News

Anritsu and dSPACE, two leading companies in testing and measurement as well as simulation and validation, will jointly demonstrate an unparalleled integration of a 5G network emulator in a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system to develop next generation automotive applications for connected vehicles.

Visitors of the Anritsu exhibit booth (Hall 6, stand F40) at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020 will experience a showcase with virtual test drives for end-to-end testing of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) applications for traffic optimisation and sensor sharing – all powered by realistic simulation of the vehicle and the environment with smart infrastructure as well as real 5G communication.

The combination of 5G and Edge Cloud, which promises high data throughputs and low latencies, has the potential to allow for completely new applications, such as sharing raw sensor data with vehicles and infrastructure. This can enable cooperative perception, swarm intelligence based on shared AI or real-time traffic optimisation to make automated driving even safer, more comfortable and ecofriendly. But without a suitable 5G test bed infrastructure, the development of associated applications can be challenging.

The exhibit showcase integrates the Anritsu Radio Communication Test Station MT8000A, an all-in-one 5G radio frequency (RF), functional, and protocol test solution, with a dSPACE SCALEXIO real-time system for demanding HIL simulation or rapid prototyping. For a realistic test of a V2X device and application, SCALEXIO is complemented by the simulation of virtual test drives with dSPACE Automotive Simulation Models (ASM) – open Simulink models for simulating the vehicle and environment, such as road, traffic and infrastructure. In addition, a dedicated software interface was developed to connect the Anritsu Test Station and control the 5G mobile data link to the back end during real-time simulation.

Gregor Hordys, responsible for connectivity at dSPACE, stated: “This solution enables the early development of applications for connected and cooperative automated driving based on 5G and edge computing in the lab, without being dependent on the local infrastructure. It also allows validation of the entire vehicle-to-network processing chain.”

“This joint integration, and the power of such a solution, will provide a significant step forward for the testing and emulation of 5G V2X. This industry-leading demonstration represents a very exciting platform for the development of 5G V2X applications,” stated Jonathan Borrill, Head of Global Market Technology at Anritsu.

NewTek Sensor Solutions now offers an online 3-D model library of its LVDT Position Sensors to ensure their proper fit and seamless integration into a new or existing application.

Offered in .stp (STEP) and .igs (IGES) formats for near universal acceptance in CAD programs, the 3-D models help OEMS and end-users visualise space requirements for position sensors to optimise layouts for different sensing systems.  The models also help engineers choose the right LVDT as replacements for existing sensors.

As the use of 3-models becomes more popular with systems and even plants depicted and designed in 3-D CAD, designers can directly insert NewTek LVDT models into their digital systems prior to purchasing them.  NewTek offers 3-D models for a range of its Position Sensors including:

• Miniature AC-operated LVDTs
• High Temperature (200◦C) AC-LVDT
• Hermetically-sealed Right Angle AC-LVDT
• Spring-loaded AC-operated LVDTs

Check out NewTek’s online 3-D model library of LVDT Position Sensors at https://www.newteksensors.com/3d-models/.

Seeq Corporation has secured a $24 million expansion of its Series B funding. This expansion round is led by Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV), the corporate venture subsidiary of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals company, Saudi Aramco. It includes renewed participation by Altira Group, Chevron Technology Ventures, Second Avenue Partners, and other existing investors.

Seeq enables engineers and scientists in process manufacturing organisations to rapidly analyse, predict, collaborate, and share insights to improve production outcomes. Customers include companies in the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, mining, food and beverage, and other process industries. The funding will accelerate Seeq’s expansion of development, sales, and marketing resources, and will also increase its presence in international markets.

“Seeq is providing an important improvement in software for customers in process industries to accelerate insights, action, and impact on their production and business outcomes,” comments James Sledzik, Venture Executive at SAEV. “We are pleased to be leading the effort enabling Seeq’s continued growth.”

Upon final closing, Seeq expects the Series B expansion to reach approximately $30 million, which is in addition to Series B funding led by Altira Group.

“With the backing of SAEV and our existing investors, Seeq is positioned to continue its rapid growth by addressing market demand for advanced analytics innovation,” says Steve Sliwa, CEO and co-founder of Seeq Corporation. “Through our direct sales personnel and more than 50 channel partners, our customer base has expanded to more than 40 countries with deployments as large at 5,000 users within one company.”

This announcement follows a momentous 2019 for Seeq. Last month, the company announced it had achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Industrial Software Competencystatus and that its advanced analytics solution was available in the AWS Marketplace. These achievements will enable Seeq customers to rapidly investigate and share insights from process manufacturing data stored either on premise or in the AWS cloud.

Seeq had previously made its advanced analytics software available as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) application on Microsoft Azure and in the Azure Marketplace. Cloud-based Seeq deployments enable engineers at companies like Royal Dutch Shell PLC to access faster insights and reporting on real-time data. Other companies using Seeq include pharmaceutical industry leaders such as Merck and Roche, as well as chemical industry leaders like Lonza and Covestro.

In addition to cloud support, Seeq partners with an extensive set of process automation vendors for on premise deployments by connecting to and working with systems sold by OSIsoft, Siemens, GE, Honeywell, Emerson Automation Solutions, Inductive Automation, AVEVA, AspenTech, Schneider Electric, and others.

Highlighting the company’s momentum, in August 2019 Seeq ranked #369 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, and in November 2019 ranked #43 on the Entrepreneur 360 list.

Seeq’s new release, R22, introduces features enabling support for the integration of structured data from SQL Server, MySQL, and CSV files; easier distribution of Seeq Workbench analyses to coworkers; and an expansion of Seeq machine learning integration and features. To learn more about Seeq Workbench and connectivity options, along with other Seeq products and features, visit seeq.com.

A top British manufacturer of quality calibration systems celebrates 40 years in business this year.

Isotech was founded by John Tavener in 1980 with the single aim of supplying thermocouple reference units to the power industry.

Quickly recognising a gap in the market for effective temperature calibration equipment, John set about to design and build his own solutions from his small, purpose built laboratory.

With an excellent reputation for their products, performance and quality, they have successfully delivered and installed many complete laboratories across Europe, Asia and the Americas and boast an enviable client base including Panasonic and U.S. government agency NASA.

Driven to produce high quality, evolving products to meet the needs of today’s customers, Isotech has developed a number of award winning and innovative products including: the ISOTower ITS-90 Fixed Points, microK Thermometry Bridges, the milliK Precision Thermometer and ISOCAL-6, a multi function calibrator providing Dry Block, Liquid Bath, Surface Sensors, Blackbody and Fixed Point calibration.

A proud moment came in when the microK Thermometry Bridge (jointly engineered with Paul Bramley (Metrosol Ltd) went on to win the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2017. In 2019 they were awarded Export Champion for the third year running (Department for International Trade).

Some of Isotech’s innovative Water Triple Point Cell original designs date back to the 1940’s when they were developed by Jim Cross of the Jarrett Instrument Company.

Isotech’s success and longevity can be attributed to a number of factors – John’s entrepreneurial mindset, a team of experts, ever-evolving products and the strong partnerships that have been forged over the years.

John Tavener (President) says “We are very proud of the contribution we have made to temperature metrology over the last 40 years and we are looking forward to what the 2020s will bring.”

As preparations for their celebrations are underway, don’t expect the pace to slow down anytime soon.

With an unsurpassed drive to continue to bring new innovations to market, Isotech will continue to invest in new product development and plans are well underway to extend into new factory space to support further growth.

Isotech provides solutions for all calibration needs, from primary laboratories wishing to maintain national standards, to field engineers calibrating industrial sensors on site.

Isotech exports to over 126 countries through a 90 strong worldwide network of sales agents.

To find out more, please visit www.isotech.co.uk or email info@isotech.co.uk.

Richard Barber, engineering manager, Amada Miyachi UK, explains how micro welding equipment can increase quality and yield with process control.

Whether manufacturing sensors for use in high-value, low-volume handmade devices or for highly cost-sensitive mass-produced items, manufacturers are experiencing more pressure to deliver higher quality than in the past. Performance and operational expectations delivered in aerospace and medical manufacturing are becoming increasingly commonplace, even in general industry applications. In response, sensor design and production engineers must re-evaluate current methods, and seek to integrate assembly best practices. Indeed, as manufacturers look for a competitive advantage, sensor quality and robustness gained from the assembly process is now as much a key selling point as device functionality. For many manufacturers, taking advantage of modern micro welding techniques can offer a range of benefits to sensor assembly – including tight process control.

Sensor manufacturing technologies

Of course, micro welding is not the only technology available for sensor manufacturing. Solder remains a popular option, but the downsides are many. Determining long-term joint integrity presents one major challenge when using solder, as does process monitoring. Furthermore, the method entails relatively high temperature stresses at and around joints. The presence of fumes as well as limitations on process speed also make the technology less than ideal.

Of micro welding technologies, micro resistance welding is the more common method. Micro resistance welding has been used for years for making joints and consolidating flexible stranded wires into a solid block. Still, more recent quality demands and the desire for higher yield means manufacturers have to pay greater attention to process measurement when using this method. Capacitor Discharge and AC welders remain suitable for a number of applications, but some manufacturers with older weld heads and older CD or AC equipment are investing in newer technology – particularly when legacy gear fails to accommodate appropriate process measurement.

Less prevalent, but equally effective, micro arc welding – whereby a contactless electric arc heats parts to cause amalgamation – is predominantly used in sensor assembly to bind two components together. Common applications include termination of fine wires to component pins. With this method, a controlled arc is struck between the pin end and wire end to create a focused heating zone. In the same instant, the two parts are brought together, fusing and consolidating the part two ends as a butt joint. It is particularly useful when joining stranded wires axially onto sensor pin devices, producing extremely high integrity joints with little or no prior wire preparation. This welding method can be used for inductive sensors or mounting semiconductor package pins onto lead frames. Overall, micro arc welding bears two notable benefits compared to soldering: the process is usually very fast (less than half a second per weld) and high temperatures are localised at the joint.

Sensor Micro Welding Equipment Considerations

Micro welding allows effective joining of extremely small sensor parts, typically ranging from around 3mm down to around 10μm. General rules of thumb apply – typically, small wires and pins of less than 1 millimetre (mm) are resistance welded at levels below 1000A DC – but at this scale, it is not enough simply to define the weld heat and electrode configuration. Quality and yield depend on equipment that enables close control of the welding process and continuous monitoring. This is especially true for sensors used in medical or aerospace products, which generally have to meet higher weld verification standards. To achieve reliable consistent welding, manufacturers need the best possible level of control coupled with the best possible method of checking each weld process.

When micro welding below 1000A DC, the best equipment choice is usually a DC linear resistance welding power supply. This gives a pure DC current, usually from a few amps to 1000A, preferably in fine incremental 1-amp steps. For volume manufacturing, manufacturers should implement units with high duty cycle ratings that can keep up with speed demands.

Micro welding equipment for high-value process control

For the greatest value, manufacturers should opt for fully closed-loop-controlled units that measure and store the uncontrolled electrical signals that occur during the welding process. The resolution and speed of such measurements will determine the welding unit’s ability to adapt and react in real time to process changes. While most linear power supplies provide an ability to set upper and lower limits around the uncontrolled parameters, few provide a means to set up and record a process analysis window for such parameters. Process window limiting can detect potential problems to a much more precise degree than basic limit checks, making it an essential functionality for competitive sensor manufacturers.

For example, one manufacturer utilised the window analysis feature of the DC1013-T Linear DC Resistance Welding Power Supply from Amada Miyachi Europe to determine the appropriate weld head pressure for an application. Weld head pressure and dynamic performance are key criteria for fine component welding. Quite often, welding processes start to deviate from the norm and begin to fail as a result of worn-out weld heads. It is crucial that the weld head ensures the welding electrodes remain in good contact throughout the weld process. Worn-out bearings and sticky mechanisms can creep up on the unsuspecting production engineer. Process window analysis allows operators to fully document the process and note correct pressures so they can easily return to a working process.

Statistical process control for sensor micro welding

Using equipment able to achieve a very high degree of accuracy, repeatability and process control is a prerequisite for sensor manufacturers today. However, more and more manufacturers that use micro welding as an assembly process are also implementing mass production statistical techniques as a means of continuous process improvement.

Most processes tend to follow mathematically defined curves. Statistical process control (SPC) and analysis of welding data compare field process data to these standard curves to predict, with a high degree of accuracy, outcomes such as likely reject rates. In the past, this data collection and analysis process was extremely tedious, but now welding unit manufacturers such as Amada Miyachi Europe provide SPC software analysis packages.

Built-in weld SPC functionality is a great tool for production and process welding engineers to easily record and analyse their welding cell information. With SPC, skilled operators can monitor their own work and determine when corrective action is needed, well in advance of serious yield or quality production problems. For example, electrode or product materials are changed, either accidentally or deliberately: with a welding process tied closely to real-time local SPC monitoring, operators can more readily detect, assess, and compensate for the effect of such changes.

Micro welding process control for high-quality high-yield sensor manufacturing

Ultimately, quality sensor assembly, whether for mass market or custom devices, depends in large part on process control, which is best served by sensitive and measurable micro welding equipment. As sensor design and production engineers move away from solder and welding techniques that offer little useful data, the welding experts at Amada Miyachi Europe offer a valuable resource. Of course, the right equipment must be effectively integrated into an engineering culture that embraces the newly available data in order to benefit an organisation in a meaningful way. Engineers should check equipment regularly to ensure wear does not impact weld quality, make process changes that data support, and remain aware of the cutting-edge in micro welding and micro weld monitoring for sensors.

A Europe-wide survey of over 200 manufacturers with more than 500 employees shows that deployment of Smart Factory initiatives is currently running at around 63 per cent and is set to grow rapidly over the next five years. The remaining 37 per cent identify as being in the “planning stage”.

Commissioned by teknowlogy Group, the leading European industry analyst firm and Stratus Technologies, a global leader in simplified, protected and autonomous Edge Computing solutions, the research builds a strong business case for Smart Factories with nearly one in two respondents reporting a return on their investment in less than one year and almost two thirds ranking Smart Factory as 7 out of 10 or higher on their list of strategic priorities.

Richard Sharod, Vice President EMEA, Stratus Technologies said: “Smart Factory initiatives are driving new levels of efficiency and profitability for industry as the business case for deployment gets stronger and stronger. This research demonstrates a desire among respondents to improve systems, outputs and quality while driving down costs, but also highlights the challenges that are holding back industry-wide deployment”.

As with any new technology, the research also highlights that the biggest challenges with Smart Factory projects start with deployment. Over half (58 per cent) of respondents stated that the cost of investment was a barrier to Smart Factory technology adoption along with just under one in two who were struggling to build a business case, while 47% of responders said a lack of skills was holding back their Smart Factory projects.

Greg Hookings, Head of Business Development – EMEA, for Stratus, said: “All in all, companies cited product quality, supporting digital transformation and enabling more efficient customisation of products as their primary goals when implementing a Smart Factory initiative. We are on the precipice of major change, and industry leaders must engage with specialists to ensure a smooth transition from current siloed operations to a connected factory floor”.

Implementations on the factory floor are one of several areas proving to be complex. Of those that are some way along their journey to achieving Smart Factory solutions, less than one in ten analyse more than 75 per cent of the data they hold, which suggests that the full benefits of Smart Manufacturing are yet to be exploited. This is likely to be in part due to the skills required for data analysis being in short supply, but there is also a question of where in a company the responsibility for analysis falls, according to JC Bodhuin, Senior Vice President at teknowlogy Group.

“In a Smart Factory, one of the key elements is being able to analyse all of the data that comes from connected machinery, people and other assets (such as the building and environmental variables that affect production). Since data storage management and analytics comes under the remit of the IT department, it is with good reason that 32 per cent of respondents said that Smart Factory decision making comes from the IT department.”

Looking to the future, respondents provided key insight to the movement of data and the distribution of computing, a factor which may help identify the right place for data analysis. “While data analytics for Smart Factory today is typically in an on-premises data centre (46 per cent), that is set to change. In only five years’ time, data analysed at the edge of the network will make up 35 per cent of all data analysis, more than doubling what it is currently (14 per cent), and bringing more analytical responsibility to operational engineers,” Added JC from teknowlogy Group.

Greg Hookings, of Stratus, suggests, “This movement of data computing and analytics from the data centre to the edge environment is indicative of a continuing convergence of the roles of IT and OT in the delivery of Smart Factory technologies. Edge Computing platforms are becoming much simpler to deploy, with more autonomous functionality and inbuilt security, allowing OT to play a larger role in delivering Smart Factory improvements. We believe that this will help many industrial enterprises to adopt Smart Factory approaches more quickly and effectively in the months and years ahead.”

SMS Machine Automation (SMS) is the first UK company to be awarded ABB Value Provider – Technical Distributor status for ABB motion control products.

ABB’s motion control range includes servo motors, servo drives and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). SMS’s previous expertise as an ABB Value Provider – System Integrator enables them to provide a more complete package for customers, covering applications’ operational life from initial purchase through to installation, commissioning, maintenance and upgrades.

Established in 1999, SMS has for the past 20 years provided engineering solutions for machine building, system integration and automation component distribution for a range of industry sectors. Simon Wakefield, Marketing and Communications Lead, SMS, describes the company’s broad customer base: “We provide standard components and custom solutions for a wide range of industries, from nuclear fuel production and premium chocolate manufacturing to glass bottle embellishment, and even automotive and entertainment applications.”

Rory Hamilton, UK Channel Manager, ABB, says that the partnership will add considerable value for customers: “SMS were previously classified as a Value Provider – System Integrator for ABB motion control products, but in being awarded Value Provider – Technical Distributor status the partnership has now stepped up a gear. SMS’s expertise in machine and system integration, combined with our market leading products, now allows them to help customers cost effectively integrate automation into their manufacturing processes, helping to improve efficiency, productivity, safety and quality.”

SMS is now gearing up for future expansion off the back of the new partnership, as Wakefield explains: “Our new status will increase turnover, and we intend to take on more staff to help grow the company. All the team are excited with the new deal, and it’s great that our achievements are  recognised  by a company like ABB as capable of meeting the high standards expected of a Value Provider”.

Gordon Watson, SMS Director, agrees, adding: “At a time where automation is being talked about at boardroom level in many businesses, this puts SMS in a great position to work with new and existing clients to develop new business in the UK, and help to bring ABB’s market-leading offering to more customers”.

The ABB Value Provider network  offers  UK customers access to ABB motors, variable speed drives and mechanical power transmission products together with a wide range of services, technical advice, training and bespoke contracts. Although each ABB Value Provider is an established and successful engineering company, all members of the network must undertake regular training to ensure its product, industry and technical knowledge is of  the standard required to deliver accredited sales, support and service in close cooperation with ABB.

With the ADFA 2, Narda Safety Test Solutions now present a further development of their automatic direction finding antenna that was completely redesigned just a year ago.

The engineers at RF measurement technology specialist Narda have more than tripled the operational frequency range of the DF antenna with this latest device. When connected to Narda’s powerful real time receiver, the SignalShark, this now means that it can precisely and reliably localize signals between 10 MHz and 8 GHz (ADFA 1: 200 MHz – 2.7 GHz). Just like its smaller “brother”, the ADFA 2 delivers extraordinarily stable measurement results in seconds – it is insensitive to reflections. Its wide frequency range means that direction finding at low and high frequencies is covered equally. The SignalShark/ADFA 2 system does not require a separate PC, either. Extraordinarily compact and therefore universally suitable for both mobile and stationary use, it is unique in the market in combining an extremely broad spectrum with the minimum outlay of equipment. This makes the ADFA 2 particularly interesting for use by mobile network providers and regulatory authorities, as well as for military applications.

SignalShark/ADFA 2 in practical use

One major task performed by regulatory authorities is to monitor the frequency bands assigned to the various network providers within the country for any interference and to keep them free from unauthorized transmissions. Whenever the regulator receives notification of a problem, the combination SignalShark/ADFA 2 is ideal for the measurement technician assigned to determine the situation and find out where the interference is coming from to be fully equipped for all circumstances. There is no need to work out which combinations of antenna and receiver might be required and load them into the vehicle because this setup always provides the right equipment with the minimum of outlay. Once the building where the interferer is located has been found, the same receiver can continue to be used to cover the last few meters, with only the antenna being changed to a handheld antenna that also covers all the necessary frequency ranges. Inside the building, the handheld direction finder is used to determine the actual floor and room in the building where the signal source is located.

Whilst still in the moving vehicle during a localisation mission, the measurement technician can superimpose a heatmap on a stored map on the SignalShark display and also view the simple display of the found direction. The powerful localisation software in the device automatically indicates where the interference source is most likely to be located once the user has set the measurement parameters on the device. The result is in real time and no external laptop is needed. In this context, automatically means that no assistant is required in order to operate the receiver while direction finding on the move.

For mobile applications in general, the ADFA 2 can be easily attached to or detached from a vehicle roof thanks to its magnetic base. Only one connecting cable links the antenna to the SignalShark. There is therefore no need to drill holes in the vehicle bodywork in order to attach the antenna. This is a great advantage, particularly if the task involves the use of a rental vehicle. Regardless of the make of vehicle, Narda’s new automatic DF antenna delivers precise measurement results with the highest accuracy without the need for the otherwise necessary vehicle correction tables.

Military signals are generally transmitted over long distances, so they often make use of correspondingly low frequencies in order to achieve the desired long ranges. The extended range of the ADFA 2 in the low frequency band also covers this application.

Automatic direction finding and localisation with single channel receivers

The secret of automatic localisation of interference signals lies in the statistical probability. In an urban setting, where there are many reflections from buildings, the probability of a hit increases with the precision and number of bearings that indicate a particular direction. Narda has tweaked and optimized both these parameters during the development of the ADFA 2. The precision and extreme stability of the bearing results from the automatic DF antenna is due to its large aperture combined with the use of a reference element and the sophisticated processing of the bearing results by the SignalShark software. The measurement speed also plays a major part. The chance of getting a perfect bearing or so-called line of sight when passing by a row of buildings, for example, naturally increases with the speed of the measurement. The more results that point in a given direction or to a particular location, the more stable the end result will be.

The principle of automatic direction finding using single channel receivers is based on the phase difference between the antenna elements. The nine dipole elements are arranged in a circle and are measured against a central reference element. The diameter (aperture) of the circle mainly determines the accuracy of the bearing. Single channel systems, that is systems with just one analyzer, can only make fully automatic, reliable and extremely precise bearing measurements in conjunction with a sophisticated array of antennas, phase shifters, and complex evaluation algorithms. A complete bearing cycle takes a mere 1.2 milliseconds and achieves a typical accuracy of up to 1° RMS.

Two new internal planes

The ADFA 2 comprises an array of nine antenna elements (dipoles) arranged on a flat plane with a central omnidirectional reference antenna just like the ADFA 1. The reference antenna provides the advantage that the measurement technician can observe the broadband spectrum at the same time as direction finding. The ADFA 2 has two additional planes: a lower plane with two orthogonally crossed coils for the frequency range from 10 to 200 MHz, and an upper plane with a further nine dipoles for frequencies between 2.7 and 8 GHz. Compared with the ADFA 1, the external diameter of only 480 millimeters is the same, and the two additional internal planes mean that the ADFA 2 weighs just 1 kg more, at 6.5 kg.

Exosomics has announced that it has implemented NanoFCM‘s NanoAnalyzer instrument to offer sophisticated contract research and measurement services worldwide.

In this strategic partnership, Exosomics becomes NanoFCM’s approved service supplier of nano-flow cytometry measurements. These can be performed as stand-alone or coupled to solutions provided by Exosomics.

“Thanks to their NanoAnalyzer, Exosomics will be able to supply the widest range of nano-flow cytometry measurements, which are in high demand across Europe and the rest of the world,” said Dr Dimitri Aubert, Managing Director of NanoFCM. “We are delighted to recommend Exosomics to our close collaborators wishing to access the NanoAnalyzer platform on a punctual basis, or as part of a wider range of services that would accelerate internal research and development capabilities”.

“We believe that by implementing the nano-flow cytometry platform we are once more leading the extracellular vesicles research field and we can offer the widest range of services to Biotech/Pharma and Academic groups,” said Dr Antonio Chiesi, CEO of Exosomics. “This instrument will also allow us to further develop our own liquid biopsy pipeline, which requires the highest level of accuracy and reproducibility”.

The European Commission has decided to expand the existing photonics pilot-line offering by funding the establishment of MedPhab pilot-line under Horizon 2020, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

Photonics is based on combining optics and electronics, and it enables various medical applications from diagnostic devices to instruments for treatment. However, both photonics in itself and its areas of application are fragmented, which poses challenges to equipment manufacturers. Furthermore, the strict regulations within the sector slow down the introduction of new solutions. The orders for the pilot production line are made in a centralised manner and channelled to the manufacturer with the best implementation capability. The purpose of MedPhab pilot production line is to accelerate the commercialisation of diagnostic devices and instruments for treatment based on photonics, and to reduce the R&D costs.

Test production in three application areas

The technology validation of pilot production line focuses on three application areas intended for hospital use, home care devices and equipment for chemical diagnostics. In a hospital environment, the solutions assist doctors by giving them real-time information of how the treatment is progressing, without the need to send patient samples to a laboratory. The equipment for home diagnostics, on the other hand, can be used for monitoring how a patient is recovering from an operation or a fit of illness and for getting a wider picture of the situation than currently possible. Chemical diagnostics is about establishing a clinical picture or diagnosing an infection based on a serum, saliva or urine sample.

Cooperation within a strong consortium

The pilot production line is being developed in a consortium involving research institutes and companies from various parts of Europe. The role of research institutes is to develop new production technologies. The participation of companies with ISO13485 standardized manufacturing ensures the seamless transition from pilot line production to up-scaled production without a need for changing service providers. Use-case companies have been selected for the validation of the pilot line services covering both in-vivo and in-vitro domains.

“The results of the project will play a major role with a view to the competitiveness of next-generation wearable devices using optics. The cooperation will give companies an opportunity to get acquainted with new manufacturing techniques and pilot them with only a minor own investment,” says Jyrki Schroderus, Director, Research&Technology at Polar.

“The project supports the scale up of Antelope Dx’s silicon photonics functionalization and manufacturing processes. Having access to the knowledge at the various partners will definitively speed up the development process and translation into actual manufacturing processes,” says Jan-Willem Hoste, COO at Antelope Dx.

“The new production processes will allow to integrate new photonic functionality in both the GENSPEED R2 analyzer but even more importantly also directly into GENSPEED’s Testchips. This will open new fields of applications for the GENSPEED technology, “says Max Sonnleitner, CEO of GENSPEED Biotech.