Moon Concrete and Drunk-Free Tanks at Holiday Dinner
Shop Talk
Capturing this week's zeitgeist
Modern electronics manufacturing has undergone a remarkable transformation, making it easier than ever to produce the gadgets on everyone’s holiday wish lists. Advanced manufacturing technologies and automated quality control systems have revolutionized the production process, significantly reducing common assembly errors that once plagued electronics manufacturing. One notorious example is about a capacitor being installed backwards in Apple’s Macintosh LC III. Nowadays, companies like Instrumental are enabling engineers to not just stop problems at the end of the line, but to fix them upstream.
Assembly Line
This week's most influential Industry 4.0 media.
The Inside Story of Google’s Quiet Nuclear Quest
The first research effort came from a proposal by my colleague Ted Baltz, a senior Google engineer, who wanted to bring the company’s computer-science expertise to fusion experiments at TAE Technologies in Foothill Ranch, Calif. He believed machine learning could improve plasma performance for fusion.
In 2014, TAE was experimenting with a warehouse-size plasma machine called C-2U. This machine heated hydrogen gas to over a million degrees Celsius and created two rings of plasma, which were slammed together at a speed of more than 960,000 kilometers per hour. Powerful magnets compressed the combined plasma rings, with the goal of fusing the hydrogen and producing energy. The challenge for TAE, as for all other companies trying to build commercial fusion reactors, was how to heat, contain, and control the plasma long enough to achieve real energy output, without damaging its machine.
A nice side benefit from our multiyear collaboration with TAE was that people within the company—engineers and executives—became knowledgeable about fusion. And that resulted in Alphabet investing in two fusion companies in 2021, TAE and Commonwealth Fusion Systems. By then, my colleagues at Google DeepMind were also using deep reinforcement learning for plasma control within tokamak fusion reactors.
Dynamic fermentation and the making of non-alcoholic beers
Targeted adjustments to recirculation and sedimentation processes in the fermentation tank make it possible to achieve high quality in the beers produced and increase the efficiency of individual processes. Steinecker offers the Poseidon recirculation unit for precisely such dynamic fermentation. And now it’s being tested for yet another application: the production of non-alcoholic beers using crabtree-negative yeasts.
In order to use its Poseidon recirculation unit with crabtree-negative yeasts, Steinecker developed a variant featuring an integrated aeration system and oxygen sensor. Here, too, recirculation keeps the yeast in a more homogeneous suspension in the beer, which in turn improves flavor development and speeds maturation. Even more important, though, is its use for aerating the tank: During the maturation process, Poseidon recirculates the wort continuously and maintains a consistent oxygen content of between 1.0 and 1.5 parts per million (ppm). To develop the desired aroma profile, it is important that a high temperature be maintained for as long as possible – all the while in an aerobic environment. In trials conducted in the Steinecker Technology Center in collaboration with Novenesis, a producer of crabtree-negative NEER yeasts, these conditions could be maintained for well over 20 hours using Poseidon. In the end, these tests produced fully flavored beer containing 0 percent alcohol in just two days’ time.
BYD Clutch Cover Vision Inspection Equipment Combining Contact and Non-Contact Technologies
HENN: Improved production quality helps protect automotive brands
Automotive parts manufacturer HENN needed an improved data architecture that would allow it to gain real-time insight into its assembly line process, The primary goal was to improve the quality of its charged air connector, which is a critical car component and used by most major automotive brands. If it were to fail, significant damage to the car manufacturer’s brand could result. HENN sought to meet this challenge in a unique way by using CONNECT and Edge Data Store.
Prior to deploying CONNECT, it took HENN’s team two days to validate the production line data. Now, analysts can retrieve data from the cloud two minutes after a connector leaves the machine, and they can run inquiries against large data sets without impacting operations. This improved data processing speed helped increase the efficiency of HENN’s operations and the quality control of its product, thereby improving the reliability of the automotive brands that purchase HENN’s products.
Exotec | Client Sites | Renault Group
Industrial Data Platform Capability Map (v1)
This article will help you identify the capabilities to build a modern industrial data system. As you’ll have with any capability map, it will most likely not be complete (feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!). You can use this list of capabilities to start your request for information (RFI) or request for proposal (RFP) process.
PLC based laser scanning system for conveyor belt surface monitoring
This paper presents the design, implementation, and testing of an advanced conveyor belt surface monitoring system, specifically engineered for harsh and complex industrial environments. The system integrates multiple cutting-edge technologies, including programmable logic controllers (PLC), laser scanning, industrial-grade cameras, and deep learning algorithms, particularly YOLOv7, to achieve real-time, high-precision monitoring of conveyor belt conditions. Key innovations include optimized detection location based on failure modes, advanced PLC integration for seamless automation, and intelligent dust-proof features to maintain accuracy in challenging conditions. Through strategic placement of detection devices and multi-mode control strategies (local, remote, and automatic), the system offers unparalleled adaptability and responsiveness. The system leverages robust data management for trend analysis and predictive maintenance, enhancing operational efficiency. The hardware architecture comprises PLC-based control systems, high-resolution industrial cameras, and laser emitters, while the software features a two-tier structure combining human-machine interaction (HMI) with real-time data processing capabilities. Experimental results show that the system is highly effective in detecting common belt defects such as foreign objects, tears, and shallow scratches, ensuring optimal operational efficiency and minimizing downtime. The system’s scalability, robust data management, and adaptability to low-light and dusty conditions make it ideal for deployment in large-scale industrial operations, where continuous monitoring and early fault detection are critical to maintaining productivity and safety.
New Product Introduction
Highlighting new and innovative facilities, processes, products, and services
Aspen Technology Launches Microgrid Management System to Help Customers Address Power Reliability and Meet Net-Zero Goals
Aspen Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AZPN), a global leader in industrial software, introduced the AspenTech Microgrid Management System™ (MMS), a solution for customers with heavy electrical power requirements in refining, chemicals, mining and other asset-intensive industries that manage their own on-site conventional and renewable power generation in orchestration with active load management and energy storage. Based on the company’s proven AspenTech OSI monarch™ SCADA platform, the solution empowers customers to maximize operational performance and accelerate net-zero goals.
The moon is just the beginning for this waterless concrete
If NASA establishes a permanent presence on the moon, its astronauts’ homes could be made of a new 3D-printable, waterless concrete. Someday, so might yours. By accelerating the curing process for more rapid construction, this sulfur-based compound could become just as applicable on our home terrain as it is on lunar soil.
Traditional concrete requires large amounts of water, a commodity that will be in short supply on the moon and critically important for life support or scientific research, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. While prior NASA projects have tested compounds that could be used to make “lunarcrete,” they’re still working to craft the right waterless material.
So LSU researchers are refining the formula, developing a new cement based on sulfur, which they heat until it’s molten to bind material without the need for water. In recent work, the team mixed their waterless cement with simulated lunar and Martian soil to create a 3D-printable concrete, which they used to assemble walls and beams. “We need automated construction, and NASA thinks 3D printing is one of the few viable technologies for building lunar infrastructure,” says Kazemian.
Business Transactions
This week's top funding events, acquisitions, and partnerships across industrial value chains.
METRON secures €12.5M for industrial energy management
METRON, a management provider for energy consumption and reduced carbon emissions, has raised €12.5M. Led by the German GET Fund, a highly reputed venture capital investor in the energy sector, alongside long-standing investors (BNP Paribas, Climate Investment and Vertigo) who have renewed their confidence in the French cleantech company. The investment of the GET Funds coincides with METRON’s market entry in Germany.
Molyon powers up with $4.6M funding to develop next-gen Lithium-sulfur batteries for robots and drones
Molyon, which develops next-generation batteries with double the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries, has landed $4.6 million in first funding. The round was co-led by IQ Capital and Plural, which recently invested in VSParticle and The Exploration Company. The funding will enable Molyon to expand the team and begin manufacturing at its pilot facility. This will enable the company to develop Li-S batteries for drones and robots, which will benefit from the lighter weight and improved range that Molyon’s batteries will provide.
Molyon has emerged from 15 years of material science research in the Chhowalla Group at the University of Cambridge. It was founded by Dr. Ismail Sami and Dr. Zhuangnan Li, who met whilst studying under co-founder Professor Manish Chhowalla. Dr. Sai Shivareddy (co-founder and CEO of battery technology startup Nyobolt) also joined the founders to discover and develop this high-performance cathode technology. Molyon’s technology is based on metallic molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which allows sulfur to remain stable and provide high energy density over hundreds of cycles. It revolutionises the Li-S battery field.
HyperHeat raises €3.5M to decarbonise the world’s most energy-intensive industries
Offenburg-based HyperHeat, a German startup focused on creating zero-carbon industrial heat using renewable energy, has raised €3.5M in funding. The company will use the funds to develop and test its first industrial products, which are set to launch by 2025. The investment was led by Amadeus APEX Technology Fund, with support from Finindus, Possible Ventures, E44 Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Fellows, and several business angels.
Heavy industries such as steel, cement, and chemicals account for over 25 per cent of global CO2 emissions, largely due to the high temperatures required in their production processes. These sectors face significant challenges in reducing emissions. To address these challenges, HyperHeat is developing a technology for emission-free, high-temperature heating to help decarbonise these industries. “The cutting-edge technology of HyperHeat allows decarbonising the demand for heat at well over 1000 °C, even up to 2000 °C. This electric heater technology offers a unique value proposition in terms of cost and durability, ideally suited for heavy industries.”