Technical Strength

INVETECH Pty Ltd was contracted for the project development work. INVETECH is a member of the world wide VISION SYSTEMS GROUP. INVETECH is a highly appropriate partner in a project of this nature, being able to provide an experienced project team of engineers and scientists , with a proven track record in delivering high quality output in challenging timeframes. INVETECH combines engineering and design capabilities with commercial thinking, generating a long record of successful new ideas delivered to the market.

Click here to vist INVETCH's website.

Key aspects of INVETECH's offerings are:

• The ability to provide an in-house team with broad experience in:
  • Project management
  • Electronics engineering
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Materials technology
  • Industrial design
  • CAD engineering
  • Prototype manufacture
    
• Provision of a team that has worked together on a wide range of projects and is used to understanding the client's requirements and the needs of external suppliers, manufacturers, toolmakers and moulders.
  
• A team that understands the marketing objectives, and can apply innovative thinking and processes to identifying and implementing effective solutions.
  
• In-house facilities for rapid prototyping with fully equipped engineering workshops and model shop, and a direct-to-tool CAD-CAM facility allowing Unigraphics based CAD designs to be rapidly transformed into prototype ready mechanical parts.
  
• A team experienced in designing to meet the requirements of a variety of international safety standards and that understands the process of design verification and validation

PHASE 1:

The preliminary investigation, called Phase 1, uncovered a broad range of product requirements ... from EMC / electrical compliance standards and from Australian workplace health and safety standards.

These requirements posed significant technical challenges including:

• The proposed Electronic Article Surveillance system used for the proximity detector might not meet the response time requirements imposed by the wood-chipper feed velocity and the machinery safety standard. (AS4024)
• The level of reliability and safe operation under single point failure modes might not be achievable with the identified commercial detector.
• The safety system might not operate correctly in the presence of electromagnetic interference as required by the Australian EMC immunity standards.

PHASE 2:

Phase 2 of the development program addressed all the known technical risks. A concept prototype was built and tested against the applicable regulatory standards. The design was modified as required to meet these standards.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECT OBJECTIVES: 

To develop a next generation "proof of concept" prototype that will provide a platform to address the technical and regulatory risks associated with developing the WOOD-CHIPPER SAFETY DEVICE for both local and international markets.

At the conclusion of Phase 2:

• All high-risk technical items in the Risk Management Plan should have been mitigated.
• The regulatory risk items will have been addressed and the concept modified to suit.

Key activities:

• Continue concept development , including idea generation sessions. Consolidate the output into the final product concept and system architecture, to address the standards compliance issues . Several concept sketches and an architectural design document will be provided.
  
• Detailed reviews of the concept against the product requirements & regulatory standards . Each clause of the Product Requirements Definition (PRD) will be reviewed and conformance critically assessed. Expert third party review of the device concept will be sought and relevant input incorporated into the design.
  
• Engineering Requirements Document (ERD) that details the physical design requirements of the proposed concept. At this point, details of the physical embodiment are established. A Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) will be performed to anticipate safety-related flaws in the design.
  
• Commence detailed design of key sub-systems required for the proof of concept test rigs. Any long lead-time subassembly designs may also commence. This will typically include moulded plastic parts requiring tooling or other externally manufactured assemblies.
  
• Source commercial-off-the-shelf subassemblies as required. Use of such parts will be maximised in the prototype design phase in order to minimise development time. Identify reliable OEM partner(s) for supply of the proximity detection equipment.
  
• Construct "proof of principle" prototypes to assess the performance of the device under several foreseeable modes of operation. Quantitatively assess the responsiveness (speed), repeatability and robustness of the device. The results of these tests will be assessed according to the safety standards requirements for device performance.
  
• Use the concept prototype rigs to test the device against required Electro-Magnetic Compliance (EMC) Standards . NATA certified EMC test facilities will be used for this process.
  
• Review gates , product cost tracking and risk management activities will be maintained throughout this program of work.
  
• INDSAFE is expected to participate in all stages of the assignment. Efficient access to Indsafe personnel is critical to the successful operation of this project.

Deliverable items: To be delivered to INDSAFE Pty Ltd.

• Updated Product Requirements Document (PRD)
• Updated Risk management Plan (RMP)
• Updated Bill of Materials and Cost of Goods estimate (COG)
• Initial release of Architectural Design Document (ADD)
• Initial release of Engineering Requirements Document (ERD)
• Product concept sketches and notes
• Proof of concept test rig(s)
• EMC test reports as supplied by third party labs
• Safety test reports as supplied by third party consultants.

PHASES 1 & 2 HAVE BEEN COMPLETED

INVETECH's standard Terms of Business provided that any IP generated was assigned to INDSAFE as INVETECH's client, on project completion.

PHASE 3: This phase will proceed when a suitable “route to market” partner is found.

PHASE 3 OBJECTIVES:

A production data pack for the manufacture of a wood-chipper safety device. The device will be designed to standards sufficient to gain relevant regulatory and safety approvals for use in Australia and the USA. INDSAFE will then be capable of transferring the design to low volume production based on this data pack. Invetech will assist with technical issues arising from pilot production ramp-up.

Key activities:

• Detailed design based on the Phase 2 concept, involving components of mechanical, electronic, software and system engineering. All designs will be captured on electronic CAD files that will form part of the Manufacturing Data Pack.
  
• Design reviews to ensure that the detailed design meets product, market and regulatory requirements identified in Phases 1 and 2. Design for manufacturability will also be critically assessed to reduce cost of manufacture.
  
• Procure production parts as required. This may involve tooling manufacture of up to twelve weeks duration.
  
• Construct production prototypes to test the performance of the detailed design. It is anticipated that 3 prototypes will be needed.
  
• Establishment of a product lifetime test program to assess the reliability and durability of the device prior to production release.
  
• Design modifications, materials selection and warranty considerations will benefit from this data being obtained as early as possible. This task may be performed in conjunction with controlled field trials and one production prototype is allocated for the purpose.
  
• Obtain compliance certification with applicable regulatory standards. Typically EMC testing is the major component here. Independent safety accreditation may also be required . One production prototype is allocated to this task.
  
• Evaluate and debug operational considerations such as user interface and fault diagnostics/reporting. This task is likely to commence in-house at Invetech and conclude with limited field trials and one production prototype is allocated for the purpose.
  
• Transfer the design to manufacture . Following prototype approval, Invetech will generate a production data pack and assist Indsafe in establishing pilot production. Phase 3 concludes with the release of the first production samples.

Deliverable items:

• Demonstration of production prototype installed on target chipper.
• Regulatory certification results based on testing by independent certified bodies.
• Production data pack containing:
  • CAD part files of all manufactured sub-assemblies
  • Electronics schematics and PCB manufacturing files
  • Electronics build drawings and test notes
  • Bill of materials spread sheet
  • Details of parts suppliers and cost estimates
  • Firmware source and executable code
  • Notes on theory of operation