These Technologies Have Game-changing Potential

2023 Author: Hannah Pearcy | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:12

The digitalization of industry gives many companies the opportunity to work more efficiently, to become more competitive and to launch completely new products and services on the market. To take advantage of these opportunities, design and development will also change.

At its 30th anniversary, Konstruktionspraxis has identified the technologies that help designers and developers - from the editorial point of view - improve the product development process, implement new ideas and develop competitive machines. The provider of these solutions honed construction practice with the "Enabler of Construction" award. Here are the categories and the associated award winners:

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The challenge: Multi-axis positioning systems have to reproduce positions exactly, deliver accuracies down to the sub-micrometer range or high throughput rates, and at the same time work robustly and reliably and be networkable.

The solution: The hexapods from Physik Instrumente (PI) are characterized, among other things, by path accuracy, repeatability and flatness, high dynamics that are the same for all axes of motion and a compact design. They also offer repeatability in the nanometer range.

What's in it Hexapods are versatile complete solutions that can also implement complex motion profiles without any special effort.

The challenge: In the course of digitization, it is important to design the enormous data flow quickly and reliably.

The solution: The single-pair Ethernet (SPE) technology - for Weidmüller is engaged in technology partnerships with other companies - needs only one pair of wires to transmit data and power (Power over Dataline Podl), creating uniform mating faces of the connection technology.

What's in it Data can be converted reliably and in a space-saving manner, and a standardized infrastructure makes implementation easier.

The challenge: In control and switchgear construction, complex circuit diagrams and wiring plans are created, which have to be implemented quickly and error-free with many manual work steps - under great time and cost pressure.

The solution: With virtual prototyping, Rittal offers an integrated data concept for automated control cabinet construction and the necessary components. Networked with suitable engineering software from sister company Eplan, end-to-end automation solutions are created.

What's in it The complex process runs faster, data from planning and design can be networked with production, errors in assembly and wiring avoided and manual work steps automated.

The challenge: lighter and more compact: new designs and further developments should become more efficient. This no longer applies only to the aerospace industry.

The solution: R + W developed the coupling of the Torqlight model series SL in cooperation with universities. It combines high-tech materials with special coatings in a light and compact design.

What's in it Compared to the standard series, the weight of the coupling is reduced by up to 60%. The modular concept enables the implementation of individual application needs.

The challenge: If components were to perform sliding movements relative to one another, it had previously had to be constructed with cylindrical plain bearings - a disadvantage for complex geometries.

The solution: With Tribo Shield tribological polymer coatings from GGB, metal components with complex sliding surfaces can be coated directly.

What's in it This enables designers to design more compactly, easily and without additional plain bearings.

The challenge: Components in digital and networked environments must have the equipment for an intelligent, self-monitoring system and be quick and easy to integrate.

The solution: The Power Pro 2 from Wago can via a communication module (currently IO-Link and Modbus RTU, planned Ethernet-based protocols such as MQTT, Ethernet IP, Profinet) are connected to the PLC or IoT gateway. This enables communication via standardized protocols, which reduces the effort for implementation.

What's in it Data from the power supply can be saved and analyzed for energy optimization. In this way, error states can be signaled in good time.

The challenge: Optimizing production processes and increasing productivity is one of the top goals in mechanical and plant engineering.

The solution: the intelligent tools of LMT collect, store and analyze data about the process and their condition. In this way, wear can be recognized at an early stage.

What's in it Process monitoring and analysis can be fully exploited, increasing efficiency and process reliability.

The challenge: The growing complexity makes it increasingly difficult to foresee the effects of a design decision.

The solution: The Discovery Live simulation software enables designers to try out, in real time, how changes affect the design. Cadfem also enhances Ansys solutions with the Cadfem Ansys Extensions and other services.

What's in it Designers gain scope for experimentation and support.

The challenge: When it comes to design changes, each new prototype costs time as well as money.

The solution: Protolabs offers injection molding, CNC-machined and 3D-printed prototypes in the express process and helps with design recommendations for optimization.

What's in it Prototypes can be produced using the process and material that are also to be used for series production. Design changes are possible at short notice; the product launch time decreases.

The challenge: Industry 4.0-compatible components for machines and systems must offer the option of condition monitoring in the future.

The solution: With the Smart Sensor, ABB provides a simple and straightforward way of collecting the data required for this: for motors, pillow block bearings and pumps.

What's in it Downtimes can be reduced by up to 70%. At the same time, the lifespan of the drives is extended by up to 30% and energy consumption is reduced by up to 10%.

The challenge: Current sensors do not meet the special requirements of Industry 4.0 applications for data communication. Which sensors are suitable for Industry 4.0 application and which interfaces have to be planned?

The solution: Leuze Electronic eliminates this problem using the dual-channel principle: While the data for process control are transmitted in real time via the first sensor channel, the information for monitoring and analyzing the machine runs via the second - without an additional physical interface.

What's in it The requirements of Industry 4.0 applications and the cloud connection can be implemented with little additional constructive and financial expense.

The challenge: Sinking sizes and efficient operation remain important requirements of the industry.

The solution: The components of Lee's microfluidics offer great potential in terms of miniaturization and efficiency, especially in combination with digitized solutions such as micro-sensors.

What's in it Miniaturized solutions that work energy-efficiently.

Additional information on the challenges of construction and development

On the product side, the demand for economical production of small, individual lot sizes up to the number of pieces is getting louder. This requires novel concepts for the machines that manufacture such individualized products. In the future, they will not only need to be modular, but also intelligently networked so that they can be converted quickly and easily. Components and modules that are equipped with artificial intelligence or machine learning functions are also increasingly being installed. The processes of additive manufacturing are also growing out of their infancy and will change production.

Data provides knowledge

In addition, significantly more data from production will be recorded in the future, which - when properly combined - will allow conclusions to be drawn about the efficiency and quality of the process, which can then be optimized accordingly. Big data, connection to the cloud and the IIoT open up completely new possibilities for manufacturers and operators, for example also offering services and thus opening up new business areas.

These challenges also require changes in design and development, if only to counter increasing complexity and to further shorten the time-to-market in terms of competitiveness.