News

Autonetics, a specialist in custom measurement solutions that are used in a wide range of industries, has chosen to use non-contact laser micrometers and non-contact laser triangulation sensors from Micro-Epsilon on its Vertical Gauging Unit (VGU), a measuring tool for the precise measurement of shafts and axes.

The VGU is equipped with a tailstock and servo drive, linear drives with rack, and a precision turntable. In addition, four optoCONTROL 2600 laser micrometers and an optoNCDT 2300 laser triangulation distance sensor from Micro-Epsilon are integrated into the VGU. All components together measure axial lengths, diameters, concentricity and splines, achieving cycle times and accuracies that cannot be achieved using manual measurement techniques. Not only do the sensors enable fast, non-contact measurement of shafts and splines, they also ensure stable measurements to sub-micrometer accuracy, even on metal surfaces. Comprehensive software enables evaluation of measurement data, recording of key values and data output to a PLC. The measurement data is automatically sent to the CNC controller so that tool adjustments can be made automatically in real time to compensate for tool wear.

Measuring tractor axle shafts

The VGU is used, for example, in an automated machining centre for tractor axle shafts. The shafts are guided into the VGU by a robot and clamped into position. The measuring station moves along the shaft and uses the four integrated optoCONTROL 2600 optical micrometers to determine the diameters. The four micrometers individually have a 40 mm measurement range but are arranged in pairs and offset in order to detect a range of shaft diameters from 58 mm up to 178 mm. In addition, the optoNCDT 2300 laser triangulation sensor, in combination with the rotary stage, is used to measure the splines of the shaft.

The optoCONTROL 2600 is an optical measuring system (sensor unit and controller) with integrated high resolution CCD camera. The sensor has been developed with solid state (non-rotating) optics and so the measurement accuracy does not drift over time. Using a special lens arrangement, an LED light source produces a parallel light curtain (visible red light), which is imaged on the CCD camera via a telecentric lens. If an object to be measured is placed in the light curtain, the shadow it creates is detected by the CCD array – even transparent targets can be measured. The measured data is output via analogue and digital interfaces, enabling easy integration for both OEMs and end users. The system is insensitive to high external light conditions, as well as dirt and moisture. The optoCONTROL 2600 has a measuring range of 40mm, resolution of 0.1µm and measuring rate of 2.3 kHz.

The optoNCDT 2300 is the high performance model of Micro-Epsilon’s laser triangulation sensor range, with an adjustable measuring rate up to 49.14 kHz and a resolution of 0.03µm. The entire electronics is integrated in a compact sensor housing. The laser sensor is particularly suitable for high speed applications such as measurements on challenging surfaces, including diffuse reflective surfaces, glass and transparent plastics. The A-RTSC (Advanced Real Time Surface Compensation) feature enables more precise real time surface compensation during the measurement process. A range of interfaces are available including analogue, RS422, Ethernet, EtherCAT, Profinet and Ethernet/IP.

For more information on the optoCONTROL range of optical micrometers or the optoNCDT range of laser triangulation sensors from Micro-Epsilon, please visit www.micro-epsilon.co.uk or call the Micro-Epsilon sales department on +44 (0)151 355 6070 or email info@micro-epsilon.co.uk

To help Irish manufacturers benefit from faster scanning times when using coordinate measuring machines (CMM), industrial metrology supplier The Sempre Group recently became an approved supplier for LK Metrology and Renishaw in Ireland. As Sempre continues to develop its partnership with the two companies,  it now offers demonstrations of Renishaw’s REVO multi-sensor 5-axis measurement system at its Dublin site.

Currently, most CMM services in Ireland are being delivered from outside the country, and many manufacturers are unaware of how scanning probes and similar technology could optimise scanning times and improve machine throughput. This means that many risk not getting the most out of their CMMs in terms of speed, delivery and quality.

Following its collaboration with UK-based LK Metrology, The Sempre Group now supplies the company’s large-scale CMM portfolio while offering dedicated, local support from its Dublin office. With Sempre having proven success in the benchtop CMM market, the partnership means it now supplies LK Metrology’s full range of large-scale CMMs. Therefore, Sempre can provide customers with larger machines capable of measuring components for industries like aerospace.

The Renishaw REVO head uses synchronised motion and 5-axis measurement technology to minimise the dynamic effects of CMM motion at ultra-high measurement speeds. The probe offers flexibility, allowing operators to integrate and change a stylus with ease. Sempre is now demoing the REVO system at its Dublin site, so manufacturers can discover how it can improve their measurement process.

“Many manufacturers could be getting so much more out of their CMMs by cutting lead times, reducing costs and improving quality. However, because there is a limited CMM supply base in Ireland, many customers are unaware of alternative solutions,” explained Jason McGlynn, commercial manager at The Sempre Group. “Now that we’re an approved supplier for both LK Metrology and Renishaw, we can start having these conversations with manufacturers and show them what else is out there, so they can gain a competitive advantage.

“We’re particularly excited about the REVO system because it really is the cutting edge of scanning probe technology and, no matter how old or unique the CMM, manufacturers can retrofit it with ease. We’ve already started offering demonstrations here in Balbriggan, and our team can also support with integration.”

Since Sempre opened its Ireland office in 2021, it has been a hub for where the company can offer local support and contract measurement services for customers. Therefore, manufacturers can experience technology like REVO first-hand while benefitting from the team’s extensive experience.

To find out more about the Renishaw REVO multi-sensor 5-axis measurement system and how it can help your application, visit https://www.thesempregroup.com/renishaw-revo/. Alternatively, to set up a meeting at the Irish facility and meet The Sempre Group team, contact sales@thesempregroup.com.

The long service of team members at industrial enclosure manufacturer Spelsberg UK has improved service stability for customers. OEMs, end users, and distributors that depend on bespoke design, specification advice, and rapid availability of enclosures have reported improved service thanks to the experience and continuity of Spelsberg’s UK team. With team members achieving 20 years-plus service, this has enabled Spelsberg to optimise expertise and detailed insights into specific customer requirements.

Spelsberg UK’s Managing Director, Chris Lloyd, who has led the company himself for over 13 years, surveyed customers as part of regular communication to ensure their key needs continue to be met. The qualitative analysis revealed that staff expertise on enclosure design and application specifications, combined with detailed knowledge of individual customer requirements, were key factors in providing highly rated customer service.

“The conversations we’ve had with our customers, from large OEMs who require bespoke CNC design, to smaller end users who order tens of enclosures per year, show that a key reason they partner with Spelsberg is because of the stability of our team,” says Chris Lloyd. “This is important for many of our long-term customers that have worked with us for 10 years or more, as well as continuity and a regular contact for newer customers who may need more support.”

Spelsberg UK’s Pro-Active service is managed by Amanda Shepard, who has worked with Spelsberg for nearly 18 years. Taking on customers across all segments and with wide ranging enclosure needs, the role demands a broad knowledge of applications and enclosure technology.

The Pro-Active service provides one-to-one detailed technical and personal assistance for new customers. It provides an immediate response by an experienced team member, ensuring that technical queries, through to questions on availability and supply, are rapidly dealt with. The one-to-one approach guides new customers for around 12 months, before they are transitioned to specialised account management.

“The role is about ensuring that the new customer transition is smooth and that their needs are dealt with quickly,” explains Amanda.

In addition to Amanda’s expertise in industrial enclosures, her background is in procurement for civil engineering projects and building development, an important industry segment for Spelsberg. Amanda was also a senior buyer at a manufacturer, experience that has given her expertise over product development and supply. Amanda is also Spelsberg’s ISO9001:2015 auditor, ensuring quality of standards for all customers, and has management for Health & Safety, including a qualification with the Institute of Occupational Safety & Health.

Meanwhile, Spelsberg’s financial controller is Wendy Gardner. Wendy’s role also comprises stock control, vital to ensure rapid customer availability. As part of the company’s management team, Wendy has been a member of the Spelsberg UK team for nearly 23 years. Wendy has held many roles, specialising as the company has grown. This experience has given Wendy a wide knowledge of Spelsberg’s customer needs.

One of Wendy’s key achievements was overseeing Spelsberg UK’s transition to a larger premises in 2013. Moving to a new Telford site, the current location provides 10,500ft2 to accommodate significant warehouse space, in addition to CNC customisation facilities.

“Our core team includes long-service employees, creating a spirit of commitment to customer service. As we have many long term customers, we know many of them personally,” says Wendy.

AMETEK Land, the world’s leading manufacturer of non-contact temperature measurement solutions, helps boiler operators achieve highly accurate gas temperature measurements with the upgraded CDB combustion pyrometer.

Measuring furnace exit-gas temperature (FEGT) is difficult because boiler conditions are inhospitable – the heat combined with corrosive gases and a high particulate concentration means taking temperatures can be dangerous, inefficient and unreliable.

Non-contact pyrometers such as AMETEK Land’s CDB pyrometer are ideal for this sort of application, providing true gas temperature measurements efficiently in a proven design. Improving boiler control leads to improved efficiency, reduced maintenance and increased safety for operators.

This System 4 pyrometer provides operators with essential information for boiler control including FEGT. Using a special infrared wavelength that is emitted by hot carbon dioxide (CO2) allows the CDB to see through the cold gases outside the furnace and measure the average temperature along its line of sight within the region of interest. The CDB pyrometer also measures gas temperatures at the boiler exit, where it passes to the air preheater, and in municipal waste incinerators where sufficiently high furnace temperature and long enough residence time are required to ensure complete burnup of the waste materials.

It is installed on the boiler using a permanent mount via a flange adaptor. Air purge protects the optics from hot, corrosive combustion gases.

Derek Stuart, Global Product Manager – Power said: “The CDB combines AMETEK Land’s expertise in temperature measurement and spectroscopy to make a difficult but essential measurement in a combustion process. Accurate measurements of FEGT allow boiler operators to optimise combustion conditions whilst maximising boiler lifetime.”

For further information about non-contact temperature measurement solutions for boiler and incinerator applications from AMETEK Land, go to: www.ametek-land.com.

Seismic monitoring and protection systems play a crucial role in providing safety assurance for critical infrastructure as well as the management of construction processes. The monitoring of vibration of both structures and equipment typically employs automatic shutdown and notification of events for protection and the recording of seismic sensor signals for post-analysis.

If you are involved in designing or specifying seismic monitoring systems or other similar protection devices then a recently published free-to-access guide from condition monitoring and protection system specialists Sensonics, could prove invaluable. With over 50 years’ experience in providing seismic monitoring and protection systems Sensonics are the perfect partner in helping you to incorporate the best products into your system design.

This comprehensive 21 page guide explains the importance of seismic system monitoring and what engineers should consider and question when specifying the most effective systems. For example, from an overall introduction and through the guides’ 12 sections the key questions covered include; for earthquake monitoring what measurement ranges do I need? What to consider for construction vibration monitoring? What type of sensor should I select? What is a seismic switch? How to determine alarm and shutdown levels? Through to does the equipment need to undergo any special seismic qualification process? And finally, why work with Sensonics?

Sensonics recognise the wide variety of seismic monitoring and protection systems available to industry and are happy to advise on specific applications, from supplying customised sensors through to fully installed systems – we can help.

For your FREE copy, simply log on to:  https://www.sensonics.co.uk/specifying-seismic-monitoring-and-protection-systems 

Since August 1997, DataPhysics Instruments has been developing, manufacturing, and distributing laboratory measuring devices for the characterisation of interfaces and surfaces. From the beginning, the focus has been on the development of innovative and modular measuring instruments as well as user-friendly software. This product philosophy will remain at the core of the company.

The laboratory measuring device manufacturer DataPhysics Instruments turns 25. Nils Langer, managing director, says: “This birthday is an important milestone for DataPhysics Instruments, especially after the challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic. Over the past 25 years, we have expanded our product portfolio steadily. In our anniversary year 2022, we have customers in over 80 countries and 45 employees. We are very well established in the worldwide market for measuring devices that characterise interfaces and surfaces. Now, it is our task to continue the company’s successful path.”

Modular design as founding principle

DataPhysics Instruments was founded in August 1997 by Dr Ulrich Busch, Thorsten Holz, and Horst Rau. From the beginning, the company’s laboratory measuring devices were modular in design. This enabled customers to configure their measuring devices according to their specific use cases. They were also able to analyse their data immediately after the measurement using the device’s software. At the time, such a modular configuration was unheard of. To this day, the company has remained true to their commitment for a modular design.

With their measuring systems for the investigation of interfaces and surfaces, the three company founders had the finger on the pulse: in the 1990s, materials research made big strides. Examples include composites based on carbon fibres, but also other multicomponent materials for use in the construction and automotive industry, medical technology, as well as in electrical engineering. With the focus on new materials, the properties of their surfaces became crucial. The buzzword at the time was functionalised surfaces, i.e., surfaces optimised for their intended use with the help of surface structuring or various pre-treatments.

The product portfolio grows

The company’s first product was the OCA 20 optical contact angle meter together with the SCA analysis software, which were both developed in-house. Together, they could conduct contour measurements of pendant and sessile drops. In addition, the software could automatically evaluate the obtained data to calculate contact angle, surface tension, and surface energy. Founder and Managing Director Horst Rau recounts: “The first year and a half we concentrated on product development in order to be able to present our first, market-ready contact angle meter.” At the Analytica trade fair in 1998, DataPhysics Instruments successfully presented its contact angle meter for the first time. Over the years, the company continued to expand its OCA series, so that suitable solutions for many applications are now available, from an entry-level to an expert model.

Just in time for the turn of the millennium, DataPhysics Instruments expanded its product portfolio with the force-based tensiometers of the DCAT series and a newly developed software for the series. Through the years, the DCAT series has grown to contain different models, as well.

In 2002, a third device joined the product portfolio: the SVT 20 spinning drop tensiometer, which can measure ultra-low interfacial tensions. Ten years later, DataPhysics Instruments launched the humidity generators of the HGC series. They can be used to set and control the relative humidity within small and medium-sized measurement chambers. Since 2015, the MultiScan MS 20 stability analysis system has also been part of the product portfolio. It is used for the optical stability and ageing analysis of disperse multiphase mixtures.

Developing tomorrow’s products today

Today, DataPhysics Instruments is run by four shareholders: founder Horst Rau, Nils Langer, Jens Ole Wund and Dr Sebastian Schaubach. The interest in functionalised surfaces has only grown in importance over the past decades, as Managing Director and Sales Manager Nils Langer explains: “Today, research institutions and companies are developing more and more methods to functionalise surfaces. Plasma treatments and nanostructured surfaces are just two examples. It is therefore all the more important to provide researchers and product developers with measurement technology they can use to analyse the changed functional properties of such surfaces.”

For this reason, DataPhysics Instruments is focusing on the further upgrade of the existing devices as well as new developments. For the optical contact angle meters of the OCA series, the company introduced the new dpiMAX software at the beginning of 2022. The dpiMAX has a clearly structured, intuitive user interface and intelligent functions, which make the devices even easier to operate.

“We achieved another major success with the market launch of the ZPA 20 zeta potential analyzer with its patented measurement method,” adds Managing Director and Head of Development Jens Ole Wund. The ZPA 20 can determine the surface charge, or more precisely, the zeta potential of samples in aqueous solution by measuring the streaming current or streaming potential. To do this, it uses a patented measuring method, for which the solution is flowing over the sample alternately from opposite directions.

Shaping the future together

Dr Sebastian Schaubach, Managing Director and responsible for innovation management, has a clear vision for the future: “We see ourselves as a partner who wants to refine the scientific analysis of interfaces and surfaces continually. In the future, our developments will therefore be conducted in even closer cooperation with our customers, because it is important to us that our devices can reliably solve our customers’ challenges.”

But it is not only the product portfolio that has grown steadily over the years. In its anniversary year, 45 employees work at DataPhysics Instruments. Further employees are being sought for the development, manufacturing, and sales department. In addition, the premises at the headquarters in Filderstadt near Stuttgart have steadily expanded. Recently, the in-house Application Centre, with laboratory and training spaces, grew and was newly equipped. Dr Schaubach explains: “There, we offer test measurements for prospective buyers and contract measurements with all our devices. In addition, we conduct training courses for device operators.”

The company has always remained true to its location – and yet is at home all over the world. An international network of sales partners ensures that customers all over the world can receive advice locally and in their preferred language. To be better represented in some target markets, DataPhysics Instruments founded its own companies in several countries: DataPhysics Instruments India was founded in 2020. In addition, the US subsidiary DataPhysics Instruments USA has existed since 2018.

Over the past 25 years, DataPhysics Instruments has developed an ever-expanding range of instruments for the analysis of interfaces and surfaces. At the same time, the company has grown in terms of personnel and space. For years, it has maintained a close relationship not only with sales partners around the world, but also with its customers in research and product development. These relationships have helped to develop market-driven products and to optimise the existing portfolio according to customer requirements. DataPhysics Instruments looks forward to expanding and deepening these relationships in the future.

According to Fictiv’s 2022 State of Manufacturing report, 90 per cent of manufacturers are using digital processes. Sitting at the heart of any digital strategy is a smart sensor that converts real-world variables into digitised data. But, as sensor technology grows in sophistication, how can we get all of this extra functionality into a miniature device for a reasonable cost? Here, Richard Mount, Director of Sales at ASIC design and supply company Swindon Silicon Systems, breaks down the ASIC, SoC and SiP integrated circuits (ICs) integral to intelligent sensors.

The majority of sensors convert a physical change into an electrical one. Understanding what this change means is a task for a higher-level control system. Once a manufacturer knows they want to integrate a smart sensor into their application, they’re bound to have some follow-up questions: what if the sensor can be made more sophisticated? How about conditioning the data and making the sensor response more linear? Calibrating the data to counter the effects of temperature, for example? Could the sensor filter unimportant events and only communicate changes that were relevant to the wider system?

Equipping a sensor with such functions doesn’t need to come at a cost that’s unfeasible for most manufacturers, and there are many forms of custom IC that can help achieve these ambitions.

ASICs

An ASIC is a custom chip that has been designed specifically for a customer’s individual application. This ensures that the ASIC is unique to any other offering on the market in terms of performance and differentiates the customer’s product from the competition.

ASICs are complex devices containing many functions. As well as including the processing, conditioning and communication functions required for sensor interfacing, designers working on today’s Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) related products and systems find an ASIC will incorporate a number of cost and performance benefits.

While there is a short-term cost associated with ASIC development, the return on investment is high. By integrating functionality such as the analogue front end, signal processing and IoT connectivity into one system, the overall cost of the final product is much lower compared to its loaded PCB equivalent. Furthermore, because of its size and the fact that an ASIC replaces most of a PCB full of components, the user can expect a much higher efficiency and lower power consumption than they would receive from an off-the-shelf alternative.

Customers also choose the ASIC route to guarantee component supply for the lifetime of their product with no gaps in availability. Swindon, for instance, provides assurances that the device will be available until the customer end-of-lifes its product manufacture. This is in sharp contrast to a solution built using standard components, which are often at risk of obsolescence once the part no longer makes financial sense to the supplier.

SoC

When designing an ASIC, it often makes sense to integrate other parts of the circuit schematic onto the same silicon die. This is known as a System on Chip, which combines all the required analogue and digital functions of a typical IC, along with an embedded microprocessor. This means the SoC is a complete electronic substrate system that may contain analogue, digital, mixed-signal and radio frequency functions with the added advantage of a powerful processor at its core.

The main driver for this level of integration in a sensor is reduced size and lower bill of materials cost. To illustrate this, let’s look at proximity sensors as an example. Many of these sensors are no bigger than a finger, including sensor element and PCB sealed in a waterproof enclosure. Some 20 years ago, this level of integration would have been very challenging and out of reach for most companies, due to its cost and complexity. Now, alternatives such as SoC make fabricating these sensors far more accessible.

A SoC usually contains a variety of components that include, but are not limited to, software and programming, voltage regulators and power management circuits, analogue interfaces such as digital-to-analogue converters and vice-versa, a microprocessor and RAM and ROM memory. It comes with predesigned and pre-verified blocks, often called intellectual property (IP) blocks, obtained from either from the chip manufacturer themselves or from verified third parties and combined on a single chip.

Because a SoC includes both the hardware and software, it often uses less power, has better performance, requires less space and is more reliable than having multi-chip systems. Ultimately, a SoC product is designed to implement an entire embedded system on a single chip, thereby producing a system that is smaller, faster and can be easily integrated into its destined environment.

SiP

However, sometimes it is not possible to integrate all the system features into a single die and this is where a System in Package (SiP) comes to the fore. A SiP is typically an ASIC in bare die form that’s integrated with another IC, for example a microelectromechanical sensor (MEMS) or a communications die such as BLE, all in a single package. The ASIC provides the signal processing and sensor interface, while the MEMS acts as the sensing element and the BLE for a complex communications protocol.

Where a SoC refers to the encapsulation of CPUs, micro-controllers and other supporting hardware onto a single chip, a SiP is a further level of integration where multiple dies are integrated inside a single package. While a SoC contains all the required electronic elements, a SiP comprises individual chips accommodated in one package, each with a specific functionality. The result is a chip that provides considerable space savings and lower installation costs.

Dies containing the ICs can be stacked vertically on the substrate, connected by fine wires bonded to the package. Where a manufacturer would have needed multiple specialised IC devices to be assembled and connected on a PCB, that level of connectivity can be integrated into the package itself with a SiP.

One of the most notable advantages of using a SiP is its small size. Since a SiP uses IC manufacturing processes along with bare silicon die, it significantly reduces the size of the subsystem. This reduction in size allows designers to reduce the size of their PCB, supporting form factors that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. Furthermore, reduced assembly, PCB and materials costs will also make SiP more affordable, further increasing its accessibility.

For a manufacturer wanting to integrate more sophisticated, sensor-driven technology into their product, they may be pleased to know there are several options available at their fingertips. ASIC, SoC and SiP can all offer a multitude of performance gains that will help a product stand out from the competition. Knowing which option to choose, however, will require guidance from an expert in the design, test and supply of these integrated circuits. 

To learn more about the ASIC, SiP and SoC options Swindon can deliver, visit the website to arrange a no-obligation first meeting.

Farnell has expanded its NI inventory with the addition of over 400 new products. The extended test and measurement portfolio will allow customers to address their growing needs to test faster, more accurately, and more efficiently. Customers will have more products on hand with stock transparency and shorter lead times.

The need to bring high performing and efficient new products to market in ever more compressed timelines is an ongoing challenge for engineers and enterprises. To keep pace, customers need faster and more efficient ways to select and source critical automated test and measurement equipment to meet their individual technical, financial, service and regional requirements. 

Working together, NI and Farnell are providing customers with the flexibility, speed and support they need to help them meet the demands of their business and customers. 

New NI products now available from stock at Farnell include: 

• CompactDAQ Chassis to control the timing, synchronization and data transfer between C Series I/O modules and an external host. They feature USB, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi connectivity and come in multiple slot counts to provide the right amount of I/Os for various applications. They can include multiple general-purpose counters for pulse width modulation (PWM), event counting, pulse train generation and period or frequency measurement.
• PXIe 8861 Controller is an Intel Xeon 4 Core embedded controller for PXI Express systems. Used for processor-intensive RF, modular instrumentation and data acquisition applications. It includes two 10/100/1000BASE TX (Gigabit) Ethernet ports, two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, as well as an integrated hard drive, serial port, two Thunderbolt™ 3 ports, and other peripheral I/O.
• NI-9205 C Series Voltage Input Module performs single-ended or differential analogue inputs, with four programmable input ranges for each. It is an effective combination of channel count and speed at a low price for an economical multifunction system. Available with four programmable input ranges it also features up to 60 V of overvoltage protection between input channels and common as well as a channel-to-earth ground double isolation barrier for safety, noise immunity, and high common-mode voltage range.

James McGregor, Global Head of Test, Tools and Production Supplies at Farnell said, “Farnell is committed to delivering the very best and most advanced test systems and equipment to our customers around the world. Access to a much broader range of NI’s suite of products will enable engineers to carry out their requirements testing with safety, precision and efficiency. This addition to our portfolio expands and improves an already leading test and measurement range.”

NI is a leader in automated test and measurement systems that help engineers solve the world’s toughest challenges. NI offers modular hardware, software, services and techniques that make testing faster, improve designs and reliability, and maximise test data.NI serves its customers in a variety of markets, including semiconductors, electronics, transportation, aerospace and defence, academic and more.

The expanded range of NI’s test and measurement equipment is available from stock at Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

TorqSense, a non-contact digital torque monitoring system that could guarantee an infinite lightness of touch has proven to be the only way to test the seals of super high performance vacuum systems.

The ultimate fields of precision manufacture, such as electronics, biophysics and thin film deposition where tolerances are measured in atoms, are often conducted in hard vacuum to remove airborne contaminants and avoid the performance reducing effects of tiny air movements.

However the vast majority of vacuum chamber designs require seals for rotary drive shafts (called rotary feedthroughs) and ‘feedthroughs’ for the passage of materials, components, tools and finished products. In high vacuum applications conventional seals are unlikely to be able to achieve the performance specifications required, so magnetic fluid seals are used.

A ferrofluid is a stable colloidal suspension of sub-domain magnetic nano particles in a liquid carrier. The particles, which have an average size of about 100Å (10 nm), are coated with a stabilising dispersing agent (surfactant), which prevents particle agglomeration even when a strong magnetic field gradient is applied to the ferrofluid.

With over thirty years of experience producing seals for the world’s most demanding applications, Ferrotec of Woolwich in London is able to optimise ferrofluid materials for the most extreme performance requirements and incorporate them into bespoke vacuum system designs.

“About half of our work is to bespoke design,” says Jeff Lewcock of Ferrotec, “and we have to test every seal to the nth degree to meet out customers specifications. To test the feedthrough it is mounted onto a vacuum chamber that is connected to a helium leak detector. Helium is then spayed onto the feedthrough and the leak rate observed during static and dynamic running.

As part of the test the starting and running torque of the seal are measured and the power loss through the seal is calculated. These readings allow Ferrotec to troubleshoot the individual seal, analyse the design’s performance and add to Ferrotec’s knowledge base.

“With the sort of tolerances we work to we needed a torque sensor that didn’t add any extra drag to the whole seal mechanism, so we were delighted to discover Sensor Technology’s non-contact TorqSense,” says Jeff.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) states that leveraging the digital twin to support Industry 4.0 business models could increase operational efficiency by ten per cent. This allows manufacturers to simulate the behaviour of real machines for operational gains. Here, Reinhard Mayr, head of information security and research operations at automation software supplier COPA-DATA, explains the benefits of a digital twin that is controlled by automation software.

The idea behind using a digital twin is to take the place of a real machine for testing and development scenarios. They can be used for prototyping, product design, user training and testing. Machine builders and operators need to conduct extensive tests on systems and control software, and using a digital twin offers a safer and more cost-effective way to do this.

Good performance and safe operation are essential in industrial machinery. Equipment is often expensive, and failures or breakdowns can incur even larger costs. Industrial operations require high quality and reliability even in challenging processes, and their machines are often operated 24/7. To ensure that they can withstand operating conditions and to evaluate the risk of applying a software patch which is due to a security vulnerability, testing is required.

These testing processes, while essential, can be time consuming and costly. This adds additional time to the commissioning and manufacturing process and complicates matters further when a machine isn’t available, or where testing under extreme conditions can be dangerous. This is where digital twins come in.

COPA-DATA and the Vorarlberg company Eberle Automatische Systeme, together with the Salzburg and Vorarlberg Universities of Applied Sciences, have pioneered a way to simulate machine behaviour using a digital twin to take the place of a machine for testing purposes. This can be run with COPA-DATA’s automation platform zenon.

Based on physics principles, the simulation is as real as possible, from the mass of the elements to be tested down to the friction levels on machine surfaces. Users can add actuators, sensors and other elements to the virtual machine using a library before running realistic simulation scenarios with minimal additional programming.

When developing new machines, developers depend on having access to the machine and programmable logic controller (PLC) to develop the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software. Using a digital twin, engineers can begin to implement and test these systems more efficiently, and these tests won’t need to be repeated, as the twin is operated based on ‘real’ sensors and actuators.

Implementing a digital twin is also quite straightforward with effective planning and mathematical modelling. Using models to describe the behaviour of robots or machinery components and defining interactions between them can create a simulation of even complex systems, and this can then be used for further testing and analysis based on the twin.

Using a digital twin can boost production and improve the timescales and efficiency of equipment commissioning processes. Some processes can be carried out in parallel, for example the development of HMI and SCADA systems without the final PLC. If zenon is used in conjunction with the digital twin software design programme digifai, the two platforms can communicate out of the box, for easy integration and strategy planning for systems integrators.

Engineers can take different approaches when it comes to developing a digital twin. One way is through using an automation platform like zenon, which can support the development and evaluation of the models needed for an effective digital twin. zenon provides real-time data from existing machinery components, allowing the engineers and integrators creating the models to receive instant feedback on their developments. This method even has the potential to facilitate automatic development and training of digital twins in future.

On the other side of the process, zenon could use the information generated by a digital twin to automatically create content such as alarms, tag lists and navigation patterns based on the algorithms.

Digital twins offer a convenient way to improve the operational efficiency and commissioning process for industrial machinery by reducing lead times and costs, as well as reducing risks associated with training or testing. By using an automation platform, integrators can boost connectivity further for a quicker, safer and more cost-effective testing process to ensure that their industrial machinery will meet their operational needs.

To find out more, visit the COPA-DATA website here