The global site of the UK's leading magazine for automation, motion engineering and power transmission
29 March, 2024

LinkedIn
Twitter
Twitter link
News » Product News 

Camera grabs videos before and after incidents

04 January, 2017

At the recent SPS IPC Drives show in Germany, Sick launched a camera that captures images and video sequences taken immediately before and after an event, to reveal the causes of plant malfunctions – such as safety barriers being ignored or items being removed from production lines. The camera can transmit event-controlled video sequences directly to the cloud, as well as storing them locally on an SD memory card.


Gateway links plants to the IoT, without any programming

04 January, 2017

New from Bosch Rexroth is a gateway that links new or existing plants to the Internet of Things (IoT) without affecting the automation logic. The Linux-based IoT gateway uses Java apps and open interfaces. Configuration is Web-based, and needs no programming.


Motion control software adds support for OPC-UA

04 January, 2017

Siemens has updated its Simotion motion control software, equipping it with object-oriented programming (OOP) and communications via OPC UA.


Next-generation motion engineering system is unveiled

02 December, 2016

At the recent SPS IPC Drives show in Germany, SEW-Eurodrive unveiled the first elements in a next-generation modular motion engineering system that will encompass all elements from controls, software and inverters, to motors. The new Movi-C products will be programmed using a single engineering software package, called Movisuite, that combines planning, configuration and diagnostics functions and will be used to set up everything from single inverters to complete machines.


45mm-wide twin-axis servodrive is ‘world’s thinnest’

02 December, 2016

The German motion engineer Stober has developed what it claims is the world’s narrowest multi-axis servodrive. The modular, rack-based SI6 system includes double-axis modules (2 x 5A) that are 45mm wide, resulting in six-axis systems that are 18cm wide, and 20-axis systems that are less than 50cm wide, including power supplies. The drives have a position, speed and current cycle time of 62.5µs.


Energy-saving VSD targets fans, pumps and compressors

30 November, 2016

At last week’s SPS IPC Drives exhibition in Germany, ABB unveiled a new general-purpose variable-speed drive designed to optimise pump, fan and compressor operations, efficiently and simply. The compact ACS480 drive – which is available in ratings from 0.75–11kW, 380–480V – is said to offer users all of the functions they will need to control standard applications easily and intuitively.


Tiny industrial PC ‘will open up new applications’

28 November, 2016

The German automation manufacturer Beckhoff has developed a tiny industrial PC (IPC) that, it predicts, will open up new applications for IPCs, especially where there are cost or space limitations, or where expensive customised motherboards would have been needed before.


Automation platform brings entire lines under one controller

21 November, 2016

Yamaha has announced in Japan that it has developed a robotic automation platform that, it says, will allow automated production lines to be built quickly at low costs. The platform includes a wide range of components – including controllers, Scara robots, linear conveyor modules, single-axis robots and “smart” cameras – that together form a portfolio of 91 components and 202 variants that will go on sale on 1 December.


Motor breakers combine two forms of protection

21 November, 2016

The Italian controls manufacturer Lovato has announced a new generation of motor protection circuit-breakers spanning ratings from 0.1–100A. The SM breakers provide both short-circuit and thermal protection, reducing the need for thermal overload relays and fuses, and saving space and wiring time.


Gateway connects devices to CC-Link IE Field

21 November, 2016

The Swedish industrial communications specialist HMS Industrial Networks has extended its Anybus CompactCom 40-series family of communication interfaces with a new version that allows any automation device to communicate on the CC-Link IE Field network. HMS says it now offers both embedded and stand-alone gateway systems for all of CC-Link’s communication formats.


Wireless IoT gateway is ‘smallest and most flexible’

21 November, 2016

The Canadian wireless IoT specialist, Sierra Wireless, claims to have developed the world’s smallest, most flexible and rugged programmable cellular gateway. The FX30 gateway provides an integrated embedded platform that will connect any machine to any IoT application or cloud, enabling fast, scalable and global deployment of IoT systems.


Vision system ‘speeds up with each camera added’

11 November, 2016

The machine vision market-leader, Cognex has announced a family of smart vision systems for multi-camera applications which, it claims, gets faster with each camera added.


System drives use new technology to boost performance

09 November, 2016

At its annual Automation Fair in the US, Rockwell Automation has announced a family of modular system drives that use a new field-oriented control technology called TotalForce which, it claims, will deliver superior motor control through precise, adaptive control of velocity, torque and position. The technology incorporates several patented functions designed to optimise the operation of systems and to boost productivity.


Linear axes are set up via a Web browser ‘in less than a minute’

03 November, 2016

The German motion plastics specialist igus has developed an easy-to-use, Web-based system for programming the movement of linear axes, that avoids the need for special software or apps.


Single-beam safety light barriers are ‘world’s smallest’

02 November, 2016

The German machine safety specialist Schmersal claims to have developed the world’s smallest safety light barriers with built-in evaluation functions. The single-beam SLB 240/440/450 barriers measure 28 x 32 x 72mm (or 91mm long for versions with connector sockets), and can be mounted quickly in confined spaces.


Magazine
  • To view a digital copy of the latest issue of Drives & Controls, click here.

    To visit the digital library of past issues, click here

    To subscribe to the magazine, click here

     

Poll

"Do you think that robots create or destroy jobs?"

Newsletter
Newsletter

Events

Most Read Articles