April 2020

8 April 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com THEUKGOVERNMENT has announced its biggest investment in using 5G for manufacturing to date – a £9m project that will install a private 5G network at the National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol. The multi-partner project, called 5G-Encode, will explore new business models for private 5G networks in industrial settings and test new 5G technologies, such as network splicing and slicing, in a real working environments. It will also examine the practical application of 5G wireless technologies to improve composite design and production processes. The 11-member consortium is being led by the Bristol-based networking specialist, Zeetta Networks. Other participants include the NCC, Siemens, Toshiba, Telefonica, Solvay, Baker Hughes, Plataine, Mativision, the University of Bristol and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA). The project will investigate three industrial 5G use cases aimed at improving productivity and effectiveness in composite design and manufacturing. Each has the potential to save UK manufacturers hundreds of millions of pounds. They are: n using interactive augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to improve design, training and maintenance in composite manufacturing; n using network splicing to track time-critical assets across multiple sites, indoors and outdoors, and potentially across national borders; and n using 5G’s reliable low-latency communications to monitor and manage industrial systems that will be more responsive than current networking technologies allow, thus preventing wastage. The project will look at the most cost-effective methods of delivering 5G in industrial settings. It will also examine new business models for private mobile networks in the manufacturing sector. Examples include neutral hosting, the sharing of in- building infrastructure by mobile operators to provide full coverage inside buildings, and spectrum pooling and sharing where licensed and unlicensed spectra could be shared between private and public network operators. The project aims to deliver“real-life impact”by September. It will run until March 2022, by which time commercial 5G deployments are expected across a variety of manufacturing sites in the UK. The project is part of the Industrial 5G Testbeds and Trials programme being run by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). “5G is about more than consumers getting faster and more reliable speeds,”says DCMS secretary of state, Oliver Dowden.“We’re determined to harness this revolutionary technology to boost the productivity and growth of UK industries. We want Britain to be a world leader in 5G and since 2017 the government has invested millions in ground- breaking testbeds and trials across the country to achieve this.” The NCC’s chief technology officer, Dr Enrique Garcia, adds that the 5G testbed“will showcase a step change in security, reliability and connectivity, providing companies of all sizes with a risk-free environment to evaluate and capitalise on the capabilities offered by 5G”. The project will also test an AI (Artificial Intelligence) based industrial IoT technology that supports material and asset tracking, predictive alerts and optimised recommendations. This technology, developed by an Israeli company called Plataine, will use AI-based digital assistants, integrated with a network of sensors, to deliver material shelf-life tracking, management and optimisation capabilities. It will track time-sensitive rawmaterials automatically, predict remaining exposure times, and select the most appropriate material for each job, minimising waste and ensuring production deadlines are met, while maintaining full traceability of the products’digital thread. www.zeetta.com www.plataine.com £9m 5G in manufacturing project is UK’s largest so far The National Composites Centre will act as a testbed for the largest implementation of 5G technologies in UK p According to the analyst ABI Research , the supply chain shock resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic will cut “substantially” into global manufacturing revenues, previously predicted to be worth $15 trillion this year. As well as short-term impacts, the pandemic will force manufacturers to understand risks in their supply chains in the longer term, and to avoid sourcing from suppliers in one region. ABI predicts that the outbreak will spur investment in ERP systems to $14bn by 2024. “Covid-19 demonstrates that manufacturers need to be as focussed on their suppliers’ capabilities as they are on their own factory floor,” says ABI principal analyst, Michael Larner. p The Brazilian motor-maker WEG has signed a technology transfer agreement with a medical equipment manufacturer, Leistung Equipamentos , to produce ventilators for Covid-19 patients. The deal grants WEG a license to produce a ventilator in Brazil based on Leistung’s Luft-3 ventilation, with an initial target of producing 500 ventilators and to have a production line capable of producing 50 ventilators a day by the second half of May. The plan depends on obtaining the necessary electronic and pneumatic components. p IMI Precision Engineering has adapted its Swiss manufacturing capability rapidly to meet the urgent need for ventilators. Production of its FAS Flatprop valve, which delivers precision proportional flow control to control low or high flow rates, and is an essential component in some of these machines, has been escalated to meet the demand. To do this, IMI needed permission from the Swiss authorities to operate extended hours. The valves are now being produced on automated machinery in three shifts around the clock. p Following the postponement of the Drives & Controls Show and the cancellation of the Hannover Fair, Phoenix Contact has announced plans for a “virtual conference” to update customers on its latest innovations, technologies, and trends. Called Dialogue Days, the three-day event from 27-29, April, will include presentations, interviews and roundtable discussions. A digital exhibition will then be open until 8 May. https://phoe.co/DialogDays n NEWS COVID-19 BRIEFS