SPONSORSHIP FOR UK STUDENT TEAM IN GLOBAL SPACEX HYPERLOOP POD COMPETITION


RS Components (RS) has renewed its sponsorship for the University of Edinburgh’s Hyperloop team – HYPED – to support the next phase in the university’s efforts to design and build a half- scale prototype pod for the revolutionary Hyperloop mass transportation system. Later this year, students from the HYPED


team will return to the headquarters of aerospace manufacturer SpaceX in California to compete as finalists in the annual Hyperloop Pod Competition. The contest challenges university teams across the globe to advance the technology of Hyperloop, a proposed system of transport that would work by propelling levitated pods electrically through low-pressure tubes at speeds


of around 700mph for distances up to 900 miles. The impact on travel would be phenomenal, cutting journey times between Edinburgh and London, for example, to around 45 minutes. It is the second year in a row that RS has sponsored the HYPED team’s participation at the SpaceX


competition, providing key components to build a low-weight, fully autonomous half-scale pod. The 2017 prototype, known as Poddy McPodface, featured magnetic levitation, high-speed braking, and a host of on-board sensors and computers for controls and safety. The team is now refining the design for its new generation pod, Poddy the Second, in preparation for the 2018 competition, adding features such as electrodynamic (Halbach array) wheels for propulsion, emergency pneumatic brakes, and a carbon composite


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EUROPEAN EXPANSION FOR SENSOR COMPANY


Melexis has announced a plan to further increase its European footprint with a five-year plan to expand in Sofia, Bulgaria and Corbeil-Essonnes, France. Melexis has been present in Sofia since 2000 and


is planning to double the manufacturing space as well as significantly extending the R&D and warehousing facilities. In order to facilitate this, Melexis projects to invest a total of around €75m over five years, with €17m to be invested this year. In parallel, Melexis is also investing in a brand new


wafer-probing site in Corbeil-Essonnes. This site will form a vital part of Melexis’ supply chain and will be based around the best practices already developed at other Melexis wafer- probing facilities, ensuring consistency across all facilities. Melexis is projecting a €60m investment in production equipment over five years. The site will begin operations later this year. www.melexis.com


NEW FLOW MEASUREMENT PLANT IN CHINA Welcome to


the February issue of Instrumentation. In this issue, in Automotive & Motorsport, we find out how instrumentation manufacturers are helping motorsport teams achieve maximum performance. Kistler assisted TOYOTA GAZOO to place third overall in the 2017 World Rally Championship and NI’s improvements to Cardiff Racing’s car has helped that team win Formula Student at the Silverstone Circuit. The latest instruments will be on display at Sensors & Instrumentation when the exhibition returns to the NEC, Birmingham on 25 and 26 September. This year, the show will be teaming up with What’s New In Electronics LIVE. Find out more on page 28.


Victoria White - Editor 4 FEBRUARY 2018 | INSTRUMENTATION


Only five years after the most recent expansion in China, the Endress+ Hauser Group has once again increased production capacity with a third plant in Suzhou. The facility will help the Group meet high growth in the Far East. The new plant will give the Endress+


Hauser’s centres of competence for flow measurement engineering, liquid analysis


and temperature measurement engineering additional capacity. www.endress.com


IMTS 2018 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN


Registration is now open for IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show 2018. Manufacturing professionals across the globe will gather at Chicago’s McCormick Place, 10-15 September, seeking technologies and innovations that will give their organisation a competitive edge. IMTS is the largest


manufacturing event in North America, featuring the latest technologies and innovative solutions. For visitor ease, IMTS is organised into ten pavilions featuring: additive manufacturing; abrasive machining; sawing;


To overcome the limitations of Pd-based hydrogen sensors, the research team introduced a MOF layer on top of a Pd nanowire array. Lithographically patterned Pd nanowires were overcoated with a Zn-based zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF-8) layer composed of Zn ions and organic ligands. The team expects that the


finishing, controls & CAD-CAM; EDM; fabricating; laser, gear generation & machine components; cleaning; environmental, metal cutting, quality assurance and Tooling & Work Holding Systems. International visitors may attend the show free of charge. Register at: www.IMTS.com/intl www.IMTS.com/intl


ultra-fast hydrogen sensor can be useful for the prevention of explosion accidents caused by the leakage of hydrogen gas. In addition, they expect that other harmful gases in the air can be accurately detected through effective nano-filtration by using a variety of MOF layers. www.kaist.ac.kr


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pressurised vessel. The constructed pod will compete against other finalists on SpaceX’s mile-long test-track in summer 2018. The continued sponsorship by RS also


emphasises the company’s support for 2018 as the Year of the Engineer, which celebrates everyday engineering heroes and brings together employers and young talent to inspire the next generation of engineers, much like the members of HYPED. Macauley Versey, an electrical and


mechanical engineering student at the University of Edinburgh and a member of Team HYPED, commented: “RS has been really fundamental in the development of our pod prototype. By sponsoring our team, we’ve been able to simply order whatever components or products we need through the website, which has been hugely helpful for us.” uk.rs-online.com


ULTRA-SENSITIVE HYDROGEN SENSOR


A research group from KAIST has developed an ultra-fast hydrogen gas detection system based on a palladium (Pd) nanowire array coated with a metal-organic framework (MOF).


Hydrogen has been regarded as an eco-friendly next-generation energy source. However, it is a flammable gas that can explode even with a small spark. For safety, the lower explosion limit for hydrogen gas is 4vol% so sensors should be able to detect the colourless and odourless hydrogen molecule quickly.


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