May 2021

n NEWS May 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 A CAMBRIDGE-BASED company which has developed a patented technology that solves challenges associated with RFID (radio-frequency identification) readers, has won an Innovation award in this year’s Queens Awards for Enterprise. Conventional RFID systems suffer from short sensing ranges, insufficient accuracy, and difficulty in determining location. PervasID claims that its technology solves these problems, achieving an accuracy of 99% compared with the industry standard of 80%, the ability to read 400 RFID tags per second (compared to the industry standard of 100) and a reliable read range of 20m compared with the 2m industry standard. It is being used, for example, to monitor tool cabinets in the aviation industry to ensure that no tools are left in potentially hazardous areas of aircraft during servicing. PervasID is one of 205 winners of 2021 Queens Awards. Other winners in the Innovation category include: n Nottingham-based InSight Analytics Solutions (trading as Onyx InSight ), which has developed a condition- monitoring system (CMS) for wind turbines that gives an early warning of faults on rotating drivetrain components. It uses a new generation of Mems (micro electromechanical system) components that allow high-frequency vibration monitoring not possible with other sensors. The CMS also interfaces with other sensors – including oil sensors in lubrication systems, current transducers, and displacement and proximity sensors for mechanical components and measuring alignment – to deliver “holistic” machine monitoring. The company has also been awarded an International Trade Queens Award for overseas sales that have doubled in the past three years. n Hertfordshire-based Silixa , which has developed a distributed sensing technology for measuring accurately both the temperature and acoustic field along fibre optic cables. Its patented technology is said to offer a 100x improvement in sensitivity over standard fibres, allowing large areas to be covered with distributed sensors without having to compromise on sensitivity. n Rotherham-based Aesseal which has developed and patented a range of short canister seals for use in difficult sealing applications such as mixers, agitators, and reactors. The seals can be used in potentially explosive hazardous areas. Winners of 2021 Queens Awards for International Trade include: n Cheltenham-based ALS Mechatronic which designs, builds and installs factory automation systems, vision inspection systems and robotics. Its overseas sales have grown five-fold in three years and now make up 25% of its sales. The US is becoming its most important market and it has opened a sales office in Texas. n IInspecVision, located in Mallusk, Northern Ireland, which produces 2D and 3D measurement systems for inspecting manufactured components. Its main market is the sheet metal industry. It was founded in 2003 by Dr Jan Antonis and his father Mike, who identified a gap in the market for lower cost, faster, easy-to-use inspection machines. They claim that their Planar 2D is the fastest measurement system for 2D parts. Overseas sales account for 93% of sales and have doubled recently. n Advanced Electronic Solutions Global , based in Cookstown, Country Tyrone, which claims to make the world's largest range of wireless access control systems. Exports, which represent more than 50% of sales, grew by almost 300% in the past six years. The US is its major export market, but sales in France have grown by more than 7,000% since 2012. Andrew Steward, managing director of ALS Mechatronic, which has won a 2021 Queens Award for International Trade. NEWS BRIEFS p The customised enclosures and electromechanical components manufacturer CamdenBoss is combining its existing Mildenhall and Thetford sites into a single 10,700m 2 facility in Mildenhall from 1 June. The new site will combine design, warehousing and manufacturing, as well as sales and administration. It will have a larger assembly area, and will house 11 CNC machines and other facilities. The site will also accommodate Global Recycling Solutions , owned by CamdenBoss’ parent, Heathpatch . CamdenBoss employs more than 100 people. p The UK-based enclosure and protection equipment group nVent Electric (formerly Pentair’ s electrical group) has acquired most of the assets of Texas-based Vynckier Enclosure Systems , which will form part of nVent’s enclosures business and expand its Hoffman portfolio. Vynckier produces non-metallic enclosures and employs around 80. p A London robotics start-up called Seyo has raised £1.53m in funding with the aim of increasing access to robotics in logistics warehouses, only 0.2% of which are estimated to be using automation at present, partly because of the high costs and partly because of incompatibilities between existing systems. Seyo has developed a platform that allows robots from different suppliers to work together. It estimates that the platform costs around 25% as much as rival systems. www.seyo.io p The virtual version of the Hannover Fair, held last month, attracted 1,800“exhibitors”compared to the 6,500 at the last physical Fair in 2019. There were also 90,000 “registered participants”, compared to 215,000 visitors in 2019. The organisers says that the response “exceeded our expectations”but also showed that“a digital tradeshow cannot replace the magic of a physical event”. The 2022 Hannover Fair, due to take place from 25-29 April, will be a hybrid, combining physical and online events. p Aeristech, the Leamington Spa- based manufacturer of high-speed electric motors and controls, has closed a £5.15m private funding round which it will use to “supercharge”its investment in technologies for fuel-cell, hybrid- electric and internal combustion powertrains. It will expand its engineering and design workforce, add new test cells, and invest in r&d. Aeristec says its motors that are smaller, lighter and faster- accelerating than rivals, offering particular advantages for low-carbon transportation applications. RFID and fibre optic sensing firms win Queens Innovation awards