Product category:
Probes and sensors
News Release from: Balluff UK | Subject: Inductive, photo, capacitive, magnetic sensors
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 13 June 2006
Improve part traceability in machine
tools
At the recent UK MACH 2006 show, Balluff showed its latest high speed RFID system and identification systems to improve part traceability and accountability in harsh machine tool environments.
Balluff, the UK subsidiary of Balluff, Neuhausen, Germany is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of inductive, photoelectric, capacitive, magnetic field sensors as well as multiple limit switches, linear position transducers and RFID Identification systems Balluff products for OEM and factory floor solutions are used to control, regulate, automate, assemble, position and monitor manufacturing, assembly and packaging sequences for a wide range of industries including automotive, material handling, packaging, food and fluid power
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 24 Oct 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Ultrasonics protect products in conveyor system
The Microsonic MIC range of ultrasonic sensors have been used by Ace Assembly Systems to solve the problem of product damage when transferring from their Platen System conveyor to packing cases
Optics solve object and position sensing problems
Designed for a variety of applications, optical sensors are ideal for positioning tasks such as level detection, material jam control or detection needing expanded background suppression.
Featured on the Balluff stand at Mach 2006 was the latest innovation in sensing, safety and control systems for use within the machine tool and automotive industries.
* Balluff latest high speed RFID system.
* Improve traceability and accountability of manufacturing processes in harsh machine tool environments with Balluff's identification systems.
Further reading
Sensor resolution down to 20 microns
The BOD series Laser Measurement Sensors utilizes the accuracy of laser light to produce an analogue distance measurement sensor with resolution down to 20 microns.
Miniature inductive proximity sensors get smaller
Miniature inductive proximity sensors with long sensing distance are made now with an even smaller package for smaller automatic handling systems, special assembly machines and grippers.
Compact ultrasonics sensors are easy to operate
Compact ultrasonics sensors with numerical digital display needs the operator only to input parameters and then read measuring values in plain text during the running operation.
* Balluff offers most rugged steel face inductive sensor.
* Recognition for inductive mini-sensor - Balluff, Germany, again won the coveted 'R and D 100 Award.
* Miniaturised space saving sensors - R and D 100 Award 2005.
* Limit switch wireless transmission System BWT.
* L-shaped through-beam sensor with laser light for very small parts detection.
* Balluff magnetic tape length measuring system BML.
* New member of the BOS 21M product family.
* M30 compact sensors with numerical digital display.
* New Sensors for machine tools brochure.
No 5508 * Balluff Introduces High Speed RFID System - Balluff's BIS-S identification system is designed for fast and efficient parts identification using high-speed data transmission.
Featuring data carriers that can store 8000 or 16000 bytes and heads that can read/write large blocks of information at 2000 bytes/s, the BIS-S processes data seven times faster than Balluff's next fastest RFID system.
Applications include highly complex assembly operations, such as those found in the automotive industry.
Products in this and similar industries incorporate multiple production steps and are often made up of many parts and sub assemblies.
For fabrication and assembly operations like these, customers must be able to store large amounts of data pertaining to processes such as machining and assembly.
Production of these complex components needs large amounts of data transferred and recorded in the shortest possible time in order to reduce cycle time in production.
* BIS-S data carriers employ a new technology - called Ferro Electric Random Access Memory (F-RAM), which eliminates the battery used for memory retention in RAM-based data carriers and also permits unlimited read and write cycles.
The system includes two different sized data carriers, both of which contain 8000 bytes of storage.
A 16,000-byte data carrier that uses the same housings will be available soon.
Three read/write heads are available as are two different hand-held programmers, as well as Profibus and DeviceNet processors available with either metal or plastics housings.
* Improve traceability and accountability of manufacturing processes in harsh machine tool environments with Balluff's identification systems.
These systems have been providing reliable product tracking and identification for over a decade and continue to be a leader in systems that are not only robust, but are accurate and precise.
According to Balluff, the BIS-C system has been a success and has proved efficient, cost-effective and relatively easy to integrate.
With its IP67 housing and its capacity to withstand environments ranging from -20 deg C to +70 deg C, it is built to withstand the rigors of machine tool environments.
This durability has not impeded its efficiency, with data carriers reading the self-contained 8-bit parallel read-head consistently 'on-the-fly' while moving past the read head and without the need for precise alignment.
Data exchange between the carrier and the read head is non-contact and wear-free.
The data and necessary power for the data carrier are inductively coupled and require no battery for operation or data retention, eliminating added cost and the risk of losing data.
* Balluff offers most rugged SteelFace inductive sensor - Balluff has introduced its SteelFace inductive sensor, designed to survive longer in environments where mechanical damage is an issue.
Balluff's sensor is extremely rugged.
Unlike many competing designs that use a steel end cap, Balluff's SteelFace sensor housing is milled from one piece of solid stainless steel with an impact and abrasion resistant face approximately 1mm thick.
"The most common reason for sensor failure is mechanical damage," said Balluff product manager James Wallace.
"Many of our competitors offer only a steel end cap mated to a steel tube.
Not only is our one-piece housing design more rugged, it has superior chemical and cutting fluid resistance.
Balluff SteelFace sensors can withstand 500 lbf/in2 dynamic pressure and are rated for 1200 lb/in2 for wash down applications.
But we did not stop there - many of our competitors sacrifice sensing range for housing ruggedness.
Our design offers full sensing range capability not always found in other steel face sensors." * Most rugged, most features, competitive cost - Balluff SteelFace sensors come in ferrous-only and nonferrous-only models.
A ferrous-only sensor detects ferrous metals such as steel, iron and nickel, while ignoring nonferrous metals.
Nonferrous-only detection models detect nonferrous metals such as aluminium, copper, and brass objects and ignore ferrous objects.
A typical application for a ferrous-only sensor can be found in aluminium machining.
Ferrous-only sensors are used to detect tool pallets, cutting tools, and fixtures while ignoring high amounts of aluminium chips that are generated during the machining operation.
Nonferrous sensors are commonly used to detect the presence of objects such as aluminium engine blocks, while ignoring the ferrous pallets or fixtures that hold them.
Balluff SteelFace sensors, available in 8, 12, 18, and 30mm sizes, are particularly suited for machine tools, in-die sensing, wash down applications, and other applications that require a rugged sensor.
• Balluff UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
