Florence, KY – Balluff’s new IO-Link based RFID systems let users connect RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems to networks as easily as connecting discrete I/O, without adding any additional cost. The IO-Link protocol allows users to connect a complex device such as an RFID processor to an industrial network via a gateway using standard discrete sensor wiring. 
The new systems simplify network topology and PLC setup by using the IO-Link block, which treats the RFID data like standard I/O points. It also helps to reduce costs by running multiple RFID readers off one I/O block using standard, 3-conductor sensor cables.
For example, IO-Link–based RFID could be used in place of barcodes in industrial applications like pallet assembly. RS232 barcode applications typically carry high installation costs, due to the price of the shielded RS232 cables and RS232 communication module for the PLC. There can also be additional cost for an I/O enclosure placed between the barcode readers and the PLC, because of cable length limitations of serial communication.
The Balluff IO-Link solution uses cost-equivalent IO-Link-based RFID heads and processors, but offers 100% data reliability that the barcode readers do not. The Balluff solution can also replace the I/O enclosure, four shielded cordsets, and a 4-port RS232 PLC module with a single IO-Link Expansion Module and four 3-conductor, non-shielded cordsets. This simplifies the installation, reduces cost, and improves data reliability. Also, there are additional I/O points made available by the Expansion Module that can be used for analog devices, pressure sensors, discrete sensors, or a combination of these.
For more information about RFID products for IO-Link, go to: http://www.balluff.com/IO-Link
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