Manufacturing AUTOMATION magazine

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

E-newsletter
September, 2005
Volume 3, Issue 9

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FROM THE EDITOR

The Changing Face of Business Travel

Everyone has a travel horror story to tell. And with beefed-up post-911 security, constant delays, and rising passenger traffic — those of us racking up frequent flier miles on the company credit card have more stories than most.

According to the annual American Express Global Business Travel forecast released last fall, business travel is on the rise. And while we might not see unprecedented growth anytime soon, there will be a steady rebound in business travel throughout the world this year. This means more of us will be growing familiar with foreign airports while impatiently waiting to attend trade shows, visit customers, and make it to conferences on time.

So how should we deal with the increasing hassle? In the upcoming October issue, columnist Paul Hogendoorn, President of OES, shares insights about his love/hate relationship with business travel, and suggests rediscovering the merits of the jetsetter lifestyle as a way to take the edge off.

But not everyone is willing to let the burden of travel fall completely on their own shoulders. After talking to a few frequent business fliers, I heard a lot of suggestions on how to make Canadian airports better, one being the implementation of "speed-passes" similar to those in the United States. To get this pass, business travellers register as frequent travellers, revealing why and where they most often go. With a quick swipe, the pass allows travellers to zip through security and customs.

Ramsey Orr, a professional services consultant for the Toronto-based expense management software company Necho Systems Corporation, says Canadian citizens travelling to the U.S. without the need for a visa, should create a make-shift speed pass by having their company type a letter and sign it. The letter should state that you are travelling for business, are being paid by a Canadian company and list your credentials, a company contact name and number. Have this letter re-printed every few months with a new date on top.

There's no question that travelling to far away places with samples, briefcase or laptop in tow is not as glamorous as those on the home front think. And until teleporting is invented — or a delay-free airline — sharing in each other's travel tales is the only comfort we're going to get. So drop us a line and let us know — what's your most interesting, most unbelievable, completely frustrating on-the-road survival story? We'd love to hear from you.

Sherri Telenko
Acting Editor
editor@automationmag.com

IN THE NEWS

Skills Development
Yves Landry Foundation award winners announced
TORONTO, ON — Gary Baldwin, Executive Director, Yves Landry Foundation announced recently that the following five academic awards will be presented at the Foundation's 6th Annual STARS Technological Education Awards Gala on Thursday, October 20, 2005 at The Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Ontario. The Outstanding Innovation in Education (college level) will go to Northern College of Applied Arts and Technology; Innovative Manufacturing Technology Program (university level) will go to the University of Windsor; the Progress Towards Sustainable Development recipient will be the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo; Technical Renewal award will be given to the York Region District School Board in Newmarket, Ontario; and Outstanding Technical Co-operative Education Program award will be presented to Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Each Award recipient will receive $5,000 in recognition of their innovative programs to advance technological education and skills training.

The Yves Landry Foundation, founded in 1998, is based on the vision, principles and hopes of the late Yves Landry, Chairman, President and CEO of Chrysler Canada Ltd. from 1990 to 1998. The Foundation provides the opportunity for business, education and government to collectively be part of the solution to advance technological education and skills training in order to resolve the skilled labour shortages facing Canadian industries. Yves Landry Foundation also has a new website: www.yveslandryfoundation.com. — S.T.

Montreal Launch
IBM opens the new International PLM Centre of Excellence
MONTREAL, QB — IBM Canada Ltd. announced last month that it is creating a major international Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Centre of Excellence in Montréal — with Bombardier Aerospace as its first customer. The creation of this centre is intended to help Canadian manufacturers participate in large projects by providing them with sophisticated PLM expertise and solutions. IBM says the new centre will support manufacturing companies of all sizes throughout their product development processes, from design to maintenance — a discipline known as Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).

This centre, the latest in IBM's international network of PLM centres, has a global mission with a North-American focus spanning a broad range of industries including aerospace, automotive, industrial, oil and gas, chemicals and electronics.

"With the launch of this PLM Centre of Excellence, we are giving Canadian companies a competitive edge to help them win in international markets," said Marc Dubé, Executive Director for IBM in the Industrial Sector.

"We are also strengthening Montreal's strategic position as a technology hub, and we are helping to further strengthen the Canadian and more specifically, the Quebec aerospace sector," Denis Desbien, vice president of IBM Quebec.

As the launch customer, Bombardier Aerospace will be the first manufacturing company to benefit from the breadth of PLM expertise offered at the new centre. For the duration of the five-year contract, IBM will manage Bombardier's current portfolio of PLM applications and implement new ones to support upcoming business requirements.

Approximately forty Bombardier employees will join IBM's PLM Centre of Excellence in October and November this year. — Joanne Fortin, IBM Canada Ltd.

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PRODUCT FOCUS: MOTION CONTROL

Fifth Generation Control

Galil Motion Control recently released its DMC-18x6 PCI bus motion controller, the first in its newest generation of motion controllers, The Accelera Series. Featuring a 32-bit Risc-based, clock multiplying processor with DSP functionality, the company says these controllers deliver much higher speed performance and processing power than prior generation controllers. This includes the ability to accept encoder inputs up to 22 MHz, servo update rates as low as 24 microseconds per axis, and command execution speeds as low as 40 microseconds.

The DMC-18x6 is also designed to accept inputs from quadrature encoders at frequencies up to 22 MHz, which is a requirement for applications that use very high-resolution feedback sensors. Galil says it improved the speed of the DMC-18x6 for step motor applications by increasing the frequency of the stepper pulse output by a factor of two with the maximum pulse rate of 6 MHz. The product is available in one- through eight-axis formats. The DMC-18x6 is like all Galil controllers in that the user need only purchase the number of axes required. Each axis is user-configurable for stepper or servo motor operation, enabling the user to easily mix-and-match motor types in an application.
Galil Motion Control

Control and Speed

Designed by Trust Automation, the TA821 Copper Reduction modules convert electrical encoder, hall sensor and limit signals to an optical signal and then back into electrical signals. They are designed for robotics, medical applications, linear slides, machining centers, and applications in high electrical noise areas or applications that require high flexibility harnesses. The company says that because of their compact size (3.50 x 3.03 x 0.75 inches), the lightweight TA821 transmit and receive modules can be mounted with the motor and on a linear stage. Available in 1, 2, and 4 axis modules, they are designed to accept standard signals. Signal inputs include: 5VDC Differential Encoder (A, B, Index), 5VDC Differential Hall Sensors, and 5-24VDC Home and limit sensors. The power requirement for each module is 5VDC and each unit features a Power-On Status LED.
Trust Automation

Washdown Capable Servo Motor

Designed for food, beverage and life sciences manufacturers, the new Allen Bradley MP-Series stainless steel (MPS) motor from Rockwell Automation offers a full washdown capable servo motor. Government regulations in industries such as food, beverage and life sciences specify definitions for "safe" materials that can be used in manufacturing applications. According to the company, the MPS motor meets these requirements with a cleanable design which is in accordance with best practices for food safety requirements. As a result, Rockwell says, manufacturers can place the motor closer to the application, saving space and taking advantage of servo motors in areas where the technology had previously not been available.

Meeting IP66, IP67 and IP69K standards, the MPS motor is designed to provide superior protection against caustic cleaning chemicals and high-pressure washdowns. The motor's passivated 300-series stainless steel housing can be cleaned with caustic chemicals without causing corrosion or motor damage, and the smooth cylindrical housing is designed to withstand 1200 psi washdowns for water and solid ingress protection.
Rockwell Automation

Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by...

CMTS is the place to source and compare leading-edge production technology and innovation. With more than 600 leading manufacturers and distributors gathered under one roof, the CMTS is Canada's definitive manufacturing event—and the most convenient, cost-effective way to gather the information needed to make sound purchase decisions.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

September 26-November 3
FLIR Systems Inc. offers free informational infrared seminars called InfraForums for the Canadian market. The topic of the upcoming seminars is predictive maintenance using infrared cameras for commercial and industrial equipment preventative maintenance and reliability needs. The seminars will offer detailed information about handheld thermal imaging systems used to find problems, maintain optimal productivity, identify corrective action and improve plant safety, saving time and money in a wide range of commercial and industrial facilities worldwide. Seminars are across Canada in the following cities: September 26 - Vancouver, BC; September 27 - Calgary, AB; September 28 - Edmonton, AB; September 29 - Fort McMurray, AB; September 30 - Winnipeg, AB; October 4 - Montreal, QC; October 5 - Longueuil, QC; October 6 - Whitby, ON; October 7 - Mississauga, ON; and November 3 - Moncton, NB. To register visit www.flirthermography.com.

September 26-29
The International Robots & Vision Show takes place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago), IL. This show is sponsored by the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and the Automated Imaging Association (AIA). The Grand Opening Keynote address is "Robonaut and the Future Assembly of the International Space Station" by Michael Lutomski of NASA. For more information about the show, please visit: www.robots-vision-show.info.

October 3-7
The 2005 Emerson Global Users Exchange Conference will be at the World Center Marriott Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The conference will feature 253 workshops and 47 short courses, plus keynote speakers, management roundtables, executive sessions, product roadmaps, and an expansive technology exhibit hall. The full conference agenda and other details are available at www.EmersonExchange.org.

October 6-9
RoboNexus, the international consumer, education and business development event for intelligent mobile robots and emerging robotic technology is being held at the San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, CA. To register visit www.roboticstrends.com.

October 10-12
WAGO Corporation offers a free three-day seminar on Industrial Ethernet Control. Attendees will receive an introduction to the WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM hardware, overview of Industrial Ethernet components and protocols, hands on IEC 61131-3 programming session with live demo nodes, and review/create web services or applications (such as alarm emails, web pages, etc. from the controller) using the new 750-841 Ethernet Programmable Controller. Sign up online at www.wago.us.

October 17-20
The Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show in Toronto, ON is one of Canada's largest forums for domestic and international manufacturers and distributors to display the full range of manufacturing machinery, plant-floor automation technology and support products. To register visit www.reedexpo.ca/cmts/.

October 18, 2005
Implementing AS2 Workshop is a half-day seminar exploring the functionality and implementation of AS2 (secure online communication) for the transmission of EDI (electronic data interchange) over the Internet. The workshop is held at the Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Road, Toronto. For more information visit www.gs1ca.org.

October 25-27
ISA EXPO 2005 in Chicago, IL will feature the latest products and services in its exhibition, a strategically relevant technical conference, and a prominent continuing education and training program. For more information visit www.isa.org.

November 28 to December 1
The Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada (PEMAC) is again hosting MainTrain 2005. The conference will deliver seminars and workshops, a Maintenance Management Professional (MMP) certification program (module 1), displays from leading vendors, and a host of professional networking opportunities. Location is Toronto, ON. For more information e-mail: maintrain@pemac.org, or visit www.maintrain.ca.

For more industry events, visit www.automationmag.com, where you can also subscribe to the magazine and read online exclusives.

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