Engineering

These 5 industries will be first to do business in space

Companies around the world – in transportation, exploration, energy, construction or hospitality – are all looking upwards for the next growth opportunity. Space is quickly becoming a place where the industries that power our global economy will conduct business. What do we call an economic area like this, that is not limited to a single planet, and no longer has physical boundaries? We can’t call it an industry, when private industrial groups can generate revenue and profit not only from the Earth but from near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), the Moon and Mars and beyond. It is simply a medium in which humanity conducts commerce. Let’s take a look at the industry sectors that will be the first to take advantage of our expanded economic sphere, and some of the specific opportunities for growth. Energy Valued at over $8.4 trillion and growing at a 4.1% compound annual growth rate, energy is the largest industry on Earth. Humans are prolific energy consumers, and soon there will be more humans in space. Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon, anticipates “millions of people living and working in space” in the coming decades. Bezos is so confident of this outcome that he is investing more than $1 billion per year into his space transportation firm, Blue Origin. An in-space population of this magnitude will require enormous amounts of energy to live, work, and transit. This energy will come from solar power, which is more effective when gathered in space due to the lack of a filtering atmosphere; and chemical rockets, which will be the primary transportation mechanism for the foreseeable future. The most efficient chemical rocket propellants are composed of cryogenic liquid oxygen combined with liquid hydrogen or methane. Initially, the propellant needed to fuel the space economy will be launched from Earth, as both […]

Creaform expands its 3D expertise to the aerospace industry

Creaform, a worldwide leader in portable and highly accurate 3D measurement solutions and engineering services, will extend its expertise in non-destructive testing (NDT) to the aerospace industry. By expanding access to its inspection solutions, the company aims to better enable airlines, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service companies, to more efficiently perform the evaluations of in-service aircraft safety, while cutting costs and saving downtime. As predictive maintenance becomes more prominent, aviation maintenance professionals and aircraft MRO providers are increasingly on the lookout for innovative methods that enable quicker and safer decisions to be made on the outcome of part defects. The mapping of external surface defects on aircraft parts, which can prove difficult to obtain using traditional methods—namely hail damage, bird impacts and lightning strikes on the fuselage and wings—can be assessed with 3D scanning. When paired with advanced inspection tools, such solution cuts down on the operator’s impact on measurements, shortens time to get the final report, and reinforces decision-making.” To ensure that the solution matches aviation maintenance industry requirements and properly reflects the market needs, Creaform is partnering with major aircraft manufacturers for beta testing. The surface inspection solution dedicated to aerospace applications is set for release in October 2017. Earlier this year, Creaform announced that the HandySCAN 3D metrology-grade laser scanner had made its first major step into the aerospace industry. It was added to the Airbus Technical Equipment Manual (TEM) which is referenced in the Airbus Structure Repair Manual (SRM). Well-known for its NDT solutions for the oil and gas industry, Creaform’s NDT product solution is comprised of its flagship HandySCAN 3D portable metrology-grade 3D scanner and its Pipecheck NDT software, both of which allow automatic on-site inspection, detection, and characterisation of pipeline defects. With traceable and repeatable inspection data and results, operators […]

America’s Cup success for small NZ company

A small New Zealand firm made a giant contribution to the America’s Cup. ‘YachtBot’ – GPS tracking systems invented by Dunedin firm Igtimi – was on nearly 40 boats operated by America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) including official, photo, television, mark-setting and VIP boats. YachtBot lets the race organisers build a “virtual stadium” on the water, and establishes a “seating plan” for nearly 1,000 Superyachts, VIPs, and the public. As weather conditions change, ACEA dynamically adjusts the race course and spectator areas to ensure that everyone is as close to the racing action as possible. Igtimi Co-director, Brent Russell, says “The America’s Cup has never been able to do this before, YachtBot is a critical part of on-water operations”. Using iPads, YachtBot also helps the organisers place the buoys on the course, and displays the AC45 race boats and helicopters to provide “full view” management. It allows skippers and passengers a first-hand account of where they are relative to the imaginary race boundaries. Mr Russell says YachtBot’s goal was to provide cutting-edge training and tracking tools at all levels of sailing from the Olympics to clubs. They customised that technology for the America’s Cup. “Our first tracking devices were on the 33rd America’s Cup boats in Valencia in 2010. Since then, we’ve made them accessible for club yachting. It’s great that America’s Cup picked up on our hardware again at the elite level. The bonus is, we’ll bring this upgraded technology back to club yachting, so it’s a win for everyone,” he says. Co-director, Kylie Robinson, says the YachtBot technology proved to be very popular during the America’s Cup World Series in Japan. “They were impressed to find that the volunteers using our technology to place the race markers did so faster and more accurately than those who were fully […]

SKF enters the world of manufacturing using world-class digital technology

SKF’s operations in Sweden are set to be given a boost with the inauguration of a completely new, fully-automated and digital production process in Gothenburg, adapted for the manufacture of spherical roller bearings. The new production unit is the first of its type to be put into operations within the SKF Group and is part of a programme of next generation manufacturing technology within the company. “The production flow is totally unique within the bearings industry, and constitutes a new manufacturing standard for us, which we will replicate into numerous facilities within the Group. “The investment programme is important for us if we are to utilise our manufacturing capacity even more efficiently, as well as increasing our global competitiveness and the flexibility we can offer our customers,” says Luc Graux, Director of Manufacturing for the SKF Group. Using the help of digital technology, the entire value chain in the production process is connected, from the inflow of input components to the delivery of the product to the end user. In addition, the next generation of mobile infrastructure is combined with the manufacturing process, in order to enhance efficiency. “The new production unit will open up new possibilities for us to reduce lead times and to improve flexibility and efficiency in our production,” says Sten Karlsson, project manager for the new production unit. Parallel to the investment in Gothenburg, similar investments are planned for Schweinfurt in Germany and Flowery Branch in the USA. Over a million bearings per year are manufactured in the Gothenburg facility. The majority of these are exported. The products are used in heavy industry, such as mining, steelworks, paper machines, wind turbines, train gearboxes, fans and pumps.

Japan looks towards Society 5.0

Declining birth rate, aging population, natural disasters, pollution: Do these sound like issues the IT industry can deal with? Japanese businesses say yes, and a number of them visited the Cebit trade show in Hanover, Germany, to explain why. Industry 4.0 — the building of “smart factories” in which machines monitor one another and make decentralised decisions about production and maintenance — has been a theme of recent Cebit shows. Now, under the banner Society 5.0, the show’s partner country for 2017, Japan, wants to take the transformation beyond industry, making “smart society” one of the show’s talking points. Behind the drive are some very real societal problems. Japan’s population is falling, but the average age of its citizens is increasing. A consequence of a low birth rate and extreme longevity, this is leading to an imbalance between young, active workers and those needing care. But with the country in a seismically active area, and having an ageing industrial infrastructure, this shrinking workforce is likely to deal with natural disasters and incidents of pollution. The Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) has set out a plan for addressing the transformation. It wants to open up Japanese workplaces to foreign workers and to women, two groups notoriously underrepresented in Japanese industry. This alone could go some way to alleviating the country’s demographic problems. Outside the workplace, it is looking for ways in which technology can help all citizens to participate actively in society, even the elderly. To allow companies to build technology ecosystems together, Keidanren wants less competition and more cooperation with foreign businesses in some fields. And, of course, it sees a new role in transforming society for many of the technologies that are already changing industry, with the internet of things, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and robotics among the areas sure to […]

Composites for Asian markets highlighted at 10th JEC Asia in Seoul

JEC Asia, November 1-3, 2017 – Seoul, Republic of Korea JEC Asia is on the threshold of 10 years. In November of this year, not only does it transfer the composites exhibition to Seoul for the first time, but it will also highlight the composites industry in End-Users Markets, such as the development of materials for Transportation (including Automotive & Aeronautics), renewable energies, Building & Construction, Electrical & Electronic Equipment (EEE) or again Sports & Leisure. JEC Asia is the annual grand occasion for composites industries in Asia. Every year thousands of professionals and more than 200 companies from more than 45 countries across Asia-Pacific come together in this place creating innumerable business opportunities. For the first time, JEC Asia will be hosting the 12th International Carbon Festival, the Symposium on Carbon Materials and Composite Technologies.

Siemens platform to support vision for global additive manufacturing market

As part of its comprehensive vision to provide the industry’s most complete set of seamless tools to support the global additive manufacturing industry, Siemens revealed plans today for a new online collaborative platform designed to bring on-demand product design and 3D printing production to the global manufacturing industry. The part manufacturing platform, being developed by Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software business and announced at Hannover Messe 2017, will provide an environment capable of connecting all members of the global manufacturing community in order to maximise resource utilisation, access additive manufacturing expertise and expand business opportunity. For example, by linking part buyers to micro-factories, the platform would enable members to 3D print production parts on-demand where-needed across the world. In addition, the platform will include collaborative capabilities to help streamline the co-innovation process and accelerate the adoption of 3D printing as a mainstream production method for industrial parts. “Siemens is one of the only companies addressing the diverse needs of all additive manufacturing market participants – from designers and engineers, to manufacturers, 3D printing machine OEMs, material vendors and software providers – with a comprehensive set of seamless technology solutions for distributed industrial additive manufacturing and co-innovation,” said Tony Hemmelgarn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens PLM Software. “Today’s announcement builds on that leadership with a platform aimed at instantly connecting the people, technology, equipment and expertise needed to efficiently address mutual business opportunities.” Siemens is introducing the part manufacturing platform to address the growing need for on-demand, worldwide access to additive manufacturing expertise and the latest technology. The platform will create an online ecosystem made up of highly qualified members from a variety of areas such as product designers, job shops, part buyers, 3D printer OEMs, material suppliers, expert services providers, micro-factories and much more. Members will be […]

FARO PointSense 18.0 suite for construction and architecture

Seamless Integration of 3D Scanner Data with Autodesk 2018 Design Tools FARO, world source for 3D measurement and imaging solutions for factory metrology, construction BIM/CIM, product design, public safety forensics, and 3D solutions, announces the availability of the FARO PointSense 18.0 software suite (http://www.faro.com/aecsoftware18-0/). This robust software platform evolution delivers seamless integration into the latest 2018 AutoCAD and Revit design tools, a better user experience, improved software handling, and enhanced efficiency in processing software data. The suite includes: PointSense basic/Pro for AutoCAD PointSense Building for AutoCAD PointSense Heritage for AutoCAD PointSense Plant for AutoCAD PointSense for Revit The one stop bundle and compatibility across the broad range of Autodesk architecture, engineering, construction and surveying products makes this the most cost effective solution of its kind currently available. Seamless Integration and Enhanced User Experience PointSense 18.0 resets the bar for “ready to go”. It includes the same high value, beneficial use features and functionality with which savvy AutoCAD and Revit users are already familiar. The addition of a new, step by step guidance screen assures that even less familiar users can get up to speed quickly and optimize their workflow. Improved Confidence in Accuracy PointSense 18.0 for Revit is the first software platform to incorporate Levels of Accuracy as defined USBID (U.S. Institute of Building Documentation) standards. This enhanced analysis tool enables users to more confidently validate the accuracy of the as-built model compared to the relevant point cloud, i.e. the set of data points acquired by a 3D laser scanner. Workflow Enhancement The improvement in scan navigation functionality was driven by direct user feedback, supports greater efficiency and assures that the user is able to get to a result faster than ever before. With just a double click, users can move from one scan perspective to another inside a given […]

Universal Robots and Nissan Motor Company enhance productivity through collaborative robots

Universal Robots, the leading collaborative robotics company, has announced that Nissan Motor Company has successfully deployed Universal Robots’ UR10 robot arms at its Yokohama factory; joining other global automotive manufacturers including BMW and Volkswagen who are using Universal Robots’ collaborative robots (cobots) to automate their processes. Through the deployment of Universal Robots’ cobots, Nissan has enhanced its production processes, resulting in a higher level of output and stability as well as time and cost efficiencies. Nissan’s aging workforce also enjoy a reduced workload, and were redeployed to less strenuous tasks. Shermine Gotfredsen, General Manager, SEA and Oceania, said, “We are excited to be working with Nissan in their automation journey. The global automotive industry plays a key role in driving the adoption of collaborative robots (cobots) to produce better manufacturing output, and this is critical for industry players to stay competitive. “Universal Robots is at the forefront of this trend; our cobots effectively support process automation, resulting in improved safety standards and less strain on human employees. This can be applied not only in the automotive industry, but also in the manufacturing of electronics and electrical, pharma and chemistry, and food and agriculture.” Cobots are an offshoot of traditional industrial robots. They are lightweight and mobile in terms of deployment, and are flexible enough to be modified for different applications. The automotive industry uses cobots in a wide variety of processes including handling, assembling, packaging, palletizing, labelling, painting, quality control and machine tending. The market value for collaborative industrial robots in the automotive industry was US$23.56 million in 2015 and is projected to reach US$469.82 million by 2021, at a CAGR of 64.67% between 2015 and 2021. Rise of Collaborative Industrial Robots in Southeast Asia’s Automotive Industry The automotive industry in SEA is poised for great growth with large markets […]

Innovative zero-gravity arms recognised by leading SE Asia construction company

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Gammon Construction is one of SE Asia’s leading construction companies, with an annual turnover of US$2.5bn, and is a keen adopter of new technology with a focus on adding value for its customers through innovative and sustainable solutions. With over 8000 employees, the engineering and construction company, like others in the Hong Kong construction industry, has long faced manpower shortages, together with an aging workforce. Consequently, in an effort to lure talented new workers and to reduce the workload of its employees, the company recently invested in two sets of “zero-gravity arms” (Zero G Tool Arms) from Sigma Ergonomics, one of Australia’s leading providers of ergonomic systems to a wide range of industries. Manufactured by US company Ekso Bionics, the innovative mounted exoskeletal system functions without the need for power, allowing workers to comfortably operate heavy tools including impact drills, chipping hammers and grinders for extended periods. With the zero-gravity arms shouldering the weight of the equipment, workers are not affected by the strain and fatigue caused by repetitive tasks such as drilling, tiling, chipping and grinding. The Ekso Bionics Aerial System, to which the Zero G system is mounted, is designed to increase safety and productivity while working from an elevated work platform (EWP). As well as eliminating the risk of dropping heavy tools from heights, the system significantly reduces the risk of injury from heavy tool usage and awkward body position. In a recent direct comparison with an Access Work Platform (AWP) at a height services installation, the Zero G system improved the productivity of the drilling work task by over 50% while reducing worker fatigue and improving safety and efficiency. Thomas Ho, Chief Executive of Gammon Construction, is a passionate supporter of innovation and highlights the Zero G system as one of the […]

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