Cimtec Automation Blog

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

GE-IP Innovation Showcase - Wrightsville Beach - Oct 15



Come see how new collaborative automation solutions from GE Intelligent Platforms will enable you to transform your business

GE Intelligent Platforms is changing what is possible in the world of industrial automation. We invite you to join us for the unveiling of GE’s revolutionary new automation solutions at one of our global Innovation Showcase events.

To register for the Monday, October 15th showcase, please Click Here

Wrightsville Beach Location
The Blockade Runner Beach Resort
275 Waynick Boulevard
Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480

Agenda:
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Presentation
3:00 Labs



The Future of the Industrial Revolution begins here


Computer Dynamics, A Division of Cimtec Automation, releases theDisplayPAC-RT9 Tablet

DisplayPAC-RT9

Setting a new standard for ruggedness and portability, Computer Dynamics (www.cdynamics.com) announces a new Rugged Tablet Computer, the DisplayPAC-RT9.  Weighing in at only 2.25 lbs., the DisplayPAC-RT9 provides excellent performance due to its Intel® Atom™ N2600 Dual Core processor.<
Designed with portability, performance, and ruggedness in mind, the DisplayPAC-RT9 offers impressive specifications:

  • 9.7” 1024x768 IPS panel with LED backlights
  • Low power Intel® Atom™ N2600 1.6GHz Processor with Intel® NM10 Chipset
  • 2GB DDR3-800 memory
  • Projected Capacitive touchscreen supporting multi-touch

  • Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
  • Sealed to IP54 (dust proof)

“The new DisplayPAC-RT9 gives our customers a high-performance rugged system that they expect from Computer Dynamics, but offers complete portability to move about without cables getting in the way,” states Tom Behnke, CDI Product Manager.  “The DisplayPAC-RT9 offers superior portability, performance, and ruggedness.”

Portability: The DisplayPAC-RT9 provides users with a way to access applications using an Intel® chipset.  The DisplayPAC-RT9 runs Windows 7 and can run applications built for Windows operating systems.  Your users will no longer have to be tied to a fixed location to access information.  The overall size of the system comes in at 10.5” x 8.3” x 0.9” at a comfortable 2.25lbs.  A detachable hand strap is also provided to allow users a better grip on the system as they are moving around.  Wireless 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth communications are supported truly eliminating the need for wires.  Optional GPS and 3G modules can be ordered for even more connectivity and portability.  Operator interfaces can be operated with the tap of the screen – again, with no specialized programming required.  Under 100% CPU utilization, the 5300 mAH battery will last over 4 hours before needing a recharge on the provided recharge base.

Performance: Unlike other tablets, the DisplayPAC-RT9 uses an Intel® Atom™ based processor that is designed to run Windows Operating Systems.  The Atom™ processor is used in many Notebooks and offers excellent performance for a low powered processor.  The DisplayPAC-RT9 comes with 2GB of DDR3-800 memory.   The Atom™ N2600 Dual Core Processor runs at a speed of 1.6GHz and uses the Intel® NM10 chipset for graphics duties providing a platform that can keep up with the tasks thrown at it.  The system storage is 32GB of M-SATA SSD for fast reads and writes and plenty of application storage.

Ruggedness: In addition to portability and performance, the DisplayPAC-RT9 is built to withstand the rigors of an industrial environment.  All four corners of the DisplayPAC-RT9 are rubberized to provide a degree of protection against drops.  The system survives a four foot drop to concrete (all faces) and is sealed to IP54 against dust and water intrusion.  The tablet is designed to be used in industrial environments and can withstand the drops and shocks that happen every day on a factory floor.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Cognex In-Sight (Insight) 7000 is Small, Tough and Very Smart

Cimtec Automation is pleased to announce the latest In-Sight smart camera platform from Cognex, the In-Sight 7000 Series. The Insight 7000 now includes auto-focus models with integrated lighting!

In-Sight 7000 overcomes the barriers to using vision systems in any production environment. This breakthrough in smart camera technology has been designed specifically to bridge the gap between top-level performance and ease of use.

The In-Sight 7000 delivers unprecedented capabilities that allow you to perform super-reliable inspections no matter how tight your space is or how fast your line moves - and you get it all in a compact industrial IP67 package designed for the harshest, most demanding conditions.

Maximum speed and flexibility in even the tightest spots...

  • Auto-focus lens - M12 integrated lens mechanically auto-focuses to handle an assortment of parts and quick changeover on your line. With the integrated auto-focus lens, also comes an integrated ring light available in a variety of colors for every application.

  • Smarter tools - You get In-Sight measurement, location and inspection vision tools and the flexible EasyBuilder® environment to make all inspection, defect detection, guidance, alignment and measurement applications easy to set up and deploy.

  • Faster image capture - Benefit from high acquisition speeds with a maximum of over 100 image captures per second giving you reliable inspection performance on even the fastest bottling and pharmaceutical production lines.

  • No additional power required - Power and control specialized lighting directly which eliminates the need for external power supplies.

  • Seamless communication - Cognex Connect™ offers the widest range of built-in communication protocols. The In-Sight 7000 features built-in Ethernet, RS-232 Serial and multiple discrete IOs. The system can communicate directly to a PLC or robot controller and manage multiple smart cameras remotely from a networked PC or HMI.

  • Size - 75mm x 55mm x 47mm, offering the most streamlined profile for In-Sight vision systems.

Contact us today for a demo of the new In-Sight 7000 series cameras or to assist with your vision application needs!

In-Sight 7000 Series Model Lineup:

General Applications
Offering a range of performance choices, model options include high speed, higher resolutions, and the ultimate in tool flexibility.
Models: 7010, 7020, 7050, 7200, 7400, 7402

ID
ID models offer unmatched identification software tools for reading and verifying 1-D and 2-D codes.
Models: 7210, 7410, 7412

OCR
OCR models provide advanced industrial text reading capabilities.
Models: 7230, 7430, 7432

Part Numbers:

IS7010-01 In-Sight 7010 Vision System w/o PatMax
IS7020-01 In-Sight 7020 Vision System w/o PatMax
IS7050-01 In-Sight 7050 Vision System w/o PatMax
IS7200-01 In-Sight 7200 Vision System w/o PatMax
IS7200-11 In-Sight 7200 Vision System with PatMax
IS7400-01 In-Sight 7400 Vision System w/o PatMax
IS7400-11 In-Sight 7400 Vision System with PatMax
IS7402-01 In-Sight 7402 High Res Vision System w/o PatMax
IS7402-11 In-Sight 7402 High Res Vision System with PatMax

IS7010-01-510-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, RED LIGHT
IS7010-01-520-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, WHITE LIGHT
IS7010-01-530-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, GREEN LIGHT
IS7010-01-540-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, BLUE LIGHT
IS7010-01-550-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, IR LIGHT
IS7020-01-510-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, RED LIGHT
IS7020-01-520-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, WHITE LIGHT
IS7020-01-530-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, GREEN LIGHT
IS7020-01-540-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, BLUE LIGHT
IS7020-01-550-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, IR LIGHT

IS7210-01 In-Sight 7210 ID Reader, C-Mount
IS7410-01 In-Sight 7410 High Res ID Reader, C-Mount
IS7412-01 In-Sight 7412 ID Reader, C-Mount

IS7430-01 IS7430 OCR/FIXTURE/FILTER TOOLS ONLY, C-MOUNT
IS7432-01 IS7432 HIGH RES OCR/FIXTURE/FILTER TOOLS ONLY, C-MOUNT
IS7230-01 IS7230 OCR/FIXTURE/FILTER TOOLS ONLY, C-MOUNT



Lighting Power and Control

Unlike most vision systems, the In-Sight 7000 smart camera has the capability to power and control specialized lighting directly and eliminating the need for external power supplies.

Lenses

C-mount lens compatible. Now also available in the new auto-focus integrated lenses.

Housing

IP67-rated case stands up to caustic environments.

Connectors

Ethernet, power and I/O connect via the industrial M12 connectors.

Size

75mm x 55mm x 47mm, offering the most streamlined profile for In-Sight vision systems.


General Applications

Offering a range of performance choices, model options include high speed, higher resolutions, and the ultimate in tool flexibility.

Models: 7010, 7020, 7050, 7200, 7400, 7402


ID

ID models offer unmatched identification software tools for reading and verifying 1-D and 2-D codes.

Models: 7210, 7410, 7412


OCR

OCR models provide advanced industrial text reading capabilities.

Models: 7230, 7430, 7432



Part Numbers to add:


IS7010-01 In-Sight 7010 Vision System w/o PatMax

IS7020-01 In-Sight 7020 Vision System w/o PatMax

IS7050-01 In-Sight 7050 Vision System w/o PatMax

IS7200-01 In-Sight 7200 Vision System w/o PatMax

IS7200-11 In-Sight 7200 Vision System with PatMax

IS7400-01 In-Sight 7400 Vision System w/o PatMax

IS7400-11 In-Sight 7400 Vision System with PatMax

IS7402-01 In-Sight 7402 High Res Vision System w/o PatMax

IS7402-11 In-Sight 7402 High Res Vision System with PatMax


IS7010-01-510-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, RED LIGHT

IS7010-01-520-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, WHITE LIGHT

IS7010-01-530-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, GREEN LIGHT

IS7010-01-540-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, BLUE LIGHT

IS7010-01-550-000 IS7010 STARTER TOOLSET, EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, IR LIGHT

IS7020-01-510-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, RED LIGHT

IS7020-01-520-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, WHITE LIGHT

IS7020-01-530-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, GREEN LIGHT

IS7020-01-540-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, BLUE LIGHT

IS7020-01-550-000 IS7020 LIMITED TOOLSET (NO ID/OCR), EASYBUILDER ONLY, 16MM, IR LIGHT


IS7210-01 In-Sight 7210 ID Reader, C-Mount

IS7410-01 In-Sight 7410 High Res ID Reader, C-Mount

IS7412-01 In-Sight 7412 ID Reader, C-Mount


IS7430-01 IS7430 OCR/FIXTURE/FILTER TOOLS ONLY, C-MOUNT

IS7432-01 IS7432 HIGH RES OCR/FIXTURE/FILTER TOOLS ONLY, C-MOUNT

IS7230-01 IS7230 OCR/FIXTURE/FILTER TOOLS ONLY, C-MOUNT

Monday, July 23, 2012

Cognex DataMan 300 & 302 Achieves Higher Read Rates

The new DataMan 300 series barcode readers from Cognex allow you to take a quantum leap in reading performance. Become more efficient and achieve higher read rates with the DataMan 300 and 302 unit.Dataman 300

The new DataMan 300 series of readers was developed to handle the difficult-to-read DPM (Direct Part Mark) codes as well as provide high read rates for challenging 1-D barcodes and 2-D Data Matrix codes.

  • 1DMax+™ with Hotbars™ technology provides higher read rates of damaged 1-D linear barcodes at a faster pace than ever before.

  • Controllable, field interchangeable lighting modules allow you to create the best possible lighting for your part, ensuring the highest read rates.

  • Intelligent tuning automatically adjusts the settings of the integrated lighting to find the optimal light setup for the part.

Additional Features and Benefits:

  • Enhanced 1DMax+ and 2DMax+ code-reading algorithms for reading the most challenging 1-D and 2-D codes

  • Flexible lens options C-Mount lens, S-Mount or a variable focus liquid lens to provide maximum depth of field flexibility? One reader does it all!

  • Cognex Connect communications suite supports industrial protocols as well as RS-232 connectivity for integration into legacy systems.

DataMan 300 series is available in two base models:



DataMan 300 : 800 x 600 pixels
DataMan 302 : 1280 x 1024 pixels

And with two algorithm options:

'L' for 1-D codes and 'X' for 1-D and 2-D codes.

So the four complete models are: DataMan 300L (DMR-300L-00), 300X (DMR-300X-00), 302L (DMR-302L-00), and 302X (DMR-302X-00).

The DataMan 302 is ideal for reading for reading very small DPM codes in a large field of view or on small components. Click here for more information on the fixed mount ID readers!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Cimtec 3D Surface Inspection



For the full-length version of the video, click here.

Cimtec Engineered Products is pleased to announce the release of 'Cimtec3D' software paired with 3D laser line profile sensors and cameras.  This capability allows us and our customers to move beyond the traditional 2D image inspection to the realm of true 3 dimensional surface inspection.

The 3D laser line profile sensors and cameras provide a scan of the part or surface outputting the full x, y, and z data to Cimtec3D.  They are precalibrated sensors that house the camera imager and laser line generator together for very precise real-world readings.  Cimtec3D has the ability to view and analyze a surface profile-by-profile, or stitch them altogether to view as a 'whole part' scan in a 16-bit grayscale image.  Statistical analysis and other image preprocessing is also applied to the image for nominal surface detection.

The 3D inspection finds surface flaws and reports their location in x, y, and z along with size characteristics such as:  area, length, elongation, spread, and volume.  After inspection, you have the ability to save the 16-bit images with or without the graphical results, and the ability to save the data to csv file.

Lastly, the GUI can be customized for your application and need, including a run-time display with operator interface.

Please contact your Cimtec representative today for more information or click here.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Cimtec to Host GE-IP Innovation Showcase

Cimtec will host the Innovation Showcase stop at GE-IP Headquarters in Charlottesville, VA. on July 10th.

This will be a great chance to see  the GE-IP factory and meet the design team there.   Also be the first to demo GE-IP's new family of products including the RXi



Bernie Anger,  GM of GE-IP Controls and Communications Systems will give his vision for the future of the automation industry.



Sign up below.   http://www.ge-ip.com/showcase or call us

GE Intelligent Platforms is changing what is possible in the world of industrial automation. Our innovative new PROFINET-enabled PACSystems controller and I/O solutions, industrial PCs, HMI solutions and cloud-based collaborative automation platforms are re-defining application development, deployment and management, and eliminating the traditional confines of manufacturing and process automation to deliver:

• Improved plant performance

Increase uptime

Lower total cost of ownership

Whether you are developing or deploying new equipment, expanding an existing process, or modernizing your facility, these emerging technologies will transform your approach to automation and dramatically improve productivity.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Cimtec is pleased to announce integration of CDI team

Press Release below...



CIMTEC ACQUIRES INDUSTRIAL FLAT PANEL COMPUTER FIRM, COMPUTER DYNAMICS, INC (CDI),  FROM GE INTELLIGENT PLATFORMS.

CIMTEC Automation (Charlotte, NC) today announced that it has acquired Computer Dynamics, Inc. (CDI), formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of GE Intelligent Platforms(GE IP). The acquisition will combine CIMTEC's established distribution base, in-house repair capabilities, and on-line presence with the wide variety of Industrial Computer Platforms and Flat Panel Display systems from CDI

“This acquisition will give our existing customers the ability to continue to purchase most of the products in the CDI product line, will enable us to continue to support our customers through improved customer service, and will allow us to bring products to market more quickly than before,” states CDI Product Manager, Tom Behnke. “The overwhelming feedback from our existing customers has been extremely positive regarding the continuance of the product line.”

For CDI products other than the Wolverine, CIMTEC Automation will provide:
  • Presales support for new product purchases
  • Warranty support for the CDI installed base, excluding the Wolverine product line
  • Out of warranty repair support for the installed base of CDI products
  • Technical support for the CDI installed base
For the past 25 years, CIMTEC Automation has been a leading provider of factory automation products, services and engineered solutions, incorporating PLC products from GE IP, motion control products, vision products and software technology into unique solutions to meet diverse automation challenges. Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, CIMTEC also provides technical and field support services plus complete automation engineering. The company’s Qualitrol (http://www.qualitrol.com) division has provided repair services for most major PLC lines and offered remanufactured PLC parts for obsolete and discontinued products lines for the past 18 years. Combined with the expertise of our customer service and support staff, CIMTEC Automation offers today’s manufacturers a unique, one-stop automation solution.

Two former CDI employees who have joined CIMTEC will be the points of contact for product and repair inquiries. For Repair and RMA support, contact Tom Behnke (tbehnke@cimtec.com), and for Product inquiries, contact Ryan Nelson (rnelson@cimtec.com). Tom and Ryan can be reached toll-free (US and Canada) at 1-866-599-6512, or at 704-227-4600.

Friday, May 11, 2012

LMI Technologies Announces Gocator Firmware Release 3.3

LMI Technologies has announced the release of Gocator Firmware Version 3.3.  This firmware release is for all series of Gocators, the 2000 series family and the 2300 series family.  The release includes these highlights:LMI Gocator

  • EtherNet/IP:  Gocator is now officially certified for EtherNet/IP use in controlling and communicating with a PLC.  This ensures that the Gocator can be easily integrated with a wide range of PLCs, including Allan-Bradley and Omron, using this industry standard protocol.  No software programming is required!

  • Gap and Flush Measurement Tool:  Measures the distance and flatness between two surfaces. The surface edges can be curved or sharp. The tool is well suited for inspecting panel assemblies in automotive manufacturing plants. Limits can be set to establish pass and fail conditions for inspection decisions.

  • Groove Measurement Tool: Measures the width and bottom of multiple V-shape and U-shape grooves. It can be used to find the vertex for welding applications or inspecting the dimensions of tunnels on a surface, such as the bottom of plastic containers or the treads of rubber tires. Limits can be set to establish pass and fail conditions for inspection decisions.

  • Rotated Box Measurement Tool: Expands Whole Part's bounding box tools to measure the width and height of a rotated object. This can be used to measure the orientation angle, width and height of boxes in packaging applications.

  • Persistent Variables in Script Measurement Tools: Expands the script measurement tool to carry intermediate results from the current frame to the next frame. Users can calculate statistics (e.g. averages) or accumulate results. For example, users can calculate the volume of an object by adding up the area from each cross section.

  • Occlusion Prevention with Two Sensors: Eliminate occlusions by merging data from a main and buddy sensors. Regions that are shadowed by step changes in the surface in both X and Y directions can now be seen, greatly enhancing the accuracy of 3D measurements.

  • Measurement Repeatability Statistics: The number of invalid results and standard deviations are now calculated for each measurement. These statistics provide users immediate feedback on measurement repeatability, greatly simplifying the process of fine-tuning a setup to achieve the most reliable results.

  • Frame Loss Health Indicators: New counters report the amount of data loss due to jitter in external signals when using fixturing or tracking window. Reduces integration effort by alerting users of potential setup problems earlier to reduce the time needed for troubleshooting setup issues.

  • Multiple Control Connections using SDK: The Gocator sensor now supports multiple simultaneous connections from the client computer running the Gocator SDK. This allows one application to be used for changing the sensors’ configuration or the state of the sensor, while at the same time supporting multiple applications for receiving data and health information. Clients can optionally use exclusive connections (i.e. behavior of the previous releases) by using the Go2System_Login command.

Contact us today to learn more about LMI Technologies' Gocator 3D Smart Sensor!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Notes from the Cognex Training Session

CIMTEC held a successful training session on Cognex In-Sight Machine Vision Sensors.  The four day session included hands on lab exercises based on both the EasyBuilder and Spreadsheet programming interface.  Thanks to all the students and if you missed this session, join us in Greenville on July 24.

Training Schedule



Cimtec is Hiring!

Do you know of anybody that would be a good fit for our team?

Please have them contact Kelly:     h r @cimtec.com

Job listings here:
http://www.cimtec.com/careers/

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Sick IVC 3D Demo setup



3D machine vision proof of concept demo of the Sick IVC-3D.   We inspect a metal bracket with a small 0.5mm imperfection and show the rendered model after the laser scanning.

NOTE:  the screen capture is full screen,  for best results,  right click the "video" link and save the target file, then view the video in quicktime

Setup video

Screen Session video

Final images of the intensity image and the 3D image



Wednesday, March 28, 2012

New GP4000 Pro-face HMI


>
Pro-Face America has launched the New GP-4000 series - an innovative new Operator Interface HMI offering extensive connectivity, energy efficient LCD with LED display, and comprehensive features with GP-Pro EX 3.01 HMI Development software.

Pro-Face GP-4000 Series uses the NEW GP-Pro EX v3 with extensive features, expanding functionality and connectivity for every HMI unit.

GP-4000 Series Operator Interface has Best in Class Connectivity, Powerful HMI Functionality and Full Compatibility with Pro-face GP-Pro EX 3.0 and GP-4000 products and projects.

Pro-face Operator Interface Series Overview:
     
  • Easy to Use: Operators can easily monitor conditions and the operating environment in real time using 3D real parts.

  • Saves Energy: Reduces on-site power consumption in a variety of ways including an on-board LED backlight in all models, and a dimmer setting used to decrease and eventually stand-by the display after being idle for a set period of time.

  • Quick On-site Recovery: Simply touch the alarm message to check the relevant data in chronological sequence.

  • Remote Monitoring: GP-Viewer EX software provides various remote monitoring functions, such as checking the screen of the GP located on a production site from a remote office.

  • Additional information on the GP-4000 series can be found on the Pro-face America website at www.profaceamerica.com/gp4000



Tuesday, March 6, 2012

GE-IP Releases Proficy Historian 4.5

The latest 4.5 release of Proficy Historian expands on the unparalleled power of our 4.x series Enterprise Historian platform with significant scalability, performance, and functionality improvements.  This release allows our customers to fundamentally change the way they use Historian to aggregate and accelerate information across their enterprises.

For customers new to the product, this is an ideal opportunity to take advantage of Proficy Historian as a foundation for operational excellence, and for our existing customers, a chance to upgrade their Historian implementations and take advantage of the powerful new features.  Start thinking about the expanded role Proficy Historian can play in improving your competitive advantage!

The following outlines the high level benefits of the latest version 4.0 release:

Major Scalability & Performance Enhancements

Proficy Historian scales to significant new levels, allowing customers to leverage data across their operations, both in plants or across global enterprises.  Across-board gains have been made in volume of information that can be collected per server, data throughput, and connectivity.

Expanded Functionality

New functionality required to deliver next-generation solutions in a wide range of operating environments, including condition-based collection, unsolicited tag compression timeout, and a new hybrid retrieval mode for enhanced data analysis.

Improved Compatibility & Integration

Proficy Historian empowers administrators to reduce operating costs, with flexibility & agility to support dynamically changing business conditions.  Key enhancements include a powerful new client access API, enhanced application examples,embedded applications support via Windows XPe, continued support for the latest Microsoft technologies, and full backward compatibility with 32-bit operating systems.

Ease of Use and Reduced Overall Cost of Ownership

Proficy Historian empowers administrators to reduce operating costs, with flexibility & agility to support dynamically changing business conditions.  Features such as enhanced archive management, improvements in system monitoring and management, and enhanced support for intermittent/low-bandwidth networks help our customers rapidly realize business benefit and sustain their advantage in a cost-efficient manner.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Encoders – Measurement in a Compact Size

SICK has a full line of encoders, including Incremental, Absolute, Wire-draw, Linear & Wheeled encoders. These are now the smallest encoders on the market, and SICK offers a complete function set to help solve your most challenging encoder applications.  In addition to its compact size, we offer the DFS-60 series which is completely customizable & programmable to every encoder application.


The new DFS-60 small footprint & compact size mean it can be mounted in space constrained areas and is easier and less expense to install.  The DFS-60 provides encoder solutions in an ultra-compact size from SICK, the innovative, global market leader in encoders.

For distances, positions and angles when precise positioning is required, an encoder is unbeatable. For distance measurement applications, the resolution of the encoder is in the micrometer range.

When making angular measurements, it is equivalent to a few thousandth of a degree.

Features:

Face mount and servo flange
Compact 2.0 inch housing
Electrical interfaces include TTL/RS422, HTL/push pull, PROFIBUS, CANopen, DeviceNet

Typical Markets:

• Wind turbines                                • Tire assembly equipment

• Servo motors                                 • Sheet and web offset presses / printing machinery

• Overhead cranes                            • Automated storage / retrieval systems

• Packaging machines                      • Robotic systems



Support:

SICK has decades of encoder application experience, a vast network of encoder expertise from our application engineers and a highly technical sales force.

About us: From providing product availability and pricing information, to resolving technical problems, the team at CIMTEC is prepared to work closely with you to ensure complete application solution support. For assistance, please call 704-227-4600, click on this link:  SICK Encoders or e-mail our applications group at jellen@cimtec.com

Migrating from older GE PLC’s

CIMTEC Automation  has been selling GE PLC’s since the mid-eighties introduction of the Series Six. Many of the PLC’s are still running factories today but there is an ever present fear that should they fail a replacement would not be easy to find. Many controls engineers also recognize that a proactive migration while the system is functioning would be less costly, less risky, and less stressful to all those involved.

While it can be easy to push the latest and greatest technology there can be roadblocks on the path to a newer control system. CIMTEC has developed and executed many migration projects using these steps to ensure a migration can be done with no surprises and for as low a cost as possible.
  1. Customer provides current program running in old system
  2. GE product specialist will review program to develop comprehensive proposal
  3. Upon acceptance of proposal migration begins and involves many steps:
    1. Hardware evaluation:
      1. What modules can stay as is?
      2. What modules require new firmware or chips?
      3. What modules need to be replaced?
    2. Program evaluation:
      1. How many rungs of logic are we dealing with?
      2. How many instructions won’t convert well?
      3. Are the rung comments in the right place?
      4. Do tag names follow current software rules/conventions or will they need to be manually changed?
      5. How complex will the I/O map change be?
      6. Should functions that are available now but were not historically be used to simplify logic?
      7. Are there portions of the program that should be removed entirely as they won’t be necessary?
      8. How much manual intervention will be required?
    3. Program conversion
    4. Proof read of converted program (3 hours to 3 weeks depending on length)
    5. Manual intervention of converted program
    6. Acquisition of proposed hardware
    7. Testing of program in proposed hardware

Delivery and installation of new hardware and converted program.

For more information please contact us