Blog – MELSS

Industry 5.0 for a balanced approach to your automation needs

Seetha L — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 07:55:16 +0000

The vision for the Fourth Industrial Revolution – or Industry 4.0 – was presented at the Hannover Messe fair in Germany in 2011.

The term Industry 5.0 was borne out of the Japanese invention – Society 5.0 at the CeBIT 2017 trade fair in Hannover, Germany.

While Industry 4.0 was embraced by industry with a lot of fanfare, continued practice revealed its shortcomings too, leading to the adoption of an industrial revolution with a more humane approach – Industry 5.0.

Common factors of both Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0

Industry 5.0 builds on the basic tenets of Industry 4.0 with its inherent benefits at the business level.

While big companies implement robotic solutions and fully automated industrial machines across large manufacturing and logistics facilities, smaller medium-sized businesses utilise robotics in the form of collaborative robots (Cobots) which are smaller, more affordable, and easier-to-use industrial devices.
Robotics, smart machines and automation solutions have not only replaced human workers to perform repetitive, mundane and dangerous tasks, they do so more efficiently with more consistent product quality and production line flows, allowing companies to manufacture high-quality products at lower costs.
Interconnected industrial automation systems, IoT devices and robots consistently generate large volumes of data about the work processes, manufacturing and production line flows, providing vital business insights for further optimisation of industrial environments and manufacturing processes. The data is also used to create more flexible robots and smart manufacturing solutions to enable manufacture of a wider range of consumer products. This flexibility is to cater to customers demanding preconfigured options with minimum manufacturing costs.
Automation and robotic solutions can be implemented anywhere in the world, making it easier to relocate many manufacturing jobs to countries with low-cost labour.

Limitations of Industry 4.0

1. Well-being of workers and social dimension

Industry 4.0 led to improved efficiency, precision and productivity, leaving the social dimension of the new industrial revolution completely out of scope.

2. Economic resilience and regenerative features

The designs of robotic and AI-controlled production lines lacked the vision for restorative feedback across all the operational processes and layers.

3. Environmental aspect and promotion of green energy adoption

Although Industry 4.0 was also centered around energy efficiency and total optimisation of operational processes, it viewed energy consumption and resources utilisation from the business performance perspective alone.

4. One-sided perception of the role of robotics and automation solutions

Machines, technologies and devices designed to complement human capabilities played a secondary and supportive role in production lines with Robotics playing the major role in Industry 4.0; led to Industry 5.0.

Although automation and robotics have created a new benchmark for higher quality, efficiency and productivity which is difficult to emulate by the human workforce, they have led companies to focus more on revenue generation, often ignoring environmental impact. In many ways, this led to the concept of Industry 5.0 starting to gain momentum.

Industry 5.0 can be seen as a revised version of Industry 4.0 after addressing its shortcomings; many features are common to both.

How does Industry 5.0 differ from Industry 4.0?

In the Industry 5.0 vision, robots, smart machines, IoT, AI and Big Data are still the key to business success, but emphasis on increasingly intelligent and efficient devices is balanced with more focus on sustainability, resilience and enhancement of human talent.

Industry 5.0 adds the human touch to Industry 4.0 by focusing more on machines and new technologies for better empowerment of human workers.

Here are some of the most common human-machine-interaction technologies used in Industry 5.0:

Collaborative robots working alongside human workers
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for industrial testing, personnel training and inclusiveness
Advanced working instruments and safety equipment, enhancing human capabilities with robotic tools and data connectivity
Automatic recognition of human speech and gestures
Augmenting cognitive abilities of human workers with AI and other innovative tech
Tracking devices to monitor health and mental state of human workers
Recyclable and recycled (generated from waste) materials
Raw, living, self-repairing and lightweight materials
Materials with intrinsic traceability
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Energy-autonomous biosensors
Energy-efficient data transmission and analysis

Industry 5.0 vision

Industry 5.0 is envisioned as:

Integrating human workers and machines in industrial environments
Instead of robotic solutions and smart machines replacing humans they now support and augment human work
Repositioning human workers from repetitive tasks to more creative jobs that require problem-solving, experience and intuition
Moving away from excessive automation
Moving towards a more balanced approach with optimal use of robotics
Focusing more on customer experience
Building responsive and distributed supply chains
Designing and manufacturing not only customised but also interactive products
Addressing the security risks and vulnerabilities of interconnected industrial automation systems

Frost & Sullivan had envisioned bringing back empowered humans to the shop floor, at the SPS fair in 2019.

Elon Musk had shared the drawbacks of too much reliance on automation and summarised in his tweet thus: “Yes, excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated.”

MELSS provides a wide range of products and services for the implementation of Industry 5.0 such as the Sixdime range of IoT products, and in Industrial automation and robotics.

Please give us a call and our professionals will reach out to you to study your requirements and will provide solutions not only to help you with Industry 5.0 needs, but any other industrial needs too.

Products & Services

EUDR Compliance in the Tyre Industry – Challenges and Solutions

Seetha L — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 07:36:00 +0000

Due to environmental degradation reaching alarming levels over the years, many countries have mandated environmentally friendly manufacturing practices. The tyre industry is no different.

What is EUDR?

The new EU regulation (European Union Deforestation Regulation – EUDR), which came into force in June 2023, aims to curtail the use of products whose manufacturing process involves deforestation, forest degradation, and the illegal displacement of local populations in one way or the other. Manufacturers, importers, and traders who place affected raw materials such as wood, meat/leather, rubber, soy, coffee, cocoa, and palm oil and products made from these on the EU market for the first time must provide documented proof that the goods complied with applicable local legislation and were not produced in areas that were deforested or degraded after December 31, 2020.

Tyre Industry and EUDR

A wide range of raw materials from different vendors are used to manufacture Tyres. Processed rubber products like air-tight rubber for the inner tubes, textile sheet-ply for reinforcement, and flexible and resistant rubber for the sidewalls are utilized in constructing the various types of tyres on the market. Raw materials like Carbon black, oil, steel winding, and sulphur are also used and each of these raw materials must ensure compliance with EUDR.

Challenges

However, the implementation of EUDR compliance by tyre companies has its own set of challenges due to the complex and global nature of the natural rubber supply chain. These challenges include:

Lack of proper documentation
The extensive natural rubber supply chain involves multiple intermediaries, from smallholder farms to processors and exporters. The supply chain may include regions where record-keeping and transparency are lacking, which makes tracking difficult. Lack of required documentation makes it difficult to trace a product back to specific plantations. Verification of EUDR compliant rubber becomes that much more challenging. Labeling of the product must include EUDR compliance information from plantation to finished tyres.

Legal and Regulatory Variations
Tyre companies are required to comply with an additional layer of regulatory necessity in the form of EUDR. Tyre companies that source rubber from more than one country, each with differing legal frameworks for land use and deforestation, have their roles cut out to ensure adherence. These too must be documented in the label.

Supplier Engagement and Training
Tyre companies must source only from suppliers who understand EUDR requirements and are capable of meeting them.

Data Management

Manufacture of each tyre involves different types of raw materials from diverse regions, generating vast amounts of requisite data to prove compliance which may become overwhelming. The different types of equipment in the main tyre manufacturing unit also generate data which must be monitored to ensure uninterrupted production. Data systems must not only be robust enough to handle the voluminous data, they must also ensure accuracy and current status of data which is easily accessible for audits.

Cost Implications
Significant investment in training and resources is required to help suppliers with the best practices in traceability and sustainability. Driving compliance may need upgradation of the existing IT systems, verifying supplier credentials and carrying out new sourcing practices – all of which involves cost. The additional financial requirements can throw suppliers out of gear which may cause disruptions in the supply chain.

IIoT Solutions and compliance with EUDR

IIoT is a crucial integral component of the long supply chain involved in producing rubber tyres and helps to gather, track and trace data and information about each of the individual tyres produced in the factory, enabling EUDR compliance by making it possible for monitoring in real time.

Datalogging

Tyre manufacturing proceeding through various stages generates huge amounts of data at each stage and processing of this data needs advanced IoT tools in datalogging and edge computing in addition to cloud computing tools, such as the Sixdime datalogger and the Sixdime Edgebox.

Data logging in IIoT has become an essential part of the manufacturing process, providing valuable insights into the performance of machines and equipment, leading to optimised operations and increased productivity. Data logging, which enables collection and analysis of real-time data, is performed through edge computing devices and through OPC connectivity.

At MELSS, we provide a combination of hardware, edge computing devices such as the Sixdime Edgebox, and software which help in data logging. MELSS solutions go beyond just data logging to deliver more value to improve manufacturing processes, reduce downtime, and optimise production.

Tracking and Traceability

The coding on each raw material and commodity is scanned and fed into the system for tracking and traceability. With IIoT, real-time monitoring and traceability of tyre manufacturing raw materials is now possible across the supply chain from plantations to production facilities. The high visibility of the supply chain ensures the sourcing of raw materials from EUDR-compliant regions only.

Tracing involves proper labelling using techniques such as barcodes, with maximum information including part manufacturer’s details, lot number, in-date, bin number allotted, date of receipt of part, duration in inventory and batch number of units produced. It involves identifying the origin of a product’s components through records and creating both forward and backward visibility throughout the supply chain.

Traceability keeps track of products and processes across manufacturing units spread globally. Different countries are governed by diverse rules and regulations and traceability is very complicated.

With IIoT, using sensors, PLCs and other IoT devices, any deviation from EUDR compliance across all manufacturing units worldwide is assured by the technological advancements in the communications, storage and analysis of data from the source.

Offshoot benefits of IIoT implementation

IIoT implementation for EUDR compliance not only leads to a transparent and sustainable supply chain, thereby enhancing the brand reputation by appealing to environmentally conscious consumers and investors, it also provides a host of other benefits such as:

Enhanced operational efficiency
Optimised production processes
Improved resource management
Predictive maintenance
Reduced costs

With a thorough understanding of the overall tyre manufacturing process involving many stages such as inner layering with steel cord, rubberising, calendering, extrusion, beading, tyre building, sidewalling, outer layering to form the green tyre, and treading, the robust tyre manufacturing solution from MELSS monitors each stage thoroughly to ensure EUDR compliance. The IIoT solutions from MELSS help to capture and analyse the vast amount of real-time data generated by the plethora of equipment sensors, IoT and PLC devices. These solutions include the most robust traceability and advanced datalogging solutions too, offering one-stop solutions.<\i>

As a pioneer in Industrial IOT Solutions, MELSS has successfully deployed EUDR compliance and traceability solutions in one of the top 10 tire brands in the world

Please call us for the right solutions for your tyre manufacturing unit.

Rubber/Tyres

Have your PIC-based devices been tested reliably and quickly?

Seetha L — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 05:50:27 +0000

Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) solutions are being adopted by manufacturers to address the reduced size and complexity challenges while also addressing heat management issues experienced in today’s data centres. Frantic development of smaller, faster, cheaper and greener transceivers/active components and passive components is driving the development of high-speed networks and 5G, Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs).

Passive optical components used in optical systems operate without external power or active control. They use processes such as transmission, reflection, polarisation, coupling, splitting, filtering, and attenuation to alter light signals.

Need for Testing

A PIC is composed of many optical components such as optical couplers, fibre-optic switches, splitters, attenuators, wavelength-division multiplexers, and transceivers.

Testing of any PIC-based device is needed in all life cycle stages — from design and development, and qualification to validation of production.

Testing – The Requirements

Automation, repeatability, scalability and parallelisation of the testing processes are needed for the huge volume of circuits and ports, to be able to meet the profitability of economies of scale. Photonics labs must evolve with the optical test requirements of passive (guiding light) optical components.

The fast maturing PIC die manufacturing has given rise to photonic wafers containing thousands of components made available by foundries through Process Design Kits (PDKs). Reliable testing is needed to optimise the different parameters of a given optical component.

Testing – The Challenges

Accuracy/repeatability: Obtaining traceable results for tight acceptance thresholds and greater yield of known good dies.

Dynamic range: Seeing full optical spectral contrast in a single measurement.

Speed: Keeping alignment and measurement time to a minimum, but also accelerating the ease of the test and analysis iterative flow.

From data to insight: Generating and managing structured data that is ready for artificial intelligence and business intelligence.

Flexible/scalable: Leveraging test station modularity and third-party compatibility of software to improve test throughput and complexity over time or swap equipment as needed.

Automation: Automating chip and wafer advanced navigation to control any instrument and execute data analysis in user-defined test routines to test massive circuits with minimal cost of ownership.

Testing PIC-based passive components is challenging due to the high port count of some components like Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) and the huge number of components to test on a single die. A component test platform operates in conjunction with a continuously tunable laser to measure optical insertion loss, return loss and polarisation-dependent loss across the laser’s spectral range. Optical spectrum must be realised quickly and with a high wavelength resolution, typically to the order of a picometer.

Testing – The Process

The PIC devices are usually tested at the wafer level prior to dicing to detect defects as early as possible and to avoid packaging defective dies.

Using a PIC wafer probe station, light is coupled into the wafer to enable measurement of the optical characteristics of the DUT.

Testing Solutions for Photonics from MELSS

MELSS brings you Test and Measurement (T&M) hardware and software solutions from market leaders EXFO, which are automated, scalable, fast, accurate and cost-optimised. These T&M solutions range from those for Passive and Active components as well as automated probe stations for wafer and single-die testing.

The OPAL series of probe stations deliver industry-leading performance for testing wafers, multiple as well as single dies, enabling accurate, repeatable and fast measurement. The PILOT software suite offers automation capabilities that support the full test flow (preparation through measurement to results analysis), using EXFO’s or third-party T&M instruments.

EXFO’s comprehensive range of optical testing solutions includes component test platforms, optical testing solutions, light sources, benchtop tunable lasers, passive component testers, optical spectrum analysers, tunable filters with adjustable bandwidth, variable attenuators, switches and power meters.

EXFO has developed automated, scalable, fast, accurate and cost-effective Test and Measurement (T&M) hardware and software solutions. Ranging from simple optical testing to spectral optical characterisation or traffic analysis, EXFO offers an extensive selection of probe stations for wafer, bar, multi-die or single die configurations, and a powerful automation software suite.

The CTP10 from EXFO specifically addresses key PIC measurement challenges. measuring optical components quickly, reliably and accurately.

The CTP10 is a modular component test platform that operates together with the T200S or T500S continuously tunable lasers. The CTP10 characterises the spectral properties of high port count devices in one single scan with

High spectral resolution

70-dB dynamic range, even at a sweep speed of 200 nm/s

Operation from 1240 to 1680 nm

Coverage of a wide range of applications, including telecom, sensing and LIDAR.

Both optical and photocurrent measurements with analog output for PIC first-light search and coupling optimisation

Fast data transfer

Remote control using SCPI commands is possible

Increased PIC testing throughput

Reduced test time

High sampling resolution of 20 fm

Accurate measurement of narrow spectral features

The CT440 is a compact variant of the CTP10, with the same performance – ideal for the characterisation of PIC components with limited outputs.

In addition to the above range of products, EXFO produces other advanced products such as the T200S, T500S, CTP10, CT440, OSICS T100, FTBx-2850 and OSA20.

Telecom & Photonics

Is your Manufacturing Unit ready for the Future?

Seetha L — Wed, 15 May 2024 05:39:31 +0000

Emerging technologies have been the driving force of each industrial revolution. Currently, manufacturing is driven by the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).

The current manufacturing scenario in Industry 4.0 is marked by the increasing use of digital technology, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, renewable energy, and the internet of things, where automation and intelligent machines are revolutionising production processes, increasing efficiency, and driving innovation, using information from the vast pools of data generated from each physical equipment on the shop floor.

Many emerging technologies are driving today’s manufacturing sector:

Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM) or 3D Printing is a game changer in manufacturing. It replaces the existing manufacturing process which is synonymous with generation of material scrap or wastage.

As the name suggests, Additive Manufacturing starts with the end product design being drawn out using advanced CAD. The end product is created by adding one layer of the design over the other, layer by layer until the final functional product is shaped, using appropriate materials in each layer. No wastage is generated.

In addition to reduced wastage, AM also helps in on-demand manufacturing, reducing the need to stock the end product, thereby resulting in a more efficient supply chain.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality is used to improve the manufacturing process by identifying errors and reducing faults. The operator controls his manufacturing environment in real time by quickly making changes based on the findings using AR. Virtual Reality tools are purely virtual and manufacturing follows the VR models.

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

In an IIoT system, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Industrial Control System (ICS), and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems receive data from ambient as well as equipment sensors and provide actionable insights into physical events and the environment within a factory, such as equipment performance or early warning alerts about the environment. The data is processed either using IoT edge devices or on the cloud for further action.

The physical infrastructure, communications, data, devices, and security in a factory are governed by protocols and standards to enable Machine to Machine (M2M) and human communications.

Digital Twins

A Digital Twin is a virtual representation of a physical system or object that is created using data from any existing physical system to visualise it under varying conditions and improve its performance by applying the virtual replica, thus visualised, to the physical system. This helps to increase productivity.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning are helping to replace the traditional rule-based industrial automation with adaptive automation which is capable of reacting to unforeseen scenarios and making complex decisions without human interference.

Big Data

Industry 4.0 would not be possible without the availability of vast pools of historical and real-time data from the sensor-enabled IoT equipment and devices used in the manufacturing industry, also known as Big Data.

Edge Computing

The data can now be processed near the source of data generation using edge devices – enabling availability of meaningful information in real time for quicker decision-making.

Regenerative Energy

Energy conservation through energy regeneration is another technological advance that is not only helping make our planet more sustainable but is also helping to reduce the costs of goods produced in the manufacturing industry by reducing its expense on energy.

Industrial Automation and Robotics

Although robotics has been around since 1950, its widespread use across the manufacturing sector is still a work in progress, and rapid strides are continuing to be made with the availability of the more affordable robots – Cobots. Robotics, along with other modes of automation, has been revolutionising the manufacturing industry by improving quality and increasing production.

Biomanufacturing

Biomanufacturing is a trend that is fast catching up with the manufacturing industry, wherein biologically activated materials are used as raw materials. It has found use in many industries including food processing where the shelf life of food is increased, pharmaceuticals where medicines and vaccines are created, consumer products manufacturing such as beauty supplies, plastic products and components, nylon, textiles, and paper. Even electronic product manufacturing benefits from flexible PCBs created by biomanufacturing.

Advanced Materials

Research in Material Science is an ongoing process which has been helping manufacturing by inventing advanced materials with unique properties and characteristics which improve performance, reduce weight, enhance durability, and increase efficiency.

Advanced materials are helping in the manufacture of advanced versions of a wide range of equipment, from home appliances to electric vehicles and spacecraft.

Photonics

The Internet and Communication industries have gained from the use of photonics which has increased the speed of communication over longer distances. Photonics is increasingly replacing electronics wherever possible

Blockchain Technology

Although more often associated with cryptocurrency and financial transactions, blockchain technology is increasingly being used in manufacturing. It helps in end-to-end traceability from raw materials to finished goods and brings in maximum transparency to the manufacturing process by updating information in a block at each stage of manufacturing. After each stage of updation, the information cannot be changed, making the process very secure. This helps in quick identification of any fault, and the where and how of it – leading to quicker recovery from faults.

MELSS has been helping industry with many solutions using emerging technologies such as Industrial Automation and Robotics, Collaborative Robots, Electric Vehicle Test Solutions, End of Arm Tooling, Battery Test System, and in Telecom & Photonics and Industry 4.0.

Are you using a Robotic Assembly Line in your Unit?

Seetha L — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 05:17:26 +0000

The assembly line has evolved from the first manned assembly line in the early 1900s to the robotic assembly lines today

What is an Assembly Line?

An assembly line is a systematic arrangement of machines and/or people, each carrying out a repeatable task on a product as it moves along a conveyor. This results in a fully assembled product manufactured quickly and efficiently.

Robotic Assembly Lines

The systematic arrangement of robots as machines to perform repeatable tasks is a robotic assembly line.

From the first industrial robot, Unimate in the 1960s to the microprocessor-controlled robots in the 1970s and now the Cobots since 1995, the use of robotics in assembly lines has only increased.

Industries using Robotic Assembly Lines

Global Robotics Market size was valued at USD 34.06 billion in 2022 and is poised to grow from USD 39.71 billion in 2023 to USD 135.68 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 16.60% during the forecast period (2024-2031).

Automobile manufacturing is the industry which makes the maximum use of robotic assembly lines.

But today, robotic assembly lines have found widespread use in a diverse range of industries, such as in the manufacture of biotechnology devices, home appliances, electrical wire harness, bottling plants, Food and Beverage production lines, electronic device manufacturing, battery module assembly, and more.

Why Assembly Line Robots?

A robotic assembly line offers flexibility. It allows manufacturers to optimise workflow, increase capacity, and produce a wider range of products by performing multiple value-added processes. It eliminates thneed for expensive fixed automation. Intelligent features like integrated 3D cameras and force sensing enhance the assembly process.

Robotic Assembly Line Components

Robotic assembly lines comprise several components working together to carry out the manufacturing process.

Conveyors

Conveyors are used to transport materials and components (both finished and work-in-progress) along the assembly line. This makes it easier for the robot to work on and transfer them to the next stage in the assembly line.

Industrial Robots

The robots are the primary components of the assembly line with each robot carrying out a designated set of tasks. Similar or different types of industrial robots are used, depending on the application.

End Effectors

End effectors on the robots’ arms cause them to carry out tasks, application-wise. MELSS brings you task-specific wide range of grippers, dispensers, and welding guns.

Sensors

Sensors detect the position and orientation of objects, thereby helping the robot to move them accurately. Sensors and vision systems are also used to detect defects in parts, and help in quality control.

Controllers

Controllers are responsible for coordinating and operating the entire process in an assembly line. Many types of controllers are used such as Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Programmable Automation Controllers (PACs), Human-Machine Interface (HMI), Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), control servers, and Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs).

Power Supplies

Application-specific power supplies such as electric, electronic, hydraulic, or pneumatic, are used to provide the energy required to operate the robots and other components of the assembly line.

Safety Equipment

Safety equipment, such as fencing, light curtains, and emergency stop buttons, is used to ensure the safety of the workers and the proper operation of the assembly line.

Benefits

Robotic assembly lines provide a host of benefits to the manufacturing industry.

Increased Productivity

By performing tasks quickly, and accurately, and working break-free round-the-clock, robotic assembly lines result in increased productivity. They help to reduce production time and increase output.

Higher Quality and Repeatability

Robotic assembly lines are programmed to produce consistent output. This consistency ensures that the products meet the same quality standards every time. Since they are programmed, there is zero error in manufacturing.

Reduced Labour Costs

Using robotic assembly lines reduces the need for manual labour. Although the initial investment in robotics technology is seemingly high, it leads to significant cost savings in the long-term.

Improved Safety

Besides reducing labour costs, robotic assembly lines improve the working environment for workers. By performing tasks that are hazardous to humans, such as welding or handling toxic substances, they drastically reduce the risk of workplace accidents and injuries, thereby improving workplace safety.

Increased Flexibility

Not only are robotic assembly lines programmed to perform a wide range of tasks, they can also be reprogrammed quickly to adapt to changes in the production process.

Improved Efficiency

By performing tasks in parallel, robotic assembly lines reduce the time required to complete a production run. Robotic assembly lines can be optimised to use materials more efficiently, reducing waste and lowering material costs, while at the same time by identifying defective products, they reduce the amount of scrap produced.

Improved Data Collection

Equipped with sensors and other monitoring devices, robotic assembly lines can collect data on the production process. This data helps in improved long-term decision-making and identifies inefficiencies and improvement areas in the production process.

Enhanced Customisation

Since robotic assembly lines are programmed, they can perform highly specialised tasks, resulting in greater customisation of products. This also helps in producing customised products on customers’ demands.

Improved Time-to-Market

Robotic assembly lines significantly reduce the time required to bring a product to market. They perform tasks quickly, accurately and consistently, allowing manufacturers to meet tight deadlines and respond quickly to changes in demand.

MELSS provides a wide range of solutions for Industrial Automation and Robotics which are used in robotic assembly lines.

https://www.melss.com/industry-4-0/robotics/

Is your Spacecraft powered by a Reliable Power Supply?

Seetha L — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 04:41:56 +0000

Satellites and spacecraft, as with any other equipment, need reliable power supply to power the on-board devices.

Any satellite mission is based on the orbit type, expected mission life, potential radiation hazards, type of payload, weight, and cost, each varying the power supply requirements.

Types of power used

Satellites are the spacecraft that orbit the Earth, and are close enough to the Sun to be able to use solar power. Solar panels convert the Sun’s energy into electricity stored in an on-board battery to power the spacecraft.

When solar power won’t work, and for short missions, power stored in batteries is used.

Spacecraft batteries are designed to be tough. They need to work in extreme environments in space and on the surfaces of other worlds. However great the amount of charge they can store, and regardless of their size and durability, these batteries need to be recharged many times.

The importance of Power Supply Testing

Any disruption in the power supply can have a cascading effect on the performance of the devices onboard, even leading to the satellite falling apart. Also, the power supply gets degraded over time due to heating from the Sun and radiation effects in space. However large solar arrays be used, or alternative power sources be used, they need to be tested for reliable performance over the mission’s stay in space.

The need for an appropriate Automated Test Equipment (ATE)

The best way to accomplish this is by using Automated Test Equipment (ATE) equipped with suitable types of equipment.

A great example is the DC-DC converter ATE for Space applications from MELSS which consists of an Industrial PC-based unit with Digital Add-On modules.

Features of the ATE for Space Applications from MELSS

The customer end UUT unit is interfaced with the DC Source, DMM, DC Load, and Oscilloscope. The instruments are interfaced with the Industrial PC (IPC) and controlled through the application software via USB/RS232 communication interfaces.

The IPC controls and collects the measured Data from the different devices like the DMM, DC Load, DC source, and Oscilloscope for processing and display. The I/O modules in the IPC are controlled and operated to achieve the necessary test conditions.

A custom-designed interface box with a Relay Matrix arrangement meets the necessary switching requirements.

The GUI-based application Software captures the test sequence and acquires & controls the parametric values from the measurement instruments and the UUT. The Test report is generated in a non-editable format for the sequence of test, master parametric value, measured value, and the status of the test (Pass/Fail). A self-test module ascertains the serviceability status of the test and measurement instruments and the UUT.

Parameters tested

This ATE tests an exhaustive set of parameters, including the following:

Isolation/Continuity Checks

Input Voltages

Output Voltages

Output Currents

Cross Regulation

Transient/Noise Parameters

Ripple

Spike

Stability Test

Short Circuit Current

Inrush Current

Over Voltage Lockout

Under Voltage Lockout

Line Regulation

Load Regulation

Input Power

Output Power

Efficiency

Settable power

Data acquired to perform the Tests

Data such as Inrush Current, Peak to Peak Output Noise, RMS Noise, Turn ON and Turn OFF Timers, Overshoot and Undershoot Voltage/Settling Times at outputs for load transients and I/P line transients, Under Voltage Lockout (UVL), and Over Current are acquired to perform the following tests.

Tests performed

Isolation/Continuity Test using DMM and Relay Matrix

Input Voltage Test using DC Source

Output Voltage Test using DMM

Output Current Test using DC Load

Cross Regulation Test using DC Load

Transient/Noise Parameters using Oscilloscope

Ripple and Spike Parameters using Oscilloscope

Stability Check using DMM

Short Circuit Current using DC Load

Inrush Current using DC Source and Current Probe

Over Voltage Lockout/Under Voltage Lockout using DC Source

For more information, please contact our ATE team or visit: https://www.melss.com/automated-test-equipment/power-supply-ate/