Drives & Controls June 2022

n TECHNOLOGY June 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com 24 p US firm Ambient Photonics has raised $31m from Amazon and other investors to build the world’s largest low-light solar cell production facility, which will produce energy-harvesting cells that reduce or eliminate the need for batteries to power IoT devices. Ambient’s photovoltaic technology generates three times more power than other energy-harvesting devices, reducing the need to send batteries to landfill, as well as cutting the carbon footprint of battery- powered devices by up to 80%. p The Californian robotics company Flexiv has released a robotic development kit (RDK) that it says is “a leap forward in how robots are programmed and managed”. The kit uses customisable APIs that allow users to control adaptive robots, make instant program modifications, or integrate external hardware and software. They can issue multiple commands, execute high-level tasks, and rapidly create custom apps such as dual-arm tasks or autonomous mobile operation. www.flexiv.com p SKF ’s RecondOil oil filtration system, which removes nano-sized impurities from circulating oil, is now available in a compact version, making it suitable for a wider range of industries and applications. The RecondOil Box system uses “double separation” technology that acts as a mechanical “kidney” in a machine’s oil circulation system. It regenerates the oil by progressively removing contaminants, and then returning the oil back into circulation. Because the oil is in a closed loop, it is kept clean continuously. The system can extend oil change intervals “significantly”. www.skf.com p The Japanese/Danish current-sensing specialist Danisense has announced a series of transducers for measuring AC and DC currents up to 200A rms that are 60% smaller than the previous generation. The DT series sensors can operate at up to 2MHz and have a linearity of better than 2ppm. They have a 20.7mm-diameter aperture to accommodate cables and busbars. www.danisense.com p The industrial communications specialist Moxa says it has obtained the world’s first IEC 62443-4-2 certification for industrial networking devices, under the IECEE’s Certification Body Scheme. The certification is for its EDS-4000/G4000 series networking products which aim to unite networking and OT (operational technology) cybersecurity with layered defence-in-depth protection. This covers security-hardened networking devices based on the IEC 62443-4-2 cybersecurity standard, advanced IT and OT network segmentation with threat prevention, and tailored OT deep packet inspection realising industrial intrusion prevention system. These allow industrial automation and control systems to offer reliable end-to-end connections, as well as high-performance and dependable networks. TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS AT THE RECENT Hannover Fair, Siemens unveiled an AI-based edge app that detects problems in drive systems before they can affect production. The app will allow users to avoid unplanned downtime and to schedule maintenance in good time, raising plant availability by up to 30%. Siemens says that by scheduling maintenance and servicing activities based on actual demand, companies will be able to boost their productivity by up to 10%. The Predictive Service Analyzer will detect early signs of anomalies, such as bearing damage, imbalance and misalignment, that could indicate mechanical damage in motors, as well as critical operating conditions of frequency converters. The app will assess the severity of the defect and estimate the expected remaining runtime, thus predicting potential future failures. The analyser is particularly suitable for applications with constant movements, such as pumps, fans, and compressors, or with motors that do not need speed control. Compared to Siemens’ earlier MindSphere Predicitve Service Assistant app, the new edge app's analysis evaluates high data volumes in near real time. It also provides secure data handling and cuts costs for cloud data transfers. Together, the two apps can pre-process data which can then be used by the MindSphere app to provide further insights and recommendations for action. The new app is part of Siemens’ predictive services for drive systems – a standardised extension to local service contracts. Users are said to benefit from higher productivity and reduced unplanned downtime. It also gives them transparency on spare parts and maintenance activities to minimise risks through simple weak-point analysis. https://drivesncontrols.news/36b76z AI-based edge app could raise drive availabilities by 30% PANASONIC INDUSTRY has entered the motion controls market with a compact controller that combines motion with PLC functions. The company says that the GM1 controller will save cabinet space and can handle demanding applications with up to 32 axes and response times as low as 0.5ms. The controller is aimed, in particular, at precision operations such as interpolation control. It can deliver the high speed and accuracy needed for applications like press- fitting, moulding, printing or packaging. The controller can handle functions such as rotary knife, flying shear, labelling, current control, palletising, cranks, cammotion and print mark control. It supports application function blocks which allow easy set-up of predefined functions, allowing faster programming at lower costs. Programming is based on the Codesys IEC 61131-3 software and supports PLCopen functions and G-code editing. A configuration tool can program up to 32 axes. The controller includes OPC UA client and server functions. There are two Ethernet ports, support for Ethernet/IP and Modbus-TCP, an SD card slot, a two-channel (4/8Mhz) high-speed counter, and a four-channel PWM output. https://holdings.panasonic/global Siemens says that its new AI-based edge app will be able to improve motor and drive availabilities by up to 30%. Panasonicmakesmotion controls debut