Drives & Controls July / August 2022

57 www.drivesncontrols.com July/August 2022 NEW PRODUCTS n Omron has added food-grade Scara robots to its i4H line, for safe handling in the food and beverage, and packaging, industries. The robots use extreme-pressure lubricants developed for machines in these sectors. The grease and oil are NSF H1 registered and ISO 21469 certified. The robots, which handle payloads up to 15kg, come in 650, 750 and 850mm reach versions and have IP65 protection against dust and water jets from any angle They are available in table- or ceiling- mounting formats, with 210 and 410mm quill lengths. https://industrial.omron.eu/en/ products/i4h Nord Drivesystems has extended the top power rating of its patented DuoDrive hygienic wash-down geared motors up to 3kW. The drives integrate IE5+ synchronous motors with single- stage helical gears, achieving system efficiencies of up to 92%. High efficiencies are also achieved at partial loads. Constant motor torque over a wide speed range and simple plug-and-play commissioning, cut ownership costs. The quiet-running motors offer continuous torque ratings up to 250Nm, speeds up to 1,000 rpm, and gear ratios from 3–18. www.nord.com Electrified Automation has launched a stator testing machine designed to simplify stator and motor tests. The machine can run tests including: coil turn-to-turn fault checks; phase-to-phase short checks; continuity testing on temperature sensors; hi-pot checks on motor insulation; and surge deviation tests. It can also select pre-programmed test parameters by scanning a barcode on the motor, ensuring that users achieve the correct configuration every time. www.electrifiedautomation.com By integrating its new PowerFlex 755TS drives with its Centerline 2100 motor control centres, Rockwell Automation says its can deliver real-time predictive analytics that boost uptime. The MCCs provide power and process control in a centralised package, helping users to improve safety, productivity and reliability. With remote monitoring and control, they offer enhanced safety. The drives incorporate a technology that delivers real-time predictive analytics and automated commissioning. Adaptive control and high-performance motor control are said to keep operations at peak performance. www.rockwellautomation.com Rittal has announced a new generation of compact, high- efficiency, low-cost enclosure cooling systems. The Blue e+ S system, which offers outputs of 300W, 500W or 1kW, uses a combination of heat pipes and inverters, avoiding the need for expansion valves or other regulating elements. There is no need for electrical energy except to operate a fan. Cooling can be performed by the heat pipe alone. Additional compressor cooling operates only if a lot of heat has to be dissipated from the enclosure or the ambient temperature is too high. When it does operate, it is said to be more efficient than conventional designs, because the inverter-controlled compressors and fans adjust their speeds to suit the conditions. The temperature in the enclosure remains constant, and the energy efficiency is claimed to be higher than conventional cooling systems. The system use a refrigerant (R- 513A) with a Global Warming Potential that is 56% lower than some alternatives. An IoT interface allows the system to be monitored and connects to Rittal's new Smart Service Portal which optimises service processes and supports predictive maintenance, reducing downtime. Warnings are shown via a coloured LED strip, while a display on the front provides extra information. An NFC interface can communicate with mobile devices running Rittal’s Scan & Service app. Rittal 01709 704000 www.rittal.co.uk Smart cooling systems combine high efficiency with low costs Phoenix Contact has announced a series of Gigabit Ethernet extenders that can achieve a range of up to 1km for broadband applications up to 1Gbps over any two-wire or coaxial cables. The extenders exceed the Ethernet standard range of 100m at 1Gbps. They allow existing cables to be used to future-proof Ethernet applications, saving materials and cutting costs. With the Power-over-Link (PoL) and Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) functions, the extenders and connected PoE devices are supplied with power via the data lines, eliminating the need to install power supplies at remote PoE devices. Plug-and-play installation supports flexible network designs including point-to-point, line and star configurations. Phoenix Contact 0845 881 2222 www.phoenixcontact.com/en-gb Sick has announced a flowmeter and app for real-time monitoring of the energy used by compressed air systems. The FTMg system can monitor compressed air installations continuously, helping to reduce leaks, improve efficiency and cut costs. Using data from FTMg flow meters, the cloud-based app visualises both real-time and historical data about a site’s compressed air usage. It allows continuous energy management, condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of compressed air systems from any Internet-enabled device. The scalable system can track compressed air use from individual machines or entire production halls. With no programming needed, it can visualise compressed air data rapidly. The flow sensor can measure compressed air energy use in kWh. The data is presented via the app. As well as real-time values for pressure, temperature, flow velocity, and mass and volumetric flow rates, it provides totals for energy use, volume and mass over pre- defined periods. A dashboard interprets the data to detect leaks or overconsumption and to look for changes and trends. It can generate email warnings or maintenance reminders. Users can drill down to identify costs for individual production centres or by shift. Up to eight flow meters can be configured via one Sick Smart Services Gateway, which collects data, and aggregates and encrypts it, before sending it via the user’s own IT infrastructure to the Sick cloud. Alternatively, you can use 3G or 4G. Sick 01727 831121 www.sick.co.uk Ethernet extenders achieve 1km range at up to 1Gbps System analyses compressed air energy usage