Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offer significant benefits to automation and processing plants, through improved machine-to-machine communication, faster and more comprehensive data collection and sharing, and improved predictive maintenance. One of the key enablers of these smart factories is a communication protocol known as IO-Link — an open standard, point-to-point communication […]
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AutomationDirect Productivity1000 PLC has expanded capabilities
The Productivity1000 Stackable Micro PLC provides communications, user-friendly programming, integrated data storage, and a full lineup of discrete, analog and specialty I/O modules in a super-compact size. A new CPU, more power supplies, analog I/O modules and specialty high-speed I/O and PWM modules are now available for the P1000 PLC from AutomationDirect. The P1-550 CPU, […]
NEMA 24 integrated motors with dual-port communications from Applied Motion
Two new NEMA 24 frame integrated motors from Applied Motion Products feature dual-port communications for connecting to the industrial EtherNet/IP network of a plant or machine. By incorporating two M12 EtherNet/IP connectors instead of just one on each axis, the SWM24IP-3DE Integrated Stepper Motor and TXM24IP-IDG StepSERVO Integrated Motor support more efficient network topologies such […]
Omron releases new proximity sensors with enhanced sensing distance and IO-Link
Omron Automation Americas, a globally recognized provider of advanced industrial automation solutions, has announced the release of over 2,500 new models of its E2E NEXT proximity sensor series featuring exceptionally long sensing distances and IoT functionality. Highlights of the new models include an enhanced sensing distance that minimizes target contact during production and IoT capabilities […]
Koford Engineering 60-A 24-V digital sensorless motor drive
Koford Engineering now sells a new series of 60-A 24-V digital sensorless drives. These drives feature 99% efficiency, compact size, and high performance. They run motors to 80,000 rpm and can run two-pole motors. The design can run at 100% duty cycle compared to many other drives that are limited to 95% duty cycle. This […]
New Marland BCMA backstop now has an automatic lubrication system
Marland Clutch now offers an automatic grease lubrication system that eliminates the need to manually grease the labyrinth seals of its Marland BCMA backstops. In many instances, Marland BCMA backstops are located in difficult-to-reach areas making regular grease maintenance very difficult. By installing the new automatic lubrication system, regular grease maintenance is performed, but no […]
Position indicators and axis-adjusting actuators from SIKO include IO-Link
Bus-capable position indicators and actuators from SIKO are suitable for an array of machine builds today. The motion sensors and adjusters make size changeover processes more efficient and reliable — which in turn supports the flexible conversion of modern production systems for ever-smaller batch sizes. It doesn’t matter if such machine conversions are done manually […]
IDEC expands IIoT offerings with a new 15-in. HMI
IDEC Corp. now sells a new HG5G-V 15-in. human-machine interface (HMI) touchscreen, the largest model in the High-Performance family. This HMI offers more display real estate so applications can readily show extensive process information with improved aesthetics and visibility. Display durability from the HMI The HG5G-V 15-in. TFT-LCD screen features a resolution of 1024 x […]
Why use a gearbox with a stepper motor?
Stepper motors are known for their accurate positioning capabilities and high torque delivery at low speeds, but they require careful sizing to ensure the motor matches the load and application parameters, to minimize the possibility of lost steps or motor stalling. Adding a gearbox to a stepper motor system can improve the motor’s performance by […]
Embedded motion and frameless motors in collaborative robots
Collaborative robots are seeing exponential rise in use. “This trend is a perfect example of the so-called fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0 … a term defined by chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab. It’s blurring lines between digital, physical, and biological spheres,” said Jonas Proeger of Trinamic Motion Control. Some of these […]