ABB recently announced that its Turbocharging division (PA), a global leader in heavy duty turbocharging for diesel and gas engines, has unveiled its new brand name “Accelleron”, a compound word of: Access – Accelerate – Excel – on and on, with a bold new color of bright purple representing a powerful, inspirational, and noble brand.
ABB aims to power Canada's innovation ecosystem and propel its future forward. How? Through their One ABB value proposition, created by our Canadian businesses working together to provide solutions for industry segments. What role do segments play in delivering unique solutions for their customers? Gary Shaw, National Director, Segment Business Development at ABB Canada, provides some insight. At ABB, company-wide collaboration is key to tailoring efficient solutions for their customers. They leverage our segment strategy to deliver ABB-branded solutions.
Robotic solutions can dramatically sharpen your competitive edge as a manufacturer, but they can also introduce more complexity into your operations. To address this issue, Omron has recently introduced their most full-featured machine automation controller to date that is ideal for complete robotic cells, high-speed motion systems, material handling, and multi-robot systems. Omron's integrated robotic controller gives you the choice of 16, 32 or 64 controlled motion axes, the option to incorporate SQL database connectivity, and an easy way to support multiple connected robots. This article will look at how this solution works well for even the most complex applications.
Read more: Three Ways Omron's Robotic Integrated Controller...
The Ontario government is supporting an investment of nearly $5.5 million by three companies in Eastern Ontario to help strengthen local manufacturing, create jobs, attract investment and boost regional economic recovery. The province is investing nearly $633,000 through the Regional Development Program, which will help create 20 jobs.“The Regional Development Program continues to support local manufacturers through targeted investments that allow businesses to create good local jobs,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “We thank Kawartha Metals, Colonial Concepts Log & Timberframe and Bélair Mechatronics for making a significant impact in their communities and for contributing to our province’s dynamic and growing manufacturing sector.”
Let ABB start at the beginning. What difference does the efficiency of an electric motor make to you and why should you care? The answer is that by using less energy we can help prevent climate change. Today, 45% of all electricity is converted into motion by motors in buildings and industrial applications. And generating electricity causes a significant amount of CO2 emissions, which cause global warming. So, if we want to reduce emissions and stop global warming, making motors more efficient is one of the best places to start. And in the world of motors, IE5 synchronous reluctance motors (SynRM motors) are the very best place to start.
The Ontario government has launched Skilled Trades Ontario, a new Crown agency, to improve trades training and simplify services. The new agency will promote and market the trades, develop the latest training and curriculum standards, and provide a streamlined user-friendly experience for tradespeople. These changes will result in more workers for in-demand jobs and prepare Ontario for a strong economic comeback.
With the continuing changes seen within the Covid-19 virus strains, it’s vital that any samples can be analysed as rapidly as possible. Two Bavarian companies, GriPS Automation GmbH and D&T engineering GmbH, have worked together with OMRON to streamline the pipetting part of the process, reducing processing time from one hour to ten minutes per plate. As a result, the three companies have developed the PT600 laboratory processing system for the transfer of samples, using an OMRON Cobra 450 robot for contactless transport.
Whether in the material handling industry, in packaging machines, or in wind turbines—sensors with IO-Link interface are increasingly being used to pave the way to Industry 4.0. With the ENA**TL-**IO-Link, Pepperl+Fuchs was one of the first manufacturers to launch an absolute rotary encoder with IO-Link interface, which is available in numerous variants and with a wide range of setting parameters. Pepperl+Fuchs explain how you can benefit from easy configuration and integration with this IO-Link rotary encoder, while at the same time monitoring the status of your plants in a cost-effective manner.
Read more: Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance...
To ease the emotional isolation due to the COVID-19 crisis, many have turned to pet adoption. Canadians spent more than $5.7 billion on their pets in 2020, an increase of about $300 million compared to 2019, according to German market data firm Statista.
New fields of application, new sensor solutions: The digital transformation of industry presents us with new challenges every day. In the development of concept sensors, customers and partners are involved right from the start - in order to make the best possible use of all competencies. But what does that mean for the product development process in concrete terms? Questions for colleagues from research & development, product management and sales.
Editor's Pick: Featured Article
Put to the Ultimate Test – Part 1: Torsion Tests by HELUKABEL
Cables and wires in industrial robots and other moving machine parts are often required to withstand extreme stresses caused by torsion. Constant repetitive movements put materials under considerable strain. At the same time, operators expect components to function perfectly and reliably throughout their entire service life to avoid disruptions, outages and safety hazards.
For this reason, at HELUKABEL, we simulate intensive and continuous torsion stresses under realistic conditions with our high-tech testing equipment in Windsbach. We have several types of apparatus for doing this because some of our customers, for example those in the automotive industry, have very precise specifications for how a torsion test is carried out. The tests show that our cables and wires withstand speeds up to 1,000°/s, accelerations up to 2,000°/s² and torsion angles up to 720°. Hence, we make sure that each product always meets our customers’ high standards, and that they receive the impeccable quality they rightly expect from us as a leading supplier of cables, wires and accessories for more than 40 years.
What Is Torsion?
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Festo Didactic at the Forefront of Developing Canada’s Future Work Force
With Canadian manufacturing suffering from a growing labour shortage, the participation of industry in skills development is emerging as a vital component in hiring and retention.
The needs are stark: The Canadian Exporters and Manufacturers Association says almost 40% of its members have jobs they can’t fill. Five years from now, 60% expect to be short-staffed, especially when it comes to skilled trades. Statistics Canada forecasts the country’s labour force growth rate will remain below 0.2% for the rest of the decade, below replacement levels.
This growing shortage is affecting companies of all sizes. Already, some manufacturers acknowledge losing out on contracts because they can’t find the manpower to fulfill them.
In reality, the challenge is two-fold: to replenish and expand the workforce to help close the gap between the number of job seekers and vacancies through 2030 when the last baby boomers reach age 65, and ensure workers get opportunities throughout their careers to upgrade or add to their skillset as current technologies evolve and new ones emerge. Festo, through Festo Didactic, one of the world leading provider of equipment and solutions for technical education, intends to help Canada meet this challenge on both fronts. In essence, the approach Festo has always taken is that the learning never stops.
Read more here
Product News
New Emerson Valves Deliver Proportional Flow Control Performance in Exacting Applications
Emerson recently introduced the ASCO™ Series 209 proportional flow control valves, which offer the highest standards of precision, pressure ratings, flow characteristics and energy efficiency available in a purpose-built, compact architecture. With this combination of size and performance, Series 209 valves allow users to precisely regulate the flow of fluid in a wide range of devices that require exacting performance, like those found in the medical equipment, food and beverage, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industries.
Accuracy, response time and repeatability are critical in high-precision flow control applications, such as controlling tool speed in dental chairs, the flow of steam in coffee makers, water flow in cooling systems and hydrogen flow in fuel cells. Series 209 valves have low hysteresis (less than or equal to 5%), excellent repeatability (less than or equal to 1%) and high sensitivity (less than or equal to 0.2%) that contribute to their precision.
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Featured Product
Teledyne Announces New Ladybug6 Cameras for High Accuracy 360-Degree Spherical Image Capture
Teledyne FLIR Integrated Imaging Solutions is pleased to announce the all new Ladybug6— the latest addition to its field proven Ladybug series. Ladybug6 is the leading high-resolution camera designed to capture 360-degree spherical images from moving platforms in all-weather conditions. Its industrial grade design and out-of-the-box factory calibration produces 72 Megapixel (MP) images with pixel values that are spatially accurate within +/- 2 mm at 10-meter distance.
“The new Teledyne Ladybug6 is designed for mobile mapping and all-weather inspection projects requiring excellent image quality and high resolution,” said Mike Lee, Senior Product Manager at Teledyne FLIR. “With the addition of Ladybug6, we are now pleased to offer a wider variety of spherical cameras with higher resolutions ranging from 30 MP to 72 MP.”
To learn more, click here