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CYBER WARFARE Manufacturers arm themselves for battle

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FROM THE EDITOR AUTOMATION UPFRONT

Deal makers In brief

COLUMNS 7

INDUSTRY WATCH

Paul Hogendoorn examines the disconnect between manufacturing and IT, and offers advice on how to bridge the gap

MACHINE SAFETY

Important questions to ask machine builders when buying new equipment

10 AUTOMATION SOFTWARE

Jeremy Pollard revisits Rockwell’s Connected Components Workbench

FInDIng FunDS: PART 3 Favourable export climate has more Canadian SMEs ready to cash-in on grant funding for research and innovation By Ryan Weaver

PRoTECTIng InnoVATIon What you should know about patents and Canada’s manufacturing sector By Andre Theriault

ADDITIVE MAnuFACTuRIng As the technology evolves, what are the opportunities available to manufacturers today? By Mary Del Ciancio and Rob Colman

11 COLUMNBUS

Ian Verhappen outlines industrial wireless protocols and cybersecurity standards

12 LEAN INSIGHTS

Dr. Timothy Hill discusses how to be both lean and innovative

26 DISTORTED REALITIES

Dick Morley tackles “the lack of innovation” in large corporations

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CybER WARFARE As enterprises become more connected, and plant floors more mobile, manufacturers must arm themselves for battle against cybercrime By Vanessa Chris

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2014-04-22 10:15 AM

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Vol. 29, No.3

Canada’s leading publication providing industrial automation news and technology information aimed at the discrete and process industries.

It’s a cyber world

t’s a prediction you’ve likely heard before: by the year 2020, 50 billion smart objects will be connected to the Internet. IT giant Cisco came up with that forecast, but it doesn’t seem that far-fetched. In my house alone we have five computers, three phones and four tablets connected to the Internet — and there’s only five of us (and three are under the age of six). Don’t judge. More and more people are becoming connected and using smartphones, tablets and laptops to pay bills, move money and make purchases. Businesses, too. Customer data, product information, process details — all of that is stored on computers connected to the Internet, or in the Cloud. But how safe is our data? When Target admitted late last year that information connected to about 40 million credit and debit card accounts was stolen in a massive data breach, the retail giant proved that our data isn’t safe. And, as I write this, news is breaking about the The impact of a cyber Heartbleed bug, which is being described as one attack on manufacturing of the biggest security threats in the Internet’s history. I won’t go into detail about it here, as much operations is significant, more information will be known by the time this and can lead to unplanned is published. But right now experts are saying that millions of passwords and credit card data — and the downtime, unauthorized social insurance numbers of about 900 Canadians — from very popular companies and sites like Google, use of systems, loss of Yahoo and the Canada Revenue Agency, could be at risk as a result of this bug. proprietary information, Today’s cyber criminals are more sophisticated than ever before, and many companies are unable financial loss and worse. to keep up. Last month, Symantec released its 2014 Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 19. The report, which provides an overview and analysis of the year in global threat activity, revealed there was a 62 per cent increase in the number of data breaches last year from the previous year. This, the report said, resulted in more than 552 million identities exposed, “proving cybercrime remains a real and damaging threat to consumers and businesses alike.” Manufacturers are not immune to this threat. Stuxnet proved that industrial PLCs can be a target in 2010. Four years later, as the plant floor becomes more connected, the risks have increased. In fact, the Symantec report revealed that manufacturing was among the top industries at most risk of attack, with odds of one in 3.2. The impact of a cyber attack on manufacturing operations is significant, and can lead to unplanned downtime, unauthorized use of systems, loss of proprietary information, financial loss and worse. Not to mention what it could do to a company’s brand and reputation. A breach could kill a company. And as we push to bring manufacturing back to Canada, we can’t afford to lose good, Canadian companies. As more of us become connected in our homes and in our workplaces, we are opening ourselves, our customers and our businesses up to vulnerabilities. It’s time we arm ourselves with the knowledge we need to protect our industry from cyber threats.

Mary Del Ciancio mdelciancio@annexweb.com Follow me on Twitter @AutomationMag

May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION

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Editorial Advisory Board Al Diggins, President and General Manager, Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium David Green, Technology and Business-to-Business Marketing Professional Piero Cherubini, Dean, Faculty of Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship, Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology Sherman Lang, Industrial Technology Advisor, Industrial Research Assistance Program, National Research Council of Canada Don McCrudden, Vice-President, Business Development, Festo Bill Valedis, Vice-President, Precision Training Products & Services Inc.

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Ontario unveils new vision for education

he Ontario government has released a renewed vision for the education system in the province that is aimed at ensuring students get the knowledge and skills they need to thrive. The renewed vision, Achieving Excellence, continues to focus on basics like reading, writing and math, while placing a new emphasis on higherorder skills like critical thinking,

communication, collaboration and entrepreneurship. It also recognizes the importance of student well-being inside and outside of school. The province will invest $150 million over three years in technology and learning tools such as new digital tablets, netbooks, cameras, software and professional development for teachers. This fund will create new opportunities for students and teachers, preparing them for good jobs in the global economy.

Guided by Achieving Excellence, the province will focus on achieving tangible results, such as: • Expanding hands-on programs like Specialist High Skills Majors and Dual Credits; • Recognizing learning opportunities outside of school, including community-based, civic, humanitarian, scientific, artistic and international experience; • Increasing graduation rates and

closing achievement gaps for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students, children and youth in care, and students with special needs; • Working with education and health partners to improve and expand health services for students and families; and • Working with partners inside and outside of school to encourage students to be physically active and practise healthy lifestyles.

NAIT to expand technology programs to meet industry demand

Petroleum Engineering Technology students in a NAIT lab

even high-demand programs at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) will be expanded between now and 2017 to accommodate an additional 390 students as a result of provincial funding announced in the 2014 budget. The programs being expanded are: Chemical Engineering Technology, Civil Engineering Technology, Construction Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Instrumentation Engineering Technology, Petroleum Engineering Technology and Water & Wastewater Technology. “NAIT is pleased the government has allocated additional funding for programs in high demand,” said NAIT president and CEO Dr. Glenn Feltham. “At NAIT, our focus is on meeting the current and emerging needs for polytechnic education. Our graduates are essential to Alberta’s continued prosperity. These additional spaces are aligned directly with industry’s needs.” The high-demand programs were chosen by the provincial government based on graduate employment outcomes, employer support, labour market demand and student enrolment. “Alberta has one of the best postsecondary systems in Canada, but we can always do more to increase access for students and foster collaboration between institutions,” said Premier and Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education Dave Hancock. “That’s why we are creating more spaces so students can get the learning opportunities they want to pursue their dreams, and increasing funding to create new programs and stimulate collaboration in the Campus Alberta system.” Beckhoff_MA_May.indd 1

www.AutomationMag.com 2014-04-23 • May 2014 5 3:03 PM

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Fieldbus Foundation celebrates 20 years

Deal makers

he Fieldbus Foundation, conducting a press briefing at the 2014 Hannover Fair in April, commemorated its 20th anniversary. As a not-for-profit trade organization dedicated to fieldbus technology, the foundation led the effort to develop an open, interoperable, international fieldbus protocol. The resulting technology — Foundation fieldbus — changed the face of industrial automation. With headquarters in Austin, Texas, the Fieldbus Foundation represents more than 200 process industry companies, their subsidiaries and affiliates across the globe. Members include almost all major suppliers of control systems and instrumentation, as well as many of the world’s largest end users of plant automation technology. The foundation’s technology, Foundation fieldbus, is an all-digital, two-way communications system that interconnects field equipment on a single network. It is intended for use in mission-critical plant automation environments where the proper transfer and handling of data and control loop integrity are essential. Fieldbus Foundation president and CEO Richard Timoney reflected on the many significant fieldbus technology milestones since 1994 at the conference. “The foundation and its members have made remarkable progress over the last two decades,” said Timoney. “Each year, Foundation fieldbus experiences an accelerating rate of global adoption, with major installations throughout the oil and gas, petrochemical, power, paper, pharmaceutical and consumer goods industries. Our members report sales of fieldbus-based products are now a significant portion of their overall business activity.” Timoney continued: “End users understand that Foundation fieldbus is an automation infrastructure that makes it possible to view plant operations in high definition; manage information effectively; and optimize people, processes and technology. In particular, it enables a new level of asset management effectiveness that can reduce operating costs and support operational excellence.” To date, the Fieldbus Foundation has tested and registered 577 unique fieldbus products, with more than 150 communication stacks and 900 devices registered. Approximately two million field devices are now in service, with more than 20,000 systems installed worldwide.

Siemens and McAfee expand partnership The Siemens Industry Sector and McAfee, a division of Intel Security, are extending their partnership to enhance the security offerings for industrial customers to protect against rapidly evolving global cyber threats. This partnership further enhances the joint effort started in 2011. Industrial customers face a wider range of cyber threats than ever before. They often lack the resources necessary to respond efficiently to security incidents and do not have access to the global threat intelligence that would allow proactive defensive measures. This critical information is needed to keep up with evolving government regulations, industry standards, sector-specific best practices, and other risk information necessary for making informed business decisions. The co-operation with McAfee will complement Siemens’ service offerings by leveraging security solutions such as next-generation firewall, security information and event management (SIEM), endpoint security, and global threat intelligence as part of its Managed Security Service. These offerings provide greater visibility and control at the factory level, while reducing the risk of IP theft. “Siemens provides a deep experience in automation across numerous industries,” said Michael Fey, worldwide chief technology officer at McAfee. “By combining forces, McAfee, Intel and Siemens will drive the adoption of connected, managed and secured solutions at the plant level in order to help industrial customers manage their security while bringing the uptime and reliability of the plant operations to a higher level. This collaboration should allow us to address the unique requirements of Industrial Control System customers for the operations technology market, thus providing a complete security view across the entire company.” The companies will continue to co-operate on the development of security products and solutions, specifically based on industrial protocols, that will enhance managed security service offerings for the process and factory automation industry.

Advantech partners with Linear Technology on IoT solutions Global intelligent systems provider Advantech is partnering with Linear Technology’s Dust Networks product group to develop Smart City and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions based on Dust’s SmartMesh IP-embedded wireless sensor networks (WSN). Advantech will develop, manufacture and sell a variety of IoT gateways, wireless sensors and solutions that incorporate

Linear’s SmartMesh IP-embedded WSN products, as well as complementary power management and Power over Ethernet (PoE) ICs. “This collaboration between Linear Technology and Advantech will accelerate the availability of a compelling suite of reliable, low-power, wireless sensor network solutions,” said Joy Weiss, president of the Dust Networks product group at Linear Technology. “This will enable companies to quickly bring innovative IoT applications to market without having to develop their own hardware. Advantech’s outstanding reputation for quality and its strong global sales, marketing and support will be a strong catalyst for IoT application developers worldwide.” RFID industry partnership announced

Wavetrend Europe, developer of award-winning Active RFID technology, has announced that RFID Canada, an RFID and NFC technology provider, is now a fully certified and accredited distribution partner of Wavetrend’s Active RFID products and solutions. “Wavetrend is committed to providing best-in-class technology and products which offer real-time, automated tracking and management of critical business assets and personnel,” said Maggie Meaton, Wavetrend’s global director of sales. “Our partnership with the leading RFID provider in Canada increases our geographic and vertical market reach for active RFID technology, and will provide RFID Canada’s partners with best-of-breed solutions to deliver superior asset track and trace capability to their customers.” Wavetrend designs, develops and deploys highperformance active RFID products and solutions worldwide through its network of authorized partners. Wavetrend’s Active RFID technology has been deployed across a wide range of vertical markets. “We are uniquely positioned to understand and develop tailor-made solutions for our clients and welcome the addition of the Wavetrend product set to our portfolio. The inclusion of Wavetrend’s Active RFID products enables our partners to realize the power and versatility of Wavetrend’s solutions and capitalize on this fast growing technology to provide the best possible solutions to the end user.” said Bob Moroz, president of RFID Canada.

In brief • Magna International will create 75 new jobs with a $1.5-million expansion of its Magna Closures operating unit in Newmarket, Ont. Magna Closures, which produces latching system technology, will begin producing electronic systems and modules for the automotive industry at its Dortec manufacturing facility. • Canada’s economy showed signs of thawing out from a long, bitter winter in March, churning out an unexpectedly high 42,900 net new jobs that helped shave the unemployment rate to 6.9 per cent — matching a post-recession low. However, the goods producing sector shed almost 16,000 jobs, with agriculture and manufacturing both experiencing employment losses. • General Motors plans to invest $449 million in two Detroit-area factories to build the next-generation Chevrolet Volt hybrid electric car and two new vehicles. The company said the investment will eventually bring a second shift to the Detroit assembly plant that makes the Volt and other cars. • Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 6.39 million vehicles globally, including more than half a million in Canada, for a variety of problems spanning nearly 30 models in Japan, North America, Europe and other places. Some vehicles were recalled for more than one problem. The recall cases total 6.76 million vehicles for 27 Toyota models, the Pontiac Vibe and the Subaru Trezia, produced from April 2004 through August 2013.

With files from the Canadian Press 6

May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION

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Manufacturing IT: Stuck in a rut? By PAul hOGeNdOOrN

n recent decades, it seems to me that the manufacturing industry has been a slow — and often times reluctant — adopter of information technology. CAD/CAM and ERP systems have been a big part of the manufacturing world for a while now, but in the majority of plants I visit, this is about the extent of it. Meanwhile, there’s a new revolution happening — M2M (machineto-machine) and the Internet of Things — that, so far, seems to be ignoring the plant floor. Technology is becoming a high-value, low-cost commodity. Small, low-cost devices are available off the shelf that can do some extraordinary things. Take the technology in a typical cell phone, for instance — high-definition camera, GPS, enough memory to store a lifetime’s worth of pictures and favourite music, plus the ability to communicate to anywhere, at any time. From your phone, you can open your garage door, turn up the heat in the cottage, check the whereabouts of your children on their way to school, and do your banking. I like to think of this as “horizontal” information technology. We in manufacturing, however, are still stuck in “vertical” information technology. Let me explain. Our overall manufacturing industry at large is divided into columns, such as fabricating, machining and assembling, and each of these sectors has their own associations and tradeshows. They often operate in isolation from each other, creating their own methodologies, systems, acronyms and even language. Within companies themselves, these same silos exist — stamping, welding, assembly; lead

prep, harness assembly, test; cutting, machining, finishing. This is just at the shop floor level. It gets worse. We have shipping and receiving systems, inventory handling systems, production scheduling systems and maintenance monitoring systems. We have engineering departments, production management departments and, trying to stitch these all together, we have IT departments. The data that moves through our plants tends to move up and down through these data silos, with the first point of convergence often being at the executive management level. There are solutions designed to do it all, but the two biggest challenges are integration and adoption. Manufacturing machines are typically 25 to 40 years old, and the cost of replacing or upgrading is prohibitive, especially in our current cap-ex sensitive world. Discrete and manual manufacturing processes are equally important to have a handle on, but they are often too costly to integrate. Adoption would be a challenge all by itself, but it is amplified by the integration challenge — when machines or processes cannot be connected to the management system directly, they have to be connected by the operator entering the information manually. This often changes the operator’s job, adding additional tasks that are thought of as administrative. Information collected this way is not empirical, and the operator is not as efficient. When a manufacturer builds a new plant, they build it to last for 25 to 50 years. There will be improvements to the plant over that time, but the basic structure of the plant will stay the same, as will its heavy machinery. The IT

components (hardware and software) may be upgraded and replaced, but the basic data architecture will likely remain entrenched. Data will still be collected, moved and managed in silos. Quality departments have their systems, productivity people have their OEE systems, maintenance and tooling people have their own systems, and finance, administration and production management will attempt to assess the company’s financial well-being by looking at the data from their own systems. Every now and then, it’s healthy to take a “clean white sheet” approach to reviewing and assessing the established and entrenched processes in our manufacturing companies. I think this is especially true when it comes to our IT systems, specifically because of the emergence of M2M technologies. Powerful and flexible devices, at very low costs, are changing the way we move data. My advice would be to start a small project somewhere in your plant, led by someone who knows that process and your objectives for that process very well. Then pair them with someone who is excited about emerging IT. The best innovation doesn’t come from a top-down driven initiative, big budgets or even corporate culture. It comes from organic experiments like this. • Paul Hogendoorn (paulh@getfreepoint.com) has worked with leading manufacturers for more than 30 years. He recently launched FreePoint Technologies (www.getfreepoint.com), developing and delivering effective tools for manufacturing companies.

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www.AutomationMag.com 2014-04-17 • May 2014 7 11:02 AM

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Safety Q&A: Important questions to ask machine builders when buying new equipment By Michael Wilson

he requirements for Pre-Start Health and Safety Reviews (PSHSR) have been around for over a decade, yet some companies still struggle with the process. When purchasing new equipment or integrating a new process, the employer should integrate the PSHSR requirements as early as possible. This should include asking if the manufacturer understands the PSHSR process, which is unique to Ontario. In some cases, a pre-start review will mean different things to different people. When reviewing the PSHSR requirements, ensure that the machine builder/supplier understands that the requirements are included in Section 7, Regulation 851 made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. A similar statement should be part of the purchase order or related procurement documents. After the machine builder/supplier presents their solution, ask what standards the system or process was designed to meet. Remember that inspections performed by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) or Canadian Standards Association (CSA) may only be for compliance to the Electrical Safety Code. While this is a requirement, these organizations will not check for measures in related safeguarding standards when it comes to a PSHSR. The Ministry of Labour (MoL) created a PSHSR guidance document that outlines

May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION

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The PSHSR process is a requirement for workplaces that fall under the industrial regulations in Ontario. what standards could be used to support compliance or exemption. In this document, several CSA, ANSI, NFPA and ISO standards are referenced — some of the documents are equipment-specific and others are considered generic or ‘A’-type standards. When a machine builder/supplier presents a solution as compliant to a given piece of legislation or standard, don’t be afraid to ask how. Which standards were used to design the equipment or process? Are they familiar with the legislation/regulation that applies to your particular operation? Do not be afraid to acquaint yourself with the code and standards that apply to the equipment or process you are looking at installing/modifying. This awareness can be helpful, not only when you are deciding which builder/supplier to select, but also if you receive a PSHSR report. Remember if you, as the end user, obtain exemption documents for a given machine or process, you do not have to hire an engineer to conduct the PSHSR. Always be cautious when you receive documents to support an

exemption from the PSHSR. What do they look like? It depends on which element of the PSHSR process you are dealing with. The MoL’s PSHSR guidance document gives basic elements that should be provided for the exemption. If you find yourself pursuing exemption, scrutinize every element of that document. Remember the exemption document is essentially excusing you from hiring an engineer to conduct a full PSHSR. Don’t be afraid to do more than the bare minimum. In the case of a racking exemption, drawings bearing the signature and seal of a professional engineer are one of the ways to establish the exemption. How that particular racking system is installed would greatly determine its stability. Even though the exemption does not explicitly state a document is required from the installer, ensure that the person installing the racking system is competent to do so. Another thing to consider: if a machine builder/supplier states that a machine does not require a PSHSR because it is compliant to CSA Z432 (General Safeguarding of Machinery), for example, ask for a copy of the risk assessment. If a generic or type ‘A’ standard(s) is used for PSHSR exemption, a risk assessment must be completed. Without the risk assessment, you could not pursue the exemption from the PSHSR process. Where will things become complicated? Be cautious if the machine builder/supplier tells you the system or

2014-04-09 9:09 AM

process is compliant but has nothing to back that statement. At this point, if you know a PSHSR is required, you could either execute the PSHSR once you have the machine or process, or make the builder/supplier conduct the PSHSR. If your choice is the latter, that can come with its own challenges. Ask who is conducting the PSHSR. Don’t forget section 7 requires the use of a professional engineer — a person who is licensed by the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO). Even though a person could be licensed in another jurisdiction, the person executing the PSHSR must also be licensed in Ontario. Is the builder/ supplier using someone who is competent to conduct the PSHSR? This is critical, especially if there are a number of related codes and standards that could be referenced for the review. The engineer conducting the PSHSR should be well versed in the supporting documents to provide a quality assessment. Another potential trap of having the builder/supplier execute the PSHSR is identifying the appropriate path to address any measures required for compliance. Picture a scenario where you have the PSHSR executed by the builder/supplier, the equipment arrives along with the PSHSR report, and the PSHSR outlines 18 measures required for compliance. Are those changes part of the original purchase agreement or an extra cost? Ensure that there is a clear process to address this scenario once you enter an agreement to purchase equipment. If you, as the end user, decide to execute the PSHSR, keep the requirements in mind right from the theoretical start of the project. In many cases, the PSHSR is executed after installation has been completed. At that point, many things can occur — the best case scenario for you is that the engineer finds little to no issues with the equipment or process. However, more often several issues are noted and now you must determine how to address these issues. Once equipment has been installed, the cost of making changes rises. Building the PSHSR protocol into your development cycle could have avoided additional costs associated with retrofits and, in all likelihood, downtime. If you have or expect to conduct a PSHSR, it is beneficial to have a good relationship with the engineer(s) involved. In many cases, an employer gets the PSHSR report and elects to address the issues internally. For organizations that may not have internal support to address the measures required for compliance, partnering with the engineer(s) for guidance can prove to be useful. It is important to note that only the employer is responsible for addressing measures required for compliance in the PSHSR report. But for companies without the expertise on staff, the support of PSHSR engineers can be valuable. The PSHSR process is a requirement for workplaces that fall under the industrial regulations in Ontario. There are many other workplaces that follow this process even though it is not specifically mandated within their governing legislation. This process is one of many ways to show your willingness to take reasonable precautions for the safety of your workers and to ultimately keep them productive so they can help grow your business. • Michael Wilson is a machine safety specialist with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services. He primarily supports clients with hazard identification, risk assessment and safeguarding audits. Wilson also provides safety training on machine safeguarding, robot safety, press safety, pre-start reviews, hazardous energy control and conveyor safety. He is an active member of the Professional Engineers Ontario and a Canadian Registered Safety Professional. www.AutomationMag.com • May 2014 win_MA_May.indd 1

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Revisiting Rockwell’s Connected Components Workbench By JereMy POllArd

y last column dealt with Rockwell Automation’s Connected Components Workbench (CCW). But there is much more to say, so this is Part 2 of my review. The software is free and designed to work with inexpensive hardware platforms. It is also designed to be a global product by supporting IEC-61131 nomenclature. I contacted Rockwell Automation about some communication issues I was having with the software, and I was warned that the CCW is different, and that users expect an RSLogix-type integrated development environment — but they won’t find that here. IEC-61131 programs are created using POU (program organizational units), data types, etc., as indicated in my previous column. From a development point of view, the engineering mind will create programs and functions as needed. But the online maintenance activities are where we want to look since the core troubleshooting techniques of old still apply here, and there are many new things to consider. Remember that the tool most employed is a laptop with maybe a 15-inch screen. When the CCW is installed, RSLinx, Rockwell’s communication driver application, is installed as well. The supported devices can communicate via Ethernet/IP or serial USB. The funky part about the USB driver (USB CIPHelper) is that it is a real-time driver install. RSLinx must be running when the device is plugged in so the USB driver can be loaded. Note that unlike previous RSLinx installs, it doesn’t seem to default to run as a service. Go to

the RSLinx launch panel to select “always run as a service” to be sure that the application is always running. The other gotcha is that the proper electronic data systems (EDS) files need to be present, installed and registered. These files are embedded in the devices like a printer driver, but they may need to be embedded manually if the installation process didn’t do it. Be aware that the platform uses a compiled program format, which means no online program changes can occur. I decided to use a traffic controller template to download. I am running the CCW in a virtual machine and found the transfer and interaction slow. I suspect that a six-year-old laptop might not provide the power maintenance guys need. The tabbed interface will work well for troubleshooting. Realizing that the devices are for small automation projects, there still needs to be an intuitive interface and usability for that 3 am call. One of the biggest changes from the ladder logic editors we have used for 20 years is the variables, such as timer presets. They are not changeable from the editor directly. And since the data types and variable naming conventions are different, standard procedures do not apply. Take the timer block in the graphic, for example. PT is the preset time, and ET is the elapsed time. You have to employ the variable monitor window to monitor and change values. While it provides a window into the process, it is a modal window. Once it is displayed, you can’t go anywhere else, which I see being frustrating unless you are experienced.

CCW’s online display with expanded function block details and real-time ladder display Another possible gotcha is that the timer preset could be set as a variable name. The value for that variable can be set using a structured text routine, which may not be intuitive to the user. While an IEC feature, it could lead to unnecessary frustration as well. The online display is unnerving at first since the instructions themselves only change colour to represent their logical state, which is a diversion from typical ladder logic editors. And it seems there isn’t automatic scaling of windows to decrease the size of the objects in that window. Remember that 15-inch screen? A typical maintenance procedure would be to spark up the laptop and connect to a processor to troubleshoot. One of the benefits of the IEC model is that all information is stored in the processor itself, so you can connect directly without having a copy of the program anywhere. Go to Discover, browse connections and select the device. Assuming there is

no password, you can connect, upload and have the program with documentation displayed. Then “Build” and “Start Debugging.” There is no argument that the CCW program is fancy, icon-driven, IEC-like and “pretty,” but it lacks a level of intuitiveness that I was a bit taken aback by. It seems that all events are user-driven. The Rockwell rep I spoke with said that many are lost when they first use the product. But once they are shown how to navigate through it, they are okay with it. And therein lies the rub. I recommend downloading the CCW and getting up to speed on the product as well as the IEC platform before putting it into play. It gives new meaning to the phrase, “Now that’s different!” • Jeremy Pollard (jpollard@tsuonline.com) has been in the industrial automation industry for more than 25 years. He has worked as a systems integrator, consultant and educator.

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Wireless technology and cybersecurity

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By IAN VerhAPPeN

ne of the reasons often cited for not using wireless networks, especially in an industrial setting, are the concerns related to security — or, more accurately, cybersecurity. Though it is true that a wireless signal propagates in many directions, this does not mean it is freely available to be compromised. The two primary industrial wireless protocols — WirelessHART and ISA100.11a, which are based on IEEE802.15.4 radio technology — use both Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) and Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology. These two Data Link Layer (DLL) security features work together to protect the system from outside attacks. DSSS divides the information signal into small fragments that are spread across the available frequency channel, while FHSS is used to select alternating channels for data transmission in a pseudo-random sequence. The channel change happens on a packet level, meaning the transmission of a packet will take place on one channel, while the next packet transmission will be on another channel, thus making it very difficult to capture packets and gain access to the network in the first place. The standards also include additional security features in the communications layers to protect from someone who managed to get on the network. This end-to-end communication layer message protection is handled by the Network Layer (NL) for WirelessHART and by the Transport Layer (TL) in ISA100.11a. Both standards also support cipher block chaining message authentication code (CCM) mode in conjunction with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-128 (standard with 128-b block size) block cipher using symmetric keys for message authentication and encryption to provide both data authentication and privacy. The above is only one step in providing a secure control environment, especially now that control systems are being tightly integrated with business systems. Fortunately, there is a significant effort underway in the cybersecurity space based on work done in the 1990s at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Internet Engineering Lab under the leadership of Eric Byres, who is now leading the Tofino team at Belden. This effort is continued by a strong contingent of Canadians, including Eric Cosman, chairman of the ISA99 committee; Gabriel Faifman and the Achilles team at Wurldtech; Tony Capel of Comgate; and my former supervisor at Syncrude Canada Ltd., Aris Espejo, to name just a few. As a result of Byres’ work, ISA began development of the ISA99 “Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security” series of standards. The original and ongoing ISA99 work is being used by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in producing the multi-standard IEC 62443 series. The standards in the series include: • ISA-62443-1-1 (IEC 62443-1-1) “Security for Industrial Automation and Control Systems - Terminology, Concepts and Models” • IEC 62443-2-1:2010 “Industrial communication networks - Network and system security - Part 2-1: Establishing an industrial automation and control system security program” • IEC 62443-2-4 “Security for Industrial Process Measurement and Control – Network System security, certification of IACS supplier security policies and practices” • IEC/TR 62443-3-1:2009 “Industrial communication networks - Network and system security - Part 3-1: Security technologies for industrial automation and control systems” • IEC 62443-3-3:2013 “Industrial communication networks - Network and system security - Part 3-3: System security requirements and security levels” More information on the work of ISA99 can be found at http://isa99.isa.org/ ISA99%20Wiki/Home.aspx. Information on the latest version (5) of the NERC CIP is at http://www.nerc.com/pa/ci/pages/transition-program.aspx. Remember, the field sensor network — whether it uses a wired fieldbus or a wireless network — is but one piece of an integrated system. Cybersecurity continues to be a critical consideration in the design of digital communications systems. • Ian Verhappen, P.Eng. (iverhappen@gmail.com), is an ISA Fellow, ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP), and a recognized authority on Foundation Fieldbus and industrial communications technologies. Verhappen leads global consultancy Industrial Automation Networks Inc. specializing in field-level industrial communications, process analytics and heavy oil / oil sands automation.

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Lean innovation By dr. TIMOThy d. hIll, Ph.d., clssMBB, PMP

anagement typically looks at innovation the same way they deal with traditional initiatives — inside-out, based on a formal business plan, metrics and implementation roadmap. However, lean innovation starts with a new product or business model hypothesis and goes directly to the customer, seeking to quickly validate the innovation’s appeal, demand and assumptions. This is what we mean by the “voice of the customer.” Toyota, for example, has many ways of getting feedback from customers. They say they listen sincerely to customer voices and continue to reinvent themselves through sufficient information, disclosure and dialogue. In fact, Toyota gets nearly as many continuous improvement ideas from listening to customers as it does from its employees. In addition to attending to traditional metrics like ROI or payback, lean innovators focus on longer term measures such as lifetime customer value. So it’s no surprise that more than 90 per cent of all Camry vehicles sold since 1995 are still on the road (according to Polk U.S. Vehicles In Operation registration statistics MY 1996-2010 as of July 2010). So how does the auto giant get innovation that sticks? How does it make cars with such lasting power? I believe it’s because they develop continuous improvement (kaizen) and then they make that the new work

standard. Their belief is that many steps in the same general direction, coupled with standard work, will generate more innovation and new thinking than waiting for “big” innovation. So they get small suggestions from the customers and employees, try them out and see which ones work. Using an A3 (or the PDCA cycle), they test out their hypotheses. For the ones that work out in this test or pilot phase, they adopt the changes as the new standard of work. It’s important to get people to try out their ideas with the A3. In fact, it’s more important that they follow through with their A3s than it is that those A3s prove to be successful. As other lean leaders have said, once you’ve got them using the A3 process, they’re hooked into continuous improvement. This avoids the “compliance fade” that often accompanies lean introduction with standard work. They might be able to kaizen the process, but without the transition to standard work, the innovation simply does not stick. People do not couple their accountabilities to the new way of doing things. Pretty soon people go back to how they used to do things. This is the “fade” part of the compliance fade. In fact, things will degrade to a point where they’re often worse off than when they started! To answer the question of how Toyota and other lean leaders build innovation into everything that they do, consider these points:

From the “relations with customers” link at Toyota http://www.toyota-global.com/sustainability/csr_initiatives/stakeholders/customers/quality.html

• Always ask those who are closest to production (e.g., the customers and employees) for their input. How? You could get them used to doing A3s or PDCA cycles, survey them, ask them questions when you’ve got them in the dealership, etc. In Japan, Toyota sends salespeople to your home with a car that you’re interested in. They also have an initiative called “To Be Rewarded with the Smiles of Customers” where they apply customer feedback to the creation of better products and services. In fact, Toyota says, “in order to make better cars, we make rigorous use of customer opinions gleaned from dealers and the Customer Assistance Center.” • Never be afraid to “go and see” or “go to the gemba” yourself. Taiichi Ohno, the father of TPS, told people to go to the gemba. If you were really sincere in your efforts to “listen to those closest to production,” your gemba walks would be rewarded with many kaizen suggestions. • Do the kaizen. Very often people get stuck in the “Plan” part of PDCA. Some sectors are better than others, but very often we get stuck in “analysis paralysis” and rarely move on to the “Do” portion of the PDCA cycle. • When the kaizen works out, standardize that work and link peoples’ accountability to this work. This is the future state. • This new future state becomes the next current state, and people should feel free to be innovative and improve on this! True innovation never rests on its laurels.

From the bookshelf

Lean Innovation: understanding What’s next in Today’s Economy barry L. Cross, Productivity Press Barry Cross is an operations management professor at the Queens University School of Business. His book has reached the number one spot on the Globe & Mail’s list of business book bestsellers. In this book — aimed at today’s business leaders and business students — he challenges us on the use of the concepts of “lean innovation” to free up resources from within the organization to support and fund innovation and create a culture of creativity. More than that, he takes on the complaints that I and every other lean sensei hear: “We would love to be more innovative, but we don’t have the resources;” “Innovation works in some companies, but we just aren’t that creative;” and “We

May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION

get some good ideas, but nothing ever happens with them.” Unfortunately, these three items reflect the general perception and environment for innovation in many firms today. To tackle these complaints, he shows readers how to eliminate waste within the company and present the value that comes from waste elimination to members of the senior team and to customers. He does this by showing that innovation comes through a system of culture, ideas, refinement, communication and adoption of lean principles. He does a particularly good job of showing how applying lean concepts correctly can free up resources to fund innovation. This book is easy to read and the tales he tells are all very applicable.

Never be afraid to ask why five times and think about how something can be done — not how it can’t!

Question from the floor QUESTION: I’ve put up lean boards and they started off well enough. How can I get my people to move past the simple ideas and suggestions that they’re giving me? ANSWER: I’m going to assume that you just recently got people using the lean boards. Don’t be surprised if the initial continuous improvement suggestions that you get are all somewhat simple. The people are just testing the water, looking to see that the system will work as advertised. Many managers ask me how they can accelerate their company’s lean transformation. I usually tell them to set the goal, generally set the direction and let the peoples’ A3s and PDCAs get you there. But not everyone will be on the same page. Ryuji Fukuda, a Deming Prize winner and author of Managerial Engineering, likened the problem to rowing a boat. You’ve got the “red-faced” employees, the ones who are already rowing, the ones who are “in the boat but not yet rowing” and then you’ve got the employees who are not even in the boat. You want to be careful not to get everyone involved in rowing. Start with the red-faced ones. This is an important lesson for many. Taiichi Ohno, the father of TPS, recognized that an organization’s philosophy must precede its strategy. More recently, that philosophy was put forth by the Toyota Production System Support Center with a further analogy: True North — a set of fundamental guiding principles for transforming your organization. You’ve got to make sure that the boat is heading True North, and then mentor everyone in that boat rowing in that direction. • Dr. Timothy Hill is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist and Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with global expertise in Human Resources/Human Capital. He can be reached at drtim@kyoseicanada.ca.

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Three ways to boost innovation and drive growth in your operations

here are many approaches manufacturers can take to boost innovation and drive growth within their companies. Investing in and adopting new technologies and processes, as well as protecting R&D investments, are three key drivers of both innovation and growth — necessities for Canadian manufacturers to remain competitive. The articles in this section explore these three key drivers and outline the opportunities available to Canadian manufacturers. INVESTMENT: Implementing innovative technologies and processes in manufacturing plants can be an expensive endeavour, but there are government funding opportunities available to help Canadian manufacturers succeed. ADOPTION: Exploring and then adopting innovative technologies, like additive manufacturing, is important to remain competitive. Learn about the opportunities this technology presents. PROTECTION: Learn the role patents play in protecting innovations in Canada’s manufacturing sector.

FinDing FUnDS: Part 3 Favourable export climate has more canadian SMes ready to cash-in on grant funding for research and innovation By ryAN WeAVer

ith warmer temperatures finally sweeping across the country, the weather is not the only climate trending upwards. Small to mid-sized businesses are also looking to take advantage of favourable conditions for global expansion. After years of stagnant growth, U.S. demand is finally on the rebound, and the Bank of Nova Scotia is forecasting the Canadian dollar to remain below 90 cents until 2015. “A reinvigorated U.S. economy should translate into better prospects for Canada’s export sector, but in order to reap the full benefits, we need to strengthen our competitiveness, tap new markets and secure and grow our involvement in global supply chains,” states Tina Kremmidas, chief economist of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in its 2014-2015 Economic Outlook.

Kremmidas goes on to add that to become more competitive, Canadian businesses need to focus on the following: enhancing their operational efficiency; reducing costs; continually upgrading the skills of their workforce; constantly improving their products and services; working with government to penetrate new markets; investing in R&D and information and communications technology; and building internationally recognizable brands.

Canadian SMEs look to the federal government for help As one might expect, even with the global economy warming up, business owners are still hesitant to invest in research and development. The OECD has reported that Canadian businesses have been among the laggards when it comes to

increasing R&D expenditures amid improving economic conditions. Fortunately, Canadian SMEs can look toward a host of Canadian government grant programs to make sure they are better prepared for international competition. Below are some programs aimed at businesses looking to commercialize new and/or improved products or services, adopt new technologies to improve efficiency, and/ or foster key relationships with post-secondary institutions and research centres to access cutting-edge facilities, as well as the fresh ideas required to overcome obstacles to growth. IRAP Funding for Mid-Sized Projects support projects that aim to solve an innovation challenge through technology and research, with an average of $150,000 in grant funding per project covering as much as 65 per cent of salary costs. Eligible activities include: the production of www.AutomationMag.com • May 2014

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original software/IP; R&D, prototyping and feasibility studies; as well as the development of new products, including manufacturing process analysis and product testing. Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) Accelerated Review Process (ARP) helps small to mid-sized businesses across Canada solve innovation challenges. The loose focus of this funding program opens up a number of opportunities for businesses to take advantage of grants from the Canadian government. For example, some businesses have accessed IRAP ARP to help with market expansion activities such as website improvements and the development of e-commerce portals to better reach export markets. The details are: • Amount: Maximum $50,000 in government grants covering as much as 80 per cent of direct labour and 50 per cent subcontractor expenses. • Timeline: Federal funding is released April 1 of each year. Projects can be carried out from April 1 to March 31 of the following year. • Eligibility: One to 500 people on payroll, at least two years incorporated, and a commitment to internal R&D activities.

SMEs tap Canada’s human capital through federally funded programs R&D intensity is by no means the sole determinant of innovation performance by firms. Learning and external networking have also been found to have a significant influence on innovation. And while Canada’s status as a global innovator has slipped and funding for R&D has remained flat, Canada is still among the leading OECD countries in terms of spending on higher education. What is more, the federal government has committed a substantial portion of direct funding dollars to support collaboration programs between businesses and industry partners, post-secondary institutions and research centres. Here are a few of the programs that are helping Canadian businesses leverage collaborative research projects.

• Amount: NSERC typically provides grant funding of up to $150,000 per year for a maximum of five years. However, funding above this amount can be requested from the NSERC selection committee. • Timeline: Rolling applications; no deadlines; one- to five-yearlong projects. • Eligibility: Company must operate from a Canadian base. IP ownership to be agreed on by both partners.

National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) offers the NSERC Engage program to fund short-term research or development projects (up to six months in length) aimed at addressing a company-specific problem. The details are: • Amount: Up to $25,000 from NSERC (no cash required from company) directly to the post-secondary partner to support the project. • Timeline: Rolling applications; no deadlines; four- to six-week turnaround on approvals; four- to six-month-long projects. • Eligibility: Company must operate from a Canadian base. Eligible collaborations include focused projects with specific short-term objectives with an academic researcher from a Canadian university. There is no limit on how many Engage grants a company can hold. NSERC Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) is a longer term research or development project, usually following an NSERC Engage project with the same faculty partners for projects up to five years in length to solve a larger R&D issue. The details are:

Investing in Commercialization Partnerships (ICP) is a program offered through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) that supports businessled partnerships that have a focus on helping to develop globally competitive products and services. The details are: • Amount: Grant of up to $20 million (50 per cent of project costs). Remaining costs must be made up from other partners. • Projects: Business-led projects that focus on new technologies or platforms; priority of regional diversification. • Timeline: Open now; continuous intake. • Eligibility: Post-secondary institutions and incorporated not-for-profits, including research institutions and industry associations; located in southern Ontario; must have 50 per cent support from industry/partners for cost.

Learn more Mentor Works holds regular information workshops and webinars on government funding that are free of charge to owners and leaders of established small to mid-sized businesses. Visit www.mentorworks.ca/ events/ for more details. • Ryan Weaver is a marketing analyst at Mentor Works Ltd. (http://mentorworks.ca), an organization that helps companies identify and apply to government funding programs from both the provincial and federal levels.

Protecting innovation

What you should know about patents and Canada’s manufacturing sector By Andre Theriault

ustained innovation is a key objective promoted by the SME’s “Take Back Manufacturing” initiative toward maintaining and improving Canada’s global competitiveness in manufacturing. As R&D investments are made by private and government organizations to promote the invention and improvement of products and manufacturing technologies, it is crucial that Canada’s investments be protected so that Canadians can reap the rewards. Patents and other forms of intellectual property (IP) can help protect R&D investments in the manufacturing sector. While there are different forms of IP — such as patents, industrial designs, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets — that may be relevant to the manufacturing sector, patents can protect technological advances and be used to control where and by whom such technological advances are practised, irrespective of labour rates. A patent is essentially a bargain with the state 14

whereby the inventor gives full disclosure of an invention in exchange for a limited period of exclusivity — usually 20 years from when a patent application is filed — during which time the patent owner has the legal right to stop others from making, using or selling the invention in the country in which the patent is granted. Upon expiration of this limited period of exclusivity, the invention can be exploited by anyone. A Canadian patent can, for example, be used to prevent others from: making the invention in Canada, even if the invention is subsequently sold abroad; using the invention in Canada, even if the invention is made abroad; and selling the invention in Canada, even if the invention is made abroad. A Canadian patent related to a process for making a product can also be used to prevent others from using that patented process to make a product abroad and then importing and selling that product in Canada. Even though a patentable invention may have

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been developed in Canada by Canadians, a patent for that same invention may be obtained in foreign countries to give the patent owner the right to stop others from making, using or selling that invention in those foreign countries. To be patentable, an invention must be new and inventive (i.e., not obvious). For some countries, any public disclosure can be considered as destroying the novelty of the invention and can therefore prevent the grant of a valid patent.

Thus, it is always advisable to keep an invention confidential until a patent application has been filed. In the United States and Canada, a grace period is provided where a valid patent may still be obtained if the inventor has previously sold, used or disclosed the invention less than one year before the filing of the patent application. The requirement for inventiveness essentially means that the invention cannot be apparent to a person skilled in

Patents can also be used strategically to generate licensing revenue for a company by licensing out non-core technologies to another in a non-competing field. On the other hand, perhaps a licence can be obtained for technology complementary to yours instead of spending valuable R&D resources trying to design around patented technology. Patent databases can be a great source of information for identifying potential licensors/licensees and

the relevant technical area who has the benefit of common general knowledge and public literature in that area. However, inventors should not get bogged down by this requirement because inventions can appear obvious in hindsight, especially to those who made them. In reality, most patents that are granted are not for pioneer inventions, but are for improvements over existing technologies. There are a number of factors that can assist in demonstrating inventiveness, so if a potentially patentable invention has been identified that could provide your company with a competitive advantage, you should consult your patent counsel. There is a wide range of inventions that can be patented and there can often be more than one patentable aspect associated with a particular technology. When considering the different ways a particular technology could be protected, it is a good idea to consider the entire life cycle of the product/technology (e.g., design, testing, manufacturing, using, servicing, repairing and/or recycling) to identify all of the components that contribute to the overall competitive advantage of the technology. The legal definition for a patentable invention is “any new and useful art, process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement in any art, process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter.” In the context of manufacturing, machines and manufactures can, for example, include: a product with a unique combination of features; a machine/system/tool used for manufacturing, testing, servicing, repairing or recycling a product; and improvement(s) in the foregoing. Examples of patentable processes can include: a series of steps for manufacturing, testing, using, servicing, repairing or recycling a product; ways of controlling/operating new or existing machines; steps/parameters for treating a material or part; and computer-implemented processes. Examples of patentable compositions of matter can include alloys, plastics, additives, lubricants, coatings, etc. Enforcing a patent does not always involve prohibitively expensive litigation. In reality, there are relatively few cases that end up in trial. Often the mere existence of a patent or pending patent application can be enough to deter potential infringers. Patent applications automatically get published 18 months from being filed and can easily be accessed online by competitors. Nevertheless, it is usually a good idea to warn competitors by marking patented products with applicable patent numbers. Products for which a patent application is pending can also be marked as “Patent Pending” together with the applicable published patent application number(s).

collaborators. There are also patent monetization firms that can help identify potential licensees for your patents or potential licensors for technology complementary to yours. Patents and other forms of IP can be valuable assets for manufacturing companies and, in some cases, be the most valuable assets. As Canada’s manufacturing sector continues to rely on technological innovations to remain competitive on the world stage, it is

paramount that the IP associated with such innovations be protected. • Andre Theriault, M.E.Sc., P. Eng. (Andre. Theriault@nortonrosefulbright.com), is a registered patent agent with the law firm of Norton Rose Fulbright in Toronto. His practice includes the preparation and prosecution of patent applications relating to manufacturing processes, mechanical systems, aerospace, medical devices, software and computer-related devices.

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aDDitive ManUFactUring as the technology evolves, what are the opportunities available to manufacturers today? By MAry del cIANcIO ANd rOB cOlMAN

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t’s an evolution, not a revolution.” That’s how James Janeteas, president of 3D printer provider Cimetrix Solutions, described additive manufacturing — or 3D printing as it is often called — at an event in Toronto late last year. There is a lot of hype surrounding the technology, but Janeteas cautioned manufacturers not to fall into the “pit of disillusionment” when it comes to what 3D printing technology can do. Because of speed, cost and resolution factors, the technology just doesn’t make sense for some applications. “As much as the industry is hyping it up, it’s important to understand that some of the expectations that you may hear about our technology being able to perform may not be met,” he said. “It’s important not to get discouraged.” Instead, he urged companies to continue looking for opportunities to leverage the technology. Because there are opportunities.

Application options Additive manufacturing has been wellembraced as a technology that can provide fast prototyping or produce a small quantity of parts for testing. “It’s predominantly a fast route to commercialization,” says Nigel Southway, secretary and past chair of the SME’s Toronto Chapter. “So you can take your design and make one part or two for testing of the final product. And then when you’ve got the final product done, then you change technologies and make the plastic parts in volume out of a mould tool using injection moulding or some other form of plastic application,” he explains. “You can generate a sample that’s an equivalent enough part to the final moulded part to be able to pass all the tests and get a jump on your product introduction.” Although the technology will continue to evolve and improve, Southway says “the current additive manufacturing technology speed is too slow to, for example, make bottle tops or even computers, quite frankly. Any high-volume product cost requirements would not be satisfied with the cost curve in additive technology…It’s mainly for people that want to do rapid proto-parts or can afford the premium to make low-volume samples.” Additive manufacturing for metal parts has similar high-volume prohibitive cost curve issues as plastic parts, but allows much more complex shapes to be produced with less machining operations and less machining skills required. 16

It is for this reason that the technology has already been embraced in industries like aerospace. Mike Cloran, with GE Aviation’s Additive Development Center, says that in the past, GE has used additive manufacturing for prototypes and sample parts. As Cloran notes, there are definite time savings when producing a prototype — you don’t have to wait for dies, so you can simply start producing the part directly from a CAD file. The process also allows you to alter a product mid-build if need be. If a section of a part hasn’t been produced yet, it is possible to go into the program, update that section, and continue the building process. Another advantage of using the additive manufacturing method is that a structure doesn’t necessarily have to be a solid metal throughout. By creating an organic-like lattice structure on the inside of a part, the additive manufacturing method allows you to make a component that has the same strength as a solid part, while weighing as much as 70 per cent less than a solid part. “Every pound you take out of a jet engine yields savings in fuel costs,” Cloran notes. The biggest application in which GE Aviation is currently using additive manufacturing is in the development of a fuel nozzle for its new LEAP engine. The fuel nozzle will be the first part that GE will put into full production using the additive manufacturing technology. The choice to use the technology was a function of the complexity of the part. “If this were made any other way, it would require combining about 20 parts into one,” says Cloran. “This is a very complex part that can now be grown in one build, so the part is significantly stronger.” Companies in the aerospace industry will continue to use the technology to make parts lighter, or other applications where the quantities are low or the application is very specific and difficult. But Southway explains that “the unit part cost may still be higher than conventional methods, the throughput may also be slower, and the additive manufacturing process may still require some secondary machining operations to meet finish and tolerances.” He maintains that this is not a costeffective solution for a part you can make easily in other technologies. However, one area where this technology offers a great opportunity with significant leverage, says Southway, is in toolmaking.

May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION

“It will add a real advantage to toolmakers and part designers who have to solve tooling constraints and wish to use exotic metal materials.”

Tooling time A challenge when it comes to producing tooling for plastic moulding is getting coolant through to the point where the heat is generated. According to Southway, additive manufacturing offers far more options to solve that problem because it allows tool designers to more cost effectively build complicated waterways or thermal management ports into the structure for the cooling process that will also improve the moulding performance. “In some cases — and provided the toolmakers embrace this technology correctly — some difficult problems can be solved, such as improved internal cooling chambers for the mould-making process and difficult profiles produced for press and form tooling. This could translate into improved final tool part throughput and performance, and also improved quality and repeatability,” Southway says. He predicts that additive manufacturing will change the way we do tooling and make companies that leverage the technology more competitive. “That always drives manufacturing. Better tools are always the differentiator,” he says. “The toolmaker and the prototyping engineers will want and need [additive manufacturing] to compete.”

Challenges that remain Gary Cluthe, CEO at Duron Plastics in Kitchener, Ont., bought an EOSINT M270 system about five years ago. His company specializes in custom injection moulding and mould making. He thought the technology would be ideal for mould making. At this point, however, their EOS

machine is not being used for this purpose. Instead, aerospace and military contractors have been using it for their needs. And now there are inquiries almost every day about having parts produced on the machine. “For us, the costs don’t warrant making tooling yet,” Cluthe says. “And it hasn’t worked out well for cavity core work. It has been too difficult to polish out deep ribs in the moulds we do.” That is not an uncommon issue. It is widely accepted that the current additive technology will need to be integrated with existing metal-removing machining technologies to support a final finished part. To achieve the benefits of additive manufacturing, Southway explains the technology must be integrated with existing metal-removing machining technologies such as surface texture and finish, and tolerance limits may need metal-removing processes as secondary finishing operations. But advancements are happening, says Vesna Cota, additive manufacturing design and development specialist for Tyco Electronics Canada, a TE Connectivity company based in Markham, Ont. The company, which designs and manufactures connectivity products and solutions for a variety of industries, mainly uses additive manufacturing for prototypes, trims and fixtures — to compress response and development time, and to maximize the performance of their products. But they also use the technology for fully functional prototypes in production material using rapid tooling. “Additive manufacturing technologies are very well suited for tool repair and conformal cooling, with many successful implementations so far, yet the build times and/or surface finishes have been a deterrent,” Cota says. “Advancements in those areas, along with new materials and the forthcoming hybrid additive

manufacturing systems, should prompt reconsideration. Even those who took a look at it just two or three years ago may find themselves surprised by the advancements since.” The advancements, she says, include “continuous incremental but significant improvement of processes, build speeds and build sizes. There is still a great need for better defined process controls. The proprietary materials and need for characterization drive high material costs, but at the same time, many new materials are being developed and released, exhibiting superior performance to any existing ones.” But to really leverage the technology, Southway says that additive metal technology will require a strong engineering application consulting capability to support the development of new design approaches, as well as a clear knowledge of the different design rules and part planning activities. “Contrary to the public’s belief, the metal additive process is not a push-button technology. There’s a lot of design rules, there’s a lot of planning that needs to go into making a part and making a machine produce it. To do it well, you also need the designer to understand the constraints as well as the significant opportunities if they harness the technology correctly,” says Southway. “You can’t just take your existing drawings to this machine and make them. You’ve got to redesign your part or your tooling around the technology and the mission of your final product for maximum benefit.” “Additive manufacturing is a completely new way of thinking, designing and manufacturing of a product. To reap true benefits, the additive manufacturing implementation has to span the whole process — from concept to final part, including 3D modelling,” says Cota. “Skill sets are being developed on the job and there is a lack of proper information and guidance. Difficult funding procedures and lack of understanding on the side of the financial institutions are all impediments to wider spread additive manufacturing implementation.”

produced with this technology. “Everybody thinks that this technology is only destined for high-tech products and high-tech industries. It’s certainly not. It’s also destined to support traditional industries that need to go more high-tech with the processes and the methodologies they use, and the toolings they apply to their traditional products. And so what we need to do is make sure that the traditional

industries embrace this technology, probably in their tooling arena or even in the product itself, to turn it from being a non-competitive traditional industry into a highly competitive traditional industry. And this technology, coupled with a spirit of innovation and the art of continuous improvement, is the gateway for it.” And while there are new opportunities for the application of this technology that will continue to emerge and evolve, it is

not meant to replace your current processes, but rather to complement them. Says Southway, “When you add it to the suite of processes and tools that the manufacturing engineer has, that’s when it becomes powerful.”• Mary Del Ciancio is the editor of Manufacturing AUTOMATION magazine. Rob Colman is the editor of MP&P, a sister publication to Manufacturing AUTOMATION.

Moving forward It’s not just the high-tech aerospace and automotive industries that should be leveraging the technology. There are opportunities for “traditional industries,” too, Southway says. For example, oil and gas industry equipment providers have many parts such as couplings and joints and valves that could benefit from the technology; furniture and durable goods manufactures will benefit from integrating this technology into the toolmaking environment where more rapid tooling will provide a competitive advantage; and food processing and pharmaceutical equipment manufacturers would benefit from sensitive and complex metering devices being CONEC_MA_Sept.indd 1

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www.AutomationMag.com • May 2014

C y B E R S E C U R I T y

cyBer

WArFAre

as enterprises become more connected, and plant floors more mobile, manufacturers are arming themselves for battle against cybercrime By VANessA chrIs

hen an anti-virus company accidentally came across Stuxnet — a worm designed with the sole intention of targeting industrial PLCs — in 2010, it forever changed the manufacturing world. It’s widely believed that the intricate and advanced virus was created by the U.S. government to secretly destroy the manufacturing practices of Iran’s enriched uranium plants. When a flaw in the virus allowed it to be detected — and, subsequently, a journal article to be written about it — not only did it introduce manufacturers to the importance of a sound cybersecurity infrastructure, but it also showed hackers how vulnerable industrial control systems really are. “These attackers had 20 years of experience breaking Windows boxes,” says Eric Byres, chief technology officer of Tofino Security at Belden Inc. “Going after PLCs was like shooting fish in a bucket. It wasn’t a fair fight.” Industrial cyber risks skyrocketed within a year of the Stuxnet discovery — jumping from five known vulnerabilities affecting PLCs to more than 200. That number has been increasing ever since.

tYPeS oF cYBer HacKerS Joy ride seekers This is your stereotypical hacker — a person, typically acting alone, with the intention of having “fun.” While their goal isn’t to cause damage, their attacks can still be hard on a business — for example, if they shut down your company’s heat in the middle of winter. Professional criminals Because of the lucrative nature of cyber hacking, organized crime gravitates to it. Most of the time they will hold a company’s control system hostage in exchange for a ransom. insiders Anyone who works — or has worked — for your company. Their goal might be to steal proprietary information, or destroy your control system. nation/State actors These hackers act on behalf of a country or nation with the intention of stealing proprietary information.

May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION

Everyone’s at risk Hacking industrial control systems has become a lucrative endeavour, involving more than just the stereotypical joy ride seekers that infiltrate computer systems for recreational purposes. Today, professional criminals, pseudo military groups, foreign intelligence agencies and insiders all pose a cybersecurity risk. While the most attractive targets tend to be large enterprises, no company is immune. “The connected enterprise has put security on the radar,” says Doug Wylie, director of product security risk management at Rockwell Automation. “It’s necessary now because of how these systems are designed and how they operate. Everything is interconnected, complex and easily targeted.” Companies in competitive industries — such as the chemical sector — are at greater risk because if proprietary information is stolen, it can either be sold easily to a competitor or held for ransom. Small and mid-sized manufacturers are typically poorly protected, and are more likely to pay a ransom because they’d have a lot to lose if their critical infrastructure was taken down. And with destruction toolkits readily available –— in Russia you can buy a toolkit to attack a manufacturing system for $2,500 US, for example — virtually every company can potentially be affected by a disgruntled employee who chooses to take down their system “just because.”

Changing the cyber mindset While cyber attacks pose a threat to all businesses, they’re particularly dangerous for manufacturers. As more enterprises become connected, and more plant floors become mobile, networks are becoming more vulnerable. New control systems are being added to older systems that weren’t originally designed to be integrated. And because the notion of cybersecurity is so new, it sometimes takes time for a supportive company culture to evolve. These obstacles make developing a sound cybersecurity policy more difficult, but it’s not impossible. It just requires a different way of thinking.

“A secure, connected enterprise is within our reach,” says Wylie. “It’s important to realize, however, that there’s not one, single solution. A layered security model offers defence and depth. These two philosophies allow for a series of protection — not only do you create barriers for entry into a system, but it makes it easier to maintain operations as conditions change.” Mark Fernandes, cybersecurity partner at Deloitte Canada, believes that increased cyber threats are merely a side effect of changing times. “A connected enterprise brings a bigger threat profile, but better business value as well,” he says. “Secure mobile plant floors are possible. You need better zoning, better access control and better use of encryption to prevent interception and misuse.” Captive portals are also handy tools for minimizing the vulnerability of mobile devices on the plant floor. “Captive portals put restrictions on what a user can do,” says Byres. “Maybe it only allows for the device to be connected to one PLC, or disallows browsing on the Internet. The key is to tame mobile devices in a way that can work in a manufacturing setting.” It’s also important to evaluate your risk profile regularly, and update your cybersecurity processes accordingly. “Solutions are always changing,” says Wylie. “You have to make an ongoing investment to mitigate risk.”

and recover from targeted attacks. Private companies are also responding to manufacturers’ needs to strengthen and streamline their cybersecurity processes. Rockwell Automation, for example, offers clients consulting help to assist them in adopting the NIST cybersecurity guidelines. Consulting firms like Deloitte also offer a full range of cybersecurity services. The company typically examines both the business and manufacturing

side of a business, assesses threat risks, designs an implementation plan and assists in executing it. It can also help in monitoring ongoing risk threats. Of course, to make use of these services you need company buy-in — which is likely the most important component of any successful cybersecurity strategy. Fernandes says companies should approach cybersecurity similar to health and safety — from the c-suite offices down to the plant floor.

“Many manufacturers have built a strong program around health and safety,” he says. “The same thing needs to occur for cybersecurity. In many ways, cybersecurity is tied to health and safety — attacks can cause generators to fail, pipelines to malfunction. Attacks can pose health and safety risks.” • Vanessa Chris is a freelance writer based in Guelph, Ont.

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Cybersecurity assistance When it comes to developing a cybersecurity strategy, there are plenty of resources available to help. Most governments are beginning to recognize how important the issue is, and are responding accordingly. An executive order from the U.S. government, for example, called for the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) to develop the Cybersecurity Framework 1.0, which was released in February. The voluntary framework, which includes global manufacturing standard ISA-IDC62443, is designed to help companies mitigate cyber risks by bringing a common language to the issue and assisting in the writing of company policies. “It’s important that this cyber framework isn’t seen as just a U.S. document,” says Wylie, who was involved in the development of the framework. “It’s an effective tool that can be used across all countries.” The Canadian government launched Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy in 2010, which includes Public Safety Canada’s Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC). The CCIRC shares cyber threat information with the private sector, and also offers advice to help companies prepare

Security Simplicity Efficiency Competency www.festo.ca

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www.AutomationMag.com 2014-04-23 • May 2014 19 11:44 AM

P R O D U C T S

MAChInE

S AF ET y

Interlock safety switch

Safety encoders

AutomationDirect has expanded its line of safety products to include solenoid interlock safety switches. Solenoid locking tongue interlock safety switches are designed to fit to the leading edge of sliding, hinged or lift-off machine guards, and provide positively operated switching contacts. They provide a tamper-resistant actuator mechanism and robust position interlock detection for moving guards. Available in 30-, 40- and 73-mm mounting profiles, the switches are designed with multiple actuator entry points and offer adjustable heads with 90- and 180degree options. Switch styles provide single and multiple half-inch female NPT conduit openings. www.automationdirect.com

Pepperl+Fuchs’ RVS58S Safety Encoders and VBA-2E-KE4-ENC-S AS-Interface Encoder Input Modules are designed to improve machine productivity and enhance worker safety by detecting zerospeed, over-speed and motion direction to ensure safe machine access during setup and maintenance. The system integrates into new machines or existing equipment, and is ideal in applications that demand SIL3, PL e and Category 4 certification. RVS58S incremental encoders have a sin/cos interface, 1,024 or 2,048 signal periods, and are thermally stabilized for high-resolution interpolation. VBA-2E-KE4-ENC-S AS-Interface safety modules feature a compact 22.5-mm-wide housing to minimize cabinet space requirements, and quickly snap into place on a standard 35-mm mounting rail. Each module provides two safe inputs for incremental encoders that monitor the standstill, rotational speed and direction of rotation on up to two axes of motion, and sends a

DATA

ACQuI S I T I o n

Data acquisition system The Fluke 2638A Hydra Series III is the latest addition to the Hydra line of data acquisition systems/ digital multimeters. The system features a full-colour display with an easy-to-use menu system, DC measurement accuracy of 0.0024 per cent, 6.5-digit DMM mode, and CAT II safety ratings. The 2638A incorporates the Fluke Universal Input Connector that supports 15 common thermocouple types and delivers thermocouple accuracy of 0.5 degrees C. The plug-in Universal Input Connector has 22 channels of differential analog input (expandable to 66 channels) for wiring multichannel systems. Once a system is wired, the connector can be disconnected and the 2638A moved and connected to another input connector, eliminating the need to disconnect and rewire test setups. Selectable measurement input types include DC voltage, AC voltage, resistance, thermocouple, RTD, thermistor, frequency, and DC and AC current. www.flukecanada.ca

Software Cognex Corporation’s DataMan 5.2 software features expanded tuning and scripting capability,

safe signal via the AS-Interface network when a value falls below a set threshold. www.pepperl-fuchs.us

Safety controller

Omron Automation and Safety’s NX Series Safety Controllers combine automation and safety on the same EtherCAT network in a mixed I/O backplane to promote design flexibility and minimize wiring costs. A single intuitive software programming environment reduces machine and safety design time, while an auto configuration restart function eliminates the need for tools or software to exchange I/O hardware. The safety controllers are ideal for applications such as automotive robotic work cells, larger flexible packaging machines and material handling work cells with multiple access points. www.omron247.com

CoMMunICATIonS Display data transmission technology

as well as a new test mode for its DataMan 300 and 503 series of barcode readers. The new software is designed to increase read rates by decoding lower resolution 1-D codes and extending intelligent tuning capabilities to all symbologies, including Aztec, MaxiCode and PDF417. The software release includes the high-performance Hotbars algorithm, which handles both 1-D and PDF417 barcodes. It extends the 2-D intelligent tuning capability that was introduced by the DataMan 300 Series. This intelligent tuning capability decreased setup time while increasing read rates for Direct Part Mark (DPM) code reading applications. This latest version extends that capability to other symbologies, such as 1-D barcodes, MaxiCode and QR codes. www.cognex.com

May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION

B&R’s Smart Display Link 3, the newest generation of its technology for digital display data transmission, allows a maximum distance of 100 metres between the PC and panel. With Smart Display Link 3, all communication channels are transferred over a standard Ethernet cable. In addition to reducing cable costs, the thin cable and RJ45 connector are a perfect fit in tight spaces such as feed-through openings and support arm systems, the company says. Graphics data is transferred directly from the PC system to the panel without having to be processed by additional PC architecture in the panel. This technology can be used regardless of operating system. www.br-automation.com

Ethernet switches Harting’s two newest, fully managed Ethernet switches — the Ha-VIS mCon 3000 Next Generation — have been optimized for fast deployment in the harshest industrial environments to support today’s increasingly sophisticated

Safety controller The SC26-2 Programmable Safety Controller from Banner Engineering is for PLC-level capability and control without the programming complexity and steep learning curve of traditional PLCs. The SC26-2 uses safety function blocks, Boolean logic functions and a user-friendly programming environment for creating safety control logic, the company says. With 26 input terminals and two redundant solid-state safety outputs, safety system design engineers are able to monitor a variety of input devices, such as e-stop buttons, rope pulls, interlock switches, safety light curtains and other safety and nonsafety input devices. The controller’s free PC Graphical User Interface configuration software features pre-configured safety function blocks, including two-hand control, muting and enabling device to simplify application programming. www.bannerengineering.com

nETWoRKIng

network structures. These newest switches in the Ha-VIS mCon 3000 lineup are designed to deliver high availability, network security, monitoring and reliability, and are designed for mounting on top-hat rails in control cabinets. With their Profinet I/O stack, mCon 3000 NG switches can be deployed and incorporated into existing and new Profinet applications. These new switches are also compatible with other industrial Ethernet-based protocols, including EtherNet/IP. www.harting.ca

Fieldbus couplers To support end users that leverage Ethernet-based industrial networking, Wago’s new Profinet I/O Fieldbus Couplers 750 Series operate as I/O devices in the Profinet network. The couplers identify connected I/O modules and create local process images for one or more controllers. The device ID can be assigned via DCP protocol or set via DIP switch. The compact couplers come in two versions — 750-375 Standard and 750-377 ECOnomy — with support of Profinet 2.2. Both versions support PROFIEnergy, PROFIsafe and iPar-Server, Profinet RT and Profinet services such as topology detection and automated device replacement. www.wago.us

Wireless I/O mapping at the turn of a wheel

The Radioline wireless system Radioline is the new wireless system from Phoenix Contact. Special features include extremely easy addressing of radios and i/o by simply turning the thumbwheel - without any programming. Your advantages: • Easy start-up thanks to I/O mapping • Reliable and secure transmission in an industrial environment thanks to the latest trusted Wireless technology • Easy module replacement and flexible system expansion because of a modular station structure • Available in 2.4Ghz and 900Mhz technologies For additional information call 1.800.890.2820 or visit www.phoenixcontact.ca

P R O D U C T S

P r o cess

C o n tr o l

Temperature data logger Omega’s new six-channel handheld temperature data logger, the RDXL6SD, displays maximum, minimum, average and standard deviation, as well as temperature difference between any two channels. Ideal for process manufacturing and automotive industries, this CE-compliant product features a touchscreen, scheduled and manual logging start/stop, an alarm indication for each channel and a two-channel temperature chart. www.omega.ca

Process automation system

operator effectiveness with automated procedures, enhanced visualization and new skid-integration capabilities. The system’s sequencer tool enables companies to automate process procedures, perform system modifications and sequence actions directly through HMI faceplates. For example, if a process change is necessary or an abnormal event occurs, a user with the appropriate login privileges can modify the sequence directly from the HMI screen, rather than waiting for a control system expert to modify the procedure code. www.rockwellautomation.com

Touchscreen paperless data recorder

The PlantPAx process automation system from Rockwell Automation helps companies across multiple industries improve

W ireless

ABB has introduced its RVG200 videographic recorder with touchscreen technology. The recorder provides easy access to process data for onsite operators, while enabling secure remote access to that same data from any tablet, smartphone, PC or other networked device, the company says. Using intuitive icon-based menus or by “swiping” through the screens, operators can rapidly find the process data they

T ec h n o l o g y

Wireless AP/bridge/client Moxa’s AWK-6232 wireless Access Point/Bridge/Client allows outdoor networks to scale to higher bandwidth demand while providing maximum availability. Ideal for hard-to-wire outdoor locations, the AWK-6232 delivers a net data rate of up to 300 Mbps and supports IEEE 802.11n technology. In addition, the AWK-6232 eliminates costly interruptions in WLAN transmissions thanks to its dual 2.4/5 GHz RF modules that permit two independent wireless connections over different frequencies,

a nd

need. They can view this data in a variety of formats, including individual or grouped charts, bar graphs or digital indicator displays. The recorder is integrated into a plant network through a 100-Mbit/s Ethernet connection. RVG200 can notify operators of process alarms or critical process events via an email automatically sent to their PC or smartphone. It can also be configured to routinely email summary reports of process conditions. www.abb.com/measurement

High-pressure immersion-type pumps KSB Pumps Inc. has introduced new models to its Movitec series of highpressure pumps. The new Movitec VCI models are designed so that the pump elements (including intake) are immersed in a tank, reservoir or well, while the motor and discharge nozzle

remain dry and accessible. The pumps are suited to applications such as circulation of cooling or lubricating fluids for machine tools, industrial washing and cleaning processes, condensate recirculation systems and pressure boosting in general process applications. The pumps are engineered to reduce energy costs through the use of efficiency-optimized stainless steel stage casings and impellers. They are available in five sizes, with different numbers of stages. The maximum flow rate is 27 cubic metres per hour and the maximum discharge head is 250 metres. Fluid temperature can range between -10 and 120 degrees C. www.ksb.ca

S ec u rit y

the company says. These dual modules make Zero Wireless Packet Loss possible and qualify the AWK-6232 for deployments where devices must meet the most stringent EMC and noise immunity requirements. Because industrial and outdoor applications expose network devices to extreme heat and cold, moisture, corrosive liquids and shock, Moxa housed the AWK-6232 inside an IP68-rated metal enclosure complete with waterproof/dustproof M12 (antivibration) RJ45 connectors. www.moxa.com

Industrial security router Belden Inc. has added a new industrial security router, the Eagle One, to its global security portfolio. The Eagle One builds on the technology of Belden’s existing Eagle family and offers a combination of features to advance data security in industrial automation. It hardens industrial systems against network incidents and cyber attacks, improving operational security, reliability and performance, the company says. Features include: capacity to withstand the harshest industrial conditions in almost any environment; use at extreme

temperatures, from -40 to 70 degrees C; compliance with global standards and certifications; a “firewall learning mode” designed to reduce traditional installation risks such as network interruptions or configuration errors; advanced redundancy features for maximum security, including layer 2 and layer 3 functions that ensure switchover to a standby device in the event of a fault or failure; ability to configure settings offline to eliminate contact with a live device; and a reduction in operating costs due to lower power input. www.belden.com

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SKILLSCOMPETENCESCANADA.COM 22 SkillsCanada_MA_March.indd May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION 1

2014-02-21 12:11 PM

nominations aRe now open

TOP

UNDER

line head

made possible by the geneRous suppoRt of ouR sponsoRs title sponsoR

Recognizing the next geneRation of the canadian metalwoRking industRy! MP&P is excited to announce its 2nd annual top 20 under 40, featuring the skilled and talented young people who are driving the Canadian metalworking industry forward.

who can be nominated? We are seeking nominations of talented individuals from your company, and the companies you supply, who are helping you grow your business. Who are leaders you work with who rise above the rest in providing you solutions and services that give you a competitive edge?

help us Recognize and pRomote youR supeRioR talent

pRogRam sponsoRs

From machinists to programmers, fabricators and welders, these individuals are among the best and the brightest in our industry. Help us celebrate the future of metalworking in Canada by nominating one or more of your young leaders. The chosen 20 will be featured in the August/September print and digital issue of MP&P in this special annual award section. Interviews and photographs of the 20 will appear in this featured section. Award presentations will be made during AMEXPO featuring RAPID Canada & MMI, Mississauga, ON, September 23â€“24.

nominations aRe now open To nominate someone to be recognized as one of the Top 20 Under 40, visit www.metalworkingcanada.com to fill out a nomination form.

nominations close on July 2, 2014. presented by: Metalworking Production & Purchasing

the top 20 undeR 40 will be featuRed in the aug/sept 2014 edition of mp&p magazine. TOP 20 UNDER 40 PRESENTATION AWARDS OCTObER 2013. SPONSORS AND AWARD WINNERS.

P R O D U C T S M o ti o n

C o n tr o l

Servo drive

module. The pre-assembled hybrid cable contains all encoder and power cables, and serves multiple S120M axes through a daisy chain connection. www.siemens.ca

Compensating coupling for linear drives Expanding on its popular Sinamics S120 multi-axis drive system, Siemens introduces the new Sinamics S120M, a compact, ready-to-connect motor with integrated drive that offers users the option of moving the motor inverter outside of the control cabinet and directly onto the motor, thereby reducing both cabinet space and required cooling. Typical applications for the Sinamics S120M include packaging, printing, glass, textile and other processes where machinery and production lines require multiple servo axes in a space-restricted environment. The decentralized S120M axes are connected back to the central S120 components in the cabinet via a hybrid cable and the AM600 adapter

P o wer

Heavy-duty cylinder

Posital-Fraba’s TILTIX inclinometers are available packaged in extra-rugged die-cast aluminum housings designed to withstand accidental impact loads from tools, rocks or unsecured pieces of equipment. They also feature reinforced connection points for heavyduty cables and connectors, mounting holes for .25inch (M6) bolts and solid flanges that won’t be damaged by high bolt-tightening torques. These devices feature IP 69K-rated protection from dust, water or high-pressure sprays, and are available in single- or two-axis models. The measurement cells, which work by monitoring capacitance changes that occur when a small, spring-mounted mass moves in response to changes in position, can withstand shock loads up to 100g. www.posital.com

The new EMC Heavy-Duty (HD) electromechanical cylinders from Rexroth make the benefits of advanced control technology available, even at high forces, the company says. The units are suitable for machinery and equipment, as well as for outdoor use. Users can integrate them into intelligent energy management, thus reducing power consumption and CO2 emissions. With the EMC-HD electromechanical cylinders, force, position and speed can be parameterized by the user and adapted at all times to new tasks via the drive system. Without an additional position sensor, the EMC-HD cylinders achieve a repeatability accuracy of up to ± 0.01 mm, and they do so for any number of freely selectable positions within the travel range of up to 1,200 mm. www.boschrexroth.com

S u pplies

High-power diodes

Bourns, Inc.’s high-power TVS diodes — models PTVS10-058C-TH and PTVS10-076C-TH — feature highcurrent bidirectional port protection and meet industry standards, including IEC 61000-4-5 8/20 µs current surge requirements. This new series of high-power TVS diodes provides very high surge current protection with a peak pulse current rating of 10 kA, and features 58- and 76-volt standoff voltages, respectively. www.bourns.com

DC-DC converter The DHR 150-24 is the latest addition to Absopulse’s line of wide input range, long-life power conversion products developed for rugged industrial environments. The DC-DC converter is designed for an operating life of up to 30 years. By eliminating optocouplers in the feedback loop and significantly reducing component count, the MTBF of the unit is greatly improved over conventional designs, the company says. Large design

The moment compensator DARD from Festo has a total backlash of less than 0.1 mm and guarantees compensation for misalignments up to 2.5 mm between the guide of the load to be moved and the linear drive, the company explains. The compensator is available from stock for drives in sizes from 18 to 80 mm, and can be mounted even if the drive and guide are already installed. www.festo.com

Heavy-duty inclinometers

W ire a n d C a b le headroom, full electronic protection and 5,000 VDC input to output isolation also contribute to the long operating life of the unit. All heat-generating components are installed on aluminum heat-sink blocks, which are cooled via baseplate to a heatsinking surface and by natural convection. The DHR 150-24 delivers the full 150watt continuous output power over an extended temperature range from zero to 70 degrees C, with no derating. www.absopulse.com

Circuit breakers Rockwell Automation’s line of mouldedcase circuit breakers, and control-circuit and load-protection devices, meet global certifications, including CE, CSA and CCC. The Allen-Bradley Bulletin 140G moulded-case circuit breakers are designed to protect against overload, short circuit and ground-fault conditions. Eight frame sizes span a current range of 15 to 3,000 amps and voltage range of 200 to 690 volts. All frame sizes are available in three- and four-pole versions. The line features increased short-circuit protection with co-ordination available for motors from 0.1 to 630 kW, fault currents up to 150 kA, and operational voltages up to 690 volts. The Allen-Bradley Bulletin 1489-M and Bulletin 1492-SPM circuit breakers are rated for 0.5 to 63 amps, and offer reversible line and load connections. The Bulletin 1489-M miniature circuit breaker

May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION

provides branch-circuit protection with current limiting and is suitable for extreme conditions. The Bulletin 1492SPM miniature circuit breaker protects equipment, systems and cables by quick disconnection. The Bulletin 1492-RCDA miniature circuit breaker detects and interrupts earth leakage for equipment protection. http://ca.rockwellautomation.com

Flat cable configurator

Enclosed switching power supplies

Cicoil’s newly expanded online “drag and drop” flat cable configurator allows a user to design a custom cable in minutes. An entire section of the website is now dedicated to this web application. Configurator cables can be constructed of many elements (more than 20 new additions), including power conductors, shielded signal pairs, video and coax wires, tubing for liquid and air, and design elements like Cicoil’s patented StripMount fastening strip. Cicoil has also added Specialty Signal Modules (Cat 5e, Cat 6, Camera Link, FireWire, USB 2.0, USB 3.0) to the configurator. Any of these elements can be combined in any position within the flat cable profile, which means that millions of flat cable designs are available for immediate production and delivery. As soon as the flat cable design is constructed, users receive a price quotation, custom part number and an engineering drawing delivered to their email inbox within seconds. www.cicoil.com

PowerGate LLC announces the release of the TRACOPOWER TXM015/25/35/50/75 series of enclosed switching power supplies with improved efficiencies and reduced power consumption at no load. An optimized thermal design, conformal coating and a robust mechanical design qualify these products for use in harsh industrial environments. The TXM series are available with power classes of 15, 25, 35, 50 and 75 watts. They are offered with single output voltages five, 12, 15, 24 and 48 VDC ±10 adjustable. All models operate over the Universal AC input range of 90 to 264 VAC using the latest high-grade components. www.powergatellc.com

R E A L I T I E S

Why can’t the big boys innovate? By dIcK MOrley

his column attempts to tackle the lack of innovation in large corporations. There are many ways to approach this problem — using your left brain is one way. We believe we can use deductive reasoning to achieve innovation. This only works for engineering; disruptive innovation is different. But most innovation is based on human intuition — the gut. I recommend that you see the movie Moneyball. I’ve talked about this before in my column, but it’s worth another mention. The short narrative version is that you hire only baseball players who can get on base — not those with high baseball scores, high-priced players or the coach’s nephew. Seldom do all-star teams win. But if the batting average were 300, you can pretty much guarantee that at five times at bat, the player would get on base. That’s all you have to do to win at the end of the day. In the true story, the team won 20 games in a row using low-cost, “on-base” players. In venture capital or with angels, we apply the same principles. Angels, by the way, are people who spend their own money in small sums to get a company started. The Breakfast Club, a small group investing their own money of which I was a part of, utilized the moneyball principle. Our batting average was about 300. This means that we had successes in one-third of the companies we invested in. We had to invest in five companies, each of which had a batting average of 300, to assure success in this statistical run. The only difficult thing with this situation is that if you have a second one that looks good, you must not invest in it. The reader is encouraged to look up the three-door Monty Hall problem for more information on this theory. The Breakfast Club ran this way, on an intuitive basis, for four decades and over 1,000 business plans. There were enough winners for us. Some examples of single, innovative inventions are the programmable logic controller (PLC) and building management using Andover controls. Many of you know the PLC story: On January 1, 1960, we embarked on the development of the programmable controller and, to our surprise, it took off. We did it mostly to get

AUTOMATION POST

rid of the problem of continually redesigning and did not consider it an investment. Andover controls was the PLC for building management. We sold the language to the home builder and contractor to eliminate the problem of redesign. An unexpected result from the Modicon PLC was Modbus, the de facto automation communications system. Those were successes, but many adventures were mistakes. We recently felt that indicator lights would be a nice thing to have on the factory floor — no go. We also decided to build large-scale super PLC hardware with easy-to-use software — another bomb. We attacked automated vehicles circa 1965 — too early. We built a rotating floppy disk for the military in 1967. We felt that it was unusable for the commercial market because of memory density and unconventional hardware. The floppy was not a bomb, but for us it was. You win some, you lose some. Some of the lessons we learned were that if there are no bumps in the road, you’re not moving. By this we mean you must maintain a risk/reward function and allow 70 per cent of your new ideas to fail to have one succeed. Start with five and you have an over 90 per cent chance of having one — but only one — winner out of the five. It takes time. On average, we like to have cash come back to the investors after seven years. We wish for five years, but it seldom happens. Another blocker is what Scientific American calls an “einstellung” — the German word for attitude. The article subscribes to the issue of good being the enemy of better. Conventional wisdom doesn’t necessarily win. I’ll share two examples. I work in a barn with a lot of fluorescent ceiling lights. One of the lights in the far unused corner was blinking, so I decided to fix it — I turned the light off. Another example concerns chess. One of my children played chess reasonably well. A good friend of mine is an excellent chess player. He bet that he could beat my kid five times in a row and if not, we would get a bottle of vodka. We kept getting bottles of vodka.

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Omega’s new CN38S series of temperature controllers are easy to program and feature an input for thermocouple, RTD and thermistor, a sensitive touch keypad and a programmable password protection. The sensor keyboard guarantees complete protection from dust and liquids in every critical environmental situation. The soft start feature makes it possible to eliminate thermal shock and mechanical stress that a system undergoes over start up. Ideal for process manufacturing, chemical, automotive and water industries. Price starts at $107 For more information, go to omega.ca

OmegaProd_MA_May.indd 1 2014-04-23 3:36 PM

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Advantech Industrial Automation Group............... 8 Allied Electronics Inc. ......................................... IBC Automation Post ................................................. 26 Automationdirect.com ....................................... IFC Beckhoff Canada ................................................... 5 Conec Corporation .............................................. 17 Encoder Products Company .................................. 6 Festo Inc. ............................................................. 19 Hiwin Corporation ................................................. 9 Murrelektronik Canada ......................................... 3 NSK Canada Inc. ................................................. 10 Omega Engineering, Inc. ...............................7 + 26 Phoenix Contact Ltd. ........................................... 21 SCHUNK Intec Corp. ............................................ 15 Siemens Canada Ltd..........................................OBC Skills/Compétences Canada ................................ 22 SySPRO ............................................................... 11 Top 20 Under 40 ................................................. 23

May 2014 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION

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Dick Morley is the inventor of the PLC, an author, speaker, automation industry maverick and a self-proclaimed ubergeek. Email him at morley@barn.org.

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This is how the kid worked it: He played the player, not the game. Using unusual pieces and annoying music helped. He also attempted to remove the opponent’s queen at all costs, especially if he was making the first move. The first move determines the game. Once he removed the queen, the game they were playing was not in the chess books. That means they’re playing each other. Think about that. I also found that technology is irrelevant — what counts is the market and the value to the buyer. It’s annoying to have your operating system continually updated when all it does is make things more complicated for the user. Today, you can go to any modern group of geeks, describe the problem and they will build you a solution. Recognition in the marketplace is the key, along with statistical analysis. Most big companies have a cycle that goes something like this: seek an idea, present it to your boss, the boss can either say yes or no. If he says no, the session is over. If he says yes, it really means a request to his supervisor for a no. Even if it had a 50-50 chance, you will get a no. Any risk that doesn’t get a quick reward penalizes the innovator. But let’s get back to the initial problem presented — large companies have trouble innovating. Being an innovator in a large company usually doesn’t work. Why? They want to solve a problem they think they have. That’s called engineering. Innovation is when you make a problem for the competition. It requires a revolution in thinking and understanding that you have a groove in your brain that says the old ways always work, but how well do they work and are they solving the real problem? Those are important questions. So here’s my advice: start from the bottom; only do five projects; hire smart people; do not micro-manage; take your time; only one can win; repeat next year; and call me in the morning. •

2014-04-23 1:26 PM

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