Kor Ecologic`s Urbee 2 looks to answer the question of sustainable

Transcription

16 Autodesk helps expand reach of
Weatherhaven’s portable shelters
24 Quebec’s InnovMetric speeds
38
development for after-market
automotive OEM
Precisely tuning servomotors
boost accuracy, productivity.
$10.00 | May/June 2013
Future of
Automotive Design?
PM 40069240
The
1-DES.indd 1
Kor Ecologic’s
Urbee 2 looks to
answer the question of
sustainable transport.
13-06-11 11:32 AM
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2-3-DES.indd 2
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5/16/2013 3:03:16 PM
8
PEO elects new
president
8
Université Laval
regains Shell
Eco-marathon title
8
DEX Expo rocks B.C.
10
Beckhoff relocates
to new HQ
10
BioFuelNet, Airbus
and Air Canada
partner on biofuel
12
Queen’s researchers
unveil shapechanging
smartphone
12
Combat-ready
rechargeable
battery scores
federal funding
12
Canadian inventors
launch $600 3D
scanner
14
Neptec enters 3D
machine vision
market
14
Ballard signs
tentative fuel cell
bus deal
p
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Contents | Volume 59, No. 3
IN THE NEWS
Columns
5
12
16 CAD Report
B.C.’s Weatherhaven relies on Autodesk
Inventor to design rugged portable shelters
20 CAD Beat
Maple-assisted computation helps discover
the theoretical Gömböc geometric shape
32 Power Transmission
Miniature slides facilitate test of tiny semiconductor wafers
16
41 Idea Generator
The latest in industrial products including
power transmission, sensors and motors
46 Canadian Innovator
U of T engineering grads create the “most
efficient light bulb in the world”
20
Features
24 A Flare for Design
3D scanning and Quebec-based
InnovMetric metrology software turn
concept to product in record time.
28 The Future of Automotive Design?
Kor Ecologic’s Urbee 2 looks to answer
the question of sustainable transport.
24
36 The Right Tool for the Job
SPIROL engineers and a custom disk spring
solve DeWALT tool design problem
38 Sharpening the Axes
Precisely tuned servomotor technology can
boosts productivity and increase accuracy
28
46
Printed in Canada
www.design-engineering.com
4-5-DES.indd 5
May/June | 2013
13-06-11 1:20 PM
6 EditorialViewpoint
1-800-Innovation
I
n May, the Harper government announced that the 100-year-old National
Research Council, Canada’s center for scientific and engineering research,
would be fundamentally reorganized, so as to focus its efforts away from basic
blue-sky research and toward scientific investigation with discernable commercial applications.
In his announcement of the NRC’s new direction, Minister for Science and
Technology, Gary Goodyear, said the organization needs to return to its roots.
“The realities of the 21st century economy mean that if Canada is going to
continue to compete internationally, we must do it through developing new
ideas and new products and opening new markets—in other words, through
innovation,” he said. “By helping Canadian businesses develop and bring technically advanced products to market, the NRC is supporting the creation of not
just jobs but good-quality, high-paying, long-lasting jobs.
Following recommendations presented in a 2011 report by expert advisors
headed by Tom Jenkins, executive chairman and chief strategy officer for OpenText, the NRC’s new entrepreneurial focus will see its more than 20 research
institutes and projects consolidated into 12 business units that focus on five core
areas of research: health costs, manufacturing, community infrastructure,
security, and natural resources and the environment.
Part of the impetus to reshape the organization stems from the fact that, even
though Canada has historically spent more than other OECD countries to foster
R&D, through the Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED)
tax credit program, it has comparatively little to show for it. In addition, private
sector R&D spending continues to lag behind that of similar industrialized nations.
As a result, political leaders see the overhaul as a means to turn the NRC into the
business sector’s 1-800 number for industrial-focused research.
The move has drawn criticism from all sides. Many in the scientific community see it as the most recent move by a government generally hostile to
science. Others liken it to a government subsidy, a bailout of SME’s unable or
unwilling to conduct R&D activity themselves.
While that may be true, the real problem is that this strategy puts a government-run institution in the position of acting like a for-profit business. If the
intent is to drive Canadian innovation—which, by its definition, requires commercialization— then the benchmark of the NRC’s success, inevitably, will be
measured in dollars and cents.
As a result, the agency could easily become overly timid, taking safe bets on
only “sure thing” projects deemed the most likely to show return-on-investment.
Never mind that the NRC’s redirection represents a fundamental shift in its
culture, but gauging which novel ideas will or won’t be profitable is the domain
of entrepreneurs, not research scientists.
In the end, the only companies to benefit from this new focus may well be
large corporations that don’t need a research handout. What will fall through
the cracks are the riskier ideas germinated in small to medium sized firms where
true innovation historically takes place.
Mike McLeod
@
I enjoy hearing from you so please contact me at
[email protected] and your letter
could be published in an upcoming issue.
May/June | 2013
6-7-DES.indd 6
Editor
Michael McLeod (416) 442-5600 ext. 3231
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Publisher
Alan Macpherson (416) 510-6756
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Technical Field Editor
Pat Jones, P. Eng.
Art Director
Kathy Smith (416) 442-5600 ext. 3215
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Vice-President of Canadian Publishing,
Alex Papanou
President of Business Information Group,
Bruce Creighton
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13-06-11 1:48 PM
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13-06-11 11:34 AM
8 DesignNews
Up Front
PEO elects new president
Professional
Engineers
Ontario elected Annette
Bergeron, P.Eng., MBA, as
its 94th president during its
annual general meeting in
April. She holds an honours
bachelor of science, material Annette Bergeron
and metallurgical engineering, from Queen’s University and a master of
business administration from the Schulich School
of Business, York University. She has worked as
a production engineer at Dofasco Inc.; a lecturer
at Queen’s faculty of applied science and engineering and Queen’s school of business; and
director, first-year studies, Queen’s engineering.
Most recently, she was general manager at
Queen’s Alma Mater Society (AMS) Inc. She has
also twice served as president and chair of the
Ontario Society of Professional Engineers.
www.peo.on.ca
JNE Consulting
announces new
president and CEO
JNE
Consulting
Ltd.
appointed John Ng, P. Eng.
as its new president and
CEO. Ng holds an Honours John Ng
Bachelor of Science degree
in toxicology along with an Honours Degree
in structural engineering from the University
of Toronto. As part of his recent achievements,
he was recognized as the “2012 Person of the
Year” at the Eighth Annual Chinese Business
Excellence Awards Celebration. Ng is a licensed
professional and consulting engineer in Ontario
and Alberta and an active member of the Upper
Canada Chapter of the Young Presidents’
Organization.
www.jneconsulting.ca
Université Laval regains
Shell Eco-marathon title
A
t the 7th annual Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2013, Quebec’s
Université Laval posted the highest mileage ever achieved at the
annual fuel-efficiency competition by traveling 3,587 miles on a
single gallon of gasoline.
This was the fourth year in the last five that the Canadian team
has dominated the competition, which attracted more than 1,000
students from across the Americas. Last year’s winner, a team from
Mater Dei High School in Evansville, Ind., placed second with a best
run of 2,308 mpg on the track through the streets of downtown
Houston.
Some 131 vehicles competed this year in various categories for the
$2,000 first prize, with the Université Laval achievement attaining
nearly 1,300 mpg better than Mater Dei’s showing last year.
“What the Laval team accomplished is truly remarkable and it
underscores the long way our own cars and trucks can go to improve
their fuel efficiency,” said Mark Singer, global project manager of
Shell Eco-marathon. “Each year, dedicated high school and university
student teams astonish us with the advances they make in achieving
unheard-of fuel-efficiency improvements.”
While impressive, Université Laval’s winning mark – achieved in
the Prototype category for internal combustion vehicles – didn’t break
the all-time record of 8,914 mpg by a French team in 2003. Besides
the Americas competition in Houston, Shell Eco-marathon also
occurs annually in Europe and Asia and involves thousands of students
from dozens of countries.
www.shell.com/ecomarathon
MaRS appoints president and COO
DEX Expo Rocks B.C.
MaRS Discovery District has appointed Euan
Robertson to the newly created role of president and Chief Operating
Officer. Robertson joins
MaRS from the New York
City Economic Development
Corporation (NYCEDC),
where he held the position
of executive VP, and the Euan Robertson
By all accounts, the inaugural Design Engineering Expo (DEX) West
held this May in Coquitlam (Vancouver), B.C. was a resounding
success, surpassing all expectations leading up the to annual tradeshow.
Sponsored jointly by Design Engineering and Canadian Metalworking magazines, the one-day tabletop expo featured the latest design,
OEM and metalworking technologies in a one-on-one oriented venue.
More than 500 local engineers, manufacturing executives, project
managers, and purchasing agents toured the show during its first year
in Western Canada, and the vast majority came away eager to return
May/June | 2013
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13-06-10 11:37 AM
10
DesignNews
Up Front
Center for Economic Transformation, where
he served as managing director. At NYCEDC,
he oversaw a broad suite of programs, including investment funds, incubators, training and
mentorship and advisory services.
The newly created role coincides with the
organization opening its Phase 2 building, which
will more than double the size of its current
facilities to more than 1.5 million square feet.
www.marsdd.com
Mitutoyo Canada Inc. hires sales
manager
Mitutoyo Canada is pleased
to announce the appointment of John Dewar as sales
manager. A graduate of
McMaster University, Dewar
has 25 years of experience
in sales of precision measur- John Dewar
ing equipment to the manufacturing industry. For the last 15 years, he has
fulfilled the role of sales and application specialist for Mitutoyo Canada covering the Southern
Ontario region, working with end users and
Mitutoyo product distributors. Dewar will report
to Peter Detmers, who was named as vice
president of sales, overseeing all aspects of
Canadian sales and sales support operations in
January 2013.
www.mitutoyo.ca
next year. Post-event survey results showed that 86 percent of attendees planned to attend next year’s event.
Not surprisingly, DEX West’s 62 exhibitors were likewise enthusiastic about the show’s performance and optimistic for its future in
the Vancouver area. Nearly all survey respondents (96 percent) said
they felt attendees represented a well qualified audience and that they
would exhibit again at DEX West next year.
“We chose to locate our second DEX tabletop show in British
Columbia because we felt the greater Vancouver area was rich in small
to mid-size manufacturing companies but vastly underserved by
industry events designed to showcase their products and technologies
to local OEM buyers and decision-makers,” said Alan Macpherson,
Design Engineering Publisher and DEX show manager.
“We were very pleased with the response from our exhibitors and
attendees alike and we are looking forward to returning to Coquitlam
next May with an even bigger show. To be sure, there are other areas
of Canada similarly underserved and we plan to expand DEX over
the coming years. We’re adding a show in Calgary next year and more
locations are in the works.”
www.DEXexpo.com
Beckhoff Automation relocates
North American HQ
Beckhoff Automation LLC has relocated to
Savage, Minn. where the company has constructed a modern business complex with over
44,500 square feet in combined office and
warehouse space.
The new Savage building has more than triple
the available space of its previous facility in terms
of general office, warehouse and repair center
space. The warehouse measures 15,000+ square
feet while the Industrial PC repair center is more
than 1,660+square feet.
Leveraging the company’s own hardware and
software for advanced building automation,
the building’s lighting, heating/cooling, ventilation and window facades are all automated
via PC-based control to reduce energy consumption.
www.beckhoff.com
May/June | 2013
8-15-DES.indd 10
BioFuelNet, Airbus and Air Canada partner on
biofuel
Not-for-profit organization, BioFuelNet, has signed an agreement
with Air Canada and Airbus to assess the viability of various Canadian
advanced biofuels solutions for aviation. Their research will focus on
diverse raw materials, such as municipal solid waste and agricultural
and forestry waste, as well as a range of conversion processes available
for biofuel production.
“Aviation biofuels are one of the most promising ways to reduce
the aviation industry’s carbon footprint, making air travel more
environmentally-friendly,” Dr. Donald Smith, president of BioFuelNet and McGill University professor says.
BioFuelNet was launched in 2012 as part of the Federal Networks
of Centres of Excellence program, which funds BioFuelNet through
a $25 million grant over five years. BioFuelNet brings together 74
leading researchers working on advanced biofuels in Canada, as well
as industry partners and government, to accelerate research, development and commercialization of advanced biofuels.
www.biofuelnet.ca
13-06-11 1:44 PM
DMR_E
DMR_EssentialComponents_September-2011-outline_01.indd
1
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8/15/2011
PM
13-06-1012:43:40
11:37 AM
12 DesignNews
Queen’s researchers unveil
shape-changing smartphone
Building on its previous flexible electronic creations, the
PaperPhone and PaperTab, researchers at Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab have developed a new smartphone,
called MorePhone, that changes shape to signal incoming
phone calls, text messages or emails.
“Users are familiar with hearing their phone ring or feeling it vibrate in silent mode,” says Roel Vertegaal (School of
Computing), director of the Human Media Lab at Queen’s
University. “One of the problems with current silent forms
of notification is that users often miss notifications when not
holding their phone. With MorePhone, they can leave their
smartphone on the table and observe visual shape changes
when someone is trying to contact them.”
MorePhone is made of a thin, flexible plastic electronics
layer — manufactured by British plastic electronics firm,
Plastic Logic -– bonded to an electrophoretic E Ink display
as found in eBook readers. Shape memory alloy wires, sandwiched beneath the display, contract and curl the phone’s
entire body, to signal an incoming call, or a individual corner, to signal a new text message or e-mail. Corners can also
repeatedly bend up and down to convey messages of greater
urgency, the researchers say.
www.hml.queensu.ca
Canadian combat-ready rechargeable
battery scores federal funding
Lithium battery system maker, Panacis, announced that it
has been awarded up to $613,457 to fund development of its
Soldier Sharepack wearable energy storage system targeted
at the defense market.
The company hopes to commercialize the Sharepack to
help militaries deal with the challenges of the modern battlefield. Soldiers carry an increasing number of electronic devices
— from standard communications to sophisticated night
vision goggles and navigation gear. With that comes the need
for an array of power sources that can weigh a combatant
down. Canadian soldiers, for example, currently carry up to
seven kilos of double A batteries during a mission.
In contrast, Panacis is developing rechargeable battery
packs that weigh less, last longer and can be used in extreme
cold or hot conditions. In addition, the systems can be customized to integrate into a soldier’s clothing or weapons.
Specifically, Panacis’ system is both a battery and an energy
management device that uses flexible energy sharing, harvesting and scavenging techniques that allow a user’s movement
and renewable sources such as solar to supplement the battery
charge and provide reliable power.
According to the company, the FedDev Ontario investment
has helped Panacis attract another $1,226,916 in private
investment from the Capital Angel Network.
www.panacis.com
www.FedDevOntario.gc.ca
Canadian inventors launch $600 3D scanner
A pair of Toronto-based inventors, Drew Cox and Adam
Brandejs, and their company, Matterform, have become the
darlings of the crowd funding site, Indiegogo, with a small
desktop-sized 3D scanner called the Photon that costs less
than $600.
“The Photon 3D scanner allows anyone to take a physical
object and turn it into a digital 3D model on your computer,”
says Cox, co-founder of the pair’s invention company, Matterform. “It works by shooting dual laser lines at an object as
it rotates 360 degrees, taking pictures with an HD camera along
the way. At a current price of $599, this is the first 3D scanner
that is affordable for the home consumer market.”
The small desktop unit can scan objects up to 190mm x
190mm x 250mm in about three minutes. The Photon has a
resolution of 0.43mm at 0.5 degree scans, with an accuracy of
+/- .2mm on a 4-inch figurine. With scanning software compatible with all major platforms, the Photon saves files to .STL,
.OBJ and point cloud .PLY formats.
Launched via a 35-day crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, Matterform surpassed its initial fundraising goal of
$81,000 in a week. The company has yet to say when the
scanner will be available for sale through its web site or how
much the final retail price will be.
http://matterform.net
May/June | 2013
8-15-DES.indd 12
13-06-10 11:37 AM
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8-15-DES.indd 13
13-06-10 11:37 AM
14 DesignNews
Neptec enters 3D machine vision market
Neptec Technologies Corp., a spin-off of Neptec Design Group
Ltd., announced the launch of a line of obscurant-penetrating
3D laser scanners and a software development tool kit that
features automatic change detection, object recognition and
object tracking. Together, the components are intended to help
OEMs create intelligent 3D machine vision applications on
autonomous off-road vehicles and for laser-based survey and
measurement tasks in harsh environments.
The company says its OPAL 2.0 laser
scanners are designed for real-time 3D
applications in harsh environments. They
incorporate Neptec’s obscurant-penetrating LiDAR technology and have been
packaged for the rough conditions typical
of off-road vehicles and mapping sensors
used in the mining, oil and gas and construction industries.
In addition, Neptec
says its 3DRi (3D Real-time
intelligence) SDK incorporates the company’s
3D data algorithms and real-time software
for automatic change detection, 3D data alignment and object recognition.
H
W
u
li
www.neptectechnologies.com
Ballard signs tentative fuel cell
bus deal
Ballard Power Systems signed a non-binding
Memorandum of Understanding with Azure
Hydrogen Corporation of Beijing, China for
the development of fuel cell buses.
Under the terms of the deal, Azure made
a $1 million up-front payment and Ballard
will provide a manufacturing license agreement, engineering services, fuel cell stacks
and components.
O
a
c
•
•
•
•
Mr. Grand Mao, Azure Chairman (left) and Mr.
John Sheridan, Ballard President & CEO (CNW
Group/Ballard Power Systems Inc.)
Azure plans to develop fuel cell bus capabilities in China with Ballard’s technical
support and funding from Chinese sources,
including both private investors as well as
various levels of government. If successful,
the collaboration could lead to deployment
of zero-emission fuel cell buses in China.
Ballard fuel cell products are currently
powering zero emission fuel cell buses in
public transit service in more than 10 countries, including Canada, the U.S., Brazil, India,
China and a number of European countries.
www.ballard.com
May/June | 2013
8-15-DES.indd 14
13-06-10 11:37 AM
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How To Keep Your Electronics Cool
When hot weather causes the electronics inside a control cabinet to fail, there is a panic to get the machinery
up and running again. There are several cooling options out there and it’s important to know the facts.
line up of coolers that are prone to bad behavior
$$$$$$
$$$$$
$$$$
$$$
$$
$
¢
Opening the panel door
and aiming a fan at the
circuit boards is a bad idea.
• It is an OSHA violation
that presents a shock
hazard to personnel
• The fan blows hot, humid,
dirty air at the electronics
• The cooling effect is
minimal
• It is likely to fail again
since the environment
is still hot
Reliable and mainten
H
WAVITDCEO
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These coolers are prone to
failure in dirty, industrial
environments when dust
and dirt clogs the filter.
• It takes almost a day
to install
• Vibration from machinery
causes refrigerant leaks
and component failures
• Compressor life expectancy
is typically 2.5 years of
continuous operation
• It requires a floor drain
for the condensation
• Average cost to replace
a bad compressor is $750
ance free!
3/44 05 3. ht m
These have serious limitations.
On hot summer days when
the temperatures of the room
and inside of the enclosure
are about equal, there’s not
enough difference for effective
heat exchange.
• They fail when dust and
dirt clogs the filter
• The cooling capacity is
limited due to ambient
conditions
The “plastic box cooler” from a
competitor uses an inaccurate
mechanical thermostat that’s
designed for liquids. Th is
thermostat has a poor ability
to react quickly to changes in
air temperature. It costs up
to 85% more to operate than
EXAIR’s ETC Cabinet Cooler®
System with the same SCFM
rating and Btu/hr. output.
• Electronics can overheat
before it turns on
• It runs far longer than
necessary before shutting off
• Increased cycle time wastes
compressed air
EXAIR Cabinet Cooler ® Systems
EXAIR has a complete line of Cabinet Cooler Systems
to dependably cool and purge your electrical enclosures.
They convert an ordinary supply of compressed air into
clean, cold 20 ºF air. They mount in minutes through an ordinary electrical knockout and have no moving parts to wear out. The compressed air filtration that is
provided keeps water, oil and other contaminants out of the enclosure.
• There is no room air filter to clog
• An accurate electrical thermostat control minimizes compressed air use
• All Cabinet Coolers are UL Listed to US and Canadian safety standards
• They are the only compressed air powered coolers that are CE compliant
www.exair.com/53/440.htm
If you would like to discuss
an application, contact an
Application Engineer at:
8-15-DES.indd 15
Manufacturing Intelligent Compressed Air® Products Since 1983
11510 Goldcoast Drive • Cincinnati, Ohio • 45249-1621 • (800) 903-9247
@EXAIR
fax: (513) 671-3363 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.exair.com
13-06-10 11:37 AM
16 CADReport
Shelter
from the
Elements
B.C.’s Weatherhaven relies on Autodesk Inventor software to design portable shelter
systems for the most rugged environments
and remote locations.
C
ommitted to improving the quality of life for people
operating in extremely rugged and dangerous conditions, Burnaby, BC-based Weatherhaven designs and
manufactures portable shelter systems for organizations as
diverse as NATO, scores of governments and armed forces,
and hundreds of resort, exploration, scientific and geographic
research companies.
The company’s shelters have supported earthquake relief
efforts in Haiti, military campaigns in Afghanistan, scientific
expeditions in Antarctica and peacekeeping missions in the
Sahara desert. In addition, the United Nations has used them
for every deployment since 1990.
To rapidly deliver shelters that meet the challenging requirements of these customers, Weatherhaven relies on Autodesk
Inventor, as well as Autodesk Vault to reuse designs and manage iterations and revisions. As a result, the Canada-based
company says it has realized a 100 percent ROI within a short
time frame, more quickly produce safer products with
improved transportability, and transitioned from manufacturing to a full product development firm.
Field Deployment
Weatherhaven’s shelters are configured to order. They can
include everything from portable sleepers, field kitchens,
showers and laundry rooms to gymnasiums, vehicle repair
facilities and field hospitals. Given the wide range of specifications and the urgent need for shelters precipitated by natural disasters, health epidemics and military engagements,
Weatherhaven adapts its products to make sure they are
easily assembled, disassembled and transported, while occupying a very small environmental footprint.
“We keep very little inventory, and orders need fulfilling
May/June | 2013
16-19-DES.indd 16
Designed in Inventor, Weatherhaven’s portable shelters see duty in
relief efforts, military campaigns and scientific expeditions.
as soon as possible,” says Ray Castelli, CEO of Weatherhaven.
“For example, when the Haiti earthquake hit, we were the
first to send 140 field hospitals to assist civilian agencies in
dealing with the aftermath. It’s critical that our shelters help
teams hit the ground running.”
Weatherhaven not only must configure and manufacture
systems rapidly, but also design its systems to be mobile, redeployable and lightweight so they can be broken down,
moved and reassembled with ease when an operation shifts
locations. But the design challenges don’t stop there. In recent
years, the design team has been tasked with innovating completely new products, helping to transform Weatherhaven
from a manufacturer to a product development company.
Taking Shelter
A longtime AutoCAD user, Weatherhaven now relies on
Autodesk Inventor to create the CAD designs of all its products, both new and configured-to-order. With Inventor, it’s
easier to find problems earlier in the design process—well
before manufacturing, the company says.
“With a digital prototype, we can see how systems will work
together,” explains Ryan Savenkoff, design engineer at Weatherhaven. “We can even drop digital models from our suppliers
into our assemblies and then check for interferences. With
Autodesk Inventor, we have much more confidence in our
designs and know they’ll be manufactured the way we intend.
Digital Prototyping has significantly cut down the time for
product development from concept to manufacturing.”
“Knowing that the components will work together seamlessly
is a real time-saver,” agrees Graham Thompson, design technician at Weatherhaven. “It cuts down on rework tremendously.”
In addition, Weatherhaven now builds fewer physical prototypes, relying more heavily on digital prototyping to put
designs through their paces. “Our physical prototypes can cost
13-06-10 11:44 AM
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18
CADReport
up to US$100,000 to build,” says Thompson. “Autodesk Inventor has already paid for itself—and then some.”
Meeting one of its primary design challenges—making
lighter, more mobile shelters to facilitate transportability—is
now a much easier task.
“Autodesk Inventor automatically calculates the weight of
various parts and assemblies as we design,” explains Savenkoff.
“The lighter it is, the more cost-effective it is. In fact, we can pick up a
shelter from a desert location and
have it re-deployed to Antarctica two weeks later.”
Using the integrated
finite element analysis (FEA)
feature in Autodesk Inventor
software, Weatherhaven can
predict stress and deflection.
Engineers can help ensure
they are meeting safety
requirements as they optimize the design to lower the
overall assembly weight.
Inventor’s sheet metal tool
helped accelerate the design of
Weatherhaven’s MSVS shelters.
16-19-DES.indd 18
Tackling New Challenges
Digital prototyping solidified its value to Weatherhaven when
the company partnered with DEW Engineering to win a highly
competitive contract with the Canadian military to replace an
aging fleet of military trucks with complex container-based
shelters. Built on traditional truck bodies, the Medium Support
Vehicle System (MSVS) shelters serve as kitchens, dentist offices,
showers, washrooms, medical centers, and more.
The MSVS project challenged Weatherhaven’s team to design
something totally new—and on a very tight timeline.
“It was a completely new kind of project for us,”
says Castelli. “We had to meet very exacting specifications—and wouldn’t
have been able to do it without Inventor.”
Savenkoff points to the
tools integrated into Inventor,
particularly the sheet metal
tool, as critical to making the
MSVS project a success.
“All the useful tools in
Inventor helped us move
through the design very quickly,” says
Savenkoff. “For instance, with the sheet
metal tool, you don’t have to spend time calculating bend radiuses. You just pick a material, style
13-06-10 11:44 AM
CADReport 19
and the length of flanges and that’s it. It’s clear
Autodesk has thought a great deal about how people
work and how to save them time.”
Within 12 months of being awarded the contract,
Weatherhaven leverage Inventor’s FEA
Weatherhaven had a MSVS prototype designed,
and weight calculation tools to ensure
engineered and tested. “We’d never done anything
safety while saving material costs.
that fast before, and certainly nothing of that complexity,” remarks Castelli.
In addition to the initial contract, Boeing recently
awarded Weatherhaven a US$5.6 million contract
to modify and convert existing MSVS shelters into
portable repair and maintenance shelters for Canada’s CH-147 helicopters as part of the Canadian
Medium-to-Heavy Lift Helicopter Program.
Even though Weatherhaven dedicates only a
handful of engineers to researching and developing
completely new products, the company already has made strides and billion-dollar companies around the globe.
transforming into a product development company.
“We’re a US$100 million company with an engineering
Castelli says, “Autodesk Inventor software gives our engineers department that has fewer than 10 people, yet we’re competing
the ability to build comprehensive digital prototypes to test with billion-dollar companies,” says Castelli. “With help from
out a range of new products. We don’t have our good ideas Inventor software, we’re servicing some of the most sophisticated
languishing on the drawing board anymore.”
and exacting customers in the world. It definitely gives us a
In addition, Weatherhaven is using Autodesk software to competitive advantage.”
DE
save time during the design phase—and to deploy its shelters www.weatherhaven.com
to their rugged destinations more quickly. The result has been
satisfied customers and a solid reputation with governments This article was provided by Autodesk.
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13-06-10 11:44 AM
20 CADBeat
Theoretical
to Practical
Maple-assisted computation helps discover
the mathematics-based Gömböc shape.
W
hen the existence of the Gömböc
shape was discovered in 2007 by
Hungarian scientists Gábor Domokos
and Péter Várkonyi, it solved a long
standing mystery. For years, mathematicians had discussed, debated and tried
to prove its existence using mathematical equations.
Vladimir Arnold, a Russian scientist,
had conjectured its existence, but it took
a decade to prove it conclusively and
create the shape. The New York Times
called the discovery “one of the best ideas
of the year.” Like in many other mathematical developments, Maple played a
role in creating the Gömböc.
A Gömböc is a convex three-dimensional homogeneous body which, when
resting on a flat surface, has just one
stable and one unstable point of equilibrium. The Gömböc shape is not
unique; it has countless varieties, most
May/June | 2013
20-23-DES.indd 20
of which are very close to a sphere and
all have very strict shape tolerance (less
than 0.1 mm per 10 cm). The most
famous solution has a sharpened top.
If you put a Gömböc down on a flat
surface, resting on its stable equilibrium
point, it will stay in the same position.
“Even if you kick it a little, it will
come back to its resting position at the
stable equilibrium point,” says Domokos, one of the inventors of Gömböc.
“If it is put down at a non-equilibrium
point, it will start rolling around in a
systematic way until it has reached the
stable equilibrium position.”
Difficult Proofs
The invention of the Gömböc is the
culmination of a long process of mathematical research and Maple, the
mathematical computation engine
from Maplesoft, played an important
13-06-10 11:46 AM
CADBeat
role in its discovery. The yet-undiscovered shape was known to be a convex
mono-monostatic object — a threedimensional object, which because of
its geometry had only one possible way
to balance upright.
Domokos and Várkonyi identified
a two-parameter family of objects, all
of which had the desired mono-monostatic property. However, not all of
them were convex. Maple was used to
identify the convex objects and thus
prove the shape’s existence.
The process involved a large amount
of complex, precise mathematical computation, and Maple’s symbolic computation power made it possible.
“The final geometry of Gömböc had
to be determined with great accuracy,
which meant the details were critical
and we couldn’t afford to miss any,”
said Domokos. “Maple was very useful
20-23-DES.indd 21
21
This formerly theoretical geometric shape,
called the Gömböc, was discovered, in part,
using Maplesoft’s mathmatics engine, Maple.
in this regard. Using Maple made the
calculations more thorough and secure;
its computational power can calculate
and explore very sensitive details. So
it was a trusted companion in our
discovery process.”
Speaking of the popularity of the
Gömböc and the attention it received
from the scientific and mathematical
community around the globe, Domokos said, “The beauty of Gömböc is its
absolute simplicity. It is so simple that
high school students can understand
it, but it has potentially great impact
on the sciences and has several applications in nature. Yet the answer was
elusive for 2000 years.”
May/June | 2013
13-06-10 11:46 AM
22 CADBeat
Theoretical to Practical
Taking their discovery into the world of natural science,
Domokos and Várkonyi discovered a unique application of
Gömböc among tortoises. They conducted an extensive study
of tortoises using complex three-dimensional models of the
shell, created in Maple. Using these models, they discovered
that, of the 200 species of turtles in nature, two species had
Gömböc-shaped shells. This meant that these turtles had a
unique evolutionary advantage in that they had the ability to
self-right.
“I saw that they were acting like Gömböcs” exclaimed
Domokos. Being on their back is a vulnerable and dangerous
position for any tortoise. The male tortoise is known to turn
over their rivals on their back in an attempt to render them
helpless. So any tortoise that has the ability to get back on its
belly, under gravity, without having to use its muscle, has a
unique advantage, and more power.
“It is the Gömböc shape of their shell that gives them this
power,” observed Domokos. “This is a classic example of
evolution finding the optimal shape for survival.”
Continuing his research, Domokos is currently involved
in studying the shape of beach pebbles. His research with Gary
Gibbons from Cambridge University attempts to describe the
shape of pebbles, and their evolution. They are also trying to
understand the interaction between pebbles in their collective
evolution.
Using Maple, Domokos was able to study a system of integrable differential equations. Solving the equation systems
gives him unique insights that he otherwise may have missed.
He is also studying the balance of friction and collisions
in the abrasion process which results in what is called dominant
pebble ratios, a phenomenon that makes pebbles in a certain
geographical area display similar global geometrical features.
Domokos is using Maple to determine the critical friction
coefficients which are responsible for the emergence of dominant pebble ratios.
Understanding shapes in nature is becoming increasingly
important, both on Earth and off it. Recently, NASA’s Curiosity rover sent back images from the surface of Mars that showed
an ancient riverbed. The size and shape of the pebbles indicate
that water flowed on Mars billions of years ago, and by studying the images of the rock, scientists will be able to learn more
about the speed and size of the ancient flow of water.
As Domokos continues his research into mathematical
shapes and the discovery of natural and scientific phenomenon
based on these shapes, Maple will continue to play a significant
role in his research.
“Maple is my favorite computational tool; it is simple and
powerful,” says Domokos. “We are surrounded by geometrical shapes which our brains are not wired to understand.
Shapes like Gömböc open a new language to understand such
shapes.”
DE
www.maplesoft.com
This article was provided by Maplesoft.
May/June | 2013
20-23-DES.indd 22
13-06-10 11:46 AM
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AD-116-11
Design 23
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1:08AM
PM
13-06-10
24
ShopTalk
A Flare
for Design
3D scanning and Quebec-based
InnovMetric metrology software turn
concept to product in record time.
After-market OEM Bushwacker uses 3D scanning
and InnovMetric’s PolyWorks software to ensure the fit and function
of its fender flares and Trail Armor package for the Jeep JK.
F
or nearly 40 years, family-operated Bushwacker Inc. has
manufactured fender flares and truck accessories for the
automotive after-market. The company is committed to style,
and they meticulously scrutinize every detail of each design,
using the latest standards in design and manufacturing. For
Bushwacker, quality can be summed up in three words: Fit,
finish and style.
However, OEMs continue to raise the bar for vehicle quality in terms of fit and finish, while the body style lines become
increasingly sophisticated. To stay in the game, Bushwacker’s
products must do the same.
“Our customers expect that the accessories will blend with
the vehicle’s style lines,” says Bushwacker design engineering,
Sterling Logan. “And with the high-quality surfaces that
automobile manufacturers produce, the slightest gap or tiniest interference with the vehicle’s style lines is immediately
obvious. So we have to deliver a product with a perfect fit.”
Crucial to reaching this goal is 3D scanning. After experimenting with alternative solutions and scanning services,
Bushwacker acquired a top-end scanning system that includes
a seven-axis Romer Infinite 2.0 arm, a Perceptron ScanWorks
V5 laser scanner and InnovMetric’s PolyWorks 3D metrology
software. Knowing the precise digital data of a vehicle’s surfaces allows Bushwacker to focus its talents on product designs
with the confidence that they will fit perfectly.
Rapid Response
To highlight the rapid response time thanks to 3D scanning,
Logan cited the following example. “A customer contacted
us a few days before the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show with a custom request to design a
bumper guard for the Chevrolet Cruze. In a mere three days,
we had prototype bumper guards, and we opened the show
May/June | 2013
24-27-DES.indd 24
with a brand-new product.”
To complete the product in three days, Bushwacker scanned
the Chevrolet Cruze, processed the data using PolyWorks/
Modeler and imported it into Siemens NX, on day one. On
day two, they designed the bumper guard and machined a
prototype mold. On day three, the parts were manufactured
and flown to the SEMA show.
In its earlier years, Bushwacker designers would have applied
clay to the vehicle and painstakingly sculpted it to the desired
design. The resulting shape was then transferred to wood templates so the styling could be replicated in clay on the opposite
side of the vehicle. Next, plaster molds were cast from the clay
models, and these would be used to manufacture prototype
thermoforming tools. According to Logan, this process consisted
of many hours of painstaking work. Yet even then, they would
be months away from a production-ready mold.
“Back when we started the business, our first flares were
for the old Jeep CJ.,” Logan reflected. “The clay and plaster
process worked fine then because the sheet metal for the
fenders was flat. This is definitely not true for the body style
of the new Jeep JK.”
“Without laser scanning, it may not have been possible for
us to roll out the Jeep JK accessories,” he continues. These
accessories include several fender flare options and the company’s Trail Armor, which offers hood and corner guards as
well as rocker panels.
3D scanning allows Bushwacker to acquire factory mounting points
for its accessories.
13-06-10 11:48 AM
9534-22
9534-22
Oil Sands25
Canada_DE_7.875x10.75.indd 1
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13-06-10
11:48 AM
AM
26 ShopTalk
The Jeep JK was a challenge because of its body style lines
and mounting configuration. Even with 3D scanning, Bushwacker spent six months developing its patented pocket-style
flares, flat-style flares and Trail Armor. Logan noted that for
all other projects, 3D scanning has, on average, slashed product launches to only one or two months after initial concepts.
The Jeep JK project also highlighted another advantage of
3D scanning: The acquisition of mounting locations. To
facilitate installation, Bushwacker always attempts to use only
factory mounting points for its accessories. For the pocket
flare, this led to an innovative combination of inner and outer
flares; the scanned data provided the exact locations of the
mounting points relative to the body panels.
Flat-style fender flare, one of Bushwackers options for the Jeep JK.
The innovative design and attention to detail paid off for
the Jeep JK accessories. At SEMA, Bushwacker’s flat flares
took the runner-up award in the Best New Off-Road/FourWheel Drive Product category, while its Trail Armor nabbed
first place for the Best New Exterior Accessory Product.
3D Scanning at Bushwacker
For all projects, Bushwacker combines its laser scan arm,
PolyWorks and Siemens NX in a three-step process: Scan,
prepare and design.
In some instances, the 3D scanning system travels to the
target vehicle, but in most instances, Bushwacker drives the
vehicle into its facilities. For the first step of the process,
Bushwacker uses PolyWorks/Modeler for laser scanner control and live data capture.
“With PolyWorks, there isn’t a grueling setup process to
get everything communicating before we start scanning,”
Logan says, adding that it only takes 10 to 15 minutes to set
up and start scanning.
“The interface is also intuitive and easy to use,” he adds. “I
love the fact that as I scan, the digital model dynamically changes
to follow my scan path. It gives me great visual feedback to let
me know where I am and what I still need to capture.”
When he believes that the scan is complete, he then turns
to the PolyWorks comparison tool, which shows scan-to-scan
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May/June | 2013
24-27-DES.indd 26
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13-06-10 11:48 AM
ShopTalk
deviations. “This is my safety net for the occasional operator
error, like a bumped scanner,” Logan said. “I get immediate
feedback on what I need to rescan. The result is clean, accurate
data.”
As a Siemens NX user, Logan also finds that the PolyWorks/
Modeler interface and tools are familiar and quite similar.
He makes use of PolyWorks to prepare the files for import to
Siemens NX, which he uses for data manipulation and design.
“We need powerful modeling tools to create parts and designs
that follow the subtle style lines of the vehicle,” he says. “PolyWorks helps us capture the details, and that data is used in
Siemens NX to design our parts. For us, it’s a perfect blend.”
To prepare the data for Siemens NX, he uses PolyWorks
to filter out any noisy data, fill holes, and create splines and
NURBS surfaces. “I select an area and let PolyWorks autocreate the splines; then I connect these and create NURBS,”
Logan says. “I find that it’s very similar to the process for
Siemens NX, so in fact, it’s intuitive. As far as I know, nothing
is better.”
In Siemens NX, the PolyWorks-generated NURBS become
the baseline for accessory design. From the body panels and
mounting points, Bushwacker’s vision takes shape. Throughout the process, designers render the accessory and vehicle to
visualize form and fit.
Each new part goes through a “digital” design review before
27
any prototype molds are designed
and CNC machined. “The high
quality surface data that PolyWorks
provides allow us to scrutinize the
part in CAD for fit and finish before
we ever make a real part,” Logan
noted. Yet, they still rely on physical
prototypes for final evaluation.
“Things jump out at you when you
mount a flare onto the vehicle for the
first time, things you can’t or don’t see
on screen,” Logan said.
Recently, Bushwacker extended its
reliance on PolyWorks to inspection. PolyWorks transforms
PolyWorks/Inspector confirms the a digitized model to
high quality—for which the company smooth NURBS surfaces.
has become renowned—of its molds,
prototypes, and first production samples. “PolyWorks/Inspector
is extremely powerful. It allows us to bring inspection in-house,
which lets us evaluate parts and molds quickly and whenever
needed,” Logan said. “In the current economy, we have to stay
on the cutting edge, and PolyWorks has helped us do that.” DE
www.innovmetric.com
This article was provided by InnovMetric
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May/June | 2013
13-06-10 11:48 AM
28 CoverStory
The
Future
Automotive Design?
of
Kor Ecologic’s Urbee 2 looks to answer
the question of sustainable transport.
By Mike McLeod
I
f there’s one thing Jim Kor can’t abide in automotive design,
it’s wasted energy. That’s not to say he’s a zealot. The 60-yearold design engineer from Winnipeg still drives his ‘68 Chevy
truck and, over his lifetime, has raced Austin Minis, tinkered
on numerous sports cars and even owned an RV or two.
Yet, since 1996, Kor and his nine-member team of likeminded engineers at Winnipeg-based consulting engineering
firm, Kor EcoLogic, have toiled off and on to design, build
and eventually market the Urbee, their vision of the ultimate
alternative-energy vehicle.
Recently, the company announced it has begun work on
the next iteration, named the Urbee 2. Longer and more
polished than the original, the next prototype is intended to
demonstrate that the “greenest car in the world,” can also
appeal to a mass audience.
Blue
It may seem like an idealist’s dream but, to Kor, a vehicle
like the Urbee is the inevitable conclusion when you combine
an engineer’s drive for the practical with a realist’s understanding of projected auto usage globally and the resulting environmental impact.
“There are 1 billion cars on the road now. In 35 years, there
are going to be about 2.5 billion new cars, so it’s really about
what they should look like,” Kor says. “Too often, I think we
listen too much to the economists and not enough to the ecologists, who are telling us we’re in real trouble.”
Efficiency at All Costs
The prototype version of the tear drop-shaped Urbee (short
for Urban electric with ethanol), first grabbed headlines when
it entered the Progressive Automotive X-Prize in 2009. Distinctive for its futuristic look and 3D printed body, in reality its
shape and plastic exterior shell are simply part of the vehicle’s
overall design equation. According to Kor, creating a truly
energy efficient car starts with challenging the norms of
automotive design.
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13-06-11 11:37 AM
CoverStory 29
“People usually ask us if this is an electric or a hybrid; they
just want to know the technology,” he says. “Actually, our goal
is to create a low-energy car so we can run solely on renewable
energy. To achieve that goal, you got to use whatever technology will get you there.”
Specifically, Kor says low-energy means a car that has
energy requirements so small, its fuel can be produced “off
the grid” (e.g. by rooftop solar panels and/or home grown
ethanol crop). As a consequence, this imperative has led the
Urbee’s creators to make some unconventional design choices.
Take, for example, the hybrid’s power plant and drive train.
Since the Urbee is intended for city and highway driving, the
two-seater relies on a pair of 4-hp DC electric motors to drive
its front tires (one per side) coupled with regenerative breaking for the stop-and-go of urban driving. At these lower speeds,
the Urbee needs to be as light as possible to overcome inertia.
“Over the last 100 years, when an engineer has tried to
make a really efficient car, they typically make a three-wheeler,”
Kor says. “Our analysis showed that eliminating a wheel
doesn’t change rolling resistance much. The reason is that
you don’t need the weight of the fourth wheel along with the
suspension, break assembly and everything else.”
On the highway, at speeds above 70 kph, the three-wheeled
The Urbee 2’s small frontal area, low profile and Kamm-back tail
combine to give it an exceptionally low .15 drag coefficient.
E
ROL
CONTROL
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
hybrid switches over to its 4-cycle diesel engine that can propel
the Urbee to a top speed of 120 kph while charging its battery,
yet has an output of a scant 5 hp. Making this possible required
that the Urbee be as aerodynamic as possible. Consequently,
the car has an uncommonly small frontal area (14 sq. ft.) along
with a coefficient of drag of only 0.15.
“To cut through the air, you don’t need an arrowhead; you
want just the opposite: A blunt nose with rounded edges,”
Kor says. “Once you burst through the air, you have to bring
the air back together again. You can do that at about 15 degrees
of taper at the speeds we’re talking about. Any more and the
air begins to separate. It looks like a torpedo with a round
blunt nose then a tapering off to the pointed tail.”
Since a pointed tail is impractical, Kor says, the Urbee’s
rear end features a sharply truncated tail, called a Kamm-back
or K-tail design, which significantly reduces or eliminates
turbulent airflow.
“All those backend edges are blindingly sharp because you
have to fool the air to keep going,” he says. “If you put even
a one-inch radius on it, the air starts to curl as it leaves the
car and the vortex causes drag.”
Digital Manufacturing
To get the organic shape needed to preserve the Urbee’s exceptional aerodynamics, Kor says the team originally planned
to make the body out of fibreglass—a material they were
familiar with and that could be fashioned by hand. But, from
the beginning the Urbee has been a self-funded project, which
made the high tooling cost of sheet metal impractical.
However, Kor says fibreglass is toxic, generally unpleasant to
work with and violated another his design principles—that the
materials in the Urbee be largely recyclable. When the team
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28-31-DES.indd 29
13-06-11 11:37 AM
30 CoverStory
learned that Stratasys’ service bureau division,
RedEye On Demand, could print and fuse 3D
printed parts into larger structures, Kor decided
to try it as simply a prototype body to cover the
original Urbee’s chassis.
“Once we had a 3D model of the Urbee and we
knew it could meet the target coefficient of drag,
we met with Stratasys and asked if they could 3D
print it,” Kor says. “I looked at because it would
give us the sharp edges we needed, which are hard
to do in fiberglass.”
Based on the success of the first prototype, Kor says the
Urbee 2’s body will embrace true digital manufacturing, which
will free its designers to create parts that can’t be manufactured
any other way. Composed of approximately 30 exterior panels printed on Stratasys’ Fortus machines, the Urbee 2’s body
will include an exterior and interior skin, made from recyclable plastic. In addition, all visible interior components of
the future prototype will also be 3D printed.
As it stands now, the Urbee 2 is still in the design phase.
By 2015, however, Kor says the goal is to drive the high efficiency vehicle from San Francisco to New York City using
only enough ethanol to fi ll the vehicle’s 10 gallon tank.
“We’ve done the calculations but I’m not saying the car
can do it; I’m saying it could do it,” Kor says. “I make it clear
that its our goal. We fully understand that if we don’t do it
In addition to its exterior
body, all the Urbee 2’s
visible internal components
will be 3D printed.
with very little fuel, why would people compromise to drive
a car like this?”
In the meantime, Kor and his team are looking to secure
funding. As with nearly everything else about the Urbee,
financing may take an unconventional route. The company
is currently exploring a Kickstarter.com campaign to help it
carry the project forward.
Once finished, Kor says the next step will be finding a
partner who can produce the Urbee for a global market.
“It’s completely unrealistic for a small group like ours to
make a car,” Kor admits. “The only way the Urbee will have
an impact on a global scale, with 2.5 billion cars projected,
is if you sell a billion of cars like this. Today, only a car company can make a billion of anything.”
DE
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PowerTransmission
Micro
Moves
NB miniature slides facilitate
test of tiny semi-conductor wafers.
S
emiconductor labs are billion dollar operations and
accuracy in the automated testing of the semiconductor
wafers they produce is a critical part of their fabrication
process. It’s also a major cost factor. On fabrication of lower
cost products, test can account for more 25 percent of the
cost of fabrication.
As an engineering director for the design and development
of automation systems, Mark Filho saw the need for guaranteeing the accurate positioning of wafer testing probes. To
this end, he established Newmark Systems, Incorporated.
Their first customer, fifteen years ago, needed a compact
positioner for semi-conductor wafer probing. Wafer probing
occurs before wires are attached in the burn-in process in
preparation for the final chip encapsulation. The probe checks
circuits or capacitance of the dies, (i.e. chips) in the wafer and
tests if the die meets the specification requirements.
“What we did was increase the load capacity of a precision
positioner,” says Mark Filho, describing the development
strategy for Newmark’s first product. “The linear stage we
created is a very compact stage for the load carrying capability it has. We’ve been manufacturing the NLS4 for 15 years,
and it has been very successful.”
The NLS4 runs from 2 inches up to 24 inches using a 9
mm rail system and can carry twenty-five pounds. Its design
was optimized for maximum stability and performance with
the use of FEA analysis and incorporates NB Corporation’s
miniature linear guides — two guides and four blocks.
May/June | 2013
32-35-DES.indd 32
NB Corporation’s Mini SEBS is one of the smallest guides on the
market, features zero to minus preload for increased accuracy.
Preload Improves Accuracy
Newmark was able to choose from the widest selection of
miniature linear slide guides on the market. The standard
SEBS guides’ major advantage is that they have a standard
radial clearance that is twice as accurate as other standard
miniature guides.
Most manufactures don’t claim that their preload eliminates
all clearance. Their standards are plus to minus, which allows
gaps to exist. Minus means there is some preload so there’s no
gap. NB’s are from zero to minus as a standard, making for greater
accuracy because there is no clearance. Negative clearance means
the ball is larger than the space, adding more pressure and greater
rigidity. This increased rigidity is desirable in high precision
applications. NB’s standard fabrication requires more control in
the assembly and manufacturing process in order to adhere to
this higher quality standard.
Of course, there can be instances where no preload is
desired, where one might want to remove all friction and
trade off accuracy and rigidity for minimal friction. In such
a case, one might want clearance. But the precision positioner
was not such a case.
Had a different design route been taken, there might have
been a deformation of the guide block to consider. For instance,
had the positioner been mounted on only one rail on an arm
that extended to the side, this would have caused deformation
of the block, reducing accuracy. There is a solution to this
problem. It is called the SEB-AD. The AD version is stiffer
because NB optimizes the machining of the top-mounting
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34
PowerTransmission
Cutaway of MSL, the microslide linear stage, showing its single
miniature rail and block which travels from 25mm to 200mm. Since
the carriage is supported over the entire travel of the stage, it has
good cantilevered load capacity.
surface of the guide block that attaches to the table. This
withstands the extra moment load that could have caused
some clearance due to deformation.
bearings. SER comes in all stainless steel. It has non-retained
rollers and is available in the same block sizes and configurations as the SEBS ball bearing miniature guides.
All NLS4 series stages are machined from 6061 aluminum
alloy to provide a light yet stiff and stable linear stage. The
drive system utilizes a stainless steel ACME leadscrew with
internally lubricated plastic drive nut. The drive nut offers
zero backlash operation that automatically adjusts for wear
to insure zero backlash for the life of the stage. For more
reliability and durability, the ways and leadscrews are protected with a strong, machined cover and the encoder is
mounted internally directly to the leadscrew rather than
being exposed to shock and contamination when mounted
in the rear of the motor.
Tiny Guides
Even Smaller
For the smallest applications, there is an extra compact block There are
for lesser loads – SEBS-BS (size 2), which is shorter than the
standard length block and only has two holes instead of four.
Either retained-ball (whose elements allow for easier handling
since the guide block may be removed from rail without ball
loss) or low-cost non-retained-ball lines are available.
A unique miniature guide that provides the greatest rigid- A cut-away CAD rendering of the NLS4, which provides precise linear
ity is the SER. It uses crossed-roller bearings, which give more positioning from 25 mm to 1.5 meters and rides on four linear guide
AH1212H_CSG_Aerotech_Automation_7x4_875_AGR_halfpage.qxd
rigidity.
Crossed-rollers have greater contact areas than ball 4/2/2013
blocks on4:26
two PM
rails.Page 1
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PowerTransmission
some applications that need a greatly reduced footprint
– robotic applications ranging from pick-and-place in
factory and lab automation to medical devices. So
Newmark created a linear stage with a single bearing
– a single guide instead of two guides – with
a single block. The carriage is supported over the entire range of
travel using a single preloaded
NB Corporation miniature linear
guide bearing.
This positioner, the MSL, is tiny
yet it can lift 15 pounds. Its maximum velocity is three to
four inches per second. It offers travels from 25mm to 200mm,
has two leadscrew pitches: 2mm and 10mm and comes standard with a high-torque, size-17 stepper motor.
End of travel limit switches come standard on the MSL
linear stage. The drive system utilizes a stainless steel ACME
leadscrew with internally lubricated plastic drive nut. The
drive nut offers zero backlash operation that automatically
adjusts for wear to insure zero back-lash for the life of the
stage.
For vertical movement, again, the positioners use the
mini guide as in a linear stage except they have a wedge.
When the wedge is pushed, it creates lift. The guide moves
horizontally to push the wedge and that is what causes the
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This vertical positioner,
Newmark’s NVS-1, displays
the two miniature guides,
used with a wedge to
elevate small payloads
precisely.
vertical movement. When
the wedge is pushed
against a second wedge, it
will lift, but you have to guide that
up and down. The NB bearings are used vertically,
horizontally and on an angle.
Positioned For The Next Innovation
Newmark just moved their 16 employees to a bigger, newer
place with more power. Since they do everything in-house,
including all machining to control quality, their power needs
keep growing. There is irony in their getting bigger as their
products get smaller. And, Mark Filho is confident that innovations in miniaturization of automation will lead to ever
more growth going forward.
www.nbcorporation.com
This
article was provided
by NB Corporation.
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The Right Tool for the Job
SPIROL’s application engineers and a custom disk spring solve DeWALT tool design problem.
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eWALT, a subsidiary of Stanley Black and
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springs, disc springs offer a higher load capacity in less space. Additionally, longevity and reliability is a high theoretically calculated the initial disc spring design but
measure of quality for professional tools used on a daily basis. initially choose to work with a low cost disc spring supplier.
Therefore, the life and performance warranty of the tool was The first prototype built failed, with the new design achieving
reliant on the disc spring design.
less than half the targeted cycle life. Analysis indicated the
During development, DeWALT’s engineers developed and disc spring’s premature fatigue failure was due to higher than
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Determined to find a solution, the lead engineer contacted
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design that had alternate dimensions, material and secondary
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A cut-away of DEWALT high performance
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38
MotionControl
Sharpening the Axes
Precisely tuned servomotor technology can boosts productivity and increase accuracy.
By Scott Carlberg
C
hoosing the appropriate servo technology can make all
of the difference when it comes to maximizing the potential of a machine design. Each individual application has a
unique set of requirements that could be satisfied in a number of different ways. The ability to identify the key application requirements coupled with the knowledge of available
servo technologies can help the designer achieve the best
automation solution. The following applications illustrate
some unique challenges and how the automation solution
was optimized by leveraging the most appropriate servo
technology.
High resolution feedback devices on the servo motors coupled with
tuning algorithms eliminated significant vibration from this plasma
cutting application.
2-Axis Planar Shape Cutting
Cutting a two dimensional pattern out of a sheet of material
is a common application with a number of important requirements. Whether the cutting is being accomplished with laser,
plasma or water jet technology, it is crucial for the planar
motion of the X and Y axes to be coordinated smoothly to
ensure an optimized finished cut.
For example, in a plasma cutting machine that cuts patterns
out of sheet metal stock, the X and Y axes are coordinated to
move the cutting head through the path of the designated pattern.
Each axis is actuated with a standard rotary servomotor coupled
to a ballscrew assembly. Depending on the size of the machine,
the length of travel for each axis can be relatively long (in this
case the travel length of the X-axis is 76 inches and the Y-axis is
49 inches). During operation, a machine of this size and nature
can be subject to a few different types of resonant frequencies
and vibrations. As a result, the tuning of each servo axis becomes
critical to the cut quality on the finished part.
During the commissioning of this particular machine, significant amounts of vibration on both X- and Y-axes were being
reflected up through the cutting head. The effect of this vibration
May/June | 2013
38-40-DES.indd 38
can be seen in both the Y-axis scope plot and the picture of the
finished part.
Some of the higher end servo systems available today have
built-in functionality to account for these types of mechanical disturbances. This built-in functionality consists of high
resolution feedback devices on the servo motors coupled with
advanced tuning algorithms in the servo electronics.
In this application, the servomotors used on the X and Y
axes of the machine are equipped with 20-bit (1,048,576 counts
per revolution) feedback devices. This high resolution feedback
is utilized by an advanced vibration suppression algorithm
in the servo amplifier to effectively eliminate the machine
vibrations. By analyzing the feedback on the motor and comparing it to the commanded motion, the servo amplifier is
able to obtain a mechanical signature of the machine.
Due to the high resolution of the feedback devices, the
amplifier can detect machine disturbances in extremely small
increments. The servo amplifier processes this information
and injects a signal that is 180 degrees out of phase with the
detected resonances and vibrations, thereby eliminating the
disturbances.
Glass Cutting
Another example of 2-axis planar shape cutting is the application of glass cutting. In this application, the diamond cutting
head of a machine cuts patterns out of large glass sheets in the
X and Y axes. The key requirements for this application were
to improve the machine throughput and accuracy as well as
increase the machine’s flexibility and ease of use. When throughput and accuracy in linear motion are of primary importance,
linear servomotor technology can be a very good
solution.
A linear servomotor has
the same design concept as
a traditional rotary servomotor with the exception
that the motor is laid out
flat. A significant advantage of this technology is
that mechanical transmission is required to convert
from rotary to linear
motion.
Complicated
mechanical designs involving ballscrews, belts and
A linear servomotor increased the
pulleys and other types of throughput of this glass cutting
gearing can be avoided.
application by 33 percent.
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As a result, linear motor systems, with a high resolution
linear feedback device, can be extremely accurate and achieve
speeds and accelerations that are magnitudes higher than rotary
servomotors used in conjunction with mechanical actuators.
In the glass cutting example above, the machine builder
replaced a complicated mechanical design comprised of
pneumatic actuators, ballscrews and gearheads with linear
motors for the actuation of the X and Y axes of the cutting
machine. As a result, the overall machine throughput increased
by 33 percent. Cutting speeds were increased to 3 meters per
second and cutting acceleration was increased to 1.0 G. All
of these improvements equated to a yield of 200 cut pieces
per hour. The finished part quality was improved due to a
doubling of system accuracy (0.05 mm on glass thickness
ranging from 2 to 6 mm).
Without mechanical components, performance on this turntable
increased to the full bandwidth of the direct drive servo.
Rotary Table Indexer
A rotary table indexer is a classic material handling application where a work piece gets rotated to multiple locations in
a circular path. In many instances, direct drive servomotor
technology is a practical solution for this type of application.
Direct drive servomotor design allows for the load inertia
to be coupled directly to the motor’s rotor. This motor design
eliminates the limitations associated with common mechanical components (e.g. couplings, gearheads, ballscrews, belt
& pulley, etc).
Once the mechanical compliance is removed, the servo
system tuning gains can be increased to a point where you
can take full advantage of the total bandwidth capabilities of
today’s most advanced servo electronics.
The table was designed to handle three large solar panels,
each measuring 49 in x 40 in. When the 3.8 meter diameter
table is fully loaded with three solar panels, the total load
inertia (the load that is rotated by the motor) is 400 kg-m2. To
index a load this large with a conventional rotary servo motor,
a significant amount of gearing would be required.
A direct drive motor was used in this
application. The inertia of the rotor of the
direct drive motor was 0.31 kg-m2. This
resulted in a load to rotor inertia mismatch
of 1300:1. Due to the table’s rigid design
Our encoders are built to perform, even in the most extreme conditions of
and that it was directly coupled to the direct
heat, cold, moisture and anything your requirements dictate. Whatever
drive motor, the system was able to perform
a reasonable move profi le regardless of this
your industry, we’ll satisfy your expectations for superior quality, value,
incredibly large inertia mismatch. A target
service and reliability, always eager to earn your confidence with our
move time of 5 sec for a 120 degree move
FIVE-YEAR WARRANTY.
was achieved (with a settling window of 10
Count on more from
counts) in this application. The bearings
IEC...we’ll deliver.
in the motor were able to support the entire
fully loaded moving structure.
It is important to note that the pole
count, feedback resolution and torque
constant of this particular direct drive
motor were chosen to optimize performance for this application.
The key thing to take away from this
application example is that when applied
properly, direct drive motor technology can
result in performance that cannot be matched
with any other motor technology.
DE
We go to extremes... GUARANTEED
www.yaskawa.com
Industrial Encoder Corporation
Member of the GESgroup of companies
www.globalencoder.ca
38-40-DES.indd 40
22 Commerce Place, St. Catharines
ON, Canada L2S 0B3
Phone Toll Free 1-888-277-6205
Fax Toll Free 1-866-278-1301
[email protected]
Scott Carlberg is the motion control product
marketing manager for the Drives & Motion
Division of Yaskawa America, Inc.
May/June | 2013 www.design-engineering.com
13-06-10 2:28 PM
IdeaGenerator 41
DieQua offers
more gearboxes
Automation
Multi-Axis Gripper
SCHUNK rolled out its LEG multi axis gripper, with fixed
center jaws, fingers made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and a pneumatic ejector. The gripper, which pre-adjusts
its position as the robot approaches, palletizes between
15 and 60 units per minute, at a clamping accuracy of less
than 0.1 mm. Due to the universal servo-electric drive
concept, the gripper fingers can be separately controlled,
and articles can be laid down separately. Moreover, the
gauge for bore holes between the fingers can be defined
individually. The gripper weighs 60 kg without chuck jaws. Depending on the article
and weight, solutions with minimum clearances between 3 and 10 millimeters are
possible. Depending on the size, the LEG multi axis gripper clamps up to 100 kg forcefit, and up to 150 kg form-fit.
www.schunk.com
plus application experience to help
select the best one for your needs
Helical Gearmotors
• 1-75 HP Capacity
• Motorized or Adapters
• Right Angle or Inline
• Shaft Mount Designs
• Multi-Stage Ratios
• Modular Design
Worm Reducers
• 7 sizes, 28-110mm CD
• Fret-free Connection
• NEMA or IEC Adapters
• Coupling Input
• Aluminum Housings
• 2-Side Worm Support
Wireless Ethernet Gateway
WAGO Corporation introduced its IP65-rated WLAN
Wireless Ethernet Gateways designed to replace Ethernet
network cables. The 758-916 (2.4 GHz) and 758-917 (5
GHz) Wireless Ethernet Gateways (WEGS) transmit data
up to 1,300 ft (400M) line-of-sight. The WEGs wirelessly
transmit ETHERNET protocols (e.g. MODBUS/TCP, EtherNet/IP or PROFINET). With a IP65 housing, the gateways
feature an integrated antenna (circularly polarized for
heavily metallic environments) and on-unit LEDs for ata-glance diagnostics/operational status updates. In addition, the Industry Canada and
FCC-approved units feature M12 cables to provide power and Ethernet connectivity.
www.wago.us
Planetary Gearheads
• Precision or Economy
• Inline or Right Angle
• 40-155mm Frames
• Low Backlash
• 1 and 2 Stage Ratios
• Lubricated for Life
Servo Worm Gearheads
• 3 Backlash Levels
• Shafts or Hollow Bores
• Single or Dual Outputs
• 11 sizes, 25-200mm CD
• Capacity: 10-7000 Nm
• 20,000 Hour Ratings
Z-Axis Nanopositioners
Aerotech introduced a line of ANT-L-Z crossed-roller,
Z-axis, nanopositioning stages, offered in two models
(ANT95-L-Z and ANT130-L-Z) and two accuracy grades.
Utilizing non-contact direct-drive technology, the ANTL-Z stages provide nanometer performance in a large
travel format (25 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm travels).
The line also features high resolution (2 nm), repeatability (75 nm) and accuracy (300 nm) with in-position
stability of less than 2 nm, assisted by anti-creep, crossedroller bearings. The ANT-L-Z stages use a nearly frictionless counterbalance mechanism to maintain performance levels while minimizing motor
heating. The counterbalance is user-adjustable from 0 to 10 kg, depending on stage
model.
www.aerotech.com
Spiral Bevel Gearboxes
• 9 Sizes
• 1-250 HP Capacity
• Low Backlash Option
• Ratios from 1:1 to 6:1
• Output Shaft Options
• Machined Housings
Special Designs
• Add-On Options
• Modified Dimensions
• High Speed Applications
• Special Environments
• Special Duty Needs
• Custom Designs
Power Transmission
Belt Drive Actuators
MISUMI USA introduced its MSA Series Belt Drive Actuators, configurable to carry
loads up to 227 kg (500 lbs), with travel speeds ranging from 1200 to 10,000 mm/
sec, and standard lengths up to 6.25 meters. The pulleys used feature precision-machined
DES-41-45.indd 41
www.diequa.com
630-980-1133
See our complete
product line!
May/June | 2013
13-06-10 12:23 PM
42 IdeaGenerator
one-piece steel construction
and nickel plated with an
integral shaft. The timing
belts are made of steel cords
molded into highly flexible
polyurethane material. All MSA Series Actuator models have
been tested over tens of millions of cycles with no failures and
all have a repeatability of +/-25 µm or better. MISUMI offers a
line-up of eight standard MSA Belt Drive Actuators, with selection depending on each user’s specific application requirements.
www.misumiusa.com
Linear Rail
Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions
introduced its BGS06 linear rail,
which integrates an IDEA Drive.
The linear rail also utilizes a size
17 single stack or double stack
stepper motor linear actuator
with an integrated and fully programmable stepper motor controller. The BGS06 has a maximum stroke length of 24-in (610mm)
and a maximum horizontal load of 135 lb (600N). The rail’s
RoHS-compliant IDEA drive system has an input voltage range
of 12-48VDC and maximum current of 2.6A RMS with a current
boost capability of up to 30 percent during ramping. The component has four digital inputs and outputs. In addition, the rail
features USB and RS-485 ports for communications.
www.HaydonKerk.com
Lever Actuated Shaft Collars
Stafford Manufacturing Corp. has
expanded its Staff-Lok line of lever
actuated shaft collars, which can
be opened, moved, and re-clamped
by hand for use in larger, non-rotary
applications. The collars feature an
integral hinge with a conformal cam
lever for clamping and a knurled
nut for adjusting the clamping
preset, which makes it easy to move
by lifting the lever, moving the collar, and clamping it by hand.
Machined from steel with a smooth bore, Staff-Lok Shaft Collars
come in three body and round bore size combinations: 2-1/8
inches O.D. with 1/2-, 5/8-, 3/4-, 7/8-, and 1-inch bores; 3-1/4
inches O.D. with 1-1/8-, 1-1/4-, 1-1/2-, and 1-3/4-inch bores;
and 4-1/4 inches O.D. with 2-, 2-1/4-, and 2-1/2-inch bores.
www.staffordmfg.com
Complete System Control in ONE Unit
PLC
Micro SD Card
12.1” Color Touchscreen
64K Colors
I/O Modules “Snap”
to the back
Vision1210™
PLC + HMI
Starting at: $1,354
Caps • Plugs • Grips
Masking • Protection
Finishing
(Up to 1000 I/O- Supports
Remote I/O)
NEMA4X/IP66
Jazz® 2 Series
PLC + HMI
Starting at: $140
Mini USB
Programming Port
PLC
Onboard I/O, 48K (virtual) Ladder
Logic Memory & 1.5 µSec for bit
operations (typical)
Auto Tune PID
Up to 4 Loops
HMI
Two line LCD text display, up to 60
user-designed screens & a 16-key
Keypad
May/June | 2013
DES-41-45.indd 42
www.mocap.com
[email protected]
800.633.6775
409 Parkway Drive • Park Hills, MO 63601
13-06-10 12:23 PM
IdeaGenerator 43
Sensors
Inductive Proximity Sensors
Carlo Gavazzi announced that its ICB Series Proximity
Sensors have been certified for use in hazardous
environments. By division, the certification includes
hazardous locations with presence of flammable gases
or vapours (Class I) includes; hazardous atmospheres
only present under fault conditions and only for very short periods
of time (Div 2) and Groups A, B, C, and D of explosive gases (Acetylene,
Hydrogen, Ethylene and Propane). The sensors feature the same microprocessor design
and AirCore sensing coil, along with a potting process that allows users to install the
sensor in heavy duty applications. There are no new part numbers involved, as the Class
I, Div 2 rating is an enhancement to the existing ICB Series.
www.gavazzionline.com
Magnetic Positioning Sensor
SICK USA launched its MPA magnetic positioning sensor that feature analog current from 4 to 20 mA and
an analog voltage between 0 and 10V. With measuring lengths from 107 to 1,007 mm, the MPA provides
high-resolution, non-contact position measurement.
The sensor is enclosed in a IP 67-rated aluminum housing that can be mounted on various cylinders, including T-slot, round and tie rod. The
MPA includes a teach pad, a 4-color LED display and several mounting accessories.
www.sickusa.com
High-Resolution Encoders
AutomationDirect announced that it has extended
its line of Koyo medium duty encoder to include
high PPR (Pulses Per Revolution) models. Available
in Totem Pole (Push-Pull) or line driver (differential)
configurations, the encoders feature a 50mm diameter body with a 35mm depth. Models are constructed with an 8mm diameter solid or hollow
shaft and offer incremental resolutions of 3000,
3600 or 5000 PPR. The encoders are also fitted
with a two-meter cable with tinned ends and are available with either 5 VDC or 5 to
30 VDC inputs; the high-PPR encoders provide up to 200 kHz response frequency.
www.automationdirect.com
Hygienic Sensors
Baumer announced that it now offers a range of
sensors designed to withstand chemicals and/or
high pressure washdowns. Baumer’s OADR 20 series
of laser sensors provides resolutions from 5 µm and
carry an IP68/IP69K rating. Baumer Series 14
hygienic photoelectric sensors are available in standard models as well as a version featuring SmartReflect, a light barrier that operates without a
reflector and has a sensing distance of 800 mm.
Baumer CleverLevel sensors are certified
according to FDA, EHEDG and 3A guidelines and
offer 1.4404 stainless steel housings, matching PM023 weld-in boss and PEEK plastic
sensor tips. LBFS versions feature standard output configurations and operate from
DES-41-45.indd 43
May/June | 2013
13-06-10 12:23 PM
44
IdeaGenerator
-40 to +115°C, while LFFS versions withstand operating process
temperatures from -40 to +200°C. The company’s IFBR and IFRR
series of inductive sensors are Ecolab-tested and EHEDG-certified.
Baumer’s UNAR 18 series of ultrasonic sensors feature stainless
steel housings with a parylene coating for increased chemical
resistance.
www.baumer.com
Motors
Washdown Duty Motor
Baldor Electric Company introduced its Super White Washdown Duty motor designed
for humid and moist environments in the food and beverage industry. Its autophoretic
autodeposition exterior surface preparation method
makes the white epoxy finish coat of this motor five times more
resistant to corrosion and chipping than previous methods. The
shaft, hardware and nameplate are all 300 series stainless steel,
to prevent rust and corrosion. The motor line also includes labyrinth
seals on each end of the motor, enhanced sealing around the lead
exit, same size bearings on each end and a moisture resistant
insulation system. Neoprene rubber gaskets on the conduit box
ensure a tight, waterproof seal. It also features a maintenancefriendly drain design with four condensation drain plugs. A notched
fan cover allows access to condensate drain plugs without removing the fan cover. Baldor Super White Washdown Duty motors
are NEMA Premium efficient and are available from 1 to 20 HP,
56°C through 256°C.
www.baldor.com
All-in-One Stepper Motor
Oriental Motor introduced
its PKA Series, a line of
integrated stepper motors,
drivers and controllers. The
All-in-One motor features
a built-in controller (stored
DesignSolutions
Ideas To Improve Production Efficiency! Look to Seal Master Inflatable Seals.
Sealing is just one of many tasks for custom-built, fabric-reinforced elastomeric inflatable seals. Simple,
versatile and with close tolerance capability, they’re ideal for use as actuators, brakes, valves, clutches,
wipers and for other innovative applications. Backed by in-depth technical/customer service, they’ll
replace cumbersome, hard-to-maintain proccessing and handling components to lessen downtime. Ask
about our RSVP Design Assistance program
Contact: [email protected]
Visit us at: www.sealmaster.com
Dust Collectors NEW - Full Line Literature Guide
This impressive NEW guide outlines dozens of N.R. Murphy dust collectors, installations, capacities, styles
and models. A must for any reference library. N.R. Murphy Limited has been in business over 70 years and
has thousands of satisfied customers. “Dust Collectors are all we do; so get it done right the first time.
Just Ask the Experts.”
Visit us at: www. nrmurphy.com
Clippard Offers Miniature Pneumatic Products Catalog for
Scientific/Medical Applications
A leader in miniature pneumatics, Clippard provides the scientific/medical industry a variety of products
and solutions. The product range is illustrated in a color brochure featuring the most complete line
of miniature fluid power products for the medical, pharmaceutical analytical and dental fields. To get
your copy today please visit our website at the address printed below.
Visit us at: www.clippard.com/scientific-a
To advertise your solution in this section call Alan Macpherson at 416.510.6756
May/June | 2013
DES-41-45.indd 44
13-06-10 12:23 PM
IdeaGenerator 45
data) type, microstepping driver and a 0.72° stepper as the base
motor. The built-in positioning function ensures that the traveling amount, speed, and other operating data are retained in the
motor. The motor is also equipped with a variety of other
operation functions in addition to the positioning operation,
such as continuous operation and a return-to-home operation.
The PKA Series has DC input and available in 42 mm (1.65 in.)
and 60 mm (2.36 in.) frame sizes.
www.orientalmotor.com
Process
Centrifugal Pumps
KSB Canada released the latest
generation of its Movitec highpressure centrifugal pumps.
The series features laser welded
hydraulics and are available
with a range of material and
seal options. With seal variants
rated for temperatures from
-30°C to +140°C, these standardized centrifugal pumps are
designed to handle a huge variety of media, ranging from water
YOUR
SUCCESS
IS OUR
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(including acidic and alkaline solutions), alcohol and vegetable
oils to petroleum products and condensates, liquid CO2 and
LPG. A new addition to the product range is the tri-clamp coupling, designed for pharmaceutical and hygienic food or beverage applications. They are rated for volumes of up to 113 m3/h
(498 gpm) and discharge pressure of up to 2,496 kPA (362 psi).
www.ksb.ca
Solenoid Valve
Festo introduced the VZWF valve, a force
pilot operated solenoid valve that can be
used with water, air and neutral media.
This new valves utilize relatively small
solenoids to control high pressures with
large nominal diameters. The units can
switch at pressures as low as 0 bar and
close automatically in the case of a pressure
loss in the circuit. These valves can be
applied in closed media circuits. The VZWF
series is generally suitable for applications
in which the medium can be vented downstream of the valve
into the atmosphere or a tank. The VZWP is used for gaseous
and liquid material flows up to a viscosity of 22 mm²/s.
www.festo.ca
Complete design and manufacturing
capabilities under one roof.
• 50 Years of Experience
• Dependable Quality and Service
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DES-41-45.indd 45
May/June | 2013
13-06-10 12:23 PM
46 CanadianInnovator
From left: U of T engineering graduates—Gimmy Chu, Tom Rodinger, Christian Yan—with their high-efficiency LED lightbulb, the NanoLeaf.
Light of a New Age
U of T engineering grads create the “most efficient light bulb in the world.”
By Treena Hein
I
t was some time ago that the big global electrical product
companies saw the “lighting” on the wall. The need for a
greener light bulb – one that’s much more energy efficient
and lasts a long time but is still economical and environmentally-friendly to produce – was clear. Experienced teams at
these gigantic companies set to work, with huge budgets at
their disposal.
But a small, independent trio of engineers, all University of
Toronto alumni, also took a stab at the problem – and have
achieved astonishing levels of energy efficiency that surpass
what anyone else has produced thus far. Meet Tom
Rodinger, Gimmy Chu and Christian Yan, creators of the
Nanoleaf light bulb, an LED lightbulb that its creators say is as
bright as conventional bulbs but lasts much longer.
The Nanoleaf’s journey began during the trio’s time as part
of the University of Toronto “Blue Sky” solar car racing team.
Their experience with the car’s electronics and circuitry gave
them great familiarity with efficient circuit design. “We’ve all
been really passionate about developing green energy products
for the planet for a while,” says Chu. “Our current focus is in
May/June | 2013
46-48-DES.indd 46
green energy products such as solar and LED technology.”
The bulb’s design features small LEDs mounted onto a folded
PCB circuit board so that a bulb shape is achieved, and uses
only 12 watts of electricity to produce the light output of a
100W bulb. It turns on instantly and will last for about 20 years.
That’s about 30,000 hours of usage, which is equal to that of
30 incandescent bulbs or four compact fluorescent.
“Our signature product, the 12W NanoLeaf, produces 1600
lumens (133 Lm/W) which is hard to achieve with LED light
bulbs,” Chu explains. “Some of the bigger brands have just
started coming out with 1600 Lm bulbs, but they use much
more electricity – 20W for the Sylvania and 23W for the Philips model.” The LED bulb that won the 2012 U.S. Department
of Energy’s “L Prize” achieves only 93.4 Lm/W.
It gets better. “Many LED bulbs have the issue where, if used
in an enclosed fixture, heat will cause the bulb to burn out
within a few months,” says Chu. “These bulbs need a large heat
sink to dissipate the heat.” The Nanoleaf solves this problem
through over-temperature circuitry protection, so in a fullyenclosed fixture, it will automatically dim to prevent damage.
It helps that the NanoLeaf also runs fairly cool compared to
other LED light bulbs – yes, you can touch it while it’s on.
13-06-10 12:12 PM
CanadianInnovator
“Eventually we will pursue the Energy Star certification,”
adds Chu. “At the moment, we’re focusing our efforts in some
of the other required certifications for getting the product
onto store shelves in various countries.”
The team hasn’t yet done the testing to see what extreme
outdoor temperatures will do to the lifetime of the bulb, and
therefore currently recommend it for indoor use only.
Support for the Nanoleaf has been impressive from the
start. In January, the team used crowd-funding web site
KickStarter to raise funds for production of a first batch,
with a goal of $20,000. By March, they had generated over
ten times that amount: $270,000 from over 5,700 backers
all around the world.
“It was incredible for us to find so many like-minded
people so supportive of our work, says Chu. “There’s still a
constant stream of people placing pre-orders every day.”
One of the most challenging aspects of the entire journey was
the manufacturing.
“We needed to define a process where folding of the circuit
board wouldn’t cause any damage to the circuitry,” Chu explains.
“This has not been done by any other manufacturer before, but
through making the initial batch of 5,000 bulbs, we are ironing
out the issues and we’re confident we’ll have a process that can
be expanded to a larger scale.”
47
Hammering out the design and manufacture was also
challenging geographically. The three have lived in three
different countries (Canada, the U.S. and China) for a while,
and each do a lot of travelling, which made collaboration
interesting.
“We had to constantly call each other across various time
zones and plan trips to continue working on the project,” says
Chu. “But we are a great team, and we each bring a specialty
to the table. We’re all working day and night to make this
product a success.”
While at U of T, the team members found inspiration in
attending the Electrical & Computer Engineering program’s
entrepreneur speaker series, where alumni come and talk
about building their start-ups.
Coming full circle, Rodinger, Chu and Yan have been
invited to be present next year. By then, they’ll be able to tell
the next generation of engineering students how they worked
to build a global distribution network and describe their
work to launch other light bulb models, including one that
is dimmable.
“Our goal with the NanoLeaf is to facilitate the global
transition to LED lighting, and we’re on the way to reaching
that goal,” says Chu. “It’s been a great ride so far.”
DE
www.thenanoleaf.com
Advertisers Index
Advertiser
46-48-DES.indd 47
Website
Page
Beckhoff Automation
Boker’s Inc.
Brand Hydraulics Co.
Clippard Instrument Laboratory
Creaform Inc.
Daemar Inc.
Design Fusion
Diequa Corp.
Encoder Products
Exair Corp.
Festo Canada Inc.
Design Engineering EXPO
GTC Falcon Inc.
Helukabel USA
Henkel Canada Corp.
Industrial Encoder Corp.
JEC Composites
Master Bond Inc.
Mersen Electrical Power
MOCAP
Nord gear Ltd.
Parker Hannifin Corp.
Proto Labs Inc.
Quality Transmission Components
Rittal Systems Ltd
RotoPrecision Inc.
Schaeffler Canada Inc.
Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instruments
Tsubaki of Canada Ltd.
Unitronics Inc.
Yaskawa Electric Corp.
www.beckhoff.ca
3
www.bokers.com
35
www.brand-hyd.com
37
www.clippard.com
9
www.creaform3d.com
26
www.daemar.com
11
www.designfusion.ca 20-21
www.diequa.com
41
www.encoder.com
47
www.exair.com
15
www.festo.ca
13
www.dex2013.com
39
www.gtcfalcon.com
27
www.helukabel.com
43
www.loctite.com
23
www.globalencoder.ca
40
www.jeccomposites.com 30
www.masterbond.com
35
www.ep-ca.mersen.com
31
www.mocap.com
42
www.nord.com
18-19
www.parker.com
25
www.protolabs.com
17
www.qtcgears.com
45
www.rittal.ca
28-29
www.rotoprecision.ca
22
www.ina.com
4
www.sdp-si.com
45
www.tsubaki.ca
14
www.unitronics.com
42
www.yaskawa.com
2
May/June | 2013
13-06-10 12:12 PM
The Gearmotor
Gold Standard
The Baldor•Dodge® Quantis® Gold gearmotor combines
the Baldor•Reliance® premium efficient Super-E® motor
with the superior Quantis gearbox, making the Quantis Gold
the most energy efficient, coolest running gearmotor in the
world.
Available as in-line helical or right angle helical bevel c-face
units, 1/2 to 10 Hp, the Quantis Gold raises gearmotor
energy efficiency, quality and reliability to a new gold
standard.
baldor.com
479-646-4711
• Energy Efficient
• Unmatched Quality
• Superior Reliability
• Quickest Delivery Available
• Made in the USA
©2013 Baldor Electric Company
46-48-DES.indd 48
13-06-10 12:12 PM

Kor Ecologic`s Urbee 2 looks to answer the question of sustainable

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