Drives and Controls January 2023

46 n NEW PRODUCTS January 2023 www.drivesncontrols.com Bosch Rexroth has expanded its portfolio of linear robots by adding new axis combinations and sizes. A much wider range of working areas and loads makes the Cartesian systems suitable for handling items from small parts to large objects. The linear robots can be selected and sized quickly and easily, thanks to predefined axis combinations. They can then be configured and finalised online and ordered as preassembled sub-systems – optionally with controllers from Rexroth’s ctrlX automation platform. Each multi-axis system is also available as a Smart Function Kit which includes pre-installed software for faster commissioning and intuitive programming, thus cutting engineering time. The pre- assembled systems need little maintenance. The expanded range includes eight axis combinations in 68 sizes. Applications range from pick-and-place, positioning and palletising, to feeding, shifting, loading and dispensing. The multi-axis systems offer stroke lengths up to 3m in the X and Y directions and up to 1.5m in the Z direction. They can handle loads up to 160kg with three axes, and 200kg with two axes. Bosch Rexroth www.boschrexroth.com Cartesian linear robots in 68 sizes open up new applications Bolt-on sensor helps to cut maintenance costs Enhanced controllers will cut machine- building times and costs Sick has launched a bolt-on device that delivers continuous real-time data from industrial machines such as motors, pumps, fans and conveyor systems, even in harsh environments. The MPB10 Multi- Physics Box condition- monitoring sensor is an all-in-one device designed to make it easy to monitor and interpret vibration, shock and temperature measurement data. It can be used to implement cost-efficient predictive maintenance practices that can improve plant availability, extend operating lives, and protect product and process quality. The sensor measures variables that could indicate impending machine failures. It provides users with pre-processed, easy- to-interpret information that can be customised for each machine and process. The sensor can transmit data via IO-Link to a machine controller, or produce an alarm-based switching signal. It can be set up to alert, for example, when values exceed specfied thresholds. Users can visualise real-time and historic data on customisable dashboards using a Sick digital service called Monitoring Box. This can send them notifications via email, or provide data for use in cloud- based applications. The MPB10 sensor detects vibrations (±8g) and shocks up to 200g in all three axes. Multi- stage alerts can be set up to monitor vibration thresholds for rotating machines in accordance with DIN ISO 10816-3. The vibration values in the time and frequency range are easier to interpret than raw data, helping to detect, for example, insufficient lubrication, bearing damage or motor imbalances. The sensor, in a rugged IP68 stainless-steel housing, can be mounted close to bearings, using a single M3 screw, or fixed onto curved surfaces using a supplied mounting plate. Alternatively, it can be welded or secured using epoxy glue. Sick UK 01727 831121 www.sick.co.uk Rockwell Automation says that machine-builders can cut engineering time and costs using enhanced versions of two of its controllers which add Class 1 implicit messaging capabilities with support for up to eight EtherNet/IP devices. The upgraded Allen-Bradley Micro850 and Micro870 2080-Lx0E controllers promise improved connectivity, with simplified programming and workflows. The integration of the controllers with Rockwell’s PowerFlex 520 and Kinetix 5100 drives over EtherNet/IP has been streamlined using pre- defined tags and pre-developed user-defined function block (UDFB) instructions. The controllers are designed to be used with the latest version (21) of Rockwell’s Connected Components Workbench design software, which supports Class 1 implicit messaging. Rockwell says that these enhancements could improve the productivity of industrial operations, while cutting costs. Users will benefit from better connected and simplified control systems, it adds. They will also be able to reduce their programming and troubleshooting efforts, simplifying the development of standalone machines. Rockwell Automation www.rockwellautomation.co.uk Yaskawa has developed a way of recovering braking energy from its larger Motoman robots with payloads above 50kg. The robots’YRC1000 controllers can convert kinetic energy from downwards and sideways movements into 400V, 50Hz AC power and feed this back into the grid. The savings depend on the application and the robot’s movements, but savings of 8–25% are possible, resulting in annual feed-ins of about 2,800kWh – worth around £1,200 and equivalent to 1,600kg of CO 2 emissions. www.yaskawa.co.uk Phoenix Contact has announced a range of distribution blocks that can carry more than one potential, enabling simple wiring of multiple potentials in a compact, modular format. Tool-free lateral push-in connections save time and space. The mono discs can be mounted side-by-side using tongue-and-groove connections. The Fix multi-blocks can be used in DIN rail, direct, and adhesive mounting applications, and are available with 2.5mm² cross-sections and up to five potentials in one block. www.phoenixcontact.co.uk KEB Automation ’s Combivert F6 drive controllers and S6 servodrives, which have integrated safety functions, are now certified to communicate via the PROFIsafe safe fieldbus protocol, reducing the amount of wiring needed. In the Application variants of the F6 and S6 ranges, Ethernet-based bus systems are switchable via software, thus enabling flexible fieldbus connections to the control level – for example, via PROFInet. PROFIsafe communications have now been integrated and certified in these devices. www.keb.co.uk