INDUSTRY News
Project ensures machine
A sustainability project led by the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) is looking at circular solutions to avoid electric machine parts ending up in landfill. Currently, electric machines, such as those used in electric cars, are manufactured using mostly metals and alloys, some of which are complex in their composition or manufacturing routes, and most of which are manufactured from virgin, finite materials. Unfortunately, at this stage, most will end up in landfill.
The £28m Future Electrical Machines Manufacturing (FEMM) Hub project, launched last year, is the first of its kind to bring together leading research expertise in electrical machines and manufacturing to put the UK at the forefront of the electrification revolution. Together, universities of Sheffield, Newcastle and Strathclyde are addressing key manufacturing challenges, and designing new electrical machines with improved performance for the aerospace, energy, automotive and premium consumer sectors. “We need to strike a balance between designing electric machines with exceptional performance while ensuring that the materials can also be recovered for further use. We must absolutely move towards clean-energy solutions and electrification, but it is essential that we are thinking about the long-term impact of these decisions from the earliest stage possible,” said Dr Jill Miscandlon, Senior Manufacturing Engineer at the University of Strathclyde’s AFRC. “It’s important that efforts towards electrification do not create issues further down the line that have negative impacts of their own. We don’t want to be in a position where we transition to electric vehicles, aeroplanes and wind turbines that end up in landfill at the end of their life.”
Research groups across the UK are already looking at aspects of circular components for electrical machines, however this project through the FEMM Hub will be the first to look at a circular design for the entire machine. The AFRC hopes to connect research groups across the UK for a joined-up approach to create the most sustainable and high-performing machines possible.
ABB COLUMN
USING ROBOTS TO HELP BUILD CERTAINTY IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
L
ove it or loathe it, the phrase “the new normal” is here to stay. Current events are challenging the traditional way of doing things, requiring companies to think
differently and adopt new approaches to survive and prosper. Consumer retail and distribution companies are facing an ironic situation where consumer choice
and demand are exploding while the available channels for purchasing goods are becoming more restricted due to a combination of lockdown and closure of outlets. Companies are having to find new ways to process and dispatch orders to customers as quickly and efficiently as possible. For manufacturers across all sectors, the pressure is on to adapt to changing circumstances such as rising consumer demand and fluctuating orders whilst also cope with restrictions on workforces arising from sickness and the rules around social distancing. For many, meeting these challenges has involved having to completely redesign their production and distribution operations. All of this builds a strong case for robotic automation. A growing range of capabilities including vision, force sensing and, most recently, machine learning, coupled with reductions in size, cost and complexity, are opening new opportunities for using robots in an expanding range of applications. Developments in collaborative technology, for example, especially in the areas of safety and contact avoidance, are enabling robots to increasingly be deployed directly alongside people, presenting scope for improved productivity and efficiency through human and robot collaboration. The inherent dexterity, flexibility and adaptability of collaborative robots to perform most tasks and work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whatever the conditions, can be a major step towards reducing uncertainty and meeting the challenges presented by the pandemic. Most usefully, the portable design of many of these robots means they can be taken to where they are needed, for example to fill gaps in production lines arising from absent workers. Offline programming software and developments in Augmented Reality are also enabling businesses to visualise how and where robots can be fitted into their production processes, allowing them to make an informed decision. Even before the pandemic, the manufacturing industry was already under pressure with increasing demand for mass customisation, faster delivery times and cycle times. As the ‘new normal’ starts to take hold, businesses looking for greater certainty should look to robotic automation to form the base of their new foundations and futureproof their operations so that they are more resilient and adaptable.
Nigel Platt, LBL Manager, UK and Ireland, ABB Robotics
automationmagazine.co.uk
Automation | March 2021
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