Electricity + Control May 2018

LIGHT + CURRENT

Turck takes over Industry Cloud Software from Beck IPC

cloud solutions are hosted in Germany, maximum data protection is guaranteed worldwide. Besides the simple storing of data, the solutions also enable process visualisation, the creation of data logs and data reports, right through to the display of monitoring functions – that can be accessed worldwide and round the clock. Enquiries: BrandonTopham. Email brandon.topham@retautomation.com

Turck has acquired the cloud software of IoT specialists Beck IPC as part of a technology buyout. The fully developed software solu- tion provides the foundation for the development of the in-house industrial cloud solutions of the Mülheim automation specialists. “The acquisition of the well thought-out cloud software from Beck IPC will enable Turck to take one more step along the path of be- coming automation partner for Industry 4.0. Using this software as a basis, we will already in the near future be able to offer our cus- tomers a mature and future-proof industrial cloud solution, which we will continually further develop together,” explainsTurck manag- ing director Christian Wolf at the signing of the contract. “In the collaboration with Turck we are seeing for the first time in automation a genuine sensor-to-cloud platform for all industrial sectors,” says Thomas Schumacher, CEO of Beck IPC. Oliver Mer- get, head of the Turck’s Automation Systems business unit, adds: “We don't want to unsettle our customers with Big Data, but offer them Smart Data, i.e. only data with useful value, such as for use in predictive maintenance in order to reduce unplanned plant down- times. The new Turck cloud solutions will enable our customers to effectively evaluate machine data for their own requirements.” The software from Beck IPC stands out on account of the high security standards implemented and its specific tailoring to indus- trial applications, also with regard to performance and scalability. A special Beck IPC protocol increases the security of the stored data in addition to the end-to-end encryption. As the servers of theTurck

From left :Turck managing director Christian Wolf, Beck IPC CEO Thomas Schumacher and Oliver Merget, business unit manager for Automation Systems at Turck.

VTT has 3D printed a smart metal part

formance and condition of machines or de- vices, or verify the authenticity of the parts. "We performed a successful smart component demo, in which we explored potential technologies. During the manu- facturing phase, we embedded an accel- erometer and the necessary wiring into a 3D printed metal shaft for a friction bear- ing. In addition, electronics allowing wire- less communication were installed on the bearing. We were able to demonstrate the reliability of the shaft’s measurement tech- nology and data transfer on a bearing test bench. The rapid collection and use of ac- curate data markedly increase when data is directly transferred from the component to the cloud wirelessly. This will enable us to take the next big step towards artificial intelligence," says Research Team Leader Pasi Puukko. Themethod provides the designer with a much higher degree of freedom compared to traditional manufacturing methods. For example, a device with a wear-measuring sensor provides up-to-date information allowing the necessary maintenance to begin automatically, without breaks in pro-

duction. The developed method has a wide range of possible applications: From the manufacture of industrial machines to the energy, mining and transport industries. Embedded sensors are ideal for demand- ing conditions, because the sensors and wiring are protected inside the component, and normal functioning is unimpeded by extraneous wiring on the surfaces of struc- tures. Companies are welcome to join VTT in developing intelligent components. Enquiries: Email Pasi.Puukko@vtt.fi

VTT Technical Research Centre of Fin- land , which is developing future manu- facturing concepts, has succeeded in 3D printing a smart shaft. Novel is the overall process management chain in particular: 3D printing, sensor technology, wireless data transfer, and condition monitoring in the same package. The new manufacturing methods will enable the creation of new business models and provide a competitive edge in developing AI. The digital revolution in manufacturing technology lies in additive manufacturing, the 3D printing of items based on digital models. This enables the tailoring of parts and rapid manufacture on demand. The most intense competition in technological development within this sector concerns smart solutions. There is widespread in- vestment in R&D, but few have succeeded in developing a working solution, in which sensors form a functional part of a 3D print- ed metal structure. VTT's proof of concept demo showed that a range of sensors or smart identifica- tions can be added to 3D printed metal parts during manufacture, in order to track the per-

Electricity + Control

MAY 2018

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