Last week, AYVA’s Jason Peng visited the University of the Fraser Valley’s (UFV) Automation and Robotics Lab where he had the opportunity to see two of KUKA’s KR6 Robots in action.

The pair of KR6 robots await orders from a remote computer with a programmed script of their operation.

UFV’s robotics instructor Avner Bachar awakens one of the robots to showcase what his students have programmed. In a matter of seconds the robot boots up and begins motioning, the actuators can be heard working the 6-degrees of freedom, and the sound of pneumatic hisses activating the vacuum gripper that Avner and his team cleverly devised using a 3D printed adapter. The robot then begins its job of picking and placing cups on a bottling station where it puts an empty cup onto a conveyor, waits for the cup to be filled, empties it into a reservoir tank and stacks it.

Avner notes that graduates have gone on to work in industry, anywhere from brewing companies to PLC control for egg-sorting in local farms.

Who knew robots could have such a delicate touch.

After a tour of the Trade Fair Didacta in Stuttgart, AYVA’s President, Dianne Beveridge, headed to Bosch Rexroth’s training facility, along with representatives from more than 20 countries.  The focus was on Bosch’s new i4.0 Mechatronics System with Open Core Engineering and an Active Cockpit to better support the Internet of Things (IOT) – all of which can be found in their factories around the world.  There was also considerable excitement around the APAS, Bosch’s new collaborative robot which has been winning numerous awards and accolades.

Emerging countries like India and Mexico, as well as Thailand and England, shared stories of Government, Industry and Academia coming together to create Centres of Excellence to better prepare students for highly skilled careers in Industry 4.0.  Unfortunately, Canada appears to be lagging behind with respect to such initiatives.  But just last month a Canadian delegation went to Gujaret in India to visit Smart Cities and institutions who are focusing on Industry 4.0 and IOT.

We at AYVA look forward to identifying and partnering with Colleges and Universities in Canada who would like to take the lead on this front.

Nestled right in the middle of the UK, a 30-minute drive southwest of Nottingham, TecQuipment operates their facilities on a quaint little street no more than 200m long. Unbeknownst to my cab driver, this facility is directly responsible in aiding the education of thousands of engineers around the world. Jon Chicken, Director of Sales and Marketing, greets me and provides a tour of their impressive facility. All of their manufacturing is done in-house, in that very facility, with strict quality control. Inspections and testing happens several times throughout the manufacturing process of any individual product. Attention to detail is a priority, and the dedication to this craftsmanship is expressed on Jon’s face as he walks me through every process.

AYVA is the proud distributor of TecQuipment in Canada. Just one glance at TecQuipment’s shipping warehouse and it is clear that they are trusted by institutions around the world. Crates were being prepared and labeled for South Africa, Hong Kong, India, the US and many other countries on just that day alone. I was also fortunate enough to be trained on their most popular systems by Dave Gidding, TecQuipment’s well-travelled Installation and Training Manager. Together, both Jon and Dave reinforced and strengthened my confidence in their line of engineering educational equipment. We hope to pass that message on to you. Have a look through TecQuipment’s catalogue and let us know what interests you.

Thank you Jon, Dave, and the rest of the team at TecQuipment for your hospitality.

We at AYVA Educational want to thank our good friend from Pignat SAS, Regis Rodriguez, for helping to support our customers at Durham College and McMaster University – and for educating us on french vineyards!

Kuka’s KR 3 AGILUS is ideal for use in 600 x 600 mm automation cells since it enables automation in confined spaces and reaches maximum performance in minimum space.

Thanks to its intelligent design, the KR 3 AGILUS is cost-effective, requires minimal maintenance and is highly reliable. The KR 3 AGILUS is optimized for the production of the smallest components and products. For example, for applications such as the assembly of small parts, Pick & Place, screw fastening, brazing, adhesive bonding, packaging, testing & checking and much more.

Wherever minimum cycle times and maximum output in production are needed, the KR 3 AGILUS – one of the fastest robots in its class – is ideally suited for the task.

Thompson Rivers University’s (TRU) Instrumentation students now have access to a brand new process controls lab, fully outfitted with 12 PIGNAT CEB/2000 units.

The multi-process control trainers were installed and commissioned earlier this year by PIGNAT engineer Regis Rodriguez.

The equipment will move to the brand new Industrial Training and Technology Center once it is completed in 2018.

The CEB/2000 unit was custom-designed for the needs of TRU’s Max Tinsley and is now available as a standard model from PIGNAT.

TRU’s Instrumentation and Control Technician Apprenticeship Faculty Member Max Tinsley

New trades apprenticeship cuts BC wait time

Every year, thousands of visitors internationally come together in London UK to attend BETT, the world’s leading educational technology and training tradeshow.

This year AYVA Educational’s Western Regional Sales Manager Jason Peng was lucky enough to attend on behalf of AYVA to experience the latest technologies being employed by teachers globally.

“It was an eye-opening opportunity to see how quickly these technologies are evolving to meet the needs of teachers and students. I am coming home with many new ideas, tidbits of knowledge, and questions about how we can improve our message and products to you—educators in Canada—and I am extremely excited to share what I’ve learned.”

Jason also joined PASCO’s Partner event for hands-on training on new products including the Wireless CO2 Sensor (available summer 2017), Smart Cart Accessories, Modular Circuits Kit, and a newly designed Thermal Expansion System.

We can say for certain that there are some cool things on the horizon. It was an absolute pleasure meeting some of our UK and European partners, and always a great time hanging out with the team at PASCO.

Ask Jason about his experience at BETT and let us know what new technologies you’re interested in!

Last month, Jason Peng from AYVA Educational visited Keyano College’s new Power Engineering Lab in Fort McMurray. The 4th Class Power Engineering Certification lab is designed for students who have completed 4th Class Part A & B theory courses from a recognized post-secondary institution, but do not have the six months steam time experience required to become certified as a 4th Class Power Engineer by ABSA.

Pictured above is the interior of the new power engineering lab.

Burnt Woodlands covered in snow in Fort McMurray.

(Originally Published in the Bosch Rexroth Canada Newsletter)

Technology is changing at a rapid rate and institutions of higher learning must keep pace to remain relevant in this changing industry. Mohawk College in Hamilton, ON has risen to this challenge by partnering with Bosch Rexroth Canada to keep up to date with technological changes in the manufacturing industry.

The relationship between Mohawk and Rexroth began in the mid 80’s, when the Fluid Power Program was developed with the aid of training systems and curriculum from Rexroth. This original training hardware has served over 6,000 students at the college over the past 30 years. Recently, Mohawk College recognized that it was time for a technology update and reached out to Bosch Rexroth Canada to supply new hydraulic and pneumatic training systems.  This will ensure that the students at Mohawk College learn on equipment from the leading edge technology supplier in the industry.

These new systems will facilitate training on manual, electrical, and PLC control of hydraulic and pneumatic systems. The hydraulic training systems will also accommodate open and closed loop proportional position control and are expandable to additional technologies to facilitate future program growth. All of these changes are in anticipation of the fourth industrial revolution which will create a gap in the industry. Bosch Rexroth, an industry leader, has partnered with Mohawk College to ensure that they are adequately prepared to help fill the gap that will be created.

AYVA is proud to partner with this best-in-class manufacturer to provide industry-grade training systems to Canadian Colleges and Universities.  Our President, Dianne Beveridge, will be traveling to Stuttgart, Germany next week to visit Bosch Rexroth’s Drive and Control Academy and to attend the Trade Fair Didacta.  Stay tuned for updates on her visit!

Pictured above are the Bosch Training Stands at Mohawk College.

TecQuipment just announced the release of three new products for Material Hardness Testing, to demonstrate three of the key measuring techniques – Vickers, Brinell and Rockwell.

The products will be complemented with a wide range of specimens and reference blocks, for detailed and accurate experimentation.

Customers can now choose from the Rockwell Hardness tester (SM1015), the Vickers Hardness Tester (SM1016), or the Universal Hardness Tester (SM1017) which allows for measurements of Vickers, Rockwell and Brinell hardness.

The new testers are an exciting addition to the existing materials testing range of TQ, which includes popular items such as the Beam Testing Apparatus (SM1004), the Torsion Testing Machine (SM1001) or the Rotating Fatigue Machine (SM1090).

AYVA Educational was very excited to be invited to National Instruments NIWEEK 2016, an annual conference held in Austin TX for alliance partners, educators, professionals and customers alike. Jason Peng attended as a representative for AYVA to explore NI’s solutions for education. It was an eventful week with new introductions to NI’s core educational products including brand new modules for NI Elvis that expand functionality from power electronics to mechatronics. We were also very lucky to witness the unveiling of Multisim Live—the cloud-based version of Multisim—a software program that instructors and students in electrical engineering should be familiar with for simulated circuitry.

In addition, NIWEEK 2016 provided an invaluable opportunity to learn about NI’s core educational solutions through interactive sessions, examples of academic success, and keynote speeches that provoked new visions for the future of 5G Connectivity and the Internet of Things. NIWEEK 2016 presented a great chance to network and meet members of the National Instruments team including academic partner managers, developers and engineers. AYVA also had the pleasure of speaking with several alliance partners during NI’s Academic Forum, a full day dedicated to the activity happening within their educational landscape. In particular, the NI Elvis platform seems to be a tremendous fit for Canadian Colleges, with expansion boards and modules specifically designed for learning electrical circuits, power electronics, controls and mechatronics. The NI Elvis is supported by an entire ecosystem of attachment boards, extensive curriculum, and integration with Multisim.

Overall, it was a very eventful and fun time in Austin, not only at NIWEEK 2016, but all of what Austin has to offer in summer, with temperatures reaching a scorching 44°C with humidex! Jason had a chance to visit the SoCo (South Congress) district known for its eclectic collection of restaurants and shops, and a chance to watch 1.5 million bats fly beneath his feet (atop the Congress Bridge) as they fly at dusk to feed.

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