News

RS Components (RS) is sponsoring the PowerHab team from the University of Strathclyde as part of IGLUNA 2020, a pan-European initiative bringing together multidisciplinary students from across the globe in a collaboration to build solutions for a theoretical space habitat.

Coordinated by the Swiss Space Center, and now in its second year, IGLUNA 2020 covers a full range of topics, from the habitat conception and construction to life support systems, communication and navigation, power management, as well as human wellbeing and science. The purpose of IGLUNA 2020 is to demonstrate technologies capable of supporting a human-crewed lunar base, incorporating remote operation.

PowerHab is one of 15 teams across 10 countries selected to carry out this mission and is the only team from the UK. During the project, university students apply their knowledge to solve a technical challenge to develop a system capable of sustaining life in the harsh lunar environment, with its required power needs. To achieve this, the PowerHab team has devised a range of concepts that address the challenges of power harvesting, storage and distribution.

Isabella Mascarenhas, VP Grass Roots at RS Components, commented: “We’re delighted to support the PowerHab team with their fascinating project to develop practical solutions to create a habitable, safe lunar environment, and we’ve really enjoyed following their progress. IGLUNA is an exciting project that offers students an opportunity to participate in an international, collaborative, multidisciplinary project on a visionary space topic.”

Finlay Rowe from PowerHab added: “We would like to give a huge thanks to RS for partnering with us. Sponsorship such as this has been crucial to the success of our project, as it has allowed us to develop prototypes to the best of our abilities. This partnership has helped us by providing off the shelf components and lab equipment, without which prototype manufacturing would not have been possible.”

All of the participating teams were due to gather in Switzerland this week to demonstrate their projects. Due to COVID-19 restrictions this has been replaced by an online event, currently in progress from 10–19 July. The PowerHab team will present their prototypes as part of this ‘virtual field campaign’ at 10:00 BST on Thursday 16 July.

To watch the PowerHab presentation, or any of the remaining live-streamed events at IGLUNA 2020, visit the Swiss Space Center to find out more https://www.spacecenter.ch/igluna/.

BEKA associates have created a short video that explains the benefits of the New BEKA Ex eb indicator over Ex d.

For more information take a look at the application guide or product details or contact sales@beka.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 1462 438301.

Evidence shows that components obsolescence is increasing rapidly. According to recent research by IHS Technology, in the year 2000 alone, component manufacturers issued 1,164 end-of-life (EOL) or product discontinuance notices, and the figure spiked to 5,506 by 2014. Though IHS forecasts that the number of such notices is going to decline, it’s always best to be prepared. Here Neil Balligner, head of EMEA at automation parts supplier EU Automation, looks at three innovative ways to proactively manage obsolescence.

Knowing your equipment is the first step to deal with the complications of its old age. Conducting regular audits to determine the level of wear and tear of machinery, having a solid predictive maintenance plan, and working with a reliable parts supplier can go a long way in minimising the negative impact of obsolescence.

Sometimes, however, manufacturers might need a little extra help in keeping track of their equipment’s life cycles and taking appropriate measures to extend its useful lifespan.  Luckily, there are many resources available to make sure that your machinery will still serve you for years.

Obsolescence management as-a-service

In a society characterised by the quick obsolescence of components, companies that offer long term system availability can have a distinctive advantage. As a consequence, innovative automation companies are starting to offer obsolescence management as-a-service to support their client base in prolonging the active life of their equipment and reducing costs related to the requalification and certification of systems.

For example, ACTIVEROBOTICX, a German provider of unmanned systems solutions, offers complete proactive, strategic and reactive obsolescence management packages. This means that their engineers will work closely with the client to create a personalised life cycle management plan of their unmanned systems, helping them to avoid costly system redesigns in the future.

Additive manufacturing 

Advances in 3D printing technologies could allow manufacturers to produce spare parts with various additive manufacturing techniques. Given the variety of materials available, and the fact the 3D printing is becoming more affordable than in the past, it is not unlikely that additive manufacturing might become a valid tool to manage components obsolescence.

There are, however, limits to this approach. Firstly, reproducing an original design exposes manufacturers to the risk of infringing intellectual property rights. Secondly, there is no guarantee that the 3D printed part will perform like an original one. Finally, additive manufacturing is an expensive and time-consuming process.

There are promising research projects that are currently investigating the potential of 3D printing as a solution to obsolescence, especially for equipment used in the defence sector. However, keeping track of components’ life cycles and working with a reliable supplier to source obsolete parts is, at the moment, by far the most convenient approach.

Outsourcing obsolescence management

In smaller organisations, keeping updated spreadsheets with equipment’s lifecycles and suppliers’ contact details can go a long way in managing obsolescence proactively. However, in larger plants obsolescence management can be a full-time job.

For this reason, many large companies are opting to outsource this service to an external obsolescence manager. These experts usually have a background as maintenance engineers and are competent in identifying obsolescence risks across their clients’ assets.

This involves conducting routine predictive maintenance tasks, either onsite or remotely, and identifying components that need to be replaced or repaired. It also involves sourcing replacements or alternative parts that meet legislative requirements, and forming relationships with suppliers that can provide them quickly and conveniently.

Innovative ways are emerging to keep up with increasing components obsolescence, but at the base of them all, is the ability to source obsolete parts quickly and from a reliable source.

By using the Yokogawa WT5000 Precision Power Analyzer, Società Elettromeccanica Arzignanese (SEA), an Italian manufacturer of power transformer and reactors with a worldwide reputation for engineering excellence and high production quality, is able to closely match the efficiency performance guarantee that it makes to a customer, with the actual performance of the transformer.

Founded in 1959, SEA supplies high-value assets which are expected to provide a return over decades. Quality, durability, safety and reliable performance are therefore key characteristics that customers are looking for when they specify a new transformer or reactor.

Transformers play a crucial role in the transmission and distribution of electrical energy; they precisely regulate the voltage of the electricity supply as it is transmitted from power stations to homes, offices, factories and high power consumers, such as railways. There is always some power loss when one voltage level is changed to another. In a transformer operating at transmission-network voltages of tens of thousands of volts, the loss of even a fraction of 1% of the converted power can result in losses of many thousands of Watthours of energy every year.

A primary requirement is therefore to make a transformer as efficient as possible to reduce both the financial loss and the emissions of greenhouse gases, and other pollutants, when generating the extra energy required to make up for the power lost in transmission.

The efficiency of a transformer, needs to be carefully verified before shipment to the customer; the terms and conditions of the sale of a transformer typically specify financial penalties running to tens of thousands of Euros if it fails to operate as efficiently as specified by the manufacturer.

The measurement of a transformer’s efficiency, according to the IEC60076-1 industry standard, requires an instrument capable of measuring voltage, current, phase and power (W) over a range of power factors from 1 down to 0.01.

SEA entrusts these critical transformer power measurements to the Yokogawa WT5000, the world’s most accurate precision power analyzer, which offers an AC power measurement accuracy of ±0.03% at 50 / 60 Hz and provides performance guarantees from 1% to 130% of the selected voltage and current ranges. High accuracy measurements at very low power factors particularly requires a power analyzer to possess very low uncertainty for its internal phase shift. This along with all other influences are fully specified for the WT5000, which makes it ideal for the measurement of transformer losses under no-load conditions.

Renato Franco, Testing Manager at SEA, says: “When buying an instrument intended for use over a period of many years, measurement stability is as important as accuracy.” Continuing he says: “Evidence from accredited calibration shows that the instrument not only provides us with the accuracy we need, but also maintains its performance over many years of use – this is a very important reason for us to choose the WT5000.”

SEA’s customers therefore benefit from the highest possible specified operating efficiency, which in turn gives the manufacturer a competitive edge in the market, since claimed efficiency is one of the most important factors affecting the transformer buyer’s choice of product.

Renato Franco of SEA concludes: “For us, it is vital to deliver a product that matches its high design specifications. By using the proven accuracy and stability of the WT5000 to both specify our transformers and to check their individual performance, we are confident that our customers are really getting what they are paying for.”

RS Components (RS) has unveiled the winners of its STEM Extraordinary Engineering Challenge, which tasked primary and secondary schoolchildren across the UK with designing an engineering solution to address a current global challenge, such as poverty and hunger, pollution or climate change.

In the 7-11 age category, the winner is 8-year-old Chloe Hall with her design ‘The Crusher’, a solar-powered robot that scoops up and crushes plastic waste found on the surface of the ocean due to human pollution. Sensors ensure that no ocean creatures are accidently captured in the process, and a GPS tracker monitors when the robot is full and needs to be retrieved and emptied. Made from stainless steel, The Crusher’s parts are disguised as petals to give the impression of a giant flower floating in the water.

“Chloe’s flower power design was very well thought out and creative,” commented Laura Giddings, STEM Education Manager at RS. The ‘petals’ collapse into the middle and crush the waste and store it below, then retract to continue to gather waste, which is both practical and aesthetically pleasing.”

Chloe said: “I wanted to do something about the plastic in the oceans that is hurting all the animals living there. I chose a flower pattern because the sea creatures would swim round it and it would look nice in the ocean. I got the idea of crushing the plastic to make sure I could fit lots in and so I called it ‘The Crusher’. I am really happy that I won the competition!”

In the 12-16 category, the winner is Ashwin Sridhar, 15, whose ‘RetroMate AI’ is designed to support the elderly and their carers; to enhance their quality of life, provide safety and security, and enable them to communicate and stay connected. This sophisticated AI-powered device, which replicates the look of the traditional ‘wireless’ radio, includes music-based memory triggers, facial recognition to protect against unwanted visitors, and speech API that enables seamless communication and provides the ability to detect scam calls. The RetroMate AI also features hazard detection, object recognition, and autonomous pill dispensation, while algorithm audits and encryption ensure reliability and security. There is an app to enable remote use.

James Howarth, Head of Education Strategy at RS, commented: “The strength of Ashwin’s entry is phenomenal. With extensive background research, explanation of artificial intelligence applications, and solving a problem suffered worldwide using technology available day-to-day, Ashwin has shown that he is a true engineering entrepreneur of the future.”

Ashwin added: “I am excited to have won this competition and become one of the amazing ‘Extraordineers. This competition helped foster my creative skills and design a product that could make a difference to people’s lives.”

Also, in the 12-16 age category, 13-year-old Rose Hazel has been highly commended for her design ‘Debby’, a wearable ‘talking’ AI device conceived to improve mental wellbeing. Designed to be worn discreetly around the wrist, and constructed from eco-friendly materials, Debby’s voice options can be set to the preferred gender, age, language, or even to a favourite celebrity. The style of the wristband can be customised by the user and can optionally link up to a smartphone or other intelligent virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa.

James Howarth, Head of Education Strategy at RS, said: “The entries in the 12-16 category were particularly strong. We were so impressed by Rose’s design, and its potential value to those living with mental health problems, that we didn’t want it to go unrewarded.”

Rose commented: “I heard about the competition through my school and felt it would be a fun and exciting way to share my ideas. I feel so shocked and happy in hearing that I have received a reward for highly commended. I didn’t think that I would get anywhere in this competition and I think that people should try different things and challenge themselves.”

Laura Giddings, STEM Education Manager at RS, added: “The quality and creativity of the many entries we received in this challenge is a sign that children are increasingly inspired by STEM activities, and by the positive impact that science and engineering can have on humanity and the world we live in. We encourage everyone who entered the competition to keep practising their STEM skills, and we thank everyone for their truly extraordinary designs.”

The two winners will both receive a tech bundle worth over £700, including a Piper STEM Computer Kit for the 7-11 category and a pi-top computer kit for the 12-16 category, as well as a Sphero Bolt Robot, a MekaMon Berserker robot, and a Raspberry Pi starter kit. The highly commended winner will receive a Sphero Bolt Robot.

For more information regarding RS Education, please visit https://uk.rs-online.com/Education

TDK is using Sensirion’s state-of-the-art humidity and temperature sensor SHTC3 in its smart multi-sensor wireless module “SmartBug”. The module has been designed for IoT (Internet of Things) applications and enables quick and easy access to reliable and smart sensor data.

TDK’s SmartBug (MD-42688-P) is a multi-sensor wireless module that leverages TDK MEMS sensors and algorithms for a wide range of IoT applications. This module combines six sensors, a powerful wireless (BLE) MCU, seven algorithm-driven features and a rechargeable battery, all in a small lady-bug enclosure. It also comes with the option of an Add-On board that includes a Wi-Fi module, an SD card slot and an ultrasonic sensor from TDK.

The integrated SHTC3 is a digital humidity and temperature sensor optimized for battery-driven applications and high-volume consumer electronics. The sensor has been designed to overcome conventional limits in size and power ratio in order to fulfill the requirements of the consumer electronics market and products like TDK’s SmartBug. Sensirion’s CMOSens Technology offers a complete sensor system on a single chip. The small 2 x 2 x 0.75 mm3 DFN package enables applications in even the smallest 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. The broad supply voltage of 1.62 V to 3.6 V and an energy budget of under 1 μJ per measurement make the SHTC3 perfectly suited to mobile or wireless applications powered by battery.

TDK’s SmartBug solution enables quick and easy access to smart and reliable sensor data without the need for programming, soldering or extra modifications. This provides detailed insights into real application signatures, environment variations and multi-sensor/algorithm behaviors. It includes an ICM-42688-P 6-axis IMU, an ICP-10101 pressure sensor, Sensirion’s humidity and temperature sensor, a magnetic sensor and an optional CH-101 ultrasonic sensor from TDK, creating an all-in-one sensor solution. A unique feature of this module is the provision of smart sensor data from IoT sensor algorithms with customized tuning parameters. The algorithms include Door Open/Close Detect, 6 and 9-axis sensor fusion, Asset Monitoring, HVAC Filter Monitoring, Pedometer, Activity Classification, Gestures and Air Mouse Monitoring. The SmartBug data and outputs can be easily visualized, streamed and recorded on a Windows 10 Application – SmartBug. This application is available to download for free from the Microsoft Store. The application offers great flexibility for acquiring data from BLE, Wi-Fi or USB, depending on the use case. In addition, the SD card logging feature allows autonomous logging of data (up to 32 GB) without any Windows 10 application.

“The humidity and temperature sensor from Sensirion was a perfect choice for the SmartBug module with its low power, small size and high accuracy, making it suitable for IoT-based remote data collection use cases,” says Sahil Choudhary, Product Manager, Motion and Pressure Sensors IoT, InvenSense, a TDK group company.

“TDK’s SmartBug is the perfect fit for our environmental sensors such as the SHTC3 humidity and temperature sensor, offering precise and reliable measurements and enabling engineers to develop new IoT products quickly and easily,” says Heiko Komaromi, Sales Director for Consumer Electronics at Sensirion.

Seeq Corporation has been named a finalist for the Energy 2020 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award. The company was honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

“We are very pleased to be awarded this distinction in recognition of our work with Microsoft in serving the digital transformation needs of energy customers,” says Megan Buntain, Director of Cloud Partnerships at Seeq. “Our success is a credit to our team’s investments in integration with Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and other Microsoft cloud offerings.”

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions during the past year. Awards were classified in several categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,300 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. Seeq was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in Energy.

The Energy Partner of the Year Award recognises a partner organisation that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies to energy companies—which include oil & gas, power & utilities, mining and renewables—demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.

“It is an honor to recognize the winner and finalists of the 2020 Energy Microsoft Partner of the Year Award,” said Darryl Willis, Vice President, Energy, Microsoft. “These partners go above and beyond, delivering timely solutions that solve the complex challenges that energy businesses around the world face—from communicating and collaborating virtually to helping customers realise their full potential with Azure cloud services, and beyond. I am proud to honor and congratulate the Energy Award winner and finalists.”

ABB Measurement and Analytics has released a whitepaper describing the big six flowmeter technologies and when and how to use them.

Flow is one of the most widely measured process variables in industry. With the wide variety of different flowmeter types on offer, it can be difficult to know which can present the best solution for specific applications. This whitepaper looks at the features and benefits of each of the six most widely flowmeter technologies to help demystify the decision-making process and help customers select the right flowmeter for their requirements.

There are three things to consider when choosing the right flowmeter; the media and application, the accuracy required and the cost or budget.

When considering the media type for example, it is not simply a case of defining it as a liquid or gas. If it is a liquid it could be clean, dirty, conductive, or corrosive. The flow could be pulsating or could be reversed. If it is a gas it could be wet, clean, steam, contaminated or again corrosive. Each flowmeter type will have advantages and limitations in each of these areas.

To support the paper there is a pre-recorded webinar on this topic as well as presentations by product managers at ABB on how each of the available technologies work making it simple to select the best instrument for your application.

The Big 6 flowmeter technologies whitepaper is available for download here.

With conferences and industry exhibitions currently on hold, Physik Instrumente (PI) has set up a virtual trade show that will inspire and inform anyone with precision positioning and motion control challenges, wherever they are in the world. Each application-focused stand – covering everything from 3D printing or photonic alignment to industrial automation or in vitrodiagnostics – demonstrates powerful PI solutions for higher throughput and accuracy, less downtime, scalable production, integration with existing systems and more. Whatever information researchers and technology leaders need, this is where they’ll find the answers.

Two dynamic, virtual stands – including comprehensive product demos and ACS software walkthroughs – are already available. The first of these is for laser material processing, where visitors can discover how lasers can be used in many industrial applications – such as in the electronics and semiconductor industries – to optimise manufacturing procedures and ensure high quality production of components.

The second covers smart solutions for industrial automation that are designed to ensure sub-micrometre accuracy, exact reproducibility and high throughput for positioning and motion tasks in assembly, semiconductor manufacturing, material processing and inspection systems.

More virtual trade stands are coming soon, contact PI at to find out more, and feel free to suggest an application field that’s missing.

Boosting its workforce and investing in equipment has fuelled double-digit growth at CB Technology as the Livingston-based electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company unveils plans to increase turnover to £25 million by 2025.

Revenues rose by 31% in the year to 31 March to £10.67 million, with profits soaring by 64% to £1.35 million.

CB Technology has reaped the rewards of growing its headcount from 47 in 2018 to 71 at present, and introducing more efficient production methods, including cellular, flow and lean manufacturing techniques.

Turnover has more than trebled since 2015 when Maven Capital Partners, the Glasgow-based private equity house, backed a management buy-in (MBI) at the West Lothian business.

The company, which was founded in 1999, has grown to become the largest independent EMS business in Scotland – from sixth position before the MBI – and has diversified its client base beyond the oil and gas industry into the communications, industrial and medical sectors.

Now, CB Technology has signalled its intention to grow its revenues to £25 million by 2025 by continuing to broaden its customer base and through mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

John Cameron, Managing Director at CB Technology, who led the MBI, said: “There’s a huge amount of hard work across the company that goes into producing financial results like these and I’m incredibly proud of our team. While other companies in our sector are growing in single digits or struggling to grow at all, our business has grown by more than 30% in each of the past three years.

“That’s thanks to our focus on working in partnership with our customers to fulfil their needs and responding to changes in their sectors.

“It’s also due to our high-quality operational, technical and supply chain staff and to our world-class management team. We’re the world leader when it comes to downhole electronics and we’ve been successfully translating that expertise into other sectors in recent years.”

CB Technology has retained all its staff – including temporary workers – during the Coronavirus lockdown and has continued to pay 100% of their wages. The company’s strong relationship with its supply base and its prudent financial discipline has enabled it to balance supply and demand during the lockdown and to manage its costs accordingly.

As a key supplier to UK companies operating in two critical sectors –infrastructure and medical – CB Technology has played a vital role in the country’s response to Coronavirus and has identified a number of important areas where it can support the UK’s economic recovery.

Mr Cameron added: “Having the backing of Maven gives us the firm financial foundations not simply to survive the Coronavirus storm but to continue to grow in the years ahead.

“We have the expertise and the capacity to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and our other customers navigate their way through the months ahead too.

“Our know-how and financial strength mean we will continue to be a reliable and trusted partner within our clients’ supply chains and play our part in helping to rebuild the wider economy.

“We have both the speed and the flexibility that our customers need to recover and reshape their business, and also to capitalise on opportunities that arise during the recession and beyond.”