Manufacturers that need highly secure monitoring and control systems, affected by FDA 21 CFR Part 11 regulations, can now benefit from a ‘one tick’ approach to compliance.

Manufacturers that need highly secure monitoring and control systems, including those in food, drink, pharmaceutical and related industries affected by FDA 21 CFR Part 11 regulations, can now benefit from Prodigy’s ‘one tick’ approach to compliance. The latest version of Prodigy industrial automation software has been designed to not only meet the requirements of the 21 CFR Part 11 regulations but also the increasing demand from other industries for higher levels of control system security and traceability. With complex Windows PC applications it is often difficult and time consuming to validate the finished system to ensure compliance with the regulatory requirements.

With Prodigy, user security, data security and audit trails are all built in.

Each security element can be individually configured, or by ticking a single check box Prodigy will automatically configure the entire application to comply with the mandatory regulatory requirements.

This makes it simpler for users to achieve compliance with 21 CFR Part 11 and gives users not bound by the regulations flexible options to implement any level of security they require.

User security has been enhanced in line with the FDA requirements.

In particular user passwords can be forced to a minimum length and to expire at regular intervals, repeated invalid access will automatically invalidate the users account and the system can automatically log off an inactive user to prevent the system being left open inadvertently.

Prodigy’s audit trail generates an individual time stamped record of every user action that makes a material change to the system.

A built in audit trail viewer with filtering, sorting and printing options can be used to easily identify changes that have been made.

To ensure absolute data security strong 128-bit file encryption is employed for all internal data and configuration files.

No commercial software package exists that will allow data in these files to be decrypted or tampered with.

Industry standard file formats such as Microsoft Access databases are securely password protected in such a way that no human knows the password and only Prodigy may open and present the data enclosed.

Another feature of Prodigy’s approach to security for 21 CFR Part 11 is the provision of a secure file browser.

The standard Windows file browser allows options that are often best prevented.

For instance these include the ability to delete, rename or copy files, launch programs or to browse to other areas of the computer.

Prodigy’s secure file browser options can be configured so that such security loopholes can be controlled or eliminated.

Prodigy also provides complete and flexible options to configure desktop lockdown on the computer that it runs on.

Depending upon security requirements this can prevent the users of the Prodigy system from gaining access to Explorer, system tools, games, the internet, network resources and so on.

This kind of lockdown is recommended in many application areas where you want to prevent ‘tampering’ with the system, either intentional or otherwise.

These features make Prodigy one of the most secure SCADA packages currently available and make it an ideal choice for any company that has to comply with 21 CFR Part 11, Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), GAMP and GLP regulations or requires systems with high security and traceability.

Prodigy is widely used for industrial monitoring control and automation applications and combines all the facilities needed for HMI, SCADA and DCS in one integrated package.

In addition to the standard SCADA functionality it offers an extensive range of dedicated facilities including SPC, Downtime monitoring, Expert Data System, Multigraph, On line Maintenance, Automatic Test Sequence etc.

21 CFR Part 11 is available in version 7 of Prodigy.

ATS Automation Tooling Systems has acquired a perpetual technology license from, and a small equity stake in, Innovative Robotics Systems, a specialty robot supplier.

ATS Automation Tooling Systems has acquired a perpetual technology license from, and a small equity stake in, Innovative Robotics Systems (’IRSI’), a privately held, California-based specialty robot supplier, primarily to the semiconductor industry. The license provides ATS with the right to manufacture, modify and integrate IRSI’s IR800 series robotics technology within ATS automated solutions. The IR800 robot was originally developed by IRSI for use in ultra- clean environments, such as semiconductor wafer handling.

It is ideally suited for use in Equipment Front End Modules (EFEMs), a growing semiconductor market segment, where manufacturers are embracing larger, 300 mm wafer sizes, are incorporating new thin film processes and must meet complex wafer handling challenges.

In addition to pursing opportunities in the EFEM market, ATS intends to further enhance and use the IR800 robot series technology to develop new automation applications for other industry sectors such as healthcare, biomedical and pharmaceutical.

These are emerging markets for industrial automation which require specialty robots capable of operating in sterile and other barriered environments.

In conjunction with the license, ATS has also acquired a 3% equity stake in Innovative Robotics Systems and has been granted the exclusive manufacturing and supply contract for IRSI’s IR800 robot family.

‘We’ve worked with Innovative Robotics for a number of months now, both building their robots and developing prototype EFEM products, and are impressed with their capabilities,’ said Klaus Woerner, ATS President and Chief Executive Officer.

‘They are a leader in their market segment and are on the cutting edge of clean semiconductor robot technology.

This transaction solidifies our relationship and gives ATS another capability that we can maximize for additional value in semiconductor and healthcare markets.

In fact, we’re already well along in developing unique technology that it is totally suitable to medical applications such as aseptic environments, a market that we believe offers excellent long-term growth potential for automated solutions.’ Total cash consideration to be paid by ATS over the next year for the license and equity stake will be US $1 million, including US $400,000 for prepaid royalties against future ATS sales of IR800 series robots.

Royalties will accrue on each robot that ATS integrates into an ATS automated solution based on the IRSI IR800 robot proprietary technology.

‘From a cost perspective, this agreement is not material to ATS, but from a capabilities perspective, it is,’ said Woerner.

‘It gives us full and immediate access to an important technology and products at attractive pricing and provides us with another competitive advantage as the automation industry leader in some very important markets.’ Said Jeff Winters, IRSI President and CEO: ‘We are very pleased to have completed the strategic agreements and are excited with the opportunity to work with ATS on new projects and market applications.

This agreement also enables us to leverage ATS global manufacturing resources to enable IRSI to meet the potentially high volume requirements of major semiconductor equipment OEMs worldwide.’ About Innovative Robotics Systems - located in San Jose, California, USA, Innovative Robotics Systems (www.innovativerobotics.com ) is a, based specialty robot developer and supplier, primarily for use in handling semiconductor wafers.

The company’s IR820 series SCARA robots combine innovative mechanical design with user friendly, proprietary blended motion control software resulting in the newest generation of low-cost material handling robots.

The blended motion control allows for a 20-30% improvement in through-put on any given application.

Four independently driven axis provide adaptability and flexibility not possible with 3-axis, R-Theta robot designs.

A linear track is not required to use the IR820 with multiple 300mm Front Loaders in standard EFEM configurations.

The IR820 robot is field proven to operate at or below ISO Class 1 capability for use in Semiconductor Equipment applications where cleanliness, reliability, and high through-put are demanded.

About ATS - ATS Automation Tooling Systems is the industry’s leading designer and producer of turn-key automated manufacturing and test systems, which are used primarily by multinational corporations operating in a variety of industries including: automotive, computer/electronics, healthcare, and consumer products.

The Company also makes precision components and sub-assemblies using its own custom-built manufacturing systems, process knowledge and automation technology.

ATS is also an emerging leader in the rapidly growing market for solar energy cells and modules.

ATS employs approximately 3,500 people at 25 facilities in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Birmingham-based Cincinnati Machine U.K. has achieved the internationally recognised BS EN ISO 9001:2000 quality standard, replacing the 1994 standard gained previously.

Birmingham-based Cincinnati Machine U.K. has achieved the internationally recognised BS EN ISO 9001:2000 quality standard. The new accreditation, which replaces the 1994 standard gained previously by Cincinnati, focuses on providing a framework for managing and improving organisational quality systems using a process approach.

Ian Good, Cincinnati Machine’s European personnel director, commented on the recent accreditation ‘Achieving the ISO 9001:2000 registration is a great recognition of the quality processes we have in place at Cincinnati.

It enables us to analyse and continuously improve many key areas of our business, placing additional emphasis on customer focus, resource management and training, as well as analysing our operation’s effectiveness in terms of management responsibility and customer satisfaction.

‘We were operating with similar processes prior to the accreditation, and the re-alignment to 9001:2000 took less than a year.

BSI are a tremendous help to us, and have been complimentary of the Total Quality processes we already had in place.

Regular reviews with BSI are very proactive, the assessors work with Cincinnati to ensure processes are effective and they help to sharpen our continuous improvement policies.

Ambitious quality objectives are set and we have implemented formalised review processes for these objectives to ensure appropriate action is taken to achieve them.

‘The implementation of 9001:2000 has already shown some promising results for Cincinnati.

As a result we have achieved a reduction in net working assets, increased our cash generation and through aggressive targets we have been able to take considerable cost out of the business.

We have seen improvements within our receivables measurements through our continued customer focus, as it is easier to obtain payment for our products from satisfied customers.’ As part of the accreditation, Cincinnati Machine has revisited the on-going training for the internal auditors of the processes.

The internal auditors meet regularly as a group, to embrace the new standards and to provide valuable input into the audit processes and procedures.

Cincinnati Machine UK is a subsidiary of UNOVA industrial automation Systems (IAS), and combines the engineering, manufacturing and business systems infrastructure of two of the machine tool industry’s most respected manufacturers - Cincinnati Machine and Lamb Technicon, marketing its products under the brand name Cincinnati Lamb.

ATI Industrial Automation has been named to Deloitte and Touche’s prestigious Technology Fast 50 Programme for North Carolina, a ranking of the 50 fastest locally growing technology companies.

ATI Industrial Automation has been named to Deloitte and Touche’s prestigious Technology Fast 50 Programme for North Carolina, a ranking of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the area by Deloitte and Touche LLP, one of the nation’s leading professional services firms. Rankings are based on the percentage of growth in fiscal year revenues over five years, from 1998-2002. This year’s North Carolina Technology Fast 50 programme is co-presented by Deloitte and Touche LLP, one of the nation’s leading professional services firms, with Wachovia Corporation, Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice, Robert Half Finance and Accounting, Business Leader and the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED).

ATI’s CEO Keith Morris credits the company’s strong revenue growth to the diversity of customer applications that ATI serves.

He said, ‘This diversity in customer-base coupled with our focus on product innovation and customer service has allowed us to succeed in a sluggish economy.’ To qualify for the Technology Fast 50, companies must have had operating revenues of at least $50,000 in 1998 and $1,000,000 in 2002, must be public or private companies headquartered in North America, and be a ‘technology company’ defined as owning proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of the company’s operating revenues (using other companies’ technology in a unique way does not qualify); and/or devoting a significant proportion of revenues to research and development of technology.

Winners of the 20 regional Technology Fast 50 programmes in the United States and Canada are automatically entered in the Deloitte and Touche Technology Fast 500 programme, which ranks North America’s top 500 fastest growing technology companies.

A device that allows unlimited rotation of end-of-arm tooling without tangling or twisting robot lines uses advanced slip-ring technology that passes electrical and pneumatic signals.

ATI Industrial Automation has released a unique device that allows unlimited rotation of end-of-arm tooling without tangling or twisting robot lines. By utilizing advanced slip-ring technology the Rotary Joint passes electrical and pneumatic signals from robot to tooling which alleviates stress on robot lines. This device is designed to simplify applications where tooling rotation is an issue.

The Rotary Joint has two components: fixed and rotating.

The rotating component consists of the robot adaptor, tool adaptor, and a central connecting core.

Lines are attached between the fixed component and your robot controller.

As the robot moves, the fixed lines do not twist.

With many different sizes, this device can be easily integrated with almost any robot.

Features: * Prevents damage and increases life of robot electrical and pneumatic lines.

Normal twisting action can fatigue electrical lines or damage pneumatic lines.

* Compact, light-weight design with a high load capacity.

* Constructed of anodized high-strength aluminum alloy with easy-to-use electrical and pneumatic interface.

* Angle of traverse is unlimited (360deg+).

* Suitable for speeds of up to 120 rpm and for payloads of 18,000N (4,050 lbf) and 700Nm (6,200 lb-in).

* Allows 2-to-4 pneumatic feed-through lines at a maximum of 10 bar.

* Allows 4-to-10 electrical signals at a maximum of 60V and 1A.

* Suitable for BUS signal transmission.

* Tested to operate beyond one million rotations.

* IP-65 (splash proof).

About ATI Industrial Automation - ATI Industrial Automation is a leading engineering-based world developer of robotic end effector equipment, including Automatic Tool Changers, Multi-axis Force/Torque Sensing Systems, Robotic deburring Tools, Robotic Crash Protection Devices and Compliance Devices.

Our products are found in thousands of successful applications around the world.

Since 1989 our team of mechanical, electrical and software engineers has been developing cost-effective, state of the art products and solutions to improve manufacturing productivity.

Our mission is to provide customers with high-quality robotic peripheral devices, tooling and sensors that enhance customer profitability by increasing the effectiveness, flexibility and safety of their automation applications.

We accomplish this through continuous improvement of existing products, product customization and new product innovation.

New cast iron structure features a range of vertical machining centres, available in four model designations and three performance packages, to tailor machines to different applications.

Cincinnati Lamb will be launching its new CFV range of vertical machining centres at MACH 2004. The CFV is available in four model designations up to 1300mm in X-axis, and a choice of three performance packages to tailor the machine to the application. At MACH 2004, Cincinnati Lamb will be demonstrating mould and die machining on the CFV-1050Si with Siemens Sinumerik 840D CNC control.

The CFV-800Xi with GE Fanuc 18i-MB CNC control will show automotive applications for high-production environments.

The CFV possesses a totally new cast iron structure and provides both 540mm in Y-axis across the entire range of machines, and the ability to accommodate a 585mm deep component, maximising table capacity.

The new high-strength structure enables maximum use of the standard 18.5kW spindle power with spindle options up to 20,000 rpm, 28 kW duty-rated power and 353Nm torque.

High precision is assured on all CFV’s with the use of Heidenhain linear scales as standard on both X and Y axes, accuracy and repeatability over time to micron level is therefore assured.

The ‘i’ performance package is provided as standard for high-precision machining.

The ‘Xi’ package can be selected for high-production machining, especially suitable for the automotive industry with a standard spindle speed of 10,000 rpm, and a fast 30 tool double-arm toolchanger unit.

The ‘Si’ package provides the high performance capability with 28kW, 20,000 rpm HSK-A63 spindle as standard.

Spindles up to 40,000 rpm are also available.

With standard features such as automatic coolant control, swarf flushing and extraction, the ‘Si’ package is geared for high-productivity in both die and mould and aerospace applications.

A choice of 4 world class CNC systems is available with CFV to match customer’s experience and performance requirements.

The Siemens Sinumerik 810D and 840D with conversational customised screens from Cincinnati Lamb are ideal for programmers of every level of experience.

The powerful and highly specified GE Fanuc 18i-MB is provided with shopfloor programming package Manual Guidei as standard, and combined with the customised machine tool builders panel consisting of one-touch key functions, makes the 18i-MB one of the most user-friendly CNC’s on offer.

The new Heidenhain iTNC 530 with powerful processor architecture and extensive block look ahead capacity is an ideal choice for mould and die and aerospace applications.

The CFV is complemented with many operator ergonomic features, coupled with powered swarf extraction as standard, all to maximise productivity.

The base pan with integral sloping channels and fully enclosed linear guideways on all 3 axes ensure reliable swarf removal and eliminates swarf traps.

Continuous production on the ‘Xi’ package is enhanced with an integral swarf flushing system, automatic coolant and a high pressure wash gun as standard.

Cincinnati Machine UK is a subsidiary of Unova industrial automation Systems (IAS), and combines the engineering, manufacturing and business systems infrastructure of two of the machine tool industry’s most respected manufacturers - Cincinnati Machine and Lamb Technicon, marketing its products under the brand name Cincinnati Lamb.

Wireless Networks for Industrial Automation discusses wireless communications from the factory and process automation viewpoint to help engineers make clear decisions on timing and strategy.

Well-known automation expert Dick Caro explores the future of industrial wireless networks in a new book from ISA Press. Wireless Networks for industrial automation provides a clear, unbiased view of the emerging wireless communications market. Caro discusses wireless communications from the factory and process automation viewpoint to help industrial, process, and controls engineers make clear decisions about the timing and strategy for implementing wireless networks for automation projects.

According to Caro, going wireless is more than just plugging in wireless components to replace the wires.

While residential networks are easily justified by today’s inexpensive wireless components, commercial use is not quite so clear, since office wiring is generally low-cost and protects privacy.

Industrial use requires privacy as well, and it is critical to have secure communications that never fail.

However, the extremely high cost of industrial wiring usually justifies going wireless.

Caro tackles these subjects and more in his latest book.

To keep pace with the ever-changing nature of wireless technology, this book is offered in digital format to allow regular updates.

For a full year, ISA will notify purchasers via e-mail when a new version of the book is available, allowing downloads of the new PDF file at no extra charge.

Industrial grade PCI VGA card provides an ideal and cost-effective solution for industrial applications where they have panel support requirements.

Advantech, the world’s leading Industrial Computers manufacturer and innovator, today releases the exciting new PCA-5610 industrial grade PCI VGA card featuring dual display, panel support with LVDS and digital TTL standard and low power consumption. Advantech provides its partners with an ideal and cost-effective solution for industrial applications where they have panel support requirements. This includes specific POS (Point of Sales), HMI (Human Machine Interface), medical application, gaming and industrial automation application stands.

The PCA-5610 comes with the ATi Rage MobilityTM M1 graphics accelerator with 8MB of integrated VRAM, and its graphics clock can run up to 83 MHz.

Designed to support the mainstream standard PCI 2.1 interface for better flexibility and expandability, the PCA-5610 truly shines in dual independent displays and triple-DAC.

Better yet, it supports TV-Out (S-Video port and optional Composite port), digital TTL and dual 112 MHz LVDS interfaces.

The PCA-5610 supports LVDS panels in 1280 x 1024 at 60MHz and 800 x 600 at 85MHz; it also supports TFT panels up to 1280 x 1024 with 24-bit per pixel.

The unique low power consumption of ATi Rage MobilityTM M1 enables fan-less designs, and also helps to create stable systems for the industrial computing field.

To empower the industrial computing platforms, Advantech reinforces its system integration hardware solutions by offering state-of-the-art PC technology.

The PCA-5610 is ready to work smoothly with a complete range of Advantech industrial motherboards, and the combinations of full-sized CPU cards and passive backplanes for various applications.

Advantech selects only stable components with long life supply to design products.

The PCA-5610 is designed to have a long life cycle of at least 3 years.

Product longevity greatly reduces costly engineering efforts on new components and re-approvals.

Gaining an Automation Excellence Award, a fully functional Ethernet-enabled controller for industrial automation and control has Windows CE. NET to run embedded Ethernet applications.

Each month, Instrumentation and Automation News (IAN) editors select three outstanding products whose contribution to the control and instrumentation industry has been deemed noteworthy and award these products with the ‘Automation Excellence Awards’. The ‘Automation Excellence Awards’ merit front-cover coverage, a detailed product write-up and presentation on IAN’s Web site. Advantech is proud to announce that in March, the ADAM-6500 was awarded the Automation Excellence Award from Instrumentation and Automation News.

Advantech’s ADAM-6500 is a fully functional Ethernet -enabled controller for industrial automation and control.

It provides an ideal environment to develop applications converting RS-232/485 devices/equipment data to the Ethernet/Internet world with minimum effort.

The built-in Windows CE.NET operating system lets users run new programs produced in Microsoft embedded VC++.

The Windows environment also includes a web server to allow the designer to develop web-enabled applications.

* Main Features - Powerful Ethernet-enabled communication controller in a small package - Built-in Windows CE.

NET to run embedded Ethernet applications - Built-in web server - Microsoft embedded VC++ development environment supported - Built-in CompactFlash slot - 16 MB flash disk for WinCE and user’s AP - Built-in real-time clock and watchdog timer - Offers 3 x RS-232 and 2 x RS-485 (Isolated) - Automatic data flow control in RS-485 mode - Communication speed up to 115.2kB/s - Easy to mount on a DIN-rail or panel.

Built-in Ethernet and RS-232/485 COM ports - the ADAM-6500 has one Ethernet (10BASE-T), and four communication ports (3 x RS-232 and 2 x RS-485).

These ports provide easy communication between the controller and devices in your applications, and has been designed for program downloading, debugging and linking serial devices with the Ethernet/Internet.

Both ADAM-6500 is equipped with a COM 1 port (RS-232) supporting full RS-232 signals for applications such as modem connections, while the 3-pin RS-232 and RS-485 are designed as the interface for traditional RS-232/485 devices/equipment.

This design allows the controller to be used in a variety of applications.

For example, the user may download a data logging application into the ADAM-6500’s memory while the ADAM-6500 is connected to a RS-485 network, and then collect the data over the network.

Built-in Real-time Clock and Watchdog Timer - the real-time clock in the controller ensures accurate time recording when the system operates.

The watchdog timer is designed to automatically reset the CPU if the system fails.

* Target Applications: - Distributed data acquisition and control - Embedded control application (Advantech AStudio SCADA Software and KW Softlogic) - Data logging applications - Serial to Ethernet conversion - Web-enabled data acquisition and control.

ADAM-6500 PC-Based HMI Station/SCADA - the ADAM-6500AS embeds Advantech Studio into ADAM-6500 hardware, so you can easily develop the required application in a desktop PC, then download it into ADAM-6500AS as a cost effective, compact size SCADA/HMI station.

Advantech Studio (AStudio), a powerful, integrated collection of automation tools that includes all the building blocks required to develop modern Human machine interfaces (HMI), and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA) applications.

AStudio in ADAM-6500AS can run native on Windows CE.NET or in an Internet and Intranet environment.

A simple drag and drop, point and click development environment mimics the most complex behavior of your live processes.

AStudio is an eAutomation solution that allows designers to develop web-enabled applications.

ADAM-6500KW PC-Based Softlogic Controller - as PC-based technology grows, Advantech PC-based controllers have been widely applied in variety of industrial automation applications.

In order to empower the PC-based controllers, Advantech has allied with KW software to develop a new generation of softlogic controllers with MULTIPROG - IEC 61131 complied softlogic control engine.

Evolved from the ADAM-6500, the ADAM-6500KW is a new softlogic controller that features with large memory capacity, multi communication interfaces, user-friendly configuration tools and much more.ADAM-6500KW is not only a cost-effective micro-controller, but also features several powerful control functions that improve on traditional programmable logic controllers.

* Features - Process IEC-61131 standard with rich development environment - Cross-Language programming - Large memory for programming and storage - Real time multi-tasking engine - Free pre-defined function library - Powerful debug/diagnostic/simulation/force tools - Open Standard connection - Modbus standard Interface - Online editing and partial download - RS-232/485 communication ability - Built-in ROM and RAM disk for programming - Built-in real-time clock and watchdog timer.

To address the increasing demand for more PCI expansion slots in a shoebox sized IPC system, two new backplanes have been introduced for the microbox IPC chassis IPC-6606.

To address the increasing demand for more PCI expansion slots in a shoebox sized IPC system, Advantech has launched two new backplanes, PCA-6106P4 and PCA-6105P5, for the best-selling microbox IPC chassis IPC-6606. IPC-6606 - specially designed for factory floors and other harsh environments, IPC-6606 is a 6-slot wall-mountable IPC chassis that is ideal for system integrators or users who require a compact and rugged computing platform for industrial automation applications. With a width of only 6.8in, IPC-6606 can support up to 5 peripheral slots, from pure ISA, a combination of ISA and PCI, to pure PCI.

The rubber-buffered hold-down clamp design protects the system against harsh industrial environments or unexpected shock.

IPC-6606 can be placed on desktops or mounted bi-directionally, and using the supplied brackets, IPC-6606 can be easily bottom or right-mounted onto most surfaces, such as walls or workbenches.

* IPC-6606 Features - Cost-effective wall-mountable microbox IPC chassis - Accepts up to 5 ISA/PCI full-length peripheral cards - Accepts one 5.25′ and one 3.5′ disk drives - One 49-CFM cooling fan with an easy-maintained air filter - 250 W and 300 W ATX power supply options - Dimensions: 173 x 254 x 396 mm (6.8′ x 10′ x 15.6′) PCA-6106P4 accepts one full-sized CPU card, one ISA peripheral card and up to four PCI peripheral cards.

All the peripheral cards can be either full-length or half-size.

* Features - Segment: 1 - Slots: 4 PCI, 2PICMG - Size: 142 x 270 mm (5.59in x 10.63in) - Suggested Chassis: IPC-6606, IPC-6806 and IPC-6006 - Ordering information: PCA-6106P4-0A1 PCA-6105P5 accepts one half-sized CPU card and up to five PCI peripheral cards.