Industrial Factory Automation

Renold has launched a new version of Smartlink, the innovative chain monitoring technology that can be installed and operated either by maintenance engineers or OEMs. Previous versions of Smartlink have had to be installed and monitored by Renold's own engineers limiting its use to larger projects. Now Smartlink can be owned and operated by anyone, bringing the benefits of chain monitoring to a much wider range of applications. The new Smartlink devices are supplied already fitted to a section of chain; users simply install the new chain link and Smartlink is ready to go. The new Smarlink units are available for operation on 1, 1.25 and 1.5in pitch chains. They are remotely controlled with a choice of two handheld devices, providing users with two levels of sophistication. The simpler of the two handheld controllers is no bigger than a keyfob and enables Smartlink to be operated as an overload detector. In this instance Smartlink will provide a warning when chain exceeds a pred

Dalsa has released the Falcon 1.4M100 1.4 megapixel, high-speed camera from Firstsight Vision. The new camera delivers 100 frames a second at full 1400 x 1024 pixel resolution. Even faster frame rates can be achieved through vertical windowing. The dynamic range of 57dB ensures excellent image quality. Housed in a compact body, the new camera is ideally suited to applications in electronics manufacturing and semiconductor inspection. These include wire and die bonding, flat panel display inspection and pick and place. The high-speed capabilities also make it suitable for use in industrial metrology and general machine vision applications such as print registration and pharmaceutical inspection. The sensor provides global shuttering, global reset and concurrent integration and readout. True global shuttering is suited to imaging fast-moving objects. It captures crisp images without smear or distortion by electronically shuttering all pixels simultaneously, even at short exposure tim