Industrial Factory Automation

The new SMCI36 controller is distinguished by its compact construction and comes with a Closedloop-capable encoder input. Nanotec only utilises 'real' Closedloop, meaning that the stator magnetic field is controlled via the rotary encoder, as with a servomotor. The stepper motor can no longer lose any more steps, all the way up to its maximum torque. The current magnitude is continually adjusted to the presently required torque. This substantially decreases current consumption and heat development in comparison with conventional stepper-motor controllers, which leads not only to reduced electrical power requirements but also to a longer service life for components. The combination of DSP Drive technology and the SMCI 36 model provides for especially quiet-running, low-vibration stepper motors, as required for medical technology, laboratory automation and optical devices. In the normal clock direction mode too, stepper motors operated with this software-based current control...

The PD4 motors of the Plug and Drive model series target companies that are looking for economical and flexible machinery integration. The PD4 motors are also available in IP65 compliant versions for use in raw industrial environments. With their integrated encoder and positioning controller, and the quiet running DSP Drive, their advantages are crucial in areas where speed, exact positioning and space-saving installations are essential. These models are jet-water protected, resistant to dust and have improved EMC compatibility. They are compatible to the complete range of Plug and Drive motors in other sizes and thus offer developers the opportunity to employ a uniform communication and control technology in a mixed environment. Like all Plug and Drive motors from Nanotec, these models rely on a digital signal processor for current control that implements Nanotec's DSP Drive technology and controls the current with a resolution of 12 bit instead of the 6 or 8 bits common with IC...

IFM Electronic's UHF RFID system uses the 865-870MHz band (there is also a 902-928MHz variant for the US market), offering flexibility on a standard platform. For the European range there are five different antennae. The more compact ultra-low and low range will read tags in close proximity without seeing adjacent tags, making them the most selective. A mid-range antenna will pick up data from a tag up to 2m away, while the long-range options can read a tag at 7m. Bulk reading of the standard tags is also well within the capability of the new system, which is based around the worldwide ISO 18000-6C, EPC, Global Class 1 Gen 2. The information read from the tag is presented to the outside world through a simple Ethernet TCP/IP standard interface. The software for configuring the system reader with up to four antennae attached comes supplied with IFM's DTE800 reader unit. Further integration into an automated system is made possible with coordinating input and output signals o...

Huntsman has announced its technical involvement in a project that showcases the possibilities of building a concept electric car - the 'U-Box' - using environmentally sustainable components. The car will have its first showing in France at JEC Paris in March. The U-Box incorporates differentiated materials, including renewable flax and basalt fibres for reinforcing composite parts in combination with new toughened resins, as well as halogen-free, fire-resistant resin. Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) have also been integrated in the composite structure of the U-Box. In addition to this, Huntsman equipped the vehicle with composite wheels and provided composite bonders offering high strength, flexibility and temperature resistance. On its stand, Huntsman will also be showing Araldite MY 0816, a naphthalene diepoxy announced at JEC 2009, which will be complemented by additional new building blocks such as a fluorene diepoxy resin and a diaminodiphenyl sulfone bas...

Eplan Pro Panel allows the definition of a virtual 3D prototype of the mounting layout independently of the electrical or fluid schematic, according to Rittal. Mounting panels, housings or enclosures can be dimensioned optimally so that the costs are reduced. Consistent data for all the participating engineering disciplines ensure that the workflow towards the production is also efficient. Eplan Pro Panel is also said to provide added value to the complete engineering process. Designing on the basis of the Eplan platform is supported fully in both electrical and fluid engineering. This applies to mounting panels that are planned with Eplan Electric P8 as well as for hydraulics units designed with Eplan Fluid. Attrition losses through data conversion between the disciplines are no longer an issue. The optional Pro Panel module offers all the functions for equipping mounting panels or for defining power units and valve blocks on the basis of the systems of the Eplan platform. Standar...

Going Solar has been awarded a contract to install around 2,200 photovoltaic (PV) panels onto a series of warehouse roofs in Ipswich, Suffolk. The installation, set to start in February and complete in March, is designed to generate up to 500kW - enough power to supply more than 100 homes. Going Solar has recently completed a host of projects around the UK, including a solar thermal panel installation for heating an indoor swimming pool at Abberley Hall school, near Worcester. This installation is expected to reduce energy bills by around GBP10,000 a year. Going Solar specialises in providing large solar PV systems as well as across-the-board renewable energy systems for medium-to-large businesses and organisations. Other services include grant advice, system design, project commissioning and maintenance.

WEG has launched a Blackberry app that provides motor users with a mobile tool to calculate energy savings, return on investment and reductions in CO2 emissions. It also provides them with the means to create reports across all electric motors in their organisations. The app offers the benefits of dual set-up options for kW and HP, and euro, dollar and pound as default currencies, with the facility for other currencies via a 'custom' function. In addition, co-efficients for CO2 emissions are provided for coal, oil, natural gas and other fuels. The Blackberry app is a good tool for calculating the payback time for premium versus standard efficiency motors in new projects, and is equally useful in assessing the running costs of existing motors to determine the repayment time for replacing them with more efficient types. It also enables users to calculate and display the payback time for a new motor against the cost of rewinding following a motor failure. Here, the system take...