The team will be at this year’s Hannover Messe, where they will be demonstrating their technology at the Saarland Research and Innovation Stand (Hall 2, Stand B46).

The failure of small valves or pumps in a large industrial plant can cause major problems for the maintenance and repair teams. It can take quite a time before the faulty component has been tracked down.

And this can be all the more problematic if the fault took time to make itself felt; the longer it takes to find a fault, the greater the potential damage to the plant. If, for example, a foreign body becomes trapped in a valve and the valve doesn’t close properly as a result, it can take time before operators are aware of the malfunction.

Thankfully, this situation does not arise with the novel pumps and valves that have been developed by Professor Stefan Seelecke and his research team at Saarland University. ‘Our devices are able to communicate their status and their activity in real time. For instance, the valve can tell us not only whether it is open or closed, but exactly how far open it is. If it can’t close because of the presence of a foreign body, it can also communicate this fact to us,’ explains Professor Seelecke.

The valves and pumps created by the Saarbrücken research group are made from a thin silicone film that is printed on both sides with an electrically conducting material. Scientists refer to these materials as dielectric elastomers. ‘If we apply a voltage to the film, it generates an electrostatic attractive force that compresses the film, causing it to expand out sideways,’ says Steffen Hau, a PhD engineer working in Seelecke’s team.

By altering the applied electric field in a controlled manner, the engineers can make the film undergo high-frequency vibrations or continuously variable flexing motions. Effectively, the film can adopt almost any required position or orientation. ‘These properties mean that the film can be used to design novel drive systems,’ explains Hau.

Using intelligent algorithms to control the movement of the film, the researchers at Saarland University and at the Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA) in Saarbrücken are developing self-regulating valves and motorless pumps. ‘We don’t need any separate moving parts for our pumps. Because the pumps can run without a rotating motor, they are flat, compact and very energy efficient,’ says Hau. ‘We can control the volume flow rate in these pumps using the amplitude of the applied voltage rather than the frequency, which is what is normally used,’ he adds. This enables very quiet pumps to be built.

‘As the film itself can act as a position sensor, so too can a component made from it,’ says Philipp Linnebach, a doctoral research student who is studying the new film-based drive systems. When the film distorts, an electrical capacitance value can be precisely assigned to any particular position of the film. ‘If we measure a change in capacitance, we know exactly by how much the film has distorted, explains Linnebach. This allows specific motion sequences to be calculated precisely and programmed in a control unit. The film-based valve can therefore be used to deliver exactly the required amount of compressed air or liquid.

The film itself is essentially a flat structure. ‘We have now developed the technology to a point where we can produce films of the required shape. So we can now adapt the films to meet the needs of specific applications,’ says Steffen Hau. The technology is cost-effective to manufacture and the components are very lightweight. They also consume very little energy and are more than a hundred times more energy efficient than conventional components. Compared to a conventional solenoid valve, the film-based valve consumes up to 400 times less energy.

Press photographs are available at http://www.uni-saarland.de/pressefotos and can be used free of charge. Please read and comply with the conditions of use.

This press release is available in German at:
https://www.uni-saarland.de/nc/universitaet/aktuell/artikel/nr/20632.html

Contact for press enquiries:
Prof. Dr. Stefan Seelecke, Intelligent Material Systems Lab, Saarland University:
Tel.: +49 (0)681 302-71341; Email: stefan.seelecke@imsl.uni-saarland.de
Dr. Steffen Hau: Tel.: +49 (0)681-302-71354, E-Mail: steffen.hau@imsl.uni-saarland.de
Philipp Linnebach: Tel.: +49 (0)681 302-71350, Email: philipp.linnebach@imsl.uni-saarland.de
Dr. Paul Motzki, Tel.: +49 681 85787-545; Email: p.motzki@zema.de

Background:
ZeMA – Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology in Saarbrücken – is a research hub for collaborative projects involving researchers from Saarland University, Saarland University of Applied Sciences (htw saar) and industrial partners. ZeMA is home to a large number of industry-specific development projects that aim to transform research findings into practical industrial applications.
http://www.zema.de/

The Saarland Research and Innovation Stand at Hannover Messe is organized by Saarland University’s Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office (KWT). KWT is the central point of contact for companies interested in exploring opportunities for cooperation and collaboration with researchers at Saarland University.
https://www.kwt-uni-saarland.de/

Prof. Dr. Stefan Seelecke, Intelligent Material Systems Lab, Saarland University:
Tel.: +49 (0)681 302-71341; Email: stefan.seelecke@imsl.uni-saarland.de
Dr. Steffen Hau: Tel.: +49 (0)681-302-71354, E-Mail: steffen.hau@imsl.uni-saarland.de
Philipp Linnebach: Tel.: +49 (0)681 302-71350, Email: philipp.linnebach@imsl.uni-saarland.de
Dr. Paul Motzki, Tel.: +49 681 85787-545; Email: p.motzki@zema.de

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New scanner works autonomously and in real time

Although this kind of individual manufacturing is still some way off, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD are taking the vision of batch sizes of one a big step closer to reality, with a new type of 3D scanning system.

“The special thing about our system is that it scans components autonomously and in real time,” says Pedro Santos, department head at Fraunhofer IGD. For the owners of vintage cars with a broken part, this means that the defective component is glued together and placed on a turntable, which is situated beneath a robot arm with the scanner. Everything else happens automatically.

The robot arm moves the scanner around the component so that it can register the complete geometry with the minimum number of passes. Depending on the size and complexity of the component, this takes anything from a few seconds to a few minutes.

Already while the scan is running, intelligent algorithms create a three-dimensional image of the object in the background. Then a material simulation of the 3D image checks whether a 3D print satisfies the relevant stability requirements. In a final step, the component is printed using a 3D printer and is then ready to be fitted in the vintage car.

No need for protracted learning process

Santos emphasizes that the real achievement here is not so much the scanner itself, but the combination of the scanner with view planning to form an autonomous system. This view planning technology was also created by Fraunhofer IGD. During an initial scan, algorithms calculate what further scans are necessary so that the object can be recorded with as few scans as possible. Thanks to this method, the system is able to quickly and independently measure objects that are entirely unknown to it.

This is a unique selling point, because previous scanners either had to be taught how to do this, or else you had to have the CAD model of the component, making it possible to recognize the position of the object relative to the scanner. If you had taught the scanner to scan a car seat for quality control (TARGET-ACTUAL comparison), then it would be able to scan the next 200 car seats, because they would be largely identical in mass production conditions. But conventional scanners are not suited to the task of handling batch sizes of one.

“By contrast, our scan system is able to measure any component, irrespective of its design – and you don’t have to teach it,” explains Santos. “Also, you don’t need information about CAD models or templates – in other words, the specifications of standard forms that a component usually has.”

Manufacturing assistant for Industrie 4.0

Thanks to this USP, the autonomous scanner enables completely new kinds of applications. For example, it can be used as a manufacturing assistant and improve cooperation between humans and machines. This interaction is the focus of the EU-funded “Autoware” project, which involves the assembly of cylinders including the various pistons, casings and seals. Before now, the cylinders were assembled manually, and the subsequent quality control was carried out using a printed checklist and manual measurements. “Our 3D scanning system now enables robots —via comparisons with the database — to recognize what component it has in front of it and also to determine which component its human colleague needs next for assembly of the cylinder,” explains Santos.

In addition, the machine carries out the final quality control, scanning the cylinder to check whether the dimensions are accurate. As part of further projects, the Fraunhofer IGD researchers are also testing the entire chain from recording and visualizing up to 3D reproduction.

The researchers will be presenting their autonomous scanning system at the Hannover Messe Preview on February 6 (Exhibition Grounds, Hall 19) and at the Hannover Messe from April 23 to 27, 2018 (Hall 6, Booth A30).

Visitors will get the opportunity to place various objects under the laser scanner and view the results live on a monitor. Upon request, they can also scan their own objects. This will allow them to see for themselves how the system actually captures the precise geometry of three-dimensional objects autonomously and in real time.

https://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2018/February/Autonomous-3D-sca…

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The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena is presenting a system at the Hannover trade fair from April 13 to 17 (Hall 13, Booth E26), which measures underwater components and provides this information as 3D data.

The sensor and camera technology has approximately the size of a shoe box and can be held by a diver just like an underwater camera. It is currently designed for use at a water depth up to 40 meters. The prototype was created within an international research project together with the 4h JENA engineering GmbH and the Norwegian Research Institute Christian Michelsen Research (CMR).

The Thuringia Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft (state development company) was the promoter. »In the next step we want to optimize the 3D measurement system for greater depths and broader underwater application fields«, says Dr. Peter Kühmstedt, scientist at the IOF.

New 3D system: small, lightweight and extremely robust

During the project, the IOF was responsible for making 3D measurement technology suitable for underwater use. The highlight: The scientists managed to accommodate the entire control system and electronics as well as the computer and display technology in a very confined space:

»The system is no larger than 20 cubic decimeters and weighs less than 11 kilograms«, says Kühmstedt. Despite its complex technology it must still be easy to operate, because divers are limited in their movements by the water and their equipment. The researchers have adapted the operating and representation software of the system to guarantee this: Only a few buttons go outwards. The temperature is constantly monitored to keep the device mechanically and thermally stable, because under water, temperatures may fluctuate immensely depending on depth and sea current. Light conditions also differ from those on land:

There are optical refractions at the interface between the device and the water. A special calibration strategy for the measurements compensates for that. A further drawback: In the water, everything runs via wires and not via radio – therefore the scientists have to design the cables in a very compact manner.

»Under water, things are ten times more expensive. It is a large cost aspect for energy and raw material conveying companies to have their systems maintained at sea. The problem: The technologies currently available for the measurement of components are either too slow or too far away from the actual application. This is why we have developed this prototype together with the industry«, says Kühmstedt. 4h JENA engineering was responsible for the development of the housing and the system cladding, and CMR for the integration of additional sensors.

The 3D measurement system successively depicts several striped patterns onto the surface of the component to be examined by means of a projector, while at the same time taking pictures of the object are taken with two cameras. Based on the series of stereo photos taken and on the active pattern structure seen on the surface, the technology is able to exactly determine the shape of the object.

The diver needs 0.2 seconds for each 3D scan and can check under water whether they are usable. Once back on land or on the ship, he can then load the data to a computer, which evaluates the information and makes suggestions for possible repair measures. »For example it can be decided whether the rust has corroded too deeply or if the defect in the pipe presents a problem or not«, says Kühmstedt.

http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2015/april/measurement-of-compon…

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The hand is the perfect tool. Developed over millions of years, its ‘design’ can certainly be said to be mature. The hand is extraordinarily mobile and adaptable, and the consummate interaction between the muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones and nerves has long driven a desire to create a flexible tool based upon it.

The research team led by Professor Stefan Seelecke from Saarland University and the Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA) is using a new technology based on the shape memory properties of nickel-titanium alloy. The engineers have provided the artificial hand with muscles that are made up from very fine wires whose diameter is similar to that of a human hair and that can contract and relax.

‘Shape-memory alloy (SMA) wires offer significant advantages over other techniques,’ says Stefan Seelecke. Up until now, artificial hands, such as those used in industrial production lines, have relied on a lot of complex background technology. As a result they are dependent on other devices and equipment, such as electric motors or pneumatics, they tend to be heavy, relatively inflexible, at times loud, and also expensive.

‘In contrast, tools fabricated with artificial muscles from SMA wire can do without additional equipment, making them light, flexible and highly adaptable. They operate silently and are relatively cheap to produce. And these wires have the highest energy density of all known drive mechanisms, which enables them to perform powerful movements in restricted spaces,’ explains Seelecke. The term ‘shape memory’ refers to the fact that the wire is able to ‘remember’ its shape and to return to that original predetermined shape after it has been deformed.

‘This property of nickel-titanium alloy is a result of phase changes that occur within the material. If the wire becomes warm, which happens, for instance, when it conducts electricity, the material transforms its lattice structure causing it to contract like a muscle,’ says Seelecke.

The engineers use ‘smart’ wires to play the role of muscles in the artificial hand. Multiple strands of shape-memory wire connect the finger joints and act as flexor muscles on the front-side of the finger and as extensor muscles on the rear. In order to facilitate rapid movements, the engineers copied the structure of natural human muscles by grouping the very fine wires into bundles to mimic muscle fibres.

These bundles of wires are as fine as a thread of cotton, but have the tensile strength of a thick wire. ‘The bundle can rapidly contract and relax while exerting a high tensile force,’ explains Filomena Simone, an engineer who is working on the prototype of the artificial hand as part of her doctoral research.

‘The reason for this behaviour is the rapid cooling that is possible because lots of individual wires present a greater surface area through which heat can be dissipated. Unlike a single thick wire, a bundle of very fine wires can undergo rapid contractions and extensions equivalent to those observed in human muscles. As a result, we are able to achieve fast and smooth finger movements,’ she explains.

Another effect of using the shape-memory metal wires is that the hand can respond in a natural manner when someone intervenes while a particular movement is being carried out. This means that humans can literally work hand-in-hand with the prototype device. A semiconductor chip controls the relative motions of the SMA wires allowing precise movements to be carried out.

And the system does not need sensors. ‘The material from which wires are made has sensor properties. The controller unit is able to interpret electric resistance measurement data so that it knows the exact position of the wires at any one time,’ says Seelecke. This enables the hand and the fingers to be moved with high precision.

The research team will be exhibiting their system prototypes at HANNOVER MESSE 2015 and showcasing the potential of the technology by performing hand grasps and the controlled movement of individual fingers. The researchers want to continue developing the prototype and improve the way in which it simulates the human hand. This will involve modelling hand movement patterns and exploiting the sensor properties of SMA wire.

Contact:
Professor Stefan Seelecke (Multifunctional Materials and Systems Lab),
Tel. +49 (0)681 302-71341; E-mail: stefan.seelecke@mmsl.uni-saarland.de
http://www.mmsl.uni-saarland.de/
Benedikt Holz, Tel.: +49 (0)681 302-71345, E-mail: benedikt.holz@mmsl.uni-saarland.de
Filomena Simone, Tel.: +49 (0)681 302-71347 E-mail: filomena.simone@mmsl.uni-saarland.de

During HANNOVER MESSE 2015, the Saarland Research and Innovation Stand can be contacted at Tel.: +49 (0)681 302-68500

Note for radio journalists: Studio-quality telephone interviews can be conducted using broadcast audio IP codec technology (IP direct dial or via the ARD node 106813020001). Interview requests should be addressed to the university’s Press and Public Relations Office (+49 (0)681 302-64091 or -2601).

Background:
Saarland University, Saarland University of Applied Sciences (HTW) and industrial partners are working together at ZeMA – Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology in Saarbrücken to strengthen the fields of mechatronic engineering and industrial automation in Saarland and to promote technology transfer. ZeMA is home to a large number of industry-specific development projects and projects aimed at transforming research findings into practical industrial applications. http://www.zema.de/

The post Smart Metal Wires Power Sensitive Artificial Hand Innovation appeared first on Innovations Report.

Digitalization has developed into a decisive lever for growth in practically every sector of industry. Because digitalization is the central key to greater productivity, efficiency and flexibility, it forms the focus of the Siemens presentation at the 2015 Hannover Messe. Speaking at the press conference prior to the fair, CEO of the Digital Factory Division Anton S. Huber said: “True gains in efficiency can only be achieved today by optimizing and networking systems and processes along the entire product and production life cycle. Digitalization opens up whole new scope for producing companies to develop and manufacture products and solutions quickly and efficiently. Anyone who consistently leverages these opportunities will benefit from a decisive competitive edge”. Over an exhibition area of 3,500 square meters, the Siemens booth D35 in Hall 9 will feature a wide range of solutions and products from its group-wide growth fields of electrification, automation and digitalization under the banner “On the way to Industrie 4.0 – Driving the Digital Enterprise”. As well as the integration of renewable energies into the energy system, a variety of industrial solutions such as Totally Integrated Automation (TIA), Integrated Drive Systems (IDS), Industry Software and plant data services will all be featured in the Siemens presentation. Also located within the booth will be the “Digitalization Forum”, where Siemens will be presenting concrete examples of digital technologies in application in the manufacturing and process industry as well as machine building.

Siemens offers a future-proof platform based on high-performing software technologies aimed in particular at customers from the manufacturing industries under the title of “Digital Enterprise”, which will allow the extensive demands of Industrie 4.0 to be met over the coming years. “We already have the capability for full integration of the entire production and production lifecycle. This allows us to enhance the productivity and efficiency of our customers and so boost their business”, explains Anton S. Huber. Siemens pays particular attention here to merging the virtual with the real world: “The digital factory is no longer just a vision. We are already making a significant contribution to its achievement today. Our Teamcenter software solution functions as a central data backbone. A decisive factor for improved production with greater efficiency and a shorter time to market is the complete digital representation of a company's entire value chain”, said Anton S. Huber.

Sustainable solutions for the process industry

Siemens is also breaking new ground in the process industry. “Current market trends are moving in the direction of modularization, digital mapping of production steps and communication between the individual machines in the plant,” said Peter Herweck, CEO of the Process Industries and Drives Division. “With our portfolio for the process industry, we offer sustainable solutions from design and engineering to maintenance and modernization.” At the stand's “Digitalization Forum,” a hydraulic circuit demonstrates digital integration of a component in the existing plant. Planning and engineering with the software solution Comos in conjunction with the Simatic PCS 7 process control system enable data from engineering and automation to be pooled. Comos Walkinside visualizes the integration realistically in 3D.
A key step toward the digital plant is simplified administration in industrial networks. Siemens is presenting a current project on this topic at the Hannover Messe: “Effortless Communication.” Assignment of addresses from engineering is relocated to the automation devices. As a result, devices can automatically assign themselves unique addresses without the need for a central instance such as an address server. Moreover, the system simplifies the use of remote services and increases their security. The results from the project might be used to build and run future production networks.

Siemens is presenting new drive technology components in the field Integrated Drive Systems (IDS). Simotics reluctance motors offering maximum energy efficiency and dynamism, a new shaft height for the Simotics FD low-voltage motors, and the modular Simotics HV M high-voltage motors expand the extensive portfolio. Herweck notes: “Our customers from process industries now have to deal with a high degree of complexity, yet strive for maximum energy efficiency. With IDS, we offer a comprehensive, end-to-end range of integrated drive systems: Almost any Siemens drive component can be integrated seamlessly into any drive system, any automation environment and the plant's entire lifecycle. As a result, we improve the entire workflow across all the steps in the value chain.” End-to-end networking of the drives with the control and production level enables intelligent, self-optimizing and autonomous production processes.

Future-oriented, cost-effective power supply

In order to master the growing complexity of energy systems resulting from greater integration of renewables, these systems have to become more agile and smarter in the coming years. That means industrial power grids will also become more digital, in other words, be equipped with more means of measurement, automation, control and regulation. As part of this digitalization, industrial enterprises face new challenges when it comes to increasing their plants' efficiency, ensuring supply security and protecting increasingly complex plants and systems against overloading or short-circuits by means of state-of-the-art concepts. That requires intelligent hardware and software products such as monitoring systems and measurement equipment: End-to-end energy management at the campus is needed. Increasing local power generation, including at their own plants, means that the way industrial companies interact with power suppliers is changing. This calls for new planning and energy management concepts for grids and plants in order to ensure a robust, cost-optimized power supply. “With Totally Integrated Power (TIP), we offer an extensive package for a future-oriented, cost-effective power supply with intelligent and digital solutions from planning to operation,” says Ralf Christian, CEO of the Energy Management Division. Siemens has bundled its power distribution portfolio in TIP and specifically offers industrial enterprises end-to-end solutions that enable energy systems to be planned, controlled, protected and optimized cost-effectively. They comprise software and hardware products, systems and solutions for all voltage ranges – from high-voltage power supply to the low-voltage consumer – which can be integrated in industrial automation technology thanks to intelligent interfaces. As part of its protection concept, Siemens is also presenting in Hanover an enhanced version of the communication-capable compact circuit breaker from the 3VA series for low-voltage power distribution. Compact 3VA circuit breakers are the heart of electric power distribution and ensure fault-tolerant, highly available production processes. Extensive data is also available to engineering and can be integrated in all common planning and project management tools.

More information on Siemens at the 2015 Hannover Messe at:
www.siemens.com/hannovermesse

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of combined cycle turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2014, which ended on September 30, 2014, Siemens generated revenue from continuing operations of €71.9 billion and net income of €5.5 billion. At the end of September 2014, the company had around 357,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com

Reference Number: PR2015020131DFEN

Contact
Ms. Ines Giovannini
Digital Factory Division
Siemens AG

Gleiwitzer Str. 555

90475 Nuremberg

Germany

Tel: +49 (911) 895-7946

ines.giovannini​@siemens.com

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