by Gary Mintchell | Aug 8, 2014 | Automation, Education, Internet of Things, News, Operations Management, Technology, Wireless
Starkloff, Fettweis, Salvo, Hatch
The third day keynote session at NI Week always features the achievements of students, academics and futurist thinkers. Eric Starkloff, National Instruments’ executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, introduced the session by reminding us of the “Engineering Grand Challenges:” health, sustainability, security, and joy of living. “How do we inspire and train future engineers to tackle these problems?” he challenged the audience.
Dave Wilson: director of academic programs for NI, took us back to issue of time first introduced in CEO James Truchard’s Day One keynote. “Time pieces are infinitely more complex today,” he noted. “And look at transportation. Early automobiles were fundamental systems; new ones, such as the Tesla S, are significantly more complex.”
Do Engineering
So how do we train engineers to keep up and expand on these increasingly complex problem? “Do Engineering” is the theme. We get better through practice. Especially practice with something that maintains consistency over time. NI’s graphical programming system is used by young people with Lego Mindstorms up through engineers solving complex problems. NI’s new MiniSystems help students continue to learn. Over time, NI has reached 4,000,000 “future systems designers”.
Research competition using MyRIO has involved students in 65 countries, 850 universities, 20,000 students. This year 3,250 teams 25 countries entered the student design competition. Three finalists were invited to NI Week. A team from UNC Charlotte developed a NASA launch project for reusable rockets. Students from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology developed the EureCar, a self-driving car. Introducing the winner, Wilson noted that today’s engineers often take cues from biology such as the study of geometries of soles of frogs for designing tires. This finalist, students from ETH Zurich, took cues from marine life. Studying cuttlefish, the winners build a submarine propulsion mechanism enabling study of marine life without as much disruption as current robots submarines using myRIO and LabView.
Turning to academics, Wilson introduced a trio of professors from MIT. One led a team that developed the world’s largest range high-speed atomic force microscope. Another took the NI technology used in that project and scaled it down for graduate engineering student labs. And the Engineering Impact Award, which attracted 120 papers, went to the third MIT professor who developed “Portable Labs” a small FlexRIO board and with a vibrating strip of metal and magnet for undergraduate students to learn mechatronics. “We know that students want to do engineering not just sit and listen about it.” Amen to that. And, you, too, can own a FlexLab for myRIO for <$50 from MIT.
Future of Engineering
Starkloff introduced the three technology leaders, Mark Hatch, Joe Salvo and Gerhard Fettweis, who each had a short presentation followed by one of the few good panel discussions I’ve seen.
Leader of maker movement, Mark Hatch, CEO of TechShop, author of “The Maker Movement Manifesto”, and recipient of many awards for leading innovative maker communities in many cities, asked attendees, “What will you make? It’s cheaper now than ever before to innovate and make new things.”
Joe Salvo heads GE Global Research, which founded the Industrial Internet Consortium that NI recently joined. The goals of IIC are to break tech silos, bring physical/digital worlds together, and realize promise of M2M. Industrial Internet evolving manufacturing from the systems age. The global community is now connected both in business and socially. First people connected through cellular phones. Then he asked, “How many friends does your computer have? My computer has an active night life after I go to bed getting updates, etc. We have formed enormous value by connecting people, now include all the “things” think of the value that will be created. We are in a New Industrial Revolution with advanced manufacturing using the digital thread. FIrst we replaced back breaking work, then replaced routine work, now brilliant machines and brilliant minds coming together to work jointly.”
Technische Universitat Dresden professor Gerhard Fettweis has cofounded 11 startups. He is now researching wireless for the development of 5G cellular. Showing juxtaposed pictures from the introduction of Pope Benedict to the introduction of Pope Francis just a few years later reveals how the wireless community has changed the planet and glimpse of future. In the first picture one mobile phone is seen in the crowd. In the second, it seems everyone has a smart phone or tablet taking pictures of the event. He is researching a tactile internet where man and machine can meet in real-time control. This will require network latency down to 1 msec.
What are you doing to advance the world?
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 1, 2014 | Automation, Technology
“Gary, what are you hearing about PackML lately,” asked an acquaintance the other day. “I’m getting a lot of requests for it.” My friend is a software integrator working primarily in factory automation and MES.
Developed by a working group of engineers from companies that use packaging machines, companies that design and manufacture packaging machines, and suppliers of machine automation and control, PackML defines the various “states” of a machine and provides a common vocabulary of terms.
Companies that use such machines favored the development of PackML, because it would make user interfaces and machine operations standard. This makes operator training and machine operations easier and better. Nestle and P&G are examples of companies who have pushed hard for the development of the standard.
Thought models help not only the companies who use the machines, it should help the machine builders, too. By structuring not only the programming, but also the design of the machine, machine builders can both satisfy customers, perhaps with a unique capability, but also reduce future design cost and time-to-market.
PackML was developed by an organization composed of technology developers, machine builders and end user companies. The Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC) Packaging Working Group developed the state model borrowing from the ISA88 standard (ISA88.05). The group itself has been quiet for the past few years, but according to my friend, companies are beginning to request it in the machines they procure.
Taking the thought process one step further, companies are beginning to look at their entire manufacturing enterprise by applying the ISA95 model to operations. Once companies understand operations and data movements, then they can begin applying information technology solutions from manufacturing execution systems (MES) suppliers.
If the machines are modeled, and operations are modeled, and data flows are defined, then connections can be made to automatically move real-time data from the machine into MES applications. These applications provide the contextualized information required to adequately manage manufacturing.
Machine builders who provide machines based on the state model that is understandable to their customers and at the same time provide pathways for information flow—such as built-in OPC servers—have a competitive advantage over their peers. Manufacturers who use these standards can benefit from using the information.
Research by LNS Research in collaboration with MESA has revealed that companies who use their MES applications have benefited from many annual performance improvements.
The recent report notes, “The average annual performance improvements listed below are each combinations of several different metrics and KPIs. The results shown are for manufacturers that indicated measuring each of the listed metrics. In some cases, such as in the financials category, up to 10 different variables were included in the calculation. This data shows improvements in those categories based on 2013 compared to 2012.”
Optimum asset performance
Add to the mix that all these standards aid interoperability of systems and data flow. When you can get data flowing from machines and processes into your management systems—MES, CMMS and EAM—then information about the state of the plant is at your fingertips.
by Gary Mintchell | Mar 12, 2014 | Automation, Data Management, Operations Management, Technology
Mitsubishi Electric Automation has been somewhat quietly building out a version of the connected manufacturing enterprise for several years. Known for machine control and motion control, it first made a splash by partnering with ILS Technology to develop e-F@ctory. This is connecting technology moving data from the control system to enterprise databases.
It recently announced an “e-F@ctory Alliance Program” that included several connectivity companies. It’s latest announcement is that eWON, which offers industrial VPN routers and Ethernet modems for remote access to PLCs and machines, is the newest member.
eWON devices allow original equipment manufacturers, systems integrators and end users to support their systems remotely. Consequently, eWON’s participation in the e-F@ctory Alliance Program gives Mitsubishi Electric’s customers greater options for anywhere, anytime access to their systems. eWON access options include remote HMI capability to monitor the machines using a built-in web server, data logging capabilities and alarming features.
As with all e-F@ctory Alliance Program products, Mitsubishi Electric has thoroughly tested the eWON solutions to ensure ease of implementation and compatibility with its own products. No programming of Mitsubishi Electric hardware is required to use eWON devices, other than setting the correct IP addresses.
“With the addition of eWON to our e-F@ctory Alliance Program, OEMs, systems integrators and end users can remotely access their systems across the globe,” said Robert Miller, senior manager, strategic collaborations and partnerships, Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. “This eliminates the need for an engineer’s on-site presence to access a system, saving both time and money.”
Mitsubishi Electric’s e-F@ctory Alliance Program is a third-party referencing program with other automation hardware and software vendors that allows customers to select solutions that best solve their automation challenges. Through pre-engineered integration, the latest technologies are easier to use and more cost effective. Complete documentation, including quick start guides, sample programs and maintenance screens when required, are available for each solution, drastically reducing the time necessary to implement and maintain the solutions.
eWON joins third-party hardware and software vendors Balluff, COGNEX, LEM®, MDT Software, eWON, Kepware Technologies, Ocean Data Systems – Dream Report, CC-Link Partner Association and Powerit Solutions in the Mitsubishi Electric Automation e-F@ctory Alliance Program.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 16, 2013 | Automation, Technology
Source: Wikipedia
It is interesting, or maybe coincidental, that I had just left the National Instruments user conference about Graphical Programming (among other things) when I downloaded a Robert Scoble podcast interview with the principles of a new company who just launched a flow chart programming tool for high-tech programmers. (I couldn’t find a link for Scoble, but search Scobleizer on iTunes.)
The company has released No Flow JS and many companies had picked it up. A sample of the Flow Diagram Programming accompanies this post.
This brought back all the memories of flow-chart programming from the 90s. The only company still successfully pushing that paradigm to my knowledge is Opto 22. Phoenix Contact picked up the remnants of Think ‘n Do and Steeplechase many years ago. I can remember when the latter two companies thought that everyone would flock to their controllers because it was so much easier and more understandable to program in with flow charts than ladder diagram.
Unfortunately for them, engineers were afraid of the control platform–a PC. I told the CEOs for years that they should stop arguing in their ads about whose real-time operating system was better and concentrate on why engineers should switch from PLCs to the new platform. Meanwhile, Opto 22 found its niche and happily keeps customers happy with its controller and flow-chart programming.
NI uses a paradigm much like function block programming. I have programmed in LabView and recommend it over Ladder. On the other hand, I realize that there remain many thousands of technicians who are quite comfortable in Ladder. But even for those who love Structured Text, perhaps they should take a look at flow chart programming. If it’s coming to mainstream programming, could industrial be far behind?
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 7, 2013 | Automation, News, Organizations, Technology
NI SVP Eric Starkloff with Google Glass, photo from Bob Gill, CE Asia
The second part of the NI Week Day 1 keynote is devoted to showing off the latest products–usually to great fanfare and much applause. Eric Starkloff SVP Marketing hosted the keynote and began by acknowledging the nearly 4,000 attendees had set an NI Week attendance record. He also introduced the themes of what Wired Magazine called “the programmable world” and NI’s “Platform-based Design.”
I could not capture a better picture, but here is Starkloff modeling Google Glass during a demo that showed a potential application for this new technology.
Perhaps the most significant detail buried in the descriptions below concerns NI’s use of Linux real-time, an open source operating system, as the OS for the new line of Compact RIO. I talked with a user this morning who pointed to that as significant, but puzzling. I bet that this addition will open up the platform for even greater innovation by developers.
NI continues to push the envelop of technology to enable its customers to solve more automation and test & measurement problems.
Product Highlights
LabVIEW 2013 helps users focus on innovation instead of infrastructure. Highlights of the latest release–which is ready for download–include:
• Support for the latest evolution of the NI CompactRIO platform, the NI cRIO-9068 software-designed controller, which runs the NI Linux Real-Time operating system
• New tools facilitate the management, documentation and debugging of increasingly complex systems
• Streamlined deployment of large systems through improved web services and NI LabVIEW Application Builder
NI cDAQ-9188XT, an 8-slot NI CompactDAQ Ethernet chassis designed for distributed or remote measurements in extreme environments. The cDAQ-9188XT can withstand temperatures from -40 to 70 °C, 50 g of shock and 5 g of vibration. Engineers in the automotive, military and aerospace industries have used it to successfully acquire data and avoid costly repeat tests.
In addition, the chassis is the first in the NI CompactDAQ platform to offer an onboard watchdog with defined safe states to help protect your tests and equipment. The platform includes 10 chassis options, three buses and over 50 C Series modules with a wide range of connectivity and I/O. The platform also has native integration with NI LabVIEW system design software, which provides signal processing libraries and user interface controls designed for data visualization.
The new cRIO-9068 controller features:
• Four times faster performance than previous generations, powered by a 667 MHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor and Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA
• New Linux-based, real-time OS that provides greater flexibility for both LabVIEW Real-Time and C/C++ application developers
• Extended operating temperature range of -40 °C to 70 °C
• Consistent LabVIEW programming experience that ensures both new and existing designs take full advantage of updated technology with minimal effort
Several additions to its NI LabVIEW reconfigurable I/O (RIO) architecture, increasing user flexibility and power to meet modern automated test system challenges and reduce the total cost of test.
The most significant platform updates are new instrument driver FPGA extensions, a feature of the NI RF signal analyzer and RF signal generator instrument drivers that combine the flexibility of the open FPGA with the compatibility engineers expect from an industry-standard instrument driver. FPGA extensions build on the release of the world’s first software-designed instrument, the NI PXIe-5644R vector signal transceiver announced at
NIWeek 2012. The extensions make it even easier for those with little to no FPGA programming experience to access the benefits of an open FPGA to better meet application demands with additional processing and control.
Engineers already using vector signal transceivers can upgrade their drivers then mix application-specific FPGA code with standard instrument driver code.
