From Water Leak Detection to the IoT
As human beings, we’re often resistant to ideas of change or progression. Take the concept of automation in manufacturing, which is often misunderstood by the workforce and has actually been present in the industry since the mid-1950s.
The fact that engineers and inventors in the UK are increasingly able to identify issues and present solutions should be considered as a good thing, particularly for businesses that are hoping to reduce costs, improve efficiency and scale successfully over time.
Here are three modern innovations that help engineers to identify issues at home and in the workplace:
1. Smart Pipes and Water Leak Detection Tools
We’ve recently seen an explosion in the number of water leak detection tools available, from smart pipes to connected apps that identify issues and relay these in real time.
These innovations strategically place sensors magnetically on a water pipe, which detect subtle changes in sound or water flow. These are then immediately relayed to a designated app or interface, helping home or business-owners to react accordingly.
FlowSure is a particularly advanced form of water leak detection technology, as it includes self-learning anomaly identification software that predicts network events ahead of time.
This innovation has clear commercial applications, particularly for companies that operate across multiple sites and want to manage these effectively.
2. IoT Platforms That Allow for Remote Site Management
On a similar note, IoT (Internet-of-Things) technology has evolved to help businesses manage sites remotely and benefit from the transmission of real-time data.
Platforms such as Bluemix fit this description, as they utilise hundreds of sensors to collate energy and performance data and relay this immediately to stakeholders.
For example, you could use this tool to monitor temperatures at remote sites and set boundaries for ‘safe’ and ‘dangerous’.
In instances where the temperature rises to a dangerous level, the sensors will immediately relay this information and send a notification to the site manager so that they can take action.
3. iLogic Scripts that Identify Broken Links in CAD Files
CAD or inventor drawings tend to include numerous links, which are integral to the format of the final documents. However, broken links can cause significant delays and administration errors, including reference problems and increased file size.
Fortunately, there’s a number of tools that automatically resolve these drawing file errors, with one particularly iLogic script offering a relevant case in point.
This automatically removes all the OLE links and those that connect to old simulations, along with any external or non-inventor links located within the drawing file.
As a result, the size of each CAD file will be optimised and each engineer’s level of productivity will increase noticeably.
