April 2021

46 n NEW PRODUCTS April 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com Rittal has announced a range of baying enclosures that, it claims, offer faster time-to-delivery, simpler assembly, improved safety, and compatibility with other Rittal systems. The VX SE enclosures are said to provide a “best-of-both-worlds” option between Rittal’s AX compact enclosures and its VX25 baying enclosures. The range includes a 300mm-deep version suitable for cramped locations. The free-standing enclosures have all-in-one bodies made from one piece of steel sheet or stainless steel. The side panels and roof are solid, reducing the number of components required, and simplifying ordering and assembly. No extra earthing to the frame is needed. The basic version of the VX SE has IP55 protection, IK10 impact protection, and a 1.5- tonne load capacity. IP66 and Nema 4/4x options are available. Gland plates in the base simplify cabling. Widths of up to 1,800mm allow users to replace small baying combinations of up to three enclosures, without needing seals, baying accessories, or mounting-plate infills. The VX SE is compatible with the VX25 interior components, and their base profiles are the same, allowing VX accessories such as gland plates and cable clamp rails to be transferred. Rittal 01709 704000 www.rittal.com/uk-en Sick has launched a family of miniature photoelectric sensors that offer a choice of detection options and application-specific optics in rugged 16 x 40 x 12mm housings. The W4F sensors cover eight different sensor types, split in to Expert and Standards versions. All support Sick’s BluePilot push-turn pinpoint alignment and on-sensor status display, and are unaffected by bright ambient light. The Expert sensors include a MultiSwitch model with two switching points and a distance measurement output in mm. It can detect an item, whether it is upright or on its side. A ForegroundSuppression sensor can detect reflective objects less than 1mm deep on a conveyor. A V-Optic sensor has a V-focused light beam for high accuracy when detecting mirrored or transparent products. A DoubleLine sensor upgrades Sick’s MultiLine technology, adding more power to detect components with uneven surfaces, recesses, holes, grids or grooves. The Standards photoelectric sensors include a through-beam sensor with an 8m sensing range, a retro-reflective sensor with a 5m range, two proximity sensors with background suppression, and a narrow-beam sensor that can detect black objects with a remission of less than 1%. The sensors’ IO-Link functions include a “current receiver level” read-out for monitoring detection in real time, and diagnostic functions for monitoring sensor status and responding if parameters such as temperature or contamination deviate beyond set limits. Sick 01727 831121 www.sick.co.uk Standalone baying enclosures bridge the gap Smart photoelectric sensors offer a choice of technologies Fluke has launched a pair of rugged, reliable and accurate thermal imagers designed to detect hot spots on machines and factory equipment, before failures occur. Designed for one-hand operation, the TiS55+ and TiS75+ infrared inspection tools can be used by people with no infrared imaging experience. One model can also detect areas at risk of moisture damage. The instruments can store around 500 images, and come with “personal assistants”that organise captured images and allow users to add their own information, including up to 60 seconds of voice recording for each image. Visible light photos can be added to the thermal image file as a reference. Users can scan a QR code on an asset to organise the images automatically, thus avoiding data- entry errors. The IP54-protected imagers can withstand 2m drops. They are powered by rechargeable batteries for up to 3½ hours of continuous use. Users can also set colour alarms for maximum or minimum temperature thresholds. Wireless connections can link the imagers to PCs and mobile devices. The TiS75+ model can detect areas at risk of moisture damage using a new function that displays anything that is at the dew point temperature or below as a thermal image. Everything above is shown as a visual image, helping to spot where condensation is occurring. Fluke www.fluke.com Aegis Software has expanded its FactoryLogix IIoT-based MES platform, adding vendor-agnostic support for any 3D mechanical CAD, including animations and annotations, interrogation of detailed part data from PLM, and quality data collection against digital twins. The 2021.1 release of the software allows manufacturers to merge the real world with the digital world in real digital twins. Aegis claims that this is the first MOM/MES platform to achieve a end-to-end digital thread and digital twins for any form of discrete manufacturing. www.aiscorp.com Sensor Technology has extended its new range of torque sensors with a model with the sensing head and electronics in separate housings. This allows the head to fit into confined spaces, and the electronics to be located where they are protected from damage. The TorqSense SGR530/540 series uses four strain gauges fixed to the drive shaft. Each measures the deflection of the shaft in a different direction as it rotates under load. The electronics collects readings from all four gauges and calculates the torque value. The sensors are accurate to ±0.1% and offer a resolution of ±0.01% of the transducer’s full scale. www.sensors.co.uk Thermal imagers can also spot possible moisture damage