News » Product News Remote maintenance gateway cuts the need to travel to sites
Omron has announced a DIN-rail-mounting industrial gateway that can be installed in control panels to provide remote access for real-time servicing of industrial equipment without needing costly, time-consuming site visits.
Multi-role signalling light towers ‘will define the future’
The German signal tower manufacturer Werma has announced a new generation of towers that, it believes, will define the future of such systems. The whole cylindrical surface of the eSign towers is made up of multi-colour LEDs and can be programmed to perform a variety of roles including alarm signalling, access control, fill level displays, faults, stock information and building security alerts. Various signalling modes can be produced using multiple colours, brightness levels and lighting effects. The towers can also optionally produce acoustic warnings using 10 different tones.
Modular multidrive’s footprint is up to half the size of rivals
Inovance Technology Europe – the European arm of one of China’s largest drives manufacturers – has announced an AC multidrive system designed to meet the needs of European OEMs for flexible, scalable multidrives in a compact footprint. The modular MD800 system can supply up to eight drives from one rack with a single rectifier, sharing energy through a common DC bus. Innovance claims that its footprint is up to 50% smaller than traditional single-drive modules.
Pocket-sized tool is ‘first’ for testing live fibre optics
Fluke has announced what it claims is the first handheld tool for performing live tests on fibre optics and identifying polarity issues and failed transceivers. The FiberLert tool detects invisible near-infrared (850-1625nm) wavelengths used in fibre-optic communications to troubleshoot cables, ports, polarity and transceiver issues.
Square-flange M12 connectors simplify sensor connections
Binder is offering two-piece M12 panel-mount circular connectors, with square-flange housings and multi-position, lockable A-coding, that simplify secure sensor/actuator connections in factory automation and robotics applications.
Scara robots combine motion control with machine automation
The UK motion controls developer Trio Motion Technology has launched a range of Scara robots that combine motion functions and machine automation in one package. The company says that the robots will cut development times and increase reliability for machine applications that require robotic integration.
Multi-turn inductive encoders are wear- and maintenance-free
Celera Motion has announced a multi-turn inductive angle encoder that performs precise, reliable absolute angle measurements over multiple revolutions, even in harsh environments. The non-contact Multiturn IncOder has no gears or bearings, making it wear- and maintenance-free. It does not need a battery backup and the number of turns is retained in non-volatile memory, even if power is lost.
Food-industry cable will survive 30 years in harsh conditions
The Japanese cable-maker OKI Electric Cable has developed a chemical-resistant cable for the food industry that, it says, has survived accelerated testing equivalent to 30 years of continuous operation with “almost no physical degradation”. The OH cable incorporates a special elastomer with a high resistance to the detergents and disinfectants used in cleaning, as well as the machine oils used in the drive components of food manufacturing equipment. It also resists the oils and fats generated during food processing.
Roller bearings 'will last ten times longer than rivals'
SKF has developed a seal for mounted tapered roller bearings that allows them to operate in contaminated environments for at least 600 hours – claimed to be 10 times longer than any rival product.
Linear actuator expands uses via on-board drive and I/O
The intelligent motion control specialist Columbus McKinnon has announced a linear actuator with an on-board variable-frequency drive (VFD) and I/O, allowing users to program movement patterns with variable speeds, and expanding its range of applications to include synchronising lifting tables, balancing loads on AGVs (automated guided vehicles), and timing critical steps in manufacturing processes.
Laser shaft alignment system ‘saves energy and cuts downtime’
Schaeffler has announced a tool for aligning rotating shafts which, it says, is particularly easy to use and results in precise shaft alignments. Unlike other laser-based alignment tools which need two laser beams to be aligned with each other, the new Laser-Equilign2 tool uses only one laser/sensor device and a reflector. The single laser is simply aligned with the reflector, making it easier to use, saving time and resulting in precise measurements.
Power quality analysers grab more than 500 parameters
Fluke has announced a series of three-phase power quality analysers that, it says, will eliminate the complexities of power quality (PQ) logging, troubleshooting and analysis by offering automatic measurements, easy set-ups, best-in-class specifications, and simple reporting.
Modular machine-tending cells can cut labour costs by 90%
ABB has launched a family of modular, robotic machine-tending cells for the metals industry that offer a variety of ways of loading and unloading machines, based on the size, shapes and number of workpieces being handled. It claims that the FlexLoader M cells will cut labour costs for machine-tending processes by up to 90%, with one operator able to handle up to 10 cells simultaneously. The automated system is also said to deliver machine utilisation of more than 97%, compared to 40-60% for manually operated machines.
IP20 and IP55 VSDs can control motors rated up to 250kW
The Welsh drives-maker Invertek Drives has launched a series of high-powered Size 8 variable-speed drives in two versions: with IP55/Nema 12 enclosures for direct mounting; and IP20 enclosures for control cabinet mounting. The drives, members of the company’s Optidrive P2 and Optidrive Eco families, can control motors rated up to 480A with power ratings up to 250kW. They replace the existing Size 8 models which were available only with IP20 protection for control cabinet mounting.
Industrial cameras are ‘smallest’ with C-mounts and housings
IDS (Imaging Development Systems) says that its latest machine vision cameras are the smallest available with housings and C-mounts. The uEye+ XCP cameras measure 29 x 29 x 17mm and have a closed zinc die-cast housing with a screwable USB Micro-B connector. They have “cost-optimised” electronics and are compatible with common lenses, making them suitable for price-sensitive applications.
