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ATEX EQUIPMENT


Robotic Maintenance in the cheMical industRy


robot – this task is being carried out by Evonik, a global leader in the specialty chemicals industry, as part of an Innovation Project with three partners at one of its company-owned chemical plants. Evonik relies on Getac’s F110


C


ATEX certified tablet to control the robot and teach it automated inspection routes around the facility. The company chose the F110-EX due to its powerful performance and excellent reliability, compared to other rugged computing alternatives. In addition, Getac's fast response and high degree of flexibility while integrating the solution were key factors in creating an optimal working environment for the Proof of Concept (PoC). The robot’s software was provided by Energy Robotics, while the robot itself was supplied by Boston Dynamics. The aim of the project is to evaluate the


practicality of an automated robotic maintenance and inspection solution in the chemical industry. The robot’s primary task is to travel along pre-programmed inspection routes, collecting important operational data. It will also conduct automated safety inspections that cannot be integrated into a remote maintenance concept (or only at great expense). Organisations can then use data collected to improve the intervals between inspections while simultaneously increasing asset reliability. Getac’s tablet plays a pivotal role in the


project, serving as the main interface between robot, control software, and human operator. For control and monitoring in the plant, the operator can access the software via the F110-EX, while an additional controller is used for quick interventions during operation. “The robot receives its orders through


the Getac F110-EX, which can also be used to control it during corresponding missions, such as in the tank farm,” explains Thorsten Schimpf, process expert at Evonik. “The robot is equipped with sensors, as well as infrared and optical cameras, allowing it to navigate to specific locations within the facility and take photos of displays or record data, which can then be transmitted back for evaluation. For effective operation, we knew we needed a portable rugged


device with enough power to display video feeds from the robot in real-time. The F110-EX allows us to do just that.” The requirements for the F110-EX


tablet are high. Not only must it be highly robust and ATEX-certified, but the screen must also be easy to read outdoors, under a wide range of environmental conditions including rain, and it must be fully functional in both hot and cold temperatures. Evonik also required a Windows


operating system, as well as the ability to capture and process large amounts of data both quickly and effectively. Connectivity and performance play a key role as well, allowing for fast video transmission and play back. In addition, an LTE connection is required because there is no WLAN in the tank farm. Finally, Bluetooth is needed to connect the controller to the tablet. With the appropriate Getac carrying strap, the F110 can be carried comfortably in front of the body, so the user has both hands free to operate the controller at the same time. “Evonik not only recognised Getac as a


good solution, but Getac responded immediately to our enquiry, was able to help quickly, and offered the right solution for our needs,” adds Thorsten Schimpf. “The F110-EX is extremely reliable and fail-safe, it works flawlessly and meets our very high requirements for performance, functionality and connectivity.” Schimpf emphasises: “We are very satisfied with the F110-EX.” “The Getac F110-EX is based on state-


of-the-art rugged technologies, making it ideally suited to Evonik’s ambitious project,” says Eric Yeh, managing director at Getac Technology. “We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the project’s success and look forward to working closely with Evonik on similar initiatives in the future.”


Getac www.getac.com


16 July/auGust 2022 | industRial coMpliance A built-in ARM Cortex-M4 Processor enables WISE-


2410X users to implement more internal features. WISE-2410X is able to directly calculate more complex values, such as VRMS, ARMS, Peak, Displacement, Kurtosis, Crest factor, Skewness and Standard Deviation values. With its edge computing capability, WISE- 2410X can balance the loading between WISE-2410X, gateway, and cloud service. The WISE-2410X is a plug and play solution with


LPWAN technology verified by Advantech and powered by internal 3.6V AA batteries. the battery life on WISE- 2410X can be up to 2 years with once per hour data update interval time. With its IP65 protection WISE- 2410X is ideal for Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) applications, such as pumps, HAVC system, motors, facility monitoring and more. WISE-2410X connects to Advantech’s WISE Studio Utility for more user friendly and efficient installation.


advantech www.advantech.eu


onducting maintenance and inspection tasks in critical areas using an autonomous


A


explosion pRoof wiReless condition MonitoRinG sensoR


dvantech has introduced the WISE-2410X explosion proof LoRaWAN wireless condition monitoring sensor. WISE-2410X provides three-axis vibration inspection and


temperature of equipment 24 hours a day and meets ISO 10816 standards to enable successful predictive maintenance. This LoRaWAN sensor is ATEX and IECEx (Zone 2 and Zone 21) certified for monitoring the vibration level of facilities in explosive environments WISE-2410X features an integrated ARM Cortex-M4


processor, LoRa transceiver, three-axis accelerometer and temperature sensor. It balances the wireless bandwidth between WISE-2410X and the gateway, mitigating the data transmission fail rates between edge-devices and gateways. The WISE-2410X is a LoRaWAN uses a star network


topology and provides a gateway data relay function between sensors and the application server. The communication between the sensors and gateway goes over the wireless channel, utilising the LoRa physical layer, while the connection between the gateways and the central server are handled over a backbone IP- based network or over Modbus protocol to the application server.


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