trendsin automationThe Festo customer magazine 1.2018
In focus
ChangesSwitching direction, shifting times and play of light
Synergies
In full flowWater treatment moved by pneumatics
Impulse
Powered upE-mobility shifts up a gear with automation
Compass
Suspended stateSuperconductor optimises clean design for the future
You rely on maximum fl exibility.You are looking for intelligent and intuitive solutions. We are making pneumatics go digital.
Pneumatics goes digital: the world’s fi rst Festo Motion Terminal VTEMDifferent functions, always the same hardware! Whether for standard directional
control valve functions like for example 4/2, 4/3, 3/2 or for presetting the travel
time, you can now control functions using apps. For maximum fl exibility and
standardisation, reduced complexity and installation times, and many other benefi ts.
Find out more: awww.festo.com/motionterminal
Dear reader,
We live in a time of change, most notably technological change. It is therefore crucial that we play an active part in shaping the future so that we are well prepared. Festo is shaping change at many levels – from digital transformation and new technologies to shifting international markets. Guiding these processes, when done correctly and at the right time, opens up opportunities and reduces risks. Digitalisation represents a fundamental change for society as a whole. In automation, Festo is driving this change clearly and demonstrably at both product and service level. In doing so, Festo aims to find solutions for the future of automation for both the company and its customers. Innovative digital products such as the app-driven Festo Motion Terminal, for example, combine classic functionality at field level with unprecedented analysis capability. This leads to services such as data analysis, e.g. for condition monitoring via the cloud and dashboards. The necessary software, ranging from desktop apps to firmware, can be found in the new Festo App World (page 22).
Another area of fundamental change is e-mobility. E-mobility is transforming our streetscapes and bringing about change in value creation and manufacturing processes in the automotive industry. Modern automation solutions from Festo are contrib-uting to the development of more powerful and cost-effective batteries (pages 12 and 40).
However, the latest automation hardware requires the right fuel in order to achieve increased productivity in the long term, and that fuel is employee expertise. Festo Didactic is providing this expertise in the form of 360-degree solutions. A panoramic view enables employees to develop solutions themselves and solve problems quickly – an increasingly important success factor in our working environment (page 18).
Superconductor technology is poised to revolutionise the world of automation. The SupraSensor is a groundbreaking study that separates working spaces and equipment. The SupraSensor is opening up completely new perspectives for clean design and the problem-free handling of sensitive or critical substances (page 8).
The one thing that all of these examples have in common is the courage to change. I hope you find this issue an inspirational read.
Best regards,
Dr. Ansgar Kriwet, Member of the Management Board, Sales, Festo AG
8
Editorial 3 Panorama 6 Compact 44About this magazine 45
In focus Changes When the sun’s rays suddenly make a waterfall glow, the change is immediately obvious. In this issue of trends in automation, we report on change in the fi elds of superconductor technology, e-mobility and water supply, and on how automation is play-ing a key role in driving this change.
Compass
The SupraSensor shows how a contactless scale works.
1.2018trends in automation
Phot
o: ©
gar
yhar
tpho
togr
aphy
.com
Phot
o: ©
gar
yhar
tpho
togr
aphy
.com
199... 200 g... 201...Contactless measuring and weighing: the SupraSensor is opening up new perspectives for laboratory analytics and cleanroom production. Shown for the fi rst time at Hannover Messe 2018. 8
Powered upElectromobility is on a growth course worldwide. In purely electric vehicles, the battery accounts for between 30 and 40 per cent of the added value. And modern automation solutions also have an import-ant part to play. 12
Knowledge is fuelA train-the-trainer programme from Festo Didactic is helping international auto-motive supplier Kautex Textron to make its technicians fi t for the future. 18
Festo App WorldFast, simple, intuitive. With the new Festo App World fi rmware and desktop apps can be bought online, downloaded and used immediately. 22
Impulse
Electromobility and automation.12
Tango under the polar skiesFinland combines innovation and progress with a zest for life and a relaxed attitude. It is, in fact, a country full of surprises. 24
Everything in its placeAutomation is helping laboratories to reduce the risks associated with transport and manual handling. The ready-to-install handling solution for cold storage systems at Thermo Fisher shows how. 28
Production in the fast laneIn one of the world’s most modern auto-motive body shops, 288 robots weld truck cabs together using automation technology from Festo. 32
The art of making kitchensWorking in partnership with nobilia, Hüttenhölscher develops high-end solutions for the kitchen manufacturer’s assembly plants. Festo components – equipped with IO-Link – improve fl ex-ibility and availability. 36
Powering aheadAn e-mobility pilot project in the United Kingdom features a battery assembly line with a pick and place system. The planar surface gantry EXCH delivers an optimum dynamic response. 40
Synergies
Ready-to-install handling solution for cold storage systems.28
1.2018 trends in automationContents 4 – 5
Changing perspectives
The discovery of a Mayan city in northern Guatemala made headlines all over the world at the end of last year. For archaeolo-gists this was a sensational find, as it pro-vided a wealth of new information which could completely transform our view of the Maya civilisation. What can be seen here in relief in reality represents up to 60,000 individual structures – pyramids, houses, protective walls, agricultural fields and irri-gation canals – in an area measuring over 2,000 square kilometres. This discovery was made possible by Lidar technology. The light detection and ranging technology of laser scanning has changed our view of
landscapes and geological structures in recent years. It is now also being applied in other areas such as atmospheric meas-urement, construction and self-driving cars. Lidar even allows us to see what secrets are hidden within the dense jungle. A wide laser beam scans the ground from an airplane with up to 200,000 pulses per second. The reflected energy and time intervals are used to determine elevation profiles. The data obtained is then edited using software to filter out vegetation, producing precise 3D images and a new world waiting to be explored.
Phot
o: ©
NO
TIM
EX /
AFP
1.2018 trends in automationPanorama 6 – 7
The future of clean design depends on innovative technology solutions like the superconductor-based SupraSensor. By separating working spaces and equipment, it is opening up completely new perspectivesfor laboratory analytics and cleanroom production.
Contactless measuring and weighing with superconductor technology
199200 g201
199
201
In laboratories, surfaces must be sealed and easy to clean. These requirements can be easily met using superconductor technology.
1.2018 trends in automationCompass 8 – 9
T he production and testing facil-ities of tomorrow require totally pure, sterile processes. Demand for production environments that
are free from sources of contamination and interference is growing in food pro-cessing, in the pharmaceutical industry and especially in medical technology. In practice, this can only be achieved at considerable expense.
Risk of contaminationThe main problem with every cleanroom is the equipment that has to be brought in from the outside. This equipment can develop minute cracks on its contact sur-faces, its shape can cause an obstruction and it always poses a contamination risk in the working space. In the near future we may see a relatively simple solution to this problem in the form of magnetic field-based levitation based on superconductor technology. Superconductive materials intrinsically allow a magnetic coupling, creating an air gap in any spatial position. It uses very little energy, requires no control effort and is very reliable, even in the event of a power failure lasting several minutes. It is thus possible to develop applications in which objects can be handled without any contact whatsoever, even through walls. This offers enormous innovation potential.
Separation of working spaces and equipmentTo show how this could work in practice, Festo developed the SupraSensor exhibit, which was presented at Hannover Messe 2018. It demonstrates how a contactless scale works and how in future it could be used in safety cabinets for biological or chemical analytics, for example. The SupraSensor concept enables various physical quantities, such as weight, density, viscosity and temperature, to be measured using a force-based measuring system.
Thanks to superconductivity, only the weighing pan with the material to be weighed levitates above the baseplate. The risk of cross-contamination from the work surface or tools is thus avoided. If the pan is not needed, it can be removed and the entire working space of the safety workbench is available for use. In addition to the above safety workbench implemen-tation, superconductor-based technology can be used in a wide variety of applica-tions, from a sterile, automated production line to integration in reactors in large-scale production processes in the chemical, biotech, pharma and food industries.
Air bubbles show how it worksThe SupraSensor consists of a hermetically sealed pipe filled with liquid media which
is attached above a precision scale. A cryostat with a superconductor is mount-ed on the scale. A buoyant body located inside the pipe with a permanent magnet on its underside is coupled contactlessly with the external superconductor and thus with the scale. The SupraSensor works according to the principle of buoyancy: the greater the buoyancy force applied to the body via the magnet, the lower its specific weight. This can be seen on one of two SupraSensor exhibits with air bub-bles that collect on the buoyant body and push it upwards, and the result is indicat-ed by the scale.
Stable even in the event of a power failureIn addition to measuring and weighing, this technology offers many other possi-bilities such as analytically determining density or viscosity, precise metering or surveilling reactive or biological process-es. The technology is very robust and sta-ble in terms of both space and time. The superconductor-based levitation function requires no computer assistance and remains stable over long periods, even if the power supply is interrupted.
www.festo.com/supramotion
The levitating weighing pan makes the working space easy to clean.
Rising air bubbles illustrate how the SupraSensor weighing technology works: the greater the buoyancy, the lower the specific weight of the magnetic body.
SupraSensor: contactless measuring and weighing.
trends in automation: What are the current hot topics in the medical devices and laboratory automation sectors? Dr. Frank Jacob: The main trends are the miniaturisation of technical components and systems, increasing automation and computerisation of laboratory processes and personalisation, which means indi-vidually tailored treatment for patients. We are therefore becoming more involved in automation solutions for transporting, identifying and analysing samples, pipet-ting and dosing liquid media and control-ling and regulating gas flows with high precision – and for ever smaller volumes.
Dr. Frank Jacob, Head of Project Unit LifeTech, Festo
One more question Where do you see possible applications for superconductor technology?
Dr. Frank Jacob: The ability to move samples without contact and therefore completely free from contamination is of great interest in medical technology. Any form of contamination is process-critical and time-consuming cleaning processes reduce productivity for our customers. We know that we still have some way to go before we are able to offer this tech-nology as a catalogue product. However, this year’s superconducting scale concept shows how we will be able to build easy-to-clean weighing equipment in the future and integrate it into automated systems in combination with our drive technology.
1.2018 trends in automationCompass 10 – 11
Electromobility and automation
Electromobility is on a growth course worldwide. It’s not just the streetscape that’s changing, the automo-tive industry markets are also undergoing a fundamental change. Corporations globally are investing heavily in battery production. Modern automation solutions play a leading role in this change.
Powered up
T he year is 2050. Two out of every three people live in megacities. Mobility is something that people take for granted, just as they do
the clean air that they breathe. Electric cars travel along the streets, without any noise or emissions. People get in and out but nobody sits behind the steering wheel – because it no longer exists. Self-driving vehicles are the norm. The age of e-mobil-ity is a time in which people no longer think about mileage, repairs, insurance and warranty claims. Nor do they think about fine particulates. Because there simply aren’t any anymore. A change has taken place in the way people think and act, so that car owners are now mobility users. It is a scenario that futurologists are currently predicting, with some even saying that it may happen before 2050. It is not yet possible to say whether these predictions will come true. The one thing that is certain is that there hasn’t been this much activity in the field of e-mobility in over a century.
Electric cars have been around for 130 yearsThe first electric cars appeared on the streets of Europe and North America towards the end of the 19th century. The Flocken Elektrowagen, developed
by Maschinenfabrik A. Flocken in 1888, was one of the world’s first four-wheeled electrically powered passenger vehicles. French race car driver Gaston de Chasse-loup-Laubat set the first recognised auto-mobile land speed records, and in 1898 he broke through the 100 km/h barrier. At the turn of the century, there were around 34,000 electric vehicles registered in the USA. The success of cheap crude oil as an energy source caused the development of e-mobility to grind to a halt until the oil crisis of the 1990s once again raised awareness of alternative drive forms. Electromobility is now gathering speed all over the world, not least thanks to vision-aries and pioneers like Tesla founder Elon Musk. In 2015 alone, 550,000 electric vehicles were registered worldwide, along with millions of hybrid vehicles. Experts from international economic development agencies predict that electric vehicles will account for around one third of all new vehicle registrations in Europe by 2025. For China, the figure is even higher at up to 50 per cent and it is already pushing through government measures for e-mo-bility. From 2019, electric cars will have to make up at least 10 per cent of each manufacturer’s output, and this will rise to 12 per cent from 2020.
1.2018 trends in automationImpulse 12 – 13
“Premium car manufacturers are the main driving force behind electromobility in Germany and Europe. While they may be arriving late on the scene, they are focusing all their experience on mass
production. Festo in Germany identifi ed the electrifi cation of the power train as a global trend back in 2009. All products were tested with our customers on site in a dry room, cleanroom and copper-free environment. The German specialist team for e-mobility is helping our customers to improve their competi-tiveness in new growth markets.” Michael Karcher, Festo Germany
Fundamental change worldwideThe automotive industry is facing one of the greatest challenges in its history. This will affect suppliers in particular. A combustion engine has between 1,500 and 2,000 parts, while an electric motor has just 150 to 200. Electric motors may have fewer parts, but the growth world-wide in their development and production, as well as that of batteries, is compara-tively large, especially as the world’s lead-ing companies are investing in this area. Around the world, new factories are being built and vehicle manufacturers as well as battery producers are looking for auto-mation. Samsung is currently building a plant in Hungary, while LG is constructing one in Poland. The production of lithium-ion batteries is presenting automation technology with special challenges, from the production of electrodes and cells to the assembly of battery modules. The bat-tery accounts for between roughly 30 and 40 per cent of the added value in electric vehicles. In addition to the big automotive brand names, new electric vehicle manu-facturers are also emerging, above all in the USA (for example Tesla and Faraday Future) and in China (Next-EV). Roughly
13,000 electric taxis, supplied by Chinese manufacturer BYD over the past two years, are on the road in China’s big cities.
Customised solutionsFesto began supplying the global growth market that is electromobility with custom-ised solutions in 2012. Today, Festo advises and supplies major global customers such as the Korean corporation LG Chem. The key components in Festo’s success are its broad product range including copper-free products, its services and engineer-ing tools as well as worldwide teams with specialist know-how and solution compe-tence, providing customers with expert advice in project planning and conceptu-alisation. The Festo team in South Korea has managed to get itself on board the enormous LG project in Poland. Kim Sung Chul, Manager LG Production Engineering Research Institute and Battery Assembly Equipment Technology Task, Korea: “Festo is supplying the handling systems for the new plant in Poland. LG highly values the competent advice, the product range, the engineering concepts and the global network of automation specialists offered by Festo.”
1.2018 trends in automationImpulse 14 – 15
“With Tesla and Lucid Motors, we are supplying the two most promising electromobility start-ups in Silicon Valley. We support our customers and integrators from conceptualisation through to commissioning, as well as with service and support. I am proud
of our collaboration with the engineers at Tesla and of our contribution to the development of the Tesla Model 3.”Anish Ramrakhyani, Festo USA
“China is the fastest growing market for batteries. We have put together a special Key Account Management team to optimally support our customers with expertise and solutions.”Marvin Liu, Festo China
At the heart of the marketTo be able to supply this enormous poten-tial market with automation solutions, Festo has teams based in the core coun-tries who advise customers and provide them with technical support. 80 per cent of all Festo electromobility customers are based in the USA, Greater China and South Korea, as well as in Japan and Cen-tral Europe, especially in Germany and Italy. For Johannes Strasser, Global Key Account Management and Industry Seg-ment Management Electronics at Festo, having close contact with the customers is vital: “With expert teams in the main markets of Korea, China, USA and in Europe, we are a truly global partner that offers direct contact and customer support on site. For example, at Festo we have worked with LG Chem for over two years.”
Handling systems save time and moneyThe benefit of Festo is that it offers every-thing from a single source – standard handling systems, special solutions and copper-free products that do not damage or contaminate the sensitive lithium-ion cells. Thanks to the engineering tools from Festo, solutions can be created virtually, thus saving time and costs in project plan-ning and design. This phase is one of the greatest cost pools, representing around 25 to 30 per cent of the overall service life costs in machine and plant construction. Energy-efficient products and services help companies to reduce power consumption in production, while Industry 4.0 expertise helps to build a future-ready production system.
www.festo.com/electromobility
“LG is pursuing a large-scale growth strategy. Development and growth worldwide are highly dynamic. We are proud to have been chosen by LG as its central partner for electric axes and valves
and of our involvement in the biggest battery production plant outside Korea.”Munseok Jang, Festo South Korea
1.2018 trends in automationImpulse 16 – 17
Knowledge is fuelTo achieve a sustainable increase in system performance we need more than just the latest technical solutions. Innovation demands employee skills that keep pace with development. A train-the-trainer programme from Festo Didactic is helping an international automotive supplier to make its process engineers fit for the future.
Festo Didactic: train-the-trainer programme at Kautex Textron
C ompanies that want to keep up with the changing market con-ditions and the needs of their customers have to develop,
identify opportunities and drive innova-tion. A high degree of productivity calls for new technology solutions as well as a high level of knowledge among employees. If expertise in process engi-neering is up to date, technicians can quickly identify problems, draft predic-tive maintenance scenarios and correctly evaluate their abilities to deal with ma-chine downtime. Leading international automotive supplier Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG realised this at an early stage and took lasting measures. When the company identifi ed a need for train-ing their process engineers two years ago, a train-the-trainer programme was created with Festo Didactic.
Expertise increases productivity“We began by asking how we could train our process engineers so that they could act even more autonomously to address pneumatic and hydraulic issues,” says Eduard Busenus, Manager Process Support & Training, describing the initial situation at Kautex. To the experts in basic and further training it was clear that regular investment in the latest automation hardware requiresappropriate training to maintain a con -sistently high level of machine and
system performance. “Failure to invest in employee knowledge automatically leads to lost productivity,” says Busenus. Constant technological development means that workers and managers on the shop fl oor need to keep their skills up-to-date. “We identifi ed a clear need for our technicians to develop their understanding of components and new technologies,” explains Busenus, “and we wanted to enable our employees to be even more adept at fault fi nding, active troubleshooting and implement-ing sustainable maintenance sched-ules.” In particular, we wanted them to be able to assess whether it makes sense to resolve a problem themselves or call in an outside expert, and to be able to make decisions in the case of system downtime of anything from a few minutes to a few hours in certain situations.
Integrated and internationalThe search for a competent partner fortraining in process automation in gen -eral and pneumatics and hydraulics in particular led to Festo Didactic. And forone very good reason: integration. “It was important for us that all of our train- ing needs be met from a single source, including hardware,” says Busenus, describing Kautex’s primary motivation for working with Festo. The interna tio n- al nature of the company also played
a role. While the conceptualisation phase would take place at the European headquarters in Bonn, the subsequent pilot and roll-out phase was planned for Lavonia in Georgia, USA.
A 360-degree solutionFor Klaus Zimmermann, Head of Training and Consulting at Festo, the high expec-tations of Kautex in terms of a 360-de-gree solution made the project particu-larly appealing. “We were able to use our entire service portfolio to achieve the maximum possible benefi t for our customer,” explains Zimmermann. “Our objective was not only to make Kautex employees fi t for the future in terms of using our products, but also to equip them with key skills in the basic principles of pneumatics to enable them to perform their tasks as mainte-nance technicians more effectively.”
Train the trainer in the USAThe conceptualisation phase in Bonn began with the identifi cation of the training requirements of employees. For the experts from Festo, it was important to determine who actually worked with Festo products and what their level of knowledge was. “Once we had determi-ned the requirements, we looked at the typical duties of a process engineer at Kautex and worked out small, practical training content and units. We were
Excerpt from the Festo competence profi le for trainers in a production environment.
Technical competence in control technology
...
...
Properly trained: Kautex process technicians at a nozzle tool.
BUS technology
Pneumatics
Hydraulics
Sensors
PLC
Readiness to learn
Self-competencies
Improvement of machine and system performance through needs-based, targeted training of maintenance technicians
and process engineers in control technology.
Phot
o: ©
Kau
tex
Text
ron
Phot
o: ©
Kau
tex
Text
ron
1.2018 trends in automationImpulse 18 – 19
TPM
...
Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG employs 6,000 people at 31 locations in 14 countries, and is one of the top 100 auto-motive suppliers worldwide in terms of revenue. The com-pany was founded in 1949 and is a pioneer in the area of blow-moulding machines. Today, Kautex Textron develops and manufactures blow-moulded fuel systems, selective catalytic reduction systems, clear vision systems, camshafts for engines and industrial packaging solutions made from plastic. Festo has been a partner to Kautex Textron for many years. The focus is on ready-to-install systems for air preparation based on the service unit combinations MSB6
and MSB9 as well as electrical systems in combination with the modu-lar valve terminal type MPA to regulate the forces during welding when using proportional pressure regulators.
Educational skills
Competencies in training methods
Leanproduction
Structured problem solving
Commu-nication skills
PresentationPlanning,
execution and evaluation of training
Phot
o: ©
Kau
tex
Text
ron
"Trained employees perform better. They work together better and approach new situations with greater confi dence."Eduard Busenus,
Manager Process Support & Training, Kautex Textron
Phot
o: ©
Kau
tex
Text
ron
Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG
Kautexstraße 5253229 Bonn-HolzlarGermanywww.kautex.com
Area of business: Manufacture of blow-moulded fuel systems, selective catalytic reduc-tion systems, clear vision systems, camshafts for engines and industrial packaging solutions made from plastic
thus able to create a curriculum that could easily be implemented by the trainers at Kautex,” explains Klaus Zimmermann. A seminar programme combining specialist training with the development of compe-tencies in training methods was drawn up. During implementation in the USA, a core group of ten trainers and lead trainers was prepared so that they could share their knowledge with operational staff.
Different knowledge levelsThe content and methods of the training courses for the USA were designed so that they would be accessible to employees in production with varying knowledge re- quirements. “We come up against different levels of education and training at inter-national level, which we need to harmo-nise,” explains Eduard Busenus. With the seminars from Festo Didactic the training courses could be precisely tailored to the different target groups. “Our trainers gained a vast amount of practical know-ledge that they were able to pass on to their employees,” says Busenus. To ensure the trainers and technicians were ready
to apply simple as well complex tasks in pneumatics and hydraulics, the teach-ing and learning hardware installed was tailored to the needs of customers.
Greater employee confi denceFollowing completion of the train-the-trainer initiatives at the end of 2016, roll-out began in Kautex’s US plants. This has proven to be successful, as Eduard Busenus reports: “The feedback on our training has been overwhelmingly positive. Trained employees perform better. They are more communicative, actively think forthemselves, explain issues to one another, work together better and approach both new and familiar situations with greater confi dence.” For the training experts at Kautex, the solution bridges the gap be-tween the company’s objectives and the daily tasks performed by employees. He is confi dent that the improvement of skills will also soon be measurable in terms of system performance.
www.festo-tac.com
Basic principles of pneumatics and electropneumatics
Advanced pneumatics and electropneumatics
Optional Safety-oriented pneumatics
Basic principles of hydraulics and electrohydraulics
4 days
4 days
4 days
4 days
PNEUMATICS
HYDRAULICS
Module DurationContent
4 days
3 days
Maintenance and servicing of mechatronic systems
Communication in maintenance: shorter downtimes through structured problem-solving and targeted communication
MAINTENANCE AND SERVICING
Example of application-oriented specialist training
"We were able to use our entire service portfolio to achieve the maximum possible customer benefi t."Klaus Zimmermann, Head of Festo Training and Consulting
1.2018 trends in automationImpulse 20 – 21
New apps and software licences
Festo App WorldFast, simple and intuitive. With the Festo App World, firmware and desktop apps can now be bought online, downloaded and used straightaway. This is another step towards the digital age in machine and system construction.
T he speed with which the interdis-ciplinary project team managed to develop this new online offer-ing is just as impressive as the
ease and speed with which users can fi nd the app that they need. In less than a year, the team members successfully launched an online portal with which, for the very fi rst time, app licences can be bought from Festo, downloaded and used straightaway.
The new online platform offers not only apps for controlling automation products, but also desktop apps such as FluidDraw for creating circuit diagrams and the App World service Schematic Solution for EPLAN. With Schematic Solution in the App World, Festo has now developed a unique service that automatically creates an EPLAN project using the ident. code for a custom confi gured solution. Manually
putting together individual macros for confi gurable products such as valve terminals is now a thing of the past.
The online platform will soon be expanded further with the addition of cloud-based, turnkey dashboards, which will make cen-tral monitoring possible. This will enable trend analyses to be determined so that early warning systems and automatic no-tifi cations in the event of incidents can be set up. This future product offering will give machine and system builders even more options for entering the digital age.
Further information and videos can be found at www.festo.com/appworld
Motion apps − app-based pneumatic functionsJust as the smartphone turned the mobile communication market on its head, so too is the Festo Motion Terminal set to revolu-tionise automation technology. The highly fl exible Festo Motion Terminal is assigned various pneumatic functions using an app. What makes this so special is that the same valve hardware is used for everything.
Thanks to the fast activation of new func-tions via apps, machine developers can create a basic machine type and then se-lect the relevant apps to equip it with dif-ferent functions and features. App World currently offers a start package with the motion apps “Selectable pressure level”, “Supply and exhaust air fl ow control” and “Proportional directional control valve” as well as other multi-valve and single-valve apps such as “Presetting of travel time” or “Proportional pressure regulation”.
Schematic Solution − circuit diagrams at the touch of a buttonSchematic Solution is the new App World service that automatically creates a stand-ards-based EPLAN project using the ident. code for a custom confi gured solution. As a result, there is no more tedious down-loading and piecing together of individual components in an EPLAN project. Tasks that used to take hours can now be per-formed in just a few minutes. The service reduces the level of complexity and there-fore also the number of errors.
Users receive a complete project in ZW1 format for EPLAN P8 Version 2.3 or higher. This version contains the usual electrical diagram as well as a table of contents, combined and itemised bills of materials, a true-to-scale 2D structural overview and fl uid overviews. With the launch of the App World, Schematic Solution is available for the modular valve terminal systems VTSA and MPA as well as the automation plat-form CPX. This offer will also be continually expanded.
“The Festo App World offers matching and universal apps for a wide variety of customer applications and systems.”Christos Tsionidis, Project Manager Festo App World,Future Motion Solutions Management, Festo
1.2018 trends in automationImpulse 22 – 23
Phot
o: ©
kar
inde
jong
e-fo
togr
afi e
.nl
Capital
Swedish
million
inhabitants
per capita:
Annual coffee consumption
AREA
INDEPENDENT
mobile phone contracts1 per 100 inhabitants
Internet contracts1
per 100 inhabitants
since 1917Finnish
1Source: Federal Statistics Offi ce
303,890 km2
5.49
134.5
Finland
Tango under the polar skies
In the far north of Europe is a country that has remained true to itself throughout the digital transformation process. Finland combines innovation and progress with a zest for life and a relaxed attitude. This is evident not
least in the Finns’ passion for tango, mobile phones and coffee.
W hen you think of Finland, the first things that come to mind are Helsinki, lakes, ski jumpers, Formula 1 and rally drivers and reindeer. But the tango? Not really. Surprising as it may seem, the tango
is actually a perfect reflection of the Finnish character, in which restraint and emotions go together. The Finnish minor replaces the Argentinian major, creating a unique form of melancholy. The Finnish tango, as it is called, is also an expression of the free-dom, self-determination and zest for life that were suppressed when Finnish territory was under foreign rule, until the country gained independence in 1917, and later during the Second World War. The Finnish tango is still performed with great enthusiasm in restaurants, in dance halls and on ferries and at “lavatanssit” – where people dance on a wooden platform – during the sum-mer months.
Water and forestsThe Finns are honest, peace-loving and independent. The inhabit-ants of the northernmost country in the EU like to spend their time alone, with family and with friends, in harmony with nature. And there’s certainly plenty of nature in Finland – most of it wild and unspoilt. There’s a good reason why Finland is called “the land of a thousand lakes”. In fact, there are many more than that. With a lake in Finland being classified as over 500 square metres in size, there are around 190,000 lakes according to official statistics. The longest one, Lake Päijanne, extends over an area of 120 kilome-tres and attracts nature-loving Finns and holidaymakers from all over the world, who spend their free time and holidays in the more than 16,000 summer houses dotted along the lakeshore. For a small country, Finland is a world leader when it comes to foresta-tion, with around 65 per cent of the land area covered by forests – mainly pine, spruce and birch. In Finland people have the freedom to roam (everyman’s right), which means that everyone can enjoy
the benefits of nature, allowing them to gather berries or mushrooms, for example, without needing to get the land-owner’s permission.
Sauna and coffeeIt is said that if you want to understand Finland and the Finns, the best place to start is the sauna. A regular visit to the sauna is a must for Finns. It is estimated that there are between two and three million saunas, making it technically possible for every inhabitant to indulge in the national Finnish relaxation ritual at the same time on a single day. Finns love their saunas so much that there’s even a sauna in one of Helsinki’s fast food restaurants and in the Finnair Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport. The expres-sion “burning passion” certainly takes on a whole new meaning in Finland. Incidentally, “sauna” is the only Finnish word that has been adopted by many other languages.
You may not be aware either that the Finns were once again declared the world’s most prolific coffee drinkers in 2017, con-suming 10 kilos of roasted beans per capita annually according to the International Coffee Organization. In fact, the “Kaffepaussi” is a given right, allowing Finns to have two 15-minute coffee breaks per working day. Drinking coffee is part of the culture of coming together. The hot drink’s popularity may also be explained by the long, dark winters in Finland.
Light and darknessAnd there are plenty of long winter nights all the way up in the far north of Europe. Yet it is precisely these cold and dark winter nights that provide the backdrop for a unique tourist attraction. Between October and April, the clear night skies are the stage for a spectacular display of light and colour. Aurora Borealis, also known as the polar lights or northern lights, appears as if
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 24 – 25
* Read more about the ready-to-install handling solution for cold storage systems on the next page.
“Customer-specific solutions forcompanies such as Thermo Fisher*are developed right here, by us.”Pekka Parikka, General Manager Festo Finland
by magic. This amazing light spectacle, which can last for any-thing from a few seconds to up to two hours, is best viewed in the far north, in Finnish Lapland, and appears on up to 200 nights a year. In summer, by contrast, it hardly ever gets dark. Finland’s white nights can literally mean sleepless nights for some tourists. The night sun is at its strongest in June and July, while in the north the sun doesn’t go down at all between May and August.
Design and IIoT SiliconFinland has a strong tradition in design. Along with big names such as Marimekko and Iittala, a new generation of innovative, young designers has emerged. Finnish design is firmly embed-ded in the country’s everyday life and culture. This goes hand in hand with progress, particularly in the area of digitalisation. The success of the erstwhile global market leader in mobile phones showed that Finland is open to new ideas, and the country is to-day increasingly referred to as the Silicon Valley of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
According to a study by leading global management consultancy firms, Finland is the leader in IIoT in the European Union and takes third place worldwide after the USA and Switzerland. Digital com-munication is now used across all sectors in Finland, from industry to agriculture, from production to commerce and trade. According to the Finnish Ambassador to Germany, Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Finland has the highest proportion of information and communi-cation technology specialists in the EU. 134 mobile phone and 153 broadband Internet contracts per 100 inhabitants certainly speak for themselves.
Change and prosperityRapid digitalisation is a trend that began long before Finland joined the EU in 1995. In just a few decades, Finland has devel-oped into a modern industrial and service society and unwaver-ingly goes its own way. Along with the traditionally strong sectors of forestry and paper, the metal and electronics industries now also play a key role in the Finnish economy. Together they account for almost half of the country’s industrial output. This achieve-ment is all the more impressive when you consider that Finland
was still mostly an agricultural country in the 1950s. This trans-formation is also reflected in the fact that around two thirds of all workers are employed in the service sector. Nowadays Finland is one of the wealthiest countries in the EU.
While they may be very fast when it comes to progress, the Finns don’t want to be seen as queue-jumpers, whether it’s at the super-market checkout or in any other kind of queue. Finns are relaxed and achieve their goals in their own unique way, managing to be simultaneously ambitious yet unambitious. Just like in the tango, where the mood is both playful and serious.
Festo and FinlandJust as Finland celebrated 100 years as an independent nation in 2017, Festo Oy, the Festo national company in Finland, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. With its base of creative customers, primarily in the electronics and metal industries as well as the process industries, the company located in the far north of Europe has become a market leader in pneumatic and electric automation technology. Festo Finland is a partner to many global electronics brands such as Nokia, Polar and Suunto. Machine and system builders such as Raute (woodworking industry), Prima Power (machine tools), Outotec and Flowrox (process automation) also work closely with Festo.
A unique feature of Festo Finland is that its share of Didactic as part of total sales is more than double compared with other Festo national companies. “This is due to the huge value that we Finns place on education,” explains Hannu Hassinen, Head of Didactic at Festo Finland. Kim Holm, Regional Manager Festo Didactic Northern Europe, adds: “In Finland we have a population of just 5.5 million. We can’t afford to leave even one person behind when it comes to education.” Festo Didactic in Finland therefore also organises teacher training for secondary level as well as vocation-al training in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, maths), and supports a mechatronics and Industry 4.0 laboratory at the renowned Tampere University.
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 26 – 27
Safe storage of blood and other laboratory samples: cooling and easy retrieval in the TCAutomation Cold Storage System from Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Everything in its place
Laboratory automation in Finland: ready-to-install handling solution for cold storage systems
Automation is helping laboratories to reduce the risks associated with the transport and manual handling of sample tubes. The seamlessly integrated laboratory automation modules from Thermo Fisher Scientific are used for the inward transfer of blood samples and their subsequent transfer from the analysis module to the cooling system for storage. Ready-to-install handling solu-tions from Festo ensure that the samples are transferred smoothly in and out of the cold storage system.
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 28 – 29
T he cost pressure faced by labora-tories is huge. In Germany, for example, medical laboratories receive just €1.50 for analysing
a blood sample. Automation and rational-isation are therefore the only way forward for many laboratories. This is in line with
a clear market trend towards the centrali-sation and merging of laboratories, which has seen automation grow by five per cent year on year.
Process steps such as the inward transfer of samples, centrifugation, decapping and recapping of sample tubes, aliquoting of samples, sorting, labelling, storage and retrieval are performed by the automated modules. These are marketed worldwide under the name Thermo ScientificTM TCAutomationTM by the Clinical Diagnostics Systems business unit of Thermo Fisher Scientific or by its OEM partners. All mod-ules are linked via a conveyor and software system for easy sample retrieval.
“The ready-to-install handling solution from Festo saved our development department a great deal of time.”Jan Öst, Senior Program Manager Automation, Clinical Diagnostics Systems, Thermo Fisher Scientific
The concepts for implementing this tested and documented handling system were developed by a Finnish-German project team from Festo.
Reliable coolingBlood samples are highly sensitive. It is therefore crucial that they are cooled for analysis. Many laboratories process up to 2,000 blood samples a day. They depend on being able to safely and cleanly place the samples in a cooled storage area imme-diately after labelling and initial analysis, and on being able to retrieve them easily.These tasks are performed by the auto-mated cold storage module from Thermo Fisher Scientific. It can insert up to 14,800
samples and transport them back to the analysis module for further testing. If sev-eral blood tests in succession are required, a blood sample can be safely inserted in and removed from the cooling module without it being rendered unusable as a result of a rise in temperature. An auto-mated handling solution also reduces the risk of contaminating the system due to sample tubes being dropped.
Reliable and accessible“We had very strict requirements not only for usability, but also for reliability and safety as well as cleanability and easy access in the event of a power failure, for example,” explains Janne Järvinen,
Gentle transport: the sophisticated module for inward and outward transfer, which consists of the rotary drive ERMO, axes EGC as well as the stepper motor EMMS-ST, moves the racks of 68 samples to their shelf locations.
Thermo Fisher Scientific OyClinical Diagnostics SystemsRatastie 2, P.O. Box 10001621 VantaaFinlandwww.thermofisher.com/tcautomation
Area of business:Manufacture of analytical devices, laboratory equipment, automation solutions, reagents and consumables for in-vitro diagnostics and for general laboratory use
Senior Product Marketing Manager at Clinical Diagnostics Systems. The users of the system are laboratory technicians, not automation experts.
A ready-to-install robotics module from Festo loads and unloads the racks, which can accommodate 68 samples. The hand-ling solution allows a throughput of up to 700 samples per hour. The cold storage system – which is 3.65 m wide, 2.20 m high and 1.70 m deep – is based on a gripper and transport system with match-ing electrical components from Festo.
Coordinated technologyThe customised solution is equipped with electric drives such as the rotary drive ERMO, axes EGC with motors of type EMMS-ST and EMMS-AS and with the simple motor controllers CMMO-ST and CMMP-AS. The controller CPX-CMXX is re-sponsible for moving the handling system in the X/Y coordinate system. This intelli-gent module in the CPX terminal for con-trolling electric drive units coordinates the entire motion sequence of Cartesian kine-matic systems. Two axis groups, each with up to four axes, can easily be configured using the Festo Configuration Tool. The module does not have to be programmed, but instead receives the sequence via parameterisation or teach-in.
Time-to-market reduced“To ease the workload for our design and development department and to shorten our internal schedules, we assigned Festo the task of supplying the complete, ready-to-install handling module, including shelving system,” explains Jan Öst, Senior Program Manager, Automation at Clinical Diagnostics Systems, adding: “For the TCAutomation Cold Storage System, we supplied the housing, design and software, while Festo delivered the validated and tested subsystem. The biggest advantage
Takes care of movement in the X/Y direction along the shelving system: the intelligent module CPX/CMMX.
was the speed with which Festo was able to deliver a solution. We received the first prototypes as a 3D model within just two months and were therefore able to signifi-cantly reduce our time-to-market.”
www.festo.com/lab www.festo.com/ermo www.festo.com/emms-st www.festo.com/cmmo-st www.festo.com/cpx-cmxx
“Prescribed storage at 4 °C means that laboratories are able to guarantee high-quality results.”Janne Järvinen, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Clinical Diagnostics Systems, Thermo Fisher Scientific
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 30 – 31
Production in the fast lane
Virtually fully automated body shop
With a 95 per cent degree of automation, the Scania body shop in Oskarshamn, Sweden, is one of the most modern vehicle manufacturing plants in the world. At the same time, the plant supports extensive customisation. By the time they reach the end of the assembly line, virtually no two truck cabs are the same. So is this Industry 4.0 in action? Automation products from Festo have certainly provided a solid basis.
S ince 2016, premium manufactur-er Scania has been assembling customised truck cabs to order – and doing so almost exclusively
with the aid of 288 robots. “It’s complete-ly clear to me that a premium product needs to be built in a premium plant,” explains Marcus Holm, Plant Manager in Cab Body Production at Scania in Oskar-shamn. “The high degree of automation results in excellent quality, as well as good working conditions and ergonomics for our operators,” he adds.
Factory of the futureThe robots place the panel parts on the joining stations and weld them. All em-ployees have to do is load the stations
and monitor the machines. In any case, Swedish occupational health and safety regulations have made it impossible to use hand-held welding equipment. On the one hand, welding tools have become too heavy and unwieldy, while on the other hand occupational safety directives require a minimum distance between the welding gun and the operator because of radiation.
The banning of manual welding from the assembly workshop has benefited Scania in two ways: “It means better processes and quality,” explains Lars Kreutner, Pro-ject Leader Cab Body Production at Scania in Oskarshamn. To make full use of the automation technology, Scania has set
up a training division where employees learn how to use the robots and automa-tion technology.
Many variants possibleAll the trucks that Scania builds weigh more than 16 tonnes. The company has built a reputation as a manufacturer of special vehicles for fire services or waste collection, for example. These niche mar-kets alone account for hundreds of thou-sands of variants.
“It may surprise people to learn that we offer even more customisation options for trucks than there are in passenger car pro-duction,” says Evert Forsberg, Automation and Electrical Engineer in the press shop
“We chose preconfigured Festo valve terminals type CPX/VTSA. They offer the benefits of Ethernet, diagnostics, safety and energy efficiency.”Evert Forsberg, Automation and Electrical Engineer in the press shop and body shop, Scania (left in photo).
In perfect harmony: panel parts are clamped in pneumatically actuated devices and welded, controlled by valve terminals CPX/VTSA (front right). Standing among the products are the initiators Evert Forsberg (left), Lars Kreutner (right), both from Scania, and Leif Lindahl (centre) from Festo.
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 32 – 33
and body shop at Scania. In passenger car production, every vehicle type has its own assembly line. “We, on the other hand, assemble all of the cabs that Scania supplies on a single assembly line,” says Forsberg.
Industry 4.0 in practiceThis means that the factory has many of the key features of Industry 4.0 – mass production of customised vehicles, adapt-ability and flexibility thanks to control technology, diagnostic capability as well as energy efficiency and safety solutions. “There is a modular standardisation concept for all plant manufacturers,”
says Forsberg. At the end of the day, plant operators need to be able to rely on proven automation products.
Another objective is avoiding unnecessary stock of spare parts. All panel parts are clamped in pneumatically actuated de-vices, and then welded. “We decided in favour of the preconfigured Festo valve ter-minals type CPX/VTSA,” says automation expert Forsberg: “They deliver numerous benefits – such as the Ethernet connec-tion and web interface, diagnostics, safety, PROFINET and energy efficiency.” The valve terminal CPX/VTSA is actually the only interface to PROFINET – no extra
wiring is required. The valve terminal pro-vides diagnostic data via the automation platform CPX and that can be used to monitor the systems as part of predictive maintenance: “We can replace system components before they fail and paralyse entire parts of the system,” explains pro-ject manager Kreutner.
Different pressure zones“We were also impressed by the valve terminal’s safety concept,” says Forsberg. The CPX makes it possible to operate dif-ferent pressure zones and to exhaust areas when intervention is required. “We can check affected system parts using mobile panels and don’t have to search the entire system for errors – which can be like look-ing for a needle in a haystack.” Further-more, re-pressurising individual system parts is much more energy-efficient than starting up the entire system.
Welding robots require compressed air to move the welding guns and to clamp metal sheets. Cooling water protects the welding systems against overheating. Festo de-livers complete solutions for supplying
At the Scania body shop in Oskarshamn, 288 robots weld truck cabs together.
Scania in Oskarshamn
Oskarshamn is an industrial town on Sweden’s east coast, around 300 km south of Stockholm, with transport links to the holiday islands of Gotland and Öland. In 2017, 2,700 people assembled a wide range of cabs for all Scania models here. Vehicle transporters take the cabs from Oskarshamn and deliver them to the Scania assembly plants in Södertälje near Stockholm, Zwolle in the Netherlands, and Angers in France, where they are assembled to create the complete truck chassis.
Scania ABA company of the Volkswagen Group151 87 Södertälje Swedenwww.scania.com
Area of business:Heavy commercial vehicles (trucks and buses), marine and industrial engines
compressed air and cooling water for welding guns. At Scania, these solutions are integrated in the safety fence for ease of operation – including MS series com-pressed air preparation.
Reliable electrode millingFor the static welding guns, Festo devel-oped a pivoted arm exactly as per the specifications of Scania and ABB which brings the electrode milling device, the so-called tip dresser, to the electrodes af-ter 150 spot welds have been completed. The pivoted arm is precisely positioned by Festo electric cylinders DNCE and is pow-ered by stepper motor EMMS. With this solution Festo has cut the cycle times by well over half.
The reason for this is that the electrodes of welding guns become blunter as they are being used and must be milled after approximately 150 spot welds so they en-sure the spot welding is perfectly accurate. “Electrode milling operates on the same principle as the sharpening of a blunt pencil,” explains Leif Lindahl, former Key Account Manager for Scania at Festo.
The control cabinet from Festo for elec-trode milling comprises the motor control-lers CMMS and CPX, which communicates with the motor controllers and the higher-order robot controller. “Safety has also in-creased, since plant operators no longer have to enter the robot cells after milling to adjust the electrodes to the correct pos - ition for the spot welds,” adds Lindahl.
Right down to a batch size of 1Scania is ushering in a new era in vehicle manufacturing in Oskarshamn. As it is almost completely automated, but still allows huge flexibility right down to a batch size of 1 on a single assembly line, the body shop is already well on its way towards Industry 4.0. The new factory has set a precedent, and Scania will build a similar factory at the Scania plant in São Paulo, Brazil.
www.festo.com/automotive www.festo.com/cpx-vtsa www.festo.com/ms
Integrated in the safety fence for ease of operation: ready-to-install complete solution for the compressed air and cooling water supply of welding lines, including MS series compressed air preparation.
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 34 – 35
Phot
o: ©
nob
ilia
The art of making kitchens
Fully automated assembly system with IO-Link®
It was not by chance that nobilia became Europe’s largest kitchen manufacturer. So, what is its recipe for success? One of the ingredients is efficient kitchen unit production on highly automated assembly systems, many of which are supplied by Hüttenhölscher and use Festo automation products – equipped with IO-Link® – to improve flexibility and availability.
N obilia produces around 3,000 kitchens every working day, and around 660,000 fitted kitchens per year. With each kitchen com-
prising 10 units on average, this equates to more than 6.5 million kitchen units. “That kind of output simply isn’t possible without a high degree of automation,” ex-plains Martin Henkenjohann, Head of Engi-neering at nobilia. “At the end of the day, consumers have individual expectations when it comes to their kitchen. This often leads to a batch size of 1 in production.”
High-end solutions for exacting demandsWith its cost-effective and reliable produc-tion facilities, nobilia is able to meet its own exacting demands in terms of output, speed and performance while ensuring delivery date reliability and high-quality service. Working in close partnership with nobilia, Hüttenhölscher uses its specific expertise to develop high-end custom solu-tions for the assembly systems at nobilia. “Our continuous improvement processes are built on technological innovation. Many of these innovations – such as com-ponents with IO-Link® capability or the Motion Terminal – are from Festo and are characterised by high product quality, solution and consulting expertise,” says Hüttenhölscher. The latest fully automat-ed assembly system for manufacturing
kitchen unit drawers that Hüttenhölscher has supplied to nobilia has two levels. On the upper level, the front panels are machined in the drilling system and the required mounting holes are added. On the lower level, the corresponding draw-ers are assembled in parallel. The last step is assembly, when the front panel is placed in front of the drawer.
Different front panels in a wide variety of sizes, materials and colours travel along the production line one after another according to the order specifications. “The front panels function as a kind of master in the system,” says Henkenjohann. As soon as a front panel is fed in, the system de-tects its exact identity via a bar code. Using
this data, the drilling system automatically adjusts itself to the size of the front panel and the required hole pattern. At the same time, the system starts assembling the appropriate drawer box at the bottom part of the machine. In the final step on the line, the front panel and the box are joined together to create the finished drawer.
Stars in PneumaticsA large number of pneumatic drives from the Stars in Pneumatics series move the front panels and drawers from one assem-bly step to the next, hold them and clamp them for processing. The drives ADN, DNC, DFM, DSBC and DSNU demonstrate their qualities, such as sturdiness and long ser-vice life in a dusty environment while
“Technical availability and the highest plant precision are the top priority. That’s why we stipulate that our machine suppliers use Festo for many areas.”Martin Henkenjohann, Head of Engineering at nobilia
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 36 – 37
Automation technology from Festo is responsible for moving the front panels and drawers from one assembly step to the next as well as for secure holding and clamping.
“During servicing, IO-Link® dramatically speeds up troubleshooting, thus ensuring that a machine restarts faster. This dramatically improves system availability.”Daniel Hüttenhölscher, Managing Director, Hüttenhölscher Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG
slides SLT round off the installed product portfolio. The Stars in Pneumatics include 2,200 automation products that are noted for their robustness, attractive prices and worldwide availability. With their optimised functionality, they can solve 80 per cent of all automation tasks. “The high quality of Festo automation products is the reason why virtually all our customers insist on having Festo as the automation supplier in their system specifications,” explains Daniel Hüttenhölscher. For instance, the specification for the latest system supplied to nobilia by Hüttenhölscher stipulated that the IO-Link® interface had to be used. “This is simply because we managed to
con-vince the engineers and technicians from Hüttenhölscher and nobilia of the benefits of this connection technology,” explains Viktor Peters, Sales Engineer at Festo.
Increased system availability with IO-Link®
All the pneumatic functions are controlled by the valve terminal VTUG with IO-Link®. The valve terminal is compact, has a high flow rate and has this simple connection technology on board. IO-Link® is a uniform, standardised and therefore efficient tech-nology for installation and wiring. IO-Link® devices can be parameterised simply and
conveniently – and can be put back into operation immediately after replacement with no need for engineering software tools.
“During servicing, IO-Link® dramatically speeds up troubleshooting, thus ensuring that a machine restarts faster,” says Hüttenhölscher. This is possible because the Festo IO-Link® master has extensive diagnostics options. What’s more, devices with IO-Link® capability, such as intelli-gent sensors and actuators, parameterise themselves automatically in the event of replacement. “This dramatically improves system availability,” adds Henkenjohann.
nobilia-WerkeJ. Stickling GmbH & Co. KGWaldstraße 53–5733415 VerlGermanywww.nobilia.com
Area of business: Manufacture and sale of fitted kitchens
Hüttenhölscher Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KGGrasweg 4733415 VerlGermanywww.huettenhoelscher.de
Area of business: Planning, design and assembly of special purpose machines and robot applications for the furniture indus-try as well as other industry sectors
Link to video: www.festo.com/wood
Reduced assembly time: with IO-Link® (left), there is no longer any need to separately wire in each valve connection and that seriously reduces the amount of electrical installation work.
Upgrading systems to get closer to Industry 4.0Complex diagnostics can be transferred rapidly using standardised protocols, and predictive maintenance and condition monitoring concepts can be implemented. Festo also offers many IO-Link® devices, from different sensor series right up to valve terminals, electric drives and stepper motor controllers. According to Daniel Hüttenhölscher: “With this modern con-nection technology, Festo is giving our machines a major upgrade that will take us one step closer to achieving Industry 4.0. Because there is no longer any need for single wiring connections, IO-Link®
seriously reduces the amount of electrical installation work. Thanks to the software, the parameterisation settings can be rep-licated multiple times, saving a great deal of time during commissioning.”
www.festo.com/iolink www.festo.com/vtug
Fully automated assembly system for manufacturing kitchen unit drawers at the nobilia plant in Verl.
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 38 – 39
E-mobility: automated battery testing
Powering ahead
T he development of electric vehi-cles is gathering speed. China has set itself and car manufactur-ers ambitious targets, and aims
for 12 per cent of all vehicles to be electric by 2020. France wants all cars sold after 2040 to be electric. Volvo has announced its intention to end the production of vehicles powered by internal combustion engine in 2019. The London Taxi Company has also signalled its intention to enter the electric vehicle market by changing its name to the London Electric Vehicle Company. The new taxis will have the same classic look as their predecessors, but will be cleaner and quieter. The UK government has recognised the shift towards electric vehicles, and in July 2017 announced a major investment programme to develop battery technology.
The pilot project Automated Module-to-pack Pilot Line for Industrial Innovation, or AMPLiFII for short, is demonstrating
how effi cient automation can contribute to the competitive production of traction batteries in Europe.
Developed for small spacesWithin the AMPLiFII pilot battery assem-bly line, special purpose machine builder and system integrator Horizon Instruments has developed a high-speed cell picker system. This presented a unique challenge for Technical Director Daniel Bolton and his team. When designing the battery module production line they faced several technical and practical constraints: “We had a relatively confi ned space in which to fi t the equipment and strict budget
Phot
o: ©
sho
tsho
p.co
mThe trend for electric vehicles is clear. However, their success depends on high-performance and cost-effective batteries. In the UK, the pilot project AMPLiFII at WMG is laying the foundations of a new generation of traction batteries. The project includes innovative automation technology from Horizon Instruments with a Festo pick and place solution.
AMPLiFII
The AMPLiFII project aims to create a proof of concept for a new automotive battery pack assembly line. It is being supported with an investment of 14 million pounds (15.6 million euros).
The Automated Module-to-pack Pilot Line for Industrial Innovation brings together the automation experts from Horizon Instruments along with Jaguar Land Rover, JCB, Alexander Dennis (ADL), Ariel Motor Company, Delta Motorsport, Potenza Technology, Trackwise, HORIBA MIRA, The University of Oxford, Axion Recycling and Augean. AMPLiFII is led by leading research and education group WMG at the University of Warwick.
parameters, as well as a lead-in time of just seven months. We also needed to find a way of electrically testing each cell, rotating cells when needed and placing them into each module extremely precisely and at great speed.” One of the core tasks of the pilot plant is the simultaneous test-ing of groups of 30 cells for current and voltage before they are picked and placed in the battery modules. The high costs and space constraints meant that it was not possible to accommodate 30 individual battery testers. A solution had to be found. Together with the research and education group WMG at the University of Warwick, Horizon Instruments developed a
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 40 – 41
bespoke multiplexer interface which allowed a single battery tester to be used. This not only delivered savings on space and capital cost, but also enabled the collation of comparative data regarding test status.
A custom solution in eight weeksFollowing testing, the battery cells are aligned accurately and inverted if neces-sary. The pick and place system then in-serts them into the module located on a conveyor. The plant can be configured to handle the exact number of battery cells, which can sometimes vary. 100 individual cells per module is typical, with a total weight of approximately 9 kg once assem-bled. Festo delivered a compact complete solution using Cartesian robot technology
for fast and precise handling. “We didn’t need to coordinate multiple suppliers or worry about product compatibility,” ex-plains Daniel Bolton. “Within just eight weeks of the order being placed we had a custom system. Festo also provided us with technical support throughout the design, installation and commissioning process.” With the new automation solu-tion, each cell can be picked, rotated, aligned and placed in the modules within 1.2 seconds.
UK premiereAt the heart of the battery pick and place system is the Festo EXCH-60. The planar surface gantry is aimed at high-speed assembly operations where small, light mass-produced items need to be
positioned quickly and flexibly. Powered by two fixed motors, the EXCH delivers an optimum dynamic response. By eliminat-ing the need to use separate gantries for each axis, it delivers precise alignment. At speeds of up to 5 m/s and acceleration rates of up to 50 m/s2 it is capable of 100 picks per minute with a repetition accur-acy of ±0.1 mm. For Steve Sands of Festo, using the EXCH is a significant step: “This project is the very first time that the planar surface gantry from Festo has been used in the UK. The automation technol-ogy now incorporated in this pilot line for electric vehicle batteries was originally developed for the construction of solar panels. It is ideal for handling delicate components and placing them with great precision.” The 2D planar surface gantry
High-speed battery cell pick & place with the planar surface gantry EXCH from Festo.
Automation solutions specialist Horizon Instruments designed and integrated the Festo planar surface gantry.
WMG
Coventry CV4 7ALUniversity of WarwickEngland www.warwick.ac.uk
Area of business: Research and development
Horizon Instruments
Ghyll Industrial EstateHeathfield, East SussexUnited Kingdomwww.horizoninstruments.co.uk
Area of business: Design and build integrated automation solutions
“The project will help to develop the next generation of traction batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles.”Robert Harrison, University of Warwick
Pioneering step with the planar surface gantry EXCH: the automation technology now incorporated in this pilot line for electric vehicle batteries was originally developed for the construction of solar panels. It is ideal for handling delicate components and placing them with great precision.
is controlled by a CPX valve terminal. It allows state-of-the-art electronics and pneumatics to sit on a single, stand-alone base.
Paving the way for the futureThe new automation solution has gener-ated interest beyond the machine build-ing and automation technology sectors. For Professor Robert Harrison of the Uni-versity of Warwick, the pilot project is proof “that the high-speed cell picker and other stations will allow us to demonstrate our ability to automate the cell-to-module packaging process and help pave the way to upscale to a full production plant.” Professor Harrison believes that the project will help develop the next generation of traction batteries for electric and hybrid
vehicles. “It will combine the best human and automated assembly methods to manufacture battery packs and lay the foundations for a new UK automotive supply chain based around automated technology,” says the automation sys-tems expert.
www.festo.com/electromobility www.festo.com/exch
1.2018 trends in automationSynergies 42 – 43
Esslingen/Germany Dr. Frank Melzer became the new member of the Management Board Product and Tech-nology Management in October 2017.
The mechanical engineer, who also dedi-cates a lot of his spare time to focusing on air because of his interest in gliding and en-gine-powered fl ight, spoke about his new role at Festo: “In the fi rst few months I spent a lot of time listening to get to know the product ranges and the employees. I quickly saw how deeply technology is embedded in the Festo DNA. This enthusiasm drives our employees to develop innovative products.”
Melzer sees pneumatics as the very core of the company, and as the foundation for the company’s future growth. With the electrifi ca-tion of controllers, electronics, sensors and software are becoming increasingly import-ant. “More and more mechanical functions are being mapped in software – our Festo Motion Terminal is a perfect example of this. An increasing number of our future products will be integrated mechatronic solutions.”
Compact News from around the world
The perfect blend
Valve technology from Festo allows fast fl ow rate changes for high productivity when blending mineral oils.
Australia // Engine oils are perfectly prepared for use, whether for high-performance race cars, SUVs or 40-tonne trucks with a range of more than a million kilometres. To ensure that every engine has a long service life and high performance, mineral oil producers create a blend of oils with different properties for each application.
Australian machinery manufacturer Deft Automation has developed a new, fl exible system for blending and fi lling engine oils for a leading mineral oil company on the fi fth continent. What makes it different from other systems is the ability to adapt very quickly to fl ow rate changes and switching sup-plies of different oils from a wide variety of storage tanks. It was fi tted with more than 100 ball valves which are automated using quarter turn actuators and NAMUR valves from Festo. Modern valve technology makes it effi cient and easy to handle and control. Another benefi t for Deft while developing and implementing the system was the complete range from Festo. This en-sured a seamless transition between process stages. The system serves as a reference project for future development.
www.deftautomation.com.au
Safely across the fi nish line: engine oil is crucial for an effi cient engine.
Phot
o: ©
sho
tsho
p.co
m
Apollo II in the bell tower
Tradition meets modernity: Michel Veracx, chairman of the guild of carillonneurs, proudly shows how the valve terminal VTUG controls the keys of the mechanical carillon.
In the tower of the medieval church of St. Michael in the Belgian city of Roeselare, 49 bells produce wonderful melodies.
Belgium // The carillons housed in the towers of many town halls and churches are a great source of pride for the people of Flanders. In the Belgian city of Roeselare, the guild of carillonneurs is dedicated to preserving the carillon, which has 49 bells. The members of the guild play pieces of music at important events such as weddings, funerals, fairs or ceremonies to mark the appointment of bishops or mayors. Another important task performed by the members of the guild of carillonneurs is climbing the tower every day to adjust the tower clock every 24 hours.
On market days the carillonneurs also play the pieces manually. However, the melodies are repeated automatically every 15 minutes. This task was previously performed by the Cariomat 2000, which is now obsolete. Instead, a carillonneur plays melodies on a small manual carillon, which are recorded. The carillon control system Apollo II converts these recordings and sends the information to the Festo valve terminal VTUG. With its 24 individual valves, the VTUG directly controls the drives for the keys of the carillon. The valve terminal reacts extremely fast and delivers a high fl ow rate in the smallest of spaces.
www.festo.com/twitter
www.festo.com/youtube
www.festo.com/linkedin
www.festo.com/facebook
PublisherFesto AG & Co. KGRuiter Straße 8273734 Esslingen, GermanyPhone ++49 (0) 711 347 0Fax ++49 (0) 711 347 [email protected]
Manager Customer MagazineSilke Gartenmeier, Market Media [email protected] ++49 (0) 711 347 3902
Responsible for contentDr. Guido Purper, Head of Market Communication [email protected] Sohn, Market Communication Excellence [email protected]
Please noteAll terms such as customer, user, specialist or sales engineer refer to both men and women.
Copyright 2018 Festo AG & Co. KG All rights reserved.
All images, graphics and texts are protected by copyright law or other intellectual property rights. Any reproduction, modifi cation or use in other print or electronic publications is prohibited without the express consent of Festo AG & Co. KG.
Picture credits page 26 (from left to right): Julia Kivelä; Tarja Hoikkala/Vastavalo; Festo; Visit Finland; Vastavalo/Saara Kostama; Artek; Katja Hagelstam; Visit Finland, Jani Kärppä, Visit Finland
trends in automation 1.2018May/June 2018
About this magazine
1.2018 trends in automationCompact 44 – 45
Play of light
Every year around the middle of February Yosemite National Park in the USA becomes a magnet of attraction for hundreds of amateur and professional photographers from around the world. Nature enthusiasts also make the journey to witness this amazing phenomenon. Only during this winter month and on no more than 14 days, the rock face of the monolith known as El Capitan is transformed into a glowing orange and gold spectacle just before sunset – as pictured on the front cover. But only if the skies are clear and enough meltwater plummets down the face of the mon-olith. If the sun’s rays refl ect off the granite rock at a certain angle behind the torrent of water, the waterfall begins to glow. This unique moment just before the sun touches the horizon, when the colours are at their most intense, has been beautifully captured by American photographer Gary Hart.
Phot
o: ©
nst
anev
/Sho
tsho
p.co
m
Festo AG & Co. KG
P.O. BoxD-73734 EsslingenPhone ++49 (0) 711 347 0Fax ++49 (0) 711 347 [email protected]
