Seminars at Sensors & Instrumentation 2018

Sensors & Instrumentation, sponsored by Mouser Electronics, returns to the NEC, Birmingham on 25 and 26 September 2018.

The action-packed CPD accredited seminar programme returns to the exhibition with a selection of expert speakers already confirmed.

HoloLens: practical examples of “every day” transformation: Chris Hardess, Microsoft & Paul Haimes, PTC

Microsoft are on a mission to empower every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more. Mixed reality has the potential to help customers and businesses across the globe do things that until now, have never been possible. Today, Microsoft HoloLens is helping businesses and their employees complete crucial tasks faster, safer, more efficiently, and create new ways to connect to customers and partners.     

During this session, you will hear updates from Microsoft on practical use cases that includes how organisations are leveraging HoloLens and vast amounts of IoT data to create significant productivity gains for simulations, testing, design, maintenance, operations and training scenarios.  You will also be introduced to one of Microsoft’s partners, PTC who are empowering the use of HoloLens with their Vuforia Augmented Reality software – part of their ThingWorx Industrial Internet of Things Platform. PTC will illustrate the ease with which powerful and engaging Augmented Reality experiences are created using simple drag and drop techniques – and then deployed throughout business.

Data challenges and opportunities in the process industries, Steve Leech, Siemens GB&I

Quickly evolving markets and trends. High levels of competition. Innovative and disruptive technologies. Increased levels of manufacturing data. These are just a few of the operating parameters that companies within the Process Industries are impacted by.  Manufacturing needs to be more flexible and agile to respond to changes in the market and to better fulfil the high levels of customisation that is now being demanded and expected by customers.

Digitalisation is changing our world and to be able to deal with this the market needs to have a focus around IT and process security, high-quality, reliable products and cost reduction made possible through efficient processes and digital engineering tools. Underpinning this is the ability to provide solutions that are highly integrated and allow for the capture and intelligent use of increasing volumes of process data and turning that into operational information and intelligence.

Data now becomes crucial to a plant and this is represented in the form of the ‘digital twin’.

This presentation, from Steve Leech, Siemens GB&I business manager for Process Control Solutions, will explore the challenges and opportunities that data can bring.

Solving the EMC Design Challenge, Paul Worthington, Analog Devices

Today’s measurement and control systems are available in all shapes and sizes, ranging from remote monitoring stations to factory automation and control equipment. These systems vary in complexity, functionality and power requirements, and all have at least one common requirement when sold into the wider market: Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC).

EMC requirements are becoming increasingly restrictive to product development, restricting market access and projected cost targets.  One of the most common failure points within the EMC Directive is radiated noise emissions, to most engineers the primary source of this noise are the power supplies. More frequently, there is more than one power supply in a system. More noise sources!

The presentation will explain the noise emissions in the power architecture of control and measurement systems, how to reduce these emissions and why these EMC Standards exist. The discussion will continue with an introduction into new technology and IC developments which allow Design Engineers to meet these standards.

High temperature condition monitoring with a novel, flexible, thin film sensor: Daniel Irvine, Novosound

Ultrasonic inspection is the go to tool for a range of industrial NDE applications. There are, however, severe limitations when applying the technology in high temperature environments.  For sectors such as oil & gas and nuclear power this makes the monitoring of assets at elevated temperatures challenging; often requiring costly and inconvenient shutdown. Suitable sensors can be permanently fitted to high temperature infrastructure and this will significantly improve monitoring and reduce asset downtime.

Daniel Irvine, Novosound, will present work that demonstrates fit and forget sensors which have consistent output at elevated temperatures and are durable enough to withstand the industrial environment. An additional benefit of these sensors is that they are truly flexible, which allows them to conform to curved surfaces (e.g. pipes) without the need for a couplant material.

Fast track connected product development: Neil Hamilton, Myriad Group

Myriad Group’s Neil Hamilton returns to the event this year to provide real world insight into what is driving companies to connect their products to IoT platforms and to share his experience of how companies are doing this the smart way based on the mistakes learned by the early pioneers.

Hamilton will address questions like: Why are we connecting our products to the IoT? And the prototype to production cycle – does it have to be so painful? He will also discuss how you can figure out the DNA of your solution. Hamilton will provide practical steps in planning the first prototype and he will give examples of successful projects so that you can see his advice in practice.

Spectroscopy as an optical sensing technique: Henry Langston, Ocean Optics

What if your manufacturing process could deliver 100 per cent inspection, while improving throughput? What if your process could teach itself what to measure? What if your quality system could extend beyond the factory? In this talk, Henry Langston, Ocean Optics, discusses case studies of how spectroscopy technologies, a form of optical sensing, can improve manufacturing outcomes.  

•      Colour, display and material finish, moving to 100 per cent inspection while improving throughput
•      Food quality and the application of spectroscopy and AI to measure inhomogeneous, difficult to measure samples
•      Measuring LED quality from line to install, industrial 4.0 that goes beyond the factory

The development of sensor technology: Alison Mitchell, Sensor City

Alison Mitchell, executive director at Sensor City, will present ‘The development of sensor technology’. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the buzzword of the 21st century. Offering masses of opportunity to SMEs and enterprises alike, innovative businesses need to embrace IoT to reap the benefits and reduce the risk of getting left behind.

From smart devices and 3D printing to AI and machine learning, the manufacturing industry has been transformed as we become increasingly engrossed in the digital world, or the ‘fourth industrial revolution.’ One big problem for emerging SMEs however, is the lack of skills, technology, and high-end facilities needed to develop their innovative concepts into viable, market-ready solutions.

Sensor City is a global innovation hub that is a collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University. Backed by BEIS, Sensor City offers existing companies and entrepreneurs the technical expertise, support and international platform needed to collaborate, fund and promote sensor solutions. Mitchell will talk at Sensors & Instrumentation about how SMEs can use IoT for business growth, and the importance of preparing for Industry 4.0.

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA): Andrew Peaty, DASA

Andrew Peaty, innovation partner at DASA, will give an overview of the Defence and Security Accelerator, including how people from industry and academia can get involved.

DASA is a UK cross-government department focusing on finding and funding exploitable innovations which could provide advantage to defence and national security to protect the UK from its adversaries.

DASA selects and funds the development of suppliers’ innovative ideas, provides support through to potential application and, in doing so, contributes to UK economic growth and prosperity.

Platinum temperature sensors for space applications: Dr. Jiri Polak, IST AG

Dr. Jiri Polak, chief sales officer at Innovative Sensor Technology (IST AG), will discuss European Space Agency (ESA) space sensors. IST AG is the only approved supplier of ESA-qualified thin film platinum temperature sensors for space applications. These sensors, also known as HIREL sensors, were subjected to very harsh and demanding tests to guarantee 100 per cent operation. Dr. Polak will explain how, over the past three years, IST AG has invested a lot of resources and know-how in the development of these sensors and into testing to achieve ESA qualification. He will provide an overview of ESA qualification, including testing of components. He will also present test results, including a 70,000 cycle test, for the platinum temperature sensors.

Register for free to attend Sensors & Instrumentation 2018 here: sensorsandinstrumentation.co.uk