Chiller plant optimisation.

Chiller plants are among the largest energy consumers in commercial, healthcare, and institutional buildings, making them a prime target for energy optimisation. A new four-chiller plant serving a 16-story building in New York City (NY USA) is leveraging open BACnet technology, programmable edge control, and advanced optimisation software to improve efficiency while maintaining occupant comfort.

The project brought together DL Control & Engineering, DeLima Ventures Energy, GreenMediaHD, and Contemporary Controls to create a fully automated chiller plant control system. At the core of the solution is the BAScontrol-E36 Edge Controller, which provides programmable control using Sedona, along with the BASview3 graphical interface for local visualisation and operation.

The goal was to develop a flexible control platform capable of coordinating multiple chillers, collecting and analysing operating data, and implementing customised control sequences. Rather than relying solely on fixed equipment programming, the system incorporates application-specific strategies such as chiller sequencing, equipment staging, lead-lag coordination, setpoint resets, temperature control, alarms, and plant-wide optimisation routines.

A key element of the project is BACnet integration. Chiller operating information is collected over a BACnet MS/TP network and analysed using custom Sedona logic within the BAScontrol-E36. Because BACnet data can be used directly within the control sequence, operating parameters, temperatures, status points, and setpoints become active components of the optimisation strategy rather than simply values displayed for monitoring.

The project also incorporates GreenMediaHD's Chiller Optimisation Program (GCOP), a cloud-based solution designed to improve chiller plant performance. GCOP continuously analyses real-time operating conditions and provides dashboards that visualise plant performance and optimisation results. The solution focuses on reducing chiller "LIFT," the temperature difference between the evaporator and condenser that the chiller must overcome during operation. Lowering unnecessary LIFT can improve chiller efficiency and reduce energy consumption.

During commissioning, plant performance was evaluated during periods with GCOP optimisation enabled and compared to operation using conventional fixed setpoints. The evaluation demonstrated lower energy consumption during GCOP-optimised operation, illustrating the potential benefits of dynamic optimisation strategies compared to static operating conditions. Actual savings will vary based on factors such as load profile, equipment efficiency, operating hours, weather, and utility costs.

Facility operators interact with the system through the BASview3 interface, which provides real-time visibility into equipment status, temperatures, setpoints, alarms, and other critical operating data. Authorised personnel can monitor performance and perform control functions from a centralised location while the BAScontrol-E36 executes the plant's automated control strategy. Using the BASview3 interface, authorised personnel can monitor plant performance, view real-time operating data, and adjust control setpoints as needed.

By combining BACnet communications, programmable edge control, cloud-based optimisation, and intuitive visualisation, the project establishes a flexible foundation for ongoing energy improvements. The installation demonstrates how an open BACnet architecture can support advanced chiller plant optimisation, increase operational visibility, and provide a scalable approach to improving plant efficiency.

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@ccontrolsgmbh #Pauto #Chiller #USA 

Femtosecond laser factory opened.

Chipmaking, data centre equipment, and medicine all need more femtosecond lasers, yet global production capacity was only an estimated 9,600 units last year. Femtosecond laser company LITILIT have just opened a new factory in Vilnius (LT) and plans to reach 3,000 lasers a year at full capacity.

According to the company, the factory currently has the highest potential femtosecond laser capacity in the world. The majority of the company’s lasers will be exported to North America, Asia, and Europe.

The new factory covers 4,000 sq m and will produce around 3000 lasers a year at full capacity. The €6 million project includes a modern CNC metal machining shop, robotized femtosecond laser assembly and testing shops, and an ISO 5 cleanroom of about 2,500 sq m, one of the largest in the Baltics.

Nikolajus Gavrilinas

Nikolajus Gavrilinas, co-founder and CEO of LITILIT, says that the new factory marks an important milestone both for the company, which has been developing its laser technology since 2014, and for the whole laser industry.

“The growing use of femtosecond lasers in semiconductor manufacturing, data centre equipment, electronics, medicine and other fields is driving demand across Europe, North America and Asia. Our factory comes at exactly the right time and will serve businesses on all three continents. The Vilnius plant is only the first stop; later, we plan to replicate this model in other countries together with our international partners," says Gavrilinas.

Located in a modern logistics park developed by SIRIN Development in Vilnius, the factory covers over 4,000 sq m and houses a CNC metal machining shop, robotized assembly and testing shops, and an ISO 5 cleanroom of about 2,500 sq m, one of the largest in the Baltics. The total value of the project is €6 million.

Gavrilinas notes that femtosecond laser production remains limited worldwide because the technology evolved from scientific systems and is notoriously difficult to produce at scale. Last year, global femtosecond laser production capacity was an estimated 9,600 units, according to Reports and Markets.

LITILIT can scale laser production quickly because of its patented architecture based on modular design, reduced component complexity, and a high level of automation. At full capacity, the factory will employ about 150 people, several times fewer than conventional production would require. Besides scalability, the architecture also gives LITILIT's lasers a performance edge. According to Gavrilinas, they reach around 20% electrical-to-optical efficiency and are up to half the size of the industry average, which makes them easier to integrate into production lines.

The company developed its technology based on two international patents, one of which was made in collaboration with the centre for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC) in Lithuania.

Ramūnas Skaudžius, director at FTMC, says the factory is a reminder that the value of scientific research is measured not only by publications or patents. It also confirms that in Lithuania it is possible to complete the entire journey from a scientific idea to a product serving global markets.

“The laser technology developed and patented at FTMC has now become the foundation of advanced industrial manufacturing. Yet the technology itself is not the most important part of the story. What matters most is that knowledge created in Lithuania has been transformed into a business capable of competing on the international stage. This is a long and demanding journey that requires not only scientific excellence, but also entrepreneurial courage, investors’ confidence, and perseverance,” Skaudžius says. 

Femtosecond lasers use extremely short pulses that process materials with only minimal heat damage to surrounding structures. This quality, known as cold ablation, makes them indispensable in applications ranging from eye surgery and vascular stents to manufacturing computer chips and display screens.

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#Litilit #laser #Ai  #PAuto #Lithuania

New buildings for analytic leader.

Company expands capacity for development, production and sales of laboratory measurement technology.

Analytik Jena has inaugurated two new buildings in Jena and Ilmenau, Germany. The Endress+Hauser Group, to which the company belongs, invested a total of 96 million euros at the two sites in the federal state of Thuringia (D).

At its headquarters in Jena, Analytik Jena has constructed a new 19,000-square-meter building. The facility replaces an existing building on the company campus and provides around 420 employees with a modern working environment featuring production, warehouse, development, laboratory and office facilities. The investment amounted to approximately 64 million euros. The new building’s sustainable energy supply combines district heating, heat recovery systems and solar power.

At the production site in Ilmenau, a new facility of approximately 10,000 square meters was constructed for its 80-plus employees. The Endress+Hauser Group invested around 32 million euros in the project. The new building brings together development, laboratories, production and warehousing under one roof. Two business units that were previously located separately in Ilmenau will now work at the same site. The facility gets some of its energy from a photovoltaic system and a connection to a local biogas power plant.

“With these new buildings, we are investing in the future of Analytik Jena and creating the best possible conditions for innovation and collaboration. At the same time, we are laying the groundwork for growth and strengthening our position as a reliable partner for customers worldwide,” says Oliver Klaeffling, Managing Director of Analytik Jena. “At the same time, we are enhancing our ability to support customers around the world with our solutions.”

Dr Peter Selders, CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group, adds, “We aim to support our customers from the laboratory to industrial production. We are investing consistently in this strategy.” Steven Endress, President of the Supervisory Board of the Endress+Hauser Group, emphasized, “As a family-owned company, we think and act with a long-term perspective. The new buildings will strengthen two key sites for development and production.”

Analytik Jena develops, manufactures and markets solutions for combustion and total parameter analysis, elemental and trace element analysis, liquid handling and automation, as well as molecular biology systems for PCR and qPCR. These products help detect contaminants in water, ensure the quality of pharmaceutical products, and analyze metals, raw materials and other substances for their composition and purity.

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• See also: Takeover of German analyser manufacturer completed.(1/4/2026)

@AnalytikJena_ @Endress_US @Endress_Hauser @Endress_UK #PAuto #Germany

Clamping screw.

Generates 25 tons of clamping force with only 130 Nm of tightening torque.

New investments should provide sustainable added value—for example, by simplifying and accelerating setup processes, reducing potential hazards, or creating more ergonomic workstations. Other desired benefits include longer tool life and improved product quality. Solutions that address several of these requirements simultaneously are particularly attractive. Jakob’s clamping elements often achieve this, thanks to their innovative and well-engineered internal design.

SC Power Clamping Screw.

Clamping Screw with Force Intensifier

At the heart of the SC power clamping screw lies a unique internal mechanism: a specially developed wedge-clamping system. This system acts as a powerful force multiplier, enabling extremely high clamping forces while requiring only low tightening torques. Its simple, manual operation ensures maximum operational safety.

The SC series of power clamping screws is suitable for a wide range of applications, including presses, stamping machines, machine tools, fixture construction, and the design of production equipment. Various sizes—featuring a range of thread diameters and clamping forces—allow for a selection tailored to specific needs.

Self-locking wedge-clamping system with versatile applications.
Thanks to their specialiaed geometry, SC clamping screws are self-locking in any clamping position and offer a clamping stroke of up to 3 mm. This ensures that clamping forces—up to the nominal value—can be reliably achieved, regardless of the tightening torque applied.

Maximum performance with simple operation.
In addition to the standard models—available with thread diameters of M36, M48, M64, and M80—Jakob also offers the special SC 100 version. It achieves a maximum clamping force of 250 kN with an M100 × 6 thread—all with a tightening torque of just 130 Nm.

Operation is simple, requiring only a 14 mm hex key (Allen key). For precise and reproducible clamping force values, the use of a torque wrench is recommended.

For specific requirements, custom-engineered threads can be provided upon request, allowing for the realisation of tailored, precision-fit solutions.

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@UnnGmbh @PresseBox #jakobantriebstechnik #PAuto

High-performance robots.

Meeting growing demand for high-speed and precision manufacturing, from electronics to automotive.

The industrial robot portfolio of ABB is being expanded with two new compact, high-performance robots, the IRB 1700 and IRB 1700ID, delivering up to 20% shorter cycle times than comparable robots on the market.

“Precision manufacturing across sectors from electronics, automotive, to general industries is facing the pres-sure to produce more, while maintaining quality and reducing operating costs,” said Craig McDonnell, Managing Director, Business Line Industries, ABB Robotics. “The IRB 1700 family addresses these challenges with a new level of speed, accuracy, reliability and energy efficiency. It gives manufacturers and system inte-grators a flexible platform for high-performance automation.”

Offering payloads from 6 kg to 12 kg across five variants and powered by OmniCoreTM controllers, the new robots help manufacturers increase productivity, with up to 20% shorter cycle times, and improve uptime and reduce operating costs, with up to 15% lower power consumption and service intervals of up to 20,000 hours between oil changes.

Precise path repeatability of down to 0.03 mm and joint speeds of up to 700 degrees per second make the new robots ideal for high-speed precision tasks such as material handling, arc welding, deburring, sanding, and machine tending. The high-performance robots are also suited to new electronics applications such as AI server rack assembly, meeting the surging demand for AI servers and computing.

The new robot offers a footprint 50% smaller than its predecessor, and for even greater packaging efficiency, the IRB 1700ID model features ABB Robotics’ Integrated Dressing (ID) design, routing cables and hoses inside the robot arm, simplifying installation across industrial applications.

The IRB 1700 family extends ABB Robotics’ comprehensive mechatronics portfolio and ABB Robotics’ development of more autonomous and versatile robotics (AVRTM), with access to an expanding portfolio of programming and AI-powered software, including RobotStudio®, AI Robot Trainer, OmniCore EyeMotion and automatic collision-free path planning.

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@ABBRobotics @ABBgroupnews @abb_automation  @NapierPR #PAuto #Manufacturing

New-Generation Gas Detector range.

Comprises three models with Bluetooth-based configuration and maintenance tools.

The new-generation FREEDOM range of gas detectors has been unveiled by Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection. The series is designed for industrial sites where gas detection technologies must demonstrate reliable monitoring with minimal maintenance requirements.

Available in three models - FREEDOM GP, XP and Xi - the range provides detection solutions for applications spanning oil and gas, general industry, utilities, water treatment, laboratories and hazardous environments among others. Built around a common electronic architecture, the new FREEDOM series is designed to simplify servicing and standardize components - and reduce TCO across the product lifecycle.

“FREEDOM represents a step forward in providing customers with a gas detection solution that is both more intuitive and serviceable, as well as more cost-effective,” said Régis Prévost, Product Line Manager, Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection. “By combining a common platform with intelligent connectivity and features such as cartridge replacement under power in a hazardous area, without compromising certification compliance, we’re helping users maintain safety and operational continuity while reducing the demands of routine maintenance.”

With a broad selection of detection technologies and designs that withstand demanding operating conditions, the FREEDOM family is able to deliver user-friendly, reliable gas detection across diverse industrial environments. The FREEDOM Xi model, for example, is built to allow uninterrupted operation and optimal detection in the harshest domains. Another model, FREEDOM XP, is engineered for explosive atmospheres, meeting stringent performance and functional safety requirements that include SIL2/SC3 High Demand certification.

A key feature arrives courtesy of Teledyne Gas and Flame SYNC (GF Sync), a dedicated Bluetooth app that enables users to configure, calibrate and diagnose FREEDOM gas detectors directly from a mobile device. The app also supports automatic certificate generation, simplifying compliance and reporting while providing convenient access to essential functions.

Across the range, multicolor displays and peripheral LEDs provide clear visual indications of normal operation, faults and alarms, making detector status easier to identify at a glance.

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@mepaxIntPR #TeledyneGFD #PAuto #Utilities 

New digitiser option.

A new firmware option that enables its high-resolution 59xx series digitisers to perform onboard summation averaging has been introduced by Spectrum Instrumentation. Averaging is a useful tool for reducing unwanted signal noise while, at the same time, improving measurement resolution, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). By performing the averaging directly in the onboard FPGA, the option significantly reduces the amount of data that must be stored or transferred for analysis. The result is a processing tool that allows the averaging of high-repetition-rate signals at up to 2 million events per second.

“This new option for the 59xx series provides an exceptional waveform averaging capability for users who need to characterise signals that may be masked or distorted by unwanted noise,” said Spectrum’s Director of Technology, Oliver Rovini. “The FPGA-based processing allows ultrafast averaging, even on waveforms that contain as many as 64 KiSamples per acquisition. It’s ideal for users working with signals or pulses that are low level, or where signal details are being lost due to high amounts of noise. This includes applications such as mass spectrometry, lidar, radio astronomy, automation, radar, biomedicine, nuclear physics, communications, sonar, and many more.”

The 59xx series digitiser range includes 24 PCIe card variants and 28 Ethernet-based instruments. The products offer maximum real-time sampling rates from 5 MS/s up to 125 MS/s, with 16-bit resolution and a choice of input channels ranging from 1 to 8 per PCIe card or from 4 to 48 per stand-alone instrument. Connecting the PCIe cards together with the company’s proprietary Star-Hub system also enables the creation of acquisition systems with up to 128 fully synchronised channels. The PCIe cards allow streaming of acquired data to PCs or GPUs over the bus at rates of up to 700 MB/s.

Summation averaging is a time-domain-based processing technique that reduces the random (uncorrelated) noise component of a signal and improves its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). At the same time, the process increases a digitiser’s measurement resolution and dynamic range. Figure 2 illustrates how summation averaging can reveal signal details that would otherwise remain hidden by excessive noise.

Low level pulses are extracted from noise by averaging the waveform up to 64 times.

In the example, a low-level signal (approximately 300 µV) is acquired by an M2p.5962 digitiser sampling at 125 MS/s. The signal is completely buried by random noise (top trace). Averaging eight times (middle trace) reveals details invisible in the original single-shot acquisition, with three pulses that occur every 3.6 µs. Averaging 64 times (lower trace) improves the signal quality even further, exposing a pulse with an amplitude of approximately 300 µV, together with smaller pulses after it.

Ideally, if the noise is random while the signal is repetitive, then the summation averaging function can improve the SNR in proportion to the square root of the number of measurements (or averages). For example, averaging a signal 64 times may improve the SNR by as much as 12 dB or increase measurement resolution by around 2 bits. As such, summation averaging is a valuable tool that can be used to improve and extend the 16-bit resolution of the 59xx series digitisers. The new option, named M2p.xxxx-spavg, is available immediately for new 59xx series digitisers and can also be installed as a field upgrade on existing units.

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@SpecInstruments @mepaxIntPR #TandM #PAuto #Laboratory