October 2019

69 www.drivesncontrols.com October 2019 NEW PRODUCTS n RS Components has introduced a plug-and-play system for data gathering, processing and reporting, that is intended to optimise Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing and factory- maintenance processes. The modular 4ZeroBox IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) box, from the Italian manufacturer TOI (Things on Internet), can be used with both legacy and current industrial equipment from different manufacturers, allowing rapid integration with sensors, actuators and cloud services. Based on a 2.4GHz microcontroller with 4Mb of flash memory, the box comes in a DIN-rail-mountable case with sensor channels and support for WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, LoRa, Can, RS-485, RS-232, SD cards, JTAG, I2C and SPI. The system can be extended using any of hundreds of MikroElektronika click boards. The box comes with a one- year subscription to TOI’s 4ZeroManager, a cloud-based or on-premises device management service for organising, monitoring and remotely updating connected devices. It uses a Web interface to control connected devices and customise data forwarding to services such as ERP and MES. The 4ZeroBox includes a Zerynth Virtual Machine licence, so it can be programmed in Python or hybrid C/Python. Zerynth includes a compiler, debugger and editor, as well as tutorials and example projects for easy learning. RS believes that the box will find applications from production plants to industrial refrigeration, waste management, agriculture, transportation and logistics, energy and utilities, and smart homes and buildings. RS Components https://uk.rs-online.com/web Aerotech has announced a pair of precision, direct-drive rotary tables that combine high torque levels (up to 1.1kNm) and load capacities (600kg), with good speed and positioning accuracy. The Alar- 250XP (with an aperture diameter of 250mm and an axial payload of 500kg) and the Alar-325XP (325mm, 600kg) are said to offer efficiency advantages over worm drives or direct drives with iron-core slot motors, and to be suitable for either horizontal and vertical applications. The tables are driven by Aerotech BLMX brushless, ironless and slotless torque motors, which are free from play, vibration and wear. Because there are no wormgears, gears or clutches to move, the tables can achieve high speeds and acceleration as well as consistent, stable performance with no backlash, hysteresis or wear. The tables produce low-vibration, low- noise motion with almost no cogging torque, and can achieve higher speeds and accelerations than, for example, rotary tables with wormdrives. This is said to lead to improved accuracy, repeatability and longevity, and thus to higher throughputs. Because of their high torque levels, the tables can be used for payloads with highmoments of inertia and large masses, when fast accelerations and uniformmotion are needed at the same time. Conventional rotary tables for high torques typically use either gear reductions or slotted, iron-core motors, but both of these have disadvantages with precision positioning at high and uniform speeds. Aerotech describes the new tables as“a real game-changer”, because they allow users to achieve high torques without compromising the quality of motion. Aerotech 01256 855055 www.aerotech.co.uk Direct-drive rotary tables are ‘a real game- changer’ IIoT box integrates sensors, actuators and cloud services into new and old kit Eplan has upgraded its Electric P8 CAE package for electrical applications. The latest version (2.8) has a new graphical user interface, enhanced ergonomics and augmented macro technology. There are also enhancements in terms of con guration, bus data, and bi-directional interaction with Siemens TIA Portal using the AutomationML format, which supports round-trip engineering and optimises the con guration of PLC data. A newmenu itemmakes it easier to transfer con guration projects to the corresponding bus ports, eliminating time-consuming manual inputting of data for each port. Bus data can now be entered into a schematic and displayed without a single-line representation being speci ed. www.eplan.co.uk Sprint Electric is adding support for HMS’Anybus CompactCom communications option modules to its PL/PLX range of DC drives, expanding their networking capabilities and enabling serial communications using almost any networking protocol. The Anybus option modules support newer protocols and will allow both prescriptive and predictive feedback from the drives to networks. Sprint is also adding a German language option to the two-line programming display of the PL/PLX drives. www.sprint-electric.com WEG has announced a series of slip-ring motors for use in the mining and cement industries. Available in IEC frame sizes 355– 1000, the M Mining motors cover the power range 250kW to 10MW, at 50 or 60 Hz. The three- phase induction motors have 4– 14 poles and are designed for voltages up to 13.8kV. The robust, steel-cased motors are intended for use in dusty environments and offer protection from IP55 to IP66. Protective paints allow operation in abrasive and humid environments with atmospheric sulphur dioxide. There are two versions: one with brushes in constant contact; the other with brush-lifting devices, reducing the need for maintenance. An optional control system is available for the brush-lifting device. The brush compartment has an inspection window and its cooling is independent of the motor, boosting efficiency. The wound rotors of slip-ring motors allow them to achieve high starting torques with low start-up currents. The windings are connected to slip-rings that allow a variable resistance to be inserted into the rotor circuit, resulting in higher rotor circuit resistance and improved start-up characteristics. The starting current is almost the same as the rated current, and the motors can drive loads with high starting torques and high inertias. WEG (UK) 01527 513800 www.weg.net Slip-ring motors offer long lives and high starting torques