MANUFACTURING PDATE An imaging camera for August 2022
www.manufacturing-update.co.uk
every application An imaging camera for An imaging camera for every application every application Hyperspectral imaging ■ ■ ■ ■
Forensics Food inspection Art conservation Vegetation and agriculture
Thermal Imaging ■ ■ ■ ■
SWIR InGaAs Cameras
Automation Aerial thermography Process control Non-destructive testing
■ ■ ■ ■
Laser Beam Profiling Semiconductor Inspection Solar Cell Inspection Microscopy
Hyperspectral Hyperspectral imaging imaging
Thermal Imaging Thermal Imaging
SWIR InGaAs Cameras SWIR InGaAs Cameras
■ ■Forensics Forensics
Automation ■ ■Automation
■
■ ■Food Foodinspection inspection
■ ■Aerial thermography Aerial thermography
Art conservation ■ ■Art conservation
■ ■Process control Process control
Vegetationand andagriculture agriculture ■ ■Vegetation
■ ■Non-destructive testing Non-destructive testing
Quantum Design UK and Ireland Ltd 1 Mole Business Park, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7BA Tel: +44 (0)1372 378822 | Email: info@qd-uki.co.uk
Quantum Design UK and Ireland Ltd, 1 Mole Business Park, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7BA.
■ Laser Profiling Laser Beam Beam Profiling ■ Semiconductor ■ Semiconductor Inspection Inspection
Solar Cell Inspection ■ Solar Cell Inspection ■ Microscopy ■ Microscopy ■
For more information visit
qd-uki.co.uk/imaging
Tel: +44 (0)1372 378822 | Email: info@qd-uki.co.uk
Weidmiiller More productivity in your workplace with our THM MultiMark printer Let’s Connect
MultiMark: the smart all-in-one solution In Weidmüller, you have a trusted and reliable partner with years of experience in cable preparation, processing and systemised marking. Our THM thermal transfer printer integrates cutting and perforation tasks into the printing process; it can divide endless materials into arbitrary lengths. The result is a noticeably simpler production of custom cuts with a respective inscription assignment. Using the Mulitmark printer, you reduce the potential sources of error with complete data consistency. You will streamline timeconsuming work processes and increase your productivity.
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MANUFACTURING UPDATE At the forefront of digital marketing, Manufactuing Update strives to bring its readers the latest in industrial manufacturing, in a format that provides the best usability and ease of use for it’s readers.
August 2022
www.manufacturing-update.co.uk Publication Director
Publishing Director
Editorial Assistant
Kane Weller 01843 580 460 Kane@engineering-update.co.uk
Jodie Little 01843 595818 jodie@jetdigitalmedia.co.uk
Laura Sharpe 01843 448 443 laura@engineering-update.co.uk
Publishing House Jet Digital Media Ltd, Suite 1 & 2 Spratling Court Offices, Spratling Street, Manston, Kent CT12 5AN
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Independent Pump Training from E-learning Classroom based “Live” webinars Manufacturing PDATE
On-site courses Tailored options For more information call
0121 601 6691
scan code for the training guide or email: training@bpma.org.uk
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London Packaging Week Teases Expert Seminar Content at New Look Show FMCG, beauty, luxury drinks, and premium product professionals are invited to attend this year’s all-new seminar format at London Packaging Week. With specially curated content designed to showcase the industry’s most cutting-edge insights, emerging trends, and pressing challenges, the programme is not to be missed. The content will take place over three new stage concepts, when the event takes place on 21 and 22 September at London Olympia. The Food and FMCG Future Makers stage will provide visitors with all they need to know about the future of food and FMCG packaging. Seminars will be delivered by the brands best keeping up with the rapid evolution of food retail, and the associations and organisations behind these changes. Speakers taking to the stage include Nestlé, DEFRA, WRAP, Unpackaged, OPRL, and Appetite Creative, to name just a few.
Manufacturing PDATE
The Luxury Unboxed stage will showcase the diverse perspectives on the future of packaging within the luxury retail, fashion, jewellery, and fine foods markets. Speakers from the likes of Hunter Luxury and Elmwood will explore exciting aesthetic and practical design innovations, looking at how evolving consumer behaviour should impact packaging decisions. Elsewhere, the Beauty and Drinks Innovators stage will promote the strategies, materials, and technologies that are reimagining the end user experience to increase
engagement with consumers more than ever before. Speakers from IJO Skincare, Morrama, Sharp End, BEAUTYSTREAMS, and Butterfly Cannon, will share real-world insights from the top brands and design agencies working together to redefine packaging. Alongside three packed seminar stages, The Pentawards, the global platform and community for packaging design, will also deliver six exclusive Capital of Design sessions. Here, speakers will use examples of award-winning packaging concepts to illustrate how attention to detail can power packaging to capture the attention of the market. Finally, The Big Debate series will return by popular demand to discuss topics including ‘how to make true progress to minimise packaging’s impact on the planet’.
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Josh Brooks, Marketing and Community Director for Easyfairs’ Packaging Events, comments: “Our all new London Packaging Week event presents us with the perfect opportunity to redesign our seminar content. Our free-to-attend speaker sessions are part of what our event is known for and why visitors continue to come back each year. For 2022 we have three dedicated stages for all areas of packaging, meaning that there really is something for everyone to takeaway. We hope these insights will allow visitors to improve and adapt their own packaging concepts for the better.” To register your interest to attend London Packaging Week, please visit www.londonpackagingweek.com or to enquire about exhibiting, contact the show team on +44 (0) 2088 438 800 or PackagingUK@easyfairs.com.
Part of
21 & 22 September 2022 | Olympia London
Create your brand’s future at London’s vibrant home of design and innovation
REGISTER NOW TO ATTEND with the code 9141
londonpackagingweek.com
Andy Wightman (left) and Simon Wills (right) at SSI Schaefer’s Towcester facility in the UK.
Recruitment company secures global engineering contract A recruitment firm in Northamptonshire has been selected by a global engineering company to lead its recruitment processes.
Manufacturing PDATE
SSI Schaefer Ltd, which operates across six continents and has more than 10,500 employees, has entered into a Recruitment Process Outsource (RPO) agreement with Kettering based Wills Consultants Ltd. The agreement sees Wills Consultants manage and enhance the end-to-end sourcing and recruitment strategy for permanent and contract operation roles across all UK sites. Andy Wightman, managing director UK at SSI Schaefer, commented: “We work with very large brands, meaning we sometimes manage and deliver projects worth millions of pounds to our customers. “We require peace of mind that our employees have had the very best hiring experience from the initial source through to post engagement. It is essential that we partner with a company that shares our core values
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when hiring and Wills Consultants has shown that it can improve our acquisition function.” Simon Wills, director at Wills Consultants Ltd, added: “Finding the right talent for SSI Schaefer is crucial and the work we have done together over the last year has proven to be highly successful with a 100 per cent placement record, despite the pandemic challenges and lockdowns. “We are providing a concierge management account service and are looking forward to working together more and seeing this partnership promote the hiring manager experience and heighten candidate steadfastness with the brand.” www.ssi-schaefer.com/en-gb www.willsconsultants.com
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Fast Tracking Flowmeter Design for the Measurement of Fuel Consumption With increasing fuel prices, all sectors of the transport industry, from small trucks to larger super-tankers, are taking an interest in effective ways of measuring their vehicle’s fuel consumption and hydraulic oil flow. Unfortunately, it’s not a simple task! Engine fuel consumption and efficiency generally goes unmonitored, the performance of a diesel power unit assessed from the manufacturer’s engine test figures and seldom checked again. Whilst vehicle manufacturers do spend a lot of time and effort checking the consumption figures for an engine, this is done on dedicated dynamometers and, later, with very sophisticated mobile set ups. These test systems are very costly and unsuitable for general use; on the other hand, a dashboard fuel gauge simply measures the fuel left in the tank, rather than the fuel consumed by the engine.
Flow Meter Type is Critical
Manufacturing PDATE
Metering fuel consumption can be achieved using positive displacement flow measuring devices such as Oval Gear flowmeters. However, differing results in flow meter accuracy and error rates can be seen depending on a number of factors. For example, an increase in the return fuel temperature will affect the density and viscosity of the diesel and, on a poorly maintained engine, it may even contain combustion gases or air. A small amount of this may make the engine look very efficient, as apparently more of the fuel is being returned to the tank and less used. The density change alone could easily result in a 1% change in volume if the return diesel is around 25°C higher than the supply from the fuel tank. The choice of flow computer is critical; it must have flowmeter linearization on both channels as well as the ability to perform density corrections using pre-determined fuel characteristics, together with fuel flow and return temperature measurements. The flow sensors should, preferably, be positive displacement types and they must be very repeatable; certainly better than ±0.1%. If the flow sensors have ±0.1% repeatability and built-in temperature measurement, density and flowmeter temperature correction are then performed to give a more precise result.
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As indicated previously, if the condition of the engine is not in good running order, the return line could contain spurious amounts of gas which would increase the apparent volume of the return flow. An engine flow measurement system installed and correctly monitored could be a useful indicator of engine decline or other anomalies in the fuel system. So, although installing a fuel flow measuring system is not simple, it can be achieved with careful consideration of all flow parameters.
Case Study 1: High Performance Boats In 1986, Titan was approached by the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II team. They were searching for a flowmeter manufacturer who could supply a device to measure their fuel consumption on their Trans-Atlantic Blue Riband attempt. The engine manufacturers had put severe restrictions on the permissible pressure drop in the fuel lines to guarantee the engine performance. Calculations suggested a venturi meter would have a low enough pressure loss but the dynamic flow range would be
Case Study 2: High Performance Vehicles Titan had been supplying flow meters to high performance vehicle and power train manufacturers for a number of years, measuring engine and hydraulic oil both in vehicle and on the test bench. In 2014, Titan was approached by a Formula 1 racing team to design bespoke flowmeters for two very niche applications: direct fuel and engine oil flow measurements were required for the F1 racing cars. For the fuel system, Titan developed an ultra-lightweight oval gear meter capable of being safely housed inside the fuel tank itself and submerged in the fuel.
F1 vehicles typically run without cooling fans so measuring the oil flow on engine test required a flowmeter accurate to 200oC with no undue pressure drop. Using the inherent very low pressure drop of their oval gear flow meter design, Titan produced a 200°C, 50 L/minute flow meter with a pressure drop of less than 100bar utilising specially manufactured oval gears specific to the application. Both modified flow measurement designs provided accurate flow measurement whilst housed directly in or around the noisy electrical environment of the F1 vehicle. For everything from generators, boats, high performance vehicles and trains through to hydraulic packs and even microlights, Titan works with their OEMs to find viable solutions for fuel consumption issues, delivering accurate and reliable results. To discuss an optimised flow measurement device for your OEM application please contact Titan Enterprises on +44 (0)1935 812790 or email sales@flowmeters.co.uk.
August 2022
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Manufacturing PDATE
insufficient for the overall engine fuel usage. To solve the problem Titan inserted one of its Pelton wheels as a type of undershot water wheel into the throat of the venturi. This proved to have an acceptable overall pressure loss and excellent linearity. Richard Branson completed the crossing in the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II, in three days, eight hours and 31 minutes, beating the 1952 record set by the United States.
InfraTec's Launch New Infrared Zoom Camera: Small, Light, Universal ImageIR® 6300 Z – radiometric with a powerful zoom lens and new SWaP detector (Size, Weight and Power)
Manufacturing PDATE
S
maller, lighter and without time‐consuming lens changes – this is how InfraTec's latest infrared camera comes across: ImageIR® 6300 Z. The compact zoom camera for precise thermographic temperature measurements is suitable for numerous fields of application. Its excellent price‐ performance ratio and its remarkable user‐friendliness result from the consistent use of innovative technologies in optics, detector and electronics.
This – in combination with a very small pixel pitch of 10 µm – reduces the dimensions and weight of the ImageIR® 6300 Z and significantly extends its maintenance‐free service life.
The ImageIR® 6300 Z is equipped with an integrated 7.5x zoom lens as standard and allows, in combination with its motorised focus, fast and stepless adjustment to a wide range of object distances and lens sizes with excellent image quality and high measurement accuracy. Furthermore, the zoom camera is radiometrically calibrated over the entire focal length range, thus enabling extremely flexible use.
By using its powerful image processing electronics, the camera can output the IR image data in real time to several video and data interfaces as well as record and evaluate it independently. Alternatively, large amounts of data can be stored directly on the integrated SSD. Its web interface also enables the camera to be controlled via smartphone or tablet and, due to the battery operation option, it is also suitable for outdoor use.
Innovative XBn detector
Wide range of applications
The heart of the infrared camera is the new SWaP camera core. It consists of a cooled MWIR focal plane array photon detector with innovative XBn (HOT) technology in the format of (640 × 512) IR pixels, designed for demanding requirements and operating in snapshot mode. The XBn detector material with higher operating temperatures (HOT) of 150 K allows the use of a new linear cooler generation, which is characterised in particular by a substantial smaller design, lower power consumption and long service life.
The ImageIR® 6300 Z is predestined for demanding applications in research and development as well as for stationary or airborne inspection and monitoring tasks. Further applications can be found in quality assurance, materials testing or in a wide range of OEM integration solutions.
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The maximum IR frame rate of 180 Hz can be increased up to 600 Hz with the binning function in high‐speed mode. Switching between the two speed modes is conveniently done via software and allows precise metrological tracking of fast thermal processes.
Quantum Design represent InfraTec throughout the UK and Ireland. Find out more about us at www.qd-uki.co.uk
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MRPeasy
- A simple but powerful MRP system designed specifically for small manufacturers MRPeasy is a cloud-based ERP/MRP system designed for manufacturers with up to 200 employees. The software offers SMEs across all industries the same powerful range of functionalities that larger systems do for bigger companies, but at a fraction of the cost. Furthermore, as the platform has been built specifically for businesses with no in-house IT staff, it is intuitive and easy to implement and use. More than 250 companies in the UK have successfully implemented MRPeasy. One of them is Splosh.
our cost of goods sold. And the more we dive into MRPeasy, the more we get out of it.” As a business owner wearing many hats, Angus took on implementing the new system all by himself and got all the data loaded within a long weekend. Production manager Suzanne Boak joined the company when the first steps of implementation were already taken. “I had worked previously with Netsuite, which was a behemoth and a quite difficult system to work with,” she states. “MRPeasy feels like a breeze to be honest. I find it intuitive and simple.”
Producing cleaning agents with a clean conscience
spreadsheets was no longer a feasible way of working.
New system helps them clean up their manufacturing management
Splosh is a Welsh-based sustainable cleaning products manufacturer that is disrupting the home chemical industry by offering sustainable refill solutions. Their product catalogue includes shower gels, shampoos, hand soaps, laundry and dishwashing products as well as surface cleaners, plus a range of refillable bottles. Since its inception in 2012, the company has aimed to provide its UK customers with eco-friendly yet affordable cleaning products by cutting out intermediaries and unnecessary packaging.
“I started to realise that I could not control or manage stock at all,” explained Angus Grahame, founder, “so, I started to look for a more functional solution.”
The new system has made a big difference to Suzanne’s workload, as well as to the company’s overall efficiency. When previously they did all of the planning manually offline and in spreadsheets, they had no meaningful way of tracking their efficiencies. Now they have an all-in-one solution to manage their inventory, plan and schedule production, and tackle wastes in the production process.
Googling around, Angus came across MRPeasy.
Spreadsheets failed to support the company’s growth
Apart from tools for inventory management, Splosh also found in MRPeasy a solution that would help them with production planning and packing of the finished goods.
When Splosh started properly marketing their products in 2018, their order volumes began to grow and with increasing production, managing their business through google
“It ticked all the boxes,” Angus affirms. “One major one was stock control, but we also needed something that would support the management of multiple locations and allow us to understand
“I can easily see what I have planned, I can quickly check if that is still appropriate according to my stock levels, and I can simply drag something to a different date or time,” Suzanne says. “So, it’s helping me with my organization but it’s also helping me identify where we’ve got wastes and inefficiencies that I can work on with the team.” Suzanne explains: “We’ve started seeing improvement in productivity, but we can also see how we can utilise MRPeasy further to increase accuracy and help to drive down wastes and improve processes. This, in turn, will support our customer satisfaction levels.”
More information and a free trial of MRPeasy are available at www.mrpeasy.com
August 2022
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Manufacturing PDATE
One solution that ticked all the boxes
Automating Battery Production for eMobility Applications Sensors for the Relevant Process Steps
P
owerful batteries for electromobility applications are manufactured in highly automated processes. Numerous sensors using various measurement procedures ensure efficient control of machines and plants. Pepperl+Fuchs has decades of experience in the automotive industry and electrical engineering, so it can offer all relevant measuring instruments for battery production from a single source.
Rotary Encoder ENI190 Coated foils are the most important source material for lithium ion batteries. They are delivered in large rolls from which they are processed during production. The unwinding speed of the rollers is measured using highprecision rotary encoders. The winding distance and material stock can be calculated using the speed. The speed value is also used to control the material supply and allows the correct web tension to be set. The new, extra-rugged ENI90 rotary encoder series is ideally suited for this task.
Manufacturing PDATE
Ultrasonic Double Sheet Sensor M18 In the next step, pieces of foil roll that are suitable for the battery to be produced are punched out and assembled into battery cells. The punched material feed is monitored using ultrasonic double sheet sensors, such as those from the UDC18GS series. These sensors are equipped with two ultrasonic transducers and detect if one, two, or even zero sheets are
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in the sensing range. If the sheets have been incorrectly double-stacked, the process is stopped in time. This prevents the battery capacity from being reduced by having two layers with the same polarity next to each other. Using an ultrasonic solution double sheet detection means the process is not affected by ambient conditions or the optical properties of the material; although the films are often glossy, they are still reliably detected.
ENI90 Speed Control
SmartRunner Explorer 3-D Bonding the foil layers together creates cells, which are then joined together to form the finished batteries. In this step, it is important that all the required cells are actually available and in the right position in the specified grid. To verify this, a SmartRunner Explorer 3-D sensor creates a precise 3-D point cloud image so that the actual situation can be matched with the required positioning. The process step to connecting the cells is only initiated when everything is in the correct position. Pepperl+Fuchs sensors have been part of the standard equipment in the automotive industry for decades. This is also true for factory automation in the field of electrical engineering: In both areas, customers benefit from the comprehensive expertise of the Mannheim-based company. A broad portfolio of proven standard devices is available for high-performance electricvehicle-battery production. Pepperl+Fuchs also offers custom automation solutions for specific applications.
The ultrasonic solution double sheet detection UDC18GS reduces having two layers with the same polarity next to each other
A double sheet control is used for each stacking unit
SmartRunner 3-D-Stereo and Time-of-flight
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STERTIL COMBILOK ENSURES SAFETY FOR GLOBAL DRINKS SUPPLIER Following a recommendation from its systems integrator, one of the world’s leading drinks businesses specified the Combilok vehicle restraint system to improve safety and speed up operations within a loading bay at its distribution centre in Scotland.
S
upplied and installed by Stertil Dock Products, the Combilok was installed within a loading bay supporting the handling of kegs into and out of the company’s production and distribution facilities. All vehicle loading and unloading operations are undertaken by a fleet of fork trucks fitted with special keg handling clamps. During these operations, the Combilok eliminates the possibility of vehicle movement including ‘creep’ and careless ‘drive offs’ thereby preventing accidents and ensuring total safety
Manufacturing PDATE
Communication between drivers and distribution personnel in loading bays can be poor. The Combilok was developed exclusively to reduce the risk of unintentional vehicle movement on loading bays and offers a ‘safety net’ against poor communication by holding vehicles in one place until loading or unloading is completed. Not only does this improve safety, it also eliminates damage to expensive goods and equipment and helps guard against theft. During operation, the Combilok is fully interlocked: the loading bay door cannot be opened until the Combilok is in position and the Combilok cannot be released until the door is closed again and it is safe to drive away. Totally automatic in operation, the Combilok also overcomes any language difficulties that may arise with drivers delivering from all over the world. Providing unrivalled efficiency and reliability, the Combilok helps companies to fulfil their health and safety obligations in loading bays. The system accommodates most types of commercial vehicles including those with ‘tail lifts’ and its ease of assembly on smooth surfaces like stelcon plates means that it’s ideal for both new and existing sites. Stertil
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Dock Products has also designed the Combilok system with a minimal number of moving parts thus making it safe, simple and inexpensive both to install and maintain. Typically, the Scottish goods in/goods out warehouse operates throughout 16 hours a day, five days a week, supported by the Stertil Combilok. “Our Combilok vehicle restraint system has been relied upon in busy loading bays throughout the world for over 25 years,” says Andy Georgiou, General Manager of Stertil Dock Products. “In fact, such has been the success of the original model that we have recently introduced our latest generation, fully-patented Combilok G2 version which will ensure our continued dominance of the global loading bay equipment market by setting new standards of performance, reliability and safety.” https://www.stertilcombilokg2.com/uk/
The new Interroll Split-Tray Sorter Fast, flexible sortation for everyone Interroll introduces the new Split-Tray Sorter: the perfect solution for small and mid-sized items. Efficiency and low maintenance make this new sorter attractive for those looking for lower operating costs and quicker return on investment. It is an ideal solution for the 3PL , E-Commerce, Fashion and CEP industries. Easy to install and reliable with its proven mechanical components & integrated control solution Lightweight and energy-efficient - with a single motor every 40 meters Compact but dense footprint with plenty of destinations Extremely quiet with only <70 dB(A) noise levels
Interroll Limited Unit 1a Orion Way Kettering, Northants NN15 6NL Tel. +44 / 15 36 31 27 70 Email: gb.sales@interroll.com
interroll.com
Engineering, a Recruitment Conundrum Throughout the world there have been various employment-based demographic shifts, the most common being engineering related.
In the not-too-distant past school leaving males gravitated towards engineering disciplines, simply because it was expected, and then on a large scale it just stopped, and a return in vast numbers, at least for now, seems unlikely. The reasons for the cessation are numerous, here are a few:
Manufacturing PDATE
• IT became very popular, a lucrative area to operate in • De-nationalisation • Physically demanding work • Scrapping of apprenticeship schemes • Unattractive salary levels On the corporate side, cyclical changes are common and normal. This means opportunities in certain engineering disciplines is healthy, still manpower problems remain.
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Skills Provision specialise in sourcing suitable engineers, with emphasis on the word ‘suitable’. We consider ourselves different to other agencies, and not because we operate internationally, more because we have a unique and fresh approach to engineering recruitment. For starters, we often disregard client instructions, this sounds fairly incendiary, but actually makes perfect sense. Clients provide us with their requirements often without taking into account the bigger picture and legalities, this includes churn, loyalty, stability, flexibility, adaptability and most importantly equality, so we add these factors in ourselves. We are the recruitment experts, it’s what we are good at. At Skills Provision we have our own unique Client Zone, in here we present a cross section of engineers, those
we deem suitable, all supplemented with various forms of benchmark scoring and related comments. We look to cover both genders, various age groups, ethnicity, and where possible disabled workers. Video presentations are also commonplace. We fully understand and appreciate the final choice will always lie with the employer. We are the coaches of this team, not the manager. The locations covered are related to the availability of engineers. Imagine tossing a pebble into a perfectly still lake. The ripples flowing outwards are indicative of the areas we cover. Starting locally, then nationally and if needed international. Throughout the entire process visa support is available, if needed. The strongest candidate, on paper, is not necessarily the most suitable. A newly placed engineer making a positive impact in their new
The biggest problem we face is the same for every engineering company and supporting agency, that being the lack of suitable, available workers. We are very creative in our work but make
no mistake engineering recruitment is difficult and as time ticks on it will only get tougher. The answer to these problems is training, retention and incentives. On a global scale the training and preparation of young workers needs to be factored in otherwise where will the next generation come from? If tackling this problem is left too late, it will become unfixable. Government support and a stronger emphasis on preparing young people for their working life is the answer.
In summary, there are many problems within engineering recruitment and only if these are tacked head-on, by the right people, with the right motives will positive change be seen. Peter Arkwright Head of Online & Data Skills Provision www.skills-provision.com
August 2022
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Manufacturing PDATE
surroundings, hardworking and loyal to the company, over a prolonged period of time may have been a young worker, a weak candidate when starting out, but retrospectively turned out to be the perfect choice. In essence we have to be proficient, and we are, at predicting. The more data we collect, and process, the stronger and more accurate our predictions become.
Retention and incentives is a simpler problem to fix, but not an easy one, it requires hierarchy and managers to have the foresight to see where improvements can be made and then actioning.
ESI ESI Technology Technology
Limited
DIGITAL PRESSURE MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS Discover our newest range of digital pressure measurement solutions. With RS-485 output.
www.esi-tec.com
Fluregiene 200 Protecting your surfaces for longer. ™
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