DesignNews Magazine December 2011

PETROSKI ON ENGINEERING Made in Japan 14

December 2011 $15.00

HYDRAULIC HYBRIDS BOEING’S DREAMLINER Report Raises Safety Concerns 30 Looking toward Lighter Vehicles 40

Accelerating Engineering Innovation

Additive Manufacturing Takes Off

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New materials are enabling precision, low-volume production runs in aerospace, medical, and automotive. 36

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NANO SUPER AIR NOZZLE FOR PRECISION BLOWOFF The Nano Super Air Nozzle is one of the smallest available. EXAIR’s “precision blowoff ” provides optimum air entrainment for a directed high volume, high velocity airflow. The compact size permits mounting where space is limited. EXAIR Corporation www.airnozzle.info/14/nano.htm

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Safety Air Guns use engineered Air Nozzles to provide superior performance. Safe operation is assured along with low air consumption and noise level. Many styles and nozzles are offered. Extensions and Stay Set Hoses are available.

Many blowoff, cleaning, cooling and drying applications require high force and extensive reach. EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzle Clusters deliver up to 9.8 lbs of force. Three sizes for handheld and stationary mounting are available.

EXAIR Corporation www.airnozzle.info/14/sag.htm

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UNIQUE FLAT NOZZLE USES PATENTED TECHNOLOGY The 2" Super Air Nozzle is a highly efficient, unique flat air nozzle. Using EXAIR’s patented technology, a precise amount of air is released through the thin slot, across a flat surface. The result is a wide, forceful stream of high velocity, laminar airflow. Force and flow can be easily adjusted. EXAIR Corporation www.airnozzle.info/14/2san.htm

DIRECTED BLAST OF AIR EXAIR Air Jets utilize the coanda effect (wall attachment of a high velocity fluid) to produce a vacuum on one end that pulls large volumes of room air through the unit. Both the outlet and inlet can be ducted for remote positioning. EXAIR Corporation www.airnozzle.info/14/jet.htm

SUPER AIR NOZZLES™ The aerodynamic design of EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles provide a high thrust, concentrated stream of high velocity airflow. The sound level is as low as 71 dBA with hard-hitting force up to 23 pounds. All meet OSHA noise and pressure requirements. EXAIR Corporation www.airnozzle.info/14/super.htm

A BREEZE TO A BLAST These Safety Air Nozzles are adjustable, making them suitable for a wide variety of blowoff applications. EXAIR’s design allows you to “tune in” the force and flow to the application requirements, thereby minimizing air consumption. A micrometer like dial indicates the gap setting. EXAIR Corporation www.airnozzle.info/14/adjust.htm

This small Super Air Nozzle costs only $31. Installing it in place of one 1/4" copper tube can save you $592.80 per year.

Here’s how: A 1/4" copper tube is a common homemade blowoff that consumes 33 SCFM when at a normal supply pressure of 80 PSIG. EXAIR’s award winning Model 1100 Super Air Nozzle is 1/4 NPT and consumes only 14 SCFM at 80 PSIG. 33 SCFM (copper tube) - 14 SCFM (Super Air Nozzle) = 19 SCFM compressed air saved. For this example, the blowoff is continuous. Most large plants know their cost per 1000 standard cubic feet of compressed air. If you don’t know your actual cost per 1000 SCF, 25¢ is a reasonable average to use.

SCFM saved x 60 minutes x cost/1000 SCF = Dollars saved per hour. In this case, 19 SCFM x 60 minutes x .25/1000 = 28.5 cents per hour. 28.5 cents per hour x 40 hour work week = $11.40 per week. $11.40 per week x 52 weeks = $592.80 per year. The Super Air Nozzle pays for itself in just over two weeks.

For more information, visit www.exair.com/14/410.htm If you would like to discuss an application, contact an Application Engineer at: @EXAIR

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Accelerating Engineering Innovation

Contents

December 2011 vol. 66 no. 12

www.designnews.com

44

36

46

Cover Story 36 Additive Techniques Come to Low-Volume Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing techniques produce low volumes of complex products with high quality and precision. With better, engineering-quality materials, aerospace and automotive components can also be fabricated. By Ann R. ThRyfT

Features 40 hydraulic hybrids Move to Lighter Vehicles Building on its successes in refuse trucks and parcel vehicles, hybrid hydraulic technology looks to lighter vehicles such as the Chrysler Town and Country minivan. By AL PResheR

44 engineers have Limited Appetite for Mobile Apps

Pe t rosk i on engine e r ing

14 Made in Japan

Unlike the consumer market which is hungry for all things mobile, engineers remain slightly skeptical about the upside of design tool apps running on mobile platforms.

Japan may not be a leader in prizewinning science, but it certainly is a force to be reckoned with in consumer products. By henRy PeTRoskI

By BeTh sTACkPoLe MAde B Y Monk e Ys

46 Cadillac’s Dashboard Design Lesson Cadillac’s CUE is an important addition to the infotainment scene, but its consumer-driven design process may turn out to be more important than the product.

Wood treated by Chromated Copper Arsenate can severely corrode steel bolts. C AP tAin hY B r id

20 electric Vehicles: how far have We Come?

By ChARLes J. MuRRAy

Today’s performance is better, but EV range is still lacking.

Columns

By ChARLes J. MuRRAy

Wolf e ’s de n

12 Living in Interesting Times The year’s technological challenges have not been for the faint of heart. By ALeXAnDeR WoLfe

18 CCA-Treated Wood Ate My Bolts

continued >

Cover Image: iStockimage/lorenzo puricelli

w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 D e s i g n N e w s

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Contents > continued

7

GA D G E T F R E A K

56 The Sun Lights Up the Deck at Night To provide nighttime safety for his deck,William Grill used a 40W regulator and solar panel to create an application to shine light all night.

56

Laws of Physics Under Attack by Economics

24 Data Measurement & Analysis Where Does FFT Process Gain Come From?

26 Mechatronics What Is IT?

28 Green Scene Environmental News Engineers Can Use

Mechatronics: Find information on matching bearings to applications, software convergence, and upgrading controls in a printing press application.

Departments 22 Engineering Matters

Supplements

Medical: Find stories on implantable pulse generators and wireless heart monitoring.

30 News Trends, Developments, Breakthroughs

49 Social Engineering Jobs Still Top 2011 Concern

50 Design Decisions Materials, Adhesives for Gaskets

53 Design Engineering Products Best of the Engineering Marketplace

These stories also appear online at www.designnews.com. DESIGN NEWS® (ISSN 0011-9407) is published monthly by UBM Electronics, 600 Community Drive, Manhasset, NY 11030; 516-562-5000. Periodicals postage paid at Manhasset and at additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTIONS – Free to qualified subscribers as defined on the subscription card. Rates for non-qualified subscriptions, including all issues: U.S.A, $150.00 one year, $250.00 two years, $300.00 three years; Canada, $184.90 one year, $314.90 two years (includes 7% GST, GST# 123397457); Mexico, $172.90 one year, $295.90 two years; Foreign air expedited $323.90 one year, $579.90 two years. Except for special issues where price changes are indicated, single copies are available for $10 U.S.A and $15 foreign. For telephone inquiries regarding subscriptions 763-746-2792. Email: [email protected]. CHANGE OF ADDRESS – Notices should be sent promptly to DESIGN NEWS® P.O. Box 47461, Plymouth, MN 55447 – Please provide old mailing labels as well as new address. Allow two months for change. NOTICE – Every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of content; however, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for the correctness of the information supplied or advertised or for any opinion expressed herein. POSTMASTER – Send address changes to, DESIGN NEWS® P.O. Box 47461, Plymouth, MN 55447, Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement 40685520. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Pitney Bowes, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Printed in U.S.A. Copyright 2011 by UBM Electronics. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

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This year’s Vision 2011 conference in Stuttgart, Germany, featured a Medical Discovery Tour throughout the show. The showcase included exhibits by several suppliers of hardware and software aimed at medical applications, a growing area for machine vision.

solyndra seeds doubts about Photovoltaic Manufacturability

http://bit.ly/tdWUKm gadget Freak

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s an ultralight helicopter running via dc motors and lithium-ion batteries. http://bit.ly/tVMNQd

The real lesson in successive crashes at Solyndra, Beacon Power, and First Solar may be that designers are not keeping issues of practicality and manufacturability paramount.

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Editorial WEbcast

Direct laser sintering, an additive manufacturing technique that can produce some of the most durable high-quality products around, is seeing rapid uptake in the construction of unmanned aerial vehicles. http://bit.ly/txdjXD cad/caM corner

Siemens PLM Software has acquired Vistagy, a provider of a specialized composite engineering software. The pair have had a long-standing partnership and share a number of marquee customers. http://bit.ly/sL41pp Mechatronics Zone

A new production technique using superionic glass could lead to tiny, integrated diagnostic sensor arrays on surfaces as small as a square centimeter, fuel cells to power microelectromechanical systems, and faster, more reliable optical micro-gyroscopes. http://bit.ly/trYKTK

3d inspection cutting automotive defects

3D machine vision techniques are taking on an increasing role in automobile production lines in a bid to up overall production quality and cut defects. http://bit.ly/u6hXRu Webinar: sensor technology — io-link connectivity

View now at: http://bit.ly/tNvGIg Smart sensors used for measurement are becoming crucial enablers in almost every industry, not only for machine control but also networking and data connectivity. This webcast will look at how IO-Link technology offers a smart sensor solution for network communications, automated parameter setting, and expanded diagnostics.

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Energy Efficiency: Motors & Drives

Energy and Efficiency in Motors and Drives looks at the changes that have occurred in recent years. Plants are much more concerned these days about energy consumption. And energy efficient equipment sends savings to the bottom line. In addition to the positive value of savings from efficiency, plants are also concerned about their carbon footprint. For most companies, the reduction in energy consumption has become an overriding goal. Efficient motors and drives contribute to the goal. http://dn.hotims.com/34953-501 aPPlication notE

Top 5 Things You Need to Know When Selecting Directional Valves

Selecting the right valve to control system pressure, direction of flow and rate of flow is crucial when designing fluid power circuitry. This online resource features the top 5 things that must be considered when specifying directional valves for any pneumatic application. http://dn.hotims.com/34953-502

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D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

The specialized instruments used to measure LEDs provide more than just quantitative data—in some cases they reveal less-obvious qualitative aspects of light which might be important later in your finished product. Measuring the total light output of a device is very common. But what about determining the relative amounts of various wavelengths in the output (spectral power distribution), or how evenly that light is radiated? To answer the first question, we use a spectroradiometer. These instruments can be built in several ways, but all of them begin by using a monochromator to separate the polychromatic light emanating from a test source (such as a white LED) into a series of narrow component wavelengths (colors). The power of each of those wavelengths is then measured using a linear CCD or photodiode array. We are all familiar with prisms acting as monochromators in the sunlight. Spectroradiometers often use another kind— a diffraction grating. Diffraction gratings are surfaces with a large number of closely-spaced lines or slits, like the backside of a CD or DVD. When you carefully hold a green and a red laser pointer parallel to each other and simultaneously point them at a CD offaxis, you’ll notice the red and green dots are reflected at two different angles, even though the incident angle (the way you are holding the laser pointers) is about the same.

light radiated by the LED at different angles will vary based on its lens, as you would expect. But you might not know that in many cases the color or color temperature also may vary a bit at different angles! And, this variation might not be symmetrical about the LED’s axis. Do you have a small LED flashlight handy? Typically inexpensive LED flashlights will have LEDs exhibiting “chromatic aberration”. Perhaps the phosphor layered on top of the die is not even, or is too thick, etc. If so, your flashlight’s focused spot will appear as a bluish-white center surrounded by a yellowish ring. This is most noticeable on a white sheet of paper in a dark room. To measure the amount of light radiated at all angles, and the angle-associated spectral or color temperature shift, a device called a goniospectroradiometer is used. (The name is derived from gonia, the Greek work for angle.) While a basic goniophotometer can be used to measure the light intensity at various angles, the more sophisticated goniospectroradiometer uses a spectroradiometer head to gather spectral power information at various angles. It can, for example, reveal that the white light resulting from the molded plastic lens and LED in your inexpensive flashlight (or very expensive medical illumination system) will have odd shifts in color temperature in certain directions—even though the amount of light is distributed relatively uniformly. The image below indicates just that- a downward shift in color temperature (colored blue) centered around 40° from the center axis. It was made with a nice LED goniospectroradiometer manufactured by Instrument Systems in Germany.

Cary Eskow is Global Director of the Solid State Lighting and Advanced LED business unit of Avnet Electronics Marketing. An ardent advocate of energy efficient LED-based illumination, he has worked closely with LED manufacturers, advanced analog IC and secondary optics vendors since his first patent using LEDs was issued two decades ago. Avnet works with customers through their national team of illumination-focused sales engineers who are experienced in thermal, drive stage and optics design. Prior to his LED lighting focus, Cary was Avnet’s technical director and managed Avnet’s North American FAE team.

Figure 1 – Simplified layout of an array spectroradiometer measuring an LED

In the figure above, light from the LED under test passes Figure 2 – Excerpt from a goniospectroradiometric report through a narrow slit, then is cast on a diffraction grating. It adds a wavelength-correlated offset to the reflected As you can see, there’s more to LED measurement and light rays. The second mirror spreads the individual bands specification than meets the eye. If you’d like more across the surface of a calibrated CCD array. Results are information on high-brightness LEDs or optics, visit provided in a spectral power distribution diagram. our website (www.em.avnet.com/LightSpeed) or send The instrument will tell you about the nature of the light, a note to [email protected]. Your questions and but not how it is distributed spatially. The amount of comments are always welcomed.

To submit questions or ideas, e-mail Cary at [email protected]

To learn more about designing an LED-based illumination system, go to:

www.em.avnet.com/LightSpeed

12

Wolfe’s

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Alexander Wolfe, Content Director, [email protected]

Living In Interesting Times The old Chinese proverb — may you live in interesting times — is apropos because the year that’s almost behind us has been nothing if not fascinating. Also challenging, worrisome, and tiring. We all know the deal. We’re working more with fewer resources and tighter deadlines. Technologies previously siloed are merging into an interconnected mass, requiring us to become interdisciplinary. And job stability, though better than it was only a scant year ago, still weighs on our minds constantly. (You can see what our readers have to say about that in our Social Engineering column on page 49.) Fortunately, the attraction which drew most of us into the profession in the first place has been in ample evidence this year, in the form of fun and forwardlooking technologies like energy efficiency, 3D printing, the rise of the digital factor, advanced composites and plastics, and smart sensors. On a macro basis, the imperative toward tighter, miniaturized designs in medical and consumer electronics has put an additional design burden on engineers charged with packaging and assembly. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention electric vehicles. By your online habits, you’ve told us that those are at the top on your list of must-read stories. I concur; when I test drove a Chevy Volt recently, I was impressed with its fit and finish, and with its smart application of an internal-combustion engine and batteries all in the service of a car that’s a good everyday driver, not just a first-gen tech showpiece. You can read more about the Volt by going to our DriveforInnovation.com site, which follows EELife editorial director Brian Fuller as he drives a Volt across the United States. Speaking personally, it’s been an honor to be content director of Design News. Since I joined in June, I’ve spent much of my time meeting with the industry’s leading vendors. (I hope to meet the rest of you in 2012. If we haven’t connected yet, please contact me at [email protected]). I can say uniformly, and without hesitation, that we’ve got the smartest cohort of engineers and companies out there. Yet the challenges we’ve faced this year are not for the faint of technological heart. Here’s my quick take on four of them: D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

• Rise of the digital factory: Here the salient questions are: Is this old wine in new bottles (or PLCs)? Is it a way for high-value vendors to sell consulting and upper-end technology to counter the rise of low-cost direct distribution? Or is it a solid method of helping manufacturers speed up the prototyping through production processes, and in doing so become more responsive to the market and thus grow and become more profitable. The correct answer is, of course, a little bit of all three. • Low-cost 3D printing/prototype: I always worry when any idiot with a few dollars and delusions of technical grandeur can go out and buy a machine and call themselves an engineer. That’s what happened with the PC, and you can arguably draw a line between the kludgey software we now live with and Stuxnet. I hope we’ll see 3D printing become an enabler for rapid iteration and more sophisticated products, rather than a tool for producing more superf luous junk. • Energy Efficiency: If you had told me two years ago that I would be writing enthusiastically about green technology, I would have yawned. Turns out, there are indeed tipping points in technology, and we’ve passed the one that’s made a powerhouse of an arena out of energy saving in motors, the rise of wind and solar, and energy harvesting. Another area, which is different though it’s gone through a similar path from yawner to yes, is safety. • Engineering Employment: This is the elephant in the room. America has the best and most experienced group of engineers anywhere in the world. Yet many of the older ones have been thrown on the slag heap, on the assumption that an over-40 techie can’t possibly keep up with current technology. To that I say, au contraire. It’s precisely these mature engineers who are needed to nurture new grads, who may know a workstation but don’t have the subjective experience which makes for a successful career. I applaud companies like Siemens, which are making concerted efforts to hire US workers as well as veterans. I wish everyone would do that. In 2012, I hope insourcing becomes the new outsourcing.

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PETROSKI ON ENGINEERING Made in Japan A JAPANESE REPORTER interviewed me recent-

ly for a story on stationery products. He told me that the Japanese love new and innovative writing implements, things that many Americans consider commodities. He was talking about mechanical pencils, ballpoint pens, highlighters, and the like. Since I had written a history of the pencil, he wanted my take on some of the latest in Japanese writing products. In anticipation of our appointment, he mailed me a few things that are currently hot items in Henry Petroski Japan: a new kind of mechanical pencil, a popular ballpoint pen, and a pencil case package containing two other ballpoint pens and two highlighters. I agreed to try them in advance of the interview so that I could respond to his questions about them. The Uni-ball Kuru Toga ( Japanese for “twist and turn”) pencil came in a blister package with a cardboard insert that was printed in Japanese. However, I could tell from the pictures touting the pencil’s innovative feature what distinguished it. The cartoons made it clear that instead of the lead wearing down to a single inclined plane, it automatically rotated as it was used and so wore down in a conical form, thereby maintaining a sharper point. This was something I immediately appreciated, because when I was learning mechanical drawing I was taught to rotate my pencil as I dragged it along a T-square or triangle’s edge so that the width of the line would remain nearly uniform. Rotating my wooden pencils as I write with them is a habit that I have to this day. I appreciated the ingenuity of the pencil with the automatically rotating lead, but I told my in-

terviewer that it was a feature that might be more a marketing than a selling point in the US. After all, the thickness of the lead was 0.5mm, and in the course of writing it hardly mattered how such a thin lead wore down. Furthermore, I told him, in order to achieve the feature of self-rotating lead, the pencil body had to have the thickness of a fountain pen. I was used to my pencils, whether mechanical or not, having a more slender look and feel. I believe I may have disappointed him with my answer, but I went on to explain that all design involves compromise, and to f it the rotation mechanism into the implement’s barrel it had to be thicker than an ordinary pencil. The ballpoints and highlighters contained in the pencil case confused me. At first I could not even figure out how to click the ballpoint out of the pen’s body. After fumbling with what looked like a button to depress, my thumb slipped and accidentally pressed down on the pocket clip, which pushed out

I appreciated the ingenuity of the pencil with the rotating lead, but I believed the feature might be more a marketing than a selling point in the U.S. the spring-loaded ink cartridge. When I tried out the pens (one with black and one with red ink), I was sadly disappointed that they wrote with a very scratchy feel, especially compared to the smoothwriting Jetstream from Mitsubishi Pencil Co. that had also been sent to me. I could not understand what was innovative or special about the scratchy

Henry Petroski is the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and a professor of history at Duke University. His latest book, An Engineer’s Alphabet: Gleanings from the Softer Side of a Profession, has just been published. He can be reached at [email protected]. D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

Every product is a promise For all its sophisticated attributes, today’s modern product is, at its core, a promise. A promise that it will perform properly, not fail unexpectedly, and maybe even exceed the expectations of its designers and users. ANSYS helps power these promises with the most robust, accurate and flexible simulation platform available. To help you see every possibility and keep every promise. Realize Your Product PromiseTM

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16

Petroski on Engineering pens or the highlighters, and I told my interviewer so. He apologized for not having translated the Japanese on the package, which did not contain explanatory graphics. What was special about these pens (and highlighters), he explained,

think... TM

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was that the mark they left could be erased just by rubbing across it with the plastic button that does not depress. The trick was in a principle he termed “thermal friction,” hence the name Frixion for the implements. He demonstrated for me and asked

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me to try. I was duly impressed. Not only did the ballpoint and highlighter marks disappear completely, but there were no eraser crumbs left behind. This was indeed an improvement on the erasable ballpoints that were introduced into the American market many decades ago. I was told that this Japanese innovation was the product of 30 years of research and development by the Pilot Corporation. We talked about R&D and science vs. engineering and the depressed economy in both Japan and the United States. We also talked about the Nobel

The Japanese were disappointed that no Nobel prizes went to their countrymen. Japan may not be a leader in prizewinning science, I agreed, but it certainly is a force to be reckoned with in consumer products. prizes, which were being announced at the time of the interview, and the reporter told me how the Japanese were once again disappointed that none went to their countrymen. Japan may not be a leader in prize-winning science, I agreed, but it certainly is a force to be reckoned with in consumer products. In the long run, I assured him, the kind of inventiveness that was exhibited in the stationery items that resulted from committed, product-driven R&D would lead to larger innovations that would help bring back the Japanese economy, and I expressed the hope that the same will be true for the United States. DN

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MADE BY

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CCA-Treated Wood Ate My Bolts Back when my oldest child was 5, I purchased a swing set that had a frame made of pressure-treated wood with ladder rungs made of cedar. I thought it would be reasonably durable, since the wood seemed beefy enough.The hardware was cadmiumplated and clear chromate treated. It wasn’t stainless steel, but then again, this play set would not be living in a marine environment. I put the play set together, added some extra helical anchors for stability, and gave it the acid test — I actually climbed, shook, and swung on it myself. I figured that if it could hold up to me, it would be no problem for the kids. After about two years, I became concerned that the frame was f lexing too much when the kids were swinging on it. I removed a bolt or two and was shocked to discover that the bolts had been eaten away by corrosion to half of their original diameter. Some even broke in two when I tried to remove them. I headed off to the hardware store for some new bolts and screws (hot-dip galvanized, this time). Over the five years that I had that swing set, I replaced the hardware twice. When it was ready to be retired, the bolts again needed replacing. The typical “green” pressure-treated wood is preserved with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA). Although we’ve had plenty of experience with this product over the years, there is some concern about its toxicity. That issue aside, CCA is a metallic salt. Anyone who has ever seen what happens to steel in salt water — no matter how it is coated — could have guessed the outcome of this story. The next swing set I purchased used plastic-coated CCA-treated wood. After 18 months, the manufacturer sent me new framing members to replace the plastic-coated wood, due to a recall. Those bolts were also heavily eroded when I removed them. Some were seized to the wood so strongly that they broke off without turning — and these were 3/8 inch bolts! This reminded me of an issue that started about 40 years ago. I have been involved with boats since I was very young. Back then, pilings were treated with Creosote. It was sticky, messy, and it didn’t preserve the wood very well. When CCA-treated pilings came out, it was a godsend. They lasted so long that people used them for bulkheads, foundations, and even boat lifts. Over the years, people would replace the deck planks, but they never worried about the pilings unless something drastic happened. Since the boat lifts were bolted to the pilings with 3/4 inch to 7/8 inch galvanized bolts, they were deemed sturdy enough for the marine insurance inspectors. After about 10 years, the bolts would corrode and could abruptly fail, unceremoniously dropping the $100,000+ boat into the water on its side, or even, in one case, impaling it on a piling. Since discretion is the better part of valor, it would be a good idea for any boat lift or swing set owner to inspect these bolts every few years. — DWIGHT BUES

Made by Monkeys highlights products that somehow slipped by the QC cops. E-mail your examples to Rob Spiegel at [email protected]. D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

SolidWorks is a registered trademark of Dassault Systèmes. ©2011 Dassault Systèmes. All rights reserved.

LOOKING FOR DESIGNERS TO PUSH THIS BABY P RO JE CT 3 : H OT R O D B A BY BU G GY Help host Jeremy Luchini design the first hardcore baby buggy using SolidWorks®. You’ll share ideas, comment on designs and vote on key decisions throughout the project. If you think you’re ready, let’s go design. Watch. Share. Vote. LetsGoDesign.tv

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Captain Hybrid designnews.com/blog/Captain_Hybrid

Electric Vehicles: How Far Have We Come? Today’s performance is better, but EV range is still lacking. By CHARLES J. MURRAY, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics & Test

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If you want to get a sense of how far the electric car market has really come, read “Foreign Trade in Electric Vehicles,” an article from The New York Times archives, found on its website at http://dn.hotims.com/34953-503. In glowing terms, the article describes the future of electric cars. The electric car, it says, “has long been recognized as the ideal solution,” adding that it is “cleaner and quieter” as well as “more economical” compared to gasoline engines. The article also praises the electric vehicle (EV) battery. “It is simple, light, easy to take care of, and far more efficient than the old lead battery,” it declares, and adds that the new battery “solves the problem of electric transportation.” The article is dated November 12, 1911. It’s hard to look at the article and not wonder how far we’ve actually come. Yes, the EV is back. Nissan has its Leaf. Ford has two EVs coming out soon. General Motors (GM) has the Chevy Volt and has announced the Spark EV. Tesla plans to roll out the electric Model S soon and is working with Toyota on an electric RAV4. Even DeLorean has announced an electric car. But the EV battery, has it really advanced much in the past hundred years? In a 1998 Design News article, battery makers discussed the creation of a lithium ion battery with an energy density of 90Wh/kg. Today, 13 years later, the Nissan Leaf battery is rated at 140Wh/kg — a 55 percent increase. That’s not bad, but is it enough to make the EV battery a serious competitor with gasoline, which offers 80 times as much energy and a five minute refueling capability?

Similarly, EV range hasn’t changed much. In 1998, the ranges of electric vehicles were: Chrysler Epic minivan, 68 miles; Ford Ranger EV, 58 miles; GM EV1, 90 miles; GM S-10 electric pickup, 45 miles; Toyota RAV4 EV, 118 miles. Now contrast that with today’s Nissan Leaf. Nissan says its Leaf travels 100 miles between charges (the EPA rates it at 73). The truth is, the EV’s real gains have been in speed and performance. On dragstrips around the country, EV conversions are hitting quarter-mile times as low as 10 seconds using old Ford Pintos and Datsuns. The old GM EV1 was said to have hit a speed of more than 180mph and the White Lightning racing EV reached 245mph. If Thomas Edison (who invented the battery discussed in the 1911 New York Times article) could see the performance of today’s EVs, he’d be astounded. But Edison might be equally surprised by the lack of advancement in the area of battery energy. Many potential buyers are still turned off, not only by the cost, but by the pure EV’s inability to make long trips. Bill Reinert, national manager of advanced technology vehicles for Toyota, said it best earlier this year, when he told Design News: “Even if I’m covered 90 percent of the time, I’m probably unlikely to make a (buying) decision that leaves me uncovered 10 percent of the time.” Obviously, researchers are working on the energy issue, but their efforts would be best flavored with a little public patience. If the 100-year-old New York Times article teaches us anything, it’s that the vehicle electrification could still be a long, hard journey. DN

D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

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2222

ENGINEERING MATTERS Focus on the Future of Engineering

Laws of Physics Under Attack by Economics WE CONTINUE TO hear from nearly every leader in this country that an internationally competitive STEM education pipeline is critical to the economic security of the U.S.. Investment in STEM programs at all levels is a stated national priority. But this vital education and economic policy objective has slammed into an economic headwind that apparently makes rational budgeting a political impossibility. Just recently, the governing body that oversees public high- Geoffrey C. Orsak er education in Texas voted to close six undergraduate physics programs in the state. Sadly, these programs provided critical opportunities in science to the rapidly growing minority populations. These institutions included the two largest historically black colleges and universities, Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University, along with Hispanic serving institutions like the University of Texas at Brownsville. Oddly, science and engineering play an extraordinarily important role in this state which is home to the Johnson Space Center, telecommunication giants like AT&T, national security companies such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, semiconductor history makers like Texas Instruments, energy leaders like Exxon Mobil, and a rapidly expanding biotechnology sector anchored by the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. So, in a region of our country with so much at stake in having a robust and diverse science and engineering pipeline, cutting any science program seems “penny wise and pound foolish.” But in a spirit of efficiency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has set the minimum threshold for program survival to 25 students graduating in a five year window. You might just be thinking: “Well, let’s be honest, if they can’t meet

this low graduation number they ought to be closed.” However, according to the American Physical Society, if this threshold was applied to all physics programs in the country, 526 of the 760 would have to shut down. And tragically, only two physics programs from the nation’s 34 HBCU’s would still be open. With so much concern over the cost of higher education, this is a trend that just might be catching on. According to numerous reports, Florida’s governor Rick Scott is already considering a similar move. Is your cash strapped state far behind? The production of physics degrees is but one reason to maintain the existence of physics programs. Even with the long standing federal funding for physics programs, our country has never produced much more than six thousand physics graduates a year (more typically it is between four and five thousand). Yet the entire enterprise of modern science, engineering, and medicine requires strong and available physics departments to teach the extensive physics curricula required by nearly every technical discipline. As an academic dean, my firm belief is that it will be extremely difficult to attract highly qualified physics instructors to universities that don’t offer physics degrees, which inevitably will disproportionately harm minority students we work so hard to recruit. And the impact on high school science education might be just as significant. Teachers today are increasingly required to hold a degree in the discipline they teach. How will we fill the shortage of high school physics teachers if states across the nation follow Texas’ lead? More than 50 years ago Sputnik raised the specter that our nation’s poor science and engineering education was putting our country at risk. We responded swiftly with the National Defense Education Act. Today, with intellectual might arguably more important than military might, this disturbing policy action should concern all of us. DN

Geoffrey C. Orsak is Dean of the SMU Lyle School of Engineering. He can be reached at [email protected]. D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

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DATA MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS

Unbelievably useful info on data measurement, collection, and analysis from the test expert

Where Does FFT Process Gain Come From? FOR

FFT gain = 10*log(M/2)

Full-scale input

rms signal level Where M equals the number of points proSNR = (6.02 * N) + 1.76 = 74 dB cessed in the FFT. In True ADM rms the earlier example for quantization-noise level M=4096 points, the FFT processing gain FFT Gain amounts to 33dB. But what causes this gain? By its nature, an FFT frequency bin has an amplitude response of Measured ADC rms quantization-noise level sin(x)/x, so the value in each bin arises mainly 0 5 10 15 20 Frequency (MHz) from its main amplitude lobe. According to This FFT plot shows the difference between an ADC’s quantizasignal-processing practi- tion noise level and the measured quantization noise due to tioner Richard G. Lyons, FFT processing gain. we may think of the value of the mth FFT bin as the output from a DFT bin’s output noise standard dea narrow bandpass filter with a center viation (rms) value is proportional to frequency at mf s/M. Increasing the num- √M, and the DFT’s output magnitude ber of ADC samples used in an FFT de- for the bin containing the signal tone is creases bin bandwidth and increases bin proportional to M.” amplitude. A larger number of samples When you analyze information for also improves frequency resolution and the performance of an ADC and redecreases the amount of noise in the bin’s fer to an FFT plot, remember that the passband. Doubling the number of sam- FFT noise f loor will not represent the ples, for example, decreases noise power SNR for the ADC. For that informain a bin by 3dB. Thus, when you process tion you use the calculations shown a signal with an FFT, you can dig out sig- earlier and account for the FFT pronals from background spectral noise. cessing gain. DN Lyons notes in his book Understanding Digital Signal Processing: “the dis- For More Information: crete Fourier transform’s [DFT] output 1. Richard Lyons, Understanding Digital SNR increases as M gets larger because Signal Processing. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice

Jon Titus, a former designer and chief editor of EDN and Test & Measurement World magazines, remembers when “fast” signals operated at 10 MHz and programs came on paper tape. D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

Hall, 2010. pp. 102-105. 2. Walt Kester, Mixed-Signal and DSP Design Techniques. Burlington, MA: Newnes, 2003. Section 5, page 5.20. http://dn.hotims.com/34953-504.

Source: Maxim Integrated Products.

analog-todigital converters (ADCs) often include a fast Fourier transform (FFT) plot, such as the one shown in the figure, for a 12-bit ADC with a single-frequency input signal. In this case, a 12-bit Maxim MAX1420 ADC Jon Titus with a 60.049MHz sampling frequency (f s) sampled a 2.126MHz input tone with an amplitude of -0.5dB (fullscale). The FFT plot shows harmonics at 4.252MHz and 6.377MHz due to device nonlinearities, and the FFT indicates a noise floor at about -104dB. An ideal N-bit ADC has a theoretical signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of (6.02*N)+1.76dB, or roughly 74dB for a 12-bit converter when driven by a fullscale sine wave. Here the term “noise” refers to ADC quantization noise. But when plotting the FFT results for the test described above, this theoretical value appears worse than the measured noise f loor. This difference, called FFT processing gain, arises from the nature of the FFT, and you must keep it in mind when you examine such plots to evaluate ADC performance. You can estimate the FFT processing gain using the formula: SPECIFICATIONS

10.0 0.0 –10.0 –20.0 –30.0 –40.0 –50.0 –60.0 –70.0 –80.0 –90.0 –100.0 –110.0 –120.0 –130.0 –140.0 –150.0

Amplitude (dB FS)

24

Name Dr. Dennis Hong Job Title Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech Area of Expertise Robotics LabVIEW Helped Me Convey and respond to vast amounts of data in real time Latest Project Design and prototype a car that can be driven by the blind in just 4 months

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What Is IT? The technology of information enables mechatronic problem solving. SEVERAL U.S. AND FOREIGN universities are teaming to

develop an engineering and applied sciences campus in New York City, a center intended to rival high-tech hubs in Boston and Silicon Valley. I was interested to learn that information technology (IT) leads the city’s list of the center’s disciplines. I shouldn’t have been surprised; over the past decade many colleges have been created with the words Information Technology in their names. But what is IT, and why is it growing in importance? What is its relationship to engineering and to mechatronics? Depending who you ask, you will get a variety of answers. To get a better understanding of this misunderstood field, I turned to a colleague, one with a unique perspective. George Corliss is a professor of electrical & computer engineering at Marquette University with over 40 years of experience in mathematics, computer science, and computer engineering. He and I always try to find ways to be inclusive, and so our discussion took that tack. He started our discussion by turning the subject around to focus on the technology of information; that reframing was eye-opening and led to valuable observations. Human beings are inherently problem solvers, and all disciplines (e.g., business, social science, science, and engineering) need critical-thinking problem solvers. Problem solving requires complete, accurate information at the right time and in the right context. This becomes more of an imperative when solving complex problems, as complexity must be managed to avoid catastrophe. The technology of information deals with acquiring, transmitting, storing, analyzing, disseminating, and applying information in human-centered problem-solving activities. But that information must be transformed into useful knowledge for the problem at hand. That is the critical connection between all problem-solving disciplines and IT. In mechatronics and engineering, systems have two domains: the power domain of sensors, actuators, and mechanical systems, and the information domain of computer control and human interfacing. But IT is so much more than that, and success in human-centered design depends on it. An analogy that applies here is the field of controls. Controls is a pervasive, enabling technology that for many years D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

was thought of as the domain of the specialist and applied as an afterthought add-on, even though it was essential. Now we well appreciate that integrating controls into a system design from the very start of the design process leads to a superior design where all tradeoffs are available. The challenge, of course, is not in realizing that something must be done, but in Kevin C. Craig, Ph.D., actually making it happen. Robert C. Greenheck The same can be said for IT. If IT, as Chair in Engineering a discipline, is separate and uninvolved Design & Professor of from any discipline’s problem-solving Mechanical Engineerprocess, the result is a system without ing, College of Engifocused, timely information, which neering, Marquette University. may not be desirable, viable, sustainable, or usable. Simply put, it might be the wrong solution for the problem. Is this happening now? If so, how can this be changed? If not, how can this be prevented from happening? It is all about culture and perception. IT practitioners are toolbuilders and integrators, not servants to set up and maintain computer systems and install software. They focus on the fundamentals of human-computer interaction, information management, programming, networking, and Web systems; information assurance and security; system administration and maintenance; and system integration and architecture. They must identify and analyze user needs and take them into account in the selection, creation, evaluation, and administration of computer-based systems, as well as an ability to effectively integrate IT-based solutions into the user environment. Interaction is a two-way street, and we must all embrace this for the competitive advantage for which we all strive. DN

designnews.com Visit the Mechatronics Zone for the latest mechatronics news, trends, technologies and applications: http://mechzone. designnews.com

28

GreenScene Environmental news engineers can use \\\ By Rob Spiegel, Senior Editor

Ford Uses Cloud for Efficiency Cloud computing is making Ford hybrids more energy efficient. At the 18th World Congress in Intelligent Transport Systems, held in Orlando this past October, Ford Motor Company demonstrated smart electrification technology that uses cloud computing to optimize a plug-in hybrid’s powertrain efficiency. Ford is also using cloud technology to enhance efficiency in three areas of on-road vehicle performance: intelligent routing, intelligent driving, and intelligent operation. Cloud-based technology that predicts driver behavior is used to optimize vehicle control systems and improve vehicle performance attributes such as fuel or hybrid-electric efficiency. Ford also displayed its prototype Escape Plug-In Hybrid. This SUV uses a combination of cloudbased and proprietary technology to learn when to switch from gasoline power to all-electric upon entering a lower emissions zone.

Ford’s Escape Plug-In Hybrid prototype.

T3 Motion Launches EV for Riot Control Crowd control just got cleaner — at least when it comes to emissions. T3 Motion has introduced a new line of all-electric vehicles designed for crowd control. The Non-Lethal Response Vehicle was designed specifically to provide law enforcement with humane and safe transportation during riots and violent protests. In addition to energy efficiency, the vehicle also features high intensity LED deterrent lights, 700 roundsper-minute nonlethal shooting capabilities, a public address system, a riot shield, high capacity swappable batteries, puncture proof tires, and fast maneuverability.

GREEN UPDATES

T3’s Non-Lethal response vehicle.

SORL Debuts Electronic Foot Brake Valve In another step toward super-efficient vehicles, China’s SORL has introduced an electronic foot brake valve for electric and hybrid vehicles. The valve is designed to improve energy savings and reduce emissions. The new valve uses both dualcircuit air and dual-circuit electronic control systems to improve braking reliability. The valve’s electronic signal is designed to enhance energy utilization by controlling the brake’s energy recovery systems. The electronic braking signal transmitter also uses noncontact electromagnetic sensors to provide wear-free operations that extend the product’s life expectancy.

For regular updates on sustainable engineering news, follow Content Director Alexander Wolfe at http://twitter.com/awolfe58.

D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

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Other Stories

Ford’s Lane Keeping Technology 32 More Camera Interfaces for Machine Vision 34

Trends \\\ Breakthroughs \\\ Developments

The first production Boeing 787 Dreamliner sits parked in Mukilteo, Wash., prior to its delivery to Japan’s All Nippon Airlines in September 2011.

GAO Raises Concerns About Boeing 787 Dreamliner Composite Repairs A GAO report raises concerns about the safety of repairs and maintenance of composite structures in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A report releAsed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) raises concerns about the safety of repairs and maintenance made to composite structures in the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, as well as other composite-equipment commercial aircraft once they’re in service. After more than three years of manufacturing delays, the composite-intensive Dreamliner entered service with its first carrier, Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA), making its maiden commercial flight October 26 from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Composites of one form or another have been used in commercial aircraft for several decades. Since the 1980s, they have been used in structural elements such as the tail section. More D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

recently, manufacturers have been incorporating advanced composite materials into the fuselage and wings. The basic appeal is simple — lighter weight for the same strength as metals, resulting in a drop in fuel costs. The Dreamliner is made out of significantly more composite materials (80 percent by volume, or 50 percent by weight) than any previous aircraft. The GAO says its review focuses on the 787 because it’s the first commercial aircraft to incorporate composites in roughly half the plane by weight, excluding the engines. The 787 is also the first to have the majority of its wings and fuselage built from composite materials. The GAO report identifies four safety-related concerns about repair and maintenance procedures for in-service planes. None of the experts the GAO consulted believed the concerns were insurmountable or posed extreme safety risks, the report says, and the FAA is taking action to address the concerns. The GAO also says it’s impossible to know whether the FAA’s actions will be sufficient until the composite airplanes have entered service.

News 31 “These [repair and maintenance] issues already are being addressed through an industry-wide effort involving regulators, manufacturers, operators and maintenance and repair organizations,” Boeing noted in a prepared statement. “This is a great example of how all stakeholders work together to ensure safety continues at today’s high levels.” The four safety concerns raised in the report are: Limited information on the behavior of in-service airplane composite structures; technical issues related to the unique properties of composite materials; limited standardization of composites and repair techniques; and the level of training and awareness about composites. These become high-priority issues because of the number of unknowns involved and the lack of standards for composite repair and maintenance. The report points out that impact damage to composite structures may be hard to detect, since it’s less visible than damage to metals. Nondestructive inspection techniques for detecting and characterizing damage to composites vary with construction methods. So if repair technicians don’t apply the correct technique to a material, they are less likely to find damage. They’re also less likely to repair it correctly, since a composite repair’s quality depends heavily on which process technicians use. Clearly, the repair and maintenance process needs an overhaul to accommodate these changes. Growing Database Much of what’s known about composites comes from government-sponsored research. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has done fundamental and applied research on composites since the 1970s and 1980s. NASA’s studies explored the basic properties of advanced composites and the effects of in-flight service and environmental exposure of components. More recent NASA research has studied the aging and durability of advanced structural materials, including composites, used in aircraft. The FAA gets kudos in the report for determining that existing airworthiness regulations could not adequately evaluate the safety of the 787’s composite fuselage and wings. Accordingly, it instituted so-called “special conditions” to assess occupant safety in the event of a crash as well as whether the fuel tank structure was sound enough to prevent fuel leakage or ignition. Like the FAA, the European Aviation Safety Agency added special conditions focused on fire resistance, fuel tank protection, crashworthiness, fatigue and damage tolerance, and structural integrity. Aside from the certification process, the FAA also plays a major role in ensuring the continued safety of in-service aircraft, not only after things go wrong. The GAO report’s key concern is what happens when these mostly-composite airplanes, which will include not only Boeing’s 787 but also the Airbus 350, are in service and being monitored for repair and maintenance.

According to one study cited by the report, as many as 60 unique materials are used for repairs of composites, while traditional metal repairs require only a dozen or so. The report notes the limited standardization of repair and maintenance techniques for composites. It cites as causes for this not only a lack of experience to date, but also the numerous materials and their different behaviors when damaged, as well as the lack of data due to the proprietary nature of the materials’ construction. Fixtures for testing airframes made of composites are manufactured by several companies. German test equipment manufacturer Zwick Roell AG notes an increase in requests for fixtures and software aimed at composites, including fiberreinforced types. The company provides systems for compression after impact (CAI) tests and for testing elevated temperature and humidity. Speaking at the company’s testEXPO Materials Testing Forum, Zwick CEO Dr. Jan Stefan Roell said that both Boeing and Airbus use the CAI test. — Ann R. Thryft, Senior Technical Editor, Materials & Assembly

For More Information: Boeing: www.boeing.com GAO Report: http://dn.hotims.com/34953-505

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Ford to Jog Drowsy Drivers With LaneKeeping Tech

If you’re one of the 40 percent of Americans who say they’ve nodded off at the wheel, then Ford Motor Co. may have news that will jump-start your next moonlight drive.

D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

The gianT auTomaker is rolling out a lane-keeping technology that can recognize drowsy drivers and help them stay alert and in their lane. The announcement is significant, not only because drowsy driving is so common, but also because Ford is delivering the technology to mid-level vehicles, instead of just luxury-class cars. Ford said it will launch the technology in early 2012 on the Ford Explorer. “This is a huge change,” said Michael Kane, vehicle engineering supervisor for driver assistance technologies at Ford. “We’re putting this technology on vehicles that the common person will be able to afford.” The key to the new technology is a rearview mirror module that contains a pair of microcontrollers (MCUs) and a camera. The first of the two MCUs incorporates an image processor that handles data from the camera. The second runs software that examines the light and dark images and determines if the driver is inadvertently crossing over the lane lines. “The camera is like an eye — we can only react to what it can see,” Kane told us. “But we worked with our suppliers to make sure that, even under different environmental conditions, we have the best opportunity to see the lines.” The software is robust enough to know if a driver is unintentionally leaving the driving lane, Kane said. It can recognize lane lines at night and on wet highways. It also watches to see if the driver is using the car’s turn signals. If so, it suppresses any alerts. “We have an amazingly complex algorithm,” Kane said. “We don’t want it to intrude on the driver’s experience. We only warn them when we fully believe they need to be warned.” Warnings come in various forms, which the driver can customize. If the system detects a driving pattern that’s consistent with drowsy driving, for example, a “driver alert” mode sounds a chime and illuminates a coffee cup icon on the dashboard’s instrument cluster. If a driver prefers a more aggressive “lanekeeping alert” mode, the vehicle can

Medical Technology: Portable Devices

Wireless Heart monitoring Cuts Healthcare Costs An inexpensive, ANT-powered ECG patch promises to take the pressure off hospital intensive care units by predicting relapses. By Jay Tyzzer, Nordic SemicoNducTor

I

ntensive care doesn’t come cheap. Specially trained medical staff, complex monitoring equipment, exotic drugs, and round-the-clock care stretch hospital budgets. But even the hardest-hearted administrator isn’t about to slash intensive care funding. These specialized facilities deal with critically ill people, and

managers aren’t keen to be seen putting a price on a human life. Nonetheless, there is an ethical way to reduce the expense of such a department by reducing the risk that patients who’ve recovered sufficiently to move to a general ward don’t relapse and return. And as if that wasn’t incentive enough, the increasing vigilance

of insurance companies looking for the slightest excuse to offload their financial responsibilities should close the deal. “Around a third of patients currently relapse and have to be returned to intensive care,” notes Keith Errey, CEO of Isansys Lifecare, an Abingdon, U.K. based company that develops and

LifeTouch HrV011 is unobtrusive and inexpensive. [w w w. d e s ig n n e w s . c o m ]

De c e m b e r 2011 M e d ical Te ch no lo gy: P o rTable d e v ice s / a s uP P le Me nT T o de s ign n ews S1

Medical Technology: Portable Devices implements continuous physiological patient information platforms. “The cost of putting a patient back into critical care is an order of magnitude more than keeping them on a general ward.” The hearT of The MaTTer

Intensive care is characterized by rigorous patient supervision. Sick people are constantly monitored by an array of expensive equipment displaying and recording vital signs such as pulse, blood pressure, respiration rate, and blood oxygen level. Medical staff can rapidly intervene if these vital signs change for the worse. But when a patient stabilizes and moves to a general ward, there’s a step change in the observation routine. That’s acceptable for an improving person, but it’s a problem for one that’s figure 1: Typical ecg waveform (normal sinus rhythm) showing standard features, about to relapse. including those measured by the lifeTouch hrv011. “On the general ward patients are monitored perhaps once every two hours or even every four hours,” says To the experienced medical practitio- “There have been many algorithms Errey. “Unfortunately, a lot of changes ner, an ECG trace of a series of heartdeveloped to predict a series of things can occur between readings.” beats reveals much about the health of ranging from stress all the way through What’s needed is a way to duplicate a patient (see Fig. 1). The trace tracks to imminent cardiac arrest. It is an the continuous monitoring of the the electrical activity of the heart, interesting parameter to measure with intensive care environment on the which directly correlates to the muscle accuracy, and that’s what we’ve done general ward, but without the expense. activity during the beat, and reveals [with LifeTouch].” That way, patients in danger of relapse how the heart is performing. DaTa reDucTion can be identified early and Technology like ThiS will be But the clever part of Lifetreated before becoming sick is not so much in what enough to merit a return to ManDaTeD for every hoSpiTal Touch it measures, as what it then critical care. Today, no such paTienT in a few yearS TiMe does with the collected raw solution exists, but Errey says data. that’s about to change — in becauSe iT ServeS aS a Isansys needed the monitor part due to ultra low-power quanTiTaTive MeaSure of (or patch) to be unobtrusive wireless technology. and inexpensive, yet able to “At Isansys our business healThcare Delivery. connect to the hospital’s inmodel is to offer a continutranet. Wireless technology looks after ous physiological monitoring service For example, a larger than normal the connectivity, eliminating inconvefor general care patients comprising amplitude of the ECG’s QRS complex monitoring devices for vital signs such indicates cardiac hypertrophy (increased nient cables (which can also generate unwanted artifacts in the ECG signal). as pulse, blood pressure, and blood heart muscle mass), and a shortening To keep it unobtrusive, the device oxygen levels,” he explains. duration can indicate the onset of aris compact and light. And because the Isansys’ solution starts with a semirhythmia (irregular heart rhythms that patch needs to be cheap, it uses proven, disposable wireless cardiac monitor can lead to a cardiac arrest). readily available electronics. supporting low cost continuous electroAnother key clinical parameter is Isansys chose Nordic Semiconduccardiogram (ECG) heart monitoring. heart-rate variability, which is meator’s nRF24AP2 single-chip connectivCalled the LifeTouch HRV011, the sured by looking at how the relative ity, 2.4GHz, ultra low-power transceivmonitor is now available for deployment positions of the R peaks vary over er running Cochrane, Canada-based via structured proof-of-concept studies. time. “The normal state exhibits a ANT’s RF protocol software (with It is important to note that the Lifelarge change in variability, whereas Isansys’ own application layer) for the Touch monitors are not being offered for the pathological or sick state exhibits wireless functionality. Processing power commercial or clinical use in the U.S. minimal variability,” explains Errey. S2 Med i c a l T ec h no l o g y: P o rTa b l e d e v i c e s / a s u P P l eMe nT T o de s ign ne ws d e c e mb e r 2011

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Medical Technology: Portable Devices is provided by Energy Micro’s Gecko microcontroller. A CR2032 3V coin cell powers the electronics.

LifeTouch samples at 1000Hz with 12 bit resolution, generating 12 kilobits of data per second. But instead of

LifeTouch HRV011 is now available for deployment via structured proof-of-concept studies. AirMotor_DesignNewsNewsletter:Layout 1 11/8/11 3:33 PM Page 1

continuously transmitting across the wireless link, which would place a heavy toll on the battery, the device uses an intelligent data reduction algorithm whereby the key clinical parameters are extracted from the relatively large volume of raw data. The algorithm is extremely efficient and can reduce the 12kbps down to just a few hundred bits per second of essential data. “We didn’t need a radio with large bandwidth, but we did need one that was ultra efficient and consequently yielded long battery life,” says Errey. “That’s one of the reasons why we chose Nordic’s ANT chip.” According to Errey, Bluetooth wireless technology was not a good choice because of power consumption and the fact that if the signal is lost, it takes a long time to reestablish the link. He adds that ZigBee wireless was also not suitable because it’s primarily designed for control applications, rather than healthcare. And low power Wi-Fi was far too demanding on the battery.

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Medical Technology: Portable Devices “The battery life using ANT technolyears time because it serves as a quanOn top of the base ANT protocol, ogy is terrific,” Errey enthuses. “We’ve titative measure of healthcare delivery,” Isansys has developed its own custombeen able to transmit useful ECG data says Errey. “The ability to provide this ized application layer that meets the continuously for 150 hours from a measure will become universal on the stringent requirements demanded in single CR2032 coin cell battery. In a clinical care side, because, among other medical implementations. normal operational mode [transmitting things, it will ensure that the hospital can “It’s important that we can maintain four times a second with the microcon- the required regulatory status of the prove to interested parties that it has met troller continually analyzing data] the its duty-of-care obligations.” protocol for the lifetime of the prodbattery life is specified for 100 hours of uct,” explains Errey. “That includes Errey says that in 2012 this issue will continuous operation.” become even more imporBuT The clever parT of The ECG patch transtant, as many major medical mits to a gateway device insurers in the United States lifeTouch is NoT so much that acts as a hub — which threaten to classify intensive iN whaT iT measures, as will eventually take the care readmissions as a failure whaT iT TheN does wiTh The data from all of the paby the hospital and will then tient’s wireless monitoring refuse to pay for care. collecTed raw daTa. devices and perform more “I think that makes Lifeprocessing on the information before Touch very timely,” he says. “And it not making clinical decisions on the sending it via TCP/IP to the hospital means wireless health monitoring is rare occasions that data isn’t successintranet. going to be vast. I really think this is fully transmitted across the wireless Isansys’ LifeTouch utilizes ANT’s the next big thing.” link. The software tells us when that proven software protocol, as used in happens.” millions of wireless applications across Jay Tyzzer is a senior application The NexT Big ThiNg engineer with Nordic Semiconductor. the world. According to Errey, the “I think technology like this will be manFor more information, go to www. ANT ecosystem increased the comdated for every hospital patient in a few isansys.com/en/lifetouch_monitor. pany’s confidence in the technology.

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Medical Technology: Portable Devices

Opening Up a New World of Treatment Implantable pulse generators “stimulate” medical device industry. By ChriS VaillanCourt, Morgan teChniCal CeraMiCS

I

n recent years, there has been great excitement about neuromodulation to treat a wide array of medical conditions and diseases. The technology uses electrical signals to stimulate or block different nerve impulses in the body and is adapted from technology used in cardiac rhythm management. It holds promise for a variety of conditions, including reducing or eliminating back pain, curing obesity, lowering high blood pressure, and controlling diabetes without daily injections of insulin. Advanced ceramic materials are playing an important role in the technology and are poised to play an even greater one as these medical devices flood onto the market to treat an increasing number of ailments. Ceramic-to-metal brazed assemblies for hermetically sealed electrical feedthroughs, piezocomposite materials that facilitate ultrasonic device communication, and biocompatible ceramics as an alternative to titanium device casings are just a few of the ways that advanced ceramics are enhancing this technology. These ceramic materials and technologies play an important role in developing innovative treatment methods that were simply not possible with traditional materials. Research and development on new ceramic composite materials and assemblies, as well as high pin density feedthrough assemblies, are being pursued to enable next generation neuromodulation devices that will provide better treatment, improved patient safety and convenience, and better communication with other devices.

Figure 1. an array of electrical feedthroughs are laser welded to an ipg case.

iMplantaBle pulSe generatorS — Key to the new teChnology

Central to the technology is a neurostimulator, usually referred to as an implantable pulse generator (IPG). The IPG is a battery powered microelectronic device, implanted in the body, which delivers electrical stimulation to the nervous system. The IPG, an essential part of surgically implanted systems, delivers very small pulses of electricity to block or stimulate nerve signals (or impulses), depending upon the condition being treated. Figure 1 shows an array of different electrical feedthroughs that are laserwelded to an IPG case. They provide reliable transport of electrical signals from the IPG electronics, hermetically sealed

inside the case, to the appropriate nerve locations to produce treatment. In some cases, the devices are applied to conditions for which medicines either haven’t been completely effective or have unpleasant side effects. In other cases, nerve stimulation is looked at as a way to control the condition more conveniently for the patient, alone or in combination with medicine. The payoff would be significant if a device could be implanted in the body laparoscopically, with only a very small incision. Imagine a 20 minute outpatient surgery, followed by years of 100 percent patient compliance, with no possibility of forgetting to take medication. The thought has doctors, patients, and insurance companies very excited.

S8 Med i c a l t ec h no l o g y: P o rta b l e d e v i c e s / a s u P P l e Me nt to de s ign ne ws D e c e mb e r 2011

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Medical Technology: Portable Devices The FeedThrough — hermeTic STrucTure Key To SucceSS

One key component of the IPG devices is the feedthrough, the mechanical structure that provides the electrical connection for the leads to get in and out of the device housing. This tiny component performs several key functions. First, the feedthrough provides the conduit for communication of signals between the IPG and the body. Second, the feedthrough’s hermetic seal keeps body fluids outside the IPG device and prevents electricity and battery materials from leaking out into the body. It must be completely and totally leakfree. It also has to be robust enough to withstand radio frequency and eliminate interference from MRI equipment and antitheft scanners. This tiny piece of device real estate can contain as few as two leads and up to around 30. Morgan Technical Ceramics — Alberox (MTC-Alberox) specializes in feedthrough customization, providing design assistance and often working through several design iterations with the device designer before arriving at the optimized feedthrough for the device. “The feedthrough technology is changing rapidly, as next generation devices get smaller and more compact and device designers seek to add more leads to improve the therapeutic value of the devices,” says John Antalek, MTC-Alberox’s medical unit business manager. Antalek says that many device manufacturers start with an off-the-shelf feedthrough to get their first generation device on the market. Their next generation devices are much smaller and more compact, which makes them more palatable to doctors and patients. “They also have a lot more bells and whistles and customers come to MTC to obtain a customized feedthrough that incorporates the additional features needed. Since we make our ceramic components in house, we have developed manufacturing processes capable of producing numerous sizes and shapes of feedthroughs to match the device design needs.” STimulaTing From head To Toe — exampleS oF ipg applicaTionS

New medical uses for IPG devices are patented frequently. Among the conditions for which the devices show the

neuromodulation holds promise for a variety of conditions, including reducing or eliminating back pain, curing obesity, lowering high blood pressure, and controlling diabetes without daily injections of insulin.

most promise are chronic back pain, hypertension, and diabetes. Examples of devices focused on these conditions (available now or under investigation) are provided below. • Chronic back pain. IPG devices deliver mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord, which interrupt or mask the transmission of pain signals to the brain. In this application, the IPG is implanted in the back, in close proximity to the nerve that doctors are trying to block. • Hypertension (high blood pressure). Most patients with high blood pressure control the condition using a regimen of antihypertensive drugs. Many studies have reported, however, a persistence of refractive hypertension (elevated blood pressure despite using at least two antihypertensive drugs) in as much as 18 percent of the patient population. The IPG devices are being developed to provide an improved therapy for treating hypertension, which is not only safe and effective but also avoids undesirable side effects of drug therapy. The system includes an IPG, sensors and leads, and external electronics for calibration, programming, and periodic adjustment of parameters by the attending physician. For example, one hypertension treatment clinical trial is investigating whether

an implanted device can help control high blood pressure by stimulating pressure sensors called baroreceptors located on the carotid artery and in the carotid sinus. These sensors measure and report blood pressure to the brain, where it is compared to the needs of the body. Another study is investigating a device that stimulates the vagus nerve to control obesity; researchers testing the device have seen a dramatic drop in hypertension as an unexpected benefit of the therapy. • Diabetes. Several devices are being used or are under development, especially as an option for patients with diabetes unresponsive to drug therapy. An IPG is implanted to stimulate or inhibit the patient’s vagus nerve to modulate its electrical activity and increase or decrease secretion of natural insulin by the patient’s pancreas. The stimulator might be selectively activated in response to direct measurement of blood glucose or symptoms, or could be activated automatically for predetermined times or intervals. Alternatively, it could be automatically activated using an implanted sensor to detect blood glucose concentrations. One implantable system, originally tested to control obesity and other gastrointestinal disorders, is showing some promise in controlling diabetes. The device is designed to precisely control nerve and organ function using the vagal

S10 Medi c a l T ec h no l o g y: P o rTa b l e d e v i c e s / a s u P P l e Me nT To de s ign ne ws D e c e mb e r 2011

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Get Your Motor nerves, which regulate much stomach and pancreas activity. The studied device delivers high frequency, low energy electrical signals through laparoscopically implanted leads to block vagal nerve transmission. The delivery of energy to the nerves is intermittent and the effects of the therapy on the nerves and end organs are intended to be reversible. The system is designed to be precisely programmed and noninvasively adjusted to meet individual needs.

Today’s feedthroughs are constructed by assembling many different parts, stacking them into complicated arrays with brazed materials, and putting them in a furnace for joining. Researchers are now developing high density feedthroughs using cutting edge advanced ceramic materials and processing technologies that use miniaturization techniques to pack many more wires together in a much tighter space.

• Other conditions. Headaches, obesity, epilepsy, depression, Parkinson’s disease, syncope, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome are a few of the many other conditions for which this treatment is being investigated.

Body coMMunicationS

More StiMulation in the Future

The trend in implantable devices is miniaturization. New devices tend to be smaller, but with a greater number of leads that get more signals into and out of a single device. It is clear that improving the feedthrough and expanding its capability are central to the next generation of IPGs. Future neurostimulator applications are currently looking at 100-200 leads, which will give device manufacturers opportunities to add further treatment to an implantable system. “We know where the IPG device is headed and we want to proactively provide improved feedthrough capabilities to help the device manufacturers meet their needs,” says MTC-Alberox’s John Antalek. “Just look at how far we’ve come with cardiac rhythm management. Pacemakers were the size of a BlackBerry just a few years ago and had only two leads. Now the typical pacemaker is about the size of a lighter and can have as many as 10 leads, some of which allow better communication to the device, monitoring of other patient information, and the ability to send information directly from the device to a doctor.” Additional leads could also build in intentional redundancy, which would reduce the device downtime and eliminate the need to remove the device if any of the leads fail. One of the most exciting avenues of research to increase the number of leads is high density feedthroughs that could contain 10 times the number of leads with current size and spacing. [w w w. d e s ig n n e w s . c o m ]

Another important development in the IPG arena is the development of “body communications,” in which ultrasonic devices are placed into a medical device casing and used to remotely power and communicate with other devices in the body. “This next level of improvement has great advantages, because it could mean that no wires would have to be implanted,” notes Mark Bartrum, transducer design manager for the ElectroCeramics business of Morgan Technical Ceramics (MTC ElectroCeramics) in Bedford, Ohio. MTC ElectroCeramics uses its piezo ceramic components (high density piezoelectric transducer and single crystal piezo materials) in medical device manufacturing. “Implanting wires in the body can be a challenge. They may eventually fail and subsequent removal and replacement can be difficult. Also, using ultrasound, as opposed to radio frequency, means the communication stays within the body. This means one person’s medical device is less likely to interfere with another person’s device and it could be more readily protected against interference from MRI equipment, scanners, or other large electrical devices.” Using ultrasound to both power and interrogate remote sensors is a likely development for many implantable devices, but wiring would still be needed for neurostimulators, where leads are attached to the skull, brain, or spine. In the future, however, the main implant might be able to communicate with other devices implanted in the body or the external programmer via ultrasound, rather than radio frequency. Another exciting development, the use of piezo ceramic components, is an outgrowth from technology in cochlear implants. The Bedford, Ohio, plant has

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Medical Technology: Portable Devices researched a custom assembly that uses piezo ceramic components to increase resolution for an annunciator that could be inserted into a main IPG and use intelligible speech to warn the user that an event is occurring. New biocompatible materials for ipGs

Most IPGs are made of titanium, a strong and light metal that is lustrous and corrosion resistant. Along with efforts to improve the basic electrical feedthroughs so more leads can be added, ceramic injection molding (CIM) is being tested to develop a thin-walled ceramic case that could be smaller, simpler, and provide more efficient communications to the device electronics. CIM enables production of small components with very high precision and without a secondary grinding process. For example, MTC’s Stourport, U.K., CIM facility is in the early stages of developing an implantable housing for use in migraine and cluster headache treatment that is made using Zirconia injection molding. Zirconia is the preferred material for this device because it has a high mechanical strength that allows the casing to be made with very thin walls. The ceramic casing would then be brazed and hermetically bonded to the feedthrough. The Zirconia ceramic casing is stronger than titanium, allowing for a mechanically robust structure in a smaller housing. By comparison, an Alumina equivalent would be strong, but twice as thick. Both Zirconia and Alumina are transparent to radiofrequency energy, so signals could be passed through the wall for communication and possible charging. The hope is that developing a device casing out of Zirconia would mean that no feedthrough wires would be needed to connect to an antenna. Keeping the antenna within the device improves function for the patient. The Zirconia material is also inherently insulating, so electrical wires can be placed closer than in a metal flanged feedthrough brazed into a metal housing. Such a device would have no need for a battery, so it would not require replacement, as long as it retains its hermetic seal. Finally, the injection molded Zirconia is a biocompatible material that complies with ISO 13356 implants for surgery.

ipG devices deliver mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord, which interrupt or mask the transmission of pain signals to the brain.

Next steps

The market for neuromodulation is estimated at more than $2 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) estimated at 18 percent to 22 percent and a seemingly never-ending supply of new applications for the basic technology. With an increasing acceptance by the Food and Drug Administration and insurance companies, preference over some drug therapies, and increasing device complexity to deliver more features and tailored effect, it is clear that developing the next generation of IPGs is critical to advancing neuromodulation technology. What is also clear is that advanced ceramics will be a major part of that quest. Morgan Technical Ceramics’ experience as a multinational ceramics manufacturer enables it to take technologies from other parts of the advanced ceramics business and use them in new areas of business. The same robust biocompatible materials already being used to make implantable drug delivery devices may soon be used to develop a feedthrough that will be used in next generation IPGs. Chris Vaillancourt is new business development manager at Morgan Technical Ceramics. For more information, go to www.morgantechnicalceramics.com. [www.designnews .com]

Medical Technology: Portable Devices

IN THE MARKETPLACE Medical Grade epoxy adheSive Withstands high temperatures and repeated sterilization.

pro-dex MotorS Motors remain cool, even when operated under continuous load. Pro-Dex precision motors are 3/4 inch in diameter and produce stall torques from 2.8 inch-oz to 1200 inch-oz, at free speeds of 40,000rpm to 7rpm. Motors operate on compressed air, nitrogen, or other inert gases at pressures up to 150psi. They have an aluminum and stainless steel construction and are available with either direct drive or internal gearing.

seat to close off the emergency port or the normal port, this 0.375 inch diameter shuttle valve is available in a metal seat version, as well as a polymeric seat version for applications requiring zero leak-

Features: Capable of tolerating the harsh environments of the medical industry, Master Bond EP42HT-2ND2MED (black) fully complies with the testing requirements of USP Class VI plastics. This two component epoxy resists recurrent autoclaving and sterilizations including radiation, steam, ethylene oxide, and chemical sterilants. EP42HT-2ND2MED (black) is an excellent electrical insulator with a volume resistivity over 1012ohm-cm, a thermal expansion coefficient of 35 inch/inch to 40 inch/inch x 10-6/C, a dielectric constant of 3.8, and a tensile strength exceeding 12,000psi at ambient temperatures. Heat resistant up to 450F, it also withstands chemicals such as inorganic and organic acids, alkalis, organic solvents, and aromatic hydrocarbons. This epoxy cures at room temperature in 48 hours to 72 hours. Its optimal curing schedule is overnight at room temperature followed by 2 to 3 hours of heat curing at 100C to 125C. EP42HT-2ND2MED (black) has a noncritical mix ratio of 100:40 by weight or 100:50 by volume, and a paste consistency with minimal flow when applied. It offers a lengthy working life of 30 minutes to 45 minutes for a mixed 100 gram batch at ambient temperatures, which can be increased by using shallow mixing vessels or mixing smaller batches. Parts A and B for EP42HT-2ND2MED (black) are available for use in syringes, half pints, pints, quarts, gallons, and five gallon containers. master bond Inc. www.masterbond.com [w w w. d e s ig n n e w s . c o m ]

• Advanced rotor blade design and highly polished cylinder for continuous operation; • Precision ball bearings virtually eliminates friction and wear; • Repeated stalling, instant reversing will not harm the motor; • Spark-free operation is suitable for use in contaminated, wet, or explosive environments; • Instant on, instant off, no wind-up or coasting;

• Hardened planetary gear system provides increased torque transmission capabilities and long life; • Lower air consumption than larger motors conserves energy. Pro-Dex Inc. www.pro-dex.com Miniature detented Shuttle valve For high pressure applications. The Lee Company’s 375 Detented Shuttle Valve is for high pressure applications with system pressures up to 5000psi. Featuring a poppet that latches at either

age. This miniature valve weighs 12g and is 100 percent tested and inspected to ensure reliable, consistent performance. The Lee company www.TheLeeCo.com SenSor SiGnal conditioner ic Offers enhanced on-board diagnostics and second-order linearity correction. ZMD AG’s ZSSC3008 sensor signal conditioning integrated circuit (IC) is a costeffective solution for resistive bridge sensor systems that require second-order linearity correction for a wide range of sensors. The ZSSC3008 is optimized for those applications with sensors that do not require temperature compensation because they have an intrinsically low temperature coefficient (TC). This includes ceramic pressure sensors, thin-film pressure sensors with good TC performance, and oil-filled stainless steel or passively compensated sensors. The calibrated ZSSC3008 and a specific sensor are mated digitally: fast, precise, and without the cost overhead associated with trimming by external devices or laser. The ZSSC3008 offers a full complement of on-board diagnostics and protection features such as EEPROM signature, bridge connection checks, bridge input-short and open-bridge detection, power loss detection, and output current

De c e m b e r 2011 M e d i c al T e ch no lo gy: P o rTable de v ice s / a s uP P le Me nT T o de s ign news

S13

Medical Technology: Portable Devices limits for shortcircuit protection. For sensor correction, the device employs offset correction and gain programming to precisely calibrate the bridge output signal. Two analog and one digital outputs offer versatility across many applications. Programming and single-pass calibration of the sensor and the ZSSC3008 is implemented in a standard PC environment using the ZSSC3008KIT development tools. The kit includes the device, development board, USB cable, and calibration software. The ZSSC3008’s standard supply voltage is 2.7V to 5.5V, or up to 30V with external JFET. Accuracy is 0.25 percent over the -25C to +85C range, and 0.5 percent from -40C to +125C. Depending upon configuration, current consumption typically ranges from 1mA down to 250μA. Response time is typically 1ms. Zentrum mikroelektronik Dresden AG (ZmDI) www.zmdi.com

Compact OEM Piston Pump

Medical clad Wire Custom manufactured clad composite wire lets medical device makers innovate more effectively by combining several properties into a single wire. Anomet Medical Clad Wire can achieve characteristics not available in a single alloy wire by combining one or more precious metals and a core material into a single wire with the desired OEM properties. Formulated to achieve various combinations of strength, weight, conductivity, biocompatibility, and/or radiopacity, the clad composite wire is offered in 0.002 inch to 0.060 inch O.D. sizes with 2 percent or more cladding thickness. An implantable connector, for example, could feature Anomet Medical Clad Wire with platinum metallurgically bonded to a stainless steel or nitinol core. A radiopaque wire can feature platinum and platinum-iridium, tantalum and tantalum-tungsten, and similar alloys in clad composite with 316LVM stainless steel, nitinol, and MP35N. Other clad formulations can simply achieve cost savings over solid wire. Anomet Medical Clad Wire is priced according to configuration and quantity, supplied on spools. Anomet Products Inc. www.anometproducts.com

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KNF NEUBERGER, INC. 2 Black Forest Road Trenton, NJ 08691-1810 609/890-8600 • Fax: 609-890-8323 www.knf.com/oempiston.htm

Cicoil’s light-weight cables can incorporate any variety of power, data, and video conductors in a single compact cable design. In addition to every type of electrical conductor, the cables can also include single and multi-lumen tubing for air or liquid transfer, and even fiber optics, all in the same cable. The cables are also 100 percent contaminant-free, as they are rated for Class 1 clean room use. Incorporating multiple elements into a single, compact flat cable makes medical equipment significantly smaller, quieter, and more energy efficient. The silicone encapsulation provides a solid, one-piece construction that creates a highly durable cable package that will not break, deform, or wear during a lifetime of more than 10 million cycles, even under high speed flexing or tight bending radius conditions. Cicoil’s exclusive silicone extrusion process also delivers advantages in extreme environments, including temperatures ranging from -65C to +260C, and the cables are impervious to water, steam, UV light, and most chemicals. cicoil www.cicoil.com

s14 Medi c a l T ec h no l o g y: P o rTa b l e d e v i c e s / a s u P P l e Me nT To de s ign ne ws D e c e mb e r 2011

[www.designnews .com]

Medical Technology: Portable Devices ARM BASED DEVELOPMENT KIT The DM3730 provides ARM and graphics processing performance coupled with low power consumption. Element14’s DM3730 ARM based development kit is a complete embedded development system that accelerates time to market for media-rich, portable applications. The kit provides developers with an ARM based TI DaVinci digital media processor is tailored for digital audio, video, imaging, and vision applications. The DM3730 device includes a general purpose processor, video accelerators, and C64 DSP, and is tailored for a range of applications like portable data terminals, navigation, auto infotainment, gaming, medical imaging, home automation, human interface, test and measurement, and industrial control. The kit provides easy access to ARM Cortex-A8 Core based MCU design, enabling engineers to design their applications with high quality graphics and video apps with low power consumption. The kit is supported by multiple hardware peripherals including LCD touch screen interface and works with Android, Microsoft Windows CE, and Linux operating systems. Element14 www.element14.com

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S11 S3

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S15

KNF Neuberger Inc.

S14

Master Bond Inc.

S12

Parker Hannifin Corp.

S5

Polyone Corp.

S7

Pro-Dex Medical Division

S4

The Lee Company

S9

Publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions in this index.

ISO 13485

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MEETING YOUR NEEDS FOR

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DE C E M B E R 2011 M E D I CAL T E CH NO LO GY: P O RTABLE DE V ICE S / A S UP P LE ME NT TO DE S IGN N EWS S15

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notify the driver by vibrating the steering wheel. Finally, a lane-keeping aid takes the technology even further by supplying steering torque to move the vehicle back to the center of the lane. Ford says the technology will be a significant one for drivers. It cites statistics from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety that 40 percent of drivers have nodded off at the wheel. Other automakers have employed various kinds of lane-keeping technology. Up to now, however, the technology has been reserved for high-end cars. Ford’s announcement changes that. By building on the existing electric power assist steering (EPAS) technology, the company’s engineers are enabling Ford to move lane keeping to a broader swath of vehicles, Kane said. The key to Ford’s plan is its intelligent use of the EPAS technology. During operation, the lane-keeping system’s mirror module sends the processed image

The lane-keeping system can detect when the vehicle drifts close to lane markings.

information to the vehicle’s CAN (controller area network) bus, which connects to the EPAS system. The EPAS’s motor, in turn, uses the signal from the lanekeeping system to send a rumble-strip feeling through the steering gear and into the driver’s hands. Or it can employ the signal from the lane-keeping system to steer the car back into its lane. Ironically, Ford didn’t add the EPAS technology for the purpose of incorporating a lane-keeping feature. Rather, it added EPAS as a way of boosting fuel efficiency, because electric steering eliminates the need for the conventional belts

and pumps that sap fuel efficiency. But by switching to EPAS and improving its fuel efficiency, Ford was able to add such features as parking assistance and lane keeping more easily. The automaker plans to incorporate the lane-keeping technology in future unnamed vehicles. It has not said whether lane keeping is forming the foundation for more powerful features, such as collision avoidance. For the moment, Ford engineers see lane-keeping technology as a safety feature unto itself. “We’re using it as a warning — a gentle nudge,” Kane said. “We’re just trying to direct the driver’s attention to the road ahead.” — Charles Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics & Test

For More information: Ford Motor Co.: www.ford.com AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: www.aaafoundation.org

VIBRATIONAL LOOSENING

CLAMPLOAD RETENTION AND COST COMPARISON

100

THREADLOCKERS ARE

RELIABLE & COST-EFFECTIVE Loctite® Threadlockers outperform traditional locking devices. Loctite® 243™ and 263™ Liquid Threadlockers’ new formula offers: – High temperature performance – up to 360°F – Improved oil tolerance – can be used on as-received fasteners – Primerless cure, even on plated or stainless steel – Thicker viscosity adheres well to the threads — no drips, cleaner formula

Spec in reliability. Specify Loctite® Anaerobic Threadlockers. TO REQUEST A SAMPLE, visit www.useloctite.com/DA22. For technical assistance, call 1.800.LOCTITE (562.8483).

4¢ 11¢

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News 33

60 40 20 4¢

0 0

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1000

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Note: Pricing based on 100 units purchased at an industrial distributor. Loctite® pricing based on 50 ml bottle price and number of drops required per application.

Except as otherwise noted, all marks used in 7434 are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Henkel and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and elsewhere. ® = registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. © Henkel Corporation, 2011. All rights reserved. 7434 (8/11)

34 News Automation & Control

How Many Interfaces Does Machine Vision Need?

More camera interfaces for machine vision exist today than since the very beginning of machine vision. Since January, two new interface

standards have been introduced: the

D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

serial Camera Link HS and CoaXPress. Now a third, called USB3 Vision, is under development, targeted for release in 2012. At first glance, it might seem that the more camera interface standards, the merrier. In March, the Japan Industrial Imaging Association ( JIIA) finalized coax cable-based CoaXPress. At the Automate 2011 show in Chicago that month, a pre-release form of the “nextgeneration” high-speed Camera Link HS standard was unveiled. The Automated Imaging Association (AIA) expects to release Camera Link HS, which will not be backward compatible with Camera Link, in November this year. There’s also the serial GigE Vision interface, which makes it easier to take advantage of Ethernet’s ubiquity and build pointto-multipoint vision networks, plus the original, parallel Camera Link. Aside from these three, soon to be five, machine vision-specific choices, some engineers designing industrial vision systems use interfaces based on general-purpose protocols originating in consumer PCs. USB, now in its “SuperSpeed” version of USB 3.0, is one contender, as are FireWire and even plain vanilla Gigabit Ethernet. Now the count is up to six standards, and it will reach eight some time next year. Some engineers prefer these direct camera connections that don’t need a frame grabber. With their open standard cables and other components, hooking up USB or Gigabit Ethernet cameras is generally easier than with some of the machine vision-specific interfaces. Some vendors also support these standards so they can control the software, drivers, and protocols in their cameras. This makes it easier to add new features quickly and integrate cameras based on different interfaces without changing code. On the other hand, protocols designed specifically for machine vision, like Camera Link and Camera Link HS, directly support features that machine vision systems need, such as asymmetric data bandwidth and low-latency

News 35 triggers or GPIO within the cable. They also tend to be simpler than general-purpose protocols. Having choices can be a good thing. The newer machine vision-specific standards are becoming a necessity, especially for increasingly popular multi-camera systems. The parallel, point-to-point Camera Link protocol needs only one frame grabber per camera. These cards, and the connecting cables, don’t come cheap, since Camera Link is essentially a closed standard specific to machine vision. Serial Camera Link HS transfers far more bits per wire, so it handles both traditional point-to-point configurations with a single camera and a single frame grabber, and different flavors of multipoint systems with multiple frame grabbers, multiple cameras, or both. But six or eight is a lot of interfaces for camera and frame grabber vendors, making it tough to decide where to spend their R&D dollars. Not all frame

grabber suppliers are thrilled at the prospect, since they usually provide more choices than camera makers. Some have said this many standards complicates the supply chain, dilutes R&D budgets, and confuses vision system designers and production engineers. Then there’s the software investment problem, which makes protecting legacy applications a priority and provokes dread of the time, expense, and hassle needed to convert from one standard to another. Although little is known yet about USB3 Vision, USB 3.0 is well understood and embraced by several machine vision camera makers, as well as some frame grabber suppliers. The 3.0 version is a lot faster than its predecessor, USB 2.0, and more deterministic, which is critical in real-time factory floor video networks. At this year’s Vision 2011 show in Stuttgart from November 8 to November 10, a special exhibition on international machine vision standards will

Measuring just 29mm x 29mm x 30mm, Point Grey’s FL3-U3 “SuperSpeed” USB 3.0 camera is designed for machine and computer vision applications.

feature USB 3.0 among others in a series of demonstrations that will attempt to unravel the confusion surrounding interfaces, according to a press release. I wish I could attend. I hope there will be presentations. DN — Ann R. Thryft, Senior Technical Editor, Materials & Assembly

For More Information: CoaXPress: www.coaxpress.com Camera Link HS: http://dn.hotims.com/34953-507

NO DRIPS, CLEANER FORMULA

THREADLOCKERS ARE

PRIMERLESS & OIL TOLERANT Loctite® Threadlockers outperform traditional locking devices. Loctite® 243™ and 263™ Liquid Threadlockers’ new formula offers: – High temperature performance – up to 360°F – Improved oil tolerance – can be used on as-received fasteners – Primerless cure, even on plated or stainless steel – Thicker viscosity adheres well to the threads — no drips, cleaner formula

Spec in reliability. Specify Loctite® Anaerobic Threadlockers. TO REQUEST A SAMPLE, visit www.useloctite.com/DA22. For technical assistance, call 1.800.LOCTITE (562.8483).

Except as otherwise noted, all marks used in 7434 are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Henkel and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and elsewhere. ® = registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. © Henkel Corporation, 2011. All rights reserved. 7434 (8/11)

36

Cover Story

Additive Techniques Come to Low-Volume Manufacturing New materials are speeding 3D prototyping and short production runs. By Ann R. Thryft, Senior Technical Editor, Materials & Assembly

A

dditive manufacturing (AM) techniques produce low volumes of complex products with high quality and precision. These products typically include medical and dental prosthetics and implants. With better, engineering-quality materials, aerospace and automotive components can also be fabricated. As a form of AM, 3D printing techniques have long been used for rapid prototyping. Some of these low-cost printers help speed the design process. Low-volume AM differs from 3D model and prototype printing in how parts are used and the number of parts produced.Volumes tend to be in the tens or hundreds, or even up to the low thousands.Techniques include laser sintering (LS) and fused deposition modeling (FDM). Materials are generally thermoplastics, but some metals are sintered. “Unlike models and prototypes, end-use production parts often must endure extreme temperatures, humidity, direct sunlight, and sometime abusive handling,”Terry Wohlers, principal consultant and president for Wohlers Associates, told Design News in an interview.“They must hold up over a period of years, maybe even decades, such as in aerospace.” Standard subtractive manufacturing techniques and injection molding don’t always make sense in some industries and applications. The high cost of injection molding tools must be amortized over several thousand units. AM can be competitive when D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

37 fixed amount of time. Some plastic parts are created as “bridge” parts using selective laser sintering (SLS). Engineers can quickly get these onto the automobile and proceed with designing other parts that must be tooled, says Gregory Elfering, director of sales for 3D Systems’ 3Dproparts division. Some automotive manufacturing engineers looking for ways to make changes in body styles more automated and adaptable have settled on SLS for creating fixture parts and jigs that match up with those changes. For example, an engineer developing a gripper for grabbing a dashboard and placing it in a car during assembly can use existing CAD data for the dashboard to design the gripper, says Elfering. In aerospace, quantities of a new part may be so low that there aren’t enough buyers to justify full production. SLS is often used for these low rates of initial production (LRIP) parts in military and aerospace applications, says Elfering. Aircraft manufacturers deploy a number of components built with AM. “You can save weight, but you can also save time and costs by printing an entire assembly when you only have a few hundred parts to build, especially when using sintering,” says Crutchfield. Northwest UAV, for example, uses LS machines from EOS to build parts for its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Source: 3D Systems

producing only 2,000 units and the injection mold costs a significant amount, making the unit cost for tooling alone very high, says Bryan Crutchfield, managing director for Materialise USA. “With AM, you also have the flexibility to make a design change in CAD data, so you don’t have to also change the hard tooling, and you can build on demand.” Injection molding processes run a huge batch at once, necessitating stockpiles of material, but not so with AM, which saves on material obsolescence costs. The AM process needs several hours to build up a part layer by layer, versus three to 40 seconds of cycle time per part in high-volume manufacturing, says Crutchfield.“But if you take into account all the costs — including tooling, materials, and investment for shorter runs — that’s when you can favorably compare AM to traditional manufacturing. Stamping dies and injection molds are very expensive to produce upfront, and much more difficult to change.” Automotive manufacturers don’t use AM for production at the same levels as the aerospace, medical, and dental industries, says Wohlers. “The [high] volumes and types of parts produced for cars and trucks make it difficult to create a strong business case supporting AM for production.” As materials become stronger and more rugged, and the cost of them and of machines decline, the automotive industry will probably begin using AM to produce parts for finished products. The exception is companies that produce low volumes of high-end car models, since they have the right volumes and price points to take advantage of it, says Crutchfield. Racecars with designs that change between every race use AM, says Jeff DeGrange, vice president of direct digital manufacturing for Stratasys. “Between races you have to redesign every part family and rebuild within days. It’s only a handful of parts, but they must be made rapidly to keep to the racing schedule.” One bottleneck in automotive engineering and product development has always been tooling, which requires a

The right and left exhaust manifold, right and left rocker arm housing, and oil filter housing of this HR28TT Honda racing engine were foundry cast from metal using wax patterns made with 3D Systems’ ProJet CPX 3000.

w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 D e s i g n N e w s

Assembly and fabrication tools are also needed to make parts at the point of usage for inservice airplanes. Most vehicles see three times the service needed every week during wartime conditions, yet often all that’s needed is one to 10 parts, says DeGrange. One example is onsite repair of carbon fiber composite helicopter blades. An FDM machine makes a tool that cuts out the damaged region of the blade and then creates a composite patch. Instead of several hundred thousand dollars for a new helicopter rotor blade, the cost is a few thousand dollars. Much of this has been possible by improvements in materials. “LS and FDM [can] produce parts in thermoplastic, which is the type of material used for most manufactured plastic parts,” says Wohlers. “Stereolithography [SLA] produces nicelooking parts, but the photopolymers used in SLA do not maintain their physical properties over time. Consequently, they are rarely used for parts that go into planes, automobiles, or computers, for example. SLA is used among service providers for models and prototype parts.” SLA machines also produce quick-cast patterns that are then used to make metal parts, says Elfering. Another major area for AM is medical and dental prosthetics and implants. SLA produces hearing aids, surgical drill guides, and thermoform patterns used in orthodontic devices. Functional weight-bearing prosthetics, such as customized replacement arms and legs, must be made of extremely strong and durable materials that are also resistant to heat and moisture.Those requirements hold true for the orthopedic surgical guides surgeons use to apply these prosthetics. Previously, this meant machining metal or plastic parts, but SLS with nylon is taking over the job, says Elfering. Nylon is extremely strong and can be sterilized. Two major changes have made these prosthetics possible. First, the equipment has become extremely accurate. Second, the materials are now rated to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Class 6 medical grade. “These are patient-specific instruments, a hot button in medicine,” says Elfering. “They’re better than exist-

Source: Stratasys

38 Materials & Assembly

Up to 500 toroid housing production parts for R.C. Allen aircraft instruments can be produced in a single run with systems based on Stratasys’ fused deposition modeling (FDM) process.

ing treatments, economical, and available in short lead times that match up to the schedules for patient procedures.” Different AM processes determine final product properties. That’s because material properties are very different when fusing layers with sintering versus using inkjet, for example. Two challenges in automotive designs are developing plastic materials with flame-retardant properties and that can withstand ultraviolet (UV) exposure, says Crutchfield. “AM machine manufacturer companies and materials companies are working on stiffness, strength, resistance to extreme temperatures, and UV resistance. These are also the material properties of injection-molded plastics or steels, so AM is becoming competitive with other processes from the materials standpoint.” A few direct LS machines can produce metal end-use components.The material properties are more consistent and better known than with plastic materials. EOS, for instance, offers a range of metals for use with its LS system, including aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, and nickel alloys. Plaster-cast aluminum parts are another low-volume AM technology. An SLS machine makes a pattern and creates a plaster mold, which then goes to the foundry where aluminum or zinc is poured into it. The outcome is a realistic substitute for diecast parts used for bridge manufacturing. Diecast parts typically come from China where tooling is expensive, and can take up to 12 weeks, says Elfering.

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Source: 3D Systems

39

Racecars with designs that change between every race use, such as this Lotus Renault Formula One, can be quickly built with additive manufacturing techniques.

Over half of AM processes today are for replicating fit and form, says Zehavit Reisin, head of Objet Geometries’ consumables line of business. Fit and form applications require materials with dimensional stability and accurate visualization. For example, Objet’s VeroClear transparent fit and form material is being used for automotive lighting, such as plexiglass light guides, lamps, and display panels. In April 2011, Objet debuted its first ABS-like RGD5160-DM material that simulates engineering quality, says Reisin. “Engineering materials are not about replicating the final product, but about simulating it. It’s only when you can simulate the final product with production materials that the simulation is close to the original.” About a third of AM processes today are for functional and rapid manufacturing uses. Functional processes require high temperature and high toughness. In

initial experiments, a short production series was made using the ABS-like material with rapid tooling to print a mold for injection molding. In one experiment the mold created 50 parts, and in another, 100. Introduced in November, Objet’s RGD525 has a maximum thermal resistance of 80 degrees Centigrade. This material targets fit and form, and thermal functional testing of stationary parts such as automotive air vent ribs and hot air intakes.“We are enabling low-volume manufacturing by rapid tooling, and by the fact that we have already reached the simulation of ABS materials,” says Reisin. “It’s possible that we might reach lowvolume production in a few years.” Objet’s MED610 is a rigid, clear, biocompatible material for applications that require customized fit such as hearing aids, dental products, surgical orthopedic guides, and dental delivery trays. It simulates polymethyl methacrylate, has high dimensional stability, and is designed for applications that require prolonged contact with skin or short contact with mucous membranes. Customized medical implants might become a huge market. Only one is produced for each individual, but the total volume potentially includes hundreds of millions of people. “A real enabler would be an FDA-approved material that can be implanted in the human body,” says DeGrange. “Although there isn’t one yet for FDM, some candidates, like thermoplastics, would be more than a natural match for properties of human bone.” DN

Source: Objet Geometries

For More Information:

Medical and dental implants and prostheses can be made with high-performance biocompatible materials such as Objet’s MED610, which simulates polymethyl methacrylate.

Stratasys: www.stratasys.com 3D Systems 3Dproparts Division: www.3dproparts.com Materialise USA: www.materialise.com Objet Geometries: www.objet.com Wohlers Associates: www.wohlersassociates.com EOS: www.eos.info

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Automation & Control

Hydraulic Hybrids Move to Lighter Vehicles Building on its successes in refuse trucks and parcel vehicles, hybrid hydraulic technology looks to lighter vehicles such as the Chrysler Town & Country minivan. By Al Presher, Contributing Writer

Source: Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power

H

ydraulic hybrid technology is moving ahead on a series of fronts, building on its commercial successes with refuse trucks and parcel delivery vehicles. Now the focus is on proving actual day-to-day performance in these heavier vehicles, where the high power density of fluid power technology shines the best, while also laying the groundwork to move the technology into lighter vehicles. Earlier this year, the big news for hydraulic hybrid technology came when US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa Jackson and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne announced a cooperative agreement to develop and adapt the technology for the lightduty auto market. Using EPA’s own patented technology, the partnership’s goal is to move the technology from the lab to the street and design a Chrysler minivan as a demonstration vehicle. Expectations are that the hydraulic hybrid technology can increase fuel efficiency 30 - 35 percent overall and up to 60 percent in city driving, and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent.

Current CCEFP research is focused on use of hydraulic hybrids with lighter, personal use vehicles. Test Bed 3 is researching a hydromechanical drivetrain that combines pump/ motors at each wheel with differentials, as well as a mechanical driveshaft, to provide uninterrupted powerflow over the entire speed range of the vehicle.

The EPA is a leader when it comes to developing hydraulic hybrid technologies, specifically series hydraulic hybrid systems. The EPA has been working on them since the late 1990s, teaming with manufacturers such as Eaton and Parker Hannifin. “At the National Fuel andVehicle Emissions Lab ... in Ann Arbor, [Mich.], EPA

D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

investigators can develop technologies and patent them,” says Brad Bohlmann, sustainability director for the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) at the University of Minnesota. “The EPA holds a number of patents in the hydraulic hybrid space, and Chrysler is leveraging those patents to do an in-

vestigation of how it would work in their Town & Country minivan.” Bohlmann says one of the things about hydraulic hybrids is that they love mass and work particularly well in heavier vehicles, such as refuse trucks.That’s where we are seeing the first commercial systems go into production. About two years ago, Eaton came out with its hydraulic launch assist (HLA) system, targeted specifically at refuse trucks. Parker Hannifin is selling hydraulic hybrid systems in Class 6 package delivery vehicles used by FedEx and UPS. While commercial inroads are being made, Chrysler’s next step is to bring that technology into a personal use vehicle. The EPA has demonstrated the technology in a vehicle as small as a Ford Explorer with good results, but there are challenges when it comes to scaling the technology down for a personal use vehicle. “The hydraulic hybrids package [isn’t] very large for use in heavy vehicles, but it’s difficult to shrink things into a smaller package [for a personal use vehicle],” says Bohlmann. “The primary challenges are packaging and noise vibration harshness (NVH). In a nonhybrid vehicle, the brake system is not regenerating energy and essentially things are silent. But when you’re driving a hybrid vehicle, you might be regenerating 50hp or 100hp, due to the regenerative power transmission that is taking place, and create audible noise as a result.” Bohlmann says there are a couple ways to deal with noise. One is to lower the sound power level and the other is to modify its frequency, so that it’s less irritating and noticeable. If you think about it in broad terms, Harley Davidson essentially sells noise because people associate a Harley with a fairly loud thing; it’s a positive aspect of a Harley Davidson motorcycle. That’s not necessarily the case in a passenger car, but if the sound quality is right, a much higher sound power level may be acceptable. The goal is to work on both the sound power level, the actual decibels of it, as well as the sound quality, which is much more about personal taste.

Source: Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power

41

An integrated hydromechanical transmission (left) mounted on a dynamometer test stand uses hydraulic accumulators (right) as energy storage elements.

Research Focus on Lighter Vehicles The CCEFP, a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center established in June 2006, has been researching and addressing the challenges of using hydraulic hybrid technology in smaller vehicles. “At the CCEFP, we have four research testbeds,” says Bohlmann.“One is a hydraulic hybrid vehicle and specifically a highway passenger car. We felt that there was a lot of work being done at the heavier vehicle weights and industry was accepting that challenge. So the center decided to focus on the lighter vehicles, which represent the larger volume of vehicles and also present the technological hurdle due to the light weight of the vehicle, packaging requirements, noise, and efficiency.” A typical refuse truck might drive 25,000 miles per year and get on the order of 2mpg to 3mpg. It’s burning 8,000 gallons to 10,000 gallons of fuel per year. If you save 10 to 20 percent, that is a significant dollar value. A typical passenger car only drives 15,000 miles to 20,000 miles per year, so it uses an order of magnitude less fuel. The challenge becomes creating a system that meets all of the buyer’s expectations while providing sufficient value aligned with their payback benefit requirements. The CCEFP is developing the hydraulic hybrid passenger car technology using a Ford F150 pickup truck as the testbed because it provides adequate space for the research hardware and is

significantly lighter than Class 6 vehicles (14,000lbs to 16,000lbs). The big advantage of the hydraulic hybrid is that it offers very high power density and can provide very large amounts of power very quickly. It does not provide high energy density, however, which means you cannot do it for a long time. Most hybrid electric systems have higher energy density but much lower power density. In a hybrid electric vehicle, energy storage is sized more or less for steady state operation. But the problem is putting in enough batteries to maximize the storage during braking and acceleration. For this reason a hybrid electric vehicle typically regenerates less than 30 percent of the braking energy. With a hydraulic hybrid, energy can be transferred into and out of the energy storage accumulator very quickly. “The beauty of the hydraulic hybrid system is that the accumulator, which stores the energy (the equivalent of the batteries in a hybrid electric system), is designed to go from full charge to zero charge literally a million or more times during the life of the vehicle,” says Bohlmann. “The battery tends to stay around the centerpoint of its charge, and can’t go from full to empty rapidly. As a result, a hydraulic hybrid system can regenerate about 70 percent of the kinetic energy of the vehicle, where an electric system is generally in the 20 percent - 30 percent range.” Bohlmann says he thinks it’s only a matter of time before hydraulic hybrids

w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 D e s i g n N e w s

42 Automation & Control County, four for the city of Hialeah, and one for the city of Miami) and have all exceeded the expectations for fuel savings,” says Tom DeCoster, business development manager for Parker Hannifin’s Hybrid Drive Systems division. “In a six-week field test, prior to the preproduction orders, the trucks averaged 42 percent fuel savings. The preproduction trucks in use at these locations are now averaging 45 to 50 percent, according to data from Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami.” DeCoster says that with over 15,000 hours of inservice use, system uptime

ing team was able to fine tune the systems with extensive durability testing and pre production units in the field. Additionally, 49 Parker Hybrid Drive Systems installed in parcel vehicles will go into field use as preproduction units.

Productivity Boost with Hydraulic Solutions While hydraulic hybrids have made their most significant commercial inroads in the refuse industry, there are a wide variety of ways refuse trucks are using the hybrid technology, ranging from an innercity duty cycle all the way up to residential pickup. All of the competitive systems, due to the nature of kinetic energy, will always do better in residential applications because the hybrid can harvest more energy. But more and more, private f leets are asking suppliers for ways to save both on fuel and operating costs. “Basically because fuel is the biggest expense for refuse trucks, followed by tires Building on Success in Fuel savings for production trucks using Parker’s RunWise system are and brake replacement, the Larger Vehicles averaging 45 - 50 percent, according to data from Miami-Dade County focus has been on the fuel The path that hydraulic hybrid and the city of Miami, up from the 42 percent savings achieved during side,” says Robert Golin, busitechnology has been taking is field testing. ness development manager to build on its early successes for Eaton’s parallel Hydraulic commercializing systems for the refuse exceeds 98 percent. The systems con- Launch Assist program. industry, where the technology is best tinue to deliver anticipated fuel econoGolin says that when customers start suited. Solutions for smaller parcel ve- my, brakes are on target to reach 24 - 36 using the hybrid, the goal is to demonhicles are moving into preproduction months before needing a change, and strate fuel savings that equate to this testing, along with a range of programs personnel are experiencing a 10 percent many gallons and this much money per targeting buses and, ultimately, passen- increase in productivity. year. Customers are also getting cost of ger vehicles. From a technology perspective, the pre- operation benefits because of fewer brake Parker Hannifin reports preproduction production units have performed up to de- repairs. They are using their brakes less trucks that use their RunWise hydrau- sign specifications. Now, with the move to because energy is harvested to power the lic hybrid system have been performing higher volume production comes a focus pump, rather than going into the brake up to design standards through the first on cost downstructuring. DeCoster says it pads. Trucks in a private fleet, such as a wave of customer use, and more volume is a matter of continuing to place units in Waste Management truck operating in a for use in refuse trucks is in the pipeline. the field and achieving the economies of residential environment, typically require Plus their hybrid drive system for use in scale that can be passed on to the markets. four to five brake jobs a year, and brake parcel vehicles is headed into the field as The RunWise system has only re- repairs are a much larger expense than preproduction units. quired minor design enhancements since with innercity operations. “The greater Miami fleet of RunWise the preproduction units, and since comGolin says the HLA system is sized perpreproduction units has been perform- mercial production there are no plans or fectly for Class 8 refuse trucks and delivers ing extremely well (six for Miami-Dade need for software updates. The engineer- ample power (180hp) to assist the engine. D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

Source: Parker Hannifin Corp.

get into the passenger car space. Advancements are also on the way because significant money is being spent on the technology, even though it’s nowhere near the amount of investment in hybrid electrics. “It is a viable technology that is becoming commercialized, and I believe it will cascade down into the much lighter vehicles,” says Bohlmann. “Hydraulic hybrids are building on the hydrostatic transmission (HST) which is the core of a series hydraulic hybrid vehicle. HSTs have been the dominant powertrain choice in offroad vehicles for more than half a century.” Agricultural, construction, mining, forestry, and similar types of vehicles are driven by hydrostatic transmissions, which are similar to series hydraulic hybrids except they don’t have the accumulators. The idea is to build on the legacy of success with these very robust, high volume devices and the literally millions of hydrostatic transmissions that operate daily around the world in all types of demanding duty cycles.

43 By injecting that much horsepower into every acceleration, the truck is getting to the next bin faster. Within the stop-tostop cycle, time savings are measured in the 2 - 4 seconds range. Multiply this time savings by a thousand stops a day and it means significant savings to the operation. “If you are a private fleet, you know exactly your cost of operation for a refuse truck based on an hourly rate. It is typically in the range of 75 to 100 dollars an hour,” says Golin. “If you save several seconds on 900 to 1,000 stops a day, you can end up saving 20, 30, or 40 minutes, depending on the route.Then if you apply the hourly rate, the productivity benefit turns into significant savings.” With some refuse collection fleets and customers such as Veolia, the benefit can be quantified at $10,000 to $11,000 per year, which is double the amount of the fuel savings. Customers are seeing reduced operating costs as a priority, and it has opened their eyes to productivity gains. Instead of running for nine hours, a truck is only running for eight and a half hours. That often means the customer can modify the routes and reduce truck operating costs, or reroute the truck to do more work somewhere else. “Within the value proposition, fuel is an obvious benefit along with cost of operation, but now productivity is starting to take the leading position,” says Golin. “With productivity gains, along with fewer brake jobs and the fuel savings, Veolia is down to a less than three-year

payback.This productivity angle is new to the industry and many people have been surprised by the results.” DN

For more information: The Center LBP-016 for Compact Efficient (4.5 X 7.5).aiand 1 2/3/2011 8:21:38 AM Fluid Power: www.ccefp.org

Parker Hannifin Corp.: http://parkerhybrid.parker.com EPA Hydraulic Hybrid Research: http://dn.hotims.com/34953-508 Eaton Corp. Hydraulics: http://dn.hotims.com/34953-509 Veolia: www.veoliaes.com

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

Source: Eaton Corp.

K

Saving fuel is the obvious benefit of using hydraulic hybrid systems in refuse trucks, along with fewer brake repairs due to regenerating braking energy, but now productivity gains are starting to take the leading position in the value proposition. w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 D e s i g n N e w s

44

Design Hardware & Software

Engineers Have Limited Appetite for Mobile Apps Unlike the consumer market, which is hungry for all things mobile, engineers remain slightly skeptical about the upside of design tool apps running on mobile platforms. By Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, Design Hardware & Software

A

nna Wood, a 30-year engineer and longtime computer-aided design (CAD) veteran, admits she’d be lost without her iPad in her personal life, calling the tablet her go-to tool for everything from reading books and newspapers to participating in social media forums like Twitter and Facebook. Yet when it comes to her day job, a design engineer at Auer Precision,Wood’s iPad doesn’t get quite the same workout. “I’ve not really integrated it in my work life yet,” she says. “The big thing is I sit at my computer all day long. If I were more mobile around the shop, I might be more apt to use my iPad or iPhone, but I don’t really have the need for mobility. I have a super duper workstation at which I sit at all day doing CAD design.” Wood is hardly alone among engineers. While consumers seem to have a near insatiable appetite for mobile apps, engineers — particularly those doing heavyduty CAD design work — appear to be a bit more discriminating, still somewhat skeptical that their day-to-day design tools can translate well to a tablet or smartphone platform. Some, like Wood, who works for a custom manufacturer doing a lot of precision design work around metal and plastic stamping, are too tied to their desk-

top horsepower and traditional CAD software to derive any sort of real benefit from the mobility equation. Others question whether tablets and mobile devices have sufficient screensize, processing power, and graphics rendering muscle to handle the demands of doing precision 3D modeling. Finally, there is still a sizeable contingent of engineers who are just slow to embrace new technology as part of their work routines, and thus don’t yet see the promise or potential of deploying any kind of design-related tool on a mobile platform. Cautious Adoption Clearly, these concerns have led to much slower adoption (and frankly, far fewer available mobile design tool apps) within the engineering space compared to the consumer and general business segment. According to some reports, apps are fast becoming consumers’ preferred mode of interaction, even surpassing time spent browsing the Web. A recent report, by mobile analytics provider Flurry, revealed that the average consumer spends nine percent more time using mobile apps than on the Internet, mostly partaking in games, social networking, news, and entertainment. At the same time, however, other studies have found there is a relatively short shelf life for the average mobile app — users

D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

TurboViewer leverages the iPad’s multitouch navigation for panning, zooming, and orbiting functions.

typically engage in around 20 sessions with an app before abandoning it and moving on to something new.That statistic, experts say, points out the relatively short attention span for these tools and the perception — whether warranted or not — that most currently available apps are more of a novelty as opposed to a substantive, businessrelated productivity enhancer. Taking their lead from these early indications, design tool vendors have been cautiously approaching the mobile app market, heartened by what they say is steady interest among engineers, if not yet widespread adoption. “Demand is absolutely growing across all industries,” says Shanna Tellerman, product line manager for cloud products at Autodesk, which is among the design tool vendors out in front with a mobile strategy. “Whether you’re looking at the architecture, engineering, or manufacturing industry, there are people working with people

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Mechatronics

MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Campbell 781-869-7974

A Supplement to Design Ne ws D e c e m b e r 2 0 11

Naomi Eigner Price, Interim Managing Editor Hector Torres, Art Director Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor Ann R. Thryft, Senior Technical Editor Rob Spiegel, Senior Editor Lauren Muskett, Assistant Editor TECHNICAL SPECIALTIES CAE Software & Hardware: Beth Stackpole [email protected] Electronics & Test: Charles J. Murray [email protected] Fluid Power/Automation & Control: Alexander Wolfe [email protected] Materials & Assembly: Ann R. Thryft [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITORS DATA MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS/ DEVELOPMENT KIT REVIEW Jon Titus, [email protected] PRODUCTION Donna Ambrosino, Production Director BUSINESS OFFICE Colleen Heckman, Project Manager Esther Aronov, Marketing Project Manager

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DESIGNNEWS.COM Brian McAvoy, Director, Interactive Media 781-869-7964 U.S. SALES REPRESENTATIVES IL/IN/KY/MI/OH/ON/WI Jami Brownlee 815-893-6052 DC/FL/GA/IA/KY/MD/MN/NC/PA/SC/SD/VA Doug Robertson 781-869-7966 CT/DE/MA/ME/NH/NJ/NY/RI/VT Julie Simoneau 781-869-7962 AZ/CA/CO/ID/MO/NV/OK/OR/TX/WA Chris Bombarger 512-249-0221 REGIONAL/SALES MANAGER CUSTOM PUBLISHING Mike Paul 781-869-7965 INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES UK Stephen Waddell 011 44 1322 437091 GERMANY Erhardt Eisenacher 011 49 2 28 65 0013 FRANCE Alain Faure 011 33 1 53 21 88 03 JAPAN Toshiyuki Uematsu 011 81 3 5775 6056 UBM ELECTRONICS MANAGEMENT TEAM CEO, UBM Electronics/UBM CANOn (publishing) Paul Miller Chief Information Officer Brent Pearson SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT David Blaza SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT Karen Field Vice President of Finance Jean-Marie Enjuto Vice President of Partner Services & Operations Barbara Couchois Vice President of Marketing Felicia Hamerman Director of audience engagement and analytics Amandeep Sandhu Design News ® is a member of UBM Electronics 33 Hayden Ave., Lexington, MA 02421 www.designnews.com Subscription Inquiries: 847-559-7597 Reprints: Wrights Media 2407 Timberloch Place, Suite B The Woodlands, TX 77380 281-419-5725 List Rental Information: Statlistics Jennifer Felling, postal lists: +1.203.778.8700 X138 [email protected] Turk Hassan, e-lists: +1.203.778.8700 X144 [email protected]

Feature

Feature

M4 Software Convergence is the New Trend in Automation

M 14 Upgrading Controls in a Printing Press Application

We’ve integrated motion, robotics, logic, and HMI. What’s next is integrating safety, OEE, energy monitoring, interactive training, and more through powerful, unified platforms combining RTOS and Windows environments. By John Kowal, B&R Industrial Automation

Mitsubishi Electric provides superior tension control, registration, and servo accuracy on the Performance Series P7 Press from Mark Andy Inc. By Bryan Knight, Mitsubishi Electric Products

M 15 In the Marketplace

A look at some of the most innovative and useful new product technologies and solutions.

Feature

M9 Picking the Right Bearing

A  bearing’s design and capabilities come into play when deciding if it will be suitable for an application. By Mark Cutler, SKF USA Inc.

M2 Mec h at roni c s: i nd u s t r i a l a u t o m at i o n / a s u p p l e m e nt to de s ign ne ws D e c e mb e r 2011 

[www.designnews .com]

How do you capitalize on managing complexity? Automotive electronics supplier uses Teamcenter® from Siemens PLM Software to turn mechatronics complexity into corporate growth. Answers for industry.

Shenzhen Hangsheng is a leading supplier of automobile electronic products including AV entertainment systems, intelligent navigation, integrated car body control systems, and sophisticated vehicle alarms. The company is truly global with customers, suppliers, and facilities on four continents. Its products integrate mechanical, electronic, and software systems, as well as other technologies. Hangsheng uses a number of software systems to enhance design efficiency, but none of these systems addressed the broader issues of product lifecycle

management (PLM) effectively. Without a single PLM backbone, files were isolated and inaccessible, data re-use was difficult, and technical changes were implemented inconsistently. Recognizing the importance of development to overall business success, Hangsheng used Teamcenter digital lifecycle management software from Siemens PLM software to integrate mechanical structure design, electronic circuit design, and software design into a common information platform. The result? Since implementing Teamcenter as the foundation platform for all product development, Hangsheng has seen considerable improvements in design efficiency and quality, as well as significant product quality improvements. In addition to improved innovation efficiency, Hangsheng realized a 30 percent reduction in warranty claims. But most importantly, the company’s new orders are up 10 percent – proof that its customers are seeing the value.

www.siemens.com/plm/mechatronics

Mechatronics: Industrial Automation

Software Convergence is the New Trend in Automation We’ve integrated motion, robotics, logic, and HMI. What’s next is integrating safety, OEE, energy monitoring, interactive training, and more through powerful, unified platforms combining RTOS and Windows environments. By John Kowal, B&R Industrial Automation

M4 Mec h at roni c s: i nd u s t r i a l a u t o m at i o n / a s u p p l e m e nt to de s ign ne ws D e c e mb e r 2011 

[www.designnews .com]

Source: B&R Automation

I

feared PC-based control. In fact, they n technology, it often turns out embraced the relevant force driving that the lessons of the past weren’t their advances — a combination of mistakes at all. They were just great Moore’s Law and the recognition that ideas ahead of their time. In this applications like logic and motion fashion, the industrial PC is now hitting its stride as an automation platform. should not be dependent on hardIn recent years we’ve seen the moware configurations. They are, rather, tion controller first combined with the software functionalities that happen programmable logic controller (PLC), to run on hardware. then with the touchscreen human The same holds true today for safemachine interface (HMI). Robotic ty networks, which are really protocol kinematics were integrated into general extensions running on the applicamotion control, and the device network tion layers of the various flavors of was merged onto the motion network. industrial Ethernet. Once you think Integrated (and open) safety systems can in terms of software, you free yourself run over that same network and plug of increasingly irrelevant and limiting into the same hardware backplanes. classifications like PLC and programAt the same time, we’ve watched mable automation controller (PAC). New richer HMI solutions make it possible to ofthe hardware become a single platfer interactive video and/or animation as training See the Coming form that’s keeping pace with software tools that can walk the operator or maintenance Convergence? integration. No longer does a machine technician through the solution step by step. Once you gain the benefit of Moore’s need a premium-priced, standalone Windows NT and CE — hard, realLaw, you catch a ride on the incredPLC with special modules for motion; time operating systems that still relied ible, ongoing rise in processing power a separate HMI panel incapable of doing on watchdog timers and schemes to and simultaneous drop in processor cost much else; and a PC for handling things interrupt Windows, with the resulting that high volume, mainstream computing like production data acquisition, vision, “blue screens of death” — and claims by markets have created. That’s exceptionserialization systems, and possibly interacsoft-logic suppliers that cheap whitebox ally true today with mobile computing tive work instructions for operators and PCs could substitute for industrial PCs. and device markets that have given us the troubleshooters. And, of course, at the time we didn’t likes of the Intel Atom processor. Different Automation Cultures, have massive Flash solid state drives, and The formula includes a proven realtime Divergent Perspectives many spinning disk drives failed on the operating system that is totally separated In North America, we avoid the term factory floor. from and has absolute priority over Win“PC-based control” because too many In Europe, they didn’t drink that dows. This requirement has been clear engineering managers lived through Kool-Aid and, as a result, they never and deliverable for over 15 years.

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Mechatronics: Industrial Automation What’s been harder to achieve until more recent advances in processing and memory power is the complete integration of control functions into a single software development environment. This environment includes a single program and a single processor independent of hardware targets and is scalable using the international automation programming standards called out in International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61131-3. For control platforms that don’t use processors from the PC world, it will be very hard to keep up.

But this still isn’t the full meaning of the convergence. For that, we need to cross over to the Windows side of the processor. Depending on the criticality, it could be a relatively pedestrian Pentium M or it could be a powerful dual- or even quad-core processor. It doesn’t really matter, because all are readily available and affordable. What matters is the ability to run Windows, usually XP Embedded or Windows 7, for the new breed of management software applications that increasingly will need to work alongside control. This is where we’ll unlock the next round of game-changing improvements to productivity. We’re already seeing it. True, the state of servo technology continues to advance with recent breakthroughs such as IP65 machine-mounted drives, safe motion, and safe robotic control. But we now have the chance to realistically marry control with factory management systems. So, all the productivity-enhancing applications that typically run on a PC (or Linux box, if you prefer) can run on the PC portion of the machine control. They can be called up as needed by a condition in the control program to assist plant floor personnel. And they will do it with immediacy, in addition to uploading periodically to a data historian for offline analysis and future corrective action. We’ve come so far in control, and especially in motion control, that we’re really good at synchronizing sub-millisecond activities. Now it’s time to catch up on the non-realtime side of the equation, which is how we manage our processes.

ilapak’s new range of horizontal packaging machines optimizes machine size and performance using an incremental modular design. the system runs on an industrial PC which offers fast, detailed diagnostic and machine status information using Pack Ml.

ConvergenCe Between Previously siloed FunCtions

Automation strategists are also recognizing that each new piece of software functionality improves more than just its own intended application. For example, a safer machine has more uptime, so its overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) numbers will be better. Better OEE means a machine that is more energy efficient because it’s running at steady state rather than stopping and starting. Energy efficiency and good product make for sustainability. Making less scrap also means better quality. And so it goes. Something like Pareto analysis in reverse, this convergence has the potential to increase productivity of the whole beyond the individual applications. As slowly as technology adoption appears to move in industrial control versus IT or consumer markets — I call it dog years, as in one year’s advance in IT seems to take seven years to adopt in controls — the need is pushing us forward at an accelerated pace. And

indeed, developments such as PackML (packaging machine language), manufacturing execution systems (MES), and OEE are coming of age. It’s becoming obvious that manually finding data in PLC registers, storing it in a PLC-based anachronism called a “data concentrator” and then shooting it up to the data historian is unnecessarily costly in terms of hardware, software, and systems integration. Using OPC and PackML, data can be identified and accessed from modern and even legacy controllers in a standardized way. Serialization is the next big thing, first in pharmaceuticals and eventually wherever traceability is an issue, as in “farm-to-fork” food safety. This involves individual man- and machine-readable codes for each package. That requires the packaging machinery control system to interface with coders and banks of vision cameras to confirm the coding. The data and vision processing intensity is well beyond conventional PLCs, calling for industrial PCs that are both powerful and affordable.

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Source: B&r AutomAtion

ConvergenCe Between Control and ManageMent

Another advance is onscreen help systems. Today, too many work instructions still take the form of PDF files of instruction manuals, when there should be interactive video and/or animation that will walk the operator or maintenance technician through the solution, step by step. Moreover, troubleshooting steps should come up automatically, triggered by a bit in the control program when a fault occurs. This calls for not only a Windows environment, but communication between the Windows and realtime worlds on the same processor. More effective onscreen help functions should still serve up production and quality data for MES. But its immediacy means faster resolution and consistent troubleshooting, with less need for escalation and offline training, faster escalation to the appropriate level as needed, and consistent procedures. Recording incidents and remedies will yield important information for rootcause analysis.

The OpTimum plaTfOrm arises

The optimum solution is a single, unified platform that does all we’ve discussed in terms of control, with easy access to data inside the processor by non-realtime factory management applications running on Windows, Linux, or other mainstream operating systems. It should also serve data up to screens on the HMI panel as well as any other interface device authorized to access the information. And it should do so based on international standards, not proprietary or one-off interfaces, so that it becomes a control platform that’s independent and, importantly, consistent worldwide. From a practical standpoint, these developments effectively obsolete the single-vendor control specifications, and they are beginning to fall left and right. The Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC) Packaging Guidelines are, for this very reason, being embraced by Nestlé, along with a series of preferred suppliers for packaging automation.

As a result, expect to see a steady migration to a standards-based functional specification with preferred, compliant vendors. This is good news for machine builders as well as users who have been looking for viable alternatives to the status quo, ones that they feel comfortable putting in their specifications. hOw TO Turn a Trend inTO a sTandard

What will such a universal specification look like? Quite likely it will look like PackSpec, a new initiative of the OMAC Packaging workgroup. According to the PackSpec committee’s September 27, 2011 report to the OMAC Packaging workgroup, the specification could deliver the following benefits: • A streamlined quoting process (based on performance, functionality, and footprint); • Quicker machine development and building; • Easier factory integration;

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Mechatronics: Industrial Automation

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The same push for a standard is taking place in networked safety. Recognizing that safety is really a protocol extension running on the application layer of the various flavors of Ethernet, it becomes clear that there’s no reason for a second “fieldbus wars,” with each vendor developing its own safety protocol to run on their network.

Motion Control

Healthcare

Source: B&R Automation

• More accurate and effective FAT (including installation qualification/operational qualification [IQ/OQ], PackConnect), and MES (PackML)); • Machines designed to be deployed worldwide; and • An accurate document set to support the machine into the distant future.

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That’s the premise of openSAFETY, and in turn, the PackSafety committee’s charter. It is significant that Nestlé has also come out for openSAFETY and is chairing the PackSafety initiative in OMAC. Beyond the all-important implementation roadmap, the real endgame is to push productivity to the next level. That’s what convergence is all about. It leverages previously isolated technologies, now converged on a single platform that plant personnel can quickly access, understand, and respond to. And to make it all work, it takes standards. This requires that manufacturers change their specifications to reflect the new reality, because machine builders need a clear requirement in order to justify investment in newer technologies. The way to make this happen is to become active in user groups such as OMAC and relevant machinery associations such as the Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT) and PMMI, to help develop the standards and to drive adoption. To wait for somebody else to make it happen is to sacrifice first mover advantage. And once that time is lost, it can never be regained. John Kowal, is packaging market development manager, B&R Industrial Automation, and member, OMAC and PMMI boards of directors. For more information, go to www.br-automation.com. [www.designnews .com]

R+W America | Phone: (888) 479-8728 | E-Mail: [email protected] | Internet: www.rw-america.com

Mechatronics: Industrial Automation

Picking the Right Bearing A bearing's design and capabilities come into play when deciding if it will be suitable for an application. By Mark Cutler, SKF USA Inc.

B

earings in rotating machinery universally serve to support shaft loads and provide shaft location and system rigidity while reducing friction. Whether a bearing will be suitable (or not) for an application will hinge, in part, on a bearing’s particular design and associated capabilities. When specifying bearings, designers must consider and evaluate a myriad of application-related factors to realize the best match. Every application will naturally present its own sets of challenges, but there are general rules of thumb. Designers choosing a standard bearing type should take a close look at the available design envelope; loads (magnitude and direction); potential misalignment; needs for precision, relubrication, replacement, speed, and stiffness; and preload. The bearing arrangement, too, will be critical and will be influenced by application parameters. An application may uniquely require the introduction of nonstandard materials and/or coatings for inherent properties that will enhance reliability in service. Following are some general guidelines to help point the way for designers toward the most appropriate bearing solutions.

Application-Related Factors

Design envelope. In many cases, one of the principal dimensions of a bearing — the bore diameter — is predetermined by a machine’s power design and the resulting required shaft diameter. For small-diameter shafts, all types of ball bearings can be used (as well as needle roller bearings), while roller bearing [w w w. d e s ig n n e w s . c o m ] 

De c e m b e r 2011 M e c h at r o nics : IN DUSTRIAL AUTOMATION / a s u p ple me nt to de s ign n ews M9

Mechatronics: Industrial Automation types usually will be specified for applications featuring large-diameter shafts (examples include cylindrical, tapered, spherical, and toroidal roller bearings). Deep groove ball bearings also may be a viable option for large-diameter shaft applications, depending on loading. When radial space is limited, bearings with a small cross section — especially those with a low cross-sectional height, such as needle roller bearings — can make a good fit. When axial space is limited, designers will want to specify bearings that can handle radial, axial, or combined loads. Loads. Bearings must always be subjected to a given minimum load to provide for proper rolling element rotation and enhanced lubricant film formation in rolling contact areas. (Otherwise, the phenomenon known as “skidding” can occur, resulting in higher operating temperatures, lubrication degradation, and potential premature failure.) The magnitude of the load is one of the factors that usually will determine the type and size of the bearing for an application. Generally, roller bearings can support heavier loads than similarly sized ball bearings, and bearings incorporating a full complement of rolling elements can accommodate heavier loads than corresponding caged bearings. Ball bearings are mostly used where loads will be relatively light or moderate. For heavy loads and where shaft diameters are large, roller bearings typically are recommended. Beyond magnitude, the direction of the load can help guide selection of bearing type and size. Some bearings can only support pure radial loads (e.g., needle roller and toroidal roller bearings), while all other radial bearings can accommodate some axial loads in addition to radial loads. Other types (thrust ball bearings and fourpoint contact ball bearings) have been engineered to handle purely axial light or moderate loads. A bearing’s ability to carry an axial load will be determined by the angle of contact or load action internal to the bearing (the greater the angle, the more suitable the bearing for axial loads). Angular contact ball bearings can support moderate axial loads at relatively high speeds. For moderate

A worker installs a very large bearing.

and heavy axial loads acting in one direction, spherical roller thrust bearings or tapered roller bearings often will be specified. A combined load occurs when radial and axial loads act simultaneously. The most common bearing solutions for these situations are tapered roller bearings and single- and double-row angular contact ball bearings (although deep groove ball bearings may also be appropriate, depending on the load magnitude and ratio of axial to radial loading). When the axial component of combined loads proves especially large, it may be supported independently from the radial load by a separate bearing. In addition to thrust bearings, some radial bearings (such as deep groove ball bearings or four-point contact ball bearings) can handle this task. When a load acts eccentrically on a bearing, a tilting moment will occur. For these “moment” loads, designers

may want to consider double-row bearings. Suitable standard options include deep groove, angular contact ball bearings, or paired single-row angular contact ball bearings or tapered roller bearings (arranged face-to-face or backto-back). Misalignment. Angular misalignment between the shaft and housing of rotating equipment can occur when the shaft bends (or flexes) under the operating load, when the bearing seats in the housing are not machined to the same height, or when shafts are supported by bearings in separate housings too far apart. Rigid bearings (such as deep groove ball bearings, tapered roller bearings, and cylindrical roller bearings) can go only so far to counteract misalignment (and even then only very minor misalignment). To compensate for misalignment, various types of self-aligning rolling bearings — including spherical roller

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bearings, toroidal roller bearings, and self-aligning ball bearings — provide solutions, whether misalignment is the result of operating loads or errors in machining or mounting. Designers should consult bearing misalignment value ranges available from the bearing manufacturer during the selection process. Precision. High-precision bearings most often are specified when arrangements must exhibit high running accuracy (such as in machine tool spindles or robotics) and for very high speed applications. (Dimensional and running accuracy tolerances of rolling bearings have been standardized internationally). Tolerance classes to which bearings are produced offer designers a reliable blueprint for specifying the proper high-precision bearings for an application’s requirements. Speed. The speed limits for a bearing will be governed by the specific design and material of the bearing components and the permissible operating temperature for the lubrication system being used. Bearing type and size, internal design, precision, loads, lubrication regimens, and cooling conditions — as well as cage design, accuracy, and internal clearance — will combine to establish the speed capability of a bearing. Basic thermal reference speeds will provide designated values (according to ISO standards) to determine the permissible operating speed of a bearing at a defined operating temperature when subjected to specific loads and lubrication conditions. Bearings can potentially operate at speeds above the reference speed when bearing friction is reduced (using lubrication systems dispensing small, accurately measured quantities of lubricant) or when heat is removed (using circulating oil lubrication to cool the oil either with cooling ribs on the housing or with directed cooling air streams). In some cases, changes in component designs and materials can yield even higher permissible operating speeds. Stiffness. The stiffness of a bearing is similar to the stiffness of a spring and is characterized by the magnitude of the elastic deformation (resilience) [w w w. d e s ig n n e w s . c o m ]

in the bearing under load. In general, this deformation is very small and can be neglected. In some cases, however (such as spindle bearing arrangements for machine tools or pinion bearing arrangements in automotive axle drives), stiffness becomes a critical factor. In general, the contact conditions between rolling elements and race-

ways in roller bearings provide a higher degree of stiffness compared with ball bearings. Bearing stiffness is also affected by preload. Preload. A bearing preload will enhance system stiffness and provide other advantages by reducing running noise, promoting the accuracy of shaft guidance, compensating for wear and

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Mechatronics: Industrial Automation settling (relaxation) processes in operation, and contributing to longer service life. A preload basically imposes a “negative operational clearance” in a bearing arrangement to achieve these benefits. Depending on bearing type, the preload may be either radial or axial. When bearings operate without any load (or under very light load) and at high speeds, preload should be imposed to provide a minimum load on the bearing to prevent bearing damage that may result from sliding movements of rolling elements. Preload can be accomplished in several ways, including the use of springs, washers, friction torque, or adjustment procedures. Bearing arrangeMents.

The bearing arrangement for rotating shafts generally requires two bearings to support and locate the shaft radially and axially relative to the stationary part of the machine (such as a housing). Depending on the application, load, requisite running accuracy, and cost considerations, one of several bearing arrangements usually will be configured. These include locating and non-locating, adjusted, and “floating” bearing arrangements. Locating and non-locating bearing arrangements. The locating bearing at one end of the shaft provides radial support and simultaneously locates the shaft axially in both directions, carrying any axial loading on the shaft. The locating bearing must be fixed in position both on the shaft and in the housing. Suitable bearing types include radial bearings that can accommodate combined load or combinations of radial bearings that can support pure radial load. (The second bearing in the combination provides axial location in both directions and should always be mounted with sufficient clearance fit in the housing.) The non-locating bearing at the other end of the shaft provides radial support and must also enable axial displacement (not carry axial load) to prevent the bearings from mutually “stressing” each other (such as when the shaft length changes due to thermal expansion). Designers can choose from a wide range of locating/non-locating bear-

Bearings can have various specialty coatings, including a coating to reduce wear and a coating to insulate against electric currents.

ing combinations to achieve specific performance objectives consistent with application demands. Adjusted bearing arrangements. In these the shaft is axially located in one direction by the one bearing and in the opposite direction by the other bearing. This type of arrangement is referred to as “cross-located” and will generally be used for short shafts. Suitable bearings include all types of radial bearings that can accommodate axial loads in at least one direction. “Floating” bearing arrangements. These are similarly cross-located and usually specified where demands regarding axial location are moderate or where other components on the shaft serve to locate it axially. In these arrangements one ring of each bearing should be able to move on or in its seat, preferably the outer ring in the housing. the Material World

A variety of materials, processes, and coatings have been developed over the years to keep pace with particular application conditions or requirements. For a bearing’s rings and rolling elements, typical material properties include hardness for load-carrying capacity, fatigue resistance under rolling contact

conditions, and the dimensional stability of bearing components. For cages, the focus will be on mitigating friction, strain, inertia forces, and, in some cases, the chemical reaction of lubricants, solvents, coolants, and refrigerants. Materials for bearing rings and rolling elements. Through-hardening bearing steels (such as carbon chromium steel) normally receive a martensitic or bainitic heat treatment for hardening to the range of 58HRC to 65 HRC. Recent process developments for this steel have allowed for reduction of oxygen and nonmetallic elements to realize significantly improved properties. Through-hardening steels are used for almost all ball bearing types and extensively for smaller roller bearings. Case-hardening bearing steels consist of chromium-nickel and manganese-chromium alloyed steel and constitute the most commonly used conventional material for standard rolling bearings requiring high toughness or subject to shock loading. In applications with high tensile hoop stress from interference fits and high shock loads, bearings with carburized rings and/or rolling elements usually will be considered (hardened in the range of 58 HRC to 63 HRC).

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For operating temperatures up to 250C, a special heat treatment (stabilization) for bearings made from hardened or surface-hardened steel can be applied, although this has tradeoffs in reduced hardness and load-carrying capacity. For bearings operating at elevated temperatures (higher than 250C) for extended periods, highly alloyed high-temperature bearing steels should be specified for their ability to retain hardness and bearing performance characteristics even under extreme temperature conditions. Bearing grade ceramics (silicon nitride) offer high hardness, stiffness, low density, low thermal expansion, high electric resistivity, low dialectric constant, and no response to magnetic fields. For applications where corrosion may be anticipated, stainless bearing steels (chromium or chromium/molybdenum stainless) provide some protection. Their reduced hardness, however, lowers load-carrying capability compared with conventional bearing steels. (Corrosion resistance is only effective when the entire surface is perfectly polished and neither roughened nor damaged during mounting.) Hardenable grades of stainless steels are also available as alternatives. Cage materials. Most pressed sheet steel cages are made from continuously hot-rolled low carbon steel and such lightweight cages exhibit relatively high strength and can be surface-treated for reduced friction and wear. Machined steel cages are normally manufactured from nonalloyed structural steel and also can be surface-treated to improve sliding and wear resistance. These cages will usually be specified for large-size bearings or as substitutes for bronze cages in applications where there is a potential for season cracking caused by a chemical reaction. They can perform at operating temperatures up to 300C and will be unaffected by either mineral or synthetic oil-based lubricants typically used for rolling bearings or by the organic solvents used to clean them. Most brass cages provide robustness and are machined from a cast or wrought brass, enabling them to withstand most common bearing lubricants and normal organic solvents. These cages, however, should not be specified for applications where temperatures may exceed 250C. Polyamide polymer cages (with or without glass fiber reinforcement) deliver strength and elasticity, but cage life may decrease over time with increasing temperatures and aggressive lubricants, depending on the particular grade of polyamide material. Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) glass fiber reinforced cages offer material solutions able to stand up to high speeds, chemical attack, or high temperatures. Specialty coatings. These enable designers to “upgrade” bearing materials and provide bearings with additional features for specific application conditions — all within a bearing’s existing design envelope. Examples include a low-friction coating that can be applied by the manufacturer on a bearing’s inner surfaces. Compared with standard uncoated types, such bearings have higher hardness on the running surfaces, generate less friction (and resulting heat), and can better tolerate potential damage from contamination and marginal lubrication. They are highly equipped to resist wear, operate at higher speeds, accommo[w w w. d e s ig n n e w s . c o m ]

date higher loads, and perform even during periods of insufficient lubrication. Another coating alternative can be applied to the exterior of a bearing’s outer or inner ring to resist potential damage caused by the passage of electric current through the bearing. A thin aluminum oxide layer forms the barrier against electric arcing, which can lead to fluting damage to rollers and raceways or accelerate grease oxidation. If such electrical erosion goes unchecked, premature bearing failure can be expected. Corrosion-resistant coatings provide a measure of protection for applications subject to high humidity or washdowns, such as equipment in the food industry. Bearings play a vital role in rotating machinery and the selection process will turn on the extent that designers factor in all the relevant operating parameters and application requirements. As yet another example, an application may benefit from bearings with seals or shields to combat harsh operating conditions. Other options abound. One of the best first steps is to partner with an experienced bearing manufacturer early in the design stage to provide assistance in arriving at the most suitable match between bearings and the application at hand. Mark Cutler is applications engineering manager for SKF USA Inc. For more information, go to www.skfusa.com.

De c e m b e r 2011 M e c hatr o nics : i ndus tr ial auto Matio n / a s up p le M e nt to de s ign news M13

Mechatronics: Industrial Automation

Upgrading Controls in a Printing Press Application Mitsubishi Electric provides superior tension control, registration, and servo accuracy on the Performance Series P7 Press from Mark Andy Inc. By Bryan Knight, MitsuBishi ElEctric

challEngE

Mark Andy, a leader in the printing equipment manufacturing industry, was looking to upgrade the controls on its servo-driven, inline, flexographic printing presses and to standardize its product line on a single architecture to improve its ability to support customers. At the same time, they needed to maintain the highest levels of print quality using the latest hardware and software available. BacKground

Two years ago, Mark Andy began pursuing an upgrade path with its motion control supplier. The next generation products from its existing controls vendor would force the company to abandon its software platform. Faced with the considerable amount of program development required to upgrade, Kevin Wilken, VP of engineering at Mark Andy, led the search for a new controls platform to help the company maintain its reputation for cutting edge servo printing equipment. The search started with a field of more than 15 potential suppliers, which was quickly narrowed, using a decision

iQ Works — integrated Engineering software suite from Mitsubishi Electric.

matrix and a cost analysis, to a shortlist of five leading controls vendors. In addition to overall system performance, commonality of development tools, training, service, and local and worldwide support were key criteria in choosing a controls platform. solution

After thoroughly evaluating the top five vendors, Mark Andy made several observations that influenced its final decision. Two of the companies presented polished Mark andy Performance series inline flexographic software packages, but the hardprinting press is powered by Mitsubishi Electric. ware lacked backward and forward compatibility and future upgrades would Technologies were able to demonstrate be costly. Two other companies demonsignificant performance advantages. strated industry-tailored products, but Wilken said, “the iQ Automation Platthere were doubts about support and form and MR-J3-BSafety Servo System product obsolescence. Mitsubishi Electric from Mitsubishi Electric improved our offered the best combination of reliable tension control by 500 percent, with hardware and intuitive software with a more accurate registration and less servo clear longterm strategy for upgrades and following error than other systems we product end-of-life. Ultimately, Mitsubi- have tested.” Beyond the performance shi Electric was chosen to demonstrate its advantage, Mitsubishi’s software and iQ Automation Platform with MR-J3hardware have maintained backward BSafety servos, GT16 Series HMI, and compatibility over the years. This stabiliQ Works Software. A pilot project, ity provides a level of confidence that, in collaboration with local distributor as performance-enhancing and easeHTE Technologies, launched to evaluate of-use features become available, Mark performance, with emphasis on registraAndy will be able to take full advantage tion accuracy, servo following error, and without the expense and learning curve tension control, since these directly affect of major architecture changes. final print quality. Bryan Knight is automation solutions rEsults team leader with Mitsubishi Electric. After six weeks of development and For more information, go to testing, Mitsubishi Electric and HTE www.meau.com.

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Mechatronics: Industrial Automation

IN THE MARKETPLACE PCM7539X IDEA DrIvE StEPPEr Motor ControllEr Designed to control Haydon Kerk’s larger-size stepper motor linear actuators.

models. PMI360DV angular measurement sensors enable users to set the measurement range and rotation direction, PNP output signal width, and zero position, with dedicated buttons for each configurable function to simplify set-up. Users will benefit from voltage or current output with repeatable accuracy to 0.5 degrees and resolution to 0.2 degrees. LED indicators provide visual status for power, lost target and configuration lock variables. Models with up to three independent PNP outputs are available, enabling a single sensor to replace non-configurable multiple-sensor mounting arrangements. Pepperl+Fuchs www.pepperl-fuchs.us

The Haydon RoHS compliant PCM7539X IDEA programmable stepper motor drive is capable of a 75V dc input voltage and a max output current of 3.85A RMS. The introduction of the PCM7539X completes the power range for the platform and allows the IDEA system to be used with any stepper motor product currently offered by Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions. The PCM7539X in particular is designed to control the larger size 23 and size 34 stepper motor units. The PCM7539X is a compact, easy-to-use electronic drive and fully programmable control unit with a patent-pending graphic user interface. Programming the drive is though the use of on-screen buttons instead of complicated command sets or other proprietary programming languages. The software allows the system designer to easily troubleshoot programs that use line-by-line or multiple line program execution using the interactive debug feature. Inputs and outputs also can be simulated in software before ever connecting actual I/O hardware. Technical specifications for the PCM7539X include programmable current control, 12V dc to 75V dc input voltage, drive current per phase of 3.85A RMS plus a 30 percent “current boost” function for use during ramping. Haydon Kerk motion Solutions www.idea-drive.com

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Mechatronics: Industrial Automation ROTRON 64 FRaMe BRushless DC CONDeNseR & evapORaTOR MOTORs Provides solutions for transit coach air conditioning (A/C) systems. ROTRON 64 Frame brushless dc condenser and evaporator motors have a 27.6V dc brushless construction and DSPbased electronic commutation to deliver virtually maintenance free operation and long service life up to 60,000 hours. They can accommodate OEM or retrofit applications as drop-in replacements for most existing brush dc motors up to 2.0hp. Both the condenser and evaporator motors benefit from environmentally sealed and electronically protected con-

struction to resist hot water spray, rain, humidity, salt, fog, shock, and vibration typically encountered by heavy-duty transit vehicles. They have been rigorously field-tested and qualified in OEM applications. The condenser motors can achieve torque up to 24lb-inch and speeds up to 2340rpm. The evaporator models can develop torque up to 32lb-inch and speeds up to 2800rpm. Both incorporate rare-earth magnets for high torque/weight ratio, provide protections against reverse polarity and voltage surges, and are sealed with O-rings as standard. Among available options, motors can be specified with custom shaft and mounting configurations (foot and face), performance design variations, and otherwise tailored to satisfy particular application requirements. Integrated brushless motor/drive packages can serve to simplify installation and eliminate issues associated with interconnection cabling, setup, noise, and compatibility. AmeTeK Technical & Industrial Products Inc. www.ametektechnicalproducts.com COReless DC MOTOR The DynaMax 25 series motors employ new rotor technology for higher performance.

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Allied Electronics

C1, M1

Belt Technologies

M11

C-Flex

M13

Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions

C3

Mitsubishi Electric Automation

C2

Mouser Electronics

M5

Nabtesco

M15

R&W America

M8

Siemens PLM

M3

Thomas Product

M7

Wittenstein Arena Inc.

C4

Publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions in this index.

The new 25mm diameter DynaMax 25 coreless motors use an innovative copper foil rotor technology instead of a conventional wound copper wire armature for higher power density. This new rotor technology combined with 4-pole rare-earth NdFeB magnets enables the DynaMax to achieve a stall torque of 400mNm and 28W of rated power output. The low inertia realized with the coreless design, combined with the high starting torque, results in a rapid 4msec mechanical time constant.

These features make the DynaMax 25 useful for rapid start-stop applications, such as hand tools, actuators, and positioning systems in high precision, high throughput equipment as found in semiconductor test and packaging equipment and electronics assembly equipment. For applications needing lower speeds and higher torque the DynaMax 25 is also available fitted with an optional planetary gearbox. For regulated speed or positioning systems a two channel optical encoder with a resolution of up to 2000ppr is also optionally available. Allied motion Technologies Inc. www.alliedmotion.com

M16 Mec h at ro ni c s: in d u s t r i a l a u t o M at i o n / a s u p p le Me nt to de s ign ne ws D e c e mb e r 2011

[www.designnews .com]

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45 who are onsite in various locations and everyone needs access to shared data.” With that picture in mind, Autodesk is steadily putting together a pretty robust cloud and mobile tools strategy. Autodesk Cloud, unveiled in October, is a collection of up to a dozen Web services that allow users to collaborate on models via Web browsers or mobile devices, in addition to offloading processor-intensive tasks like rendering and simulation to the cloud to take advantage of its scalability and high performance benefits. As part of the collection, Autodesk has lined up a dozen or so free and paid mobile apps for Apple and Android devices, including AutoCAD WS, a viewer/editing tool for sharing .DWG files; Autodesk Design Review Mobile, used to share, view, and markup on a mobile device’s 2D and 3D data stored on Autodesk Cloud; Inventor Publisher Mobile, for viewing animated 3D assembly instructions; and SketchBook, a professional-grade drawing and painting app.There are also 3D games, sculpting tools, and animation capabilities as part of the Autodesk mobile app library. Tellerman says there have been well over two million downloads of AutoCAD WS since its release and nearly 30,000 downloads of Design Review Mobile in its first few weeks — all signs, she says, that engineers are open to a mobile tool if the usecase is right.Already she has seen companies deploy iPads with Design Review Mobile to machinists on the shop floor to monitor and track quality around manufacturing processes, or to construction engineers who need access to model data out in the field. Rather than positioning mobile devices as a direct replacement for desktops or laptops for doing traditional CAD and modeling work, the platforms are far better suited for specific tasks and workflows, and design tool apps have to follow suit.“What you would try to do on a mobile device is not really the same workflow as what we would do on a workstation or laptop,” she explains. “The modern-age app will be workflow-centric, pointed, simple, and get the job done.” IMSI/Design, another CAD tool provider that sees a real future in mobile apps,

Siemens PLM Software is positioning its Teamcenter Mobility app as a solution for securely delivering Teamcenter-managed product data to users, oftentimes in unconventional locations.

also believes engineers will make the leap once the right set of tools is offered.“There really isn’t the right tool out there yet,” says Doug Cochrane, CTO at IMSI, admitting that IMSI/Design’s own Turbo Viewer app, a professional-grade viewing app that supports 2D and 3D .DWG files along with additional capabilities, is just the first step in what’s possible.Without getting too specific, Cochrane says the firm plans to build a series of apps that leverage the unique capabilities of mobile devices, including the 10hour battery life, built-in GPS functionality, accelerometers, and digital cameras. “We’re looking at optimizing for the mobile workflow, creating software that takes advantage of the hardware and knows how to best utilize those devices,” he explains. Providing snippets of targeted functionality rather than trying to replicate the traditional design workflow in a single app is another core part of IMSI/Design’s strategy. For example, an app for taking measurements or leveling surfaces has implications for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) segment, Cochrane says, while a conversion app would make sense for design engineers looking for a simple and efficient way to convert files to their CAD tool of choice. Also consider the benefits of a drawing compare app that would quickly and visually point out design changes while an engineer was away from the office. Generation Gap Taking a task-oriented approach as opposed to a domain-oriented approach is the right strategy for whetting the appetite of engineers for mobile design tools —

especially among the younger, up-andcoming generation, says Oleg Shilovitsky, a CAD/product lifecycle management (PLM) industry watcher and the writer of the Beyond PLM blog. Students and even novice engineers are already wedded to their smartphones and tablets, he says, and will come to expect that elements of their jobs can and should be accommodated on the same platforms they use throughout the day. “For Generation Y, this is an important part of their future,” he says. Twenty-seven year old Adam Zakrzewski, an engineer-in-training and product development specialist at Inertia Engineering + Design, agrees, although even he isn’t sold yet on the idea of using his beloved smartphone to do anything beyond simple engineering calculations, unit conversions, leveling work, and some simple collaboration. In that vein, Zakrzewski recently tapped his iPhone to snap a photo of an area on a safety seat prototype he was working on so the client could wade in to make a small design modification. “That was really helpful because the sooner they had the information, the sooner we could get feedback and make a change instead of bringing them in or sending the model out to them,” he explains. Despite any current hesitations, Zakrzewski fully expects it’s just a matter of time before devices like smartphones and tablets will become as high utility to his day job as they are when he’s off the clock. “The younger generation is definitely more open to this, but it’s not about age, it’s about how comfortable people are with adapting to new processes,” he says.“It will be fairly easy for me to switchover and I’m totally open to it.” DN

For More Information: Auer Precision: www.auerprecision.com Autodesk: www.autodesk.com Autodesk Cloud Makes Its Official Debut: http://dn.hotims.com/34953-510 Beyond PLM: www.beyondplm.com IMSI/Design: www.imsidesign.com IMSI/Design Powers Up Mobile Strategy: http://dn.hotims.com/34953-511 Inertia Engineering + Design: www.inertiaengineering.com

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Electronics & Test

Cadillac’s Dashboard Design Lesson Cadillac’s CUE is an important addition to the infotainment scene, but its consumerdriven design process may turn out to be more important than the product. By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor. Electronics & Test

W

hile sitting in the backseat of a sport utility vehicle in 2007 with two distracted kids and a dog, General Motors engineer Cody Hansen learned about the realities of center console usage. Hansen, along on the ride as an observer, watched a 40-ish mother of two struggle with her car’s aftermarket navigation and radio system — pushing repeatedly on the touch display, tapping harder when it didn’t work, and hunting through menus to find the right screen. “Why does it have to be so hard to go from one screen to the next?” the exasperated driver demanded.“Why is it so hard to go from my iPod to my nav?” Four years later, Hansen and the rest of the 40 engineers and designers behind Cadillac’s new CUE (or Cadillac User Experience) have an answer to those questions: It shouldn’t be that hard. After hundreds of hours of observing users, and thousands more hours debating among themselves, the technical team has rolled out a product that GM executives believe is the next big thing in telematics.The CUE — a center stack that works like a smartphone — combines entertainment and information data from up to ten Bluetooth devices, USBs, and MP3 players with a user interface that can be easily appreciated, even by a dyed-in-the-wool Luddite.

Source: Cadillac

46

Engineer Mike Hichme (left) and designer Stuart Norris (right): GM’s design and engineering teams colocated in an effort to understand the customer’s needs and choose the right technologies to support those needs.

“What the smartphone did for the cellphone, CUE is going to do for the infotainment space,” says Micky Bly, engineering executive director for GM. Clearly, GM engineers are proud of the new technology, having referred to it as “dramatic,” “holistic,” and “magical” at a recent press conference in San Diego. But what makes CUE different than other center console systems — inside and outside GM — is the team’s penchant for using customers to help with the innovation. In the course of designing CUE, GM engineers traveled to California,

D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

Texas, Boston, and Chicago to ride with more than 120 users of navigation and radio consoles. They went on sales calls, travelled with real estate agents showing homes, and even joined drivers who were on vacation. They sat in backseats with families and watched husbands and wives argue over infotainment intricacies. And in the end, they walked away with a better understanding of how drivers use infotainment. “A lot of our design solutions were directly related to what we saw in the field,” Hansen says.

Source: Cadillac

47 The “Unboxing” Experience The idea for CUE grew out of internal marketing discussions early in 2007. During the discussions, GM executives pointed out that Cadillac’s competitors were a step ahead on offering specialized infotainment consoles. BMW had its well-known iDrive; Mercedes-Benz had its Comand; and Audi, its MMI. Yet, GM saw the infotainment space as one it wanted to grow into. “The conclusion was, ‘We need one of those [human machine interface] things,’” recalls Stuart Norris, lead designer for GM. “That’s where you need to be if you’re in the luxury space.” When GM engineers and industrial designers discussed the idea, however, they decided they didn’t want to make a me-too product. Up to that time, the conventional design process had been simple: Engineers would examine trends among competitors’ products, decide which features they liked, and put together a rough concept. Then they’d hand off the concept to a design team, which would “make it look pretty.” In this case, however, the process would be different. “On CUE, we completely turned the design process on its head,” notes Mike Hichme, lead engineer for Cadillac’s User Interface group. “Everything was design-driven. We said, ‘Let’s understand the customer needs and then figure out what technologies we need to support those needs.’” The CUE team started by doing four independent studies geared toward understanding how people interface with their vehicles. “We wanted to know what people were bringing into their vehicles,” Hichme says. “Cellphones? Navigation systems? CDs? iPods? Most of all, though, we wanted to know how people learn about their vehicles.” GM assigned designers and engineers to visit dealerships and sit with customers who were picking up their cars for the first time. In some cases, they rode home with the customers. Then they reconnected with them after three or four weeks to hear more about what had happened during the interim.

Designers pushed for a 1.8-liter storage area behind CUE’s faceplate.

GM team members wanted to learn about the unboxing process — that is, the process that occurs when buyers pull new products from their packages. In essence, they were drawing a parallel to the individuals who videotape the unboxing of their recently purchased iPhones and iPads (hundreds of unboxing videos can be viewed on YouTube). Only in this case, the tech team was taking virtual snapshots of customers “unboxing” their new cars. Team members discovered that there were varying types of unboxers. Some owners were methodical, carefully reading their vehicle manuals as they learned. Others were “hunt and peck” types, gathering knowledge on the go. Some owners attacked the learning process as couples, sharing the chores. Others simply learned by arguing with family members. One woman pasted scores of notes on the dashboard as reminders.Whatever the methodology, though, the idea for GM’s team was to make an infotainment system that would be usable by all those people. On every customer visit, GM engineers took photos and recorded events on videotape. Mostly, though, they just watched quietly. “We tried never to interfere,” Hichme says. “You don’t even want to ask them questions because they might make something up or remember it incorrectly.” “Walking the Wall” After riding with car owners, team members returned to their offices to go over their data. Engineers and designers wrote their observations on notes, stuck them to a conference room wall, and placed them on a pie chart that rated users from young to old, and from tech-

savvy to tech-averse. Then they did a process called “walking the wall,” in which they encouraged team members to look at the observations and contribute design ideas. “We took the ideas and voted on them for technical feasibility,” Hichme says. “Then we whittled the ideas down into a few (product) visions that we could build.” GM management, however, didn’t immediately see the light.With the company nearing bankruptcy, many executives wondered about the wisdom of investing in such an expensive process. “Some of the stakeholders said, ‘You want to do what? You want to ride along with people? Why don’t you just use your gut?’” Hichme recalls.“But after the first event, we came back and presented our visions, and our executives looked at each other and said, ‘Why aren’t we doing this for all our products?’” Based on feedback from users, GM’s design team identified several ideas that became key elements of the new vision. One important element: user familiarity. “Customers begged us, ‘Can you make it like a product I own today, so I don’t have to learn something new?’” Hichme says. After visiting the Consumer Electronics Show in 2008, the design team identified capacitive touch as a key, and set out develop a user interface that would have a consumer electronics feel to it.With iPads not even on the market yet, the idea of a capacitive touchscreen seemed risky at the time, but it quickly proved itself.Today, the capacitive screen plays a critical role in CUE, enabling users to control in-car devices with the taps, flicks, swipes, pinches, and other gestures that have since become familiar to users of smartphones and tablet computers. GM engineers say that CUE was in development for three years, largely because technologies such as the capacitive touchscreen hadn’t previously been used in autos. “We had to develop a touchscreen that would work in Michigan in winter and Phoenix in summer,” Bly says. “Others have not pursued the technology in the past, but we decided to take the challenge.” Bly adds that GM’s success with automotive-grade capacitive touchscreens was

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48 Electronics & Test largely due to a cooperative effort with an unnamed supplier. As the vision evolved, the design team also took advantage of other technologies that were new to automotive center consoles. Haptic feedback, an idea that evolved during the user studies, enabled drivers to keep their eyes on the road when they reached for CUE’s touchscreen. By employing a linear motor to provide a tactile mechanical pulse to the screen when users touched it, haptics supplied a “push-back,” thus letting drivers know they were connected. At the same time, engineers also settled on the use of proximity sensors to enable the unit’s eight-inch LCD touchscreen to come to life when a user’s finger drew within a few inches of it. “We could have done that in different ways,” Hichme says. “We could have had the screen come to life when you touch it. But that’s not Cadillac. We wanted it to seem magical.”

Source: Cadillac

Learning from Cross-Pollination Bringing the product to life, however, called for another form of magic: corporate cooperation. To achieve the user experience GM wanted, the company’s executives decided to colocate the industrial designers and engineers. For GM, the colocation was a significant step, since engi-

Proximity sensors sense the approach of a user’s hand as far away as eight inches.

CUE’s Timeline for Design 2007 Independent user studies launched 2008 First prototypes built 2009 Production hardware and testing begins 2011 Product unveiled 2012 CUE debuts in Cadillac XTS, ATS sedans, and SRX crossover

neering and design teams have traditionally been located in separate buildings. But team members of both groups agree that the benefits of colocation were seen in the product. “The engineers actually sat with the graphical designers,” Hichme explains.“Very early on, the personality differences came out, but it was still definitely a good thing.” Engineers and designers, for example, came together to create a simple, fourbutton console control that handles all of CUE’s major applications — phone, navigation, and audio. The four-button design was a major step forward because predecessors typically employed between 13 and 17 buttons for the same functions.The Cadillac design team was able to reduce the number, however, by carefully linking the buttons to the necessary software menus. Similarly, designers and engineers teamed on the design of the proximity sensing system and the front lens of the LCD display, as well as the packaging of the haptic motors for the tactile feedback mechanism. In some cases, the two groups battled over the need for certain features.The proximity sensors, for example, enabled the display to go black (so-called “dead-fronting”) when not in use, a feature that the designers liked for aesthetic reasons.The idea, however, left engineers scratching their heads. “Yes, they pushed for proximity sensing,” says Hansen, an electrical engineer who works as an interaction designer. “Why? Because it’s cool.” “It’s really difficult to tell an engineer that you want the display to turn off, to go black, so you can’t see the graphics when it’s not in use,” adds Norris. “That’s a very abstract concept for an engineer, so there was a very

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healthy amount of tension and debate. But even when we didn’t agree, we ended up making balanced decisions.” The result is a system that allows users to securely channel information from smartphones, iPods, and other handheld devices. It also offers navigation tools, weather maps with Doppler radar, AM/FM and XM radio content, instant messaging, and e-mails. Moreover, all of it is tied together with natural speech recognition that reportedly uses fewer and simpler commands to recall stored media. To be sure, Cadillac isn’t the first to offer such capabilities. Ford has offered similar features in MyFord Touch, albeit without the capacitive touchscreen, proximity sensing, and haptic feedback. The technology, which will debut in the Cadillac XTS and ATS luxury sedans in 2012, is receiving generally positive reviews. “The graphics are excellent and the screen responds with the crispness we’ve learned to expect on smartphones,” writes Automobile Magazine.“As with the iPhone before it, the key to Cadillac’s CUE is its simplicity,” adds Motor Trend. Both publications, however, dinged Cadillac for playing catchup with competitors such as Ford, Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. Still, the lessons learned may be more important than the product itself. Engineers who worked on CUE say the corporate approach behind it may be usable for other high profile projects around the company. “Our group has talked to other groups about it,” Hansen says. “It’s really spreading throughout GM.” More important, the lessons learned may serve as proof that automakers can’t isolate themselves. If technological growth is what they seek, then crosspollination may offer a solution, team members say. “That’s essentially what we’ve done,” Norris concludes. “We’ve taken ourselves away from the automotive idiom and put ourselves into the consumer electronics space.” DN

For More Information: GM: www.gm.com Cadillac CUE: http://dn.hotims.com/34953-512

Social

49

engineering

Jobs Still Top 2011 Concern By ALEXANDER WOLFE, Content Director

I always say that, in Internet time, every week seems like a month and every month a year. Work my hours and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Of course, if you’re reading this, you already do. Design engineers know as well as anyone that tough times mean that only the toughest and most capable technical folks survive and thrive. I didn’t intend to begin this column on what seems like a less than optimistic note. However, to be honest, this tilt stems from the answers received when I posed this month’s question to our Systems & Product Design Engineer group on LinkedIn. We asked participants what they thought were the biggest issues of 2011. Our first two respondents said what’s still on the mind of many. Dennis Ulp, a consultant in Harrisburg, Penn., said his top concern is unemployment of seasoned engineers. Ed Smyth, an engineering manager in Chicago, was more quantitative, pointing to “unemployment of 40+ year olds.” Maybe there’s a silver lining to note that reemployment tends to take a while to kick in once the economy beings to improve. We saw signs of that in the positive news out of our August salary survey. We found that engineers received their first increase in base salary in two years — a 4.3 percent rise which took their average earnings up to $93,465. On the other hand, one can’t help but believe that older engineers have a tougher time than most. It’s a sad state of affairs, and everyone’s the poorer for it, not the least being companies who could benefit from their maturity and realworld expertise.

The global dynamics apparently vary. Richard Marques, a manufacturing intelligence analyst at a brewery in Johannesburg, South Africa, told our LinkedIn group that unemployment is not an issue where he is. “We have almost the converse: a struggle to find good engineers and retain them even with attractive packages,” he reported. The other major meme in our admittedly anecdotal survey of impact of the past year is that of compressed development cycles. That’s another issue we’ve frequently written about, and it’s connected to the employment issue via smaller engineering being charged with doing more work with less. Rich Merritt, a public relations professional who’s worked with automation vendors, sees a continued trend toward engineering functions being outsourced. “In process control, big chemical and processing companies are turning over design, installation, configuration, and maintenance of their control systems to vendors and systems integrators,” he writes. “If a chemical plant has a control engineer on staff, his or her job primarily is to supervise contractors and push paper.” One should note that the contractors to which Merritt refers must nevertheless be engineers. Thus we should take comfort in the fact that the swoon of the past several years does indeed appear to be slowly reversing. What’s probably happening is a structural shift, in which newer job descriptions and modes of employment are replacing older ones, but replacing them they are. Be comforted by that as you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa. DN

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System & Product Design Engineering Group http://bit.ly/designnewsLI

Now there’s one place to do it all! NI Supports the improvement of engineering by connecting engineers with social media.

50

Design

Decisions

Materials, Adhesives for Gaskets Selecting the right gasket material, adhesive, and converter for your application. By CRAIG MCCLENACHAN, Fabrico

Gaskets work as a seal between two stationary parts. The seal may provide barriers against fluid ingress or leakage, electrostatic discharge, electromagnetic interference, dust, dirt, or other contaminants; resist extrusion and creep under operating conditions; and withstand extremes in operating environments, including very low and high temperatures. While often a low-cost component in an assembly or subassembly, chronic leaks or failures can have a catastrophic effect on a product or process. Industry’s efforts to cut costs, improve efficiencies, increase quality, and maximize productivity and profitability can be disrupted by poor gasket quality, leading to process interruptions, product failure, and expensive maintenance and replacement.

New Gasket Materials To select the most appropriate gasket material requires defining the primary function of the gasket. Is the gasket expected to deliver EMI or ESD protection? Is it intended to insulate against heat or electricity? Is it a protection against contaminants? Will it need to be a barrier to fluids? Important properties when evaluating gasket materials include: cellularity (open or closed), hardness, and compressibility. Materials can be open- or closed-cell or solid. Open-celled materials, typically open-cell foams, can absorb fluids or resist absorption when compressed. Closedcell materials, including foams and solid gaskets, require more compression than open-cell materials. Hardness can be measured using the

Shore A scale with Shore A 10-20 considered soft; Shore A 30-40 medium; and Shore A 60-70 hard — as hard as an automobile tire, for example. Gasket materials can go as high as Shore A 90. Compressibility can be measured using compression force deflection: the force required to compress one inch of materials 25 percent. Grade 0 materials typically are very soft, requiring 2 psi. Grade 4 materials are hard, requiring 16psi to 30psi for compression. In addition to the characteristics of the materials themselves, other considerations include material thickness, compression, and torque. The gasket material should be thick enough to compensate for any surface face irregularities and permit some compression. Torque data should be determined using the surface area; pressure being sealed; and bolt size, number, condition, and lubrication. Overcompression is a common problem and removes the gasket’s ability to recover. Chemical vs. Mechanical Gaskets Design engineers may have a choice between chemical and mechanical gaskets. Chemical gaskets need a viscosity that allows the material to fill the gap without flowing out of it. In general, chemical gaskets find their greatest use on assembly lines, where they can offer good sealing for specific applications at a lower cost. However, reliability in maintenance and repair situations can be problematic and in some cases, while the original gasket may be chemical, the better replacement

may be a diecut gasket. Diecut, or preformed, gaskets are often multipart products. In addition to sealing, they may also work as shims, spacers, or fluid passage walls. They offer a high degree of sameness and reliability. They are easy to apply and mitigate potential operator error. If a leak develops, retightening often fixes the problem. Gasket Adhesives Once the material is chosen, an adhesive may be used to hold the gasket in place for sealing and compression. There are many adhesive types to consider, including: anaerobic, acrylics, cyanoacrylates, epoxy, polyurethanes, phenolic, and polyimides. Partnering With a Converter During gasket design, a design engineer may often turn to a converter for assistance in selecting the gasket material and adhesive. The converter may have a test lab where materials and adhesives can be tested and characterized to meet design specifications. In addition, the engineer will look to the converter for advice on how to best manufacture the gaskets costeffectively to fit into an assembly process. Depending on the material used and the number of pieces being made, the converter may suggest water-jet cutting, computer numerical control diecutting, or laser diecutting. Kiss cutting could also be used to cut the gasket and adhesive while leaving the liner intact, so the gaskets can be packaged in rolls. Slitting, laminating, and kitting will also be part of the services the converter can offer. DN

Craig McClenachan is vice president, fabrication and assembly unit, Fabrico. For more information, go to www.fabrico.com. D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

High-Precision Motion Control High-Accuracy, Zero Backlash Gearhead The CSF-GH Quick Connect Gearhead easily mounts to any servo motor yet maintains all of the benefits of Harmonic Drive™ gearing including 1arc-min accuracy and zerobacklash. A high capacity cross roller bearing is used at the output and is available with either a Shaft or Flange output interface. The gearhead have rated torques of 76 in-lbs to 9,320 in-lbs and peak torques of 343 in-lbs to 46,550 in-lbs depending on size and ratio. Gear ratios of 50, 80, 100, 120 and 160:1 are available.

CSF/CSG Precision Gearheads The CSF and CSG high torque Precision Gearhead Series are ideally suited for robotic and machine tool applications. The CSG delivers 30% more torque and 40% longer life while maintaining zero-backlash, 1 arc-min accuracy, and +/- 5 arc-sec repeatability. An accurate, highly rigid cross roller bearing is built in to directly support the external load. A wide variety of sizes and reduction ratios are available with maximum peak torques ranging from 450 in-lbs. to 60,500 in-lbs.

Power & Precision SHA Hollow Shaft Actuator • High Torque Density

• Brushless Servo Motor

• 1 arc-min Accuracy

• Harmonic Drive™ Gearing

• ±5 arc-sec Repeatability

• Integrated Brake

• High Capacity Output

• 17 Bit Absolute Encoder

Bearing

SHF/SHG Hollow Shaft Speed Reducers Available in a wide range of sizes, these zero backlash, 1 arc-min accuracy Harmonic Drive™ gearheads enable design engineers to pass shafts, wires, tubing, or other components directly through the center of the gear. They incorporate an output flange supported by a large cross roller bearing, providing exceptional moment stiffness and load capacity. The smallest unit has a hollow shaft I.D. of 14 mm and an outer diameter of just 64 mm. The largest unit of the family has a hollow shaft I.D. of 80 mm and has a rated output torque of 1236 in-lbs, and a peak torque of 6175 in-lbs. Gear ratios from 30:1 through 160:1 are available.

Harmonic Drive LLC 800-921-3332 www.HarmonicDrive.net

The new SHA series of Hollow Shaft Actuators has the highest torque density of any actuator in its class, yet provides excellent positioning accuracy. Several sizes are available with output torques up to 30,000 in-lb. These actuators are ideally suited for robotics, automation, machine tool, and antenna positioning applications where performance and reliability are essential.

Call 800.921.3332 www.HarmonicDrive.net

52

Literature Plus

The latest in design guides, catalogs and other product information from the OEMs.

Shock AbSorberS pluS New GAS SpriNGS ACE Controls catalog features deceleration and motion control products. Includes: industrial, safety, PET & GLASS industry shock absorbers, feed controllers & hydraulic dampers. Also includes: AGS Gas Springs providing counterbalance motion control for lifting and lowering lids, hoods, hatches, panels and more. Made in USA.

Ace controls inc. Please enter reader service number at http://designnews. hotims.com for additional information from manufacturers. To advertise call 800-387-3469

Farmington Hills, MI (800) 521-3320 (248) 476-0213 e-mail: [email protected] www.acecontrols.com

DN55574078 LC.01

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ADVANCED CERAMIC SOLUTIONS

Boker’s 2012 Washer Catalog

Astro Met’s unique advanced ceramics provide cost effective solutions to material performance problems in a wide range of demanding applications. “Amalox 68” a 99.8% alumina ceramic and “Amzirox 86” a yttria stabilized zirconia provide superior wear resistance, corrosion resistance, high temperature stability, low thermal expansion, high stiffness to weight ratio, biocompatability and high dielectric strength.

Boker’s complimentary 2012 Washer Catalog offers a selection of more than 26,000 non-standard flat washer sizes available. The numerous outside/inside diameters, various thicknesses and over 2,000 materials provide endless possibilities. Materials include low-carbon sheet steel, various spring steels, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper, nickel silver and non-metallics. ISO 9001:2008 Registered

Astro Met, Inc.

Boker’s

Cincinnati, OH 45215 T: 513- 772-9080 Web: www.astromet.com

Contact Info: [email protected]

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POSITION TRANSDUCERS 16-page Engineering Guide describes how to select and use Inductosyn® and Electrosyn® position transducers for demanding applications. Rotary Inductosyn® and Electrosyn® transducers provide absolute and incremental position information accurate to ±0.5 arc seconds or better. Resolution to 26 bits. Linear transducers are accurate to ±40μ inches or better, with sub-μ inch resolution.

Farrand Controls Valhalla, NY USA T: 914-761-2600 • F: 914-761-0405 E-mail: [email protected] www.ruhle.com

http://dn.hotims.com/34950-60002

The Pressure sTrain and Force handbook™ 9Th ediTion Volume mmXi OMEGA’s New Pressure, Strain, and Force Handbook™ contains over 1600 pages of products for the measurement, display and control of pressure, differential pressure, barometric pressure, absolute pressure and vacuum and new technical articles including Wireless Measurement of Pressure, Strain, and force parameters. Also included is a broad selection of products including pressure and vacuum switches, dial pressure gauges, load cells, force translators, rotary and static torque sensors, weighing hardware, strain gages, strain instrumentation, displacement sensors, and proximity sensors. Special sections cover accelerometers, dynamic pressure and force transducers, pneumatic valves, regulators, sanitary fittings, automation and temperature products.

omeGa enGineerinG, inc., For more information, go to http://www.omega.com/literature/pressure9/ DN55573945 LC01 http://dn.hotims.com/34950-6003

POWER TRANSMISSION STRETCH BELTS Pyramid Inc. has manufactured round and flat Pyrathane® belts for over 40 years. Pyrathane® belts are used in a wide variety of low and fractional horsepower drive applications such as live-roller conveyor systems, as well as transport devices for paper, currency and small parts. Pyrathane® belts are manufactured to our customers’ specifications and are of the highest quality with exceptional abrasion resistance and durability.

Pyramid Inc. 522 N. 9th Ave. E. • Newton, IA 50208 Phone: 641-792-2405 • Fax: 641-792-2478 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.pyramidbelts.com http://dn.hotims.com/34950-6005 D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

http://dn.hotims.com/34950-6004

SEAL MASTER® INFLATABLE SEALS, ACTUATORS & GRIPPERS Solve difficult, awkward design problems with Seal Master® Inflatable Seals. Custombuilt, fabric reinforced, and fully molded, these elastomeric seals and other pneumatic specialties offer close tolerance capability and resistance to compression. Use for imaginative production / processing applications too. Design assistance offered.

Seal Master Corporation T: 800-477-8436 • F: 330-673-8242 Email: [email protected] www.sealmaster.com http://dn.hotims.com/34950-6006

Design Engineering

Products

Best of the Engineering Marketplace Compiled by Lauren Muskett, Assistant Editor

Electronics & Test Wi-Fi Wireless Sensor System Designed for demanding industrial applications and harsh outdoor environments.

Omega’s wSeries wireless transmitters for analog voltage and current, temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure, communicate on a standard 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi network, which is a useful and economical solution for facilities with an existing Wi-Fi network as well as a new installation. The wSeries sends alarms through text message or email if variables go above or below a set point that you determine. The CE-compliant product features a NEMA 4 (IP65) Enclosure. Omega Engineering Inc. www.omega.com

Expanded Relay Line AutomationDirect is expanding its offering of industrial relays to accommodate a wider range of applications.

Additions to the electromechanical relays include power relay and hazardous location relay styles. The APR40

series power relays, available in SPDT, DPST, and DPDT models, feature open-construction design with highpower contacts capable of switching up to 40A with a maximum contact voltage up to 600V. The H782/H750 series Hazardous Location electromechanical relays are hermetically sealed plug-in style control relays designed for applications requiring sealed units for hazardous factory locations. Both series feature high vibration and shock resistance, providing high reliability and long life. They are available with relay coil voltages of 110/120V ac, 220V ac, 12V ac/dc, and 24V ac/dc. The H782 series 4PDT cube relays are available in 3A and 5A models. The H750 se-

initiated time-delayed trip or close. A flashing LED notifies the operator of the pending trip or close operation and serves as a warning to evacuate the arc flash area. By allowing an operator time

to leave the room before the trip or close operation, the TD-CSR affords the operator the same safety from arc flash as a SCADA system — at a fraction of the price. Electroswitch www.electroswitch.com

ries octal relays feature 12A contact ratings and are available in DPDT and 3DPT models.

AutomationDirect www.automationdirect.com/relays

Control Switch Relay Allows Time-Delayed Trip/Close Relay safely mitigates arc flash danger in a local circuit breaker operation.

Electroswitch’s Time Delay Control Switch Relay (TD-CSR) provides a safe and effective means of mitigating arc flash danger in local circuit breaker operation by allowing for a manually

Automation & Control UV & Remote-Head Cameras Can be seamlessly integrated with updated Impact software.

PPT Vision has added two high-performance JAI cameras to its M-Series embedded machine vision system line, including an ultra-violet (UV) camera for inspections that benefit from this shorter wavelength of light, as well as a remotehead “industrial endoscopy” model for special applications. Additionally, the release of the Impact 10.2 software supports the growing M-Series vision system family with streamlined functionality and

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54 Design Engineering Products

expanded image management capabilities. The UV camera, model CM-140GEUV, has seamless integration with PPT VISION’s M Series vision system and Impact software. This GigE Visioncompliant monochrome camera delivers

Versions can accept line voltage input of 120V ac (1Ø) or 240V ac (1Ø and 3Ø), where internal electronics convert the ac input voltage to dc. AMETEK Technical & Industrial Products Inc. www.ametektechnicalproducts.com

ing, or floating mounting styles. Their captive-screw design reduces parts to be handled and eliminates risk of screws falling out and damaging internal com-

Torsiflex-i Couplings Designed for process pump and general industrial applications.

1,392 x 1,040 pixel resolution at 16fps in continuous operation to capture images of UV sensitive materials, or objects that can only be imaged with UV light. PPT Vision www.pptvision.com

Variable Speed BLDC Combustion Blowers

Developed for API 610 service, Torsiflex-i flexible disc couplings feature a robust disc pack design, allowing for greater torque load in a smaller size. The couplings lower weight, and longer bearing life yield a lower cost per application. Max bores matched to NEMA motor shafts provide up to a 60 percent weight savings. A plugin spacer design allows installation and removal without disturbing the hubs. All models are ATEX-compliant and come

PennEngineering www.pemnet.com

SMT ‘Auto Blade’ Fuse Clips The surface mount fuse clips are engineered to secure fuses in place even after multiple insertions.

Optimized for high-output modulating gas-fired burner systems.

Nautilair 12.3 inch variable speed BLDC blowers provide high-performance, compact solutions for high-output, gas-fired burner systems. When used in conjunction with a gas valve and venturi, these premix blowers deliver a measured air/fuel mixture for optimized combustion and

ponents. Knobs can be specified in standard black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, or metallic.

standard with a zinc phosphate coating, a built-in anti-flail feature, and inch series hub attachment screws (metric available).

Especially suited for high-density applications, these compact, low-profile clips are available in vertical, horizontal, and thru-board blade entry types. They accept standard style ATO and ATC Fuses, low profile Mini #891 or ATM-

Ameridrives Couplings www.ameridrives.com

Materials & Assembly Captive Panel Screws Offered in three mounting styles with colored knobs.

reduced nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide emissions. Nautilair 12.3 inch blowers can achieve maximum sealed pressure capabilities up to 20 inches of H2O and maximum open flows to 1,000CFM, depending on model.

PEM C.A.P.S. captive panel screws uniquely integrate a captive screw with anti cross-threading feature and a PC/ ABS colored knob to provide an ideal fastener solution where subsequent access to an assembly may be required. These spring-loaded assemblies install permanently in aluminum or steel sheets as thin as .036 inch/0.92mm and can be supplied in self-clinching, flar-

D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

LP Fuses, as well as Mini and ATM series of Mini Auto Fuses. Voltage rating is at 500V ac and 15-30A. The new entries are made of brass with tin nickel plate and are available in bulk or in tape and reel. Keystone Electronics Corp. www.keyelco.com

Classified Section

55

®

Now Hiring: Hardware Design Engineer Sealevel Systems, Inc. is a mature communications hardware manufacturer, providing serial and digital communications and industrial computer across a wide array of computing platforms to customers since 1986. The company is experiencing rapid growth and is seeking a Hardware Design Engineer. The hardware engineer will be involved in all aspects of the Hardware Development Life Cycle, and should have 3+ years of experience in digital and analog circuit design and layout. General familiarity with digital hardware is required from the gate-level to PLDs. FPGA and strong analog experience is a plus. Proficiency in current CAD tools, specifically Altium, is desired and the candidate should be able to effectively use laboratory equipment such including oscilloscopes, digital multi-meters, and function generators. Core Responsibilities • Complete entire life cycle of programs including new business capture, preliminary and detail design, fabrication, integration and test, manufacturing and customer support for a variety of form factors, interfaces, and computer buses including PCIe and USB.

Apply for this position at sealevel.com/dnm/hw-eng or scan this QR code with your smart phone.

• Participation in peer audits of schematics, mechanical packaging, and standards compliance • Assistance in the resolution of hardware/software compatibility issues

sealevel.com > [email protected]

Advertisers Advertiser

Page

Advertiser

Ace Controls

52

EXAIR Corp.

Allied Electronics

56, C3

in this issue

Page 3

Advertiser PennEngineering

Page 16

Farrand Controls

52

Proto Labs Inc.

8

51

Pyramid Inc.

52

ANSYS Inc.

15

Harmonic Drive Technologies

Astro Met

52

Henkel of America

33, 35

Seal Master Corp.

52

AutomationDirect

29

IMS Schneider Electric Motion

38, 39

Sealeze Corp.

20

Avnet

11

Master Bond Inc.

31

Siemens PLM

4

B&R Industrial Automation

17

The MathWorks

C4

Smalley Steel Ring Co.

43

Bokers Inc.

52

Metal Power Industries Federation

Solidworks Corp.

19

Bosch Rexroth

13

Mouser Electronics

Stratasys

21

CIT Relay & Switch

18

National Instruments

Clippard Instrument Lab.

23

NPE 2012

Digi-Key Corp.

C1, C2

Omega Engineering Inc.

32, 34 2, 6, BB 25, 49

Tech-Etch Inc.

7

27 1, 52

Publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions in this index.

w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 D e s i g n N e w s

56

GADGET FREAK The Gadget Freak® Files Case #200

ADVERTISEMENT “SOLAR LIGHTING” Amt

The Sun Lights Up the Deck at Night WILLIAM GRILL FIGURED OUT a way to bring more sunshine into his life. He wanted to provide some nighttime safety for his deck, so he decided on some low-voltage lighting along the staircase and a few light sticks. Grill’s brother picked up a 12V, 40W regulator and solar panel at a garage sale.The two brothers built an application that uses the panel to grab rays from the sun and stores the energy in a 12V storage battery, allowing the sun’s light to shine all night. DN Are you a Gadget Freak? Design News and Allied Electronics would like to send you a check for $500 to spend on Allied’s website at www.alliedelec.com/gadgetfreak or anywhere you please. And don’t forget to supply us with a video file of your gadget in action. E-mail Design News your proposed project (must incorporate electronic components and involve sensing, motion, timing and/or networking elements) to rob.spiegel@ ubm.com, along with a description of how it works, a parts list, schematic, photos and video. If your project is selected, you’ll receive a $500 check from Design News and will be featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine or at designnews.com with your invention.

Part Description

Allied Part #

1

PIC16F676

383-0410

2

Resistor - 2.2K 5% 0.25W

296-4753

1

Red LED

405-0061

1

Green LED

403-0008

4

Diode

411-0008

2

Diode prototyped 1N4002

431-0770

1

Regulator

288-0630

1

NPN Transistor

411-0029

2

Transistor

503-0330

2

Capacitor

453-0034

1

Rocker SPST Switch

908-0100

DesignNews.com

Check out the solar lighting in action at www.designnews.com/gadget-freak.asp. More of What You Need: Find schematics, build instructions, and a full parts list at www.designnews.com/gadget-freak.asp. Sign up for the Gadget Freak RSS feed and get the posts delivered directly to your desktop at www.designnews.com/rss_simple.asp. To get Gadget Freak delivered directly to your inbox, go to www.designnews.com/register.asp. For parts information, call (800) 433-5700 or go to www.alliedelec.com/gadgetfreak Sponsored by » Photos: William Grill

D e s i g n N e w s D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 w w w. d e s i g n n e w s . c o m

Your Project Starts Here The new 2012 Allied Catalog helps you get the job done. ew Products • Over 12,000 N ss Suppliers • 300+ World-cla nectors and • Expanded Con ation Offering Industrial Autom olutions Measurement S & t es T ve si en • Ext

Order the Catalog today /2012catalog @

THINK ALLIED

SM

1.800.433.5700 © Allied Electronics, Inc 2011. ‘Allied Electronics’ and the Allied Electronics logo are trademarks of Allied Electronics, Inc.

An Electrocomponents Company.

®

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simulink Use Simulink to model and simulate your PID controller and plant using block-and-connector components. Automatically design the controller and fine-tune gains interactively. For rapid prototyping or final implementation, generate code directly from your models – ANSI-C, IEC 61131-3 structured text, or HDL.

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