inductive coupler Archives - AUTOMATION INSIGHTS

Recap of our top 5 posts of 2015

As we wrap up the old and begin to open up the new, let’s take a moment to reflect on what this past year has brought us. Apart from the triumphs and the hard lost battles, we want to bring you some of our top posts from 2015. These posts are as follows:

#5: 5 Tips on Making End-of-Arm Tooling Smarter

Everyone wants their robot to work faster, smarter, and more efficiently. In this post we review five easy tips to help you improve the efficiency of your end-of-arm tooling.

Example of discrete sensors used to detect tank level

#4: Liquid Level Sensing: Detect or Monitor

Who doesn’t like complicated concepts broken down into easy to understand terminology? In this post we break down the differences between point level detection and continuous position sensing as well as provide you with technologies to put into practice.

#3: How Can I Convince My Boss to Send Me to Training?

As Aristotle once said “All men (and women) by nature desire knowledge.” Here we are giving you the tools needed to break down the barriers your boss (or you) might have against investing in training.

#2: Back to the Basics: How Do I Wire a 2-Wire Sensor?

So you just got a brand spanking new 2-wire sensor for the holidays but you realize you don’t know exactly what wire goes where. In this post we make wiring that bad boy easy and even break down what polarized and non-polarized mean.

So we have covered four of the top posts from 2015, are you ready for the number one post from the past year? So are we! And we will have it for you right after a quick message from our sponsors! (just kidding!)

#1: Inductive Coupling – Simple Concept for Complex Automation

Through the use of magnetic induction, we are able to reduce the downtime of a machine due to the failure of a slip ring. Inductive couplers pass power and data over an air gap creating a maintenance free, non-contact environment to operate a variety of machinery.

We want to thank you for the wonderful year that is behind us and be sure to be on the look-out for even more exciting news to come this year!

Non-contact Power & Data Exchange For Assembly Automation

Assembly automation has evolved multi-fold since Ford’s first linear assembly plant. Assembly automation is of course commonly found in Automotive or heavy industries but it has found its way in small parts assembly, consumer goods and other industries that are embracing automation full on.

Typically, in assembly automation, pallets of sub-assemblies travel along the conveyor maze making stops at various stations to get further components and assemblies put on or some kind of operation is being performed on them.

Several times, inspection, measurement or other process specifics demand sensors and actuators to be on-board these pallets. A very common challenge people face in this environment is to provide power and communicate with this traveling assembly. Pin based automatic couplers and/ or manual intervention is common solution. As explained in my previous blog “Inductive Coupling for Robotic End Effectors” the pin based coupling has downfall of being susceptible to environmental elements and mechanical wear. Thus, offering a solution that requires some regular maintenance and related downtime. Manual intervention for inspection or measurement is of course time consuming and laborious activity.

Non-contact inductive coupling offers great benefits in this scenario. Typically, the base (transmitter) is mounted along the conveyor and the remote (receiver) is mounted on the moving pallets. As the pallet moves along the assembly line, the remote, when in-zone of the base, receives power and exchanges data over small air-gap with the base unit. There are three major benefits of this approach

Because of magnetic induction phenomenon, these non-contact couplers are immune to dust, humidity, oil or vibrations, unlike the pin based couplers.
Misalignment tolerance: Inductive couplers do not need to be in exact axial or angular alignment. They can tolerate angular or axial offsets. The amount of offset they can tolerate depends on the particulars but typically 10-20° angular offset is acceptable. So over-time when the conveyor system develops some slag, the inductive couplers won’t fail you that easily.
Scalability: Inductive couplers come in various form factors and functionality that includes Power-only, input only, analog, configurable channels of inputs and outputs, and with IO-Link bi-directional communication. IO-Link inductive couplers offer the greatest benefits as they allow exchanging up to 32bytes of data bi-directionally- so in future if the I/O needs grow for your pallets, it can be easily handled.

You can always learn more about inductive couplers on Balluff’s website at www.balluff.us. You can also learn more in our Basics overview.

Inductive coupling – simple concept for complex automation

Inductive coupling is not new to automation. The concept in various forms has been around for over few decades. It was not actively used, and my guess is that more than form factor or functionality of couplers, it has to do with automation technology relying on mechanical and hard wired components. With growing complexity and ever evolving technology, the inductive coupling has also evolved. Nowadays, you can charge your smart phones or tablets using the charging pad that uses the very same technology.

power&dataexchange — Figure 1: Inductive coupling for power and data exchange

In industrial automation space, inductive sensors are very popular and commonly used for detecting proximity of metal objects such as food cans, or machine parts. Inductive coupling uses magnetic induction to transfer power and data over an air gap. Yes, it is a kind of very short range wireless technology that also enables power transfer.

In this series of blogs on inductive coupling, we can explore various use cases of inductive coupling in complex automation. Today, let’s see how inductive coupling compares with traditional slip-ring mechanism.

Slip-rings, also known as rotary connectors, are typically used in areas of the machine where one part rotates and other part of the machine remains stationary. For example, an indexing table or turn table where stations on the indexing table need power and I/O but the table rotates through full 360°, hence standard cable solutions are ineffective. A slip ring could be installed at the base of the table.

ReplacingSlipRing — Figure 3: Inductive coupling replacing the slip-ring

Since, slip rings are electromechanical devices, in the long term they are subject to wearing out. Unfortunately, the signs of wear are not evident unless one day there is no power to the table. An inductive coupling solution eliminates all the hassle of the mechanical parts. With non-contact inductive coupling, the base coupler could be mounted at the base of the table and the remote coupler could be mounted on the rotating part of the table. Slip rings are susceptible to noise and vibration because they are electromechanical devices, whereas inductive couplers are not because there is no contact between the base and the remote. In fact, the turn table shown above uses an inductive coupler.

Inductive coupler, typically have IP67 rating for the housing are not affected by dirt or water, are immune to vibrations, and most important they are contact free so no maintenance is required unless you hammer one out. Learn more about Balluff inductive couplers: www.balluff.us.

5 Tips on Making End-of-Arm Tooling Smarter

Example of a Flexible EOA Tool with 8 sensors connected with an Inductive Coupling System.

Over the years I’ve interviewed many customers regarding End-Of-Arm (EOA) tooling. Most of the improvements revolve around making the EOA tooling smarter. Smarter tools mean more reliability, faster change out and more in-tool error proofing.

#5: Go Analog…in flexible manufacturing environments, discrete information just does not provide an adequate solution. Analog sensors can change set points based on the product currently being manufactured.

#4: Lose the weight…look at the connectors and cables. M8 and M5 connectorized sensors and cables are readily available. Use field installable connectors to help keep cable runs as short as possible. We see too many long cables simply bundled up.

#3: Go Small…use miniature, precision sensors that do not require separate amplifiers. These miniature sensors not only cut down on size but also have increased precision. With these sensors, you’ll know if a part is not completely seated in the gripper.

#2: Monitor those pneumatic cylinders…monitoring air pressure in one way, but as speeds increase and size is reduced, you really need to know cylinder end of travel position. The best technology for EOA tooling is magnetoresistive such as Balluff’s BMF line. Avoid hall-effects and definitely avoid reed switches. Also, consider dual sensor styles such as Balluff’s V-Twin line.

#1: Go with Couplers…with interchangeable tooling, sensors should be connected with a solid-state, inductive coupling system such as Balluff’s Inductive Coupler (BIC). Avoid the use of pin-based connector systems for low power sensors. They create reliability problems over time.

How to Maintain Your Rotating Connection

In the design of automation equipment everyone is looking for an edge. How can I make parts faster or easier or safer? I’m sure you don’t encounter the need for 360 degree rotation everyday; but when you do, it can become a pain to maintain sensor and actuator information or even a network connection.