Last week Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Joe Oliver, unveiled a comprehensive plan for Responsible Resource Development as part of the government’s 2012 Economic Action Plan. Read More

The trickle down effect to industries who supply the resource projects will be appreciated in more concise purchasing and delivery timelines, as well as increased business from a more efficient system.

The government summary of the announcement can be read here.

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Clutch Plate Inspection

Inspection of manufactured clutch plates prior to stacking for an automotive clutch application is not a new concept. For years machine vision experts have found innovative ways to use the latest cameras to identify defects in the plates prior to assembly in order to avoid costly warranty claims in the future. When a customer with years of clutch manufacturing experienced approached Eclipse Automation for a new clutch plate inspection and assembly system, they had already tried several vision inspection solutions, but were not getting the results they required. Although the customer presented what they thought would be the solution, engineers at Eclipse knew they would need to think beyond the normal scope of inspection, and come up with something creative, and truly innovative.

Two major challenges were presented to Eclipse Automation in the inspection task: resolution, and cycle time. The team had to measure 5 various aspects of the clutch plate, some to a tolerance of +/- 13 microns. Including inbound and outbound part handling, the entire cycle of measurement and pass/fail determination had to be made in less than 4 seconds. The material handling component could realistically be reduced to just over 2 seconds, leaving only the better part of 2 seconds for all of the inspection and computation. Throwing yet another variable into the challenge, the system had to be able to seamlessly adjust to handle different clutch plates ranging in diameter from 100mm to 250mm.

For those unfamiliar, a clutch plate is comprised of a circular metal, carbon or paper disk with friction pads oriented all the way around the edge of the top plate, made of fibreglass or carbon. The disk itself must be as flat as possible. The inspection system must measure the flatness of the disk, ensuring there are no deviations about the center plane of the disk. The disk itself must also be as round as possible, to ensure proper phasing in the clutch rotation. Additionally, the thickness, orientation, and spacing of the friction pads about the disk must be extremely precise for optimal clutch performance.

Due to the tight cycle time, the engineers at Eclipse Automation needed to develop a system where many measurements and tasks were being handled at the same time, and by the same measurement equipment. Knowing that a vision system would not give the cycle time or resolution required, the team began to look at a laser system. Two single point lasers mounted both above and below the clutch plate could be used to measure the phasing of the disk. The team began to investigate if this same system could be used to measure the flatness of the disk. The flatness measurement is calculated based on the amount of deviation in the Z axis in a 360 deg rotation. By taking a continuous measurement for one rotation from the single point laser, the high and low points on the disk can be determined. Taking the difference between these measurements gives a flatness datapoint. Deviation around this point can then be calculated using a mathematical algorithm.

The dual mounted single point lasers were also employed to measure the orientation of the friction pads on the clutch plate with respect to one another. A degree of motion was added by mounting the lasers on linear servos and allowing them to scan the disk as it rotates. The challenge was now how to measure where the friction pads were located with respect to the edge of the clutch plate, that is, the over and under hang. A tolerance of 10% would be applied to the pass/fail, over a distance of 130 microns. The measurement then was required to resolve to 13 microns in the tight cycle time. A second laser system was needed to capture this measurement. A 2D laser side mounted to the disk is triggered to take a measurement by a feature identified by the initial single point laser system. Because the system needs to adjust to various clutch plates, a flexible edge detection technique was required.

Traditional PLCs were not fast enough to meet the cycle time, so Eclipse decided to use C Sharp to program the station. C Sharp is the fastest object oriented language, and allows for an intuitive built in GUI and a high degree of integration and transferability in the software.  Adding to the challenge, the built in algorithm of traditional I/O cards could not handle the speed of input from the system. The algorithms were simplified and rewritten specifically for this system.

The innovative solution to the inspection of the clutch plates showcases some of the biggest reasons customers return to Eclipse Automation time and time again. True creative thinking and expertise in non-traditional areas backed by strong automation expertise allowed Eclipse to truly solve the customer’s issues when other companies and internal solutions had failed.

Bernie Anger, general manager of Control and Communication systems at GE Intelligent Platforms discussed that the majority of manufacturing automation systems in North America quite old, and this situation makes it impossible to compete with emerging economies who have implemented the latest in manufacturing technology.

When thinking about the second point, connectivity, a statistic released by Ericsson estimating that there will be about 50 billion machines or pieces of equipment connected to the internet by the year 2020. It is important to partner with an automation supplier who is well versed in programming, networking and connectivity. It’s not enough to have a good manufacturing process that is standing alone. Every process must be connected intelligently to processes upstream and downstream, whether they exist in the same facility or not.

In thinking about the third component, standardization, Mike Bastian, global controls engineer manager at Ford describes the critical importance of having systems be the same throughout and across facilities, markets, and countries. Implementing strong standardization by partnering with a long-term automation supplier ensures that manufacturers have the ability to replicate systems over and over, leading to operational efficiency and less strain on engineering resources.

Hardest hit by the economy, since the recession ended more than 21/2 years ago, factories have been contributing disproportionately to the recovery in hiring and the overall economy. But why? Both consumers and companies tightened their belts, not eliminating purchases in the tough times, simply delaying them. Now consumers are buying more goods, and companies are investing in industrial machinery.

An interesting gap has emerged from this recovery. With US unemployment sitting around 9%, why are factories crying that there is a shortage of skilled labour? Were the factories who fell victim to the recession in the rust belt not chock full of skilled workers? As in any large economic shift, the economy that emerges from the dust is not the same as the one that fell victim in the first place. Lean economies cause the strong companies to evaluate their processes, and become as efficient as possible. In the case of manufacturing, automation made this possible. As automation has transformed factories and altered the skills needed to operate and maintain factory equipment, the laid-off workers, who may be familiar with the old-fashioned equipment, are often unqualified to run the new automated systems.

For more information Please contact:

Steve Mai
130 Thompson Drive
Cambridge Ontario
N1T 2E5
T 519.620.1906
contact@eclipseautomation.com

ECLIPSE AUTOMATION INC. ANNOUNCES EXPANSION INTO CUSTOM MANUFACTURING WITH THE OPENING OF A NEW FACILITY

Cambridge, ONTARIO, Canada, February 15, 2012 — Eclipse Automation Inc. announced today that it will strengthen its manufacturing presence in the fabrication market by opening an additional manufacturing facility in Cambridge.

The new facility, operating as Eclipse Custom Manufacturing, is fully staffed and is beginning fabrication immediately.  This 25,000-square-foot facility houses fabrication equipment, Mig/Tig welding equipment, two 10 ton, 60 foot span cranes and fabrication equipment plus state of the art sand blast and painting facilities.  The new facility provides 25 full-time jobs.

“As a leading automation supplier, Eclipse is applying its 20-plus years of expertise to better serve the fabrication needs of a range of industries,” said Steve Mai, president of Eclipse Automation.  “We have manufacturing know-how and program management expertise that is highly sought by our customers.  This new facility reflects our commitment to leveraging our capabilities in manufacturing while at the same time remaining a strong supplier partner to our automation customers.”

The new facility, housed at 90 Thompson Drive in Cambridge incorporates welding capabilities including mild steel, stainless steel, cast iron and aluminum, as well as mixed material options. Final finishing in the sandblast and paint facility can accommodate projects 18 ft wide, 32 ft long, and 16 ft high. The advanced capabilities of Eclipse Automation can be integrated as well, including machining processes, PLC programming, electrical wiring and hydraulic piping as options if desired. The plant is designed to offer the flexibility to undertake full sub-assembly manufacturing, custom fabrication, and build-to-print replication projects.

With the workforce in place and the first contracts already rolling in, Eclipse Custom Manufacturing has proven its abilities in the marketplace. Mr. Mai states, “Eclipse prides itself on quality and customer service. Our customers are our business and we will instil and maintain the same level of training and focus in this new endeavour as we have always done.”

About Eclipse Automation Inc.
Eclipse Automation Inc.(www.eclipseautomation.com) is a leading supplier of custom automated manufacturing equipment and engineering services to energy, life sciences, transportation, and other manufacturing industries. Eclipse Automation partners with companies worldwide to build efficient and profitable assembly and testing operations. With facilities in Ontario, Canada, Eclipse Automation Inc. focuses on optimization and streamlining for their customers to ensure long term sustainability.

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