by Gary Mintchell | Jun 30, 2011 | Automation, Operations Management
This article by AP has the makings of one of those email memes that spring up to scare everyone.
“A yearlong experiment with the nation’s electric grid could mess up traffic lights, security systems and some computers — and make plug-in clocks and appliances like programmable coffeemakers run up to 20 minutes fast.
“A lot of people are going to have things break and they’re not going to know why,” said Demetrios Matsakis, head of the time service department at the U.S. Naval Observatory, one of two official timekeeping agencies in the federal government.
“Since 1930, electric clocks have kept time based on the rate of the electrical current that powers them. If the current slips off its usual rate, clocks run a little fast or slow. Power companies now take steps to correct it and keep the frequency of the current — and the time — as precise as possible.”
So, I looked for a rational source of information and turned to, whom else, General Electric. Bill Pezalla, Industry Manager – Power & Energy, at GE Intelligent Platforms in Charlottesville, Va. told me:
NERC is conducting tests on the elimination of the amount of time the utility can be at above/below 60Hz over a certain period of time. Part of the test is to determine the impacts of grid variations on time keeping.
The North American power grid works on Alternating Current (AC) of approximately 60 cycles per second (Hz). Initially clocks were designed to use this as their time keeping method. However, as customer uses (loads) increase and decrease, generators come on-line and go off-line, the frequency can change from 60.00003 Hz on the high end to 59.95 Hz on the low end. In the early 20th century, this variation was even greater as it was controlled through mechanical rather than electronic means.
Clocks in the early 20th century therefore had some variation because they did rely on the power grid for their time keeping. Clock manufacturers realized that relying on the electric grid frequency was not a good way to base their time keeping. So many developed other methods. Many solid state devices have internal clocks, that are built into the circuit board and operate independent of the grid’s frequency. These use quartz resonators.
Utilities measure the frequency constantly as all generation sources that are connected to the electric utility grid need to be operating on the same frequency, but some small variations still exist. The utilities talk about changes in frequency in terms of speeding up or down in “number of clock- minutes” over a period of time. The NERC test may cause variation on the number of clock-minutes per day. This would cause slight daily errors on clocks that rely on the grid frequency.
Some manufacturers of devices that use a clock for a secondary purpose, such as turning on a coffee pot, may have gone back to relying on the grid frequency. It is unknown at this time how many different devices with built in clocks or actual clocks are using the grid frequency. It is highly likely that devices used for time keeping as their main purpose are utilizing quartz resonators and those with clocks built in for secondary purposes may be using the electric grid. This may cause a difference between some clocks around a customer’s house.
by Gary Mintchell | Jun 30, 2011 | Automation, Education, Software
Condition Monitoring Podcast
I interviewed Doug Farrell who is product manager of condition monitoring products for National Instruments on current technology and future trends on condition monitoring for a podcast. This was a “sponsored podcast,” that is, the reason for the interview was that NI paid for some promotion that went along with it. But the content of the interview is really good and not commercial at all. I’ve done several of these where the topic remains relevant and the content was excellent. Three of them still have hundreds of downloads per year four years after I recorded them. If you have any interest in the topic, you’ll learn something useful from Doug.
Benefits of Standing
I’ve been trying to use my standing desk more and more–and especially after seeing some reports on bad things that happen to your body caused by sitting. I’ve recently remodeled my home office. Here’s a picture of my standing desk. Bought it from Levenger. Made a slight modification.
Here is a recap of studies about sitting from Zen Habits. Read the entire post for his solution.
Bad health from sitting:
Multiple medical studies (like this one in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and this one in the American Journal of Epidemiology) have shown that sitting greatly increases the rate of all-cause mortality, especially from causes including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. In particular, that first study showed that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks.
Even if you exercise, the longer you sit the greater the chances you will die.
Sitting shuts down the circulation of a fat-absorbing enzyme called lipase. In another study, scientists found that standing up engages muscles and promotes the distribution of lipase, which prompts the body to process fat and cholesterol, independent of the amount of time spent exercising.
Photo Contest
OK, not my usual post. But this is cute. From a press release I just received:
“Calling all Tyvek Wearers: Get Dirty to Win Big! DuPont has announced its DuPont Tyvek “Dirty Work” Photo Contest, open until September 30, 2011. Submit photos of yourself in a Tyvek garment in your dirtiest, grimiest, sludgiest state on the job. You can also enter via your mobile device! Entries will be posted to an online gallery–make sure to visit the contest website to see how your “dirty work” is stacking up against the competition! The grand prize winner will receive a NASCAR Racing Experience weekend trip for two. Runners up will receive American Express gift cards.”
Stack Exchange guys
For you fans of online community building who have followed the conversations of Jeff Atwood and Joel Spolsky as they built Stack Overflow–they’re back. They are now talking about the growth and development of Stack Exchange. Places to pick up the podcast are here and here.
Open Source, modular MES from Poland
I’ve switched my “Getting Things Done” application from Thinking Rock to Nozbe. I discovered that Thinking Rock, while it follows all the GTD ideas from David Allen, it was too cumbersome to use. My automation days taught me that if the technology was too hard for the operator to use, he’d quit using it.
Nozbe was developed also from a Getting Things Done perspective by a programmer in Poland–Michael Sliwinski. Well, this is a lead-in to another application from Poland that I just heard about–Qcadoo.
Qcadoo is an MES or manufacturing management application for small to medium sized companies. The developers wanted to develop software that was easy to use, so they worked with a company that specializes in usability as they developed the program. The other point was to tackle the typical MES problem–it entails a big and wide deployment that often makes it difficult to implement.
They say, “He can start his adventure with Qcadoo MES by deploying a simple functionality – a single module – and in time add new ones to solve just the task he needs. Additionally you don’t just get access to modules from Qcadoo but mainly from our partners and from the Open Source community.” That’s right, it’s not only Software as a Service, but it is also open source.
You start with the basics then add additional “apps”. The company has an “app store” similar to the familiar Apple AppStore or Android Market. This is the real trend in MES–building up scalable modules. Oh, yes, and selling to the plant management level instead of trying to sell millions to the CIO.
by Gary Mintchell | Jun 29, 2011 | Events, Security
Joe Weiss was a great source and inspiration for my article Securing the U.S. Power Grid from Cyber Attack. I told him to send me early information about his annual ICS Cyber Security Conference. Here is the info. Mark the date if you are at all touched by cyber security. (By the way, ICS–industrial control systems.)
Weiss says, “ICS cyber incidents continue to occur and we continue to learn. Consequently, Applied Control Solutions (ACS) will host the 11th ICS Cyber Security Conference in the Washington DC area September 20-22, 2011. The Conference is an international information sharing conference explicitly focused on securing ICSs. There have already been more than 200 ICS cyber incidents including major electric outages, shutdowns of nuclear power plants, Smart Grid incidents, water system failures, pipeline failures, and transportation accidents. Current IT security policies and practices would not have prevented many of the cases and in some cases, the incidents were actually caused by inappropriate IT policies, technologies, or testing. Last year, the ACS Conference held the first technical discussions of Stuxnet.”
Sample topics to be discussed include:
- ICS cyber impacts on San Bruno natural gas pipeline rupture that killed eight
- McAfee and Ponemon Institute reports on cyber security and lack of ICS input
- Network issues and how they have affected actual ICS cyber incidents
- Panel session on criminal investigations of ICS cyber incidents
- Hacking non-Windows field controllers including results and disclosure issues
- Joint US/Israeli program to secure RTUs
- DOD discussion on cyberwar
- ICS trends identified from SCADASec
- Technical results from analyzing Stuxnet impact on PLCs
- ICS risk – what does that really mean to nuclear and other facilities
- Demonstrations of hacking industrial controllers
- Others being finalized
by Gary Mintchell | Jun 27, 2011 | Automation, Leadership, Operations Management
The second major Obama administration initiative this month, Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, brings together industry, universities and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies that will create high quality manufacturing jobs and enhance our global competitiveness.
Obama noted, “We’ve launched an all-hands-on-deck effort between our brightest academic minds, some of our boldest business leaders, and our most dedicated public servants from science and technology agencies, all with one big goal, and that is a renaissance of American manufacturing.
“Throughout our history, our greatest breakthroughs have often come from partnerships just like this one. American innovation has always been sparked by individual scientists and entrepreneurs, often at universities like Carnegie Mellon or Georgia Tech or Berkeley or Stanford. But a lot of companies don’t invest in early ideas because it won’t pay off right away. And that’s where government can step in. That’s how we ended up with some of the world-changing innovations that fueled our growth and prosperity and created countless jobs — the mobile phone, the Internet, GPS, more than 150 drugs and vaccines over the last 40 years was all because we were able to, in strategic ways, bring people together and make some critical investments.”
Ensuring Manufacturing Leadership
The AMP was developed based on the recommendation of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which released a report today entitled “Ensuring Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing.” The AMP will be led by Andrew Liveris, Chairman, President, and CEO of Dow Chemical, and Susan Hockfield, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The President’s plan, which leverages existing programs and proposals, will invest more than $500 million to jumpstart this effort. These investments will build domestic manufacturing capabilities in critical national security industries and reduce the time needed to make advanced materials used in manufacturing products. Additionally, it will invest in next-generation robotics, increase energy-efficiency in the manufacturing process and develop new technologies that will dramatically reduce the time required to design, build, and test manufactured goods.
Supported by Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition
A new report from the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition (SMLC) called “Implementing 21st Century Smart Manufacturing” supports the initiative. It developed the report to establish a roadmap and set the top ten priorities for modernizing 20th century factories with 21st century digital information and automation technology to change the way manufacturing is done and capture the economic, efficiency and competitiveness benefits.
“Advanced manufacturing technology is rapidly transforming the global competitive landscape,” said two of the SMLC leaders Jim Davis, vice provost IT, chief technology officer for the University of California – Los Angeles and Sujeet Chand, chief technology officer for Rockwell Automation.
“The companies — and nations — that act now to seize its promise will thrive in the 21st century. Those who fail to fully engage in smart manufacturing will rapidly fall behind,” they emphasized.
Infrastructure development urged
While U.S. industry is making incremental progress in using smart manufacturing, the infrastructure needed to deliver the full potential of this knowledge-based manufacturing environment has yet to be developed, according to the report. This infrastructure will enable customers to tell flexible factories of the future what products they want made, reduce time-to-market, drive greater exports due to lower production costs, minimize energy use and materials while maximizing environmental sustainability, and create opportunities for increasingly skilled workers.
The SMLC and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) have formed a working partnership and to build a National Smart Manufacturing Ecosystem, It is an iPhone-like “App Store” for industrial modeling and simulation applications and their rapid application. NCMS is also providing their Predictive Innovation Center (PIC) strategy to link nationally to other centers that involve modeling and simulation applications in manufacturing and their national capacity for outreach to small and medium enterprises.
”There are nearly 300,000 small and medium sized manufacturers in the U.S. who could be using advanced manufacturing but have found barriers to adoption,” said Rick Jarman, NCMS President & CEO. “Our national PIC strategy and our collaboration with SMLC will make these tools accessible and affordable to manufacturers of all sizes.”
Along with representatives from 50 leading manufacturers, technology suppliers, universities, and other organizations, Rockwell Automation, UCLA and the University of Texas – Austin organized a workshop last September that defined the roadmap and action plan for implementation of smart manufacturing. The report prioritizes four areas that need to be developed:
1. Industrial community modeling and simulation platforms for smart manufacturing
2. Affordable industrial data collection and management systems
3. Enterprise-wide integration: business systems, manufacturing plants, and suppliers
“We want to clearly emphasize that no single company or industry segment can achieve this transformation alone and time is of the essence,” said SMLC co-founder Tom Edgar, a chemical engineering professor with UT-Austin.
A very similar “Factories of the Future” public-private partnership program funded with 1.2 billion euros in the European Union 2009 economic stimulus package further validates the importance and urgency of establishing this program. Also, government support for new factories with the latest “smart manufacturing” technologies is accelerating in emerging economies.
Smart manufacturing will provide new ways to extend the essential productivity gains that have kept many U.S. manufacturers globally competitive during the past decade. In addition to cost and time savings, it can optimize energy use, improve carbon footprints, and promote environmental sustainability. Further benefits include reduced plant maintenance costs and improved product, personnel and plant safety. Potential improvements in supply chain interaction will also dramatically reduce inventories, increase product customization, and enhance product availability.
by Gary Mintchell | Jun 27, 2011 | Automation, Education, Operations Management
While I’ve been swamped with travel, getting an issue of Automation World out and meetings, I’ve been collecting responses to President Obama’s major manufacturing announcements. One of the responses I received was from a reader (who didn’t give me permission to use his name, so far) who voiced what is probably a wide-spread concern—“not sure I want the government doing anything.”
We live in a time of deep cynicism—especially about the government. There are things I would not leave to bureaucrats whether public or private (our large companies have their own share of bureaucrats). However, there are many policies that the government can and should do to promote manufacturing in the United States.
Skills for America’s Future
In the first announcement from June 8, President Obama announced a “major” expansion of Skills for America’s Future, an industry led initiative to dramatically improve industry partnerships with community colleges and build a nation-wide network to maximize workforce development strategies, job training programs, and job placements. It is said to “help prepare 500,000 workers for cutting-edge manufacturing jobs.”
One of the partners, The Manufacturing Institute, the affiliated non-profit of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), announced an effort to help provide 500,000 community college students with industry-recognized credentials that will help them get secure jobs in the manufacturing sector. Several other partners of Skills for America’s Future and The Manufacturing Institute will also help enhance these efforts through their own initiatives to bolster our nation’s manufacturing workforce.
I am not sanguine about certification in general, the attempt to align education and training with skills needed by manufacturers is laudable.
According to the release, “The Manufacturing Skills Certification System, developed with manufacturing firms at the table, will give students the opportunity to earn manufacturing credentials that will travel across state lines, be valued by a range of employers and improve earning power. In designing this program, the Manufacturing Institute has partnered with leading manufacturing firms, the Gates Foundation, and the Lumina Foundation, and key players in education and training including ACT, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the American Welding Society, the National Institute of Metalworking Skills, and the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council. This will allow students and workers to access this manufacturing credentials and pathways in community colleges in 30 states as a for-credit program of study.”
SME Onboard
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and the SME Education Foundation, are partnering with the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) , the National Academy Foundation (NAF) and General Dynamics – Ordnance and Tactical Systems to provide more than 1,000 mentorships every year for the next 5 years, continuing their long tradition of mentoring high school and college students, teachers, counselors, and administrators on the requirements for a career in the high skilled, high tech environment of the 21st century manufacturing plant.
“This is about leveraging the knowledge of the current workforce to ensure a strong industrial base for years to come,” said Mark Tomlinson, executive director/CEO of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. “Professionals who are passionate about making things can share their enthusiasm with the next generation. That’s how to engage them – get the kids hooked on the thrill of seeing an idea become a reality.”
AMT also on board
The Association For Manufacturing Technology President Douglas K. Woods reacted positively to the news that President Obama is endorsing a manufacturing skills credentialing system to boost manufacturing jobs growth as part of his Skills for America’s Future initiative launched last year. “I am encouraged by the President’s speech today that he understands the importance of training and credentialing to building a manufacturing ‘smartforce,’ ” Woods said “The factory floor today is very different from what it used to be, and we need workers who are up to the job.”
