< Previous58AW JANUARY 2020E-COMMERCEVisit us at www.ingeardrivers.comLarge corporations to small companies world-wide reduce their software costsby eliminating runtime license fees using INGEAR.NET communication tools andVisual Studio.NET. Get a direct communication pipeline from Visual Studio.NETto Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Modbus, GE-Fanuc and more all without OPC.PROSolComProcess Communications SolutionsProComSol, Ltd is a leader in the design and manufacture of advanced, cost-effective, and reliable HART communication products for the Process Control marketplace.216.221.1550 sales@procomsol.comprocomsol.comConvert your mobile device into a full featured HART communicator.effortless and enjoyable. From the custom-ers’ perspective, buying a product online must feel personalized. But on the backend of manufacturing, the process of customiz-ing offerings must be highly organized.“How a customer perceives the personal-ized offering and how manufacturing builds it are two different things,” says Carter Lloyds, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at QAD, a provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for the manufacturing industry. “Like a Mini Cooper, there might be a million different configura-tions, but it is all really assemble-to-order and not engineered-to-order, even though it may feel that way to the customer.”Built into the QAD software suite is a product configurator that can be used as part of an online storefront enabling the configuration of an item down to a batch size one.“The product configurator understands what capabilities are being created and the process changes needed to manufacture 2001_F2.indd 582001_F2.indd 581/20/20 2:08 PM1/20/20 2:08 PM59AW JANUARY 2020E-COMMERCEWe makethingsMOVEWhether it’s a standard off -the-shelf cylinder or a cutting-edge custom assembly, Bimba is uniquely positioned to help with your motion control application. That means everything from simple, non-repairable products to the latest in precision mechatronics or end-of-arm tooling applications. If you’ve got an engineering challenge, Bimba has the solution to keep your application moving forward. From innovative design to unparalleled customer service, it’s all about getting you the right solution at the right time.Find out moreVisit www.bimba.comPneumatic. Electric. Hydraulic. Vacuum.it, whether it’s different routings or if it just needs to have information attributes sent to a given machine to do some specific calculations,” says Bill Keese, QAD’s senior vice president of research and development. “Through that configurator you basically can have as much flexibility as you can design into the product itself and that, of course, drives out into the manufacturing process.”Moreover, if projections need to be made around demand for individual configura-tions—which requires more demand-based supply chain planning—the QAD platform includes built-in machine learning, enabling timely adjustments to seasonal demand pat-terns, for example, at lower inventory levels.The flexibility within the supply chain and manufacturing must also flow over into packaging, which is where digital printing comes in. Remember the “Share a Coke” campaign from Coca-Cola with people’s names on the bottle label? This kind of per-sonalization relied on digital presses and raised the bar for a new kind of user experi-ence, one that builds a trusted relationship between brands and consumers.“That became a major disruption in the flexible packaging industry,” Keese says.Indeed, it’s fair to say that everything asso-ciated with e-commerce has been a major disruption to manufacturing, in general.According to Joyner from P&G, the com-pany’s manufacturing lines are not set up to meet the needs of e-commerce and there-fore they are still in the early stages of figur-ing out how to customize a single bottle of Tide with your name on it and the scent of your choice. “We need machine builders and vendors to bring us ideas of what we can do different. We’ve been testing different types of technology, but we need a lot of help.”Brother Mobile Solutions’ TD 4 Thermal Printer can generate barcode labels, tags, or receipts to track products and packages through manufacturing, warehouse, and the logistical supply chain.2001_F2.indd 592001_F2.indd 591/20/20 2:09 PM1/20/20 2:09 PMwww.br-automation.com/ACOPOStrakACOPOStrakUltimate Production EffectivenessHigh-speed divertersTrack design flexibilityPurely magnetic holdingEnabling the adaptive machine. Like no other transport system.OEEROITTMFull Page Ad.indd 73Full Page Ad.indd 731/20/20 12:48 PM1/20/20 12:48 PM61If you’re passionate about well-made machines, the new Zeus 8 premium elec-tric motorcycle may well set your heart beating faster. It’s not just the sleek lines and advanced engineering that draw the eyes. It’s the obvious attention to detail in manufac-turing the parts that make up the innovative Curtiss motorcycle.The Curtiss Motorcycle Co. had been mak-ing motorcycles in New Orleans for 20 years, until the winds from Hurricane Katrina literally blew its factory down. Relocating to the small city of Leeds, Alabama, just east of Birming-ham, the company restored an old factory and set about on a new mission to make a sustain-able bike based on first principals—such as scale, proportion, and stance—that draw from the earliest days of motorcycle design.The Zeus 8 is now in production and will come to market in 2020. It’s the result of a partnership between Curtiss and Fast Radius, an additive manufacturing company, which produced more than 60 parts and compo-nents for the bike using three separate legacy and additive manufacturing processes.“Our partnership with Curtiss is ideal because it allows them to do what they do best—designing stunning motorcycles, while we do what we do best—matching the proj-ect with the right manufacturing technolo-gies and getting parts made quickly and effi-ciently,” says Brian Simms, vice president of sales at Fast Radius. “With the Zeus 8, we’re achieving first-pass yields of more than 96%.”Both companies expect to collaborate on future iterations of the Zeus, as well as Cur-tiss’ upcoming models: Hades, Psyche, and Eros. The latter two models will compete with Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electric motor-cycle. Both deliver a range of 100 miles in stop-and-go traffic or 60 miles at a top speed of 70 mph. Recharging takes 30 minutes at a commercial recharging station or overnight at home. The battery pack can be replaced, allowing bike owners to keep up with rapidly improving battery technology.“Bringing Zeus’ advanced design to life wasn’t easy,” says H. Matthew Chambers, CEO and chairman of the board for Cur-tiss. “We knew we needed a partner like Fast Radius that could innovate with us, not just make the parts. Their best-in-class manufac-CASE STUDYAW JANUARY 2020Additive Manufacturing Expertise Brings Stunning Electric Motorcycle to MarketCurtiss Motorcycle and Fast Radius team up to optimize the new Zeus 8 electric motorcycle for top performance on the manufacturing line as well as the open road.By Jeanne Schweder, Automation World Contributing WriterThe Zeus 8 motorcycle, seen from the front. 2001_F3.indd 612001_F3.indd 611/20/20 1:48 PM1/20/20 1:48 PM62AW JANUARY 2020CASE STUDYturing approach and operational efficiencies will also enable us to deliver our next model—the Zeus 9—on time, satisfying the strong demand from our global audience.”Making the unmakeableThe mission of Fast Radius, which is based in Chicago’s West Loop, is to make new things and business models possible for its customers by using legacy and additive manufacturing processes to help make for-merly “unmakeable” products, according to Simms. In addition to its in-house manufac-turing capabilities, the fast-growing com-pany has partnered with UPS to create an efficient supply chain.As the mid-summer 2019 launch date for the Zeus 8 motorcycle approached, Curtiss’s CNC suppliers for the prototype were quot-ing long lead times and experiencing diffi-culty in delivering on the company’s uncom-promising design and quality requirements. Curtiss then turned to Fast Radius and its expertise in application engineering, smart manufacturing, and operational efficiency to come up with solutions.The Curtiss team had designed large, sleek parts to make the bike distinctive, but most CNC machines couldn’t create parts as large as Curtiss needed. Making and assembling smaller pieces into a larger part wasn’t an option since it wouldn’t give the bike the polished, dramatic look the designers had envisioned.To solve this, the application engineers at Fast Radius worked with Curtiss to ensure their part designs were optimized for the manufacturing technologies to be used. The goal was to ensure parts were easier to make without compromising design standards, changing the bike’s performance, or adding weight to the final product. While five-axis milling, which is rare in CNC machines, was the best way to produce large parts, many smaller parts required a hybrid mix of manu-facturing solutions, both legacy and additive.“The original ribbing in the bike’s neck, for example, which was intended to create small spaces that would reduce weight, was elimi-nated because it would be almost impossible to manufacture,” says Fast Radius project lead, Brian Coil. “We came up with an alter-native that took out the ribs while still taking out the weight. Another innovation was the hard-edged bottom of the bike, which was made using electrical discharge machining—the biggest application of the technology that I’ve ever seen. We also used additive manufacturing for the bike’s fenders.”The Zeus 8 employs a monocoque struc-tural skin connected to the chromoly steel framework at the neck, which transmits energy needed to keep the bike’s parts per-pendicular even at high torques and also contributes to its structural integrity. Alloy-ing elements for the steel include chromium and molybdenum, which yield a strength-to-weight ratio that is considerably stron-ger than standard 1020 steel. Eight banks of visible, V8-style battery cylinders power the bike, and the battery housing is itself a structural component.After Curtiss and Fast Radius completed their design for each part and chose the appropriate manufacturing technology, they immediately moved into production. Fast Radius’ lean manufacturing model, project management expertise, and strategic part-nership with UPS meant that parts were pro-duced and delivered in only 12 days, a full two days faster than any other suppler could offer. More importantly, they were able to get the parts right the first time.Curtiss has now engaged Fast Radius in an ongoing partnership to make parts for its entire line of luxury electric motorcy-cles. “Downloading a lot of our engineer-ing problems to Fast Radius allows us to stay focused and lowers our fixed overhead costs, and they can scale manufacturing for us,” explains Chambers. “This is the future for small batch manufacturing.”The two companies are seeking further innovations and are exploring other parts on the motorcycle that could be made addi-tively. For example, the seat and handle grips of the Zeus 8 will be designed and engineered using industrial-grade 3D printing technol-ogy. The bike’s seat will deploy another tech-nology, Carbon dynamic light scattering, to create a customized lattice based on a cus-tomer’s height and weight.“Fast Radius can get us the best parts with the shortest lead times, but that’s not the only reason we partner with them,” says Chambers. “We work with them because they push us toward the cutting edge of manufac-turing technology. We’re creating the most advanced motorcycles the world has ever seen, and Fast Radius is committed to making our vision a reality.”V-8 style batteries power the sleek Zeus 8 electric motorcycle.Dynamic light scattering technology will make bike seats unique to each customer.2001_F3.indd 622001_F3.indd 621/20/20 1:48 PM1/20/20 1:48 PMAutomation ReinventedCobots:Universal Robots, the leader in collaborative robots, delivers advanced robotic automation without the traditional added costs associated with programming, set-up, and dedicated, shielded work cells. Unlike traditional industrial robots, UR’s lightweight robots can be moved around, automating high mix/low volume production runs. They are surprisingly affordable, easy to program, and handle payloads up to 16 KG (35 LB), perfectly suited for packaging and palletizing applications. Request a cobot demo today!844-462-6268 | www.universal-robots.comFull Page Ad.indd 73Full Page Ad.indd 731/20/20 12:48 PM1/20/20 12:48 PM64AW JANUARY 2020LEADERSHIP IN AUTOMATIONEnd user selection of automation technologies—ranging from hardware devices to software platforms—is con-tingent on many factors. These factors include estab-lished business relationships, familiarity with the technology, ease of integration, availability of support, and, of course, price. The importance of relationships, familiarity, and sup-port play a prominent role in automation technology decisions because users are relying on these technologies to not only keep them competitive, but to keep them in operation. As a result, end users tend to be consistent in their preferences.That being said, we’re seeing more and more companies, outside of the most recognized players, receiving recogni-tion from Automation World readers. Recommendation by our readers is the driving force behind our Leadership in Automation program. The honorees cited on the following pages were noted by readers in an open-ended survey that Automation World maintains nearly year-round. This means that reader responses are not influenced by a pre-determined list on a survey. Instead, respondents weigh in with their hon-est preferences.This year’s Leadership in Automation honorees list, created from the recommendations of your peers across industry, is designed to help highlight the technology suppliers most worthy of your consideration as you make product buying decisions in the coming year. Please return the favor by let-ting us know who your preferred suppliers are as well. The voting survey for the 2021 awards will open soon at https://bit.ly/2Lqg66e. Your input is greatly appreciated.LEADERSHIP IN AUTOMATION: FIRST TEAM HONOREESAutomation World’s Leadership in Automation program reflects reader recognition of outstanding suppliers of industrial automation technologies.By Automation World Staff2001_LIA.indd 642001_LIA.indd 641/20/20 1:46 PM1/20/20 1:46 PM65AW JANUARY 2020LEADERSHIP IN AUTOMATION2001_LIA.indd 652001_LIA.indd 651/20/20 1:46 PM1/20/20 1:46 PM66AWJANUARY 2020LEADERSHIP IN AUTOMATIONLEADERSHIP IN AUTOMATION:FIRST TEAM HONOREES 2020ACTUATORS & VALVESEmersonFestoParker HannifinSMCALARM MANAGEMENTEmerson Honeywell Process SolutionsInductive Automation Schneider Electric Siemens IndustryCABLESBeldenBinder USAMurrelektronikPhoenix ContactTurckWagoCLOUD COMPUTINGAdvantechAvevaMoxaSiemens IndustryDATA ACQUISITION HARDWARE INCLUDING I/OEmersonHoneywell Process SolutionsOpto 22Red Lion ControlsSchneider ElectricSiemens IndustryWagoDRIVESABBBosch RexrothLenzeParker HannifinRockwell AutomationSchneider ElectricSiemens IndustryYaskawaEDGE COMPUTINGAdvantechAvevaBeckho AutomationHilscher North AmericaMoxaOpto 22StratusENCLOSURESHaewaHammond ManufacturingPentair/Ho manRittalSaginaw Control & Engineering ENERGY MANAGEMENTAvevaEmersonOpto 22Schneider ElectricSiemens Industry2001_LIA.indd 662001_LIA.indd 661/20/20 1:46 PM1/20/20 1:46 PMDo you want to learn more?www.us.endress.comCustomers around the world trust us when it comes to process automation. Our shared goal is plant safety, availability and e� ciency. We are with you every day, everywhere. People for Process AutomationYou are assured to get the best-fit products, solutions and services for your specific requirements.We understand how important it is to find the right expertise for your industry application needs. KNOWLEDGE+ KNOW-HOWFull Page Ad.indd 73Full Page Ad.indd 731/20/20 12:49 PM1/20/20 12:49 PMNext >