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Drives with onboard condition-monitoring avoid sensors

The German drive and automation supplier Baumüller has developed a software-based condition monitoring technology integrated into a servodrive that can avoid the need for costly sensors. The company suggests that machine-builders could use the function to create new business models that offer their customers additional data-driven services.

UK axial-flux motors power clean outboard motors for boats

A Dutch offshoot of the UK axial-flux motor developer Saietta is about to start production of an electrically powered outboard motor for boats that, it believes, will pose a significant challenge to traditional outboard engines, especially as emissions legislation drives a move towards electric power. In Amsterdam, for example, all new vessels will have to be electrically powered by 2025, and it is predicted that 74% of outboard motor sales in Europe will be electric by 2030.

‘Ground-breaking’ machine vision tech sets new benchmarks

A Californian company has launched what it claims is the most compact and powerful coherent machine vision system available, with the highest resolution and precision, and the longest operating range. SiLC Technologies says its Eyeonic Vision System sets new benchmarks, delivering the highest levels of vision perception to identify and avoid objects with extremely low latency, even at distances of 1km or more.

‘Breakthrough’ motor delivers 98.4% efficiency

A Californian company has spent more than two years developing and testing an electric motor that, it claims, is achieving results “that have never been seen before in the electric motor/generator industry”. 360 Power Group, based in Marina Del Rey, says that that its machine – which can also be used as a generator – delivers an electrical efficiency of 98.4% at 1,800 rpm.

Consortium aims to speed progress on smart field devices

A group of automation, semiconductor and Web companies – including Schneider Electric, B&R Industrial Automation, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Analog Devices, Arm, Texas Instruments and Lattice Semiconductor – have come together to develop an open-source OPC UA over TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) stack that runs on the FreeRTOS open-source, real-time operating system for microcontrollers and microprocessors. They want to simplify and accelerate the development of efficient, smart and secure industrial field devices that comply with OPC UA FX (Field eXchange) and implement them across the manufacturing sector.

Software gives independence from fieldbus suppliers

A Swedish communications software specialist has developed a software-based way of implementing Profinet and EtherCat protocols on industrial equipment that, it says, will cut time and costs for device developers as well as freeing them from dependence from specific suppliers.

IO-Link Safety gets first live multi-vendor demo at SPS

More than ten automation companies took part in the first live multi-vendor demonstration of IO-Link Safety at the recent SPS trade fair in Nuremberg. The demonstration covered all communication levels, from failsafe PLCs to IO-Link Safety masters and IO-Link Safety devices. According to the organisers, it was the first time that IO-Link Safety had been shown working with IO-Link Standard at a public event.

First 3D ToF camera opens up a new dimension in safety

The German sensor-maker Sick has launched what it describes as the world’s first 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera that has PL c safety certification in accordance with EN13849. It says that by opening up a third dimension for safety applications, the safeVisionary2 camera will offer a wide range of new options for mobile and stationary applications, including the automation of mobile robots and human-robot collaboration.

Open-source Arduino platform releases its first micro-PLC at SPS

Arduino, the open-source hardware and software microcontroller developer, announced its first industrial micro-PLC with industrial IoT capabilities at the recent SPS exhibition in Germany. The Opta controller has been developed in collaboration with the industrial component manufacturer Finder and is aimed at PLC engineers, offering them a scalable architecture based on a secure, high-performance, open-source platform that does not lock them into particular vendors. The PLC supports the standard LD (ladder) and FBD (function block) programming languages.

‘Breakthrough’ motor will use low-loss magnetic material

An Australian start-up company is developing a new generation of smaller, lighter and more efficient electric motors based on a new magnetic material called Aeroperm which has energy losses one-tenth those of existing magnetic materials used in today’s electrical devices.

60MW wind turbine test rig will be world’s most powerful

A team of 35 Danish engineers has started work on what will be the world’s most powerful test bench for wind power components when it is completed in 2024. The 60m-long test bench, incorporating two 30MW motors, and weighing 5,700 tonnes, will also be the world’s largest.

AI helps to slash motor design times from days to hours

Two Japanese companies – Mitsubishi Electric and Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (TMEIC) – have developed an AI-based electric motor design support technology that, they claim, can cut typical motor design times from as long as three days to just three hours. They say that the technique will reduce lead times for future motor developments.

Cross-cutting function run on servodrives reacts faster

The German drives-maker Baumüller has integrated a cross-cutting function into one of its servodrives, thus achieving faster response times and greater precision.

Aussie motor ‘doubles speed record’ and cuts rare-earths

Australian researchers have built a high-speed electric motor that, they claim, is much more robust that other IPMSMs (interior permanent magnet synchronous motors), while using far fewer rare-earth materials and being cheaper. The prototype motor has achieved speeds of 100,000 rpm, more than doubling the previous speed record for laminated IPMSMs, according to the developers.

Automatic robot configuration system cuts times by 80%

The Danish robotics developer OnRobot has demonstrated what it describes as the first software platform for configuring robotic applications automatically. It claims that the system, called D:Ploy, can cut the time it takes to deploy robots by up to 80%.