Mobile material logistics software!

A live, hands-on demonstration of the Aegis FactoryLogix mobile material logistics module, inStock will be possible at next week's APEX in Las Vegas (NV USA), (March 25-27). Visitors will learn how this simple and intuitive handheld scanning solution significantly improves operational efficiency and accuracy in stockrooms that typically rely on fixed computer terminals or paper-based material management.

inStock utilises the convenience of a pocket-sized Motorola MC40 mobile computer with a modern, touchscreen interface to scan inventory into valid/approved stock locations, providing users with instant access to each part instance, quantity and location.

When material is required for a job, inStock users are guided through the kitting process with digital pick lists that are grouped by their destination on the factory floor, and sorted for efficient picking in the stock area. Once assigned to a kit, this material is removed from stock and its location is tracked through the entire manufacturing process, and available for immediate lookup.

“inStock leverages the decades of materials logistics expertise of our colleagues from our diplan acquisition in 2012” explains John Walls, Chief Technology Officer at Aegis. “Our engineering teams in the US and Germany worked closely to integrate the diplan software with our FactoryLogix Manufacturing Operations System, which then allowed us to rapidly develop the mobile application our customers were looking for.”

Lab accreditation achieved

The Technical Services division of Keighley Laboratories has achieved world-class Nadcap accreditation for a Materials Testing Laboratory (MTL), a status recognised by the majority of global aerospace primes as a mark of quality assurance excellence. The West Yorkshire Company also gained coveted Merit grade, which rewards superior performance in Nadcap audits and reduces subsequent audit frequency. Accreditation has also prompted affirmation and prolongation of its Airbus approval, the aircraft manufacturer having adopted the Nadcap programme for its global supply chain.

 Keighley Labs' MD Debbie Mellor, Tim Clegg, Peter Hanson and Matthew Mellor

As one of the few Nadcap-accredited MTL facilities in the UK, Keighley Labs has been successfully assessed for the evaluation of aerospace welds, tensile, impact and bend testing, metallographic and micro indentation hardness procedures, and specimen preparation and machining. Combined with UKAS accredited testing and certification to many international standards and Civil Aviation Authority approval of in-house weld specimen supervisors, this confirms the company as a centre of excellence for weld testing, at a time when there is a Europe-wide shortage of the necessary expertise.

“Achieving Nadcap accreditation is not easy; it is one of the ways in which the aerospace industry identifies those who excel in superior special processes. Companies such as Keighley Laboratories go above and beyond achieving Nadcap accreditation, to obtain Merit status, and they should be justifiably proud of that,” says Joe Pinto, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Performance Review Institute, which administers the Nadcap programme. “We are determined to support continual improvement in the aerospace industry, by helping companies such as Keighley Labs become even more successful.”

Established in 1990 by key aerospace industry and US government representatives, Nadcap represents a concerted, cooperative effort to improve quality, while reducing costs, throughout the global aerospace and defence sectors. It defines a standardised approach to quality assurance and establishes requirements for accreditation, improving performance throughout the supply chain, utilising expert auditors to ensure familiarity with special processes and conducting technically superior in-depth quality audits. With most aerospace prime contractors and secondary tier suppliers now adhering to Nadcap, accreditation is vital for securing subcontracting opportunities in this sector, as well as in quality-minded markets like nuclear, marine, defence and rail, with more than half of accredited companies reporting an upturn in sales and new business.

“This is an important breakthrough for the company, since it raises our profile and reputation within the aerospace industry and enables us to obtain greater recognition for our expertise in weld and materials testing,” says Keighley Labs’ MD, Debbie Mellor. “It helps us to retain existing customers within the Northwest Aerospace Alliance and beyond, establishes our technical credentials for fresh market opportunities in other industries and paves the way for further export business in weld testing and other special processes.”

The Keighley Labs’ Nadcap application, which was supported by numerous key aerospace customers and Airbus itself, involved Divisional Technical Services Director, Matthew Mellor, Senior Metallurgist, Peter Hanson, and Quality Manager, Tim Clegg, in a thoroughly intensive programme.

Although modern composites are increasingly used in aviation, metal is still the most prevalent aircraft construction material, including but not limited to steel, aluminium, stainless steel, nickel and titanium alloys. The company’s in-depth weld assessment and inspection expertise, across all metallic materials and current manual and automatic welding methods, will ensure that welded joints comply with the highest aerospace and equivalent specifications.

The company already has quite a number of aviation primes and tier 1, 2 and 3 supply companies amongst its customer base, as well as overseas defence and aerospace suppliers, and is confident of using Nadcap Merit status to leverage extra domestic and export business.

Hyperspectral imaging

Headwall Photonics Simplifies Hyperspectral Imaging with its new Hyperspec UV Starter Kit

Headwall Photonics has introduced its simple-to-use Hyperspec UV Starter Kit that provides everything needed to evaluate and categorize the spectral composition of materials and samples within the UV spectral region. The new hyperspectral imaging system is designed for laboratory researchers in a wide range of application areas including forensics, document examination, and biotechnology analysis.

Each Hyperspec UV Starter Kit comes complete with a high-performance Hyperspec UV imaging spectrometer optimized for the 250nm-600nm UV-VIS spectral range. A gantry assembly, specially calibrated power-stabilized lighting, linear stage and controller, and a processor engine loaded with Headwall's Hyperspec software completes the system. Headwall's available Hyperspec Data Processing Unit manages the incoming hyperspectral data, while an optional enclosure eliminates the effect of stray light. Both are available as accessories for the Starter Kit.

"The Hyperspec UV imaging configuration is designed specifically for the >analysis of materials such as forensic evidence or biological samples where optimized spectral and spatial resolution is needed," offered David Bannon, CEO of Headwall Photonics. >Document and currency verification, forensics, food andpharmaceutical inspection, and chemical analysis are just a few of the areas where hyperspectral UV imaging can deliver a wealth of valuable data. "Headwall developed the Hyperspec Starter Kit a number of years ago as a means to get our customers up and running very quickly with hyperspectral technology. We continue to invest in this platform and the Hyperspec UV Starter Kit is a response to customer demand for chemical imaging instruments optimized for the UV spectral region."

Headwall Photonics is a recognized pioneer in the field of hyperspectral imaging. Its Hyperspec and Micro-Hyperspec sensors have been successfully deployed for end-users and OEMs in applications includingmilitary/defense, airborne and ground surveillance, and food safety, and pharmaceutical inspection. Key to delivering outstanding spatial and spectral resolution as well as high signal-to-noise (SNR) performance is Headwall's focus on diffractive optics and aberration-corrected holographic gratings. This award-winning technology is complemented by the Company's ISO-9001:2008 certification and vertically-integrated manufacturing capabilities.

Automation For materials testing machines

The powerful combination of NEXYGENPlus control and data analysis software and National Instruments data acquisition cards allows Lloyd Instruments' range of single column and twin column universal materials testing machines to communicate with a wide range of external equipment. This allows control and monitoring of external parameters of the sample as part of the materials test, with the results collected and presented in the required format by the software. This opens the door for a wide range of dynamic materials testing applications and a high level of automation.

Temperature is an important parameter in materials testing and the software can either simply monitor temperature values from a device such as a thermocouple, or take control of heating and/or cooling devices to allow tests to be carried out at controlled temperatures or through different temperature cycles. External signals can be plotted against force and measurements taken and recorded within NEXYGENPlus.

Another popular application is the interfacing of a video camera for advanced sample failure analysis, teaching purposes or simply for the presentation of test results. Entire tests can be videoed and synchronised with the stress/strain graph and replayed for detailed post-test analysis. By clicking on any part of the stress/strain graph, an image of the sample at that exact point can be displayed.

There are many other application examples. These include using multiple strain gauges to measure the elongation of a sample; switch testing where NEXYGENPlus uses voltage limits to control a test e.g. change direction once a switch contact is made; monitoring parameters in onboard chips in credit cards as the cards are flexed; monitoring transmission during optical fibre compression and measuring short circuits in electrical wires during crush tests.

This powerful interface also offers the possibility to control sample loading equipment as well as provide integration into production lines for sharing of part number data and informing a production line if a bad part is found.

Automatic hardness testing facility

Maintaining its policy of continuous investment in technology and facilities, Keighley Laboratories has added a Zwick Roell ZHV-10 automatic micro and macro hardness tester to its Test House resources. Featuring fully automatic Vickers indentation measurement and dedicated hardness testing software, the new equipment will bring about measurable improvements in accuracy, repeatability and productivity, to the benefit of the company’s internal Heat Treatment division and clients of its Technical Services department. Used for the precise measurement of surface hardness and case depth of metallic materials, with test loads between 100g and 10Kg, it will introduce considerable time savings over previously manual routines, freeing up highly skilled operators for other analytical duties.

The new equipment was supplied by Indentec, part of Zwick Roell AG and a worldwide centre of excellence for hardness testing machines, which has a business relationship with Keighley Labs that dates back many years. A UKAS accredited calibration laboratory, Indentec has been additionally contracted to service and recalibrate this and other hardness testing equipment on a long term basis, which will be carried out on site by trained engineers to ISO 6508-2 and ASTM E384 standards.

Such is the sizeable footprint of the new hardness tester, Keighley Labs also took the opportunity to enlarge its existing Test House microscope room, creating a spacious new optical suite. This also houses the advanced zoom stereo metallurgical microscope acquired previously and allows for the installation of further state-of-the-art equipment.

Part of Keighley Labs’ comprehensive mechanical testing and metallography services, the hardness of a material is determined by its resistance to indentation by a hardened ball or diamond indenter, then measuring the size of the permanent impression produced. With loads, pressures and temperatures constantly increasing in modern machinery, metallic parts are subject to increasingly arduous operating conditions and hardness testing is often the best way of establishing that components will survive such stresses, becoming a critical part of the quality control process. Keighley Labs employs this physical testing method as quality assurance for its in-house Heat Treatment division, handling up to a dozen test samples daily, as well as undertaking case depth and surface hardness evaluation of materials and components for external clients.

Vickers testing, using a pyramid-shaped diamond indenter, is suitable for all types of materials and surface treatments and Keighley Labs’ new Zwick Roell ZHV-10 machine is equipped for micro and macro Vickers testing to ISO 6507, although it can be fitted with an alternative Knoop indenter. It features a built-in measuring microscope with four objective lenses, a motorised turret with 1.3 megapixel USB camera, an automatic motorised XY table with 150mm x 50mm travel, for precise positioning of samples, with automatic focus providing an additional motorised Z axis for bringing the test surface into sharp resolution without operator involvement. It also includes a high definition 24” LCD monitor, a microprocessor running Windows XP, flatbed scanner and Indentec ZHµ HD automatic indentation software, with sample scanning facility and a report generator for outputting data to spreadsheet programs, enabling further statistical analysis.

Employing this configuration, Keighley Labs’ technicians can either view and measure test impressions manually, by focusing with the joystick and clicking on indentations with the mouse, or allow the machine itself to intelligently follow predefined patterns, indent the sample, then measure and generate test results, all entirely automatically. They can also set up templates of indentation points, for performing hardness tests on routine samples, and program straight line and transverse patterns for automating case hardness routines and testing welded seams.

Apart from freeing up technicians for other tasks, this ‘click and walk away’ functionality ensures precise sample positioning and imaging, enhanced accuracy, an extremely high level of repeatability and overall increased productivity, reducing standard testing procedures from more than an hour manually, to less than twenty minutes automatically. It also eliminates operator-related errors caused by eye strain, fatigue and inevitable inconsistencies, which can be a common problem in microhardness testing especially.

“The time savings made possible by this automatic hardness tester will enable us to offer faster turnaround times and deliver even more accurate, repeatable and reproducible data,” says Keighley Labs’ Test House Manager, Matthew Mellor. “We chose Indentec because the company has an excellent reputation, with its own service and calibration engineers, and its equipment offers the highest image resolution on the market.”

Materials testing

Single column materials testing machine

Lloyd Instruments has announced a new, high precision universal materials testing machine for testing at forces up to 5 kN/1124 lbf. The new, single column LS5 enjoys the same mechanical design principles introduced on the LS1 instrument, with linear guide technology, pre-loaded ball screws and advanced software compensation to ensure high displacement precision.

A wide speed range (0.01-1016 mm/min (0.0004-40 in/min)), exceptional load accuracy (±0.5% down to 1% of load cell value), a choice of 8 plug’n’play YLC Series load cells with different load ratings and resolution and a large work area (150 mm throat depth) combine to ensure high quality results and high productivity. The LS5 has applications in a host of industries ranging from medical devices, plastics and packaging to textiles, rubber, electronics and more. Equally suited to quality control, educational and R&D environments, the new LS5 offers extraordinary versatility, with its extensive range of grips, fixtures and extensometers and scalable operation from stand-alone to PC control.

The LS5 is capable of performing a wide range of tests, including tensile, compression, flexural, friction, insertion/extraction, peeling, tearing and creep/relaxation, meeting or exceeding national and international material test standards. Simple operation, from the intuitive stand-alone user interface to Lloyd Instruments’ well-respected NEXYGENPlus materials testing software used in PC-controlled versions, makes the LS5 a popular addition to any laboratory or production line.

NEXYGENPlus materials testing software allows the operator to control and monitor all aspects of a PC-controlled LS5 from a single front end, ensuring fast, reliable and powerful testing and data analysis. Interfacing to the LS5 via USB allows standard laptops to be used. The Windows®7-compatible NEXYGENPlus software features a new and improved User Configurable Test functionality enabling users to quickly build advanced multi-stage test routines using simple built-in commands. This complements the comprehensive built-in library of test methods meeting international test standards.

NEXYGENPlus can also be used to integrate the LS5 with other systems to accommodate the increasing use of automation in manufacturing. Applications include: automated sample handling, in-line testing and monitoring of parameters from other sensors such as thermocouples and strain gauges.

At automotive show

Pickering Interfaces has continued to regularly release new products in both the LXI and the PXI platforms tackling the problems faced by our users in the Automotive industry. For the Automotive Testing Expo show in Stuttgart (D) in May this year they are exhibiting amongst others the following solutions/products on their stand (1969, Hall 1).

BIRST Modules (Built-In Relay Self Test) for PXI/LXI Applications

Verification and diagnosis of complex switching operation in a test system has always been an issue. For this reason, Pickering Interfaces has developed a new, first range of modules introducing built in self-test to selected models of their PXI and LXI switching modules. This feature is called Pickering Interfaces BIRST, Built in Relay Self Test

The BIRST tool allows the user to very easily check relay operation in a switching solution without the aid of external test equipment.. BIRST will identify any relay failures in the switch module and is capable of detecting relays with deteriorating contacts which may indicate they are in the process of failing. To conduct a test the user simply disconnects the switching module from the UUT and runs the supplied application program. No supporting test equipment is needed; the test simply runs and identifies the position of any defective or suspect relays within the module. They will show various PXI and LXI products with BIRST at the event.


New Battery Simulator
They have also expanded the range of our customer focused PXI instrumentation modules with the introduction of the 41-752 Battery Simulator. The 41-752 is an addition to Pickering’s family of battery simulators

The recently introduced 41-752 is used by automotive customers to test battery management systems for electric vehicles.

Developed in association with DMC, a systems integrator based in Chicago, the 41-752 is a 6 cell battery simulator that provides up to 300mA of current from each cell. The output voltage from each cell is fully adjustable up to 7V and each cell includes its own sense lines to improve regulation performance. Each cell can be configured to operate as a current sink in a battery charging circuit of up to 100mA. Cells and modules can be series connected to emulate the battery stacks being used in new generation electric vehicles. More than 100 cells can stacked in series in a single Pickering Interfaces PXI or Modular LXI Chassis to allow the testing of high voltage battery management systems. The independently controlled channels allow the cells to be set to different output voltages to simulate different charge and capacity states. A safety interlock system can be used to ensure that voltage generation is inhibited when the cables are disconnected from the front panel. Outputs are made available on high voltage D Type connectors permitting the generation of voltages of up to 750V.


Fault Insertion Modules and Chassis
The company has a broad number of PXI modules specifically designed to support fault simulation applications.

The 40-192 is a 6 channel fault insertion switch with two fault busses capable of hot switching signals up to 10A and 200V. The 40-191 uses the same architecture but is capable of switching signals of 30A, 40V and handling surge currents in excess of 120A with no lifetime degradation. Each module is capable of simulating the most common faults found in a system - open circuits and shorts circuits to one of two fault connections. The fast switching speeds ensure the modules can be used to simulate transient fault conditions.

Fault simulation is widely used in the process of testing controllers that are required to respond to sensor readings. These include engine management systems, transmission controllers and suspension systems. These systems are often safety critical, so it is essential to check their response to common sensor errors - such as short circuits, open circuits and damaged sensors - to ensure they do not cause unwanted reaction by the control system. A critical example might include the inadvertent shut down of an engine in response to a single sensor failure. Using Pickering Interfaces range of PXI fault insertion products users can develop automated methods of testing controllers, allowing more thorough and reproducible testing to be performed at the design and upgrade phase of controller development.

New materials tester

LS1 from Lloyd Instruments features linear guide technology and advanced control software

A new single-column materials testing machine from Lloyd Instruments provides enhanced speed, accuracy and flexibility for all materials testing applications under 1kN force. High precision displacement measurement is assured by the Model LS1 instrument's linear guide technology, pre-loaded ball screws and advanced software compensation systems.

Industry applications include plastics, packaging, medical devices, automotive, electronics, textiles, rubber and pharmaceuticals. It can be used for tensile and compression testing, friction, tearing, peeling, insertion/extraction, creep/relaxation and many other measurements in manufacturing, product development and research.

Available in standard (500mm) and extended (800mm) travel versions, the LS1 universal testing machine has an extended crosshead speed range from 0.01 ñ 2032 mm/min. Load accuracy of +/- 0.5 down to 1% of load cell value provides high dynamic range, reducing the number of load cells required to cover the force range. The wide throat depth (180 mm) provides a large working area for sample placement. A more compact physical orientation takes up less side-to-side bench space than previous models.

A new version of Lloyd Instruments' NEXYGENPlus materials testing software allows flexible, intuitive setup and control by a standard PC or laptop with USB interface. Handheld controllers and integrated control consoles also are available. Trend reports can be created for statistical quality control.