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Title
An ASIC for an Inductive Probe Coating Thickness Gauge |
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Technologies used
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Industrial sector (PRODCOM code)
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Abstract
Elcometer Instruments Ltd is a manufacturer of instruments for the quality control testing of industrial coatings, they have been in business for over 50 years. The main product range developed, manufactured and marketed is: Hand held coating thickness gauges, Porosity detectors, Adhesion testers and Wet Film Gauges. Annual sales for instruments exceed 3 M€. The company employs 110 personnel, of these 12 are qualified Electronics/Software Engineers, with experience in the design of analogue circuits, microprocessor systems and PCB's. The industrial Sector is 3320: Instruments for Measurement in the NACE classification used throughout the EU. The primary product designed and manufactured by the company, is a range of Electronic Thickness gauges that measure coatings on metallic substrates. These are used by many industries including Automotive, Construction, Aeronautical, Anodising and Plating, and in General Engineering. They are hand-held, battery operated and designed to minimise current consumption. The existing product is an inductive probe that measures ferrous and non-ferrous coating thickness. The incoming analogue signal from a probe is converted to a digital value, input to a microcontroller which provides an operator interface, printer control and the displayed result. The main object of the AE was to replace the discrete components used for the analogue signal conditioning with an ASIC, reduce the manufacturing costs by 4% and increase business by 10%. Sales of the new product are anticipated to be a maximum of 2000 units p.a which is to be a semi-custom analogue array ASIC. The development is to be used in a series of instruments replacing the front-end probe, which currently uses operational amplifiers and discrete transistors. The semi-custom analogue array technology was chosen for the low NRE charges and relatively low component cost. The project started in March 1997 took 18 months and cost 87KEur. The payback period is estimated at less than 3 years with an ROI of 12% at year one of the introduction, rising to 46% from year 2 onwards, resulting in 500% after the 6 years of the product life. The result has achieved the reduction in manufacturing cost of 4% and the increase business is anticipated. A circuit size reduction, increased reliability and consistency of build together with performance improvements have all been achieved. Important lessons have been learned in that Semi-custom analogue ASICs can be utilised when volumes are low. You must plan for contingencies, ensuring staff and subcontractors commitment. Sources of training should be chosen carefully and resources planned and managed. IPR issues need to be resolved at the start of the project. |
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Company
Elcometer Instruments Ltd |
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Detailed information
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| You can also benefit from microelectronics
ASIC technology provided Elcometer Instruments Ltd with the means of improving its products and enhancing its market position. You can also achieve significant benefits by acquiring the right microelectronics technology and utilising it in your product or manufacturing process. You can get help from FUSE to realise this. FUSE is a technology transfer programme, funded by the European Commission to stimulate the wider use of microelectronics technologies by European enterprises to increase their competitiveness and enhance their economic growth. The demonstrator described here is one of many examples in the public FUSE portfolio covering the whole spectrum of microelectronics technologies and spanning a wide range of applications and industry sectors. FUSE provides you with:
Further information and support relating to this and other demonstrators can be obtained from the addresses below. |
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