47 www.drivesncontrols.com January 2025 NEW PRODUCTS n Beckhoff has announced a safe digital input/output terminal for sensors with potential-free contacts for 24V DC. The EL1957 TwinSafe EtherCat terminal has eight failsafe inputs and four failsafe outputs (up to 2A). It also includes programmable TwinSafe Logic, allowing safety applications to be implemented in the terminal. A single safety component thus can be used to create a complete safety loop application based on the local I/O. In another development, the functions of Beckhoff’s EL6910 TwinSafe Logic comms interface have been transferred to an industrial PC, making a TwinCat Safety PLC the framework for the EL6910 runtime. Compared to the hardware version, faster response times and higher configuration limits are possible. It allows 4,096 function blocks instead of 512, 1,024 TwinSafe groups instead of 128, 2,014 TwinSafe connections instead of 212, and cycle times of 8μs to 7ms, instead of 1–15ms. Another new Beckhoff safety product is the SIL3-capable EL2962 TwinSafe EtherCat terminal which has two safe relay contacts and safe analogue inputs. Beckhoff Automation 01491 410539 www.beckhoff.com Rockwell Automation a released an edge module that expands its ControlLogix platform and provides a communication path to Rest API, OPC UA, and MQTT. The in-chassis Embedded Edge Compute Module has a Docker engine which supports the hosting and deployment of containerised apps, including Rockwell apps, third-party apps (such as Node-Red and Grafana) and low-code apps, allowing users to build, integrate and deploy applications quickly and efficiently. The module provides IT/OT interoperability, making digitisation easier, faster, and scalable, and supporting a wide range of applications. It also simplifies control software management and can be used with Rockwell’s Studio 5000 environment with ControlFlash Plus and FactoryTalk Linx. Rockwell Automation www.rockwellautomation.com Thomson Industries has announced an external safety interlock option for vertical ballscrew applications. The SFM safety nut is a secondary nut designed to hold a vertical load if the primary system fails. Ballscrew nuts can fail as a result of overloading and shock loading. The new safety nuts thread onto the screw below the travelling nut. Normally, they carry no load, but if there is increased axial play above specification, the negative thread will contact the screw thread, creating friction that will hold the load. www.thomsonlinear.com Safety applications can be implemented in EtherCat terminal Pepperl+Fuchs is launching a family of inductive distance sensors with IO-Link interfaces that offer not only precision measurements, but also condition monitoring and predictive maintenance data. The sensors can detect objects moving at up to 3m/s and deliver measurements with a repeat accuracy of 5%. Their range is up to 30mm. The sensors determine the speed and acceleration of the damping element. Two independent switching windows and defined limit values can be parameterised individually. Variable filters allow the measurement speed and accuracy to be adjusted. A switching frequency of up to 1.3kHz enables short throughput times, helping to boost productivity. Additional data, including temperature, operating times and counters, can be transmitted via the IO-Link interface. The monitoring of speed and acceleration allows detailed analysis of processes such as acceleration/braking and opening/closing of valves. This facilitates predictive maintenance and helps avoid unplanned downtime. Versions with analogue outputs are also available. Pepperl+Fuchs 0161 6336431 www.pepperl-fuchs.com Sick has announced a pair of sensors that use frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar to produce accurate, repeatable level measurement of liquids and solids. The LXRC and LXRH sensors (which come with hygiene adaptors), are designed for almost any continuous level measurement application, delivering an accuracy of ±2mm over distances of up to 15m. The sensors are said to overcome problems associated with other level measurement techniques. Contact technologies, for example, need tanks and sensors to be cleaned, and they can be damaged by abrasive, viscose or aggressive materials. Build-ups on the sensors can affect their performance. Measurements using ultrasonic systems can be affected by dust, condensation, steam, temperature and vacuums, and they have limited “windows” of usable distance. With the new 80GHz free-space radar sensors, these problems are said to be eliminated because there is no contact and no dead zones. They support IO-Link and come with analogue and digital outputs. Bluetooth is an option for commissioning and diagnostics on a smart device. Sick UK 01727 831121 www.sick.co.uk Inductive distance sensors with IO-Link ease maintenance Radar level sensors overcome problems with other technologies Edge device supports Docker containers
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