Bulk-handling- and pneumatic-transport-system designers use RFID technology to eliminate connection errors at manual hose-coupling stations for fluidizable materials. Coupling stations, with IO-Link-enabled read/write modules (RWMs) mounted on each outlet pipe, use manual quick-release hoses to feed materials to multiple machines. RFID tags, mounted integrally within each hose coupling and blanking cap, identify the mating parts…
Transparent-object sensors with patented UV technology ensure reliable detection and accurate counting of clear plastic trays During automated packaging of fast-moving products in controlled conditions, thermoforming lines produce transparent plastic tray bases from continuous reel-stock material. A small transparent-object sensor with patented UV technology detects the presence of each set of transparent trays after it…
Transparent-object sensors with patented UV technology detect presence of clear plastic sheet during thermoforming During automated packaging, high-speed thermoforming lines produce transparent plastic blister-trays from continuous reel-stock material. Transparent-object sensors with patented UV technology detect the presence of the transparent plastic sheet as it is unwound, ensuring the material is correctly tensioned as it enters…
During automated packaging of medical products in sterile conditions, conveyors deliver clear plastic tray bases to loading stations. Miniature transparent-object sensors with patented UV technology detect the presence of trays as they arrive, enabling the loading cycle to proceed without risk of a line stoppage occurring. Manual intervention is avoided, ensuring contamination-free, reliable operation with…
More and more RFID customers are choosing Contrinex’s HF RWMs with IO-Link. This comes as no surprise at all to Norbert Matthes, Technical Sales Manager with Contrinex Sensor GmbH in Germany and RFID workshop specialist. Who better then to answer our questions and explain the special appeal of the IO-Link RWMs? 1. Which features of…
During high-speed production of retail items, a confectionery manufacturer conveys individual bags of candy to a pick-and-place packing robot for secondary packaging. A highly reliable diffuse-mode photoelectric sensor, mounted beside the conveyor, detects the presence of bags as they approach the packing station and inhibits the pick-and-place sequence if no bags are queued for packing.…
Continuous investment in manufacturing automation brings with it a corresponding demand for increasingly sophisticated controls. Since modern factories often run ‘lights-out’ with minimal human oversight, ensuring the safety of operational personnel is always a priority. In the era of Industry 4.0, built-in protection for staff assumes ever-greater importance in automated process-control system design; ultra-reliable, maintenance-free…
During high-volume confectionery packaging operations, conveyors deliver stacked cartons to shrink-wrapping stations. At each station, a wrapping machine encloses a stack in heat-shrink film and an infrared oven shrinks the film to form a sealed pack of cartons. A long-distance through-beam photoelectric sensor, mounted beside the conveyor, senses the presence of each pack as it…
A hooklift truck utilizes a hydraulic system for loading and unloading a demountable container. Once the container is correctly positioned on the vehicle’s load bed, interlock bolts engage with its base, locking it into position. Rugged sensor systems detect the position of the container prior to activating the locking mechanism, ensuring the bolts will engage…
A plastics manufacturer tests batches of control knobs for in-car audio systems before shipment to automotive assembly plants; each knob contains a small metal washer that occasionally becomes dislodged. A custom-built testing machine tests a tray of 70 knobs in a single cycle; long-distance inductive sensors, positioned directly below the knobs, confirm the presence of…