Data acquisition


disposable capital for new equipment should seek to incorporate connectivity into their legacy equipment, joining new technologies and older machines to create a seamlessly working system. This can be achieved with retrofitting.


TEACHING AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS Technology such as sensors and IPCs are being constantly updated, making it impossible for most factories to have a 100 per cent state-of-the-art facility. It is not uncommon for manufacturers to use equipment that is two decades old as part of the production line. However, this legacy equipment could be costing companies due to the lack of data connection. The culture of uninformed decision-making persists despite the progress made in technology, with 26 per cent of workers reported to have made decisions based on gut instinct during their career and 21 per cent reporting doing this monthly. Therefore, manufacturers should seek to modernise their factories for easy data acquisition. To modernise factories, legacy models can either be replaced, a costly and wasteful process, or augmented through retrofitting. Retrofitting refers to adding IIoT connectivity capabilities to existing machines, such as legacy equipment, so they can be monitored and controlled remotely. The easiest way to do this is by adding sensors for data acquisition, or investing in accelerometers and thermocouples to measure vibration, temperature, current and power consumption.


Data collection and analysis are important to any business, even in factories. Using IIoT devices to connect equipment to IPCs allows for the support of easy data acquisition that can, in turn, help companies improve operational efficiency, and reduce energy consumption, projected costs and human errors in the factory. For example, a 2019 case study by Felipe Orellana and Romina Torres proved that retrofitting legacy equipment with IIoT devices could successfully create an efficient smart factory. In the study, legacy equipment in a spare parts manufacturing factory was fitted with a variety of sensors connected to IPCs. This resulted in not only an improvement in operation efficiency, dependent on the percentage of digitalisation, but also a reduced energy consumption by 17 per cent, reduced projected costs by three per cent and cut the percentage of human errors in the factory by 70 per cent. This study shows that companies can avoid the hefty cost of constantly updating equipment while still maintaining a competitive edge. Moreover, this retrofitting process is a continuous improvement that allows employees to become more familiar with digital technologies without throwing them into the deep end with new high-tech equipment, meaning they can see improvements to their tasks a lot clearer. Retrofitting has benefits outside of those mentioned in the


study, the method is also more environmentally friendly. Traditional manufacturing has a linear economy based on the make-use-dispose model. However, nowadays companies are looking to be more environmentally conscious. Retrofitting is in line with this goal, with its reuse- remake-recover model.


Until the latest industrial technology comes free of charge, legacy equipment’s use in the industry is inevitable. However, studies like Orellana and Torres and the large range of sensors that can be retrofitted, prove that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Modernisation is achievable even in decades-old equipment, in businesses of all sizes, and is necessary for companies to maintain a competitive edge.


Beckhoff Automation www.beckhoff.co.uk Instrumentation Monthly March 2023


CHANGES TO F1 GROUND EFFECT RULES DRIVE DEMAND FOR CHELL INSTRUMENTS’ DAQ RANGE


T


he 2022 season was the first for almost 40 years in which Formula 1 teams were able to more actively exploit ground effect, an aerodynamic phenomenon which creates a force pulling the car towards the track, increasing grip. As a result, Chell Instruments, who supports a number of leading teams with high-precision measurement equipment, has experienced rising demand for its nanoDAQ and microDAQ ranges. “Our equipment is already used in both wind tunnel and on-track development. However, this rule change has clearly resonated with teams as they seek out our technology to help them take full advantage” says Jamie Shanahan, sales director at Chell Instruments. Ground effect was initially


experimented with by F1 teams in the 1970’s but outlawed in 1983 on safety grounds, as the increased corner speed achieved contributed to safety concerns at many race circuits. As part of a number of changes, the option to exploit ground effect returned in 2022, in-part to reduce the ‘dirty’ air which follows F1 cars and prevents closer racing. As the underside of the car gets closer to the road, the gap or cross- section under the front of the vehicle reduces. Air passing under the vehicle is forced to accelerate, reducing its pressure which pulls the vehicle into the road, increasing grip. Known as Bernoulli's principle, this effect can be observed by holding a sheet on a breezy day and watching how it clings to the ground as it gets closer to it.


For 2022 and beyond, F1 teams are redesigning their cars, including engineering channels or ‘venturi tunnels’ which accelerate air flow under the vehicle.


“Like all aspects of aerodynamics, the benefits can be enormous and the difference between winning races or coming last. We're delighted to be part of that challenge, supplying technology like our nanoCAT-LTM-32” adds Shanahan.


Chell Instruments recently unveiled its newest development, a manifold mount miniature EtherCAT pressure scanner. The nanoCAT-LTM-32 brings together the features of two previous models and features mount which allows motor sport users to create their own manifold and test twice as many pressure channels at once in the wind tunnel environment. It is used in conjunction with the other nanoDAQ- LT and MicroDAQ3 products to provide a complete pressure map of the components in question. “The nanoCAT-LTM-32 was created purely with our motor sport partners in mind. We understand their sector and their need for reliable, miniature and highly-precise instruments” adds Shanahan.


Chell Instruments has designed, manufactured and supplied gas measurement and control instrumentation since the 1970s. The company’s products are used for pressure, temperature and flow testing within sectors including aerospace, pharmaceuticals and energy, as well as motorsport.


Chell Instruments www.chell.co.uk 49


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