Industrial Factory Automation

Micro-Epsilon has compared four types of non-contact displacement measurement technology, advising on the pros and cons of each. The four main types of sensors are eddy current, laser triangulation, capacitive and confocal. The eddy-current measurement principle is an inductive measuring method. A coil is supplied with an alternating current, which causes a magnetic field to form around the coil. If an electrically conducting object is placed in this magnetic field, eddy currents are induced, which form an electromagnetic field according to Faraday's Induction Law. The controller calculates the change in energy transferred from the sensor coil to the target material and converts this into a displacement measurement. This method can be used on all electrically conductive, ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic metals. The size of the sensor is relatively small compared with other technologies and the temperature range is high due to the resistance measurement of the sensor and cabl...

Non-contact dispensing methods allow for more efficient production processes, according to Integrated Dispensing Systems (IDS). With the ever-increasing miniaturisation of industrial processes, manufacturers are continually asking for higher demands in production-process accuracy. In the field of precision micro-dispensing, the demands are getting tougher as dosed quantities of oils, greases, adhesives and soldering fluxes must be dispensed with pinpoint accuracy and within a very short period of time - typically less than 2ms per shot or dose. IDS, representing Liquidyn, claims to have a solution for these demands. The current known and widespread method of dispensing is by the traditional contact dispensing method, where the material is volumetrically dispensed by varying time and pressure. However, this method is prone to inaccuracies and potential mess, according to IDS. Liquidyn dispensing valves utilise a non-contact dispensing technique that avoids any contact between the dispe...

Applied Measurements has developed a low-cost device to rapidly and accurately measure tension in pre-stressed wire and cable. The patented Digiforce device has been developed as a non-contact method for determining the tension in reinforcing cables and bars for pre-stressed concrete beams. The equipment used for this tensioning process must be tested on a regular basis, but current methods are time consuming and accuracy is, in part, dependent on the skill of the operator, according to the company. Integral to the durability and structural performance of these products is the correct tensioning of the pre-stressing steel tendons. There are approximately 30 tendons in the average 1,200mm-wide hollow-core floor slab, which may be up to 160m in length. By striking the wire or cable under tension and observing its fundamental natural frequency of vibration, it is possible to develop a battery-powered handheld instrument capable of accurately determining the tensile forces applied to them...

Variohm Eurosensor has announced the availability of the Magnetopot non-contacting linear potentiometer, which provides position feedback from 8mm to 1,200mm in a low profile. Manufactured by Spectra Symbol , the Magnetopot is based upon a fully sealed membrane strip and a simple magnet. It is suitable for hydraulic and pneumatic position sensing as well as other medium precision position feedback applications such as liquid-level monitoring. A rotary version is available for compact, low-profile angle sensing. The Magnetopot is similar in concept to a traditional membrane-type potentiometer, but rather than using a contacting wiper to connect the collector to the resistive element, it relies upon the interaction of a non-contacting external magnet and an encapsulated magnetic or ferromagnetic strip to determine the electrical output and relative position. The thin IP65 membrane has a typical membrane thickness of less than 3.5mm - allowing the position sensor to be discretely installe...

Burkert has expanded both the range and media types that can be measured using non-contact radar technology, with the introduction of the Type 8136, 8137 and 8138 modular radar transmitters. The addition of the new radar sensors allows level measuring in normal, aggressive and hygienic operating environments, at pressures up to 40 bar and temperatures (on hygiene transmitters) to 150C, providing the facility for CIP and SIP. The addition of the new radar sensors to Burkert's existing ranges of ultrasonic, guided microwave and vibrating level sensors means that Burkert can now measure open-channel flow and tank levels for a broad range of solids and liquids covering 95 per cent of all level applications, with dielectric values as low as 1.7. The radar sensors offer operating benefits across a wide range of process industries, including food and beverages (especially breweries and dairies), pharmaceuticals, water treatment (pure water and sewage) and pulp and paper. They are reliabl...

Integrated Dispensing Systems is offering Liquidyn dispensers that enable adhesives, sealants and lubricants to be applied to components without contacting the part. Anaerobic adhesives such as Loctite 648 can now be precisely deposited without contacting the part as a result of a newly developed dispensing head. The dispensing valve applies the adhesive by projecting a small drop over a distance of up to several millimetres (jetting) between nozzle exit and work piece. To achieve this with the adhesive mentioned above, Liquidyn selected suitable materials for the wetted valve components to ensure the adhesive did not cure in the valve. The main problem in the past, when jet dispensing anaerobic media, was the fact that when an anaerobic adhesive comes into contact with metallic valve components in the anaerobic conditions in the valve, it would lead to the rapid hardening of the adhesive in the valve. With careful material selection for all wetted parts, Liquidyn was able to overcome ...

Schott Solar Thin Film, a manufacturer of thin-film solar-power modules, is using non-contact measurement systems from Micro-Epsilon to inspect the quality of solar glass panels. The measurement system has helped to reduce the cost of processing defective parts. Thin-film technology is the manufacturing technology used to produce thin solar cells, which are deposited directly onto a low-cost carrier material, typically glass, metal foil or plastic film. The advantages of using thin-film technology are the material and energy savings made during the production process, good conductivity and the ability to produce large-area solar cells. Schott Solar Thin Film delivers glass panes with a conductive layer (electrode). To optimise the production yield of the thin-film solar cells, all incoming glass panes are measured and inspected on delivery. Here, one of the most important criteria is the evenness or flatness of the glass panes. This must be accurate to just a few millimetres across...