Ideas Unlimited developing ERP software for managing lean and small manufacturing setups.

Background to this adventure

The future of manufacturing many claim are the lean operations along with a solid supply chain and MOST IMPORTANTLY high quality outsourcing of work.

At Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited, (Our manufacturing company) we have a vision of manufacturing varied and diverse products, as well as Medium and Low Volume products with High product complexity in the long run. We do not intend to be a contract manufacturer and compete with the bigger players whose business is to do large scale manufacturing. Our intention is to carve a nice for ourselves, doing High Complexity and low to medium volume products which require high level of technological competency and for the immediate future will be fed with products or ideas developed at our R&D lab "Ideas Unlimited".

To start with, last year, we embarked on our own manufacturing setup which has specific focus on IP protection and Quality to be done in-house, while other activities are to be outsourced to our strong vendor and contract manufacturing partners. The criticality of IP protection and Quality maintained in-house has attracted customers who are highly IP and quality conscious who develop products with us which get taken to production eventually by us.

It is also in line with our view that Manufacturing of niche products is the future sunrise and highly profitable Industry for India as the economy rises. 

The ERP Software

In light of this vision for our manufacturing company, we started developing an ERP software several months ago. In fact it started off as a student apprentice project a few months before we prepared to start our manufacturing company "Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited". The Version 0.1 of the software developed by the apprentice in our lab came out very well and sort of pushed us to develop it further for our own interest as well as

You may also wonder why on earth we are developing our own ERP when there are dozen software packages available in the market? This ERP software is specifically designed for an operation like ours which is lean and depends on contract and outsourced manufacturing with dozens of vendors and contractors.

The Main screen

Bill of Material definition/review screen

Today the software has evolved and the current version is 0.4. By the time we release Version 2.0, we feel the software will be mature enough to be used in other organizations like ours with lean operation and with focus on IP protection and quality.

You can read more details of this ERP software we are developing on our website by following this link:
http://www.ideas-unlimited.in/techerp.html

Credits

The project's initial version was developed by an apprentice Nikhil R at our lab as part of his apprenticeship and now it continues to evolve.

Nikhil Setty R worked on the initial version of this software. He can be contacted at nikhilsettyr@gmail.com

Ideas Manufacturing launches White colored Miniature Movement Sensor Switch (MS 501 series)

Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited, has launched a new aesthetically appealing Miniature Movement Sensor Switch (MS 501 Series - Special Edition). The new sensor has an appealing look and feel and very compact in size. It can handle up to 220 Watts of electrical load, and has been designed with utmost concern to electrical safety and reliability of the product.

Special Edition Miniature Movement Sensor Switch (MS501 Series)

MS501 Special Edition Movement Sensor switches in White color.

To go with the white sensor, we have also launched a special powder-coated white-colored 2-Axis Swivel Clamp as well. This clamp (MSBR501 series) is now available in white powder coated finish to match the ceilings/walls and decor.

White, Powder coated MSBR501 Swivel Clamp to go with the White colored sensors.

More products in the pipeline to be launched. Watch this space.

Ideas Unlimited works with Ace Technologies to develop new ideas in construction (Design to site concept, tools for better construction).

We have developed a concept called 'Design to Site' along with 'Ace Technologies, Bengaluru'. This methodology helps in better planning resulting in quicker construction with far better quality than normal construction methods.

As part of this Design to Site concept, we have also developed certain tools that help in making construction better, faster and quality oriented.

About Masonry

Masonry has been one of the popular construction methods available for the ages. Masonry is simply the art of laying brick or block with mortar in between. Traditionally, it has been exploited for beauty and its integrity in construction. Clay bricks and Stone blocks have been used for thousands of years in the construction of monuments, temples, palaces and many other structures. Masonry has proven its durability even in earthquake situations.

Examples of masonry structures are the Qutb Minar, Meenakshi Temple Gopuram, Gol Gumbaz and many other structures all over the world. The modern avatar of the traditional masonry block has been the Concrete Masonry Block, commonly called as EMU (Engineered Masonry Unit). Blocks can be solid or hollow. Both are load bearing.

The block of choice is the Hollow Engineered Load bearing Block which can be used to build upto six storeys without the need of a framed Column and Beam structure. This modern innovation has changed the way of construction in the Western world and now we have the opportunity to present it to you in India. This is especially useful keeping in mind the present situation where labor is expensive and cost of construction is going up everyday.

Ace Technologies have been promoting the adoption of Block Masonry in construction which has many advantages over conventional construction technologies followed in India. The biggest advantages are:

• Faster Construction
• Reduced Manpower requirement due to higher efficiency
• Less costs compared to conventional methods
• Professional, Tool driven approach. Blocks yield to cutting/drilling tools, provides a very professional and quality finish.
• Reduces dependence on Skill. Quality of blocks help in doing better work.
• Structural Flexibility in planning stage
• No need for plastering of walls
• Ability to erect pillars (regular/concealed inside wall) at will
• Beams are also made using blocks! Reduces overall construction, curing time and provides excellent finish.
• More earthquake proof by design. 
• Well planned construction. No need to tear up walls for installing electrical ducting etc.

Plinth beam on top of foundation laid using U-Blocks (Lintel blocks)

Plinth beam after casting.

Construction of walls using masonry blocks

Window Sill area ensured to not have hollow blocks.

Blocks yield very well for cutting/drilling tools! Professional and better finish can be achieved despite not plastering the walls.

Well Planned execution: Electrical Fixtures are installed during laying of course! No need to tear built up wall and plaster t later! Doing things in a more planned way and with less cost.

Concealed Pillars inside walls!

Lintels and beams are built using blocks. Special type of blocks called U-Blocks are used to make lintels and beams!

Lintel setup for casting.

Casting of Lintel!

Running lintel all round the wall ready for casting.

Blocks guaranteed with 'M9' strength, strong to be used as support for beams and centering. Same blocks can also be used even for foundation.

Tools used to apply mortar on top of blocks precisely, without wastage and simultaneously increasing productivity on site.

Precise and Highly consistent Mortar laying between each course of blocks! Reduces wastage of mortar and also increase productivity at the site.

'Design to Site' concept

In this effort, we convert designs into 3D Models and eventually into '3D Block models'. The block model is optimized to block sizes and heights, so it completely eliminates or reduces to a minimum, the block related work on site. 

A typical conventional plan!

Conventional Plan turned into 3D Drawing

Blocks Model: 3D Model optimized for masonry block based construction! Color code helps masons and workers understand the concept better.

Bill of Material generated from the Blocks model of the plan. Color coded blocks ensure masons and workers can understand the concept.

Tools to help improve implementation of new technologies in construction and on site

We have developed some tools along with Ace Technologies, for improving the way things are done in a construction site. We have developed a set of different tools, which greatly improve quality, reduce effort and provide a more consistent, uniform and better bonding between blocks in site. We are working with Ace Technologies on more such technologies to help do construction more professionally and in an easy way.

Key Contacts

Regarding Block masonry and other interesting construction related technologies, to know more about Design to Site concept and tools:

Ace Technologies, Bengaluru
Mr. Ashok Nadkari
Tel: 98450-36436

Regarding tools that help make your construction better, faster and lower cost:
Ideas Unlimited, Mysore
Tel: 0821-2402979

Ideas Unlimited Website updated...

Our website (and blog) update has been long overdue. Ever since we setup a separate manufacturing company Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited, in August 2012, we have rejigged Ideas Unlimited to be a completely R&D and New Technology and New Products development company.

 Website URL:

www.ideas-unlimited.in

The modus operandi of both the companies now has been  rejigged to realize the original vision we had when we started Ideas Unlimited, Mysore in 2009. The diagram below shows the new operational model between Ideas Unlimited and Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited.

Click Link to visit our "Collaborate with us page on our website.

In the meanwhile, lot of new developments have occurred in both our new companies.... Ideas Manufacturing has improved our existing product lines and added more products to the boquet. Our manufacturing company has also worked on taking to production a driver Electronics for BLDC Fans used in Railway carriages.

Ideas Unlimited, has been focused on new projects, many of which we are yet to publish about either on our blog or website.

Hopefully, now onwards we will be able to provide updates more regularly on our website and/or blog here onwards.

'Glove' project gets award at IT-Biz-2012

The 'Glove project' conceived and developed at Ideas Unlimited, won a prize at Bangalore IT.Biz 2012 events. A report on the same was published in Star of Mysore dated 2nd Jan 2013.

Report on the Glove project developed at Ideas Unlimited published in Star of Mysore newspaper, dated 2nd Jan 2013 (Click on the image to enlarge)

Picture of the Glove project being tested at Ideas Unlimited, Mysore

To read about the Glove project, visit our earlier Blog post on the same topic "The Glove Project - Student project @ Ideas Unlimited"

Ideas Unlimited develops Hi-Precision Optical Systems for Wusten Purple LLC

Last few months have been busy time at Ideas Unlimited with multiple on-going projects coming near to closure. As usual, when projects get critical, update of blog/website take a backseat :-)  So, finally we are pleased to post yet another update of a new concept/technology turn into a useful product at our labs. This will be followed by a revamp of our website at www.ideas-unlimited.in

For Wusten Purple (www.wustenpurple.com) , we have developed an instrument (rather invented from an idea at Wusten Purple, idea was turned into reality at our lab)  from an idea stage to final product stage completely at Ideas Unlimited Lab. The project involved several man months of effort to make the final instrument.

At Ideas Unlimited, we take an idea right from the idea stage to working product stage.

Idea → Concept → Proof of Concept → Working Product! 

Due to the nature of our product developed, we will not be explaining about the concept or the instrument in detail on our blog, however we would like to showcase low-res pictures of the the instrument we have developed.

Instrument Ready!

One of the views of the instrument developed by us. Angular vernier scales are used for hi-precision

Another scale to measure angles

High precision components fabricated

Laser points on a screen used for calibration and testing.

Lasers on board the instrument help in precise calibration, test and validation

Another view of the assembled fixture

Screen-shot of the software associated with the instrument.This software helps in accurate computation of parameters for the instrument.

Wusten Purple (www.wustenpurple.com), our customer, is in the business of precision dental instrumentation.

www.wustenpurple.com

Credits:

This project was jointly developed by Ideas Unlimited (www.ideas-unlimited.in) and Designus, Mysore.

• Ideas Unlimited can be contacted at info@ideas-unlimited.in
• Designus can be contacted at: info@designus.co.in

The Glove Project - Student project @ Ideas Unlimited

Hello! It's been a while since we updated our website/blog.

The Glove Project!

When three students from Instrumentation Technology Department, SJCE Mysore, approached us for assistance with their idea of a 'Glove project' we were both intrigued and interested. It had shades of some of the work we were doing in terms of wearable electronics and biomedical devices. We thought of it as a good learning opportunity for the students as well as us. We agreed to provide the team with the privilege to use our lab as well as provide them with any kind of technical help required to realize their idea. The students had put this as their entry into an inter-college tech-comeptition,

  Video demonstration of the Glove Project on YouTube

The Glove Project Team: From Left, Swaroop, Ajay and Nikhil

The Glove Project' is a concept/idea to use a glove with sensors to detect Sign Language used by the Deaf and the Dumb. However, if perfected and engineered it has potential applications for:

1. Sign Language interpretation device for deaf and dumb.
2. Gesture sensing device?
3. Useful Input device for computing applications (PC/Mobile)?
4. Diagnostic device in medical applications?

Nearly a month and a half ago, the Glove project started. A week of debate and concept trials, the shape for the glove began to emerge. Nearly a month and a half worth effort, the Proof of Concept emerged. After days of painstaking soldering, re-soldering, testing and perfecting the concept they finally made a working proof of concept ready for demo. The work done as part of this project, the students were exposed to our apprenticeship process and had their hands on skills improved in many aspects.

The Proof of Concept setup consists of :

1. A glove with lots of sensors
2. A wearable watch like interface board
3. A hand shaped display board (evaluation jig) for testing/debugging of the glove.
4. A Microprocessor interface for grabbing data from glove for processing for respective application.

The Proof of Concept (POC) consisting of the Glove with sensors, Wearable Wrist board and an evaluation jig (click to enlarge photo)

This POC proved that using low-cost sensors it is possible to pick up binary signals from finger joints - whether the joint is open or folded - which can be interpreted for decoding sign language from a person wearing the glove in real time.

The Glove @ work: All joints open - Lights off.... (click to enlarge photo)

The Glove @ Work: All fingers closed, lights on! (click to enlarge photo)

The students have now embarked on a venture to interface this glove with a micro-controller to interpret the data in real time and translate it to sign language. (The students successfully completed testing of the POC today. 04-Oct-2012)

We wish them all the best in their endeavor.

The students who built this are from the Dept. of InstrumentationTechnology, SJCE, Mysore.

Nikhil R - 97381-31081

Ajay Rao - 94835-03680

Swaroop G S - 87222-90002

Electronics For You - Sept 2012 Issue features our Braille Tutor under 'Innovation'

The Sept 2012 issue of Electronics For You magazine covered a feature article on our Braille Tutor under their new 'Innovation' section. While we continue to perfect the prototype into a product form, we are close to that stage and shortly we will be turning this concept into a product from our stable.

 

Page 1 of the feature article on Braille Tutor from Ideas Unlimited

(Click image to view larger image)

 

Page 2 of the feature article on Braille Tutor from Ideas Unlimited

(Click image to view larger image)

For further information on this product, you can email us at info@ideas-unlimited.in 

Movement Sensor Switch Test Videos...

For answering some of the FAQs of our customers, we recorded some of the testing done on the sensors in the lab.

Wide Operating voltage (65V-300+V, 50Hz/60Hz) operation:

 

Our Movement Sensors Detect Movement of Living things! (Not just Movement):

 

Engineering Software: Diamond Die Inspection software developed at Ideas Unlimited

(Developed earlier in Dec 2011)

This is a slightly dated project, but we are posting about only now on our blog. This software was developed around Dec 2011. This software was developed by us exclusively for a 'Diamond Die' industry in Mysore.The software is used in the Diamond Die making industry to inspect tiny diamonds made from industrial diamonds.

Screenshot of the Diamond Die Inspection and Measurement software developed by Ideas Unlimited exclusively for a diamond die industry in Mysore.

Config screen - Calibration etc.

What is a Diamond Die and what does the software do?

The process of making metal wires is called 'Wire drawing'. Thick metal wire is forced through a die smaller in size resulting in a thinner wire. The process gets repeated using smaller dies each time until the right diameter of the wire is achieved. The key ingredient of making these wire-drawing dies is an industrial diamond. The process involves boring through a very small industrial diamond (few microns thick) in precise dimension through a very difficult time consuming process which the Diamond Die industries do.

Due to the complexity of the process (diamond is the hardest material) the profile cut in a diamond has to be inspected for precision and quality. Such diamond is digitally photographed in an illuminated industrial microscope using a large scale factor. The image gets loaded into our software and its various parameters of the diamond die are assessed using this software developed by us. The software allows visual marking and measurement of angles (in degrees) and lengths (in microns) by clicking on the image.

Ideas Unlimited hives off Production, Commercialization of products/technologies developed into a new company: "Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited"

We are very pleased to announce that we have hived off Production, Sales and Service activities to a new firm incorporated on 07-Jun-2012 under Companies Act, 1955 called "Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited".

Ideas Unlimited has been in existence for about roughly two years now and we are now in a stage to hive off production, sales and commercialization activities to a new firm and focusing on R&D, Technology and Intellectual Property Development completely. 

Ideas Unlimited will remain an R&D focus, Product development company, which keeps working on new products, concepts and technologies and technologies ready for production and to be commercialized will be given off to the new firm "Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited".

We are racing to get the new "Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited" firm operational before July 2012.

The products designed by Ideas Unlimited, made by Ideas Manufacturing Private Limited, will continue to use "Ideas Unlimited" brand. The new company may also take up product development and full life-cycle management for other companies as well as a separate business activity.

Illustration: Operational Business Model between newly incorporated  company "Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited" and "Ideas Unlimited".  (Click on image to view larger image)

This new move is in line with our original vision when we started Ideas Unlimited in December 2009, to keep Ideas Unlimited focused on Research and Development of new technologies, and new product development and a separate firm to take up Production and Commercialization of the technologies/products developed.

Ideas Unlimited will also be expanding its focus on taking up R&D, Product Development for external research labs, companies and entities in the near future. Ideas Unlimited will also continue to do in-house home/industrial automation products we are already in the process of making and move the production and commercialization aspects of the product to Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited.

Watch out for more announcements on the new company "Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited" in the coming days.