Plant floor managers love the idea of less is more when it comes to wires and cables, so the PowerGap wireless sensor system should pique some interest from machining and plant personnel. The system consists of two main components, a remote and base. The remote is the moving part of the system and this is where the sensors and actuators are mounted for sensing and control. The base is the fixed side and a power supply, PLC or another control system can be mounted on this side.
See image 1 & 2 (above, right), this shows how a turntable application benefits from an air gap between the remote and base part of the system. When the remote enters the transmittable field of the base sensor, inductive power is supplied to the remote and the signal is transmitted across the gap. Other applications include stamping and metal forming.
The system also features the ability to power transmission through a partition, an IP67 rating and a direct connection of the output signal to a PLC I/O. Other features include 64 inputs and 32 outputs of discrete I/O and DeviceNet, EtherNet/Ip and RS232 compatible. The product comes in standard M18, M30 and 90 x 90 mm square housings.
To find out more about the sensor system, click here.
