Smart Manufacturing

Seequent Drillhole-progress-being-shown-with-live-survey-data-from-the-IMDEXHUB-IQ

Seequent and IMDEX to deliver real-time 3D visualisation for minerals drilling projects

Industry-first to integrate live 3D data from ‘rig to model’ supports real-time decision-making and risk management for mining and exploration drilling projects. Seequent, a developer of revolutionary visual data science software and IMDEX, a global leader in real-time subsurface intelligence solutions, have announced an ongoing partnership to deliver a real-time 3D visualisation solution for the mining and exploration industry to dramatically improve the speed and accuracy of decision-making for drilling projects. Seequent and IMDEX are collaborating to integrate IMDEXHUB-IQ™, which provides access to sub-surface data and Central, Seequent’s centralised model management solution for visualisation, tracking and management of an organisation’s geological data. The integration will allow live 3D data collected in the field and synced to IMDEXHUB-IQ to be linked in real-time to the same project in Central, enabling 3D visualisation of downhole survey and structural geology data. The mining industry-first enables drillhole progress to be reviewed in Central’s 3D Browser alongside the planned programme and current geological interpretation, giving geologists confidence in decision-making and ensuring issues are identified and managed as they arise. The new solution, showcased at Seequent’s Lyceum innovation event in Vancouver in November, is the first in a global road show series also visiting Perth and Santiagor. “The integration of live data is crucial for mining and exploration projects of the future. Every day there is an increasing amount of data generated and the key to success is being able to understand and respond to that data in real-time or near real-time,” says Nick Fogarty, Seequent General Manager – Mining and Minerals. “Our new co-partnered solution will provide significant benefits to our drilling and resource company clients in terms of risk management and project efficiencies.” IMDEX and Seequent are long-time industry partners, sharing a common interest in developing technology and better workflows to solve ongoing challenges […]

Smarter manufacturing in the age of convergence

-Joseph Sousa, President, Asia Pacific, Rockwell Automation Sometimes I wish I was ten years younger. Not out of vanity but because of what’s about to unfold in the manufacturing industry. We’ve arrived at a genuine inflection point in how we go about business. There’s an opportunity to produce more high-quality goods for more people while reducing costs and environmental impact. This opportunity is being driven in part by a significant increase in consumer wealth. We’re witnessing the most significant expansion of the middle class that we’ve ever seen. Forecasted in 2016, 160 million people will join the ranks during the next five years. More than 3.2 billion people already enjoy this status. We’ve also seen a shift from manual production to mass production, customised mass production and now personalised mass production. We’ve improved our capacity to measure what people want and our ability to link this knowledge with production resources to meet those demands. This is information is critical in an age where consumers are demanding more personalised products. Today, Millennials, in particular, place a high value on adding their personality to what they buy. More than half of consumers would prefer to shape the products and services they buy. This type of personalised mass production requires a lot of flexibility in manufacturing processes. In the modern factory, set-up time is a key variable determining the ability to tap into short-term opportunities. Merely being able to see a chance isn’t enough. Global business opportunities mean global competition, increasing the imperative to act quickly. Whereas this global competition, once reserved for large international enterprises, most businesses now have potential rivals in other countries. The convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) offers a smarter way to convert the business into opportunity. Data is helping many manufacturers to unleash […]

Game-changing technology for 3D printing tiny structures revealed

A new type of 3D Printing technology enabling rapid prototyping of high-resolution microscale structures has been revealed. It all started after a kick-start from KiwiNet to commercialise the technology. New Zealand microfabrication researchers Andrea Bubendorfer and Andrew Best, the co-inventors of a new way of fabricating very small things with Laminated Resin Printing (LRP), are part of Callaghan Innovation’s MicroMaker3D team which launched the new patent pending technology in the US recently. The team are one of ten selected worldwide for IDTechEx’s Santa Clara Launchpad, an initiative showcasing new disruptive and state-of-the art technologies. Andrea, who leads the microfabrication team at Callaghan Innovation that has created the technology, says: “We’re very excited about the potential for this technology to be a game changer in a range of industries from medicine to wearable technology to aerospace. It will create the first opportunity to rapidly prototype a huge range of miniaturised structures from optical slits to miniaturised microwell plates, micromoulds and more. “Custom sensors are a great example of a niche area we’re keen to explore. One high value approach would be to use molecular sensing to functionalise microstructures, so we could rapid prototype devices for detecting insulin concentration, biomarkers, presence of toxic gases or pollutants. “There are endless possibilities to what we can print – and what is most exciting, though, will be when people start to print things we didn’t even know existed”, says Andrea. The MicroMaker3D project was kick-started when Andrea received KiwiNet Emerging Innovator Programme funding, commercialisation support and advice to explore ways to make microfabrication more accessible. “We ended up creating a new 3D printing technology that can build up tiny structures using specially engineered Laminated Resin Printing (LRP) materials. We can print structures with features as small as five microns. To put this in context, a […]

Future of Design: the Quadro RTX 4000

The Quadro RTX 4000 graphics card — the company’s first midrange professional GPU is powered by NVIDIA Turing architecture and NVIDIA RTX platform. Unveiled at the annual Autodesk University Conference in Las Vegas, the Quadro RTX 4000 puts real-time ray tracing within reach of a wider range of developers, designers and artists worldwide. Professionals from the manufacturing, architecture, engineering and media creation industries witnessed a seismic shift in computer graphics with the launch of Turing in August. The field’s greatest leap since the invention of the CUDA GPU in 2006, Turing features new RT Cores to accelerate ray tracing and next-gen Tensor Cores for AI inferencing which, together for the first time, make real-time ray tracing possible. The Quadro RTX 4000 features a power-efficient, single-slot design that fits in variety of workstation chassis. Other benefits include: ● Significant performance improvements — 8GB of ultra-fast GDDR6 graphics memory technology provides over 40 percent more memory bandwidth than the previous generation Quadro P4000. ● 36 RT Cores — enable real-time ray tracing of objects and environments with physically accurate shadows, reflections, refractions, and global illumination. 288 Turing Tensor Cores for 57 TFLOPS of deep learning performance — accelerate neural network training and inference, which are critical to powering AI-enhanced rendering, products and services. ● Hardware support for VirtualLink — new open industry standard meets the power, display and bandwidth demands of next-generation VR headsets through a single USB-C connector1. ● Improved performance of VR applications — new and enhanced technologies include Variable Rate Shading, Multi-View Rendering and VRWorks Audio. ● Video encode and decode engines — accelerate video creation and playback for multiple video streams with resolutions up to 8K. OEM support Leading OEMs have voiced their support for new Turing-based Quadro RTX 4000 GPUs: ● “AI and real-time ray tracing are […]

Manufacturing the future: The next era of global growth and innovation

By James Manyika, Jeff Sinclair, Richard Dobbs, Gernot Strube, Louis Rassey, Jan Mischke, Jaana Remes, Charles Roxburgh, Katy George, David O’Halloran, and Sreenivas Ramaswamy. The global manufacturing sector has undergone a tumultuous decade: large developing economies leaped into the first tier of manufacturing nations, a severe recession choked off demand, and manufacturing employment fell at an accelerated rate in advanced economies. Still, manufacturing remains critically important to both the developing and the advanced world. In the former, it continues to provide a pathway from subsistence agriculture to rising incomes and living standards. In the latter, it remains a vital source of innovation and competitiveness, making outsized contributions to research and development, exports, and productivity growth. But the manufacturing sector has changed—bringing both opportunities and challenges—and neither business leaders nor policy makers can rely on old responses in the new manufacturing environment. • Manufacturing’s role is changing. The way it contributes to the economy shifts as nations mature: in today’s advanced economies, manufacturing promotes innovation, productivity, and trade more than growth and employment. In these countries, manufacturing also has begun to consume more services and to rely more heavily on them to operate. • Manufacturing is not monolithic. It is a diverse sector with five distinct groups of industries, each with specific drivers of success. • Manufacturing is entering a dynamic new phase. As a new global consuming class emerges in developing nations, and innovations spark additional demand, global manufacturers will have substantial new opportunities—but in a much more uncertain environment. Manufacturing’s role is changing Globally, manufacturing continues to grow. It now accounts for approximately 16 percent of global GDP and 14 percent of employment. But the manufacturing sector’s relative size in an economy varies with its stage of development. We find that when economies industrialize, manufacturing employment and output both […]

Lightweight scanning solution

The Faro 8-Axis Design ScanArm 2.5C is the first colour capable portable lightweight 3D scanning solution providing an unprecedented ergonomic experience with both the 7-Axis or 8-Axis models. Using the new Faro Prizm™ full colour Laser Line Probe with powerful 3D design and modelling software, the 8-Axis Design ScanArm delivers high-resolution colour point-cloud data enabling more insight into object design and creation, geometry, surface composition and differentiation between materials. The colour information is also used in high-quality 3D visualisation of rendering objects in gaming, movies and online marketing. The added eighth-axis enables real-time rotation of the object being scanned – eliminating wasted time, reducing risk to delicate objects and supporting more complete scan output. The 8-Axis Design ScanArm 2.5C is the ideal solution for any organisation that may have the need to develop or manufacture parts and after-market products characterised by different coatings, materials, co-moulded parts or surfaced finishes without existing CAD models. In addition, you can reverse engineer legacy parts to design changes or replacement, create digital libraries to decrease inventory and warehouse costs, design aesthetically pleasing free form surfaces or leverage the power of rapid prototyping. This lightweight and easily manoeuvrable ScanArm is available in lengths of 2.5m, 3.5m and 4.0m and seamlessly scans challenging products, objects and prototypes. The Design ScanArm 2.5C comes equipped with dual, hot swappable batteries that enable continuous operation with no need for external power when the application requires measurement in the field or shop floor. Faro kinematic iProbe’s easy connect/disconnect combined with a simplified quick release, makes the device effortless to operate regardless of skill level or 3D scanning experience. The Faro 8-Axis Design ScanArm 2.5C is the ideal colour capable 3D scanning solution for any organisation that may have the need to: • Capture and digitise objects and props in full […]

Universal Robots marks 25,000 cobot milestone

Vietnam’s Vinacomin Motor Industry Joint Stock Company presented one-of-a-kind Gold Edition robot in celebration of Universal Robots’ milestone Universal Robots (UR), the pioneer and market leader in collaborative robots (cobots), has cemented its market leadership after hitting 25,000 cobot sales. To celebrate this significant milestone, the company awarded ten of its 25,000 global customers a Gold Edition cobot. The lucky winner in Southeast Asia is Vietnam’s Vinacomin Motor Industry Joint Stock Company (VMIC), which was presented with the one-of-a-kind UR10 cobot on 9 October 2018. The special edition cobot has the joints painted in a rich, gold-coloured finish, a refreshing take on UR’s iconic blue and grey cobots. Based in Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province, VMIC is engaged in the manufacture, assembly, maintenance and repair of transportation vehicles. The Company’s leading products are heavy duty trucks used in the delivery of mining products, together with light trucks and other utility vehicles. Other business activities include the production of automotive parts, industrial machinery and equipment trading, the construction of industrial and civil infrastructure, as well as the provision of technical consulting services. “We are thrilled to receive the Gold Edition UR10 cobot which will be deployed to assist in the production of parts for transport vehicles, working alongside our employees,” said Pham Xuan Phi, VMIC Chairman and CEO. “The need to improve productivity and reduce operational cost led us to opt for cobots as the ideal solution. Since deploying our first cobot in July this year, we have already seen productivity surge 30 per cent and improvements in product quality and takt time stability,” he added. “We couldn’t have reached this historic 25,000-cobot landmark without excellent customers like VMIC,” said Sakari Kuikka, APAC Regional Director of UR. “With this, we celebrate not just the success of UR in empowering customers, but also […]

Hitachi launches AI-assisted predictive maintenance service for petrochemical plants

In the picture: Detection of abnormalities by the predictive maintenance service for petrochemical plants Hitachi Ltd. has started offering the predictive maintenance service for petrochemical plants. It makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically classify and analyse the petrochemical plant’s operation status in preparation for the real-time detection of changes in conditions and abnormalities that may be signs of failure. The service collects plant operation data and analyses them by means of the adaptive resonance theory (ART), one of AI-based data clustering technologies, to swiftly detect abnormalities in devices and equipment that constitute the plant arising from multiple causes that are difficult to be discovered by predictive maintenance systems based on ordinary prediction models or by human judgment. It will help reduce not only the workload of operators monitoring the plant’s operation but also the failure occurrence ratio to increase efficiency in operation and maintenance. This predictive maintenance service has been developed and commercialised through a demonstrative trial conducted by Hitachi in collaboration with Showa Denko K.K. at the ethylene plant in Showa Denko’s Oita Complex. It came into service for the practical operation of the plant in October. Oil refineries, petrochemical plants and other plants require the constant maintenance of safe and stable operation. It is common for skilled operators to check the data from the monitoring and control system and carry out on-site patrols to perform visual inspections in order to grasp the operation status of individual devices and equipment for the purpose of monitoring plant operation. However, even when individual devices and equipment in the plant are in normal operation, multiple factors such as the flow rate, pressure and temperature may bring the plant to a halt. The plant operation monitoring is therefore dependent on the judgments of skilled operators based on their experience and […]

Singapore International Robo Expo 2018 returns against Exponential Change in Industry

The Singapore International Robo Expo (SIRE) 2018 will return on 1-2 November to the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. The 3rd edition of SIRE will focus on next generation robotics in both its conference as well as exhibition showcase, addressing the entire value chain – from technology research and development to test bedding, to final commercialisation and go to market. “The strong growth in the Asia Pacific region has reinforced SIRE as a key platform for the robotics and automation sector to respond to rising demand,” said Mr Leck Chet Lam, Managing Director, Experia Events. “Set against the dynamic backdrop of fast-paced innovation and technology changes, our theme this year spotlights ‘Riding Opportunities in Exponential Change’. SIRE provides a strategic gateway for industry leaders, government officials, research and academia to exchange insights, participate in solutions-based discourse, forge partnerships and explore business opportunities.” SIRE 2018 offers a holistic and integrated programme for all the stakeholders in the robotics community -from thought leadership insights for decision makers to investment opportunities for venture capitalists and companies, from the latest innovative solutions for industry buyers to expert huddle sessions open to all trade visitors. A key showcase will be the series of seven transformative robotic solutions developed by Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) with support from the National Robotics Research & Development Programme Office (NR2PO). These solutions, together with the commercial launches to be announced at SIRE 2018, underpin the full value chain approach of the National Robotics Programme, which not only nurtures the development of advanced robotics technology but also sees it through to test-bedding and finally to licensing and commercialization. These robots work on the principle of intelligent and automated reconfiguration by replicating the human elements of adaptability and reactivity. They are able reconfigure or reshape themselves to adapt to […]

Autonomous parcel delivery solution unveiled

NEXT is introducing the world’s first Modular Mobile Parcel Locker. NEXT Future Transportation Inc. has announced a ground-breaking automated logistics solution for Smart and Connected Cities. Its fully automated multiservice ‘online-to-offline’ (O2O) platform includes a modular vehicle solution and the supporting operating system required to bring an ecosystem of logistics services to market at scale. To date NEXT has entirely focused on creating innovative solutions for the municipal mass transportation market. NEXT now enters the global USD $2.3 trillion e-commerce market, which is driving a rapid transformation of the traditional retail supply chain. Built on the company’s patented modular transportation platform, the logistics solution is an automated electric vehicle system that is designed to be customisable and scalable for a wide range of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) applications. A fully integrated logistics solution, NEXT compliments warehouse optimisation strategies, and workflow environments of 3PL providers, Retailers and Manufacturers. The unique modular platform seamlessly integrates with mixed fleets of autonomous mobile robots existing operating systems. Upon completion of the automated warehouse loading process, individual vehicles autonomously connect to form a fleet, thus allowing the joint internal space to be utilised. While in route, parcels may autonomously shift amongst vehicles to ensure optimal final delivery. NEXT’s approach fundamentally differs from all current Autonomous Ground Vehicles or e-Shuttles in that vehicle open interior design layout can flexibly adapt to accommodate specific needs. Furthermore, the fleets may be operated by a human driver, a remote human operator, or autonomously. They plan to operate on public roadways in the near term. To meet the growing global market demands of future multi-mode transportation and business applications, NEXT is introducing the world’s first Modular Mobile Parcel Locker. The unique locker solution will provide retailers with more control, while reducing the overall costs of delivery. The public will benefit from superior […]

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