Features

Automation has always been considered as a key element for profitable, sustainable and cost-effective manufacturing, but there is a misconception that only big manufacturers may have the financial and technical resources to implement it. At the same time, those who do implement it often find themselves stuck in a transition phase where they see no substantial benefits. Here Neil Ballinger, head of EMEA at automation parts supplier EU Automation, offers some tips for small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) on the most cost-effective technologies to boost their productivity and efficiency.

Despite the obvious benefits of automation for manufacturers of all sizes, few are actually reaping its benefits. According to the World Economic Forum, 70 per cent of the world’s manufacturing companies are still lagging behind, stuck in what they call pilot purgatory, where they have significant activity underway, but are not yet seeing meaningful bottom-line benefits from it. To grow their business, SMMs need to focus their attention on user and budget friendly automation technologies.

Why do you need automation?

The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected the global manufacturing industry, especially for small and medium-sized manufacturers. Supply chain disruptions and workforce restrictions have had a devastating impact on companies’ expansion.

Automation can bring manufacturers in various industries huge advantages including lower unit costs, higher production rates, increased productivity, more efficient use of materials, better product quality and more. Besides, automation technologies can be used in dangerous or hazardous conditions, which relieves humans from repetitive, dangerous work and thus frees up employees to concentrate on more stimulating tasks that involve decision-making and problem-solving.

Among a myriad of automation technologies, SMMs should opt for ones that they can realistically afford and deploy. For example, technologies such as collaborative robots or cobots and smart sensors are cost-effective choices for SMMs.

Cobots

Most SMMs cannot afford large, complex robots that don’t fit within their limited floor space and require specialised personnel to program and maintain. However, cobots have special advantages which can help SMMs improve their productivity and workers’ safety. Firstly, compared to traditional industrial robots, cobots can be set up in less than a day, which avoids downtime. Most SMMs may not have a dedicated robotic programmer, but cobots are easy to set up, which means that operators without programming experience can quickly program robotic movements based on logical process steps using intuitive tools.

Traditional industrial robots require a large and separate space, which may add costs and reduce flexibility on the production floor. For SMMs which can’t afford a large area dedicated to robotic operations, lightweight and space saving cobots are the best choice. Besides, with no extra added costs associated with robot programming, set up and dedicated operation space, the average payback period of cobots is only 195 days, which is affordable for most SMMs.

Most SMMs are aware of the Return on Investment (ROI) of a safe working environment. Cobots can perform dangerous or repetitive manufacturing tasks, which helps reduce the risk of costly worker injuries from hazardous tasks and improve employee retention and satisfaction.

Smart sensors

Smart sensors are another economical choice for SMMs. Most legacy equipment doesn’t have the communication capabilities needed to gather and analyse data in real time. However, instead of paying for a full upgrade to their equipment, SMMs can retrofit their existing machines with smart sensors that provide these capabilities. Smart sensors can detect abnormal variations in temperature, vibration and other critical parameters and alert maintenance staff that failure may occur. Besides, they can monitor the energy consumption of equipment which, if excessive, can indicate that a component may need to be changed or signal a decline in productivity before it becomes a problem.

Smart sensors can measure all kinds of parameters to help the maintenance team detect potential threats before they cause irreversible damage, such as temperature, vibration, humidity, electric current, flow, oil contamination and more.

Cost-effective but impactful technologies such as cobots and smart sensors are helping manufacturers getting rid of the idea that only global corporations can afford the latest industrial automation solutions. By embracing these technologies, SMMs can thrive and leave the pilot purgatory behind.

Hanwell Solutions, the UK’s leading manufacturer of wireless environmental monitoring equipment, has made the decision to change its name to reflect the integration with Danish parent company Ellab A/S, which acquired the company in 2019.

Going forward the Hertfordshire-based business will be known as Ellab Monitoring Solutions Ltd, though the Hanwell product name is retained as a key brand within the environmental monitoring markets serving the pharmaceutical, healthcare, heritage, food, and general industrial sectors.

Managing Director, Ian Robinson, said: “To align with Ellab’s strategies and provide coherent branding, the company name has been officially changed with immediate effect. The Hanwell brand stands for quality, integrity, innovation and high levels of customer service and will continue to be used on all of our existing environmental monitoring products.”

Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, the support from being part of the Ellab Group has enabled Hanwell to continue to invest in systems and staff that are improving both its product offerings and customer service to reach an even greater global audience.

Multi-award-winning Hanwell (Ellab) continues to operate as a manufacturing and calibration hub for all existing environmental products for the Group as well as providing sales and services to industry sectors globally. Its high level of product quality and production lead times will remain unaffected.

For more information visit www.hanwell.com

Dewesoft are pleased to announce two new “Dewesoft Smart Interface” (DSI) adapters for DAQ applications. Small enough to fit in your shirt pocket, DSI adapters plug into the universal inputs on Dewesoft systems and convert them to handle different kinds of sensors. They have a tiny TEDS chip inside that allows the signal conditioner to configure the input automatically.

The company’s range of DSI adapters for thermocouple sensors already supported types J, K, T and C. But now, the all-new DSI-TH-E is available to support type E thermocouples. The new Type E adapter provides highest mV/K sensitivity with its -270 °C to 1000 °C temperature range. Cold junction compensation is performed on board, and advanced linearisation is done automatically in DewesoftX software, included with every system.

The other new module is the DSI-5A Current Measurement Adapter, which handles currents up to 5 Amps. The internal 10 mΩ shunt resistor provides a 200% improved temperature coefficient (15 ppm/K over the range -55 °C to +125 °C), and 0.1% accuracy when calibrated.

DSI adapters are compatible with all DSUB-9 amplifiers across Dewesoft’s entire range of products: SIRIUS, KRYPTON, IOLITE, DEWE-43A, and more.

See all the details at https://dewesoft.com/products/accessories/dsi-adapters

Modern shopping and logistics operations rely upon clear and reliable product labelling and perhaps one of the most important examples is ensuring that boxes of sweets reach the shops on time. Therefore Contrinex’s versatile and high-performance, RGB light-based photoelectric contrast sensors, available from PLUS Automation, are trusted to ensure packing cartons have their label positioned correctly. It also confirms the presence of print registration markings to confirm that the is printed.

Customer application

The presence and correct positioning of product labelling is essential for identification and batch control. During confectionery production, sealed cartons of bagged candy travel by conveyor from carton-taping stations to a label printer-applicator, before passing to the final packing area.

The printer-applicator, which is located at one side of the conveyor, produces a continuous feed of printed labels from the roll-stock. As each carton passes the applicator head, the label-stock advances, peeling a single label and applying it to the side of the carton.
From time to time, misfeeds or malfunctions occur within the printer-applicator, which consequently applies labels that are either blank, illegible or wrongly positioned. Failure to detect these errors results in unidentified or untraceable products arriving at subsequent operations or, critically, at the customer’s premises.

A highly reliable non-contact sensor system is needed. The sensor must detect the alignment of labels and confirm the presence of print markings as cartons leave the printer-applicator, rejecting any defective cartons.

Customer Solution

A photoelectric contrast sensor from the Contrinex Cubic Small range is ideal for this application. This versatile device incorporates a single-lens autocollimator, delivering a narrow optical beam that allows the detection of very small features. The choice of red, green or blue LED light, auto-selectable during set-up, ensures optimal contrast resolution.
Immediately after the applicator, a single sensor is mounted beside the conveyor; adjustable mounting brackets make for easy positioning. As the label on each carton passes the detection point, changes, in contrast, trigger the sensor. The transition from carton surface to label body identifies the position and alignment of the label itself, while the well-defined contrast between printed content and the label body ensures reliable detection of even the smallest print marks.

If the label is wrongly aligned or the print markings missing, the sensor triggers a reject mechanism that diverts the carton to a holding area for investigation. An operating range up to 12mm allows adequate clearance between sensor and target, while the compact 40mm x 50mm x 15mm PBTB plastic housing is both mechanically robust and small enough to accommodate any space constraints.

Set-up is accomplished either using a three-button keypad on the sensor or via IO-Link, a standardised point-to-point serial connection protocol. Photoelectric contrast sensors are available with industry-standard push-pull 4-wire output. Connection to the customer’s control system is via a PVC-sheathed cable with the choice of an integral M12 connector or a hermetically sealed entry.

Clean Air Day (17^th June) was marked by hundreds of events across the United Kingdom. For example, Fife Council and sustainability consultancy, Ricardo, provided three Scottish classes with education packs that enable children to conduct air quality monitoring in order to better understand the issue. Each pack contains a nitrogen dioxide monitoring device that has been developed by Alphasense, the sensor technology company.

Alphasense’s electronic diffusion tube (EDT) was designed to enable a rapid rollout of air quality monitoring in the places that matter most.  So, the EDT is an ideal tool to support the theme for this year’s Clean Air Day: protecting children’s health from air pollution.

Ricardo is responsible for auditing the air quality monitoring of councils, on behalf of the Scottish Government, but Senior Consultant Susannah Telfer says: “This work extends to assistance with the provision of educational programmes and resources such as those provided by Fife Council and the Air Quality in Scotland website www.scottishairquality.scot/education/.”

In addition to the Alphasense EDT, each pack also contains a handheld tablet for communication with the EDT via Bluetooth, as well as a personal air quality monitor, a clipboard, some high vis vests, and a range of Ricardo items that have been assembled for educational purposes, such as bicycle bells and luminous bands. The pack is therefore designed to enable students to conduct lichen or traffic surveys for example, so that, in combination with the monitoring, they will better understand the factors affecting air quality. The EDT’s have therefore been installed to monitor in locations close to the schools’ drop off and collection points.

Explaining the importance of the EDT’s development, Alphasense’s CTO John Saffell says: “Diffusion tubes have been a popular low-cost air quality monitoring tool for decades, but they have a number of important limitations. They can be conveniently located almost anywhere, but they only provide an average reading over several weeks, and results are delayed until after laboratory analysis can be undertaken.

“The EDT resolves these issues whilst retaining the advantages of flexibility, convenience and low cost. This is because the EDT contains an advanced electrochemical sensor that logs readings and transmits data to a tablet or mobile phone running the EDT App. Nitrogen dioxide is the most popular parameter for air quality studies, but many of our other electrochemical cells can also be deployed in an EDT.”

Susannah Telfer says: “The EDTs have been set to log one minute averages and will collect continuous air quality data for up to three weeks. This will enable us to provide the schools with air quality graphs that will hopefully demonstrate the effects of vehicle movements.

“With the benefit of this project, the pupils will gain a better understanding of the causes and effects of pollution, so that they can choose to cycle and walk more and lobby their parents to use vehicles less often. We also hope that this will inspire the children and help to create the next generation of scientists.”

Electronic Temperature Instruments (ETI), the UK’s largest digital thermometer manufacturer and exporter of electronic thermometers and temperature probes, has introduced a company-wide strategy to help it achieve net zero status by 2025. The company, which exports globally, is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and improving its environmental performance.

As recently as April, the UK government set the world’s most ambitious climate change target into law to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. Many of the UK’s largest organisations have now outlined their own targets with the BBC and Sky both aiming for net zero carbon status by 2030, Sainsbury’s by 2040, and British Airways by 2050.

To achieve net zero status by 2025, ETI has already introduced many positive changes to its processes to improve energy performance and efficiency. This includes:

• Installing renewable energy on all four ETI sites or switching to renewable energy suppliers
• Reducing transport use through improved logistics and/or switching to electric vehicles
• Continued use of online conferencing facilities instead of travelling to meetings
• Designing products for reuse, repair and recycling
• Reusing production waste materials where appropriate
• Develop strategies for more sustainable product packaging
• Recycling redundant materials that can’t be reused
• Sourcing products and materials from companies with recognised net zero policies and commitments
• Separating and minimising waste for easier recycling and reuse
• Reducing paper records and expand cloud storage

Moving forwards, ETI will now wish to see its own suppliers reference their approach to meeting this target within their own environmental policies.

Jason Webb adds: “This is something that we should all be working towards together. Our net zero target of 2025 underlines our commitment to improving environmental performance. To curb emissions and limit global warming all organisations will have to reimagine their existing business models and aim for sustainable growth. We are continuing to take a leadership position in this effort – and are encouraging our clients and peers to do the same.”

D-Subminiature connectors, commonly called D-Subs, have been around for nearly 70 years, being used in everything from aerospace and military applications, to the medical and automation sectors. Here John Skinner, European Product Manager at electrical connector specialist PEI-Genesis, explains why, despite its age, plant managers shouldn’t write off the versatile D-Sub connector.

The D-Sub is as useful today as it was when it was first invented in 1952, where it was used on aircraft radio systems. Its small size made it a popular choice to save space and weight compared to the bulky connectors being used at the time. The fact that it was available in various sizes and configurations quickly made it a popular choice for manufacturers looking to use it outside the aerospace sector.

Although it was traditionally used for serial bus communications, the D-Sub’s inherent versatility makes it an all-purpose interface for industrial networking, video displays and other demanding industrial applications. Its ability to transmit a variety of signals, such as data, power and radio frequency signals means the same connector can be used for multiple purposes.

This is supported by some key features: its D shaped design stops it being plugged in upside down, its rugged metal shell shields against electrical noise and secure mounting options such as jack screws prevent it from being accidentally disconnected.

Built for industry

In the form of RS-485 — a common serial communications standard — D-Sub connectors can be used to create networks that allow operators to use HMIs to control industrial processes containing PLCs, variable speed drives, motors, power supplies and other automation equipment. This standardisation not only saves space, by allowing engineers to use fewer connectors to achieve more, it also means much less cabling is required.

Beyond its technical features, the fact that the D-Sub has been around for nearly 70 years means that it is relatively low cost, easy to install and almost certainly compatible with your existing equipment. The only remaining consideration is choosing a supplier such as PEI-Genesis that specialises in assembling certified D-Sub connectors for a variety of leading brands — and delivering a lead time of just 48 hours with a minimum order quantity of just one.

Not many technologies from 1952 are still around today so the continued use of the D-Sub is a testament to its versatility. To find a D-Sub that suits your application, visit PEI-Genesis at www.peigenesis.com.

Bosch VHIT (Vacuum & oil pump products Italy), the vacuum & oil pumps manufacturing subsidiary of Bosch, has partnered with Lynx Software Technologies (Lynx), the leader in Mission Critical Edge, to test a new proof of concept camera-based quality program for use with real-time decision making in industrial settings. The move is part of Bosch VHIT’s digital transformation of its processes and product development.

The program captures data from cameras on manufacturing plant floors and logistics warehouses and harnesses machine learning algorithms to identify quality issues and feed information into the MES system, in order to generate an optimal decision in real time. When securely connected to the cloud, the system benefits from continued access to advanced artificial intelligence algorithms and data analytics packages.

By partnering with Lynx, Bosch VHIT is able to close the digital feedback loop that is reliant on capturing quality images and analysing the data to provide a safe real-time action. The LYNX MOSA.ic for Industrial product enables the program to run multiple functions on a single SoC without compromising performance, security or safety.

“As we continue advancing cutting-edge technology applications for factory automation, we are excited to partner with Lynx to accelerate a new, secure IIoT-based quality system for the market,” said Riccardo Sesini, Digital Transformation Manager, Bosch VHIT. “In increasingly connected manufacturing environments, manufacturers require safe, versatile, and resource-conserving solutions. Lynx has a long history of robust, safety-critical, high-availability systems and was the obvious choice to help us realise this latest program in a safe and scalable way.”

“Partnerships such as this one with Lynx are critical to shaping our future and continuing on our path of innovation to best serve our customers,” Corrado La Forgia, Managing Director, Bosch VHIT.

For new manufacturing quality systems, Lynx’s framework is focused on ensuring security and mitigating any period of equipment downtime that could impact business output. LYNX MOSA.ic for Industrial consolidates mixed criticality workloads running on the same multicore processor – the resources and performance provided by the hardware platform, and the capability of the software components. At the same time, the framework completely isolates critical applications from non-critical workloads, in order to provide high levels of immunity to the former from cyber-attacks. Additionally, this greatly reduces the architectural complexity, cost, and number of points of failure – a critical factor in ensuring business resiliency.

“Bosch VHIT’s goal to accelerate the realisation of connectivity solutions for a smarter industrial future aligns with our efforts in the space,” said Pavan Singh, Vice President, Product Management. “Providing robust edge solutions for the connected camera-based quality system will enable real-time responses to be delivered to events while ensuring critical applications run reliably and safely alongside other functions operating on the server/gateway hardware.”

This latest partnership builds upon Lynx’s growing technology partner ecosystem to accelerate the realisation of mission critical edge for industrial applications. Other recent news includes a partnership with Eurotech and the availability of Lynx MOSA.ic for Industrial in the Microsoft Azure marketplace.

Sensirion, the expert in environmental sensing, has announced that Govee is using Sensirion’s best-in-class SHTC3 humidity and temperature sensor in their air quality monitoring systems.

Do you find it hard to breathe in your home some days? Are you more prone to headaches and asthma attacks during the summer months? You’re not allergic to heat – but you may have serious humidity and temperature problems in your home or office. When we talk about indoor air quality, the main things we refer to are humidity and temperature. Humidity levels that are too high or too low in closed spaces can lead to various issues. For example, bacteria and viruses that cause respiratory infections thrive in extremely high and extremely low humidity. Mold spores, dust mites and other allergens survive best in high-humidity environments. Furthermore, higher humidity can increase the levels of noxious chemicals in the air, which may include ozone and formaldehyde. 40 % to 60 % relative humidity is an optimal level for the immune system and our respiratory system – it reduces the spread of seasonal respiratory diseases and increases health and well-being.

But how can you improve the air quality in your environment? That’s where Govee’s humidity and temperature monitoring systems step in. “Making Life Smarter” perfectly encapsulates what Govee stands for. With a customer-centric and innovation-focused approach, Govee develops cutting-edge LED lights and smart home devices that transform traditional ways of living and improve people’s health. “By demonstrating integrity, boldness and passion in everything we produce, we create colorful and safe products that succeed in Making Life Smarter. Thanks to the energy efficiency and best-in-class accuracy of Sensirion’s SHTC3 humidity and temperature sensor, our monitoring devices offer excellent battery life and accuracy,” said Tony Li, product manager at Govee.

The SHTC3 humidity and temperature sensor has been designed to overcome conventional limits for size, power consumption and price-performance ratio in order to fulfill the requirements of the consumer electronics market and products like Govee’s humidity and temperature monitoring systems. By using Sensirion’s CMOSens® technology, the SHTC3 offers a complete sensor system on a single chip, consisting of a capacitive humidity sensor, a band-gap temperature sensor, analog and digital signal processing, A/D converter, calibration data memory and a digital communication interface supporting I2C fast mode. The ultra-small, 2 x 2 x 0.75 mm³ DFN package enables applications to be placed in even the most limited of spaces. The sensor covers a humidity measurement range of 0 % to 100 % RH and a temperature measurement range of -40 °C to 125 °C with a typical accuracy of ±2 % RH and ±0.2 °C. “Being able to count Govee among our customers fills us with pride. Govee’s humidity and temperature monitoring devices are the perfect applications for our environmental sensors. Sensirion and Govee are united by the will to enable innovative and smart applications that increase the comfort and safety of people,” says Coco Sit, Senior Channel Development Manager at Sensirion China.