n TECHNOLOGY July/August 2024 www.drivesncontrols.com 20 pMitsubishi Electric has unveiled a new generation (its eighth) of IGBT modules for industrial drives, as well as for applications such as energy storage and wind power. The 1.2kV/1.8kA LV100 modules are an upgrade from earlier 1.2kA devices and are suitable for a variety of applications and topologies. Mitsubishi is also announced 2.5kV power modules for low-voltage applications that are approaching the previous 1kV AC limit. pCambridge GaN Devices (CGD), a UK developer of power semiconductor devices based on gallium nitride (GaN), is partnering with Qorvo to develop a design and evaluation kit that showcases GaN for brushless DC motor and PMSM (permanent magnet synchronous motor) applications, resulting in ecient, highpower systems. CGD’s ICeGaN technology is easy to combine with motor control and drive ICs such as Qorvo’s PAC5556A 600V highperformance BLDC / PMSM motor controller. GaN’s low losses reduce the need for complex, bulky and costly thermal management technologies, resulting in small systems with long lives. GaN also delivers high torque at low speeds and, thus, more accurate control, as well as allowing high-speed switching for low noise levels. pThe non-prot standards groups FieldComm Group and FDT Group are planning to create a single business to advance integration technologies and to harmonise industrial control system applications across multiple protocol topologies. The new business will support existing FieldComm and FDT technologies, including Field Device Integration (FDI), Field Device Tool / Device Type Manager (FDT/DTM), Process Automation Device Information Model (PA-DIM), Hart and Foundation Fieldbus. pA US company called Guidewheel has announced a product to help manufacturers predict maintenance needs and detect early signs of issues before they lead to machine downtime or failures. The AI-driven product called Scout analyses data about machine performance continuously to detect anomalies and warn about potential issues. The self-learning system evaluates several power variables simultaneously, avoiding the need for costly, invasive vibration sensors, as well as additional training. https://guidewheel.com/scout TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS Digital watermarks will ‘revolutionise’ inspection A US SPECIALIST IN digital watermarking, Digimarc, has announced an automated product inspection technology that, it claims, outperforms traditional systems such as barcodes, oering benets in terms of quality assurance, waste reduction, data collection and cost savings. The Digimarc Automate technology, which embeds imperceptible digital watermarks in packaging and products, is designed to enhance accuracy and eciency in production, fullment and distribution applications. Digimarc has also announced a partnership with Omron that will combine its digital watermarks with Omron’s machine vision technology, resulting in “a transformative new force in industrial automation”. Digimarc’s digital watermarks can be scanned by standard vision systems, with 360-degree readability, allowing products to be tracked and inspected without needing visible barcodes or labels. The digital watermarks also allow brands to maintain aesthetic integrity and consistency, especially on curved items, products with exible packaging, and small products with limited space. “Digimarc Automate is set to transform the way companies approach product inspection,” predicts Digimarc’s chief product ocer, Ken Sickles. “Our covert digital watermarking technology provides an incredibly powerful tool for enhancing accuracy, reducing waste, and ensuring quality across the supply chain. “This technology is not just about improving quality and eciency,” he adds. “Once applied to products, Digimarc digital watermarks add value throughout the product lifecycle so brands can address evolving consumer expectations and future challenges like recycling, product authentication, and dual-factor customer loyalty programmes.” The digital watermarks are aimed, in particular, at applications where other technologies have problems. For non-uniform or random pack formats – such as cylindrical, irregular-shaped items or thin exibles – the watermarks ensure reliable scanning, regardless of orientation. In tough environments where products risk physical damage, code occlusion or poor scanning conditions, the digital watermarks oer high redundancy, promising better performance than visible codes. And in high-speed, high-volume manufacturing, the digital watermarks can be used for multi-variant products, reducing the risk and cost of parts-matching errors. In cases where an item’s scarcity contributes to its value – such as limited-run products – digital watermarks can identify unit volumes and help prevent damaging over-production or inaccurate allocation. The watermarks can also help to overcome the challenges of manual product inspection. Reliance on humans for product inspections is not only costly, but introduces safety risks and ineciencies. In high-speed manufacturing, the limitations of manual inspections are more pronounced, often resulting in bottlenecks and inconsistent product quality. “Studies consistently show that manual inspections are prone to errors, leading to substantial costs associated with product recalls and rework,” says Sickles. “Beyond the cost, consumer safety is a top priority. Labelling mixups have caused food products to be shipped without proper disclosure of ingredients. In the case of allergens like peanuts, milk or gluten, this can be life-threatening.” Digimarc says that its partnership with Omron will help manufacturers to avoid mismatched components and mislabelled products, increase the speed and eciency of their production processes, and streamline the distribution and fullment of packaged goods. It will also facilitate the recovery, sorting and recycling of packaging materials after use. “Our customers in the consumer goods sector face increasing demands for safety as well as high-quality, sustainable packaging,” explains Fernando Colás, CEO of Omron’s Industrial Automation business in the EMEA region. “By integrating Digimarc’s advanced digital watermarking technology into our machine vision solutions, we provide innovative packaging solutions that reduce unnecessary materials and prevent mislabelled or mispackaged products.” www.digimarc.com Digimarc’s imperceptible digital watermarks are embedded into products, labels and packaging where they can be detected using standard vision systems for automated product inspection
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