Archive for the ‘Sensors’ Category
Static ionizers are an important part of any static control program as an efficient, non-contact method of removing surface charges that otherwise would damage sensitive electronics or allow dust to adhere to a product. However, there are two main operating factors that can cause waste, and thus increase the operating cost of using this solution:
- Air Consumption – Static Ionizers require a source of compressed air in order to effectively and quickly remove static charges. Using an excess amount of compressed air is costly and should be minimized as much as possible.
- Discharge Needle Wear – The discharge needles that are used in ionization systems are a consumable product. They typically have a usable life of around 10,000 hours before they need to be replaced. By keeping the ionizer active at all times, you will accelerate the end-of-life for these components, rather then use them on an as needed basis.
SUNX has created an ionizer lineup that strikes a balance between effectiveness and efficiency by including advanced features that will help minimize the resources that are used. The ER-V series, for example, has an input built-in to externally control the ion discharge of the unit. This makes it possible to only activate the ion production when it is needed. By using the ionizer product along side other SUNX sensors, such as the EF-S1 static sensor and CX-400 photoelectric sensor, it is possible to create a closed loop system without the need for any extensive PLC programming. To do so, you would use the following steps:
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Step 1 - Use a CX-400 series photoelectric sensor to detect the presence of the target that needs to be ionized. |
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Step 2 – The output of the CX-400 sensor would activate the trigger input on the EF-S1 static sensor to perform a measurement of the static level on the part. If the surface static is outside of a preset window threshold, the sensor’s output will activate the ER-V ion discharge as well as a small solenoid valve to begin airflow. |
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Step 3 – Once the surface charge is dissipated, the output turns off allowing the process to continue on to the next part while cutting off the air flow to the ionizer as well as halting the ion discharge until the next part advances into position. |
In this example, the EF-S1 static sensor controls the process by determining the static level only when there is an object present. The single output of the EF-S1 sensor provides the only feedback that a PLC needs in order to stop and start the motion in the process.
The ionizer and air supply are only used if there is an abnormal static condition present, thus saving the discharge needle and air consumption in the process.
For more information, here is the EF-S1 Brochure, ER-V Brochure, ER-VW Brochure, & ER-TF Brochure
Carlo Gavazzi is proud to launch the BFD Series, one of the most advanced light curtains for guarding industrial doors.Thanks to a unique design, the BFD can distinguish between normal door operation, and foreign objects blocking the door. Unlike standard door sensors located in one or two locations along the door track, the BFD guards the entire height of the door, so a raised forklift is detected without fail. |
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The BFD is loaded with features that make it an excellent choice for any industrial door-guarding application:
- 39.4 foot (12m) sensing range
- Edge sensing and side sensing versions for fit in every installation
- Two height options: 6.6 ft. (2m) and 8.2 ft. (2.5m)
- 10 – 30 VDC and 18 – 27 VAC rectified supply
- Static opto-mosfet output
- Normally Open and Normally Closed output selectable
- Dynamic blanking function allows sensor to recognize vertical door closure
- Built-in test function assures safe, reliable operation
- LED indication for power supply, system status, and alignment
- Color-coded emitter and receiver cables, with M12 connectors for simple installation
- Optional mating cable kit available
- IP54 versions for indoor use, and IP65 versions for wash down areas
The BFD Series is an excellent choice for all types of industrial doors, including sectional doors, high speed rolling doors, fire doors, freight elevator doors, and many more. With UL, CSA, and CE approvals, your assurance of high quality is unmatched.
For more information, here is the BFD Brochure
Carlo Gavazzi is proud to launch a rugged family of inductive proximity sensors in full metal housings, constructed of durable, 304 stainless steel. These sensors feature metal faces, which can withstand impact, abrasions and various types of chemicals and cutting oils that would typically destroy sensors with plastic sensing faces.
The new IAxxF series is loaded with features that make it an excellent first choice for many challenging applications:
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Like all Carlo Gavazzi inductive proximity sensors, the new full metal sensors come with our standard 10 year warranty! They also have all relevant North American approvals, assuring you of a safe performance.
For more information, here is the Inductive Metal Housing Proximity Brochure
The CGES Series (Carlos Gavazzi Environmental Sensors) can be used to measure and monitor various indoor environmental parameters, including CO2, Humidity, Temperature, and Air Velocity.
The CGES Series provide multiple benefits to users. They help maintain indoor air quality, which results in increased comfort and productivity. They also help maximize energy efficiency, which saves money and spares vital resources. And with both wall-mount and duct-mount options, they are easy to install and maintain, which saves money and therefore maximizes maintenance resources. Key specifications include:
- CO2 sensors that use non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology to provide measurement ranges of 0-2000ppm and 0-5000ppm with an accuracy of +/- 50ppm
- Relative humidity range of 10 – 90%, with an accuracy of +/- 3%
- Temperature detection range of 32–122°F (0–50°C) with an accuracy of 0.54°F (0.3°C)
- Air velocity detectors with range up to 4,000 ft/min. (20 m/sec.)
- Both 0-10V and 4-20mA proportional output
- Supply voltage 24VAC/DC
The most innovative of the CGES Series product offering are the CO2 sensors, as they feature an auto-calibrating feature, which assures they will be continuously tuned for accurate, worry-free operation.
The CGES Sensors are a complete and versatile solution with applications in office buildings, schools/universities, pools, museums, greenhouses, incubators and food storage rooms, among many others.
For more information, here is the CGES Brochure
Sensor Intelligence
Monitoring, measuring and optimizing process and quality are the most important requirements for you. Depending on your application, our sensors provide feedback on torques, shear forces, speed, thermal loads and wear.
Our sensor systems are used in early development phases to optimize design concepts or to monitor and control your processes for optimum service life and to track life cycle costs.
Features
- Evaluating Processing Unit (EPU) – To acquire and gain measurement data. The unit processes the data to convert values of force and torque.
- Interfaces – serial RS232, USB / analog 0-20mA, 0-10V / fieldbus, CanBus, Profibus, etc.
- Sensor Software – Offering easy user-interface for displaying and logging data.
- Integration to Wittenstein gearboxes and actuator products
Applications
- Web tension for printing and paper
- Controlling press power for textile machines
- Radial force measurement for feed control and tool monitoring
- Tool life tracking
- Tape feed control
- Force control for industrial robotics
- Collision detection and condition monitoring
For more information, here is the torqXis-SFR (English Version Starts on Page 37).
High performance dual display amplifier with unprecedented stability and precision
The FX-500 is a highly advanced digital fiber sensor with high-end features and class-leading stability and performance. An exclusive detection ASIC, designed specifically for the FX-500, is capable of processing ultra high-speed calculations while offering a long sensing range. Due to the impressive capabilities of this sensor, high precision detections can now be carried out where they were previously not possible.
High Visibility Dual Digital Display
A highly visibility dual digital display allows for simultaneous viewing of the threshold and incident light values for quick and effective setup and usage. The display is large, bright, and has a wide viewing angle for easily reading values from a distance.
Direct Threshold Setting / Direct Teaching
Teaching the amplifier is now done through the RUN mode of the amplifier, simplifying the setup process down to two presses of the ‘set’ button. The user can also directly change the threshold value using the ‘+’ and ‘-’ buttons.
New Super Quality Fibers
A new line of precision fiber optics are available that are designed to provide added stability to the FX-500 amplifier by diminishing part to part variance in intensity and fiber positioning.
- Stable emission intensity
Variation in emission intensity of the fiber core is controlled down to less than ±10%, achieving a stable detection. - Integrated high-precision plug
The centering precision of the fiber core attached to the inserting plug is doubled allowing for the variation among units can be greatly suppressed. - High flexibility
4mm Bending radius [Previous is R25 mm R0.984 in] - High repeated bend capabilities
Bending durability of ten million times. [Previous is 1,000 times]
High Stability
Each FX-500 unit is calibrated at the factory off a standard target to ensure that its digital value is constantly controlled, thus suppressing differences between amplifiers. When combined with our new super quality fibers, stability is maximized to ensure constant performance. This is critical in applications where any variations may cause false or non-detections.
HYPR Mode
The new HYPR mode that is incorporated in the FX-500 series allows for vastly increased detection distances with gains of up to 5.6x longer then the FX-301.
High Speed Detection
The FX-500 is capable of high-speed detections with a response time up to 25µs.
Additional Features
- Built-In Logic Functions
- Automatic Threshold Tracking
- Self-Diagnostic Output
- Display Adjustment Function
- 8 Channel Memory Bank
- 12 Unit Interference Prevention
- Automatic Attenuation
- Multifunction External Input
For more information, here is the FX-500 Series Overview
The GLSBS fork sensors build on the success we have achieved with the GLSZS for material placement applications.
Features Include: Special optical array generates a light-band with high uniformity – Very good resolution and excellent linearity -Space saving, robust design in a full metal housing - Ideally applicable as optical web edge guidance sensor with high precision - For detection and counting of fast moving objects - High vacuum version for process industry available.
- Small footprint – adequate geometry:
- - two different band sizes.
- - two different fork widths.
- - customized housing dimensions.
- Separate amplifier provides an output signal analogue to the coverage of the light-band. Depending on selected electronics with current output 4-20mA or voltage output 0-10V.
- Very good linearity throughout the complete fork width guarantees exact edge detection even on sagging webs.
- With a STM MICROmote® dynamic amplifier the sensor may be used as a space saving alternative to optical frame sensors for fast counting or object detection applications.
For more information, here is the GLSBS Product Brochure or GLSBS40 Datasheet & GLSBS80 Datasheet
This is the latest innovation added to our expanding GLS family of fork sensors and exemplifies the versatility STM is known for.
The GLS03BS fork sensor is designed for high speed quality control applications. When used with our V10 analog amplifiers the homogeneous light band creates an incredibly accurate thickness detection sensor with a resolution down to 0.1 mm and is ideal for detecting knots and other imperfections during the manufacturing process.
Fast moving threads or wires generate highly dynamic signal fluctuations in a conventional through beam sensor only from lateral oscillations which can hardly be differentiated from occurences like knots, material defects or splicings. Different with GLS03BS. The special optics provide for a very consistent lighting of the 4mm large sensing window. Despite the natural vibrations of the object the sensor produces a very even basic signal. Deviations in diameter generate distinct signal peaks on the amplifier output which can clearly be interpreted in shape and size.
· For the inline quality control on fast moving threads, wires or filaments
· To detect knots, material defects, splicings
· Object resolution better 100μm
· Glass protected optics
· Compact and robust design
· Can be combined with STM analog amplifier V10C or the new dynamic amplifier V10H
For more information, here is the GLS03BS Data Sheet
The FD-H25-L43 & FD-H25-L45 Stably Detect Glass Substrates and are Heat-Resistant up to 250 C!
These Fiber heads are made of heat-resistant ABS and 40% lighter than previous models. With its lightness in weight, installation on a robot hand does not create any burden.
Dual beam-receiving window enable for wide range detection and the wide receiving window corresponds to the inclination of substrate.
The fiber sharply turns OFF beyond far-point. FD-H25-L43 Far-point cutoff distance is 40 mm or more within an inclination of sensing object. FD-H25-L45 Far-point cutoff distance is 60 mm or more within an inclination of sensing object.
Sensing Range (Note: This is specified for the standard sensing object transparent glass, 0.7 mm thick)
- FD-H25-L43 : 5 to 15 mm with inclination of the sensing object.
- FD-H25-L45 : 11 to 25 mm with inclination of the sensing object
Allowable Bending Radius: R25 mm or more
Fiber Cable Length: 3 m (fixed)
Ambient Temperature: 20 to 250 C (Ordinary temperature side: 20 to 70 C)
Applicable Amplifiers: FX-100/FX-300/FX-311/FX-410 series (Note: Each specification value is measured with FX-301/305, response time in STD mode.)
Download the 2009-2010 New Product Brochure (7Mb) for more information on this and other SunX products.
When using inductive proximity sensors for a control application, it is common to choose a 3-wire DC prox that has a dedicated NPN or PNP control output and bring the output into a PLC input.
Choosing between polarities means determining how the common is wired and selecting accordingly. However, if there is an issue with the sensor, and your machines are a mix between NPN and PNP sensors, you’ll need to keep a few of each type on hand as spares to prevent a line-down situation.
A simple alternative to 3-wire models: the 2-wire proximity sensor
Instead of having the control output as a separate circuit then the power circuit, the 2-wire solution puts everything in parallel, which essentially consolidates the circuitry into one loop. Figure 1 below shows a typical 3-wire PNP circuit. As you can see, the output wire is specific in its polarity so that it will only function on with a 0V common. The power to the sensor is separate from the output circuit. In figure 2, we see the circuit diagram for the 2-wire variation. The output operation is along the two power wires in the form of a voltage drop, thus making the sensor free to work with either polarity on the common.
Replace NPN and PNP 3-wire models
Because of this, you can use the 2-wire sensor to replace both the NPN and PNP 3-wire models, depending on the way you wire it up. As you can see in figure 3, replacing a three wire sensor is as simple as following the flow of current. Being that in this example you are replacing a PNP, or current sourcing, sensor, you are connecting to an input that has a 0V common. Connecting the 2-wire sensor can be done by merely connecting the blue wire to the input and the brown wire to the 24V source.
The process is the same for replacing a NPN 3-wire sensor. In this case you would just connect the brown wire to the input and the blue wire to the ground of your power supply.
Not only do you have one less wire to install, you have one solution that will work equally as well as both types of 3-wire sensors. This greatly simplifies the usage and replacement of inductive proximity sensors across all applications.
GX-U/FU Series - DC 2-wire Cylindrical Inductive Proximity Sensor
GL-8/8U Series – Compact Rectangular Proximity Sensors available in 2 and 3-wire configurations
GXL Series – Micro Size Rectangular Proximity Sensors available in 2 and 3-wire configurations