Machine Building

Products

New Industry 4.0-ready valve islands with fieldbus connection

Camozzi Automation's Series D range of smart valve islands has been extended with the introduction of a fieldbus connection option: it means that Series D is now available for connection to all the main fieldbus protocols (PROFIBUS-DP, PROFINET, CANopen, EtherNET/IP, EtherCAT and IO-Link) through a new serial module. The company says that the combination of the Series D valve island and the serial module makes it easy to integrate pneumatic and electric functions in advanced automation systems, as it allows an increase in the number of controllable valves as well as the interconnection of analogue and digital I/O modules in a single network node.

29th July 2020

Sweet success for sensors in confectionery manufacture

The primary and secondary packaging of confectionery and baked goods can be challenging, but Leuze says that its new DRT 25C dynamic reference diffuse sensor can help with the process.

28th July 2020

New ultra-high-efficiency infrared SMA fibre-optic transmitter

OMC is announcing its new FDE870HE industrial fibre optic transmitter LED, which it claims can deliver up to four times more launch power into multimode fibre for the same current versus existing transmitter devices. The transmitter contains a high-performance 870nm chip and features an array of micro-optic elements that gather and focus the emitted photons, coupling considerably more light into multimode optical fibres. This, says OMC, enables data to be transmitted reliably over greater distances, or for the system to use less power to achieve the same result. Greater long-term reliability of the system is a further benefit due to the enhanced day-1 launch power and much lower drive current requirements.

28th July 2020

Protective panel mounts for machines

The Elesa Panel Support Clamp range is said to offer a quick and robust solution to the construction of safety screens manufactured in acrylic or other materials. The clamps enable the simple and swift assembly of divider panels such as "sneeze screens and shields" for industrial safety enclosures, the guarding of machines or for workstations. Elesa points out that the range enables easy installation of protective panels onto industrial frames in both steel and aluminium extruded sections, and that the choice of colours has now been extended with the PPR series available in black or grey for plain panels between 4mm to 6mm. They also work well with wire mesh as an aid to ensuring compliance with machine safety requirements such as ISO 13857 para 4.2.4.

28th July 2020

Reliable connections for modular energy storage systems

Harting is now offering the Han S, which it claims is the first ever large-scale special connector for battery storage modules. The new series meets the technical requirements set down in the latest standards for stationary energy storage systems (including UL 4128) and is said to offer users "Optimal reliability for connected units". The series features housings with space for a heavy-current contact up to 200A. The contacts are mounted in a housing which is freely pivotable and the locking system engages intuitively. The use of red for plus and black for minus, combined with the mechanical coding system, means that the interfaces are very difficult to confuse.

23rd July 2020

New cobot from FANUC

FANUC's 39kg cobot was launched at IREX last year, and is a compact collaborative robot which the company says can aid manufacturers looking to increase productivity while adhering to current social distancing guidelines. Available for viewing at FANUC UK's headquarters in Coventry, the CRX-10iA will be on show at its upcoming technology day to allow manufacturers the opportunity to see how collaborative robots can help their business.

23rd July 2020

Rugged circular connectors for harsh conditions

binder has expanded its Harsh Environment Connector (HEC) series 696 with some new models. They supplement the company's existing portfolio by adding flange and cable variants with built-in protective conduit adaptation. The integrated sealing function of the protective conduit screw connection allows cables and individual conductors routed in a suitable corrugated tube to be reliably protected against external effects to IP67. Once locked-on, both the plug and the receptacle sides in a manner typical for HEC, binder says that the connector achieves protection to IP69K.

23rd July 2020

MACX-TR timer relay makes simple time control applications smart

Phoenix Contact says that its new multifunctional MACX-TR timer relays make simple time control applications smart. The combination of pushbuttons and OLED display is said to allow easy operation directly at the device, and as an option, NFC communication and the smartphone app provide further setting capabilities such as the simultaneous configuration of several devices. Shutdown and switch-on times can be set precisely using the intuitive menu navigation system. Users can select the necessary time functions and enter the precise time values at the touch of a button, negating the need for converting and checking entries. To prevent unauthorised access, security is provided in the form of password protection.

20th July 2020

Cost-effective vibration measurement for enhanced protection

The advantages of applying vibration condition monitoring to rotating equipment is well established, but the technique can only provide the maximum benefit when correct measurement techniques are employed. So what is the correct measurement technique and best to implement? Also, what if a user needs to make a change to the measurement to optimise early fault detection?

17th July 2020

Time and cost-saving alternative to traditional cable glands

Foremost Electronics is announcing new additions from icotek's range of cable entry plates, the KEL-DP 25 version A and KEL-DP 32 version A and B. KEL-DP products offer high cable density and are claimed to be a simple-to-use cost saving alternative to traditional cable glands. The KEL-DP is a hygienic design, free of dirt-collecting recesses and provides environmental protection IP65 / UL type 12. The new products fit standard metric M25 and M32 cut-outs and, (depending on the model) up to 13 different cables can be inserted through a single gland. The KEL-DP range can accommodate cable diameters from 5.2 to 8mm and are said to be suitable for mounting in enclosure wall thicknesses from 1.5 to 4mm.

16th July 2020