with the forward lean plane.

Kinematic chain from hip joint to bottom bracket Each leg can be considered separately, as a kinematic chain consisting of the crank, pedal/foot, lower leg, and upper leg.

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These four bodies have 24 DoF, which are reduced by revolute joints at the knee, pedal axis and crank axle, and spherical joints at the hips and ankles, to leave three DoF: • Crank position is intentionally unconstrained to allow pedaling motion.

• Foot angle from the floor varies between individuals but the toes are typically pointed downwards by an angle of approximately 15 degrees.

• The spherical joints at the hip and ankle also allow the leg to rotate about an axis between these joints, so that the knee moves in a circular motion. Assuming the leg does not lock out into a fully extended position, this can be constrained by making a point on the knee joint coincident with the plane defining the pedal width.

Kinematic chain from shoulder to handlebar grip The kinematic chain for each arm consists of the upper arm, lower arm and hand. These three bodies have 18 DoF, reduced to just two DoF by spherical joints at the shoulder and wrist, and revolute joints at the elbow and the grip of the hand around the bar. The remaining two DoF can be considered as: • Rotation of the hand around the handlebar

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• Rotation of the whole arm so that the elbow moves in a circular path about the axis between the shoulder and wrist joints

Setting the wrist to neutral flexion removes one DoF. This can be achieved by mating the hand’s top plane parallel with the forearm axis. There are several possible ways to remove the remaining DoF. It was found that the most practical and stable is with a distance mate between a point on the elbow joint and the Right plane of the assembly.

Adjusting and configuring the model The assembly template contains three different anthropometric models, all configured as described above. These models represent a 5th percentile female, 50th percentile male and 95th percentile male. They can be activated by simply suppressing or suppressing the associated folders in the feature tree.

Different pre-configured body positions are also included. These are defined using a Mate Controller for each percentile model.

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Conclusions The bicycle and human model template enables the rapid evaluation of novel design concepts. Applications include ergonomic studies, mechanical clearance checks, aerodynamic simulation and product visualization. The simple parametric definitions allow easy adjustment of all the relevant variables in the bicycle geometry and rider position. DW

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How to choose

the right bearing material for the job

The bearing industry uses different materials for the production of the various bearing components. Bearing materials are processed to achieve desirable properties to maximize bearing performance and life. Here, we examine the materials most commonly used and why.

Edited by Mike Santora

Bearings made of chrome steel — SAE 52100 The most common material used to produce the load-carrying components in precision ball bearings, roller bearings, and tapered roller bearings is 52100 chrome steel. These components are the bearings’ inner and outer rings, balls, and rollers. The chemical composition of this steel has high carbon and about 1.5% chromium content. Using controlled processing and heat-treating methods, engineers create finished bearing components that have enough strength to resist cracking and a surface hard enough to resist subsurface rolling contact fatigue.

Extra clean 52100 chrome steel bearings The raw steel used to produce high precision miniature bearings is processed with additional melting steps. The result is a type of steel with a uniform fine grain material structure; the bearing contact surfaces can be super finished very smooth so the bearing is quiet.

The most common heat-treating method for chrome steel is to thru harden the steel in a controlled atmosphere furnace. Bearings manufactured from chrome steel can operate at continuous temperatures up to 120°C.

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Internal grinding is an abrasive machining process used for fine machining and finishing of cylindrical and tapered bores.

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The crossheads pull the material specimen apart to determine tensile strength, yield strength, or modulus of elasticity.

The crossheads also compress the specimen to determine elastic limit, yield point, yield strength, and compressive strength.

Bearings made of stainless steels Stainless steel materials are used to make bearing components because it is more resistant to surface corrosion due to the higher content of chromium (~18%) with the addition of nickel. The chromium reacts with oxygen to form a layer of chromium oxide on the surface, creating a passive film.

Martensitic stainless steel bearings — AISI 440C The carbon content in 400 series stainless steels is high enough to be hardened using standard heat-treating methods up to Rc58. With lower hardness, the load-carrying capacity is 20% lower in bearings made from this material than with 52100 chrome steel bearings.

The level of carbon content means the components are magnetic.

Martensitic stainless steel bearings — ACD34 / KS440 / X65Cr13 Many miniature bearing manufacturers make their rings and balls with a stainless steel material with slightly lower carbon

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and chromium content than AISI 440C, known under several names including ACD34, KS440, and X65Cr13. This material has smaller carbides after the heat treatment, so the bearing will have superior low noise characteristics while offering the same corrosion resistance as 440C. Martensitic stainless steel bearings — SV30 Martensitic stainless steel can be modified during the processing of the raw steel by lowering the carbon content and introducing nitrogen as an alloying element. The nitrogen increases the saturation of the chromium, which transforms into chromium nitrides instead of chromium carbides. The result is a high strength, high hardness steel with a superior microstructure that extends fatigue life by as much as 100% (double) in certain applications.

AISI316 austenitic stainless steel bearings Bearing components made from 300 series stainless steel materials have www.designworldonline.com

greater corrosion resistance and are non-magnetic because of the low carbon content. However, the tradeoff is that this material cannot be hardened, so the bearings can only operate under low loads and speeds. The bearing’s surfaces undergo a chemical reaction with the oxygen called a passivation process; the passive film developed on the surface protects the bearing from corrosion.

Other 300 Series stainless steel used for bearing components The bearing shields, seal washers, and ball retainers are sometimes made from AISI303 or AISI304 stainless steel because they have moderate corrosion resistance and are better for forming into various shapes.

Plastic & non-metal material bearings Rolling Element Bearings Made of Plastics Usually, when users think of bearing materials, the first option they will imagine is steel. While this is undoubtedly the most

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Material hardness is the resistance to a localized plastic deformation or indentation. Vickers hardness testing shown here involves using a 4-sided square-based pyramid indenter, where an increasing force is applied and held for a particular dwell time, the surface area of the indentation is measured, and the hardness is calculated (test force¸surface area).

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common material, there is a range of other choices, each with their own unique advantages and limitations. Depending on the application type, bearing experts may advise on the use of plastic ball bearings.

The most common plastic ball bearings have both inner and outer rings constructed of an acetal base material. The balls are most often made of stainless steel, but glass or plastic balls are also readily available. Various types of plastic ball bearings are available including, deep groove or Conrad type, miniature, angular contact, self-aligning, and thrust.

Plastic bearings provide numerous advantages compared to steel or ceramic bearings. General characteristics of plastic ball bearings are:

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• Grease lubrication is not required • Excellent performance in chemical environments. It can be used (completely immersed) in water and saltwater.

• Good temperature range • Non-magnetic and non-conductive • Lightweight The disadvantage of plastic bearings, when compared to traditional steel bearings, is load capacity, deflection, and lack of stiffness.

They are typically used in lightly loaded mechanisms and equipment, running at low to moderate speeds.

A variety of other plastic materials are available as well. Consult with a bearing professional to ensure you make the right choice for your application.

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Phenol plastic — Phenolic resin consists of phenol and formaldehyde thermosetting resin as raw materials, which are artificially synthesized. Since it is produced from resins similar to phenols cresol, these types of materials are frequently called “phenolic resins.” This material is highly resistant to oils and chemicals; it has strong heat resistance but is poor in alkalis. It is nonconductive and non-magnetic.

PTFE is commonly known as Teflon R polytetrafluoroethylene. TEFLON is a registered trademark of DuPont.

Characteristics include low surface friction, resistance to corrosion and chemicals, high resistance to heat with a wide temperature range of 196 ~ 260 °C, and a water absorption rate of 0%. This material is often used in medical equipment.

UHMW (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) is a high molecular-weight thermoplastic resin. This special kind of

Various radial ball bearing sizes and styles. polyethylene is produced via advanced polymerization techniques. Characteristics include excellent chemical resistance, low water absorption, excellent abrasion resistance, retains its properties at low temperatures, and lightweight.

PEEK is a crystalline thermoplastic. It is a type of special, synthetic aromatic-polyetherketone.

Characteristics include very high heat-resistance, excellent fatigue-resistance, tough abrasionresistance, strong dimensional stability, excellent chemical resistance, and excellent insulation and radiation-resistance. PEEK is very expensive.

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readily available. These bearings have both the inner and outer rings and the rolling elements manufactured from ceramic material. While hybrid and full ceramic bearings demand a premium price, they are often the most economical solution when considering the cost of a failure and the total cost of ownership for the end-user.

Stainless steel rings, silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramic balls, with plastic crown ball retainer.

Applications for plastic ball bearings • Conveyor systems used in cleaning systems, surface treatment, or plating equipment. Corrosive liquids are often encountered in these applications.

• Food processing equipment • Medical imaging equipment • Pumps and spray equipment Plain, or sliding bearings, made of plastics Plain bearings are cylindrical sleeves that have no rolling elements. They are the most straightforward and lowest cost type of bearing. When sliding radially or axially over shafts, they can accommodate both rotary motion and linear motion. They can handle light to moderate radial loads.

One of the more common types is plastic sleeve bearings (which often depend on a hydrodynamic or a full film of lubrication).

Self-lubricating plastic bearings in various geometries for bushings, thrust bearings, and integral-slide applications are also available.

There are hundreds of different types and blends of plastic material available for plain sleeve bearings. They provide a wide range of mechanical and physical properties that enhance the suitability of the bearing for different applications, such as low friction, anti-wear, high temperature, food-grade, and high load.

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Advantages of plastic plain bearings include: • High production volume and low cost • Maintenance-free operation (run dry) • Lower friction • Excellent wear resistance • Chemical resistance and low water absorption • Non-conductive Bearings made of ceramic materials Bearings made with ceramic materials fall into a specialty niche in the bearing industry. The most common arrangement is a hybrid bearing, usually with stainless steel rings and ceramic balls. The most common ceramic material used is silicon nitride. Balls made from this material are hard, up to Rc78, and have a very smooth surface. Hybrid bearings are more expensive than all stainless-steel bearings.

Today’s engineers have many options available to them when faced with extreme or demanding operating conditions.

This abundance of choices includes the use of ceramic materials that have many benefits in a variety of applications. The most common use is producing the rolling elements — the balls — from a ceramic material with the inner and outer rings made from traditional, heat-treated, chrome, or stainless steel.

With improvements in manufacturing technology, Full Ceramic Bearings are also

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Hybrid bearings The most common configuration is with chrome or stainless steel rings and ceramic balls. Nitrogen enhanced stainless steel ring material is also available.

The most common ceramic material for the balls is silicon nitride, Si3N4.

Compared to traditional steel balls, this material has desirable properties for rolling bearings, such as: • lightweight (approximately 60% lighter than bearing steel) • high hardness — over 75 HRc • higher elastic modulus — stiffer • lower coefficient of thermal expansion • higher maximum operating temperature — 10000 C • highly polished surface finish resulting in lower friction

Balls made of zirconia, ZrO2, are also available. This ceramic material has some properties similar to silicon nitride but differs in that it has some mechanical and thermal properties much closer to that of the alloy steel that the rings are made from. This can be desirable in maintaining the preload and contact angle over a broad range of operating temperatures.

Benefits of hybrid ceramic bearings: • higher stiffness and rigidity reduces deflection • increased the limiting speed, RPM • less adhesive wear, there is no cold welding • better lubricant life • lower noise levels and vibration • no electrical arcing through the balls

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Full ceramic bearings Full Ceramic Bearings are often the answer for extreme environments, such as high temperatures, corrosive chemicals, steam, and hard vacuum. These bearings have both the inner and outer rings and the rolling elements manufactured from ceramic material.

Like the balls in hybrid bearings, the rings in full ceramic bearings are typically manufactured from silicon nitride, Si3N4, or zirconia, ZrO2. Retainers in full ceramic bearings are usually made from highperformance plastics such as PEEK or PTFE. Benefits of full ceramic bearings: • resistant to acid, salt and water, and blood • non-magnetic • lower coefficient of friction • resistant to electricity • corrosion-resistant • lighter, smoother and stiffer Applications for full ceramic bearings: • MRI equipment • vacuum environments • semiconductor manufacturing • radiotherapy • food processing industries • any extreme environment requiring non-corrosive, non-conductive, or non-magnetic bearings DW

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Overcoming fear of failure in medical device development

All failures are a lesson learned. But cultivating relationships across disciplines, especially when projects “fail,” improves the odds of success.

Bret Ludwig, Ph.D. • Senior Product Development Specialist • 3M Medical Materials & Technologies

A sentiment from John C. Maxwell that device development teams could hear more often is, “Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.”

Not every project will be prosperous or marketable, but pushing the boundaries of innovation is often essential to create a novel product or feature. Still, developing and executing a novel device can feel much easier said than done.

A key to success I have learned in my 25 years as a product developer that I keep going back to is that cultivating relationships across disciplines, especially when projects “fail,” can make all the difference. Design engineers should approach the development process with the attitude that all failures are a lesson learned. They might just need a little help figuring out what the lesson is.

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Achieving innovation as a lone engineer can be nearly impossible in today’s world. But with the right team and mentality, unearthing a new approach or feature to design a successful medical device can become a reality. To help encourage pushing the boundaries across all team members, break down what each function or role you work with might require throughout device development.

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When working with designers Creating space for creativity can be pivotal.

It can help those responsible for designing the device to question traditional thinking or approaches, thus identifying a new path or opportunity. Specifically, ask for team members’ points of view on the challenge. Ask if they have suggestions or know additional contacts to include. In any development stage, if one contact is good, three is better. A simple quantity of connections can provide the one spark a project needs to stand out.

When working with customers to create initial concepts and design, go beyond the what of the product and get to the why. Investigating customer needs and complaints reveals pain points and key insights, which can lead to more relevant designs or material changes connected to specific customer needs and desires.

For example, if the team aims to design a glucose monitoring device, the “why” might be creating a tool that helps people with diabetes live life to the fullest without their device getting in the way. The design team should go beyond thinking about how the device can best capture data and information by also considering how it will withstand sweat, sun and water contact.

Casting a wide net and keeping options open is how a development team can produce innovative designs. Of course, such inventions might take multiple attempts, but this approach helps drive your design down the right path.

When working with suppliers When it comes to suppliers, communication is paramount. Being as open as possible about progress and needs, with the appropriate confidentiality agreements (CDAs) in place, can improve a product’s performance and costs.

Determine a regular communication cadence that works for all parties to help ensure everyone receives timely updates throughout the project.

Consider this, regular communication with your materials supplier can help prompt discussions on topics such as material formulation changes. Even if the changes aren’t noticeable or the material

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can be easily replaced with another, clearly setting expectations can support a more seamless development process. Then when situations arise where design teams need to go back to the material selection drawing board, identifying the root cause of the need is easier given documentation, verification and validation.

If managing multiple partners proves difficult, consider minimizing the number of vendors involved. Streamlining the points of contact can reduce the effort spent on projects management and allow for partnerships to be strengthened.

When working with manufacturers Even engineers who have developed products for decades cannot foresee everything that will happen during scaleup. If a team is pushing the boundaries of innovation, there will be unknown variables scattered across the scale-up process, meaning surprises are difficult to avoid.

The sooner a team identifies the root cause of any obstacles, the sooner they can get it fixed or find a way to work around it.

Manufacturers may be able to help forecast more finite details, such as environmental conditions that could prompt concerns such as humidity. With their expertise, teams can pinpoint where a breakdown might occur and why, because transitioning from lab equipment to fullscale production can require adjusting process controls and protocols. Minimizing variability on the manufacturing line is important to executing a design effectively.

Predicting every difference between lab prototypes and full-scale manufacturing is challenging, so pulling from a diverse set of experiences is key.

Often the best way to avoid or overcome challenges is to involve your manufacturing colleagues as early in the process as possible.

They can help deal with the known variables to control production process effects, such as the impact of heat on device materials or the transition from gallon- to drum-quantities at the speeds used in production settings.

When working with clinicians Clinicians often have experience executing a clinical trial program correctly to gather

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accurate, reliable data. Their expertise in moving an innovation through this phase is critical to overcoming new impediments – especially as many clinical trials continue with reduced in-person contact – and conserving relationships with participants.

To support and engage a clinical testing team, ensure that all protocols and controls are clear. There are many factors at play in clinical trials; outlining protocols should cover everything from how the product is stored to how it is applied. When contact with participants is limited, being as thorough as possible in directions can reduce knowledge gaps and the risk of inconsistent results. You may want to consider creating a video of the correct procedures or other visual guides.

Monitoring trial progress also helps strengthen relationships with clinical testing teams. Take the time to understand their perspective on the process and proactively ask for their suggestions. If

results are not living up to expectations, that may mean it is time to end the study. Calling off studies when results are trending poorly helps maintain a relationship with the clinical group because it demonstrates respect for their time.

With your team, learn to accept “failure” A great invention not sold is nothing but a curiosity. While this statement is oversimplified, knowing when to call off an idea is a necessary evil. Projects can end for many reasons, such as financial barriers or a technical hurdle. To keep your team invested and engaged with the current project and beyond, it can be helpful to conduct regular check-ins.

Ask team members, “if this were your investment, would you wager this bet?”

When the answer is no, dedicate time to discern what will help your project fail

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forward and bring those learnings with you to the next project.

The trials and frustrations of medical device development can help lead to the next big innovation. As cliché as it may sound, failures are part of the process and provide an opportunity to learn. Development teams who can work together, even in the face of adversity, can make new discoveries and push projects to a whole new level.

Don’t fear failure because when innovation finally comes to fruition, the sense of accomplishment balances out the frustrations encountered along the way. No engineer creates the next great invention without the support of others along the way, so cultivating those relationships and maximizing each partner’s potential along the way can help teams push past adversity and make the most of every project. DW 3M Medical Materials & Technologies www.3m.com

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When there’s water everywhere— Choosing the right switch technology Only a few technologies are suitable for underwater applications or those involving extremely high humidity.

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Roland Barth • SCHURTER AG

Whether you are lighting up your swimming pool, sprinkling it with music, or making a whirlpool bubble, you need a switch to make these functions happen. All these applications are characterized by a proximity to moisture. There are several switch technologies able to manage such uses. Before discussing these candidate devices, it might be helpful to briefly review the standards that generally come into play in applications where moisture is a possibility.

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Anatomy of a piezo switch Lower part of housing Piezo disk Conductive plastic Upper part of housing

Piezoelectric switch principle of operation Force

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++ ++ ++++++ Compression of crystal generates EMF

Equivalent circuit schematic

Switches based on the piezoelectric principle generate a charge when under stress. The compressive pressure of a finger push causes the (typically disc-shaped) piezo element to bend slightly like a drumhead. Piezo switches produce a single, brief “on” pulse typically used to turn on a semiconductor such as a field effect transistor (FET). In contrast to a mechanical switch, a piezo switch has no moving parts. It can be hermetically sealed with IP protection up to IP69K. This feature predestines it for use under the most adverse conditions.

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Example: Ingress protection levels for switch components

An example of a front-panel switch with ingress protection measures. An IP40 rating is protection against the ingress of solid foreign objects greater than 1 mm diameter. This typically implies protection against wires, screws, and similar items. The IP67 rating is protection against dust and against immersion in one-meter of water.

Switches designed for use in the presence of moisture often carry an IP67 rating.

This label refers to the IP Code, or Ingress Protection Code. The IP rating classifies and rates the degree of protection provided by mechanical casings and electrical enclosures against not just water, but also intrusion, dust, and accidental contact.

It is published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). There is an equivalent European standard, EN 60529.

The point of IP standards is to provide users more detail about performance than is signified by vague marketing terms such as “waterproof.” There are up to four digits in every IP code. They indicate the degree of conformity with specific conditions.

The first digit signifies protection from solid particles; the second denotes liquid ingress protection. There can also be one or two additional digits that signify other protections. But that vast majority of IP ratings have just one or two digits.

The IP rating that is found most often on parts designed for use around moisture is IP67. The six in the first digit indicates the part is dust-tight. The seven in the second digit indicates the part is waterproof when immersed in one-meter124

deep water. There are two other more stringent water ratings. An eight in the second digit (IPx8) indicates the part is waterproof when subjected to more severe conditions—such as a deeper immersion, a longer immersion time, or temperature cycling during immersion—than used for IPx7. An IPx9K rating means the part can withstand close-range, high-pressure, hightemperature wash downs.

For both general-purpose applications as well as those near moisture, the most widely used technology is that of mechanical switches with stroke. We encounter them every day as when we switch room lights on or off. They are characterized by an availability in a large range of actuation pressure points, high reliability, and use on an enormously wide range of products.

For mechanical switches used outdoors, an IP67 rating is a must. The reason is simple: Mechanical switches work on the stroke principle, i.e. they have moving parts. Water can penetrate the space between the moving parts. In the presence of freezing temperatures, ice on the actuator can prevent contact closure. Ditto for dirt, dust, vapors or even spilled liquids.

In the case of keyboards and other user-

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interfaces, it may be possible to employ membrane switches when moisture is a problem. These are special mechanical switches made with silicon-rubber and conductive carbon pills or non-conductive rubber actuators. Through the compression molding process, an angled web is created around the keypad that collapses whenever a user presses a key, making a conductive contact between internal layers of keypad material. The outer layer of the keypad is one continuous piece that can be sealed to keep moisture out of the layers that implement the mechanical switching.

But all in all, mechanical switches lacking an IP67 rating aren’t particularly suitable for wet areas.

Capacitive switches are currently experiencing a mushrooming growth thanks partly to their use in smartphones.

There is no stroke, no moving parts. A capacitive touchscreen panel consists of an insulator, such as glass, coated with a transparent conductor, often indium tin oxide (ITO) or silver. Because the human body is also an electrical conductor, a finger touch on the surface of the screen distorts the screen’s electrostatic field, measurable as a change in capacitance.

Different technologies may be used to determine the location of the touch.

But capacitive touch switches are not a first choice for every application. Some capacitive touchscreens cannot be used to detect a finger through electrically insulating material, such as gloves.

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example, can also disturb the touchscreen electrostatic field. Thus capacitive switches are usually unsuitable for use near a swimming pool or whirlpool.

Particularly robust and durable are switches based on the piezoelectric principle. A piezoelectric element (usually ceramics that include lead zirconate titanate or PZT, barium titanate or lead titanate) generates a charge when under stress. The compressive pressure of a finger push causes the (typically disc-shaped) piezo element to bend slightly like a drumhead.

Thus piezo switches produce a single, brief “on” pulse that varies with the amount of pressure applied. The pulse is typically used to turn on a semiconductor such as a field effect transistor (FET). After the voltage pulse dissipates, the FET turns back off. A capacitor may be used to store the generated charge to increase the time constant of the gate circuit and lengthen the generated pulse.

In contrast to a mechanical switch, a piezo switch has no moving parts. It can be hermetically sealed with IP protection up to IP69K. This feature predestines it for use under the most adverse conditions.

That brings us to pneumatic switches.

For decades, these switches were the first choice of pool and spa builders because they don’t handle electrical current. They generally consist of a spring-loaded plunger that opens or closes an air passage when the operator pushes the button. One drawback of pneumatic pushbuttons is that their internal mechanics must be relatively precise, which is reflected in the price.

As with mechanical switches, pneumatic switches also have moving parts which can eventually wear out. And because they handle compressed air, pneumatic switches require special attention to seals. It should also be mentioned here that optical feedback via point or ring illumination is not used with these types of switches.

Increasingly, pool and spa designers have recognized the advantages of piezoelectric switches. These devices are comparatively inexpensive, extremely robust and durable.

They can handle the aggressive chemicals frequently used in wet areas. DW Schurter AG | www.schurter.com

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Upgrading

equipment with solenoids Pneumatic solenoid valves make it possible to remotely operate and automate equipment, with a range of product and technology options available for upgrading designs.

Kevin Kakascik and Pat Phillips AutomationDirect

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P n e u m a t i c s

Pneumatic systems provide one of the essential methods designers can employ to create motion and force for equipment and manufacturing systems. These systems are economical, reliable, and easy to design and maintain They also operate with speed, precision, and force suitable to meet most mechanical requirements.

Basic manual pneumatic components are appropriate for certain situations, but most forms of remote or automatic operation are better implemented with hardwired logic or programmable logic controllers (PLCs). For these electrical and intelligent platforms to interact with the physical pneumatic systems, a solenoid of some sort is typically incorporated.

Designers need to be familiar with several types of solenoid valves and the varying form factors and features available so they can select the right products. In many cases, there is more than one right answer depending on the required action, installation space, and type of automation.

From manual to automatic Valves are typically used to control the flow of liquids and gases. They may directly control a fluid — such as water, solvent, or anything else used in a production process — or they may be arranged to command more powerful physical actions.

The valve itself can be operated manually Figure 1. or by a physical action, such as a door closing Electric solenoid valves or a person moving a button, pedal, or are available in a wide lever. Many types of basic equipment and variety of form factors. processes are designed with manually When installed on operated valves managed by operators. equipment or in associated But to improve efficiency and safety, it control panels, they make is often desirable to upgrade designs to it possible to remotely automatically controlled valves. and automatically operate systems. | All figures courtesy of AutomationDirect

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P n e u m a t i c s

Electromagnetics and solenoids can be quite powerful, and they are suitable as the motive force for operating direct-acting medium-sized physical valves of perhaps 0.75-in. pipe diameter, or smaller.

Figure 2. A variety of valve form factors can be used to obtain the best option for each applications. Shown clockwise starting from top center: modular/manifold solenoid valves; miniature manual valve; process solenoid valve; directional control solenoid valve; stackable solenoid valves; modular/ manifold solenoid valves.

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For most kinds of automation, a valve needs to be controlled electrically by hardwired circuitry or a PLC. Electric solenoids are the fundamental way to operate valves of all sizes, Figure 1.

An electric solenoid consists of a wire coil arranged around a movable central poppet, plunger, or spool element. It enables an electrical current to create a low force linear motion controlling physical flow. A solenoid-operated valve effectively acts as an amplifier, converting a small electrical signal into a comparatively large physical force.

Medium, small, and miniature valves Electromagnetics and solenoids can be quite powerful, and they are suitable as the motive force for operating direct-acting medium-sized physical valves of perhaps 0.75-in. pipe diameter, or smaller. This arrangement is fast-acting.

There are also solenoid-operated diaphragm valves, which can be somewhat larger and slower, where the solenoid vents a small pressure port to enable a diaphragm to flex and enable a larger process flow.

Even larger valves usually have various valve body mechanisms, which in turn are operated by some external actuator method, although the external actuation often involves solenoids.

For example, a medium-sized solenoid valve can be used directly in a pipeline to control a process fluid in an on/off manner, or the same type of solenoid can control fluid or gas used to move an actuator, which in turn can drive mechanical equipment or a much larger valve.

When a smaller valve is used to operate something larger, it is often called a pilot valve or a directional control valve. Smaller pneumatic solenoid valves, typically used for controlling pressurized gas, are often used to control the actuators of much larger valves. A small solenoid valve is a good choice to minimize the footprint and power consumption needed for a PLC to control valves.

Taking things a step further, there are other form factors that can be a good match for space-limited systems, Figure 2.

Miniature versions offer just enough flow in the most compact package possible.

Stackable solenoids valves fit together to share air supply connections, saving installation space. Modular arrangements simplify plumbing like the stackable style, as they allow multiple solenoid valves to be installed onto a common manifold.

While many solenoid form factors must be installed within a control panel or other protected location, there are now many components rated for surface-mounting, even in washdown areas. This enables

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Figure 3. This diagram shows the internal spool of a 5-port 2-position solenoid valve body, although the electric solenoid itself is not shown.

When energized, the solenoid would move the spool to the right to apply pneumatic pressure and extend a cylinder; when de-energized, a spring would move the spool to the left to retract a cylinder. Electric solenoid valves used with PLCs enable the automation of sizable equipment.

designers to distribute solenoids around a machine with substantial space and cost savings.

Solenoid valves of many different form factors can be employed as a very compact and efficient way of controlling larger equipment.

Flow basics Designers must size and select a solenoid valve by considering the operating fluid pressure, and the flow necessary to operate the target equipment with the right force and speed. They must also plan for the solenoid valve functionality, or how many actions it must perform.

Most people think of a valve as normally closed (NC) or off, unless it is commanded to open. However, there are many cases where it is desirable for a valve to be normally open (NO) and flowing unless commanded to close. The arrangement of a solenoid valve spring and coil defines whether it is NC or NO. A common mistake often made by designers with a stronger electrical background is that a NC electrical switch allows current to flow while a NC valve stops fluid flow.

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January 2021

Each solenoid valve’s physical fluid connection is called a port. One or more electrical solenoids shift the valve spool into position when commanded. Twoposition valves are most common, but three-position valves are also possible.

The number of ports and positions defines how many ways a solenoid valve can flow.

For direct-acting process and pipeline solenoid valves, the most common are 2-way valves, which simply turn flow on and off. Also available are 3-way valves, useful for shifting flow between two different destinations.

A 2-way solenoid valve has two ports, so when the valve is closed, the ports are isolated from each other, and when the valve is opened, the fluid can flow between the two connections. A 3-way solenoid valve has a common port, and two other ports we will call A and B. When de-energized, the common port is connected to A, while B is isolated from both. When energized, the common port is connected to B, while A is isolated from both.

Solenoid valves used in pilot service

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to control fluids to larger actuators can be more complex, and come in arrangements such as: • 2-port (2-way), 2-position • 3-port (3-way), 2-position • 5-port (4-way), 2-position • 5-port (4-way), 3-position Pneumatically connecting the variety of possible solenoid pilot valves to achieve the desired physical outcome, and creating drawings with the proper pneumatic circuit symbols, is a subject unto itself. But it is also closely related to the choice of the associated electrical solenoids, Figure 3.

Solenoids in pilot valves can be singleacting with spring return. This means a spring holds the spool in one position when de-energized (at rest), while the spool moves a single direction to another position when energized.

Or a pilot valve can be double-acting where two electrical solenoids are

operated, one at a time, to pull the spool to one position or another. The doubleacting spool may be strictly two-position, remaining at whichever position it was pulled once the solenoid is released. Or it may be three-position, where solenoids pull the spool to one position or another, while springs will return the spool to a central position if all solenoids are de-energized.

Smarter solenoids Solenoids themselves are electrical and can be driven by a hardwired circuit or a PLC output. Some solenoid form factors, especially modular styles, offer prewired and/or connectorized electrical arrangements, simplifying installation and wiring significantly.

Another important advancement is the availability of smart modular valve manifolds, where a single network connection allows the valves to be commanded from a host PLC. This

connection is usually some form of standard industrial fieldbus, such as serial Modbus RTU, or an Ethernet protocol like EtherNet/IP. These manifolds may also accept input/output (I/O) modules, and they may provide solenoid valve status information and diagnostics.

Intelligent valve manifolds minimize wiring, especially if pneumatics and remote I/O can be combined into one consolidated package on a machine. Modular components make it possible for designers to create advanced equipment control systems in the most compact possible installation.

Making the move With all these details in mind, how do designers decide when and how much it makes sense to upgrade manual operations to automatic functionality? Two main factors are when safety can be improved, or when efficiency can be increased.

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P n e u m a t i c s

STAY IN MOTION. S O LU T I O N S FO R M E D I CA L

Safety is enhanced when automation and solenoid valve-controlled devices allow operators to work remotely from the equipment.

Also, adding hardwired or PLC-connected sensors makes it possible to notify operators of equipment conditions, and even proactively establish interlocks to prevent improper operation.

Converting manual equipment to automated designs usually upgrades operating speed and throughput, and it can pay dividends down the road if diagnostic provisions are built-in, such as alarms to indicate a problem.

Another cost consideration is how stackable and modular solenoid valves, or surface-mount styles, can shift more of installation effort to controlled shop conditions. Because these form factors minimize the amount of plumbing and electrical/network connections, they can be easily disconnected after installation and testing at the shop. This makes it more convenient to ship automated equipment and speed-up installation in the field.

For designers of equipment currently using manual pneumatics, there are many capable and economical options for upgrading using solenoid valve technologies. Working with a supplier who offers a full portfolio of solenoid options, electrical components, PLCs, and associated accessories can help designers determine the best upgrade path for their applications. DW AutomationDirect www.automationdirect.com

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The lowdown on Single Pair Ethernet Horst Messerer • Product Manager • Helukabel

As more manufacturers join the SPE Alliance, questions about its functions and uses abound. Here’s a look at critical information about Single Pair Ethernet.

Single Pair Ethernet What is Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) and why do we actually need it? Industrial use of Ethernet has been established for a long time now. These are the classical questions a person asks when confronted with the topic of Single Pair Ethernet for the first time.

Historical facts The first data cables were PVC-insulated single conductors that were stranded into pairs to prevent possible faults.

Later, it was ascertained that low-capacity1 insulation (e.g. polyethylene) has improved electrical properties, enables longer ranges, and can reduce the use of ferrites (magnets that contribute to fault-free data transmission) during cable assembly. This was common practice in analog technology; and to control each function and each device of a system, a separate pair was required.

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This changed with the advent of digital technology. Impedance, cable attenuation, near-end crosstalk and other properties were defined as cable parameters, and bus technology found its way into automation, system and mechanical engineering.

Suddenly, many devices of a network could be controlled with one cable pair, e.g., PROFIBUS. This succeeded thanks to digital technology and addressing each individual device. The data transmission of bus cables, however, was still very slow in comparison to today‘s possibilities, and achieved a maximum of 20 Mbit.

Ethernet, a uniform data network for networks (LAN technology), was originally used exclusively

for office communication. It was not until the turn of the millennium that industrial equipment, connectors and Ethernet cables were made suitable for industrial use. The Industrial Ethernet was born.

In 2015, the automotive industry started to rely more heavily on Single Pair Ethernet. The advantages are that it is space-saving, highperformance, and light. It is ideal therefore for the enormously increased data rates caused by cruise control, autonomous driving, or the camera system in the vehicle. In the car, an unshielded cable is usually used for 100BASE-T1, as the application lengths are < 50 ft (15 m). | AdobeStock.com - pages 136-137

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N e t w o r k i n g

THE INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET HAS DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS STRUCTURE

Data Transmission Category

2-pair or star quad, pairs unshielded

Cat 5

100 MHz

4-pair, pairs unshielded

Cat 6

up to 250 MHz

Cat 6A

up to 500 MHz

Cat 7

up to 600 MHz

Cat 7A

up to 1000 MHz

4-pair, pairs shielded

Range* Up to 328 ft (100 m) without repeater

* Range depends on cable cross section and number of connector transitions

In order to make the Single Pair Ethernet suitable for industrial use, and to help shape the technological changes, Helukabel joined the SPE Industrial Network e.V. (single-pair-ethernet.com) Will Single Pair Ethernet replace the classical Industrial Ethernet?

The short answer to this question is no.

The classic two- and four-pair cables have advantages when it comes to range, reaching up to 328 ft (100 m) without a repeater. A further aspect is that fourpair cabling still guarantees a residual transmission of 100 Mbit in the case of failures, or when a pair is mechanically overloaded. With Single Pair Ethernet, the analog sensor system could be digitalized and the comparatively slow bus technology gradually replaced. Furthermore, Single Pair Ethernet offers additional advantages compared to the classic Industrial Ethernet, especially when it comes to small systems. These include thinner bending radii, smaller cables and transmission rates of up to 1 Gbit on a single pair. Space advantages like these are decisive for small cameras, in particular, or for cobots, i.e., collaborative robots that work alongside humans.

How does one-pair data transmission actually function?

The classic Ethernet works with a fourpair Cat. 5 cable within a frequency range of up to 100 MHz. The individual pairs send/receive interchangeably, up to 1 Gbit to be transmitted. In the case of Single Pair Ethernet, only one pair is available.

In order to be able to transmit 1 Gbit, chip sets with a range of up to 600 MHz are used. Some frequencies in the wide

138

spectrum receive, while other frequencies send... This is how SPE works.

Why is Single Pair Ethernet of interest for industrial use?

Single Pair Ethernet enables consistent data transmission up to field level. In contrast to before, only one pair is required to transmit the signals (instead of the previous two or four pairs).

In this way, Single Pair Ethernet matches the industrial requirement profile exactly, and offers the following advantages (compared to the classical Industrial Ethernet): • Thinner cables • Lower cost of assembly • Less space requirements, lower weight, smaller laying system possible, if necessary • Smaller bending radii and smaller drag chains in the case of continuously moving applications • Lower caloric load, less smoke development • Less materials like copper or plastic => protects resources Furthermore, despite Industrial Ethernet, current digital bus technology and analog sensor technology is used at the

Application areas Single Pair Ethernet covers the requirements of diverse industries. This means that cables are used depending on the application, e.g., for fixed installation, for flexible use, or for highly dynamic applications, such as in drag chains or in robots. Jacket materials can be PVC, FRNC, or PUR, depending on customer needs and application. High-temperature materials such as FEP may also be implemented.

Factory automation — In addition to the options for expanding or substituting SPE in classic sensor and Industrial Ethernet cables, there will also be future possibilities with CAN bus working with SPE 1000Base-T1 up to the 130 ft (40 m) range. As well as saving on weight, this will enormously increase data speed.

Process Automation — With 10BASET1L, SPE also offers a quantum leap in process automation, where for decades data rate transmission has been 31.25 kBit. For example, SPE10BASE-T1L 10 Mbit enables video transmissions from security cameras

Standardization Definition for

Standardization

Cables

According to IEC 61156 & ISO/IEC 11801-X

Cabling standards

According to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25/WG3 & TIA42

Ethernet protocol standards

According to IEEE802.3

Connectors for industrial use

According to IEC 63171-6

Connectors for building cabling

According to IEC 63171-1

January 2021 www.designworldonline.com

Networking 1-21_Vs4 MG.LL.indd 138

lowest level. Single Pair Ethernet lays the foundation for the digitalization of the previous sensor technology, so that the Ethernet can be used right up to the sensor.

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N e t w o r k i n g

100BASE-T1 and 1000BASE-T1 PSE

12 V unregulated

12 V regulated

24 V unregulated

24 V regulated

48 V regulated

Class

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

VPSE(max)(V)a

18

18

18

18

36

36

36

36

60

60

VPSE_OC(min)(V)b VPSE(min)(V) IPI(max) (mA)c

6

6

14.4

14.4

12

12

26

26

48

48

5.6

5.77

14.4

14.4

11.7

11.7

26

26

48

48

101

227

249

471

97

339

215

461

735

1360

0.566

1.31

3.59

6.79

1.14

3.97

5.59

12

35.3

65.3

VPD(min)(V)

4.94

4.41

12

10.6

10.3

8.86

23.3

21.7

40.8

36.7

PPD(max)(W)

0.5

1

3

5

1

3

5

10

30

50

Pclass(min) (W)d

up to max. 3,280 ft (1,000 m) (this is not possible with PROFIBUS PA).

FUTURE

Operations manager level MES Plan

Collect data

Company level ERP

Process level manufacturing/ production process

Process manager level SCADA Control level SPS R SO EN S-S BU

Power Over Data Line (PoDL) Thanks to PoDL, Single Pair Ethernet also makes power supply possible parallel with data transmission. The two charts of classifications provide an overview for end devices up to maximum 50 W power transmission.

PRESENT

Field level Input / output signals

Process level manufacturing / production process

Project1_Layout 1 1/5/2021 12:04 PM Page 1

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N e t w o r k i n g

10BASE-T1 PoDL POWERED DEVICE CLASSIFICATION Class

10

11

13

14

15

VPSE(max)(V)

36

36

36

60

60

60

VPSE_ OC(min)(V)

20

20

20

50

50

50

VPSE(min)(V)

20

20

20

50

50

50

IPI(max) (mA)

102

155

169

254

388

400

Pclass(min) (W)

2.04

3.1

3.38

12.71

9.4

20

VPD(min)(V)

13.98

13.96

13.92

35.01

34.87

35.6

PPD(max)(W)

1.43

2.16

2.35

8.89

13.53

14.24

18

14

24

18

14

24

3280 ft (1000 m)

3280 ft (1000 m)

984 ft (300 m)

3280 ft (1000 m)

3280 ft (1000 m)

984 ft (300 m)

Cable AWG Cable length (ft/m)

Hybrid cables for larger power requirements If the PoDL classifications up to maximum 50 W do not cover the power requirements of the device, SPE hybrid cables and M8 connectors provide the ideal solution with more power. In this case, the cable contains an Ethernet pair with AWG 22-24 and two AWG 18 power conductors that provide up to 400 W at 60 V over a distance of 130 ft (40 m). It is mandatory to shield the data element pair. It is also possible to have an overall shield as well.

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Networking 1-21_Vs4 MG.LL.indd 142

Connector Assignment: PIN

PMA signal

Conductor color

1

BI_DA+

Blue

2

BI_DA-

White

3

DC +

Red

4

DC -

Black

Footnote from page xx 1 Low capacity insulations such as polyethylene store less energy and provide a better, more efficient, data transmission performance.

DW

Helukabel | helukabel.com

www.designworldonline.com

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1/16/21 11:40 AM

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Product World Coupling improves torsional stiffness Zero-Max www.zero-max.com Achieving high torsional stiffness and zero backlash in a packaging system driveline is challenging but essential where the precise alignment of the packaging materials is required for a consistent, quality product.

The CD Coupling’s composite disc design, along with over 3-decades of CD Coupling product history and application experience, allow Zero-Max engineers to provide a superior solution for the most demanding applications.

Zero-Max often uses Finite Element Analysis to design custom disc packs and review various application requirements such as torque, speed, torsional stiffness, misalignment, and dimensional fit. This ensures proper design for high performance and long life in challenging applications.

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Product World Motion control portfolio with flexibility, scalability, and reliability Emerson Emerson.com The PACMotion servo motion control portfolio offers an integrated automation solution for high-performance industrial applications. The portfolio includes a new motion controller that connects directly into the PACSystems RX3i programmable logic controller backplane for high-speed, highprecision performance with synchronized motion for up to 40 coordinated axes, allowing end-users to scale up their motion systems without sacrificing performance.

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Standard or custom designs up to 98% efficient, up to 200,000 rpm.

Highest power density in the industry.

Slotless and slotted designs. Available with encoders and gearheads and separate or integral electronics.

Quantities 1 to 10,000.

For technical assistance, mail@koford.com 937-695-1275 DESIGN WORLD

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Product World Modular HMI series Pro-face America profaceamerica.com The STM6000 Modular HMI Series is a high performance, energyefficient HMI that offers extensive uses in various applications.

Available in two display sizes, including 4-in. and 7-in. widescreen and easily interchangeable back ends, this modular unit paired with Pro-face’s HMI development software can be used to optimize operations and machine information. The crystal-clear display with 16 million colors, gradation and transparency options, and aluminum front panel improves operability and is unmatched by any other HMI of its class.

Thanks to its modular design, for specific applications (space, temperature, or vibration constraints), this product can be separated with cable accessory 3m, 5m,10m to install the display module on the panel door and the rear module on DIN rail with dock station adapter.

Bunting Supply Chain is Staying Strong Are you experiencing disruptions in your supply chain? If you need a dependable source for your neo compression bonded or injection molded custom magnets and magnetic assemblies, Bunting can help.

All manufacturing of injection molded and compression bonded magnets take place within the United States. While other companies are forced to wait, and are at a standstill due to supply chain disruption, Bunting is fortunate to be able to carry out business as usual.

To learn more about our manufacturing capabilities of our custom magnets and magnetic assemblies, visit our website today.

ITAR-Registered

9001:2015 R E G I S T E R E D

800.437.8890 or 814.375.9145

Sales.DuBois@BuntingMagnetics.com Visit MAGNETAPPLICATIONS.COM ™

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Automation·Controls·Process

SMC is providing the point to point digital connections to meet your communications protocol requirements.

High Precision Digital Pressure & Vacuum Switches

High Precision Digital Pressure Switches for air and fluids

Actuator Stroke Position Sensor

Fieldbus SI Unit for Control Valves

Electro-Pneumatic Regulator

IO-Link Base for EX600 SI Unit for Control Valves

Digital Flow Switches for water

Step motor Controller for Electric Actuators

Providing Sustainable, Energy Efficient and CO2 Reducing Components for Industrial Automation

SMC Corporation of America

800-762-7621

www.smcusa.com

SMC Automation Canada Ltd. 800-762-7621

www.smcautomation.ca

Email: sales@smcusa.com

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Product World Bonded seals for aerospace Greene Tweed gtweed.com Greene Tweed has announced the release of its new TechnaLoc bonded seals for critical aerospace applications.

Used in multiple engine locations, fuel and oil systems, and hydraulic flight actuation systems, TechnaLoc seals are made of elastomers bonded to flat components composed of coated aluminum, stainless steel, or titanium. These pre-bonded seals ensure ease of assembly and maintenance.

Greene Tweed’s proprietary elastomers used in TechnaLoc seals have an industryproven broad temperature range and fluid compatibility, making them suitable for many critical aerospace applications. The durable, reliable bonded seals can be custom-designed to meet users' unique needs, thanks to advanced engineering and development resources.

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DESIGN WORLD

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For further information about products on these pages visit the Design World website @ www.designworldonline.com

Inclination sensor in robust stainless steel housing ASM asm-sensor.com The MEMS-based inclination sensor positilt PTM29 measures inclination in the range of +/-180° with one axis and in the range of +/-60° with two axes. With a linearity deviation of 0.05° and a resolution of 0.001° in the 360° measuring range, the sensor offers high measuring accuracy.

The sensor technology of the positilt PTM29 works with contactless technology and is shock, vibration, and contamination resistant. The sensor is a completely sealed, laser-welded, and hermetically sealed stainless steel housing. The sensor electronics are completely encapsulated.

The cable area also has special protection to prevent capillary water ingress along the cable. The compact sensor size (10x50 mm) allows installation even in tight spaces. The sensor achieves protection class IP67/69 and is shielded against electromagnetic interference to be used even in the presence of strong electromagnetic fields. The positilt PTM29 can be mounted with free alignment of the

Precision Couplings for Rotating Components Renowned for its innovative multiple overlapped helical curved-beam technology, Rocom Couplings Corporation develops, designs and manufactures an extraordinary selection of flexible helical shaft couplings for the motion control industry.

measuring axes.

WE EXCEL AT BEING FLEXIBLE

DESIGN WORLD

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1/16/21 1:08 PM

Product World

Smart RFID reader IDEC IDEC.com/usa The KW2D series of smart radio frequency identification (RFID) readers are designed for easy installation into the typical 22 mm panel-mount holes used with machinery. They are readily integrated with automation systems and enable OEMs and end-users to easily apply advanced authentication and authorization measures.

Authenticating users and authorizing them to perform actions and equipment control is fundamental to maintaining safety and security for any operation. Access management also provides traceability for regulatory and analytical purposes.

RFID cards and tags are simple and inexpensive to manage, secure, contactless, and robust for industrial environments — while providing flexible ways to configure, manage, and modify privileges.

These benefits overcome the problems with other traditional or complex methods such as key switches, magnetic strip cards, passwords, and biometrics.

The IDEC KW2D series RFID readers are compact UL listed all-in-one devices installed into typical 22 mm panel-mount holes right along with other switches, buttons, and lights. They maintain IP65/67 water, dust, and oil-proof ratings and have push-in power supply terminals. A built-in Ethernet port facilitates easy connectivity to host devices like PLCs and HMIs using Modbus TCP.

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25,000+

Catalog Springs

Plus!

Custom Springs

To Meet Your Specifications.

ISO 9001:2015 Registered Company

Visit the All-New Lee Spring Website Easily find the right spring every time. View multiple spring features, specifications, pricing and quantity breaks side by side for easy spring selection.

Call: 888-SPRINGS (888-777-4647) Visit: leespring.com Fax: 888-426-6655 Email: sales@leespring.com

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TEAMWORK IS OUR SECRET WEAPON

Product World Power-off engaged brakes for conveyor applications

Aerotech’s mechanical, electrical and software engineers collaborate to give you the perfect motion control solution – whether that is a standard or custom product, subsystem or completely integrated system.

Miki Pulley mikipulley-us.com

Learn more at designworldonline.com and cast your Leadership in Engineering vote.

These BXW power-off engaged brakes are designed to halt a motorized conveyor roller when system power is dis-engaged. The BXW brakes are Spring Actuated Electromagnetic Brakes that provide reliable dynamic braking when conveyor power is disengaged and excellent performance for longer-term holding requirements for staging, loading, and unloading conveyor operations.

BXW brakes use internal compression springs to provide power-off, fail-safe braking. The primary moving part in this robust but simple brake design is the armature plate. When actuated, the brake compression springs push the armature plate into the friction disc when power is disengaged. This feature provides fail-safe braking and allows the brake to maintain position over long periods, thus preventing a conveying system from “coasting” when powered off.

Also, BXW Brakes function at full torque rating “right out of the box,” so no startup run-in is needed. They are available in three different models for either single-use braking, holding, or both braking and holding. Depending on the size selected, BXW Brakes are suitable for small and large applications, including servo motors. Additional features include quiet operation, high holding torque, space savings, long service life, stability, reliable braking power, and manual release mechanisms.

BXW Brake specifications depending on model are: • Brake torque 0.88 to 0.369 ft/lb (0.12 to 5.2 Nm) • Brake outer diameter: 1.457 to 2.953-in. (37 to 75 mm) • Ambient Temperature: 14 ~ 104° F; (-10 ~ 40 °C)

aerotech.com • 412-963-7470 154

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1/19/21 7:17 PM

DRIVEN

BY SERVICE. We keep you up and running—no matter the obstacle, contact us to find out how we can help.

Quick Lead Times On-Time Delivery Industry Leading Expertise

LoPro® Linear Actuators Corrosion, food debris, and high speeds pose no barrier to the toughest of motion technologies. Vee guide wheels provide smooth and self-cleaning motion in the LoPro line of belt, chain, and screw driven actuators.

Get it fast with QuickShip™ Quickship guarantees LoPro® to be on its way to you within 1 week of order placement.

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VISIT WWW.BWC.COM

1/16/21 1:33 PM

Product World Oil sensor with real-time, 24-hour monitoring Des-Case descase.com The OQS 2 Oil Quality Sensor puts users in control with real-time, 24/7 monitoring of oil degradation, oil condition, and water ingress and is now available for purchase.

The sensor is a live, highly flexible, and cost-effective conditionbased monitoring solution, designed to be permanently mounted within any lubrication system on any machine. Over 60 times more sensitive to oil contamination than any other dielectric constant measuring sensor, it provides real-time monitoring of oil condition, water ingress, and oxidation levels.

The OQS 2 is completely redesigned and has included the

Bearing Protection that Outperforms all Others Superior performance for maximum peace of mind.

following features: • Increased sensitivity and accuracy • A redesigned housing • A new durable connector • IP68 certified (when connected) • Fluid pressure resistance up to 70 bar / 1015 PSI

Helwig’s Bearing Protector extends the life of motors by keeping shaft voltage to a minimum.

Prevents pitting and costly damage to bearings. The best choice for the motor industry.

•

• •

Easy installation One size fits all Reliable performance

• • •

Low maintenance Excellent conductivity Cost effective

Call 1-888-354-9914 or visit our website at helwigcarbon.com

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DESIGN WORLD

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FHA-C Mini Actuator with Integrated Servo Drive

The Servo Drive is Inside!

The FHA-C Mini Series is a family of extremely compact actuators that deliver high torque with exceptional accuracy and repeatability. As part of the FHA-C Mini family, an integrated servo drive version utilizing CANopen® communication is now available. This evolutionary product eliminates the need for an external drive and greatly improves wiring while retaining high-positional accuracy and torsional stiffness in a compact housing.

• Actuator + Integrated Servo Drive utilizing CANopen communication • 24VDC Nominal +7-28VDC Supply Voltage Range • Single Cable with only 4 conductors needed: CANH, CANL, +24VDC, 0VDC • Zero Backlash • Dual Absolute Encoders

• Panel Mount Connectors with 4 exit options • Output Sensing Encoder 14bit (16384 cpr) resolution • Input Sensing Encoder 15bit (32768 cpr) resolution • Control Modes Including Torque, Velocity, and Position Control, CSP, CSV, CST • Harmonic Drive HDL Software

42 Dunham Ridge, Beverly, MA 01915 | 800.921.3332 | www.HarmonicDrive.net Harmonic Drive is a registered trademark of Harmonic Drive LLC. CANopen is a registered trademark of CAN in Automation.

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Product World Valve manifold with integrated safety and EtherNet/IP connectivity Festo festo.us Festo introduces Rockwell Automation customers to a unique pneumatic valve manifold that enables up to Performance Level (PL)-d Category 3 safety through an integrated serial bus backplane for pneumatics. The “C-Bus” plug-and-play integration simplifies, speeds up, and lowers component costs when installing pneumatic safety circuits, which are specifically for safe exhausting and preventive start-up.

The new VTSA-F-CB (CB for C-Bus) valve manifold offers serial communication that enables up to three safety-shutdown-groups per manifold. The VTSA-F-CB is compatible with combinations of pilot air control valves, soft-start exhaust valves, proportional valves, and vacuum generators.

The VTSA-F valve manifold platform, a long-standing product in automotive applications, now offers, with its C-Bus variant, the ability to control downstream valves and devices via an integrated C-Bus backplane. The VTSA-F-CB can reduce the number of components and time required to set up a range of safety circuits. The solution provides Rockwell OEMs and end-users the ability to control valves with safe switched power zones and monitor integrated sensors for safety feedback via Ethernet/IP.

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For further information about products on these pages visit the Design World website @ www.designworldonline.com

Miniature spring-loaded linear potentiometer position sensor Harold G. Schaevitz Industries LLC hgsind.com

MICRO-DIRECT DRIVE

LPPS-MSL series Spring-loaded Linear Potentiometer position sensors are used to monitor and track the linear motion or position of a target.

The captive guided spring-loaded shaft incorporates an external helical compression spring to maintain constant contact with the part under measurement. These compact sized sensors are only 16 mm OD making them suitable for installations with limited space. The LPPS-MSL series sensor is made from industrial duty materials for resistance to dust, temperature, shock and vibration, and are engineered for a range of gauging applications including laboratory, automotive, industrial, motion control, medical, and aerospace.

ROTARY AC SERVOS

FOR PRECISION POSITIONING Nippon Pulse’s new high-resolution, high-torque miniature AC servomotors are available in frame sizes from 13mm to 70mm in diameter, and include a built-in absolute or incremental encoder.

Continuous torque 3.0 mNm to 1000 mNm, with peak ratings from 7 mNm to 3100 mNm

Features: • Spring Loaded Linear Potentiometer • Stroke lengths available from 5 to 100 mm (0.2 to 4-in.)

Clean-room ready

• Compact Size, housing is only 16 mm diameter

Ideal for high-precision positioning, manufacturing, and robotics applications

• Environmental rating of IP61 • -40 to 95°C operating temperature range

Customization Options Available!

Nippon Pulse Your Partner in Motion Control DESIGN WORLD

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NIPPONPULSE.COM ISO 14001:2015 & 9001:2015 certified

1/16/21 1:11 PM

ABS601 & MBS601 600 W AC-DC Convection Cooled Sealed Power Supplies for Harsh Environments

Product World End-to-end solution for simulating injection molding Altair altair.com Injection molded plastic components play a critical role in various applications from toys and consumer electronics to high-performance, load-bearing components in the aerospace and automotive sectors. Altair’s Inspire Mold offers engineers fast, capable tools with unrivaled solver performance to make better design decisions earlier, reduce costs, speed time-to-market, and optimize finished parts.

Manufacturability of new components can now be evaluated at the outset of the development process. The risk of defects such as warping, sink marks, and short shots are mitigated before any costly investments are made in molds. Design iterations are completed faster, and fewer are needed before identifying a solution. Scrap, tooling, and rework costs are slashed, and there are no requirements for specialized, GPU-computing hardware.

Ideal for clean operating environments where the elimination of acoustic noise & dust disturbance is critical

» Sealed Enclosure, IP66/67/68 Ingress Protection Grade » 800 W peak power (up to 10 s) » Single 24, 48 VDC voltages

Features: • Optimized user experience — product designers and engineers can easily conduct virtual testing, validation, correction, and optimization of molding designs via an intuitive, five-step workflow.

• Fast, next-generation 3D technology — experimental approximations of traditional 2.5D solvers are eliminated. Support for advanced physics empowers advanced and novice users with deeper insights and understanding.

• Access to materials data — data for 60 materials is embedded in Inspire Mold, and the Altair Material Data Center (MDC) will soon be integrated, allowing MDC license holders direct, immediate access to reliable material data.

» Form Factor: 4.92 x 9.86 x 2.36 in.

(125.0 x 250.5 x 60.0 mm)

» Low standby power consumption (< 0.35 W) » Input inrush current limiting <30 A » -SL option offers 5 VDC standby output » Remote On / Off Signal

 sales@psbel.com belfuse.com/power-solutions  1.866.513.2839 Product.World.1-21_Vs6.LLMS.indd 160

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AZ Series

Hybrid Control Systems

AZ Series Family of Products

ETHERCAT is a trademark of Beckhoff Automation GmbH

EtherNet/IP is a registered trademark of ODVA, Inc.

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Product World Universal 24/48 V DC power supplies Beckhoff beckhoffautomation.com The PS power supply series will initially be comprised of 18 new devices. The 1- and 3-phase DIN-rail-

mountable power supply units are compact and supply "Gear precision grade"

output currents from 2.5 to 40 A. Suitable for industrial

ear precision grade

applications, the temperature-optimized device design

Gear precision Grade

of these power supplies ensures excellent convection

0

1

2

3

4

N4

N5

N6

N7

N8

4

5

6

7

3)

5

cooling, long service life, maximum reliability, and up to 96.3% efficiency. The versatile PS series features a wide-range input N9

8and

9 comes with several different technical approvals, making it suitable for worldwide and universal use in 24 and 48 V DC

applications.

13

12

10

9

8

14

12

11

10

9

13

12

11

10

9

11

10

10

9

8

7

Beckhoff offers power supplies for almost all applications in both the 24 and 48 V DC range with the PS device series, 8

8 including motion control applications with stringent requirements for handling back EMF (electromagnetic force). Excellent 7

convection, minimized power loss, and high efficiency of up to 96.3%, optimizes the devices’ service life and reliability. The

ble : peak ponding materials of SCr415) is defined as M415. se hardening), SCM415 is normally used. or harder material, SNCM220 and/or SNCM420

power capability of up to 150% makes it possible to provide up to 1.44 kW output power for short periods.

ermined by producti s value is inf

Largest selection of

grade table : lent grades are for ref y match each other.

Stock Metric GEARS in North America

15/05/21

14:20:18

Over 30,000 Stock Gears Available at www.khkgears.us 259 Elm Place, Mineola, NY 11501 Phone: 516.248.3850 | Fax: 516.248.4385 Email: info@khkgears.us

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THE DNA OF SAFETY. Machine safety is a complex topic. Companies are increasingly calling on qualified safety specialists for their specific know-how to guide them in making the appropriate decisions for their safety needs. For Schmersal, machine safety is part of our DNA: 75 years of technical knowledge and industry experience allows us to combine the building blocks of safety-rated components with control systems and software for customized and comprehensive safety systems.

Schmersal provides a Bluetooth interface for our safety light curtains. The data transmitted from the safety light curtains is accessible by the Schmersal SLC Assist App, available for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. The Bluetooth Low Energy system used offers secure data transmission up to 5 meters.

This unprecedented access to the operational data of the Safety Light Curtain has many advantages. The app serves as an installation alignment aid as it displays the signal strength of each beam. Real time monitoring of the active operation mode, the status of the OSSD outputs and the status of the protective field provides the information necessary to quickly resolve faults.

The app can provide documentation on the light curtain, either emailed or saved to the smartphone or tablet. Additionally, you can see which functions have been enabled and their parameterized settings.

SAFETY LIGHT CURTAINS WITH BLUETOOTH INTERFACE ■ Integrated bluetooth interface, standard on all SLC440 and SLC440COM safety light curtains ■ Access data via SLC ASSIST app, available for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets ■ Secure data transmission up to 5 meters ■ Real time status, troubleshoot faults quickly ■ Installation alignment aid setting ■ Verify enabled functions and their parameterized settings.

■ Generate & save documentation

Contact us for more machine safety solutions: 888-496-5143 | salesusa@schmersal.com | www.schmersalusa.com

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EXTEND BEARING LIFE

Product World NCC subminiature connectors Binder binder-connector.us Series 670 NCC (Not Connected Closed) Subminiature Connectors are designed for high protection with a compact profile for applications where space is at a premium. These 5-pin subminiature connectors have a bayonet closure and a cable bushing from 3.5 to 5.0 mm. The new connectors meet growing market demand for durable and reliable circular connectors in applications like lighting and test and measurement instrumentation.

These NCC connectors are suitable for applications that require frequent mating and de-mating as they offer continuous protection.

When disconnected, a spring cover protects contacts against water,

SINGLE-TURN WAVE SPRINGS

dirt, and penetration by foreign objects to IP54. When connected, the level of protection increases to IP67. The Series 670 NCC also offers high resistance to shock and vibration, and heat and cold, with

REDUCE

an operating temperature range from -13 to 185°F.

Axial and radial play

Summary of key features:

MINIMIZE

Thermal misalignment and wear

• binder series: 670 • > 1000 mating cycles • Contacts: 5

ELIMINATE

• Rated current: 2A

Noise and vibration

• Rated voltage 50 V

Single-Turn Overlap-Type Single-Turn Gap-Type

Free Samples on over 150 sizes in stock Call (866) 478-9757, or visit expert.smalley.com/DW/Bearing

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LIN ENGINEERING

MOTOR SPECIALISTS IN MOTION A

COMPANY

MOTION CONTROL, SOLVED. BLDC, Stepper, Frameless, Slotless, and more.

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Quick Prototype Turnaround

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Small Batch to OEM Volume Production

US Based Support & Manufacturing

Or Call 408.919.0200

And Speak With One Of Our Application Specialists

1/15/2021 11:48:54 AM 1/16/21 1:39 PM

Product World High-speed transmission module for fast installation LÜTZE lutze.com The new LÜTZE Cat. 6A module carriers allow data transmission points between the field and control cabinet to be performed even more quickly and safely. Core benefits of the module carrier include the greatly simplified wiring process that does not require special tools. Pluggable PROFINET or Ethernet connections can be created in just a few simple steps and 30 % more quickly than when conventional module carriers are used. It is possible to quickly and easily create secure data connections, even in poor ambient conditions like installations in the field or tight spaces in control cabinets. Also, the power supply can be provided via Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+).

The 8-pole module carrier is tested acc. to IEC 60512-24-1200 re-embedded and is 10 Gigabit Ethernet-conform acc. to IEEE

POWER TRANSMISSION-PART CONVEYING

PYRATHANE® BELTS Lifetime Warranty Against Manufacturing Defects

802.3an. Conductor gauges of AWG 26/1 to AWG 22/1 and also AWG 27/7 to AWG 22/7 can be connected. Even fewer flexible cables with a diameter of up to 9 mm can be connected securely with good shield termination and optimized permanent strain relief.

LINE SHAFT CONVEYOR BELTS Original Equipment and Connectable

CUSTOM MADE IN INCH, METRIC & O-RING SIZES • Round, Flat and Connectable Polyurethane Belts • Very Clean Operation • Eliminates Tensioning Devices • Exceptional Abrasion Resistancexxxxxxxxxxxxxx AN ISO 9001 CERTIFIED COMPANY

641.792.2405 sales@pyramidbelts.com

pyramidbelts.com

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12/4/2018 4:56:13 PM 1/16/21 1:18 PM

CUSTOM INJECTION MOLDING PARTNER Design through Manufacturing

SERVICES CONVERTING YOUR DESIGN TO A MANUFACTURED PRODUCT Employee-owned custom injection molding partner combining molding expertise, technology, advanced manufacturing facilities, and robotics to manufacture products.

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Phone : 717-942-8491

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Product World Highly flexible UV curable adhesive Master Bond masterbond.com Master Bond UV15X-6Med-2LV is a UV curable, non-cytotoxic adhesive that

in sections up to ¼-in. A successful curing process entails

features optical clarity and abrasion resistance. Not only can it be used for

complete exposure to the UV light source; for this reason,

bonding, but it can also be employed for sealing, coating, and encapsulating

there should be no shadows or UV blocking agents in

purposes. It has a high degree of flexibility with an elongation that exceeds

the substrates used. As a one-part system, it requires no

100% and a low tensile modulus of 20,000-50,000 psi at room temperature.

mixing before use. This compound has a medium viscosity

This flexibility allows it to withstand extreme thermal cycling and mechanical

of 20,000-40,000 cps and is not oxygen inhibited. It is

shock without inducing stress on components/parts. It bonds well to similar and

electrically insulative with a volume resistivity of more than

dissimilar substrates including glass, metals, and plastics.

1012 ohm-cm at room temperature. UV15X-6Med-2LV

UV15X-6Med-2LV is a one-part system that cures upon exposure to a UV light source emitting at a wavelength of 320 to 365 nm with an energy output

has a refractive index of 1.50. It is serviceable over the temperature range of -80°F to +250°F.

as low as 20-40 milliwatts/cm2. It can cure in as little as 10 to 30 seconds and

SSDI Applications

Solution Strengthened Ductile Iron

New

Why SSDI? • Better consistency • Improved machinability • Improved strength and ductility

Fluid Power

• Compressor rotors • Hydraulic manifolds

30% Productivity Increases with no negative impact in tool wear

and cylinders

Call 800-Bar-Mill, or visit Dura-Bar.com/product for more information.

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Motion Components

to Automate any Industry

Right Angle Precision Servo Gearheads with Single or DUAL Output Options

800-430-1439 diequa.com/dw

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Product World

5-axis post processor for CNCs FANUC America fanucamerica.com FANUC America has introduced a post processor designed to optimize 5-axis capabilities in FANUC CNCs. This post processor allows advanced machine tool operators to reduce their cycle times while boosting part accuracy, particularly for CAD/CAM generated 5-axis simultaneous contouring part processes.

A growing number of manufacturing industries, such as aerospace, medical, and mold & die job shops, are incorporating 5-axis simultaneous processing in their operations. By optimizing FANUC CNCs with this new Mastercam post processor, machine tools will produce parts — modeled in the CAD system — more precisely.

Critical functions in the Milling Standard Package include Tool Center Point (TCP), Workpiece Setting, Error Compensation (WSEC), Easy Setting Function to support multiple acceleration and process profiles, and advanced lookahead algorithms AICC II with Smooth Tolerance Control+.

WE’VE TAKEN ANOTHER STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. ALL FOUR OF THEM. Two new compact pumps that deliver high flow, efficient, and quiet performance.

KNF’s two newest compact compressor/vacuum diaphragm pumps deliver in several important directions at once. Together they offer maximum flow rates from 7-30 L/min, producing pressure greater than 36 psig and vacuum down to 100 mbar abs. A gas-tight, condensate-tolerant, and temperature-resistant version is available.

The two new pumps are particularly well-suited for use in wound and medical compression therapy, respiratory care devices, environmental monitors, and gas sampling.

Take a step in the right directions with KNF at knf.com/en/us/compact

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Product World

uEye XLE camera family IDS ids-imaging.us Affordable, compact, and particularly powerful when the essentials matter, the new uEye XLE camera family from IDS has been specially developed for high-volume and price-sensitive projects. With their space-saving design, USB3 interface, and USB3 Vision Standard support, these industrial cameras can be easily integrated into any machine vision system.

Users can choose between single-board cameras with or without C-/CS-mount or S-mount as well as variants with coated plastic housing. The first models will be equipped with the light-sensitive 5 MP sensor ON Semiconductor AR0521.

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For further information about products on these pages visit the Design World website @ www.designworldonline.com

Permanent magnet synchronous motors NORD nord.com The existing generation of NORD IE3 and IE4 motors already offer efficiency, but the new IE5+ technology takes this one step further, delivering even more efficiency at low speeds and partial loads, resulting in additional operational cost reduction. IE5+ motors are versatile and can be used for a range of applications including food and beverage, intralogistics, airport baggage handling, and post and parcel industries. Applications in these industries

single motor frame. When these motors are combined with NORD

frequently operate at partial loads or reduced speeds and may need to

gear units and variable frequency drives, they become part of a

quickly adjust load size and speeds.

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NORD IE5+ motors deliver power ranging from 0.5 – 1.5 HP, torque ranges from 14.2 – 42.5 lb-in., and speeds from 0 – 2,100 rpm, all in a

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engineered for high performance. This solution offers significant size and weight reduction over the IE3 and IE4 motors.

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5.55 [.22]

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Product World Encoder selection tool targets MRO needs

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After careful preparation and extensive beta testing with users and system integrators worldwide, sensor manufacturer POSITAL has released its intuitive online tool Encoder.Match.com. This new

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regardless of the original manufacturer. By visiting the EncoderMatch portal, the user will gain ((2X) 0. [.0 [.02] 2.54 22..5 .54 [.10] [..1100]]

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access to information about matching products from the POSITAL portfolio (“One Million Sensors at Your Fingertips”).

When a fully compatible replacement is found, the portal will provide a detailed datasheet for the specified fill-in encoder. Once an order is placed, the required product(s) – starting at MOQ1 — will be quickly assembled at POSITAL’s digital factory in Slubice, Poland. Thanks to its highly flexible

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For further information about products on these pages visit the Design World website @ www.designworldonline.com

Field replaceable connectors

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PRECISION, QUALITY AND VERSATILITY FOR THE

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Pasternack, an Infinite Electronics brand, has just launched a new line of field-replaceable RF connectors designed for use in various civil and military telecommunications, civil and military aeronautics, military equipment, as well as space and measurement system applications.

Pasternack’s new field replaceable RF connectors include SMA, 3.5 mm, 2.92 mm, 2.4 mm, and 1.85 mm types with 2-hole and 4-hole mounting configurations. Each connector uses a metal ring that grounds or mates with the component ground and will work with a range of different pin sizes.

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Product World Expanded range of bellows couplings Ruland ruland.com Ruland Manufacturing has expanded its line of bellows couplings to

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Ad Index Able Electropolishing .........................................67 Accumold ............................................................... 121 Ace Controls .........................................................57 Actuonix Motion Devices .................................33 Aerotech ............................................................... 154 Aggressive Hydraulics ..................................... 141 Akribis Systems ................................................. 103 AllMotion ................................................................... 4 Altech Corporation .................................... 17,19,21 Aurora Bearing Company ............................... 112 Automation Direct .................................................. 1 Automation24, Inc. ................................................9 Azoth .......................................................................47 Bay Associates Wire Technology, Inc. ....... 120 Beckhoff ................................................................ 43 Bel Power Solutions .........................................160 Beswick Engineering ......................................... 90 binder USA .............................................................71 Bird Precision ......................................................166 Bishop Wisecarver ............................................ 155 Bodine Electric Company ..................................41 Boker’s Inc ............................................................. 38 BRECOflex CO., L.L.C. ....................................... 175 Bunting Magnetics ...........................................148 C-Flex Bearing Co. ............................................. 176 Cadence ..................................................................31 Canfield Connector ............................................ 38 Carlo Gavazzi ....................................................... 28 CGI Inc. .....................................................................61 Chieftek Precision .............................................. 84 CIT Relay & Switch ............................................ 174 Clippard ....................................................................13 CMT .........................................................................25 Coilcraft .................................................................146 Components Corporation ................................35 COMSOL, Inc. ....................................................... 49 Crescent Industries .......................................... 167 CS Hyde Company ............................................. 118 Del-tron ...................................................................74 Diequa ...................................................................169 Digi-Key ....................................................................15 Dorner .................................................................... 107 Dura-Bar ...............................................................168 Eagle Stainless Tube ........................................ 115 ebm-pabst, Inc. ...................................................... 3 Electrocube, Inc. ................................................105 Elliott Manufacturing ......................................... 10 Ellsworth Adhesives .......................................... 36 Encoder Products Company .......................... 113 Exair ............................................................................ 5 Fabco-Air, Inc. .......................................................79 FAULHABER MICROMO ..................... Cover, IBC Festo ........................................................................73 Fischer Connectors ........................................... 119 GAM ........................................................................ 145 Harmonic Drive ................................................... 157 Harwin .................................................................... 66 HAWE Hydraulic ................................................. 177 HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION ......................... 59 HELUKABEL USA ............................................... 63 Helwig Carbon Products, Inc. ........................156 IDEC ......................................................................... 93 igus .......................................................................... 85 Intech .....................................................................158 Interpower ............................................................. 46 Ironwood Electronics .........................................33 ITT Enidine ...........................................................140

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AD INDEX - Leadership 1-21.indd 359

J.W. Winco, Inc. .................................................... 54 Keystone Electronics Corp. ............................... 7 KHK USA ............................................................... 162 KNF Neuberger .................................................. 170 Koford Engineering ........................................... 147 Kuriyama of America, Inc. ............................... 133 Lee Spring Company ....................................... 153 LEMO USA, Inc. ....................................................87 Lenze Americas .................................................. 55 Lin Engineering ..................................................165 Mach III .................................................................. 126 Main Mfg ...............................................................150 Maple Systems .................................................. 139 Master Bond ........................................................ 54 maxon .......................................................................81 Miki Pulley U.S. ......................................................16 Misumi USA, Inc. .................................................BC mk North America, Inc. ..................................... 86 MOCAP ..................................................................148 Moog Animatics .................................................. 92 Motus Labs ............................................................ 111 Nason ..................................................................... 62 NB Corporation ....................................................37 New England Wire & Tubing Technologies .................................. 125 Newark, An Avnet Company ......................... 127 Nippon Pulse Americas, Inc. ..........................159 Nitto Kohki USA .................................................. 99 NSK ......................................................................... 134 Ogura Industrial Corp. ..................................... 147 OMS Motion, Inc. ................................................ 172 Opto 22 .................................................................. 39 Oriental Motor USA Corp ................................. 161 Parvalux ................................................................. 83 PBC Linear ............................................................ 29 PI (Physik Instrumente) LP ............................. 173 PM B.V. ..................................................................106 Pyramid .................................................................166 R+W America ........................................................ 98 Renishaw ............................................................... 131 RoCom Couplings Corp. ................................... 151 Schmersal ............................................................ 163 SCHURTER Electronics .................................... 112 Siemens Digital Industries Software .......... 45 SIKO ......................................................................... 50 Smalley Steel Ring ............................................164 Smart Products USA ........................................ 152 SMC Corporation of America ........................149 Sorbothane ...........................................................35 Staubli Corp ...........................................................75 Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument....................................................... 176 Super Swivels ..................................................... 132 Tadiran Batteries ..................................................91 The Lee Company ................................................51 THK America, Inc ................................................ IFC TRACO POWER North America, Inc. .............97 Trim-Lok ..................................................................27 Veljan Hydrair ...................................................... 171 Wago USA ............................................................ 143 Whittet-Higgins ....................................................23 Women in Engineering .................................... 178 Würth Industry North America .........................11 Yaskawa America, Inc. .......................................53 Yates ...................................................................... 135 Zago ........................................................................ 65 Zero-Max, Inc .......................................................... 2

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2021

Leadership in Engineering

ABB Motors & Mechanical ..........180 Able Electropolishing ....................181 Accumold ..........................................182 ACE Controls ...................................183 Actuonix Motion Devices ...........184 Aerotech ...........................................186 Aggressive Hydraulics ................187 Akribis Systems .............................188 ALA Industries ................................189 AllMotion ...........................................190 Alpha Wire .........................................191 Altech Corporation .......................192 AMETEK Programmable Power ...........................................193 Aurora Bearing Company ..........194 Automation Direct .........................185 Automation24, Inc. ........................195 Azoth .................................................196 B&R Industrial Automation ........197 Bay Associates Wire Technologies, Inc. ....................198 Beckhoff Automation ..................199 Bel Power Solutions ................... 200 Beswick Engineering ....................201 Binder USA .....................................202 Bird Precision .................................203 Bishop Wisecarver .......................204 Bodine Electric Company ..........205 Boker’s Inc. ..................................... 206 Bosch Rexroth ...............................207 BRECOflex Co., LLC .................... 208 Bunting Magnetics ..................... 209 C-Flex Bearing Co. Inc ..................210 Cadence ............................................ 211 Canfield Connector ....................... 212 Carlo Gavazzi .................................. 213 CC-LINK PARTNER ASSOCIATION ...........................214 CGI Inc. ..............................................215 Chieftek Precision Co., Ltd. ........216 CIT Relay & Switch ........................ 217 Clippard .............................................218 CMT ....................................................219 Coilcraft ............................................220 Components Corporation .......... 221 COMSOL .......................................... 222 Crescent Industries ....................223 CS Hyde Company ....................... 224 Del-tron Precision, Inc. ................225 DieQua ..............................................226 Digi-Key Electronics ..................... 227 Dorner ...............................................228 Dura-Bar ..........................................229 Dynatect Manufacturing, Inc ...230

Eagle Stainless Tube ................... 231 ElectroCraft, Inc. ...........................232 Electrocube, Inc. ...........................233 Elliott Manufacturing ..................234 Ellsworth Adhesives ....................235 Encoder Products Company ....236 Enidine ............................................. 237 EXAIR Corporation .......................238 Fabco-Air, Inc. ................................239 FAULHABER MICROMO ..............240 Festo .................................................. 241 Fischer Connectors ..................... 242 FluiDyne Fluid Power .................. 243 GAM ...................................................244 Harmonic Drive LLC .....................245 Harwin ..............................................246 HAWE Hydraulik ............................ 247 HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION ...248 HELUKABEL USA .........................249 Helwig Carbon Products, Inc ............................250 IDEC Corporation ...........................251 IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH ........................252 igus ....................................................253 Intech ................................................254 Interpower .......................................255 Interroll .............................................256 Intertraco .........................................257 IronCAD ............................................258 Ironwood Electronics ..................259 J.W. Winco, Inc. ............................. 260 Keller America Inc ..........................261 Keystone Electronics ..................262 KHK USA Inc. ..................................263 KNF Neuberger .............................264 Koford Engineering ......................265 Kollmorgen ..................................... 266 Kuriyama of America ...................267 Lee Spring Company ................. 268 LEMO USA, Inc. ............................ 269 Lenze Americas ............................270 Lin Engineering .............................. 271 LinMot USA Inc. ............................. 272 Littelfuse, Inc. ................................ 273 Mach III ............................................. 274 Main Manufacturing ....................275 Maple Systems .............................276 Master Bond .................................. 277 maxon ...............................................278 METCASE ........................................279 Midwest Motion Products, Inc. .......................... 280 Miki Pulley US .................................281

Misumi USA ....................................282 Mitsubishi Electric Automation ...............................283 mk North America, Inc. ...............284 MOCAP .............................................285 Moog Animatics ........................... 286 Motion ..............................................287 MOTUS LABS ................................ 288 MTS Sensors ................................. 289 Nason .............................................. 290 NB Corp .............................................291 New England Tubing Technologies ............................292 New England Wire Technologies ............................293 Newark, An Avnet Company ....294 Nippon Pulse Americas, Inc. .....295 Nitto Kohki USA ........................... 296 NORD DRIVESYSTEMS ...............297 Novotechnik .................................. 298 NSK Precision ............................... 299 Ogura Industrial Corp. ............... 300 OKW Enclosures, Inc. ...................301 OMRON Automation ....................302 OMS Motion, Inc. ...........................303 Opto 22 ........................................... 304 Oriental Motor .............................. 305 Parvalux .......................................... 306 PBC Linear ......................................307 Peninsular Cylinder .................... 308 PI (Physik Instrumente) LP ....... 309 Pilz Automation Safety L.P. .......310 PM B.V. ............................................... 311 Protolabs .......................................... 312 PTC .....................................................313 Pyramid Incorporated ..................314 R+W America ...................................315 RAM Industries ...............................316 Regal Beloit Corporation ............ 317 Renishaw ..........................................318 Robomold Plastic Solutions ......319 RoCom Couplings Corp. .............320 ROLEC ............................................... 321 Rotor Clip .........................................322 Sager Electronics .........................323 Schmersal ....................................... 324 SCHURTER Electronics ..............325 SDP/SI-Stock Drive Product ......326 SEW Eurodrive ............................... 327 SICK, Inc ...........................................328 Siemens Digital Industries Software ....................................329 SIKO Products ................................330 Smalley Steel Ring ........................331

Smart Products USA ...................332 SMC Corporation of America ...333 Solidworks .......................................334 Sorbothane ....................................335 Staubli Corp. ...................................336 Stratus Technologies .................337 Super Swivels ................................338 Tadiran Batteries ..........................339 Technosoft ..................................... 340 The Lee Company .........................341 THK ....................................................342 TLX Technologies .........................343 Tolomatic .........................................344 Tompkins Industries ....................345 TRACO POWER North America, Inc. ...............346 Trim-Lok, Inc. ..................................347 Veljan Hydrair ............................... 348 Wago .................................................349 Watlow ............................................. 350 Whittet-Higgins ..............................351 Würth Industry North America ..........................352 Xometry ...........................................353 Yaskawa Electric America .........354 Yates .................................................355 Zago ..................................................356 Zero-Max, Inc. ................................357

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