58 n NEW PRODUCTS July/August 2023 www.drivesncontrols.com Rockwell Automation has released a family of distributed I/O blocks with built-in IO-Link functions that, it says, will help manufacturers to improve productivity at a low cost. The Allen-Bradley ArmorBlock 5000 I/O blocks are designed for use on machines, speeding up installation, commissioning and troubleshooting, and cutting downtime. The IO-Link capabilities will ease machine design by simplifying device configuration and integrating better with Allen-Bradley controllers. Users can speed up projects using the common tag structure and configuration workflows in Rockwell’s Studio 5000 Logix Designer software. The scalable IO-Link master blocks – the first product to be released in the ArmorBlock 5000 I/O portfolio – offer a high degree of flexibility with up to eight IO-Link channels, including four IO-Link Class A and four Class B ports. The ability to control high-current devices and improve connectivity will help to improve machine performance and productivity, says Rockwell. Other planned members of the portfolio include configurable I/O blocks that will deliver smart capabilities such as sequence of events (SOE), scheduled outputs, input timestamping, event triggers and so on. The I/O blocks can operate over a wide temperature range and offer protection up to IP69K for applications in harsh environments. They are available in three power variants for different regions. Rockwell Automation https://drivesncontrols.news/ px7xrc Leuze has developed two series of photoelectric sensors in miniature stainless-steel housings for hygienic production and packaging applications. The 53C and 55C sensors are characterised by high leak tightness and resistance to cleaning agents. The dust-proof and waterproof (IP67, IP68 and IP69K) sensors, which have glass-free, scratch-resistant optics covers, can withstand demanding cleaning and disinfection cycles as well as wide temperature fluctuations. They offer a choice of through-beam, retroreflective or diffuse technologies. Some models can detect glass, PET, film or small parts, as well as aqueous liquid fill levels. The sensors can be configured, operated and maintained via IO-Link. The hygienic 53C diffuse sensors can make direct contact with food. Smooth contours without fastening holes prevent deposits. The sensors provide gas-tight connections to machines. For washdown applications, the 55C sensors have a gap-free design, and optics and controls made of non-diffusive, chemically-stable materials. The through-beam versions are optimised for detecting fill levels of aqueous liquids in containers. Leuze Electronic www.leuze.com Sick has announced two colour sensors: the CSS device, said to offer best-in-class colour resolution and the ability to distinguish slight nuances in shade; and the high-speed CSK sensor, which has a switching frequency of 13.8kHz – twice as fast as its predecessor, which it can replace directly. The sensors are suitable for applications such as colour verification for quality control, sorting and separation, object and print mark positioning, and distinguishing metal parts by their temper colours. They can help to achieve higher process speeds and throughputs. The CSS sensor can identify subtle differences in surface structures and textures, opening up new applications. It detects colours over distances of up to 500mm. A distance regulation capability avoids the need for strict guidance of the target and accommodates changing sensing distances automatically – for example to account for differing orientations of products on a conveyor, or to handle varying object sizes. The CSS displays live L*A*B* or RGB values on a colour display. It can assess differences between expected and detected colours in real time. Up to 15 colours can be output via four switching outputs. It can also output up to 24 colours to a controller. An IO-Link version simplifies commissioning and diagnosis, process monitoring and fine adjustment set-ups. The CSX sensor can detect colour marks, labels and splices, as well as performing high-speed tasks such as rapid sorting of objects according to their colour. Sick (UK) www.sick.co.uk On-machine I/O blocks with IO-Link ‘will raise productivity’ Colour sensors set benchmarks for resolution and speed Stainless-steel photoelectric sensors target hygienic applications Beckhoff is offering four new 48V/40A power supply variants for its MX-System cabinet-free control technology. The supplies are plugged into a baseplate and supplied with the primary voltage without manual wiring. This can be a 3-phase mains voltage or the 600V DC voltage of a drive system. The supplies become part of an EtherCat network. The most common use for the 40A modules will be motion applications. The four variants are: one with M12 connectors for attaching up to six AMI8100 distributed servodrives; one with two B23 connectors for attaching feed segments of Beckhoffs’ XTS transport system; one for connecting base modules of its Atro modular industrial robot; and a connector-free variant for direct connection into the backplane. www.beckhoff.com/en-gb Cognex has expanded the capabilities of its In-Sight 2800 vision system to include optical character recognition (OCR). The new ViDi EL Read tool, powered by edge learning technology, can decipher humanreadable characters on reflective, lowcontrast and non-flat surfaces. OCR applications are traditionally timeconsuming to set up, requiring hours of programming by trained engineers but, using the tool, models can be set up and deployed in minutes with as few as 10 sample images. Complicated programming is replaced by example-based training, making it easy to set up OCR models to read characters on challenging surfaces, and even to process several lines of text simultaneously. Cognex says anyone can deploy the AI-based application, regardless of their experience. https://cognex.com/in-sight-2800
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