February 2020

60 February 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com n DESIGN DATA AND MULTIMEDIA Festo has produced an online tool to help engineers create ready-to-install handling systems, such as single-axis systems, 2D linear and planar surface gantries, and 3D gantries. It claims that the Handling Guide Online tool will help machine- and system-builders to cut their time-to-market for handling systems by around 70%. They can plan compact or dynamic Cartesian robots using intuitive configuration and ordering software, as well as receiving commissioning files and Eplan circuit diagrams. Festo says that steps such as RFQ, layout, quotation and CAD design, which previously took 10–15 days, can now be done in minutes, and that the tool will cuts assembly and delivery times from nearly two months to a few weeks. A single click transmits an order to Festo, which then delivers a ready-to- install system, including all documentation, to a machine or plant. www.festo.com/cat/en-gb_gb/products_YXCS# Engineering Web site gets its first redesign since 2013 Eplan has revamped its Web site for the first time since 2013, introducing a new design and an optimised search function. Dynamic images and vertical navigation have replaced the previous format, while topic-based overview pages lead users to more detailed information. Links to various social media channels allow visitors to share content easily with others. Eplan has also redesigned its ePulse site, allowing users to log into the cloud directly to use its eView, eBuild and Data Portal tools. A support system is available that provides tutorials, FAQs and an information portal. The new site’s responsive design means that it can be accessed easily via mobile devices. Further changes are planned for the site, including 3D animations. www.eplan-software.com www.epulse.com White Paper helps to speed up IoT and IIoT time-to-market The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) and the IoT standards body oneM2M have jointly published a White paper showing how developers wanting to reduce complexity when designing Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems, can use different architectural approaches side-by-side to speed up time-to- market. Called Advancing the Industrial Internet of Things , the paper demonstrates how the two organisations are working together to advance the IIoT and digital transformation, by creating a robust, interoperable, flexible and efficient IIoT ecosystem. With a focus on practical deployment tools, it describes a toolkit of best practices and technical standards for organisations involved in the design and deployment of IIoT systems. www.iiconsortium.org www.onem2m.org Online tools help enclosure users to migrate to a new generation To help users migrate to its new generation of AX compact enclosures and KX small enclosures, Rittal has produced an online tool that allows them to upload a parts list – from an existing project, for example – and to receive a new list with the equivalent AX or KX components. For users of Eplan’s Data Portal, there is another option that makes use of a new shopping cart function. Users can upload a parts list to the cart and all Rittal components, including the relevant macros for the new enclosures, will then be available in their parts database. Rittal says the new enclosures need 30% less assembly time, offer 30% more space for cables, and add 30 new features. www.rittal.de/ct-axkx Service keeps tells you about product changes and discontinuations Phoenix Contact has added a section to its Web site where users can register to receive email updates on any changes that occur across the company’s entire range of products, or tailor it to the particular types of product that they are interested in. If a product is being changed or discontinued, Phoenix Contact will usually notify its customers at least six months before their deliveries will be affected. Customers can sign up for e-mail notifications via the Product Change / Discontinuation Notification (PCN/PDN) service. The e-mails they receive will contain only technical information on product changes and discontinuations – not commercial messages. http://b.link/product77 White Paper offers UK manufacturers advice on smart factories A new White Paper from the professional services business MPA looks at the elements needed for smart manufacturing and how, through integration, UK manufacturers can benefit from implementing smart factories. The paper, called Unleash the power of the Smart Factory , examines how manufacturers can exploit their data by creating integrated, connected, flexible manufacturing environments. The starting point is the collection, flow, cleansing, manipulation and analysis of data. This data then needs to provide meaningful outputs or insights. To do this successfully, they need to identify areas for improvement within a manufacturing facility. This involves integrating various technologies, including both hardware and software. The White Paper suggests that most manufacturers can identify one or two functional processes that they could optimise individually to deliver improvements, but few are adopting a holistic approach to smart factories. https://mpa.co.uk/whitepaper-unleash-the-power-of-the-smart- factory Tool cuts handling system delivery times