Industrial Factory Automation

Mclennan Servo Supplies has launched a range of microstepping drives from Applied Motion Products. The flexible STAC5 series features advanced algorithms for extended dynamic performance and flexible motion-control options including a choice of step and direction, PC or PLC host control and full-featured multitasking programmable control. The compact panel-mount STAC5 series is designed for straightforward integration into motion-control systems with direct-online power at nominal voltages of 120 and 220V AC with a maximum of 5A per phase to suit 23- and 34-frame NEMA stepper motors. A 100Mbit Ethernet communication port is included to configure the drive with self test and auto setup, as well as support streaming of individual commands or full program upload and download. An encoder feedback option is also available that provides position verification and combines with a stall-detection and stall-prevention feature that allows selectable levels of position maintenance. The STAC5 has...

Spelsberg has extended its enclosures range with a new line of heavy-duty glass reinforced polyester (GRP) products, suitable for use in harsh industrial environments. The GRP enclosures are offered in a range of sizes and boost application flexibility through a range of accessories and the possibility of CNC modifications, as well as a host of customisation possibilities. Spelsberg's heavy-duty GRP enclosures are designed to provide effective corrosion resistance for electrical and electronic controls in the harsh environments typical of the marine, offshore, petrochemical, paper and water-treatment industries. Sealed to IP65 to protect against the ingress of dust and liquids, the GRP enclosures offer a robust construction with features such as an integral drip shield, to direct liquids away from the door shield. Spelsberg claims that GRP offers a high level of rigidity at minimal thicknesses, equating to increased protection for a wide range of housed equipment and instrumentat...

Bentley Systems is extending its Projectwise V8i synchronised collaboration and Bentley Navigator V8i review and markup capabilities to users of mobile devices, such as Ipads. Bentley Navigator is used by infrastructure teams to interactively view, analyse and augment project information in both individual and collaborative workflows. A Projectwise Passport constitutes a license for any and all Projectwise client, desktop and web applications, as well as for Bentley Navigator. Projectwise Explorer enables users to work in collaborative workflows, providing managed, synchronized, and secure access to project content such as I-models, Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, images, and movies. With the new Ipad apps, users can have these capabilities anywhere. Any browser-based user of Windows 7 tablets and laptops can access Projectwise functionality using Projectwise Web Parts and use Bentley Navigator, available anywhere. Projectwise Web Parts can be incorporated into any website and inte...

Igus has developed a lighter version of the E4.1 that also offers more filling space for cables and hoses and a new mechanism for quickly opening crossbars on both sides of the chain simultaneously. The E4.1 light extends the modular energy chain range, which already comprises more than 70,000 parts for almost every energy chain application. According to Igus, it is a cost-effective system that enables customers to build smaller equipment. The specially designed outer links set the pretension (or camber), allowing assembly without pretension to be carried out for cramped conditions or for vertically hanging energy chains. For designs with a change of direction of rotation, such as in zigzag applications, the direction of bending radius can be varied through the rotatable inner link. The E4.1 light's tongue and groove design, which interlocks the chain links, ensures good torsion resistance and high stability, particularly for side-mounted applications. For applications requirin...

Scientists at the von Karman Institute in Belgium have contracted Layerwise to produce a scaled turbine inlet guide vane model for a turbine research project. Layerwise built the metal vane specimen as a single part, complete with internal cooling cavity and fine instrumentation channels. Research based on detailed simulation and testing concludes that turbine cooling could be improved by ejecting a pulsating stream through the trailing edge, instead of a continuous stream. At the same time, the pulsed cooling significantly reduces the intensity of the shock waves. This opens up opportunities for jet engine and power-plant turbine manufacturers to achieve higher turbine expansions, resulting in more compact engines and reduced development costs. Turbine blades in jet engines and power plants are internally cooled because of their exposition to high-temperature gas flow, directly discharged from the combustion chamber. Shock waves formed at the trailing vane edge generate strong stato...

The 12.5A PLD12.5K-CH driver supports fibre-coupled lasers used in applications in medical, dental, micro-machining, material processing, semiconductor inspection and imaging. The PLD-CH Chassis Mount Series offers single-supply low-voltage operation from 5V DC, which minimises heat dissipation. For applications that require a higher forward voltage, a separate laser-diode power-supply input allows for flexible compliance voltages up to 28V DC. Safety is paramount on all Wavelength Electronics controllers. The PLD-CH Series safety features include: slow-start circuit; mechanical shorting relay; and active current limit.

The MS45xx Series is suited for blocked filter detection, altitude and airspeed measurements, medical instruments, fire-suppression systems, panel meter, factory automation and leak detection. The 9.9 x 12.4mm ceramic-based PCB-mounted pressure transducer is presented in an eight-pin ROHS-compatible package with pressure ranges of 0-30in H2O and 0-150psi. This series contains both high-level analogue output (MS4515, MS4525) and digital output (MS4515DO, MS4525DO) where the digital output versions feature either I2C or SPI interface and provide 14-bit pressure as well as 11-bit temperature sensing. All versions of the series use the latest CMOS sensor conditioning circuitry to create a low-cost, high-performance transducer designed to meet the strictest OEM requirements. The MS45xx Series is fully calibrated and temperature compensated with a total error band (TEB) of less than one per cent over the compensated range. This rugged ceramic transducer operates from a single supply of eit...