Product News

Omni Stop provides pedestrian protection

There are regular reports of incidents where vehicles have crashed into construction zones, bus stops, pavement cafes and retail shop windows. Protecting lives from potential injury or death is paramount for all authorities so after each of these incidents, there is an investigation to assess whether or not it could have been prevented. One way to prevent out of control vehicles crashing into work zones or pedestrian areas is to erect a barrier which affords protection but does not restrict everyday activities on, or adjacent to, a road. Some common types of barrier, such as precast concrete sections or water-filled plastic units, provide inadequate protection and in some cases increase damage and injury to drivers and pedestrians. The Omni Stop Bollard is an energy absorbing bollard that is the only one of its type in Australia. It has been extensively crash-tested with impacts up to 60 kilometres per hour and complies with the requirements of AS/NZS3845:1999 Table 5.3.3(3). The Omni Stop Bollard permits access for workers to a construction zone or pedestrians to a shopping precinct while at the same time preventing vehicle penetration. PICTURE: Vehicle travelling at 60 km per hour safely stopped with minimal deflection of the Omni Stop Bollard. Designed, assembled and tested in Australia, the Omni Stop Bollard is available from Saferoads. Based in West Gippsland, Victoria, Saferoads has been servicing State government departments, local councils and road construction companies with a broad range of products designed to direct, protect, inform and illuminate all road users since 1992. The carbon steel bollard of the Omni Stop is supported by a unique energy absorbing cartridge that is encased in a concrete footing. When the bollard is impacted, the cartridge deforms and absorbs the kinetic energy of the vehicle. When a 1600 kilogram car at 60 kilometres per hour […]

K-Seal for radiator leaks

An over-heating engine caused by a leaking radiator on a deserted stretch of road is a motorist’s worst nightmare, but now there’s an instant fix. It’s called K-Seal and it’s a relatively inexpensive solution to coolant leaks under the bonnet and, what’s more, it can provide a permanent repair to some problems. K-Seal will permanently repair and fix most leaks in the radiator or radiator casing up to a maximum size of 0.7mm – larger holes or cracks will require an epoxy putty. And, in addition to the radiator, it will also repair leaks in the head, head gasket, block, heater matrix, freeze plug and water pump casing, which makes it ideal for older engines, where the owner does not want to incur a big expense on major repairs. K-Seal is simple to use – a quick shake, then pour and go. No need to drain or flush the system. No need to worry about what type of anti-freeze or coolant is in the cooling system.It’s suitable for use with all water-cooled engines, including cars, motorbikes, commercial vehicles, heavy plant, agricultural machinery, marine engines and generators. The secret behind how K-Seal can repair a coolant leak so easily and effectively is down to a specially developed blend of chemical ingredients, including ceramic micro-fibres and copper particles.When added to the cooling system, the ingredients disperse and flow freely around the system suspended in the coolant.But if coolant is leaking from the system, either externally or internally across the head to the cylinders, then K-Seal will follow the coolant through the hole or crack and begin fixing the coolant leak. What happens is that the micro-fibres start to mesh together within the crack or the hole, building a seal literally fibre by fibre.In reality, this takes place almost instantly once K-Seal has […]

Joint labs geared towards high value manufacturing

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Engineering is launching two joint research labs in precision motion systems and industrial robotics. This collaboration brings together the local research community to build capabilities and develop technologies to boost productivity and gear up for high value manufacturing in the medtech, aerospace, marine & offshore and precision engineering clusters. The Joint Labs are launched in conjunction with a new A*STAR Industrial Robotics Research programme. This programme brings together researchers from SIMTech, Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), NUS, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and other local and overseas universities and research institutes for multi-disciplinary collaboration. The programme builds on existing robotics capabilities across the local research community, and aims to advance the performance and capability of robotic platforms for industry adoption to improve productivity. The manufacturing industry is a significant pillar of the Singapore economy and contributes close to a quarter of its GDP . In recent years, the industry is facing problems such as increasing labour costs, lack of skilled labour and low productivity. The Joint Labs will develop technologies and capabilities to improve workforce productivity in the medtech, aerospace, marine & offshore and the precision engineering clusters where automation is currently lower compared to automotive and semiconductor manufacturing. The Joint Labs aim to boost automation in such industry clusters, by enhancing the capability, performance, and intelligence of precision machines and robotic systems to allow for higher throughput, higher accuracy, and greater human-machine cooperation on unstructured manufacturing shop-floors. In addition to delivering cutting-edge technologies, the Joint Labs will serve as platforms to nurture R&D manpower for the industry, transforming them into centres of excellence in their respective technical areas to benefit […]

Anti reflective plastics to be commercialised

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image showing the engineered anti-reflective nanostructures that mimic structures found in a moth’s eye. SINGAPORE: Researchers from A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) and their commercial partners have developed a new plastic that reflects just 0.09 – 0.2% of the visible light hitting its surface. This matches or betters existing anti-reflective and anti-glare plastics in the market, which typically have reported reflectivity of around 1% of visible light. Such plastics are used in anything from TV displays to windows and even solar cells. Because of the unique nanotechnology method used, the new plastic developed by IMRE maintains very low reflectivity (<0.7%) at angles up to 45û. This means that TV viewers can have wider viewing angles with less glare and organic solar cells have larger areas for light absorption. “The new plastic was made possible because of the unique nanoimprint expertise that we have developed at IMRE,” said Dr Low Hong Yee, the senior scientist who is leading the research. Several companies are in the process of licensing the anti-reflective nanostructure technology from Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd, the technology transfer arm of A*STAR. “We are also developing complementary research that allows the technology to be easily ramped-up to an industrial scale,” explained Dr Low. This plastic material is the first successful result of the IMRE-led Industrial Consortium On Nanoimprint (ICON), which partners local and overseas companies to promote the manufacturing of nanoimprint technology. Nanoimprinting relies on engineering the physical aspects of the plastics rather than using harmful chemicals to change the properties of the plastic. The technology has allowed the researchers to create very unique, complex hierarchical ‘moth eye-like’ anti-reflective structures where nanometer-sized structures are placed on top of other microstructures – different from how other similar plastics are made. This formed special patterns […]

GWP solutions for better weighing results

In an effort to optimise their processes, TheraSkin has adopted the Mettler Toledo Good Weighing Practice (GWP) guideline for their weighing instruments and, as a result, has reduced maintenance and calibration service costs by 27%. Process breakthrough TheraSkin is a Brazilian company with more than 13 years of experience in the development and production of skin treatment products. Based on scientific principles, GWP (a method for risk management and quality control introduced by Mettler Toledo), mapped the application of 78 balances used by TheraSkin in its laboratory in order to analyze specific instrument risks and their subsequent correlation with process tolerances. For Marcos Vinicius, TheraSkin’s instrumentation technician, the adaption of GWP meant an overhaul of the entire system. “There was even a reformulation of internal processes, including a change of habits and culture. Now, all balances have tags that inform the operator of the minimum weight that each one supports. This has certainly resulted in a processes breakthrough for our company,” he explains. Weighing without risk The GWP methodology analysed the five stages in the life cycle of a balance, starting with a full evaluation of weighing process characteristics. This included potential risks of inaccurate measurements and process impacts in regard to relevant regulations or standards. From this survey, the guideline further provided specific and individual recommendations for each balance including information about minimum weight, required tests for routine checks, regularity of checks and calibrations, standard weights required and the control limit for each test. The entire process, from data collection, analysis, presentation, implementation and training, lasted three months. “All balances were submitted to consistency analysis with the procedures we perform here. The study highlighted that the balances we maintain and calibrate every three months could have this period extended to every six months and, similarly, those maintained and calibrated […]

New performance gasketing solution for the automotive industry

Henkel has expanded its gasketing technology portfolio with new materials and processes designed to replace rubber gaskets in demanding automotive applications. With its latest development – the Loctite® 5883™ polyacrylate gaskets combined with the new XIP gasketing process. Henkel provides its customers with a unique sealing solution – a solution that allows them to dispense high-performance compression gaskets within seconds, directly onto automotive parts. This new process eliminates the need for solid rubber press-in-place (PIP) gaskets and enables automotive OEMs and tiered suppliers to enhance the performance and reliability of their products while achieving productivity goals and reducing overall costs. www.henkel.asia/autogasket

Revolutionary wind power invention receives international recognition

Jega Jegatheeson (left) with Tony Herewini, general manager, T P Engineering. A New Zealand invention, designed to make wind power more efficient and cheaper, has been singled out by a renowned wind technology expert as one of the world’s leading new innovations. The invention, Gyroscopic Variable Transmission (GVT), is the brainchild of New Zealander Mr Jega Jegatheeson. It has been featured in a new book, ‘Innovation in Wind Turbine Design’, by Glasgow-based wind expert Peter Jamieson, as being on the leading edge of wind power technology. Mr Jegatheeson, previously an engineer with the former Electricity Corporation of New Zealand, has been working for over 15 years to solve the problems faced by the wind power industry of gearboxes breaking as a result of the massive wind gust forces they are subjected to. “It’s widely recognised in the industry that the gearboxes cannot stand up to the incessant forces over time and many fail within as little as five to seven years. The costs of repairs and also the downtime are very significant and alternatives such as direct drive create other expensive problems,” says Mr Jegatheeson. “Unlike traditional wind turbine gearboxes around the world, GVT technology doesn’t rely on gears and expensive electronics. It instead uses gyroscopic reaction forces to transfer the power from the blades to the generator with less stress on the turbine. This will significantly reduce costs – possibly as much as 50% compared to existing systems.” Another feature of GVT is that it can handle more turbulent air. This means that wind turbines equipped with the GVT technology could be built on the edges of existing wind farms in places previously thought unsuitable. The result would mean significant increases in energy generated from an existing wind farm using the same infrastructure. “Developing our technology in New […]

Revolutionary ultrasonic nozzle changes the way water cleans

Scientists have developed a revolutionary ultrasonic attachment for taps that massively enhances the ability of water to clean. Currently, industry uses excessive water, power and additives for cleaning. For example, it can take up to 100 tonnes of water to produce one tonne of clean wool after shearing. Many industrial processes also generate large quantities of contaminated run-off. The water from hosing down an abattoir represents a real health risk and cannot be allowed to enter the water supply. Purifying run-off is costly – each cubic metre of water used for cleaning in the nuclear industry can cost about 10,000 pounds to treat. Professor Tim Leighton and Dr Peter Birkin of the University of Southampton have developed a device that works with cold water, minimal additives and consumes as much electrical power as a light bulb. Its application will be wide – licences have already been sold to a number of industries to look at cleaning in food preparation, hospitals, manufacturing and the home. The technology consumes less water and power than the established competitor technologies. Talking about the need for such a technology, Professor Leighton said: “Society runs on its ability to clean. Ineffective cleaning leads to food poisoning, failure of manufactured products such as precision watches and microchips, and poor construction – from shipbuilding to space shuttles – since dirty surfaces do not bond. “The impact in healthcare is huge – hospital-acquired infections, from instruments that are not properly cleaned, cost the National Health Service one billion pounds per year. There’s a very obvious need for technologies that improve our ability to clean while saving on our most important resources, water and energy.” In recognition of their invention, Professor Leighton and Dr Birkin were awarded the Royal Society Brian Mercer Award for Innovation in 2011. Using the […]

Ethernet Powerlink networking kit delivers a complete implementation

HONG KONG: Avnet Design Services, part of Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia (http://www.em.avnetasia.com/), a business region of Avnet, Inc. http://avnet.com/)(NYSE: AVT (http://ir.avnet.com/ )), has announced a low-cost Ethernet Powerlink Industrial Networking Kit that delivers a total development platform for industrial networking applications. Co-developed with Xilinx and Texas Instruments with supporting technology from Austria;s B&R Automation, the Spartan-6 FPGA-based kit delivers a complete implementation of the Powerlink protocol (Controlled Node), development tools and other design resources to help developers of industrial networking applications build their systems quickly at the lowest cost. Ethernet Powerlink is an industrial networking protocol standard that was first developed in 2001 by B&R Automation, an Austrian company. Today, the standard has been open-sourced and is managed by the Ethernet Powerlink Standardisation Group (EPSG), an independent association. At the end of 2011, Powerlink was approved as a Chinese nationally recommended standard, GB/T 27960-2011. “Avnet Design Services is delighted to have had the support of the market leaders in their respective segments in the execution of this program,” said Andy Wong, vice president, Asia for Avnet Design Services and Segment Marketing. “This offering underlines our technical strengths in the industrial automation market. The optimised Powerlink protocol meets critical system timing and performance requirements. We believe it will prove easy for engineers to adopt and the advantages of an FPGA-based solution will be clear to them from day one, helping them expedite the development of applications.” Xilinx’s Spartan-6 FPGA has the processing performance and networking capabilities to handle the Powerlink protocol requirements easily while still having resources available to execute user-specific applications. For example, a motor control algorithm could be included within the same FPGA. The level of processing power offers greater integration options and higher performance within a single device. “The Ethernet Powerlink Industrial Networking Kit gives developers a […]

Virtual engineering offers leaner, faster manufacturing

In today’s fast-moving business environment, the ability to change automated assembly and production systems quickly and efficiently, at lowest cost and risk across multiple global locations, is vital. Now, innovative computer experts have created a software tool with the potential to save a wide variety of manufacturers many millions every year. Academics at Loughborough University, England have developed a virtual-reality engineering environment that offers manufacturers a faster and more focused tool for the creation of their automation systems – from electronic goods assembly to the food and packaging industries. The Business Driven Automation (BDA) system has been made in the automotive sector in partnership with the Ford Motor Company, ThyssenKrupp System Engineering and Schneider Electric. BDA provides a virtual reality (VR) engineering environment for manufacturing companies to enable them to validate and change automated assembly and production systems quickly and efficiently, at minimal cost/risk across multiple global locations. The approach is highly generic and applicable to almost all industrial automation sectors. Today’s automation systems are difficult and complex to service, reconfigure and integrate. Moving away from these traditional, slower practices, the new software engineering tool enables rapid configuration and modification of factory automation systems. At Loughborough’s Innovative Manufacturing & Construction Research Centre (IMCRC), the project’s principal investigator Professor Rob Harrison said: “We have developed innovative software to give a quick, accurate, virtual 3D prototype view of assembly machine behaviour before they are physically built. We aim to make these tools much easier and faster, and we want to see them used throughout the machine lifecycle, not just at initial design and build.” Virtual design tools help Ford engineers to improve the design aesthetics, engineering and ergonomics of its cars and trucks. Speaking for Ford’s manufacturing engineering department, Les Lee, said: “Collaboration offers opportunities for reduced costs, faster time-to-market, improved […]

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