Baumer’s robust stainless steel encoders ideal in harsh environment

Baumer (www.baumer.com), a leading manufacturer of sensors and system solutions for process and factory automation, offers an extensive array of stainless steel encoder designs that is ideal in harsh environments such as in container ship loading facilities, in chemical industry, offshore industry and in food and beverage industries’ bottling processes.

Sensor products utilized in these industries requires specific sealing and housing techniques to protect them from the prevailing adverse conditions. The encoders employed must withstand aggressive media and lubricants, salty air, oils and cleaning agents.

The company’s all-encompassing encoder portfolio comprises absolute and incremental encoders that feature robust stainless steel housings and are specifically developed for operation under extreme conditions. The compact encoders are offered with common housing, as hollow or solid shaft designs and provide IP69K and IP68 protection. Baumer also offers ATEX-certified variants, which are suitable for applications in potentially explosive environments. The encoders deliver the highest degree of flexibility enabling it to seamlessly integrate into automation systems. Customers can select between fieldbus, SSI and Ethernet interfaces such as DeviceNet, CANopen, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, Profibus, SAEJ1939, POWERLINK or PROFINET.

One of the highlights of Baumer’s portfolio of stainless steel encoder is the absolute multiturn encoder series “MAGRES hermetic”, which features hermetically encapsulated sensing and electronics. Aside from providing IP69K and IP68 protection, the encoders are also impermeable to fluids. The absolute encoder GE404 comes with optical sensing fitted in robust V4-A stainless steel design, which is compliant to class 1.4435 or class 1.4404. With Viton seals that are ultra-resistant against high temperature and chemicals, the encoders also feature a high 12-bit multiturn and 14-bit singleturn resolution for ultra-accurate position feedback even at speeds of up to 10,000 rpm.

SICK introduces A3M Absolute Multiturn Encoder

SICK (www.sick.com) has unveiled a robust, absolute multiturn encoder that offers the new A3M encoder – a 14-bit sigleturn and 17-bit multiturn or a total of 31-bit output. Integrated with a Profibus output, the encoder features absolute encoders that are native to it, even without an internal power source.

Featuring internal electronics that are resistant to condensation and contamination, the new A3M is ideal for use in outdoor applications and harsh environment. Based on the design of magnetic technology that utilizes few moving parts, the new encoder’s advance versions can communicate through the DP V2, wherein Profibus can be directly used by motion control applications instead of a secondary motion control bus.

The new encoder’s conformal coating for resistance against a high IP rating and condensation makes it suitable for outdoor applications such as cranes and outdoor warehousing systems. The advanced models of the A3M60, which provides the DP V2 protocol, can be utilized in motion control applications where fast cycle times and speed are very important.

Aside from bag forming, palletizers, labeling, filling, sealing, and folding machines, the A3M60 can also be used in collision avoidance and position control applications. Other typical applications where the new encoder can be used include AGVs, assembly machine, welding and paint spraying robots.

The A3M60 is also suitable for the various needs of general manufacturing applications where a Profibus fieldbus network is utilized.

Emsflower precision control in greenhouses by Riwo Engineering

Emsflower currently has around 26 hectares of greenhouse and grows more than 500 million plants every year. Its problem on how to minimize costs in automation system for plant handling and watering was solved by automation provider Riwo Engineering, along with the Control Techniques Drive Center.

Riwo Engineering’s new automation system had to encompass spraying and pest control, watering, autonomous function of individual sections and central control, precise positioning overruns of 250m, the transport of plants, and the means to transport water and power along 150m. This system is easy to use and all at a limited cost.

The system is composed of trolleys with plastic wheels that run on overhead rails along every 8m-wide greenhouse bay. The two wheels placed on each trolley are powered by asynchronous motors with encoders controlled by Control Techniques’ 1,5kW Unidrive SP AC drives.

The modules and trolleys, powered by Unidrive SP drives from Control Techniques, communicate through CT-Net along with the master drive and thence with the master computer. CT-Net enables several drives to be connected into a master, while the onboard programming allows the required degree of repeatability and accuracy to be reached. Its open structure, which is based on the Modbus protocol, provides the master with a low cost interface. Control Techniques’ Unidrive SP is an advanced “solutions platform” AC drive, which is configurable into five operating modes – closed and open loop, vector, regenerating and servo modes – compatible with standard networks that is configurable for all types of AC motors such as linear motors and accepts 14 position feedback protocols.