Drives & Controls March 2022

42 n SHOW PREVIEW March 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com Technology is launching a new multi-axis servodrive aimed at applications including packaging and 2.5-axis cutting machines. The DX5 drive, which combines precision control with compact dimensions, controls up to eight 100-750W axes. I/O and machine control functions are handled by a separate controller, ensuring a low cost per axis. The Tewkesbury-based motion specialist will also be showing its new Scara robots for the first time. The robots are managed by a Trio controller that can also handle motion and machine functions via a single programming, control, and configuration environment. Four robots are available with load capacities from 3-6kg. The safety engineering specialist Euchner (UK) will be showcasing its range of networkable guard-locking products that use protocols such as EtherCat, Profinet and EtherNet/IP. The Drives Show will mark the global launch of a bus module that connects to EtherCat P, and allows of the functions of Euchner’s Multifunctional Gate Box 2 (MGB2 Modular) safety door system to be used with EtherCat P. Diagnostic functions in the form of EtherCat messages and a built-inWeb server provide a fast, detailed overview of device status. Because the parameters are so easy to set, even replacing a system for servicing will take no more than a fewminutes. During 2020 and 2021, the East Sussex automation and low-voltage controls supplier Charter Controls , introduced many new products which it has not been able to show to the public because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company will finally get the chance to demonstrate these products on its stand at the Drives & Controls Show. Another recent booking is Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence , which has operations in Chester and Milton Keynes among other locations, and supplies systems for smart factories. Its hardware and software uses data to connect departments, embed continuous learning into all stages of the production process, and place intelligent quality at the heart of the product lifecycle. Hexagon is part of a Swedish-headquartered group that employs around 21,000 people in 50 countries and has sales worth around €3.8bn. Another well-known name at the Drives & Controls Show will be EAO , the West Sussex based subsidiary of the Swiss family-owned manufacturer of industrial switches, HMI panels, and interface systems. The company also distributes motion controls and fans from Sanyo Denki in the UK. Globally, the EAO group has more than 600 employees and production sites in Switzerland, Germany, North America and China. The exhibition is continuing to attract overseas exhibitors and one of the latest is the US-based automation software developer Copia Automation which specialises in development tools that simplify the programming of PLCs from Siemens and Rockwell Automation, as well as PLCs based on the Codesys environment. The company claims that its Git version control software for PLC programming, streamlines how industrial machinery is commissioned and operated, speeding up deliveries and maximising uptime. Last October, Copia attracted $14.2m of investment on top of $2.2m of seed funding, and in December its two founders were included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Manufacturing and Industry list, which recognises young innovators making their mark in robotics, manufacturing, logistics and sustainable materials. Also hailing from abroad is the German Heinzmann group whose broad portfolio includes electric drive systems, automation and monitoring systems, actuators, sensors and solenoids, as well as engines and generators. Heinzmann has two UK subsidiaries: Middlesbrough-based Heinzmann UK, founded in 1984, which specialises in turbine control, and Colchester- based Regulateurs Europe (UK), which develops governors and actuators as well as industrial power management systems and the Viking range of digital controllers. New exhibitors have also been signing up for the other DFA Media exhibitions that will be running alongside the Drives & Controls Show. For example, a recent signing for the Fluid Power & Systems event is Nuneaton- based Atam (UK) whose portfolio includes cable connectors and position sensors for pneumatic cylinders and other applications. Another recent arrival in the Fluid Power section is Bradford-based Thorite which supplies pneumatic, compressed air, vacuum an fluid-handing products. It also offers training as well as design, installation and aftermarket services for the compressed air and fluid power applications. Online registration at attend the Drives & Controls Show and its allied events is now open via the show’s Web site at https://www.drives-expo.com . We look forward to seeing you there. n SHOW FACTS Where: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham When: 5–7 April, 2022 Entry: Free Web site: https://www.drives-expo.com Hashtag: #DrivesExpo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/ company/18272382/admin Twitter: https://twitter.com/drivesncontrols Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrivesnControls The Drives Show will mark the first appearance anywhere of an EtherCat P bus module for Euchner’s MGB2 Modular safety door system. EtherCat messages and a built-in Web server provide a fast, detailed overview of device status. Trio’s newmulti-axis servodrive, which will make its debut at the Drives Show, can control up to eight 100-750W axes. I/O and machine control functions are handled by a separate controller, cutting the cost per axis costs. The US-based automation software developer Copia Automation will be demonstrating a desktop or browser application that displays PLC ladder logic and structured text programming, and highlights any changes.