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With effect from the 11th of September onwards, Hydrotechnik UK Ltd will now be known as Hydrotechnik UK Test Engineering Ltd.

The name change is to better reflect the range and depth of products and services manufactured and offered.

Hydrotechnik UK Test Engineering Ltd is and will remain, the home of Hydrotechnik GmbH products in the UK. That said, they also design and manufacture an expanding range of test products in their own right, from wireless test and logging/cloud solutions to serialised data loggers and multi-function test rigs.

Richard Price, MD of Hydrotechnik UK Test Engineering Ltd said, “The new name change, logo and colour scheme will help us to differentiate ourselves from Hydrotechnik GmbH, because, although we represent Hydrotechnik GmbH products in the UK, we are separate entities and have an everincreasing test product portfolio designed and built in the UK. We are increasingly involved in wireless sensing, data logging and designing and manufacturing bespoke test rigs for oil, water and hydrogen applications. We want to position ourselves at the cutting edge of testing and continue to invest and grow our product portfolio”.

Although there’s a different company name, there will be no major changes in day-to-day business. The Company Registration, Bank Account and VAT number all stay the same. The location and registered office remain the same. Email and web addresses will also stay the same.

For more information, please visit www.hydrotechnik.co.uk

The industry has voted, the votes have been counted, and it is now time to meet the 2023 finalists for the Instrumentation Excellence Awards! Visit www.instrumentationawards.co.uk to find out who made the shortlist.

The 2022 award ceremony was a huge success and took place under the crystal chandeliers of the Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden. The glittering event, hosted by celebrities Hal Cruttenden and Alan Dedicoat, was a real celebration of the instrumentation sector with live entertainment, a delicious meal and a disco. The success of the inaugural award ceremony has cemented it as a must attend event and an Instrumentation Excellence Awards trophy now represents a truly unique stamp of approval, opening up doors for new business opportunities. This year, Alan Dedicoat returns as a presenter alongside TV’s Shaun Williamson. Best known as playing Barry Evans from Eastenders, Shaun is now seen on a range of programmes, including an acclaimed appearance in Ricky Gervais’ Extras. The award ceremony will be followed by an evening of entertainment with some exciting additions that will make the 2023 event eclipse that of the previous year.

The 2023 awards ceremony will take place on 19 October at the Grand Connaught Rooms and will once again take place alongside the Electronics Industry Awards making it the night of the year for networking. So visit www.instrumentationawards.co.uk to book tickets to make sure you attend the event of the year.

SICK has added the UC40, a powerful and compact cube sensor, to its market-leading family of ultrasonic sensors. The SICK UC40 sets the standard for wide-ranging ultrasonic detection duties up to 5m. Equipped with push-lock mounting and IO-Link, it can be quickly integrated in machinery, on conveyors and on automated mobile vehicles.

The SICK UC40 is a versatile all-rounder for demanding industrial conditions, outputting reliable distance or level measurements even in poor ambient light, dusty or dirty environments. The UC40 also ensures reliable presence detection and position data independent of gloss, colour, transparency or reflectivity of the detected object. It is therefore ideal for use in logistics materials handling and packaging machinery, for example.

Push, lock and play

“With the SICK UC40, it couldn’t be easier to harness the power of reliable ultrasonic sensing whatever the environment,” explains Nick Hartley, SICK’s UK Market Product Manager for Distance Measurement. “With a click and twist of the push-lock bracket, the UC40 is mounted in no-time, whether in a new machine or as a replacement for an existing sensor.

“It’s easy to set up the UC40 using its adaptable sound cone, and teach-in is quickly achieved using SICK’s SOPAS software. Its tried and tested factory settings ensure it can be quickly adapted to the broadest range of standard industrial applications. The digital push-pull output for IO-Link also means the UC40 can be integrated with minimal cabling into both existing and new installations.

Stable & Reliable Signal

A stable ultrasonic signal is assured with the benefit of the SICK UC40’s interference echo suppression capability. The selectable sensitivity hysteresis also stabilises the signal for laterally approaching objects. The signal quality can be monitored during operation via IO-Link and four status LEDs provide a visual indicator on the sensor that it is operating as expected.

The UC40 comes with integrated temperature compensation to ensure consistently-reliable distance measurement data. The ambient temperature is continuously recorded, and the measured value calculation automatically adjusted.

With a compact and rugged IP65/67 housing and rotatable sensor head, the UC40 can fit into tight machine spaces. A full range of accessories, including standard M12 cable connectors, IO-Link masters and Sensor Integration Machines are available. The SICK UC40 can therefore be easily configured to deliver data in edge applications and multi-device configurations.

www.sick.co.uk

As a specialist supplier of connectors and cable assemblies for over 30 years, and with particular emphasis on engineering support, Selwyn Electronics has always kept up to date with market trends and new technologies, to ensure that their range of products evolves with these changes.

They can offer a complete range of waterproof connectors, which are particularly suitable to marine and led lighting applications, although they could be used in any application requiring a low cost reliable connection where moisture or dust protection is required. The latest additions to this range are the ODU Medi-snap panel mount connector which is IP68 unmated and the Micro series which is a friction lock cable to cable or cable to panel with a diameter of only 10mm.This range is predominantly circular, with five different shell sizes and three different locking methods, but also includes waterproof USB, Mini USB, RJ45, HDMI and D connectors. This exciting range compliments their existing circular connectors, which includes industrial and high performance push-locking connectors and M8/M12 connectors. In fact they now claim to have a circular connector solution for all applications, and within all budgets.

Selwyn are also the UK distributors for ODU and can offer the full range of Circular push pull connectors, including Mini-Snap, Medi-snap, AMC/AMC High density, and the latest Threaded circular connectors. The ODU range also includes ODU MAC, ODU Dock, Electrical contacts, Heavy Duty connectors and Flakafix IDC connectors.

As well as their strong circular range Selwyn can also offer RF connectors, PCB connectors, crimp connectors, high speed I/O connectors, SATA and SAS connectors, terminal blocks, network connectors, BGA sockets and custom adapters. In fact, there isn’t really a connector style missing from their range, and if there is, Selwyn also have a custom connector design and manufacture service with surprisingly short lead times and low tooling costs.

Aside from their wide range of connectors, what really sets Selwyn apart from other connector and cable assembly suppliers is the service offered, particularly the engineering technical support. The mission statement on their website sums this up…….

“We use our vast knowledge and experience of connectors along with our wide range of products to offer our customers a full design and development support service for all of their interconnect requirements. From your initial concept, through development and then prototyping, we offer advice, samples and support all the way. When you finally move into full production, we offer a competitive stocking and supply service customised to your exact needs.”

To truly call themselves Interconnection Specialists, as well as having a wide range of connectors, Selwyn also have a custom cable assembly design and manufacturing service. They have factories in both the UK and China, and this allows them to use whichever facility is best suited to each particular customer requirement, whether it is 20pcs or 20,000pcs. It also means that they can carefully calculate the costs using both factories, to ensure that the most cost effective solution is offered; sometimes this means splitting manufacture between both factories. Having a cable assembly manufacturing service also allows Selwyn to use their engineering skills to full potential because often with cable assemblies they can discuss design options and component selection and assist their customer to find the best design for their product. Working in partnership with their customer is usually the best way to come up with the most suitable design, and this is where Selwyn come into their own, but of course they can also use a finalised drawing and manufacture exactly to the specification. Whatever route the design takes, all of the assemblies manufactured by Selwyn go through a rigorous test and inspection procedure to ensure complete satisfaction for every cable supplied. Copies of test reports can be supplied, if required and custom packaging can also be offered.

So, if you are looking for a reliable and knowledgeable connector supplier for a new product design you are working on, or for a product that is already designed, or if you are looking to save costs on a product that is already being manufactured, then Selwyn is definitely a company worth contacting. Their friendly sales staff can help with technical information, samples and prices, and a Sales Engineer can visit if preferred. With their range of products and services, Selwyn can truly call themselves The Interconnection Specialist.

www.selwyn.co.uk   interconnect@selwyn.co.uk     01732 765100

Resolve Optics has installed and commissioned a new vibration test centre adding to the suite of in-house lens testing equipment the company is able to offer. Lenses used in harsh industrial inspection, military and space applications are often exposed to vibrations, shocks, temperature changes, radiation, and contaminants. Resolve Optics has decades of experience in developing OEM quantities of application optimised custom lenses able to perform in these harsh environments. The company’s new ETS MPA101-L215M Vibration Shaker coupled with a DTC Venzo 880 controller is certified and calibrated in accordance with ISO standards. This enables Resolve Optics to not only carry out all the common forms of vibration testing, but also undertake specialist vibration / shock qualification tests in accordance with customer requirements.

Further Information: https://www.resolveoptics.com/capabilities/

Do you want to kick off 2024 with an unmissable day for networking? On 17 January 2024 Instrumentation Live and Electronics Live will come together for the very first time at the National Conference Centre (NCC) in Birmingham. The one-day table top exhibitions will present the very best tech under one roof…

 Instrumentation Live is coming to the National Conference Centre in Birmingham on 17 January 2024. This brand new table top event is the ideal platform for showcasing your latest technology in the fields of test, measurement and control. The free-to-attend event aims to attract key decision makers that are looking to source the latest products and solutions, and stay up-to-date with the latest developments.

Commenting on the new event, Louise Tiller, media director and event organiser Datateam Business Media, said: “In between busy schedules and hybrid working and most of us doing more work than ever before it can be hard to find the time to get out of the office and attend a trade show.

“Opening at 10am and closing at 4pm, Electronics Live and Instrumentation Live offer the perfect solution. A time and cost effective one-day exhibition.”

Tiller added: “Start your year with new leads and be amongst the industry as we create new business opportunities.”

Why visit?

Visitors benefit from the unique opportunity to see all of the instrumentation market leaders under one roof. Exhibitors already signed up to be at the event include Michell Instruments; Micro-Epsilon; ION Science; POWTechnology; Calex Electronics; Trafag; Dewesoft; Asset Instruments Engineering; Luso Electronics; Rheintacho; D.A.T.S.; Status Instruments; Winters Instruments; Sensing Innovation Leadership Council; Alphasense; Magnaflux; Display Technology; Indysoft; GI Systems; Acoustic Camera; Strainsense; and European Springs and Pressings and many more…

With market-leading companies exhibiting at the event and co-location with Electronics Live there are lots of reasons to visit the event. The exhibition enables visitors to source cutting-edge innovations and knowledge from industry experts. Attendees can also forge valuable connections and do business with prospective clients face-to-face.

Seminars

Just announced is Instrumentation Live’s seminar sessions. Throughout the day, experts in test, measurement, control and sensing will take to the stage to share their knowledge on trends and developments. Further details of the seminars will be announced in due course in Instrumentation Monthly magazine.

Why exhibit?

Have you got new products and solutions that you want to showcase? Instrumentation Live is an ideal platform to launch your innovations to the UK market. Exhibitors will enjoy an incredible ROI from the highly-targeted and relevant crowd that the event will attract. The exhibition serves as the ideal opportunity to strengthen existing business relationships and secure new connections. And with the 2024 exhibition joining forces with Electronics Live, there will be more opportunities to network than ever before. What’s more, Instrumentation Live receives extensive coverage in a number of industry publications – meaning that all of its exhibitors do too. The NCC will be the place for your test, measurement, control and electronic needs come 17 January 2024.

Electronics Live

Electronics Live, the event of the year for the electronic components sector, will make its debut alongside the Instrumentation Live exhibition. Manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of electronic components are invited to get in touch with Harriet Campbell to find out more about the event. Contact Harriet by telephoning 01622 699184 or emailing HCampbell@cieonline.co.uk.

Celebrating 40 years of CIE

Electronics Live will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of electronics magazine CIE (Components in Electronics). On the evening of 17 January 2024 there will be a three course meal, entertainment and a special guest to honour one of the most important publications in the electronics sector. To find out more about the dinner, please visit https://electronicslive.uk/cie-anniversary/.

Find out more

Please visit www.instrumentationlive.co.uk and electronicslive.uk to find out more about these exciting new events. Alternatively, to find out more about exhibiting at Instrumentation Live, please contact Louise Tiller by emailing ltiller@datateam.co.uk.

The industry has voted, the votes have been counted, and it is now time to meet the 2023 finalists for the Instrumentation Excellence Awards! Visit https://instrumentationawards.co.uk/finalists-2023/ to find out who made the shortlist for this year’s awards.

The 2022 ceremony was a huge success and took place under the crystal chandeliers of the Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden.The glittering event, hosted by celebrities Hal Cruttenden and Alan Dedicoat, was a real celebration of the instrumentation sector with live entertainment, a delicious meal and a disco. The success of the inaugural award ceremony has cemented it as a must attend event and an Instrumentation Excellence Awards trophy now represents a truly unique stamp of approval, opening up doors for new business opportunities. So visit www.instrumentationawards.co.uk to book tickets to make sure you attend the event of the year.

Commenting on the success of the 2022 Awards, Display Technology’s Emma Claridge described the event as: “A fun evening, bringing the industry together. The event was very well organised and the Datateam staff were very friendly and welcoming. A pleasure to attend.”

Napier’s Amy Moqbel added: “It was great – fabulous venue, music, welcome and entertainment. Thank you so much to the organisers!”

Amélie Burgess at 514 Media said: “We had the most amazing time at the Instrumentation Excellence Awards 2022 ceremony! The event was very well-organised, offering unique networking opportunities. And the food and entertainment were great too! Looking forward to next year’s edition.”

Metasphere’s Ret Mathieson said: “A fantastic event to celebrate the incredible work and achievements by those in the water industry!”

The 2023 awards ceremony will take place on 19 October at the Grand Connaught Rooms and will once again take place alongside the Electronics Industry Awards making it the night of the year for networking.

To find out more about sponsorship opportunities for the event, please contact Louise Tiller: ltiller@datateam.co.uk.

To find out more about booking your tickets to the event, please visit: www.instrumentationawards.co.uk.

The traceability of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes is critical to navigating the complexity of government regulations that impact the design, development, production and distribution of medications. The recent introduction of the EudraLex Volume 4 Annex 1 guidance regarding the manufacturing of sterile medicinal products is an example of good manufacturing practices (GMPs) that help ensure quality and safety. But the challenge comes with documenting the process, as Roberto Zerbi, global life sciences business development manager at industrial technology manufacturer Watlow, explains.

The EudraLex Volume 4 Annex 1 guidance, which comes into effect in August 2023, illustrates how new regulations are introduced to grow trust in the life sciences business.

Sterilizers play a key role in producing injectable medicines like vaccines. Life science firms and the machine builders that support them must find the most efficient way to meet the data integrity principles applied to the records of each heat sterilization cycle.

Point 8.50 of the EudraLex Volume 4 Annex 1 states: “Each heat sterilization cycle should be recorded electronically or by hardcopy, using equipment with suitable accuracy and precision. The system should have safeguards and/or redundancy in its control and monitoring instrumentation to detect a cycle not conforming to the validated cycle parameter requirements and abort or fail this cycle (e.g., by the use of duplex/double probes connected to independent control and monitoring systems).”

Sterilization control challenges

When dealing with the challenges of heat and steam sterilization for monitoring and controlling activities, life sciences stakeholders and the OEMs supplying them with equipment are faced with multiple options for meeting the regulatory compliance mandate. But, there must always properly balance the trade-off between efficiency, cost and time-to-market.

The new Annex 1 changes the status quo for OEMs and potentially introduces more machine building cost, time and risk. OEMs must qualify any new device added to their equipment and minimise downtime risks, as well as ensuring staff are trained, expand their maintenance capabilities and manage delays in time-to-market due to extended testing procedures.

Changes have an impact on quality control managers too. They are confronted with thousands of pages of regulatory statutes that they need to recognise and manage, which is difficult as new regulations are published continuously. It is critical for quality managers to have access to reliable solutions to stay up-to-date and ahead of validation inspectors.

Qualification and validation

In the case of the new EudraLex regulation, the crux of the issue is the ability to document the positive completion of the sterilization process. This could be achieved through a separate monitoring system that provides the simplicity, robustness and accuracy expected by regulators. Organisations like Watlow, which designs and manufactures industrial technology for thermal applications, understand the impact of the new mandates on the sterilization process are in a solid position to meet this challenge.

In partnership with Eurotherm, Watlow has developed a paperless sterilization quality management solution that combines industry regulatory knowledge with hardware and software components. This makes it easy for OEMs to integrate the new EudraLex Volume 4 Annex 1 requirement into their production machines. The solution comprises a best-in-class sensor connected to a redundant solution, which delivers the mandatory monitoring and recording required for compliance. It then digitally feeds the control system simultaneously achieving simplicity, robustness and an extremely high level of accuracy.

Monitoring sensors are the most critical device in the sterilization process. If the sensor fails, the sterilization batch has to be put on hold. OEMs must invest in a high-quality sensor, like that from Watlow, and enable the high-availability redundant monitoring solution to provide the environmental measurements to the control system.

Compliance is key when it comes to pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, but recording and monitoring of critical process data can make life difficult for OEMs trying to keep up to date with constantly changing regulations. With the help of a reliable and robust paperless sterilization monitoring solution, OEMs can integrate the EudraLex requirements seamlessly to maintain quality and safety.

To learn more about Watlow, visit watlow.com, or to learn more about Eurotherm, visit eurotherm.com

Titan Enterprises’ Oval Gear (OG) flow meters have been an intrinsic component within Icon Scientific’s on-line analysers for over 10 years.

Serving the oil and gas industries, Icon Scientific are a specialist designer and manufacturer of physical property on-line analysers used in refineries, crude oil processing, LNG, LPG and offshore applications. The real-time analysers are connected to a process and measure certain physical properties, such as colour, viscosity, distillation, flash point, vapour pressure, cold properties, etc.

Innovative online analytical instruments permit continuous process control, enhancing process efficiency, increasing productivity, improving product quality and safe storage, and enabling real-time decision-making.

Dave Thompson, Icon Scientific’s Engineering and Development Director, comments: “Our on-line analysers offer highly reliable, accurate and automated measurement solutions, adhering to international standards.”

“The challenge”, Dave suggests, “was Icon needed a liquid flowmeter that was highly reliable to operate within our precision analysers. We chose Titan’s OG1 model with the reed switch sensor that interfaces with our advanced software and we enclose this within an explosion proof casing.”

Titan’s OG Series flow meters are designed to give reliable, high performance across a wide range of applications. Almost immune from the effects of varying liquid viscosity, density and temperature, the measurement performance of these oval gear flowmeters improves as liquid viscosity increases, making them ideal for the chemical, biofuel and petrochemical industry.

Neil Hannay, Senior R&D Engineer with Titan Enterprises says: “Titan’s oval gear flow measuring devices are an ideal low-cost component for OEM applications, combining durable materials, robust design and proven technology to ensure they will have a long product life with reliable, accurate operation throughout.”

“We’re a tightly focused organisation,” adds Dave, “pushing the boundaries of what’s achievable in our field and so working with a comparable organisation such as Titan with the same outlook, is very desirable.”

As software capabilities and technological advancements continue for these sophisticated online process analysers, the demand for flow monitoring devices that perform well with a variety of fluid viscosity levels and at lower flow rates increase. “Although Titan’s 800 series turbine flowmeters and our Atrato^® ultrasonic meter range are ideal for low flows down to 2ml/min, they are not explosion proof,” explains Neil. “Working with OEMs such as Icon, our R&D team are pushing the flow range boundaries of our oval gear meters with the aim of adding a more compact, lower flow unit to our oval gear range.”

For further information on Titan’s oval gear flowmeters please visit https://flowmeters.co.uk/oval-gear-flow-meters/. To discuss an optimised flow measurement device for your OEM application please contact Titan Enterprises on +44 (0)1935 812790 or email sales@flowmeters.co.uk.

For information about Icon Scientific visit https://www.iconscientific.com/.

A new 12-page brochure is available to engineers and optical designers looking for a high-performance lens / optical system to solve a challenging application or give their camera, sensor or optical instrument a competitive edge. The brochure details Resolve Optics expertise in radiation resistant lenses, zoom lenses and optics optimised for the SWIR, IR and UV wavebands. Details are provided about the company’s OEM design and manufacture capabilities and investment in advanced quality testing equipment. The brochure further details how the company has earned an international reputation for successfully running projects, manufacturing production quantities of lenses on time, and achieving their clients specified quality and target price.

Read or download ebrochure:  https://www.resolveoptics.com/resolve-optics-brochure/