Il Leone di San Marco 8 - ENGLISH

Number 8January 2016

Enterprise hystory

Ecor Research, founded in 1976, this year reaches an important milestone

TOP STORIES

R&D and supply of systems: Ecor Research strategy in

the field of defense

IN THE WORLD

Aerospace & Defense Meetings in Turin

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Food packaging, a new solution to extract packs

4

Contributors

Manuel GiorgiBorn in 1990, he is attending the postgraduate degree course in Mechanical Engineering at the Forlì branch of the University of Bologna. On page 18 he explains the project concerning a food packaging machine he is collaborating in at Ecor Campus, the R&D Division of Ecor Research based in Castelvetro di Modena. His passions include sports (football and beach volleyball), working out in the gym, motorcycles and cars.

Stefano Pattanaro24 years old, he is an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Padua. At Ecor Research he is doing an internship in the

Engineering Department. He is also working on his thesis on corrosion and mechanical wear, as he explains on page 20.

During his spare time he plays the drums in a band with friends.He also loves motorcycles and travelling.

newsroom

DirectorGiovanna Lucietto

Editor in ChiefGiovanna Lucietto

Text, Art and Layout DirectorDario Cariolato

TranslationSara ApostolidisSB Traduzioni

ContaCts

Web: ecor-research.com ecorcampus.com

E-mail: [email protected]

Facebook: @EcorResearchTwitter: @EcorResearchLinkedin: Ecor Research S.p.A.Youtube: Ecor Research S.p.A.Issuu: issuu.com/ecor-research to read the magazine and all our publications online

RegistrationRegistration nr. 2670/13 dated 29/11/2013Court of Vicenza.

PhotosEcor Research Archives, EiQ Industrial Archives, iStockphoto, SIMEI 2015, abe Italy.

Sent to press on 13/01/2016.Printed on FSC certified paper by Centrostampaschio S.r.l.

Number 8January 2016

Ecor Research Group Magazine

12

in this number

Cover story

4 Enterprise hystory Ecor Research, founded in 1976, this year reaches an important milestone.

6 40 years of snapshots

Top stories

12 R&D and supply of systems: EcorResearchstrategyinthefieldofDefense The company develops expertise in the creation of ballistic protectionandmobilepurificationwaterunits.

14 What we do Themobilewaterpurificationunithasbeendesignedtoassure versatility and be adaptable to the most diverse environments thankstosomemodules,eachofwhichhasaspecific function.

17 Sectors of interest Thesectorsinwhichthemobilewaterpurificationunit can be used.

Science and technology

18 Food packaging, a new solution to extract packs Ecor Research, in collaboration with the University of Bologna, is developing a mechanism applicable to various models of food processing machines and to different product formats.

20 Corrosion and mechanical wear, a single test rig to understand their effects Ecor Research is designing a new test rig to study tribocorrosion in components.

In the world

22 Aerospace & Defense Meetings in Turin Once again the company attended the Turin International Business Convention dedicated to the sector.

24 EiQ Industrial at SIMEI The company presented, with its own booth, electrical panels at Enological and Bottling Equipment Exhibition.

Focus on

28 Schools and companies, a synergy to create value Ecor Research participates in the alternating school-work programme. Two students from a local vocational school will be assigned to the Technical Department and collaborate in the development of a project.

Cover story

4 | Il Leone di San Marco - January 2016

Ecor Research, founded in 1976, this year reaches an important milestone

Enterprise hystory

T he year 2016 starts with a bang: Ecor Research turns 40! This year we are celebrating the compa-ny’s long history, which started back in a different

time when the world was travelling at different speeds.It started in 1976 when personal computers,

cell phones or smartphones weren’t widespread. Back then, the telephone and fax were used to communicate. The mail, electronic mail, digital and virtual world had not entered into everyday life yet.

Technical designers did not use 2D or 3D computer-aided design software. All they had was the drafting ma-chine.

Everything was so different, almost rudimen-tary for us today that we look forward to the world of telework, we speak of company welfare and we don’t resist the temp-tation to check the latest message that we have received on our mobile device. We are always connected, always online.

Like in every story, this one too has a main character. His name is Sergio Lucietto. Back in the Seventies, he was in his early thirties. He de-cided to make his dream come true, to sow a seed, even going against the mainstream because in large companies you often end up being left alone.

Not even that young entrepreneur could have ever imagined that after selling stainless steel sheets in the flourishing Trentino Alto Adige market he would have ended up working just a few years later in the food packaging industry, the medical device industry, in Oil & Gas and later even in aerospace and defence, industrial research and now electrical switchboards.

Il Leone di San Marco - January 2016 | 5

Cover story

That small seed planted 40 years ago is today a tree overflowing with branches made of people, relations, objectives and stories of men and women.

He has built an industrial group with more than 250 employ-ees and 100 million euro in revenue: Ecor Research, EiQ Industrial, Gieminox Tectubi Raccordi, N.P.C. (New Production Concept), Ecor Campus, and POEMA business network. The group is physically pre-

sent with production plants and research laboratories in the Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Campania regions and

is competing internationally with large multina-tionals. In 40 years it has grown, expanded and

diversified, innovating and renewing itself also by learning from its mistakes, always with

that innate freshness and farsightedness that are typical of visionaries.

And like in every story, besides the main character, there are his travel companions, key figures who have contributed and contribute with their skills and passion to reaching major goals and to making the history of the

group’s companies. Goals cannot be achieved without companions and this

is all the more true at this junction in time.Ideas, courage, inventiveness, initiative,

friendship and trust are just some of the key ingredients of this special birthday that we are

celebrating together. From the Seventies to today, the company has transformed itself thanks to all

those who have been able to look beyond the hori-zon, beyond immediately tangible perspectives. We are now called to do the same and to aim at celebrat-

ing the next 40 years with the awareness of having a precious masterpiece in our hands. █

Giovanna LuciettoCorporate Affairs & Communication Director

1976

1982

40 years of snapshotsThe Ecor S.r.l. company was

established in Schio, near Vicenza, as a warehouse supplying stainless steel

to small enterprises spread across the Veneto region.

In the following years, sales significantly grew and were diversified. By

understanding the needs of the market, the founder and current president,

Sergio Lucietto, created and developed a mechanical processing department to

support the sale of the material, offering customers a broad range of products as well as processing services according to customer drawings. The company thus became a mechanical

engineering business.

Ecor S.r.l. entered the food packaging industry

by producing welded components.

1988

1989

Gieminox S.r.l., based in Schio, which designs and manufactures welded pipes

and fittings for the Oil & Gas industry, joined the group. The company, now called Gieminox Tectubi Raccordi S.r.l., is still part of the Group with a 30%

interest.

Euro Inox Quality S.r.l., based in Schio, which produces stainless enclosures and

provides special processing services, joined the Group.

1999

Logo NPC / refresh 1 CLR

2002The company established NPC - New Production

Concept S.r.l. - which manufactures and assembles modules for the food industry.

Ecor broadened its production complex by building a new industrial facility

at 11 Via Friuli in Schio. The total surface area of the industrial complex amounts to 20,000

square metres.

2012

2009

An extraordinary proportional demerger resulted in

the birth of Ecor Research S.p.A., which took over the business for the design and production of critical components in stainless steel and special alloys, as

well as the interests in those companies with which there were industrial ties: NPC, Euro Inox Quality, and Gieminox

Tectubi Raccordi.

As part of a market diversification strategy, the company made its début in the

aerospace industry becoming a supplier of components installed in aircraft, such as piping, engine mounts and jet nozzles. It marked the start of an effort to develop

the skills and obtain the specific ad-hoc certificates needed to penetrate a

market with strict barriers to entry. Over the years the company obtained NADCAP

certifications for welding, heat treatment and non-destructive testing.

Ecor Research celebrated its thirtieth

anniversary of collaboration with Tetra Pak inviting its president,

Dennis Jönsson, and vice-presidents, Giovanni De Filippo and Ivano Selmi, in addition to the top management, to the company’s

operational headquarters.

2013

2014

Europea Microfusioni Aeropaziali S.p.A.

Rete di Imprese

With an investment of 2.450 million euro, the

company entered POEMA, the European Aerospace Microfusions Complex. Its aim is to improve the quality, performance and efficiency

of aircraft engines and turbine components. As part of the network,

Ecor Research carries out laser welding on stator blade plugs and non-

destructive tests and provides for repairs by manual welding.

The company started the integrated

simulation service, inaugurating an area dedicated to the design,

construction and operation of test rigs. This machinery reproduces the mechanical, thermal and chemical stress

forces of components, systems and subsystems in order to collect

data about a product’s life cycle and the conditions that may result in failures or breakage. The first test rig that went into operation concerned a test with hydrogen

peroxide.

Euro Inox Quality, with its new EiQ

Industrial brand, launched a new strategic business plan to

revive the brand and to open up to new markets. For the first time, the company started the production of certified electric

switchboards for the food, chemical, petrochemical, phar-maceutical, shipbuilding and

railway industries.

2015

2016

2018

In Ca’ di Sola, near Modena, a new Ecor Research research laboratory was

opened to carry out mechanical tests on specific materials for high added

value complex products.

Ecor Research inaugurated the new 1,450-square-metre facility, next to the current one, to host all aerospace production

activities due to steady growth in the industry.

Ecor Campus will establish in a 37,000-square-metre complex in the Modena area. It is an industrial research centre dedicated to the study and

development of new materials and related enabling technologies, integrated design of high-efficiency, low-cost mechanical systems and operation of test rigs.


Top stories

R&D and supply of systems: Ecor Research strategy in the field of Defense

The company develops expertise in the creation of ballistic protection and mobile purification water units

T hanks to its historical skills, such as welding and special processes, and within a diversification strategy under-

taken few years ago, the company is increas-ingly oriented towards the world of Aerospace and Defense. For this latter field the company will act on two parallel levels: R&D and systems direct supply.

Thanks to its expertise on advanced ma-terials and coating special technologies, Ecor Research proposes, in partnership with other players of the sector, the development of inno-

vative solutions in the field of ballistic protec-tions. These are related, in particular, to multi-layer materials adaptable to different threats and adaptable for additive protection for wheeled and tracked vehicles and helicopters. In parallel, Ecor Research is able to develop modular systems for water treatment and pu-rification, with particular reference to the light-ness and compactness as part of entry force missions.

One example is the mobile purification unit, designed to meet the needs of produc-

tion of drinking water where there is only one source such as a well, a river, a lake or a sea, and proves to be a flexible and adaptable equipment to each type of use thanks to the combination of the treatment modules. Based on investments and internal developments, the company will shortly be able to provide solu-tions also adaptable to different mission pro-files, at a later time convertible in operations of stabilization and reconstruction.

Thanks to thirty-year of consolidated expe-rience in providing critical mechanical products


Top stories

for multinationals in the field of automatic ma-chines for food and medicine packaging, the company is entering the Defense sector with

a range of skills, methodologies and certifica-tions of excellence acknowledged at national level. In this completely new sector, the com-

pany is able to anticipate the needs of the mar-ket, being a strategic and integrated supplier, sharing with customers the important phases of design and product industrialization. █

█ A ballistic protection is a technique aimed at the protection of the person or of a material from bullets of any type, such as shelters for vehicles protection or equipment for soldiers protection (jackets, helmets, pants, etc.).█ The mobile unit is a water purification plant for the treatment of water used in the context of interventions to support population affected by natural disasters and military interventions.

To know

A plant for water purification. On the opposite page: a military vehicle.


Top stories

What we doThemobilewaterpurificationunithasbeendesignedtoassureversatilityandbe

adaptable to the most diverse environments thanks to modules, each of which has aspecificfunction

Environments where water is already present and does not need more complex treatments require a continuous supply of water that meets appropriate chemical and

physical parameters in accordance with existing standards while ensuring hygienic purity and stable quality.

This module provides for the disinfection of water, which is essential to achieve the required level of purity. This can also be achieved by ozonation, which eliminates

completely all vegetative flora found in surface waters.In addition, there is a germicidal effect due to the joint action of ozone

and UV rays (photo-ozonolysis).

The water purification module is used in environments where water is already present.

This module is able to purify water.

Purification module


Top stories

The water purification and condensation module is especially useful in desert environments where there are no surface waterbodies.

In desert environments where there are no surface waterbodies (rivers or lakes) or in other hostile environments where water resources have been sabotaged or chemical

weapons have been used, it is absolutely necessary to obtain water from water vapour.

This module is perfectly able to meet this need and to condense water vapour in air into water, purifying it.

Finally, it ensures a good water production output even with very low humidity percentages.

Thismoduletransformswatervapourintowater,whichisthenpurified.

Water purification and condensation module


Top stories

Thismoduleremovessaltfromwater,whichisthenpurified.

Seawater or water from aquifers that are fed by oceans must be desalinated in order to be used by the human body.

This module is able to draw any type of brackish water and, using reverse osmosis technology, to desalinate and then purify the water.

It does not involve the use of any chemicals because it is a process that does not require periodic regeneration and hence is absolutely environment-friendly.

The water purification and desalination module is used in order to make seawater drinkable.

Water purification and desalination module


Top stories

The system meets the needs for drinking water production in places where military or humanitarian missions are underway and where the only source of water is a well, river, lake or sea.

In industry the mobile water purification unit has proven to be effective in the disposal of industrial waste and for the reuse of processing water.

The mobile water purification unit is used in the civil sector and in particular in residential or public buildings where drinking water is not available due to the specific characteristics of the local area.

Civil sector

Sectors of interestThesectorsinwhichthemobilewaterpurificationunit

can be used

Industry

Military sector



Ecor Research, in collaboration with the University of Bologna, is developing a new mechanism applicable to various models of food processing machines and to

different product formats

Food packaging, a new solution to extract packs

S tudying, identifying and designing new solutions for industrial automation with the goal of meeting market and custom-

er needs.The Ecor Research R&D Division, based in

Castelvetro di Modena, is working with the Uni-versity of Bologna in a project whose objective is to develop a new mechanism to extract pre-formed packs inside a continuous automatic machine for aseptic food packaging. The de-vice allows pushing partially formed packs to the next station.

This project has been set up to meet the need of one of Ecor Research’s customers to apply this mechanism to different food pro-cessing machines, as well as to use it in pack-aging different pack formats.

It is a complex effort because it requires expertise in engineering and the ability to ana-lyse the specific features of the mechanism in order to develop a solution that meets the op-eration requirements.

The project, in collaboration with Prof.

Marco Troncossi and Prof. Marco Carricato of the Industrial Engineering Dept. of the Univer-sity of Bologna, provides for an initial analysis of the required functions, the identification of alternative solutions and the choice of the op-timal solution based on the use of appropriate indicators. The device must be integrated with a feature to reject any damaged packs while complying with the overall size of the machine parts already present.

Different architectures will be studied in-cluding those using planar articulated sys-tems. The dimensions of the parts constituting each kinematic mechanism will be calculated complying with the set restraints and obtain-ing a matrix of possible solutions from which to select those mechanisms that best meet the required functions while meeting require-ments.

This operation is called synthesis and will be carried out by developing a software through the use of the MatLab® computing platform.

The last phase of the project provides for the validation of the solutions through virtual simulation using the PTC® Creo design soft-ware, which will be able to reproduce the be-haviour of the mechanism in contact with the packs. █

Manuel GiorgiGraduate in Mechanical Engineering

and project team member

█ A mechanism is a set of interconnected mobile components that transmit motion.█ A planar articulated system is a mechanism whose components are located on the same plane.█ Synthesis is the operation that allows correct siz-ing of the kinematic mechanism, i.e., calculating pre-cisely its dimensions in order to perform the required laws of motion and the task for which it was created.

To know





Corrosion and mechanical wear, a single test rig to understand their effects

Ecor Research is designing a new test rig to study tribocorrosion in components

C ompanies operating in aseptic food packaging are particularly attentive to the phenomenon of corrosion and

mechanical wear that contribute to the dete-rioration of components and machinery. High performance is expected from the parts that come into direct contact with the product dur-ing processing.

The Ecor Research Engineering Depart-ment has already designed and built test rigs that can provide information on these two as-pects. So far these two fields have been evalu-ated through the use of two different test rigs.

The company is now making another step forward by designing, building, commissioning and testing a test rig that can test both me-chanical wear and corrosion at the same time.

This is a challenging project whose realisa-tion is a challenge for the team of engineers. The test rig will be able to evaluate the tribo-corrosion behaviour of components. Tribocor-rosion is the science that studies the synergy between tribology, the study of the aspects typical of mechanical wear, and corrosion, that is the evaluation of the resistance of the metal materials in an aggressive environment.

The test rig will be able to replicate both the real operating conditions and recreate the most aggressive conditions to accelerate those degenerative phenomena that become manifest spontaneously only in the long term. In order to carry out these tests, a component undergoes a relative cyclical movement com-pared to a counterpart in aluminium oxide, while immersed in an electrolyte. Electrochem-ical measurements make it possible to evalu-ate the progress of component deterioration.

The final objective of the project is to de-termine the synergy between mechanical wear



and corrosion when these contribute simulta-neously to the deterioration of a component and therefore to provide specific and strategic

information instrumental to making a more knowledgeable choice of the materials to use. Once the optimal solution is identified, it will

be possible to extend the life of a component, ultimately optimising the costs of a system. █

Stefano PattanaroGraduate in Mechanical Engineering

and member of the project team

█ Commissioning is the project phase in which the performance of the test rig is tested to deter-mine whether it meets the set re-quirements.█ Tribocorrosion is the science

that combines the study of friction and wear of surfaces (tribology) with the study of the deterioration of a solid in an aggressive environ-ment (corrosion).█ An electrolyte is a substance

that dissociates into ions (into at-oms with electrical charges, when it is dissolved in water or other agents).

To know

In the world

Aerospace & Defense Meetings in TurinOnce again the company attended the Turin International Business Convention

dedicated to the sector

The fifth edition of the International Business Convention for the Aerospace, which took place from 17th to 19th November in Turin, was attended by 306 suppliers and 174 Italian and foreign buyers from 34 countries of the world. Ecor Research participated to create new partnerships and present its expertise in the production of critical components. All products made in the company are subjected to quality checks and internal NADCAP certified non-destructive testing though x-rays and dye penetrant.

torino.bciaerospace.com



In the world

In the world

EiQ Industrial at SIMEIThe company presented, with its own booth, electrical panels at Enological and

Bottling Equipment Exhibition

EiQ Industrial, company part of Ecor Research Group, attended the SIMEI exhibition in Milan on Enological and Bottling Equipment, from 3rd to 6th November. 31,000 professional operators from 90 countries and over 600 companies attended the event, a reference point for operators and enterprises of the international wine industry. EiQ Industrial has presented its products including top quality electrical panels and customized items.

simei.iteiqindustrial.com



In the world


In the world

EiQ Industrial stand at SIMEI 2015, Milan

Junction box Some push-button boards


In the world

A hanging system

A push-button boards

EiQ commercial staff A product detail

Focus on


Schools and companies, a synergy to create valueEcor Research participates in the alternating school-work programme.

Two students from a local vocational school will be assigned to the Technical Department and collaborate in the development of a project

I t is a unique opportunity to complement the school education of students with hands-on experience in an industrial real-

ity through an initiative that creates a synergy between the job market and school. Ecor Re-search has joined, together with other local companies, the project for alternating school and work sponsored by Confindustria, Confar-tigianato and the local “De Pretto” vocational school in Schio.

The initiative provides for assigning two vocational school students in their senior year

to the Technical Department where they will be participate in the development of a real project. The objective is to understand the design, pro-duction and assembly process for creating a system for an industrial plant for aseptic food packaging. The students will be involved in var-ious activities of the internal work processes. Specifically, they will gain greater insight into the design procedures, production order man-agement, the development of the production cycle, the production of welded stainless steel components, the assembly of units and finally

the validation and final testing of the product.The project for alternating school-work

has already started with the visit of the pro-duction facilities of Ecor Research by all the students involved in the project. Guided by the company’s engineers, the students observed the work in the various departments learning how welded critical components are products and checked and how the integrated simulated tests on test rigs and unit assembly are carried out. █

█ Alternating school and work is an institutional project creat-ed to bring schools and companies closer and to provide great-er learning opportunities for young people in view of finding a job. It allows alternating normal school activities with periods spent in a company to put the knowledge learned in school to the test and to gain practical skills that contribute to enhancing their professional profile.

To know


Some moments of the student’s visit in Ecor Research.

Focus on

Documents

Il Leone di San Marco 8 - ENGLISH