The German industrial safety specialist Pilz claims to have developed the world's first safety PLC with IP67 protection, allowing it to be mounted directly onto machinery. It says that the PSS67 PLC will save space and reduce wiring as well as offering users more flexibility when implementing decentralised control architectures.
The Israeli motion controls manufacturer Elmo Motion Control has doubled the power of its tiny Gold Twitter servodrive – which it already claims is the world’s smallest – so that it can now deliver more than 10kW of “qualitative” power from a package that weighs a mere 33 grams.
The Swiss precision motion specialist Technosoft claims to have produced the world’s smallest EtherCat servodrive. The iPOS2401 MX-CAT drive weighs only 12g and measures 19 x 50 x 10mm. It can be used in precision positioning applications based on any motor technology – brushless, stepper, DC/voice coil or linear – that needs no more than 1A continuous at 24V.
The German sensor-maker Sick has launched a new generation of contrast sensors which, it claims, break new ground in terms of reliability, accuracy and versatility for print, labelling, converting and packaging applications, even in challenging conditions. With switching frequencies of up to 70kHz and jitter rates down to 3µs (a level never previously achieved), the KTS and KTX sensors can cope with up to 250 packs per minute and compensate for high-speed flutter on reel-to-reel material edges.
Siemens has announced a multifunction platform that combines control and PC functions in a single, space-saving and easier-to-program device. The Simatic CPU 1518(F)-4 PN/DP MFP controller handles tasks that had previously been outsourced to PCs – such as model-based and high-level language programming, and database applications.
RS Components has launched a free safety engineering tool as the latest addition to its DesignSpark portfolio of engineering tools. DesignSpark Safety is a risk-assessment tool that helps machinery developers to embed safety into their designs.
ABB has developed its most powerful low-voltage motor to date – a water-cooled machine in a compact 500 frame size, that can deliver up to 2MW. The M3LP 500 motor weighs about 1,000kg less than machines with comparable ratings, thanks to its use of a cast-aluminium rotor instead of the more common welded copper bar construction.
Rockwell Automation has announced a series of scalable industrial computing offerings aimed at giving access to real-time data to solve analytical challenges, and to adapt to changes at every level of an organisation. It says that that this will help to improve productivity and efficiency in connected enterprises.
The Swiss measurement specialist Camille Bauer Metrawatt claims, for the first time, to have combined a device that measures large currents with a PLC (programmable logic controller). It says that this combination will allow the device to carry out energy-based automation tasks without needing extra components such as a separate controller or display.
The Italian sensor manufacturer Datalogic has announced what it claims is the first light curtain that integrates with a high-performance, real-time and safe communication protocol based on industrial Ethernet – openSafety, which it describes as “the most advanced and versatile protocol for functional safety on the automation market”. The SG4 Fieldbus curtain has a Powerlink Ethernet interface that makes it easy to integrate into existing networks and to communicate with safety controllers.
The German sensor-maker Sick has developed a family of user-customisable photoelectric sensors which offer a choice of laser light, red or infra-red LED technologies in the same housing, with the same mounting and set-up procedures. The SureSense sensors are claimed to detect almost any object reliably in any environment.
Fluke has developed an electrical tester which, it claims, can measure voltage and current without using test leads. It says that the T6 tester will allow users to troubleshoot electrical systems faster and more safely.
Omron has announced a pair of integrated machine controllers that combine NC (numerical control) and PLC functions, and can synchronise NC processes with others at high speed, thus boosting machine productivity. The NJ501-5300 machine automation controller and NY532-5400 IPC (industrial PC) machine controller are claimed to cut the interlock time (the wait time during communications) between NC processes and others by up to 25% compared to using separate controllers. This can cut significantly the cycle times of machines that generate many interlocks.
3S-Smart Software Solutions, the developer of the manufacturer-independent Codesys IEC 61131-3 automation software, has announced that its SoftPLC software is now available as a runtime environment for control systems based on the open Linux operating system, such as Wago’s PFC 100 and Siemens’ Simatic IOT2000.
Siemens has entered into a cooperative arrangement with the Italian robot-maker Comau to integrate robot kinematics with its CNC systems. At the 2017 Emo machine tool show in Hanover this month, the two companies are unveiling a jointly engineered product called Sinumerik Run MyRobot /DirectControl which, they say, will improve productivity, flexibility, dynamic responses and precision.
