The A-Track Series linear actuators incorporates many new design features, including a round, ground ball nut, a motor shaft supported by bearings rather than bushings, and limit switch and potentiometer options. Four models are included to meet a wide variety of application requirements. With their compact size, they can be located in confined areas, yet move loads from 25 to 1,330 pounds. Weatherproofing makes these actuators suitable for use on outdoor equipment. Since all adjustments and lubrication are made during assembly, no maintenance is required or recommended.

Warner Electric

The R-series is a digitally-based "smart" sensor which includes diagnostic LEDs and external programming capabilities to ensure that sensor installation and troubleshooting efforts are kept to a minimum. Featuring a reduced electronics envelope, the compact R-series is now available with a full line of analog and digital serial outputs for non-contact sensing in linear and absolute measurement applications.

Electromate Industrial Sales Ltd.

Carlo Gavazzi has introduced a new inductive loop detector designed to provide a reliable way to detect vehicles for any of the following applications: door and gate control, access control, operating barriers, parking management, vehicle counting and card dispenser applications. The relay output is ideal for controlling all kinds of doors, shutters, swing gates, sliding gates, and barriers. A single loop and dual loop version are available. Both feature a simple setup via push button and dip switches, automatic calibration, ON-delay to avoid false detection of small or fast moving objects, and multiple selectable loop frequencies to prevent crosstalk among adjacent loops.

Carlo Gavazzi (Canada) Inc.

Galil offers a new BOX option that provides a metal enclosure for its DMC-21x3 card-level motion controllers. The option combines a DMC-21x3 controller and ICM-20105 interconnect board in an 8.55" x 5.6" x 1.95" metal enclosure. The controller delivers 1-8 axis control of step or servomotors in any combination of axis. It also features 10-Base T communications with RS232 port, and the ability to program such modes of motion as point-to-point positioning, jogging, linear and circular interpolation, electronic gearing, ECAM and contouring.

Electromate Industrial Sales Ltd.

Woodhead announces the addition of its Classic 60mm wide family of IP67 BradControl™ discrete I/O modules for PROFIBUS®. They come in an 8-port 16-channel format with the availability of four I/O configurations supporting both PNP and NPN input devices. The discrete I/O modules are suited for use with material handling equipment and automated assembly machinery. They can be machine mounted and are rated for IP67 harsh environments.

Woodhead Industries, Inc.

The In-Sight® 5400R is a remote-head camera version of the industrial-grade In-Sight 5400 vision sensor. It is ideal for applications where mounting space is limited, or a lightweight camera is required. The camera is about the size of a C-cell battery and weighs less than 2.5 ounces which makes it ideal for moving applications where the camera is mounted on the end of a robot arm, on a gantry or on a positioning stage. The unit has a separate camera and processor that can be mounted up to 15 meters apart and connected by a cable. The camera meets IEC specifications for shock and vibration and achieves an IP67 (NEMA 6) rating to withstand dust and washdown.

Cognex Corporation

The CS8550DiF monochrome video camera provides 60 frame-per-second double-speed non-compressed VGA output, qualifying it for high-speed applications such as machine vision, barcode reading, semiconductor inspection and gauging. Based on a 1/3" progressive scan CCD with a square grid array, this camera offers plug-and-play ease with its Firewire IEEE1394 interface that allows full control by a PC without a frame grabber. The camera works in a wide range of lighting conditions all the way down to 4.0 Lux, with functions like backlight compensation and electronic shutter helping to compensate for bright lighting sources.

Toshiba Teli America, Inc.

STI introduces Sockets with LED Indicators for their Force Guided Relay Modules (FGR-M1). The LED indicator is on when power is applied to the socket. The series is easily installed and may be mounted on 35mm DIN rail or surface mounted with two screws, with a full range of 4-pole and 6-pole contact configurations. In applications of 6 amps or less, the relays may serve as the machine primary control element. In heavier current applications, the relays should be wired in series between the heavy current carrying MPCE and a safety monitoring relay, light curtain, or other safety rated redundant output controller.

Scientific Technologies, Inc.

The BK7150 bus couplers connect the CC-Link network to the entire Beckhoff I/O system. CC-Link is an open fieldbus system with baud rates up to 10 Mbaud that can be selected via a switch, so that transfer speeds can be adapted to unique process requirements. In addition to CC-Link, additional bus coupler solutions are fully compatible with DeviceNet, Profibus, Ethernet, TCP/IP, SERCOS, ControlNet, CANopen, Lightbus and several others. When installed, one CC-Link I/O node consists of a Bus Coupler, up to 64 I/O terminals and one Bus End Terminal.

Beckhoff Automation LLC.

The Rhino™ style weld-immune inductive proximity sensors are available in 20mm flush mountable and 40mm non-flush mount sensing ranges. These sensors feature a weld slag resistant sensing face and all-metal housing and mounting for maximum application durability. These four-wire, 10-30VDC sensors are 40mm x 40mm cube style and offer both N.O. and N.C. PNP outputs. They offer a five-way rotating head for installation flexibility and include two corner, high-visibility indicators for power and target status.

Pepperl+Fuchs

The PIAB Modular Automation Tooling (PMAT) system allows users to construct vacuum-end effector tools to meet their exact needs with minimal design time. Made of hard-coat anodized aluminum, PMAT is lightweight and easy to assemble onsite without welding or use of special tools, making it ideal for material handling applications in a variety of industries including automotive, packaging, food, plastics and woodworking. The system features a swivel arm assembly with a choice of various functional attachments, including a PIAB vacuum pump.

PIAB

The STAC6-Q stepper drives feature Q programming -- a comprehensive programming language with options for downloading, storing and executing multiple programs with a single drive. They provide current output from 0.5 to 6.0 A with 90-135 VAC input, 50/60 Hz, and provide software selectable resolutions from 200 to 51,200 steps/rev at speeds up to 133 rps. The robust Q programming environment provides users with register manipulation, conditional processing, math functions and multi-tasking. Additional benefits include pulse and direction with electronic gearing, encoder following with electronic gearing, clockwise and counter clockwise pulse, as well as the ability to host interface while executing internal programs.

Applied Motion Products

PSENcode is a non-contact, coded safety switch that meets the highest requirements for safety gate monitoring. Coding on the safety switch and its counterpart guarantees excellent protection against manipulation and meets Category 4 of EN 954-1. It is quick and easy to install, with no need to wire a second switch. Five directions of actuation and a long (17 mm) switching distance ensure maximum flexibility of installation. Definite assignment of a switch and its counterpart makes it impossible to manipulate the safety gate being monitored. A unique, fully coded version of the switch also is available for more demanding safety requirements.

Pilz Automation Safety L.P.

The TH550 and the TH850 scara robots feature high-speed operations, high payload capacities and compact bodies. Low profile, heavy-duty housings provide the stability necessary for each model to achieve rapid performance. The TH550 reaches composite speeds of 6.21 m/s, while the TH850 accelerates to 8.03 m/s; three-axis speeds for both reach 2000 mm/s. With a 2 kg payload, standard cycle times for the TH550 are 0.33s; and 0.49s for the TH850. Maximum payload mass is 5 kg and 20 kg for the TH550 and the TH850, respectively. The total arm length of the TH550 is 550mm, while the TH850's total arm length is 850mm.

Toshiba Machine Co., America

The JETT*eye™ integrates digital photography, bar code and wireless connectivity capabilities in a hand-held computer that lets users easily capture colour digital images and data in any remote location and seamlessly transmit everything to a main office, manufacturing facility or other centralized location. The unit is built for quality digital imaging and data capture in the most demanding industrial environments. Its bar code imaging sensor, with a read distance of up to 8.25" and excellent depth-of-field fully supports the industry's most widely used bar code standards.

Two Technologies, Inc.

PIATI_PGP was developed for organizations seeking an automatic identification component for Data Matrix decoding software applications. Typical applications include the automatic decoding of Data Matrices that have been machine-marked on wafers/PCBs/substrates, glass lenses, molds and containers, electronic components and carriers, medical/dental devices and instruments, automotive or aerospace components, direct mail pieces and packaged goods, consistent with identifying, matching, sorting, tracking or verifying these products as they move through various manufacturing or material handling processes.

The Value Engineering Alliance

The Boston Bean software components library eliminates the programming challenge required to develop motion sequences in the complex language of motion control systems. "Boston Beans" are versatile, platform-independent software extensions -- now included on Copley's setup CD and on the web -- accelerate the development of motion sequences with fill-in-the-blanks simplicity. Users simply select the desired functions from a library of standard Beans to build a motion sequence. The program is then compiled to a compact, efficient program and stored in the servo amplifier's flash memory.

Copley Controls

The ArtistaNET™ LAN controller with Ethernet interface makes it possible to integrate a wide range of TFT LCDs over a LAN or WLAN network without the use of a Client PC. This versatile, easy-to-use controller board provides Ethernet speeds of 10/100 Mbit/s, supports LCD resolutions from QVGA (320 x 240) to WXGA (1366 x 768), and supports wireless local area networks up to 802.11 b/g. It supports TFT LCDs from 5" to 46" diagonal in size, comes with an integrated 4-wire resistive touch screen controller, easily integrates in LAN/WLAN networks and supports a range of graphics formats, including BMP, JPEG, GIF and PNG. Network configuration is over DHCP with configuration over the web browser surface.

Macrovision, Inc.

The I&J7100 bench top Cartesian dispensing robot handles a dispensing area of 8 x 6 inches and is capable of storing up to 100 different programs. Step-by-step intuitive instructions simplify job creation tasks, allowing a program to be entered and running in minutes. A 16-channel I/O interface provides for communication with external devices for secondary applications and multiple dispensing equipment components. An optional Windows Software Package with a DXF file converter is available for programming from a PC and an optional Vision System Package is available for automatic part location.

I&J Fisnar Inc.

Roh'lix® linear actuators convert rotary motion to linear travel and carry loads at speeds up to 70 inches per second depending on size. They are ideal for positioning operations in all types of machinery and are an alternative to ball screws. Designed to handle thrust rated between 5 and 200 lbs., loads can be easily attached to the Roh'lix carrier block using two cap screws. The unit's thrust capacity is adjustable so that the system will disengage if the present thrust is exceeded, providing overload protection if an obstruction is encountered in the system.

Zero-Max, Inc.

The E-series of Temposonics® magnetostrictive position sensors features a gradient upload capability to its digital pulse output model EP2. Because it allows for automatic upload of the sensor-scaling factor and therefore automatic calibration, this feature simplifies system setup and maintenance by eliminating the possibility of operator error. In addition, the "Start/Stop" pulse output enables users to sense as many as four distinct positions at one time along the same axis. Each EP2 sensor is equipped with a waveguide sensing element, conditioning electronics for output position data, a protective metal application housing and an external position magnet. The entire sensor may be mounted to the machine by way of standard mounting feet and screws.

MTS Systems Corp.

The CINTAC™ Advanced Automation System simplifies the automating of rotary on-off valves. It eliminates the needs to engineer, procure and assemble separate rack and pinion actuators, switches, solenoid valves, linkages, tubes and fittings. Designed to support future growth, the system includes advanced diagnostics, digital bus communication capabilities and automated on-line emergency shutdown testing. Users benefit from intelligent reliability, plug and play installation, as well as many unique standard features that make the system easier to use, install and maintain.

Metso Automation

Canadian Industrial Equipment News May 2006

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