Drives & Controls May 2022

55 www.drivesncontrols.com May 2022 NEW PRODUCTS n Euchner has announced an EtherCat P version of the MBM bus module for its Multifunctional Gate Box (MGB) safety door system, meaning that every function of the MGB2 module can also be used with EtherCat P. The bus module coordinates all the safety, non-safety and diagnostics signals between the fieldbus and MGB2 components. Up to six locking modules can operate on one bus module for communicating both safety and control signals. Less on- machine cabling and fewer PLC I/Os are needed, saving on failsafe PLC capacity. Diagnostic information in the form of EtherCat messages, and the built-inWeb server, provide rapid, detailed overviews of device status. www.euchner.co.uk Leuze is offering software-based IO- Link function modules that simplify the integration of device data into PLC programs, thus saving time and eliminating errors. Users simply transfer the modules to the control program. Control systems from Siemens , Beckhoff and Rockwell are supported. It is no longer necessary to look for data types, parameter indexes, and process data structures. Users can obtain diagnostic data while a process is running and optimise the set-up. Different recipes can be stored in the PLC and switched easily in the sensor by the control programwhile the process in running. Each freely downloadable module is tailored to a Leuze IO-Link sensor. www.leuze.com/io-link-fb Phoenix Contact has announced a range of distribution blocks with lateral push-in connections that can be used an alternative to terminal blocks with lateral screw connections. The modular PTVFIX blocks are a combination of Phoenix’s PTFIX distribution block system and the PTV series with vertical conductor connections. Using the push-in connections, the conductors make immediate contact without needing tools. A special spring allows easy insertion and guarantees a high level of contact quality. The distribution blocks are available with six, 12, or 18 2.5mm2 connections. As an option, they are also available with 6mm2 feed-in contacts. The range include base blocks without a pre-assembled mounting option, as well as with horizontal and vertical mounting options for DIN-rail and adhesive versions. The marking on the blocks is said to be clearer than with screw connections. Phoenix Contact 01952 681700 www.phoenixcontact.co.uk New 2D vision sensors from ifm can be configured even by inexperienced users to perform complex and demanding inspection and recognition tasks easily and quickly. The Dualis sensors can be set up in two minutes, and used to check patterns, shapes, areas, dimensions, contours and even target contrast, either as individual parameters or in combination. Typical applications include detecting missing components, identifying absent holes or incorrectly applied adhesive, sensing incorrect product orientation or positioning, and counting the number of items in a target area. The Vision Assistant software, supplied with the sensors, uses wizards to provide detailed set-up guidance, and offers an advanced mode with extra functions. The sensors have built-in illumination and are available in infrared or RGB-W versions. The latter can distinguish items by colour, while a built-in polarising filter makes it possible to detect reflective objects. To minimise the effect of extraneous light, the sensors incorporate a daylight filter and can be configured to take up to five images with different exposure times and select the best for analysis. The sensors are available with Ethernet/IP or Profinet TCP/IP interfaces. Ifm electronic 0208 213 2222 www.ifm.com/gb/en 2D vision sensors can be set up by non-experts Three machine vision specialists – AAEON, MVTec Software and Basler – have teamed up to offer an easy-to-use machine vision bundle with deep-learning capabilities. The UP Squared Pro AI Vision Development Kit is intended to help users from any industry to take their first steps into machine vision and deep learning. AAEON is providing its UP Squared Pro edge computing system with an AI acceleration module, Basler is supplying a plug-and-play USB 3.0 area-scan camera and accessories, while MVTec is contributing its Merlic 5 machine vision software, which incorporates deep- learning technologies such as anomaly detection and classification. Users of the bundle can also access MVTec’s Deep Learning Tool software for easy data labelling. A planned no-cost upgrade will add functions such as OCR (optical character recognition). Users of the bundle will be able to create a variety of machine vision applications using drag-and-drop functions and to access deep-learning technologies without needing to write any code. UP Squared https://up-shop.org/ups-pro-ai- vision-development-kit.html Baumer has developed a series of time-of-flight optical sensors with a wide detection range. Measurements made using the OT300 and OT500 sensors are independent of the angle of installation, and the sensors will detect objects reliably, even with demanding surfaces such as shiny, irregular, reflective or ultra-black objects. The line or spot beam devices have sensing distances up to 2.6m for the OT500 and up to 1.8m for the smaller OT300. Users can achieve intuitive parameterisation via IO-Link using Baumer’s Sensor Suite software which offers access to secondary sensor data. Baumer international 01793 783839 www.baumer.com/gb/en Kit allows users to take first steps into machine vision Sensors detect lumpy, bumpy or shiny objects Modular distribution blocks have lateral push-in connections