Manufacturing AUTOMATION asked a handful of industry experts to name the top five technologies and trends that Canadian manufacturers should watch out for in 2012 and beyond. Security was a top choice by our experts this year, followed by the connected factory, mobile computing, cloud computing, wireless technologies and energy management. Read on to learn more.

The skilled trades shortage is no longer pending. It is here.

Manufacturing AUTOMATION's sister publication, Electrical Business, was there on December 6, 2011, when SMTC Corp. and Enecsys Ltd. officially announced their partnership to produce Enecsys micro inverters for the Canadian market at SMTC’s Markham, Ont., facility, which qualifies for Ontario’s Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program by meeting the domestic content requirement. Here, Claude Germain, president and co-CEO of SMTC, and Louis Lalonde, VP worldwide marketing and product management of Enecsys, share their predictions for Canada's solar industry.

Standard-Knapp’s 939S Versatron soft catch servo packer with a new lowering head module is ideal for packers looking for solutions gentler than drop packing for their more fragile “green” containers, the company says. The 939S Versatron includes technology that enables packers to handle the thinner, lightweight and more fragile glass containers being used in the move towards greener, more sustainable packaging. The lowering head module can pick up bottles and other containers and carry them to the packing area, where they can be packed in the case without dropping. The machine places the container all the way to the bottom of the case, at 30 cycles per minute. Designed primarily with wine, liquor and beer containers in mind, it can also handle locking shape containers.

www.standard-knapp.com

Dorner’s 2200 Series low-profile belt conveyor increases its weight carrying capacity to a 200-lb maximum load. The 2200 Series is able to move heavy loads while maintaining a 1.4-inch diameter pulley for optimal part transfer and machine interface. This compact design allows the conveyor to fit into tight spaces where other conveyors simply can’t. What gives the 2200 Series the added weight capacity is its engineered cogged belt with teeth that engage and grip the two sprocket pulleys on each end of the conveyor. The action of the teeth on the back of the belt engaging the sprocket pulleys prevents slippage, which means the conveyor can carry a much heavier load. These engineered features increased the carrying capacity by more than 65 percent. In addition, the conveyor can handle this weight capacity while pushing or pulling the load. The 2200 Series is ideal for product assembly, manufacturing and packaging processes, the company says. Specific applications include machine integration, robotic pick-n-place, indexing, accurate part positioning, timed conveying, vision inspection, sheet or wide-part handling.

www.dornerconveyors.com

Cicoil’s Festoon Cables are designed for continuous flexing and extreme temperature applications from -65 degrees C to 260 degrees C. Ideal in overhead crane, gantry and material handling systems, these UV-resistant cables can be used as an alternative to PVC and Neoprene jacketed flat cables that do not provide reliability in severe environment and harsh weather conditions, the company says. Cicoil’s crystal-clear silicone encapsulation is designed to be tear-resistant, needs no external conduit for protection, and will not deform or wear during a lifetime of more than 10 million cycles, even under tight bending radius and high-speed flexing conditions. The silicone-extruded cables are unaffected when exposed to flames, extreme heat, ice, snow, salt water, acid rain, coarse sand, shock, vibration, sunlight and most chemicals. For applications that require abrasion and adhesion resistance, Cicoil offers anti-friction coating options by request.

www.cicoil.com

Omega's new digital hydraulic tester is a compact, lightweight, self-contained portable tester with laboratory accuracy. Designed for fast diagnostic troubleshooting of all types of mobile or stationary hydraulic systems and components, the tester makes all flow pressure and temperature measurements simultaneously from one point. Features include a large digital LCD display, pressure relief disc protection and low battery/over-range indicators.

www.omega.ca

Carlo Gavazzi has introduced its new compact EM10 and EM11 Series Energy Meters. The EM10 Series is a single-phase energy meter that monitors 120 or 230 VAC. It provides a cost-effective solution for most metering applications, allowing an effective energy measurement without the need for an external current transformer, the company says. This ultra-compact device can be interfaced with a PLC, thanks to its optional pulse output. The EM11 Series is also a 120 or 230 VAC single-phase device that provides information concerning the status of the power supply, in conjunction with energy measurement. It is the ideal solution for any application requiring a power analyser to display and control the main energy supply. It prevents line overload conditions by switching off selected non-priority loads through its alarm output. It controls and limits power before a shutdown of the entire electrical system occurs. It is also suitable for metering most commercial and industrial applications.

www.GavazziOnline.com

AF1 series flow sensors from Rexroth record the flow rate and compressed air consumption in a system, thus making an important contribution to optimizing energy efficiency, the company says. The measurements help to detect leakages that are then reported to the controller via an alarm signal. This avoids energy losses and saves money. Used as a stand-alone device or in combination with AS series maintenance units, the sensors guarantee demand-based compressed air supply. AF1 series flow sensors constantly compare the actual values in a system with the set process values, allowing you to reliably control flow rates. Larger leakages and wear leading to higher air consumption are detected early on. Unnecessary increases in consumption become transparent and consumption costs can be allocated to the relevant consumers. The new AF1 sensor modules detect the flow rate based on the difference in pressure between two internal measuring points. They have two PNP/NPN switch outputs each and one analog output. Users can set switching points for the two switch outputs on the basis of flow rate, air consumption or pressure, using simple and intuitive programming. The analog output provides the flow rate value. All of the measurable variables can be selected and shown on a backlit large format display, and operators can switch between the usual international units. Using the appropriate block assembly kits, the AF1 can be assembled as a stand-alone device or integrated (and even retrofit) in AS series maintenance units of all sizes.

www.boschrexroth.ca

At distributor training in Toronto, Harting of North America's Steve Loyal discusses the company's Industrial 10G RJ45 and har-speed M12 series of connetors. Watch the video to learn more.