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15,583 products include ‘fastest' small machine controller
Published:  03 October, 2016

Omron in Japan has announced a total of 15,583 controls products, in seven categories, forming a second wave of factory automation control devices built on a common design platform for unified product specifications. The products include many items for use in control panels – such as relays, switch-mode power supplies, pushbutton switches and terminal blocks, and power monitors – as well as a compact machine controller which executes Ladder Diagram (LD) instructions in 3.3ns, said to be the fastest in its class.

Earlier this year, Omron announced around 600 control panel devices, in 18 different product categories, all built to a common design platform and incorporating the company’s proprietary Push-In Plus rapid wiring technology. It says that these have already been adopted by more than 3,000 manufacturers around the world.

The latest wave of products includes an entry-level controller which is part of Omron's Sysmac automation platform and is said to bring advanced motion control and IoT to small-to-mid sized machines. The NX1P controller incorporates EtherNet/IP and EtherCat connections, motion control capabilities, and I/O in a compact package. It can handle up to eight servo axes, including synchronised motion control of up to four axes.

Electronic cam and interpolation increase machine speed and precision, boosting productivity and quality. Data collected from devices via the EtherCat port and an IO-Link master can be shared between machines via EtherNet/IP, which can also be used to connect vision systems, safety controllers and other devices via a single cable. Sensor data can be monitored via an IO-Link master to detect errors and perform predictive maintenance.

The controller combines sequence and motion control and supports IEC 61131-3 programming languages and PLCopen function blocks for motion control. Its 3.3ns execution time for LD instructions is 30 times faster than Omron’s previous compact PLC, the CP1H.

Omron’s new arrivals also include a switch-mode power supply that it claims is the smallest in its class. The S8VK-S supply is half the size of Omron’s previous 480W models, and can be mounted side-by-side on DIN rails to help downsize control panels. It is also available in a 240W version.

Omron's NX1P machine automation controllers are 30 times faster than its previous compact PLCs

Other items are designed to be mounted on the front of control panels, including:

•  The KM-N3 single- and three-phase power monitors which can measure up to four circuits, and are compatible with power supplies around the world.

•  The A22N-P, A30N-P, and M22N-P pushbutton switches and indicators, which are said to reduce depths and volumes by 20–30% compared to Omron’s previous models. For four to six contacts, the depth required has been cut from 66.8mm to 55mm. The switches have 22mm and 30mm mounting holes and use Push-In Plus terminal blocks.

There is also a new series of sockets for G7SA Relays with forcibly-guided contacts (P7SA-PU, four and six poles), which join the Push-In Plus terminal blocks that were launched in April. The push-in mechanism unifies the wiring method for control panels, and reduces wiring when used with safety controllers which also have push-in terminals.