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In association with: Headline sponsors:

14 October 2010 • Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre • London

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Excellence embodiedEngineering skill and entrepreneurialmanagement create global success. 1

Turning the tap on water wastageBy controlling water distributionintelligently, i2O Water is helping toreduce leakage by up to 25%, whilesaving energy. 2

Bringing smart terminals to the patient’s bedsideAn ‘unremitting’ focus on hygiene andsecurity has helped JAOtech to take aleading position in the supply of smartterminals in the health care sector. 5

Mixer valve helps heatcustomer’s sales Blending mechanical design,electronics and software, Kohler Mirahas delivered a product which boostedits client’s sales by 23% a year. 7

Snake arm robots reaches out to new marketsReaching confined spaces, thisinnovative robot can be adapted to fitany environment, space or task. 9

Hitting the ground runningTwo years into her career, Mairead Kellyhas already led a design project and isnow mentoring a young engineer. 11

Not a water wasterAndrew Burrows is helping to save12,500tonne of water a day through anelegant solution to a global problem. 13

It’s Drive timeDrive System Design is delivering costeffective projects against extremetime constraints. 15

Touch of genius?Atmel’s maXTouch technology isenabling multitouch interfaces inconsumer electronics products. 17

Shoulders to the wheelAn innovative shoulder replacementsystem has overcome clinicalproblems and reduced the componentparts by 60%. 19

Burning ambitionsDunphy Combustion’s T-series burnersreduce NOx emissions, cut electricalenergy consumption by up to 65% andreduce noise pollution. 21

Improve your imageDexela’s first to market approach hascreated a leading position in the lowdose medical xray imaging sector. 23

Judges’ profiles 24

Sponsors’ profiles IBC

“These Awards

have shown, once

again, that

British companies

are competing on

a global stage

and that they

don’t need to be

big in order to be

successful.”

Graham Pitcher,

Group Editor,

Findlay Media

Engineering Design Division

Contents

inside front cover contents.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 18:07

One of the aims of the British Engineering Excellence Awards is to

show that British companies are competing on a global stage and

that companies don’t need to be big in order to be successful.

This year’s event has, once again, highlighted this fact. The winner of the

G rand P rix and the winner of the Judge’s Special Award have both shown

that, despite being small companies, they are leading the world in their

chosen fields.

L et’s highlight the winners of our two main priz es. Andrew Burrows,

named as the Design Engineer of the Y ear and winner of the G rand P rix, has

developed a system that can save water on a massive scale.

Water is becoming an increasingly precious resource and concern is

rising about the amount of water being lost in the distribution network. Y et

this has not been addressed from a system point of view. Burrow’s elegant

solution is already saving 250tonne of water per day in each of the 50

systems installed in Malaysia. A full commercial prototype system being

trialled by Thames Water could not only save water, but also reduce the

amount of energy needed to pump water through its network by up to 30%.

Meanwhile, 13 strong Dexela is taking on four multinationals in the

medical xray imaging sector. Its first to market approach, a fast moving

development team and strong partnerships, have allowed it to prototype

and supply a new generation of large area cmos xray detectors ahead of its

competitors. And it has developed a manufacturing process in which the

cmos sensors can be stitched together with a positional accuracy of a few

microns and with an alignment accuracy of 0.001° .

Both companies show that engineering skill and entrepreneurial

management can drive success.

I’m sure you’ll join with me in congratulating our winners and thanking

all companies who entered this year.

“The winner of

the Grand Prix

and the winner of

the Judge’s

Special Award ...

are leading the

world in their

chosen fields.”

w w w .b ea a s.c o. u k

Intr od u c tionG r a h a m P itc h er

G r ou p E d itor , F ind la y M ed ia E ng ineer ing D esig n D i v ision

14 O c tob er 20 10 1

Excellence embodiedE ng ineer ing sk ill a nd entr ep r eneu r ia l m a na g em ent c r ea te g lob a l su c c ess

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The winner of the BritishEngineering Excellence G rand P rixwas selected by the Judges from

winning entries in the other Awardcategories.

There is an industry that is losing aq uarter of its finished product duringdelivery to the customer. That productis domestic water that has beencollected, filtered, chlorinated andraised in pressure using large amountsof energy.

In fact, the World Bank hasestimated that, every year, a staggering32billion cubic metres of treated wateris lost from global urban water supplies.

In 2005 Adam Kingdon and AndrewBurrows formed i2O Water at a timewhen it was understood that waterleakage could be reduced by limitingpressure in the distribution system. F orexample, by reducing the mainspressure from 35m to 30m – a 14 %reduction – could reduce leakage by16% and in a U K city of 1million people,that would save enough water to supplyanother 37 ,000 people.

H owever, no effective technologiesexisted at the time. Andrew Burrowsdesigned an intelligent valve, controlledby a central server which learns thebehaviour of the network andconstantly adjusts the pressure to theoptimum. This smart water systemreduces leakage by reducing pressureto the optimum to satisfy demand. Thesensors and valves are locatedunderground with no external power

and must communicate and operate forfive years without service. They mustadjust the pressure hundreds of timesa day and be fitted to an existinginfrastructure with an average age offifty years.

Once the overall architecture of the

system was established, AndrewBurrows defined the electronic,mechanical hardware, hydraulic,software, firmware and graphical userinterface req uirements for the system.These req uirements were documentedinto detailed system component

Making a real impact on a global problem

14 O c tob er 20 102

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specifications. Burrows managed theproject to demanding time and budgetconstraints, where concept,preliminary and detailed design phaseswere linked directly to three fundraising rounds. Initially a small team ofengineers was recruited to carry out aproof of concept design phase with alimited budget. This proof of conceptwas successful and enabled thecompany to raise £ 1.7 million in 2007 ,enabling more engineers to berecruited. A further £ 4 .2m was raised in2009 to complete design formanufacture and to support the fullinternational commercial roll out.

On average, each system installedreduces water leakage by more than20%. Each of 50 systems installed inMalaysia during July 2010 are saving250tonnes of water per day. AndrewBurrows has been awarded the G randP rix because his design addresses andsolves a critical problem.

In 2008 , Andrew Burrows designedand patented a system to control thepumps that pressurise the wholenetwork. It follows that if the individualdistribution systems can be optimised,then so can pump pressure to thewhole network. This is significantbecause in the U S, for example, waterdistribution pumping consumesapproximately 10% of total energyproduction.

Andrew Burrows has recentlyapplied learning algorithms to pumpoptimisation. H aving identified that the

technologies he had developed tocontrol local distribution systems couldbe transferred to pump controloptimisation, he carried outmathematical modelling to prove theconcept. H aving developed a prototype,the company won a contract fromThames Water in July 2010 to install aprototype on a significant L ondonpumping station on a full commercialbasis. The installation is expected toreduce pumping energy consumptionby between 25 and 30%.

F our patents have been applied forcovering: the P ilot V alve; Controller andcontrol system; Water supply stationcontrol; and pump optimisation andwater treatment optimisation.

Andrew Burrows is a charteredengineer, a member of the RoyalInstitution of Naval Architects and anactive member of the InternationalWater Association. H e has presentedseveral papers at international waterdistribution and water lossconferences.

Dr Stephen Bold, managing directorof Sharp L aboratories Europe,nominated Andrew Burrows for DesignEngineer of the Y ear. H e said: “ I havebeen impressed with the way thatAndrew has built his engineering teamfrom scratch. H e directs and mentorsthem very well. Even though he issubject to the great demands of a startup, he still finds time to mentor otherengineers through his non executivedirectorships at other companies.”

What the judges said:

“This is an elegant solution to an

urgent worldwide problem arrived at

by thorough process and

methodology”

“A great idea making a real impact

on a global problem … this is a

great example of creative problem

solving.”

“Engineering isn’t just about

products, it’s about using ingenuity

to make a real difference to the

world around us. That’s the message

that we want to get across and

Andrew’s work embodies that.”


G r a nd P r i x 20 10A nd r ew Bu r r ow s

T ec h nic a l D ir ec tori20 W a ter

S p onsor ed b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 3

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After 50 years at the cutting edge of technology, we’ve learnt a thing or two about how to develop market-

changing products, and have a string of ‘world firsts’ to our name. But far from being content with this

pedigree, we look forward to the next 50 years, the challenges it will bring, and the rewards we will create

for both our clients and our staff.

Cambridge Consultants is part of Altran, the European leader in technology consulting. To find out more

about how we can help you achieve success, please visit:

CambridgeConsultants

www.CambridgeConsultants.com

we’re proud of our past... but excited about our future

Page 04 cambridge ad.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:59 Page 4

Designing a better mousetrap isone thing; bringing it to marketand making a success of it is

another. But the ‘better mousetrap’ isthe milieu of the entrepreneur; theperson who has spotted a gap and isdetermined to fill it.

As the U K economy continues toreshape itself, the need for start upcompanies grows; they are oftenwhere innovation is found and theirproducts can be in demand around theworld. But achieving success isn’teasy; start ups need a sound businessplan and a strong order book.

F or this category, the Judges lookedfor a solution that was not only welldesigned, but also one that met thecost expectations of customers. TheJudges selected JAOtech, which hasestablished itself as the market leaderin the design and manufacture of arange of embedded smart terminalsintended for use at patient’s bedsides.

F ormed in August 2006, followingresearch into the need for smartterminals in the healthcare sector,JAOtech has grown to a 35 strongcompany with a turnover of more than£ 6million. It has also made its firstacq uisition; a U S company provides itwith a presence in a key global market.

JAOtech designed its terminalfollowing detailed consultation withusers, including hospitals andpatients. Its products are developedusing the latest design technology,manufacturing techniq ues andassembly processes. H eat creation is

minimised within the unit through theuse of Intel Atom processors.

Innovative heat dispersiontechniq ues have seen the mountingarm become part of the cooling system,eliminating the need for a fan, whichwould need a grille and be an obviouspoint of failure. A further challenge wassealing the system to a high IP rating.

JAOtech ascribes its success towhat it believes is an ‘unremittingfocus’ on hygiene and security, whileoffering flexibility and the capacity forcustomisation.

Its products are shipped to hospitalsand clinics around the world, wherethey form the front end of the eH ealthrevolution, while delivering multimediaentertainment to the bedside. JAOtech’ssales in 2009 -10 will be boosted by acontract with H ospedia, which has thepotential to replace 4 0,000 units withinthree years.

‘U nremitting focus’brings success


S ta r t u p of th e Y ea rJ A O tec h

S p onsor ed b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 5

Highly commendedCong r a tu la tions to O x f or d Y A S A M otor s,w h ose entr y h a s b een h ig h lyc om m end ed b y th e J u d g es

What the Judges said:

“Engineering is about solving

problems and making money out of the

solutions and that’s what JAOtech

has done.”

“The success that JAOtech has

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Page 05 start up.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:58 Page 5

In a world of diminishing resources – and increasing competition – developing

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Smart, safe, sustainable manufacturing.Good for you. Good for the planet.

Copyright © 2010 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. AD RS2169-R1P

Page 06 Rockwell.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:48 Page 6

F ive companies made theJudges’ shortlist for theinaugural Mechatronic Design

of the Y ear Award.Entries for this category were

req uired to describe theinnovative application ofelectronic and mechanicaltechnologies to solve a givenproblem. The design could havebeen developed for a client or tosolve an in house problem, or itcould be a product available onthe open market.

In assessing entries for thiscategory, the Judges looked at theinnovation applied in meeting thedesign brief, as well as the degree towhich the solution met marketingobjectives.

Among the finalists was a traindoor monitoring system and OCRobotics’ SAF IRE snake arm robot.But the entry which caught theJudges’ eyes came from Kohler Mira.

Its brief was to create a true nextgeneration product that would giveunrivalled accuracy of temperaturecontrol, parameter set up,customisation and access to data.Additionally, Kohler Mira was taskedwith making a product with a higherflow capacity than previous productsand one which was easy to integrateinto a water control system withoutthe need for skilled set up.

Its electronically controlledthermostatic mixer valve has beendesigned to supply water for whole

buildings at accurately regulatedtemperatures and at flow rates of upto 8 00litre/ min.

The only product of its kind, thedrv8 0 has the ability to monitor itsown operation and to diagnose faults.It can also monitor a number of hotwater system parameters andprovide system maintenanceinformation.

The design brings togethermechanical design, electronics andsoftware, with computational fluiddynamics used to perfect watermixing over a wide flow range.

A significant event during thedesign process was the decision to

provide data access, parameter set-up and performance monitoringthrough the internet. This has

created a huge commercialbenefit and led to further productrange extensions and innovation.

The product is now growing insignificance to Kohler Mira’smajor customer and issubstantially responsible for itscustomer’s business enjoying a23% annual compound growth.


“An elegant, inspired and accurate

solution with a really significant

financial and environmental

impact.”

“A genuine first generation product

that started with a clean sheet of

paper, combines excellent

mechanical and electronic design

and has met – and even exceeded –

its brief in terms of performance.”


M ec h a tr onic D esig n of th e Y ea rK oh ler M ir a

S p onsor ed b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 7

Mixing valve warmsto the task

Page 07 Mechatronics.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:47 Page 7

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Page 08 Rockwell.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 18:20 Page 8

Much of U K industry iscomposed of smallcompanies, which have the

benefit of being able tofocus closely on theirchosen competencyand to work within atightly defined market.

The Judges assessedentries from companieswith no more than 20employees, looking forthose whichdemonstrated a soundbusiness strategy thataddressed a particularmarket need. Thewinning company had tobe able to demonstratean evolving product portfolioand the reception it has receivedfrom end users.

Companies competing in thiscategory had all demonstrated anunderstanding of their abilities andtheir markets. While shortlistedcompanies spanned electronics,robotics and imaging, the Judgesidentified OC Robotics as deserving ofthe Award.

F ormed in 19 9 7 , Bristol-based OCRobotics is extending the reach ofrobotics with a new type of device.The snake arm robot, for which itholds critical patents, can reach intoconfined spaces by following adefined path. The technology isscalable and can be adapted to fit anyenvironment, space or task. P otential

markets include nuclear inspection,security, aerospace and medical.

The 16 strong company’s firstproduct was a system to inspect andrepair pipes beneath a nuclearreactor; business won against strongcompetition from multinationals.

One of the challenges which thecompany faced while developing itslatest product, SAF IRE – Snake ArmF eeder Inspection Robotic Eq uipment– was simulating the proposeddesign. Alongside helping to refinethe specification, this also allowed by


S m a ll Com p a ny of th e Y ea rO C R ob otic s

S p onsor ed b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 9

Highly commendedCong r a tu la tions to D ex ela , w h oseentr y h a s b een h ig h ly c om m end edb y th e J u d g es

Reaching the partsother robots can’t

customer to use the device virtuallyand to provide feedback.

L ast year, OC Robotics won aQ ueen’s Award for Enterprise:Innovation.


“Its innovative technology

and its sales against much

bigger players in its

market niche make it a

winner.”

“By recognising the

importance of investing in

innovation, the company

has become a world leader

in its technology with a

number of impressive

business wins under its

belt.”

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rswww.com/electronics

A cluster of young stars, one brilliant performer.RS, proud sponsors of the BEEA Young Design

Engineer of the Year Award 2010.

Page 10 rscomponents ad.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:43 Page 10

Companies today wantgraduates who can hit theground running. V ery few

companies can afford the luxury of along term induction programme; newrecruits have to earn their keepalmost from day one.

The Judges wanted to see ademonstration of the knowledgewhich the young engineer has had toapply; the contribution made to aproject; the degree of innovationapplied and the nominee’s personalq ualities, including their motivation,dedication and ability to act as anambassador for their discipline.

Mairead Kelly has been with DialogSemiconductor’s Edinburgh designteam since July 2008 . In that time,she has been directly involved withtwo key innovations. A key project wasthe development of a low dropoutregulator for a Class D Amplifier. Thisneeded a complex control in order toswitch between a cascoded outputbranch and a non cascoded outputbranch. The complexity was in

ensuring that the loop was kept stable.She has also assisted in thedevelopment of a low latency digitalbypass circuit – currently beingpatented – for use in noisesuppression and echo cancellation.

Over the last year, Mairead Kelly hasbeen the joint leader of a discrete timeSigma-Delta a/ d converter stereo, forwhich the key was low power and area.Key figures are a power consumptionof 210µ uW, a die area of 0.16mm2,signal to noise ratio of 8 6dB and totalharmonic distortion of 7 5dB.


“The energy and enthusiasm of this

person shines through in her entry:

she’s clearly a human dynamo!”

“I loved the fact that she’s so keen

on nurturing and mentoring other

young engineers. It shows that not

only is she a talented and

enthusiastic young engineer

herself, but that she wants to

transmit that enthusiasm to others.”

Y oung engineer transmits enthusiasm


Y ou ng D esig n E ng ineer of th e Y ea rM a ir ea d K elly

D ia log S em ic ond u c tor

S p onsor ed b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 1 1

Mairead Kelly is keen to supportnew engineers and actively seeksopportunities to do this. She ispassionate about developingbusiness/ academic links andencouraging young talent into thebusiness. She is currently acting as agraduate mentor for an EdinburghU niversity placement student andMairead is actively helping to promoteengineering as a profession to schoolleavers and undergraduates.

Page 11 young engineer.qxp:Layout 1 7/10/10 15:27 Page 11

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Page 12 Element 14.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 16:51 Page 12

Engineers are the people thatmake things happen.Sometimes it’s all about refining

someone else’s ideas but, occasionally,an engineer will take their own ideafrom concept to market. And, in thelatter instance, that may well involvestarting their own company.

Entrants for this award categoryhad to be nominated by anotherperson, who needed to demonstratethe nominee’s ability to produceinnovative designs within strictcommercial limits as well as developingtransferable technology. The Judgeswere also looking for engineers whohave made a wider contribution toengineering in the broader community.

Engineers need to be able to designa product that meets expectations andwhich comes in on time and,preferably, under budget. But there’sanother element which isn’t alwaysconsidered – and that’s meeting aglobal need. In Andrew Burrows’ case,it’s saving water – an increasinglyprecious resource.

Despite being collected, filtered andchlorinated, then being distributed viahigh pressure mains, 25% of water islost before it reaches the consumer.Water leakage can be reduced bylimiting pressure in the distributionsystem but, until recently, no effectivetechnologies existed to do this. AndrewBurrows has designed an intelligentvalve, controlled by a central server.This learns the behaviour of thenetwork and constantly adjusts the

pressure to the optimum. The systemalso reduces leakage by reducingpressure to the optimum to satisfydemand.

The sensors and valves are locatedunderground with no external powerand must communicate and operatefor five years without service. Theymust make many adjustments a day tothe mains pressure and work with aninfrastructure with an average age of50 years. Andrew Burrows has beencompletely responsible for thesystem’s design, which involvedmechanical, electronic, electrical andsoftware engineering.

The system, now in service, reduceswater leakage by more than 20%. F iftysystems installed in Malaysia duringJuly 2010 are each saving 250 tonnesof water per day. In a furtherdevelopment, the system is beingupgraded to address pump pressure incomplete networks; a move consideredsignificant, as distributing water in theU S is believed to consume 10% of all

What the judges said:

“This is an elegant solution to an

urgent worldwide problem arrived at

by thorough process and methodology”

“A great idea making a real impact

on a global problem … this is a

great example of creative problem

solving.”


D esig n E ng ineer of th e Y ea rA nd r ew Bu r r ow s

i20 W a ter

S p onsor ed b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 1 3

electricity generated.Andrew Burrows has jointly filed a

patent for a valve whose innovativehydraulic feature enables it to beactuated 4 00 times per day for fiveyears using only tiny amounts ofenergy.

Contributing to the industry, AndrewBurrows finds time to mentor otherengineers through non executivedirectorships at other companies.

Engineer doesn’t go with the flow

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There are many factors which helpto identify what is a goodconsultancy. To start with,

there’s the range of technologieswhich the company handles and otherconsiderations include the number ofstaff and, crucially, the degree ofinnovation applied. And, of course, thebest consultancies will help theirclients get leading edge products tomarket in a timely fashion.

Bearing in mind the U K’s strongconsultancy sector, this category willalways be hotly contested and the2010 entries reaffirmed this belief.

Three companies reached theshortlist – two serving the automotivemarket, with the other primarilyfocused on electronics design.Because of this, the Judges neededsome time to compare and contrasteach company’s strong points.

Standing out, however, was DriveSystem Design, which impressed theJudges with its innovative work forautomotive manufacturers.

F ormed only in 2007 , the companyspecialises in delivering cost effectiveprojects against extreme timeconstraints and providing access toinnovative technologies and solutions.

By 2010, Drive System Design hassecured contracts with Aston MartinL agonda, Audi and H yundai, amongstothers. Now, it is looking to expand itswork to address the military, renewableenergy, rail and aerospace markets.

Drive System Design has alsobecome an authority in hybrid andelectrical vehicle transmissions: aposition it says it has attained bychallenging conventional thinking. Itbelieves this should be the way anygreat consultancy operates.


“DSD is an example of solid

expertise well sold that has

achieved traction in a highly

competitive market very quickly.”

“Just looking at the names DSD is

involved with tells you that this is

a very serious, very innovative

business.”


Consu lta nc y of th e Y ea rD r i v e S y stem D esig n

S p onsor ed b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 1 5

DSD invests in its own intellectualproperty and runs internal researchprojects. During 2009 , it won partialfunding for a Technology StrategyBoard project into an U ltra CostEfficient H ybrid P owertrain. Thisproject has enabled DSD to conductresearch into automated manualtransmission with hybrid function.

In 2010, the company hasexpanded to 12 full time employeesand moved to new premises whileexceeding its budget plan for the year.

Consultancy movesthrough the gears

Page 15 Consultancy.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:25 Page 15

www.digikey.co.uk0.800.587.0991 • 0.800.904.7786

*A shipping charge of £12.00 will be billed on all orders of less than £50.00. All orders are shipped via UPS for delivery within 1-3 days (dependent on final destination). No handling fees. All prices are in British pound sterling and include duties. If excessive weight or unique circumstances require deviation from this charge, customers will be contacted prior to shipping order. Digi-Key is an authorized distributor for all supplier partners. New product added daily. © 2010 Digi-Key Corporation, 701 Brooks Ave. South, Thief River Falls, MN 56701, USA

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Page 16 Digikey Ad.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 18:14 Page 16

One of the problems whichpeople face when determiningthe extent of the electronics

market is that fact that it is apervasive technology; it might not beimmediately visible, but it enables thefeatures of the product in which it isincorporated.

F or this reason, the importance ofelectronics to the U K’s economy isoften underestimated. Y et the U K’selectronics sector is worth £ 23billiona year – fifth largest in the world –and employs 250,000 people directlyand indirectly.

But a more interesting fact is thatthe U K is home to more than 30% ofEurope’s fabless and ic design houses.That points to the U K being a highlyeffective design resource for theworld.

This was another tough categoryfor the Judges and debate continuedfor some time. This was no surprise,with the shortlisted products rangingfrom a device providing high speedrural broadband access to a range ofsensors providing precision anglemeasurement.

In differentiating the entries, theJudges looked at the technology usedand the speed with which the designhad been brought to market. They alsoconsidered how the companyassessed the need for such a product.

Atmel developed maXTouchtechnology to provide the opportunityfor manufacturers of mobile phonesand other consumer electronics

products to design multitouch userinterfaces into their offerings. The aimwas to create a competitively pricedsolution which provided the req uiredperformance.

In designing the device,specialised capacitive sensingcircuitry was developed, reducingexternal component count.Meanwhile, an on chip microcontrollerdrives the interface functionality. Ahigh signal to noise ratio and rapidsignal acq uisition allows the device toconsume less power and extendbattery operating life. The designallows the device to spend most of itstime drawing only stand by current

With 224 nodes, the mXT224 canalso support stretch, pinch and rotategestures, along with handwritingrecognition.

Since maXTouch Mxt224 wasintroduced in September 2009 , it hasbeen designed into mostsmartphones, including Samsung’sG alaxy S and Motorola’s Droid-X.Interest in the interface is nowgrowing in other market segments.


“The product’s success with a range

of highly credible companies is

testimony to the quality of the

design.”

“The product’s high signal to noise

ratio is impressive and has given it

a clear advantage over competitors.

It’s one of the key factors that has

allowed it to become the market leader

within a year of being released and

makes it a classic example of good

engineering facilitating business

success.”


N ew E lec tr onic P r od u c t of th e Y ea r A tm el

m a X T ou c h m X T 224

S p onsor ed b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 1 7

Success at yourfingertips

Page 17 Electronic product.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 18:45 Page 17

W22 Three-Phase Electric Motor.

Designed for today. Protecting tomorrow.

With electric motors accounting for around 40% of global energy consumption, the world

is demanding a truly efficient globally recognised industrial motor. The new W22 motor

range meets all global efficiency standards including the European IE 1, 2 and 3, North

American NEMA Premium and Australian MEPS. The W22 has been designed, using

state-of-the-art engineering, with efficiency at the forefront – from the design of the

frame to maximise heat dissipation, ease handling and assist maintenance,

to the multi-position diagonal cut terminal box for better cabling access.

The WEG W22 is what the industrial world needs today, to help sustain its future – tomorrow. Visit www.weg22ways.net to find out more.

Motors | Automation | Energy | Transmission & Distribution | Coatings

Contact us for a FREE copy of our 22 Ways to Improve Motor Productivity and Prolong Lifespan booklet

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Page 18 WEG Ad.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:26 Page 18

Mechanical products are, ingeneral, considered to bepart of an industrial system.

Most times they are, but engineeredproducts often have otherapplications.

With shortlisted entries rangingfrom a high tech vacuum pump to aheat resistant metal coating, theJudges had a hard task in picking thewinner.

An important aspect for theJudges was to look at the technologyused and the speed with which thedesign had been brought to market.Evidence of how the product wasreceived and its performance in ‘thereal world’ was also taken in toconsideration.

After weighing the variousfactors, the Judges selected JRI’sV aios shoulder system, intendedfor use in shoulder replacementsurgery. While similar productsare available, JRI believes itsoffering to be the only modularsystem.

The system was developedfollowing a review of availableshoulder replacement technologies.This highlighted an opportunity todevelop a product throughcollaboration with a university and ahospital. U sing these clinical inputs,JRI used its manufacturing, designand commercialisation expertise tocreate V aios, which is expected tohave a four year payback.

With failure rates in shoulder

surgery in excess of 20%, JRI believesits solution addresses problematicclinical issues. The design has beenoptimised through collection andanalysis of patient data, finiteelement contact stress analysis andthrough a thorough test programme.

The V aios system brings a 60%reduction in component parts and asimilar reduction in the level ofinstrumentation.

The objective was to producea market entry product with

substantial novel features thatovercame clinical problems. Theseobjectives have been exceeded,according to JRI. Not only has itovercome the clinical problems but,through increased modularity, it hasreduced the inventory of bothimplants and instruments.

In addition to the improvedproduct features and modularity, JRIbelieves this product demonstratesthe best of cutting edge Britishdesign and manufacture.

Modular system boostssurgery success rates


N ew M ec h a nic a l P r od u c t of th e Y ea rJ R I

S p onsor ed b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 1 9


“JRI’s Vaios Shoulder System has

captured a strong position in a

really important and competitive

market by virtue of clever design.”

“It addresses the key obstacles to

successful shoulder surgery and

overcomes them whilst also making

the job of the surgical team easier.”

Page 19 Mech Product.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:05 Page 19

Learn what LabVIEW is and what’s new at ni.com/labview

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Follow us on Search niukie

>> Find out what else LabVIEW can do at ni.com/imagine/robotics

©2010 National Instruments. All rights reserved. CompactRIO, LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 2009-0016

NI LabVIEWLimited Only by Your Imagination

PRODUCT PLATFORM

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NI CompactRIO embedded

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engineers develop fully autonomous

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Grand Challenge events.

RF

Medical

Robotics

Multicore

FPGA-based embedded hardware for drive-by-wire systems

Drivers for hundreds of sensors

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Multicore algorithms for real-time navigationand control

Image processing and acquisition libraries

Standard communication including JAUS

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01635 517300ni.com/uk

[email protected]

Page 20 nat Inst Ad.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:03 Page 20

The G reen Design of the Y ear Awardwas judged on the application ofappropriate technology to the

design of the entered product. TheJudges looked for evidence of theproduct’s ‘green’ credentials, includingthe ability to be recycled, use ofappropriate materials, and considerationof the product’s carbon footprint.

Combustion processes result in theproduction of greenhouse gases,considered to be a major contributor toglobal warming. But there are othereffects, including the creation of acidrain and poor air q uality through smog.

There is also an economic side to theproblem. Inefficient combustion meansthe full benefit of the fuel burned is notreceived and unburnt fuel is dischargedinto the environment.

While nitrogen oxides, referred toas NOx, can cause smog, they alsoreact with sunlight to form oz one,which is believed to be a lung irritant.Reducing the production of thermalNOx – caused by a high flametemperature – has been one of themain targets for Dunphy Combustion’sT-series burners.

These ultra low NOx burners, inproduction for more than three years,have enabled the company to increaseits market penetration in countrieswith strict low emission standards.

Apart from reducing NOxemissions, the burners also reduceelectrical energy consumption of up to65%, eliminate the need for flue gasrecirculation and duct work, andreduce noise pollution.


“An apparently obvious improvement

with a really broad impact that

optimises the efficiency of existing

technology.”

“Being green isn’t just about

finding new technologies, it’s about

making the technologies we’ve got as

efficient as possible – and that’s

what this product does.”

Solution helps users tomeet burning ambitions


G r een P r od u c t of th e Y ea rD u np h y Com b u stion

14 O c tob er 20 10 2 1

Dunphy’s solution was to design anddevelop technology which would reduceNOx levels to, at least, Europeancompliance standards without the needto install expensive and noisy flue gasrecirculation systems. An electronicfuel:air ratio system enables fuel to becontrolled separately. Different mixingnoz z les are used when burning fuel oilsso the ratio between the secondary andprimary air streams can be changed atdifferent firing rates within the burner.This enables the flame temperature tobe reduced by nearly 300° C, reducingNOx levels to the order of 65mg/ m3,corrected to 3% O2.

S p onsor ed b y

Page 21 Green.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:02 Page 21

few microns and with an alignmentaccuracy of 0.001° . Any contactbetween the cmos chips or anyresidual air bubbles in the adhesive,would mean writing off the entire subassembly at high cost.

Although four suppliers dominatethe market, Dexela has a first tomarket approach. Its small, fastmoving development team and strongdevelopment partnerships, haveallowed it to prototype and supply anew generation of large area cmosxray detectors ahead of itscompetitors. In June 2010, Dexela’s29 23 detector has the largest field ofview of any CMOS detector currentlyon the market. A responsive approachto market req uirements and to thereq uirements of individual customershas meant that Dexela has developednew detector models, all employing acommon modular technologyplatform, in a matter of months.


“Dexela has exploited cutting edge

technology to create a a product that

works and has proved its worth

across the world.”


J u d g es’ S p ec ia l A w a r dD ex ela

S u p p or ted b y

14 O c tob er 20 10 2 3

This Special Award was availablefor the Judges to make, at theirdiscretion, to an entrant for any

of the Award categories. The Judges wanted to recognise a

company that epitomised the BritishEngineering Excellence Awards bybeing recognised globally as being aworld leader in its chosen field.

A number of finalists for the BritishEngineering Excellence Awards wereconsidered by the Judges, but Dexelawas selected as the winner, havingmade a strong showing in a number ofcategories.

The company was formed in 2005to commercialise tomosynthesis forbreast cancer screening and other lowdose medical xray imagingapplications. Since then, it has built aportfolio of intellectual property and isnow a leading company incomputational techniq ues for imagereconstruction.

L ast year, Dexela launched a rangeof flat panel xray detectors based onan innovative cmos sensortechnology. The detectors combine alarge active area with high resolution,high speed and high sensitivity. Aspart of this project, Dexela developed abonding process in which multiplesensors could be combined into asingle unit. Each cmos sensor isbuttable on three sides. The buttinggap between active pixels is 7 5µ m –eq uivalent to a bad row or column.

Dexela’s challenge was to align thesensors with a positional accuracy of a

Innovative xray detectorimproves your image

Page 23 Judges award.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 17:01 Page 23


J u d g es’ P r of iles

14 O c tob er 20 102 4

David K ynaston, C hairmanP reviously chair of theElectronics Innovation G rowthTeam, David was president ofSolectron from 19 9 6 to 2001.P revious roles have includedmanaging director of P hilipsP rivate Mobile Radio Division,P hilips BusinessCommunications SystemsDivision and P hilips Mullard.

C olin BrownColin has spent 25 years inengineering, working for Rolls-Royce, BP and T& N in a range ofroles. H e joined the Institution ofMechanical Engineers in 2005to support its work in promotingthe value of engineering.

Mark SandersMark Sanders trained as amechanical engineer and as adesigner at the Royal College ofArt. Mark has combined theseprofessions for 25 years as anengineer, inventor and designconsultant.

G raham P itcherAn engineer by training, G rahamis an expert journalist who hascovered the electronics industryfor 30 years.

K ate BellinghamF ormer presenter of Tomorrow’sWorld and holder of an MSc inelectronics, Kate is a championof science and engineeringeducation in schools.

Doug C rossTechnical director and co-founderof F lybrid Systems, Dougpreviously worked for RenaultF ormula One, where he wasresponsible for the design of a19 ,000rpm 2.4 L V 8 engine.During this time, the teamachieved back to back victories inthe drivers’ and constructors’F ormula One championships.

P aul F anning P aul has been a trade andtechnical journalist for morethan 15 years. Since starting hiscareer with Machinery &P roduction Engineering, he hasgone on to edit a number ofindustrial titles. H e took over aseditor of Eureka in January2010.

A ndrew SleighP reviously group technologyofficer for Q inetiq , Andrew is nowdirector of P inoak InnovationConsulting and an adjunctprofessor at Imperial CollegeBusiness School. H is experiencespans senior leadership positions,technological innovation andstrategic transformation in theprivate and public sectors.

Eric W ilkinsonA director of CambridgeConsultants and head of productdevelopment, Eric has managedprojects as diverse as antiterrorism radar, a cosmeticsapplicator and something toliven up a can of beer! This hasgiven Eric the insight necessaryto manage some of hiscompany’s largest projects.

Nick A ppleyardOriginally lead technologist forelectronics, photonics andelectrical systems, Nick is nowresponsible for the TechnologyStrategy Board’s strategies andprogrammes relating to digitalservices and the internet.

Page 24 & IBC.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 16:57 Page 24

Y ou ng D esig ner of th e Y ea rJ oh n S m ith

A noth er elec tr onic s c om p a nyA noth er R oa d E ng la nd

S p onsor s

C ambridge C onsultants

F or 50 years, CambridgeConsultants has led the way ininnovative product development. Itis the partner of choice for leadingblue chips, as well as the virtualdevelopment team for ambitiousstart ups. It developsbreakthrough products, createsand licenses IP and providesbusiness consultancy intechnology critical issues forclients worldwide.

w w w . c a m b r id g ec onsu lta nts.c om

Digi-K ey

One of the world’s fastest growingdistributors of electroniccomponents, Digi– Key has earnedits reputation through its totalcommitment to service andperformance. Digi– Key is a full-service providerof both prototype/ design andproduction q uantities of electroniccomponents, offering more than1.7 million products from more than4 4 0 q uality name brandmanufacturers.

w w w . d ig ik ey .c om

Electronics L eadershipC ouncil

F ormed in October 2005 inresponse to the firstrecommendation of the ElectronicInnovation and G rowth Team’sreport of December 2004 , the EL Cwill take forward the keyrecommendations from the reportand provide a strategic view of itsoverall implementation. The Councilwill provide focused and high profileleadership for the sector.

w w w .elec tr onic slea d er sh ip c ou nc il.or g . u k

Technology Strategy Board

The Technology Strategy Boardworks with business to stimulateinnovation and create futuregrowth for the U K.Its vision is for the U K to be a globalleader in innovation and a magnetfor innovative businesses, wheretechnology is applied rapidly,effectively and sustainably to createwealth and enhance q uality of life.Between 2008 and 2011 TSB isinvesting around £ 1bn inprogrammes which focus on keychallenges and mobilise businessto find innovative solutions.

w w w . innov a teu k .or g

W EG Electric Motors

With global sales exceeding$ 3billion, WEG is a premier supplierof power supply, distribution,transmission and turnkeyautomation systems. Best knownfor electric motors, WEG is also asystems supplier, providing turnkeysolutions including motors, inverterdrives, transformers, generators,high and low voltage switchgear,soft starters and systems software. WEG has more than 4 00 productlines, offering high levels oftechnology, efficiency andprotection.

w w w . w eg .net

National Instruments

National Instruments transformsthe way in which engineers andscientists design, prototype anddeploy systems for test, control andembedded design applications.U sing NI L abV IEW graphicalprogramming software and modularmeasurement and controlhardware, customers increaseproductivity and reduce time tomarket. NI customers continuously developinnovative technologies that impactmillions of people’s lives.

w w w .ni.c om / u k

F indlay Media

F ounder of the British EngineeringExcellence Awards, F indlay Media iscommitted to U K engineering.Owning the most comprehensiverange of manufacturing andengineering publications, websitesand data in the U K – including NewElectronics and Eureka – F indlayMedia enables suppliers,associations and G overnment tocommunicate with the engineeringcommunity.

w w w . f ind la y .c o. u k

Element 1 4

An innovative information portal andeCommunity built specifically forelectronic design engineers,element 14 provides product data,design tools and technologyinformation whilst incorporatingweb 2.0 functionality. The sitefacilitates communication,interaction, collaboration andinformation sharing betweencolleagues from around the world.U sers can consult with experts,discover trends and post blogs,articles and comments.

w w w .elem ent-14.c om

P rototype P rojects

P rototype P rojects works withgreat companies every day of theyear as part of its work and isproud to sponsor the BritishEngineering Excellence Awardsbecause they allow the U K’sDesign, R& D and Manufacturingcompanies to come together andcelebrate the very best ofengineering.

w w w . p r ototy p ep r ojec ts.c om

R ockwell A utomation

Rockwell Automation strives todevelop automation solutions thatprovide real value: be it inplantwide optimisation, machinebuilder performance orsustainable production. Its focuson innovative products andservices is a constant driver. Rockwell Automation is part of aglobal organisation with a turnoverof $ 4 .4 billion. The U K operationhas more than 100 professionalaccount managers, applicationengineers and technicalspecialists.

w w w . r oc k w ell.c om

R S C omponents

RS Components is the world' slargest distributor of electronicsand maintenance products, witharound 500,000 products sourcedfrom more than 2500 suppliers. RS brings its customers the latesttechnologies at competitive prices.Innovative ecommerce solutionsenable its customers to manage allaspects of their relationship with RSonline. RS understands thatengineers need new productsq uickly and is continually investingin making the product selectionjourney simple and easy to use.

r sw w w .c om

Page 24 & IBC.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/10 16:57 Page 25

F indlay MediaH awley Mill, H awley Road, Dartford, Kent DA2 7 TJ

T: 01322 22114 4 F : 01322 22118 8 www.findlay.co.uk

In association with:

Headline sponsors:

S ponsors:

S u pporters of :

S u pported b y :

O rg anised b y :

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