Engineering

Next-Generation Modular EV Platform

REE Automotive (REE) and KYB Corporation (KYB) have announced a strategic partnership to develop suspension capabilities for future electric vehicle (EV) platforms. Automotive Tier 1 supplier KYB’s unparalleled semi-active and active suspension systems will boost REE’s next-generation EV platform, which delivers complete design freedom and cost-effective, scalable solutions in e-mobility. The combined expertise of REE, a pioneering technology company and leader in electric vehicle platforms, and KYB, a leading global hydraulics manufacturer, will reshape the movement of goods, people and services by revolutionizing electric vehicle design. REE’s partnership with KYB further expands REE’s global manufacturing capabilities. It also ignites a new level of suspension technology within the REEcorner architecture solution, which integrates all drivetrain vehicle components (steering, braking, suspension, e-motor) into the wheel. The REEcorner combines with the REEboard – a completely flat platform – allowing complete freedom of design, improved performance and safety, and modular applications for any vehicle type – from last mile delivery to heavy duty shipping. The KYB-REE partnership marks the first time KYB has formally collaborated on EV platforms with a technology company. “KYB has vast experience in developing and manufacturing advanced suspension systems, and we are excited to partner with REE Automotive and share its revolutionary EV vision by engineering a suspension subsystem that supports the needs of tomorrow’s mobility ecosystem” said Kazunori Masumoto, General Manager of Engineering Headquarters at KYB Automotive Component Business Division. REE’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Barel said, “REE is delighted to welcome KYB to our unique network of global strategic automotive partners, bringing world-class expertise in advanced suspension systems. KYB’s technology will play a crucial role in the rapid development of our next-generation EV architecture, which reinvents the electric vehicle with a completely flat, scalable and fully modular platform, ready to carry the future of e-mobility.”

2000km on a single charge

Lithium batteries will soon power Electric Vehicles (EVs) traveling 2,000 km on a single charge, say the team at Brighsun New Energy. The company is preparing for industrial trials later in the year for a range of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries that can power a cell phone for over a week and can theoretically travel close to 2,000 km on a single charge. The revolution is underway. Through nearly 8 years of research, the Brighsun team developed lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries with an energy density 5-8 times higher than conventional secondary batteries. According to results from an internationally accredited testing agency (SGS), Brighsun’s new technology allows an Li-S battery to keep 91% of its initial capacity after 1,700 cycles at a rate of 2C (being fully charged/discharged in 30 mins). That means the capacity decay per cycle is as low as 0.01%. Even at a more aggressive rate of 5C (being fully charged/discharged in 12.5 mins), Brighsun’s Li-S battery retains 74% of its initial capacity after 1,000 cycles (capacity decay per cycle of 0.026%). The cathode energy density for the 1th cycle after activation at charge rate of 1C is 2103.8Wh/kg. Driven by the growing markets world-wide for EVs, the battery industry has explored a range of chemical combinations: lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide and, currently, nickel manganese cobalt. However, current battery systems still suffer from the major disadvantages of relatively low energy density, high raw material costs and secondary pollution during recycling. A Game Changer Brighsun’s advanced Li-S chemistry, offering high energy density and resultant low raw material costs, will be a game changer in the EV industry. Li-S batteries also have the potential to become the most promising energy storage systems for future railways, ships and airlines. Industries such as electric supply grid storage, mobile phones, drones and AI […]

Waterco manufacturing plant reopens to help boost Malaysia economy

Ministry of International Trade and Industry mitigating economic fallout from pandemic The Kuala Lumpur manufacturing plant of water treatment manufacturer and distributor Waterco Limited has reopened and is operating in accordance with Malaysia Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) guidelines six weeks after the coronavirus pandemic paralysed factory activity. The temporary lockdown was in response to the 2020 Malaysia movement control order (Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan Malaysia 2020), commonly referred to as the MCO, a cordon sanitaire implemented as a preventive measure by the federal government of Malaysia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Resuming production of proprietary equipment The MITI approved workers at Waterco Far East to resume production of proprietary equipment which is used in residential, commercial and industrial applications in over 40 countries. “We received approval to start up the factory on 50 per cent headcount,” says Chief Executive Officer, Soon Sinn Goh. “However, we will rotate workers seven days, which means we will be able to achieve 70 per cent of normal capacity. “Hopefully we will be allowed to move to 70 per cent headcount after a few weeks and that will give us 98 per cent.” Covering more than 25,000 square metres, the high-tech facility is separated into production, injection moulding, assembly, testing and distribution. “Workers are refreshed and motivated to work,” says Soon Sinn as well. “We are excited to resume production and help stimulate Malaysia’s economy.”

Huawei holds “5G+, Better World” online summit

“2020 marks the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century”, said Peng Song, in delivering the opening speech. “This year, global digital transformation will accelerate, meaning both opportunities and challenges for telecom operators and industries. To address these opportunities and challenges, operators must aim for more resilient, automated, and intelligent target networks, and their annual network plans and activities should be geared towards achieving these goals.” Peng continued, “Huawei is launching its ‘5G+, Better World’ online platform to work with operators and partners worldwide, share valuable experiences, and build better target networks.” At the event, Huawei released its white paper, Technology against Pandemic: Insights and Practice on Telecom Networks. This white paper provides deep insights into global networks and explains the important role telecom networks have played in the fight against the pandemic. Stable telecom networks have helped people move vital activities online, such as online education, online shopping, and remote working. This has been the basis of continued learning and production when school and work were suspended. The white paper also explains global operators’ best practices for overcoming the pandemic with networks. For example, they introduced 5G, AI, fire 10G PON, and other advanced technologies that enable more applications to combat the pandemic more efficiently. Several guests attended the event and delivered keynote speeches. These included Dr. Su Yu, Deputy Dean of China Mobile Chengdu Industrial Research Institute, Mr. Robert Wigger, Chief Business Officer of Sunrise, Mr. Su Xiaoming, Vice President of YITU Technology, Mr. Shaun Collins, Chief Executive Officer of CCS Insight, and Mr. Bob Cai, Chief Marketing Officer of Huawei’s Carrier BG.

Suprema launches Suprema Mobile Access contactless solution

Suprema, a global leader in security and biometrics, has announced ‘Suprema Mobile Access’, a new mobile contactless solution and complete platform for managing, issuing and tracking access credentials using smartphones. As access control systems have evolved beyond physical access cards, access control solutions using mobile phones as a credential were introduced. Suprema Mobile Access employs a smartphone application with NFC (Near Field Communication) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) to communicate with card readers, allowing access to doors and other secured assets. Suprema Mobile Access simplifies the management of access cards as the entire process goes online, without face-to-face interaction, allowing users to remotely manage credentials, issuing and revoking them in real-time. Using Suprema’s ‘AirFob Portal’, the Mobile Access management portal, one can issue mobile access cards to users via email. Using a link in the email, users can then install Suprema’s mobile app ‘AirFob Pass’ on their Android or iOS phone. Once the app has been installed, the mobile access card is ready to be used. Like a physical card, users can tap smartphones on a mobile enabled card reader to access doors and other controlled items. For a seamless user experience, the app supports background mode, which eliminates the requirement to wake up the phone in order to get access. To ensure the security of user data on the platform, Suprema Mobile Access is designed from the ground up with enhanced security features including data encryption throughout the process of issuing and using credentials. The backend server for Suprema Mobile Access is managed separately and the server encryption keys are protected with special proprietary methods. The solution has been certified by an independent audit to be compliant with the ISO 27001 standard for Information Security Management, signifying Suprema’s continuing commitment to the protection of private information as the highest […]

Robot disinfects large areas

A robot capable of rapidly disinfecting large areas has been invented by a world-first solutions business to speed-up the fight against coronavirus. Forth Engineering in Cumbria is known for its innovations to solve complex industry challenges in the nuclear, oil and gas, renewables and other sectors all over the world. Forth managing director Mark Telford and his team have responded to the fight against COVID-19 by inventing a remotely operated disinfecting robot. “It’s an amazing bit of kit. I took it to one of our sites and it disinfected 68,000 square feet in just 20 minutes. It’s very impressive,” said Mark. “We’ve put together our tracked robot, vapour cannon, camera and lights, and developed the first one in a matter of days. “That’s how quickly we always work, it’s just that the sectors which need our help are different right now and this is a national emergency. “We have had lots of inquiries about it and we are now going into production. We will have to see how many robots people want us to manufacture.” The robot can be worked remotely, controlled from a safe distance, to help the NHS and other organisations keep areas clean during the coronavirus outbreak. “It can be used to sterilise ambulances, hospitals, shops and supermarkets, wherever it’s required,” said Mark. “It works in a similar way to a vapour cigarette in that it fires high pressure vapour which will settle in every part of a designated area. “It can also be used to disinfect factories and offices, schools and colleges, before people return to work and go back to education after the lockdown to make sure they are safe to use.”. In terms of the impressive speed of Forth’s response, Mark said it’s how he and his team have been […]

Yokogawa to provide control system and field instruments for gas-fired power plant in Turkmenistan

Yokogawa Turkey Industrial Automation Solutions A.S. (Yokogawa Turkey) has won an order to provide a control system and field instruments for the Zerger gas-fired power plant in Turkmenistan. The order was received from Renaissance Heavy Industries, a major construction company in Turkey that is involved in the construction of this plant for Turkmenenergo, a state-owned power utility in Turkmenistan. This is Yokogawa’s first control systems order for a power plant in this country. Turkmenistan is a resource rich country with the world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves*1. The country continues to experience steady economic growth thanks to its exports of natural gas and production of cotton and other agricultural products. To aid in the reconstruction of the neighboring country of Afghanistan, the Turkmen government concluded an agreement based on which it will supply electricity to that country for a ten-year period, beginning in 2018. The main source of this electricity will be the Zerger power plant, which generates power using locally-sourced natural gas. Located in the Chardzhev district of Lebap Province, approximately 600 km northeast of Ashgabat, the country’s capital, this is a simple cycle gas turbine power plant that will have three gas turbines with a combined capacity of approximately 400 MW. Sumitomo Corporation is the prime engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for this project, and the plant’s turbines and generators are being supplied by Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS). To monitor and control the plant’s three gas turbines and auxiliary facilities, Yokogawa will provide the CENTUMTM VP integrated production control system, DPharp EJATM series differential pressure and pressure transmitters, and YTA610 temperature transmitters*2. Yokogawa Turkey will be in charge of providing engineering and support services for the installation and commissioning of this system, and will complete work on this project by September of this year. To provide support services, Yokogawa […]

OnRobot Soft Gripper highly flexible

The new OnRobot food-grade Soft Gripper is able to pick a wide array of irregular shapes and delicate items in food and beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals production, as well as manufacturing or packaging Automation just got easier for food and beverage and other “clean” applications such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that need to handle items from eggs to fruit, to bottles or irregular-shaped containers. The flexible OnRobot Soft Gripper uses three interchangeable silicon-molded cups in star and four-finger configurations to pick up almost any small object under 2.2kg with a delicate, precise touch. The electric Soft Gripper is food-grade certified (complies with FDA 21 CFR for non-fatty items and EC 1935/2004) and unlike traditional vacuum grippers, it requires no external air supply, so it can reduce both cost and complexity. “Our new Soft Gripper is challenging existing solutions for picking hard-to-grasp, delicate and odd-sized items,” says CEO of OnRobot, Enrico Krog Iversen. “Unlike proprietary solutions, the Soft Gripper offers seamless integration with most collaborative robots and light industrial robots through our One System Solution.” OnRobot’s award-winning One System Solution is a platform that provides a unified mechanical and electrical interface between leading robot arms and any OnRobot end-of-arm tooling (EoAT). The One System Solution has been newly expanded to include integration with robots from ABB Robotics and Hanwha Precision Machinery. Now, users of those robots can take advantage of the unified mechanical and electrical interface of any OnRobot product, for easier integration and faster ROI. While the Soft Gripper is ideal for food and beverage applications, it also provides flexible, delicate gripping for manufacturing and packaging. Soft Gripper Features: Up to 2.2kg payload based on shape, softness and friction of items to be handled Grip dimensions ranging from 10mm-118mm depending on cup used FDA certification Flexible, interchangeable silicon cups Ideal […]

SDK Group to produce SPALF packaging material for large-scale LIBs

Showa Denko Packaging Co., Ltd. (SPA), a consolidated subsidiary of Showa Denko K.K. has developed a new product for its SPALF(TM) line of aluminum laminate films for packaging small-scale pouch type lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). and will install equipment to mass produce the new product, for large-scale LIBs and use in electric vehicles (EVs). The new production facility is scheduled for operation in March 2021. SPALF is a laminated composite film consisting of resins and aluminum foil, mainly used as packaging material for small-scale pouch type LIBs. SPALF enjoys a large global market share due to its superb insulation qualities and plasticity. It is more flexible for molding, more lightweight, and with better heat radiation characteristics than metal, so used as casing for small LIBs in devices such as smartphones and tablets. Recognised for its high quality with safety evaluations progressing, it is increasingly used in large-scale LIB applications, such as EVs. As the EV market is developing in China, following Europe, the Showa Denko Group has decided to install facilities to mass produce SPALF for large-scale LIBs. The Showa Denko Group’s Vision is of becoming a KOSEIHA Company, a group of KOSEIHA Businesses that can maintain profitability and stability at high levels over a long period. The global demand for LIBs (in electrical applications) is expected to increase 30% a year until 2025. The Showa Denko Group produces and sells various LIB materials with distinguishing advantages, such as SPALF(TM), VGCF(TM) additives for anode/cathode materials, and POLYSOL(TM) aqueous binding resin. By increasing sales of these LIB materials, the Group aims to contribute to the growth of the LIB market and the improvement of LIB functionality, and make the Group’s LIB materials business grow to become a KOSEIHA Business in the field of advanced battery materials. Showa Denko K.K. is a major […]

Engineers develop miniaturised “warehouse robots” for biotechnology applications

UCLA engineers have developed minuscule warehouse logistics robots that could help expedite and automate medical diagnostic technologies and other applications that move and manipulate tiny drops of fluid. The robots are disc-shaped magnets about 2 millimetres in diameter, designed to work together to move and manipulate droplets of blood or other fluids, with precision. For example, the robots can cleave one large droplet of fluid into smaller drops that are equal in volume for consistent testing. They can also move droplets into preloaded testing trays to check for signs of disease. The research team calls these robots “ferrobots” because they are powered by magnetism. The ferrobots can be programmed to perform massively parallelised and sequential fluidic operations at small-length scales in a collaborative manner. To control the robots’ motion, electromagnetic tiles in the chip pull the ferrobots along desired paths, much like using magnets to move metal chess pieces from underneath a chess board. “We were inspired by the transformational impact of networked mobile robot systems on manufacturing, storage and distribution industries, such as those used to efficiently sort and transport packages at Amazon warehouses,” said Sam Emaminejad, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and the study’s corresponding senior author. “So, we set out to implement the same level of automation and mobility in a microfluidic setting. But our ‘factory floor’ is much smaller, about the size of your palm, and our goods, the fluid droplets, are as small as a few tenths of a millimetre.” The “factory floor” is an index card-sized chip, designed by the researchers, with internal structures that help manipulate fluid droplets transported by the robots. In the same way that mobile and cross-collaborative Amazon robots transformed the logistics-based industries, this technology could transform various biotech-related industries, including medical diagnostics, drug development, genomics, and […]

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