Belden Inc., St. Louis, introduced a new Category 6 DataTuff twisted pair cable, expanding its family of industrial Ethernet cables. The new cable—Product No. 7940A—is EtherNet/IP compliant and has a round construction, making it suitable for sealed industrial Ethernet connectivity applications. The company also expanded its line of Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) cables designed to carry power from industrial AC drive systems to AC motors. The product additions include eight new Symmetrical Ground Design, 3-conductor 16 to 2 AWG, VFD cables. The new cables are designed and engineered to support a broader range of installation options and customer requirements, including MSHA and UL Direct Burial approvals. Finally, Belden announced a line of DataTuff Industrial Ethernet Connectivity components—including cord sets, jacks, plug kits, tools and accessories.
Cooper Bussmann Inc., Ellisville, Mo., has developed a full range of PV fuses specifically for protecting solar panel photovoltaic (PV) cell strings. Sophisticated solar panel systems contain PV strings that consist of small solar power cells connected in series or parallel. Their recent, accelerated development has created a demand for high-performance fuses. The specific area of concern is the limited current condition that exists with a solar panel fault. The short-circuit current levels associated with solar panels do not produce sufficient current to open standard fuses in a way that effectively isolates faulted photovoltaic cell strings.
Cooper Crouse Hinds, Syracuse, N.Y., expanded its line of Ex-Cell stainless steel enclosures available in a range of sizes, each with various configurations for a multitude of applications. They are also certified to the impact, thermal and IP66 ingress requirements of EN50014. The cover of the Ex-Cell enclosure features a ¼ turn keyed lock fastening mechanism that provides a rapid means of achieving a rating of IP66 environmental seal for reliable environmental protection. An integral drainage channel prevents liquids or other solid contaminates from running in or falling into the enclosure when the door is opened, and to minimize gasket path contamination.
Molex Inc., Lisle, Ill., announced new features added to its BradCommunications SST programmable logic controller (PLC) communication modules. The SST Modbus and Profibus modules for ControlLogix provide users with increased performance and quicker start-ups by eliminating ladder logic programming from most applications. The modules also now support Add-On Profiles for easy integration into the ControlLogix system using Rockwell Automation’s RSLogix 5000 software, and Remote Link Library functionality, which allows remote configuration and diagnostics. The SST AS-Interface module for SLC 500 controllers has gone through AS-Interface conformance testing to comply with the latest AS-Interface specification 3.0.
Molex also announced the BradCommunications eNetMeter for DeviceNet to its line of diagnostic tools. It is a passive device that continuously monitors a DeviceNet network and sends the information over Ethernet to a PLC or personal computer (PC) monitoring system. The information can be read directly by an EtherNet/IP master. Optionally, data can be accessed through a DLL interface, an OPC server or the BradCommunications NetAlytix software. NetAlytix is a personal computer (PC)-based software that provides a graphical display of network data. Instant flagging of errors and marginal conditions along with pop-up tips provide guidance on possible causes of errors and potential corrective action.
Online Development Inc., Knoxville, Tenn., introduced a new appliance module that interconnects factory floor controllers with databases and IT integration technologies without the need for custom plant floor programming. The eATM tManager appliance is available as a module that installs in a Rockwell Automation ControlLogix programmable automation controller (PAC), or as a standalone module for DIN rail mounting. Either configuration connects any Allen-Bradley PLC or PAC with databases, Java Messaging System, IBM WebSphere MQ, and other Enterprise Service Bus interface technologies. This new appliance supports Rockwell Software Production Centre and other Manufacturing Execution System (MES) applications, including those available from Oracle, SAP, Infor, and the like.
The company also introduced a controller-to-controller module that enables connecting various brands of PLCs without the need to program message instructions. The cATM Universal Gateway data appliance is available as a module that installs in a Rockwell Automation ControlLogix PAC, or as a standalone module for DIN rail mounting. Either configuration delivers more than 130 protocols for connectivity to thousands of plant floor devices. The new appliance features a universal driver to connect to a wide range of Ethernet and serial devices such as analyzers, bar code readers, weigh scales, RFID systems, serial printers, label machines and more. Online Development worked in partnership with Kepware Technologies Inc., Portland, Maine, to develop the cATM Universal Gateway appliance. It combines Kepware’s suite of protocols with Online Development’s embedded appliance experience to make the benefits of M2M more available and easier to deploy.
ProSoft Technology Inc., Bakersfield, Calif., introduced Wireless Point I/O Adapter (ILX34-AENWG), a high-speed, standards-based 802.11g product. The product provides high-speed, low-latency 802.11g client communication via RadioLinx Industrial Hotspots or third-party 802.11g access points. For security, the Wireless Point I/O employs 802.11i WPA2 with AES Encryption.
ProSoft Technology’s new Modbus TCP/IP and EtherNet/IP to CC-Link communication gateways allows Rockwell Automation control platform users to integrate any of the more than 800 Mitsubishi’s CC-Link-compatible products with existing Modbus TCP/IP EtherNet/IP control networks.
The company also announced CIPconnect family of bridges for Modbus and Modbus TCP/IP, designed to allow users familiar with the CIP-compliant Ethernet protocol—EtherNet/IP—to easily integrate Modbus devices without requiring the user to be familiar with the Modbus protocol.
Finally, the company introduced Appliance Transaction Manager (ILX56-M2M). This is an in-chassis module for the ControlLogix platform that enables users to migrate to the ControlLogix platform from legacy PLCs or third-party PLCs.
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