Posted to News on 10th Oct 2006, 14:35
AS-i connectors sealed to IP68 and IP69K for washdowns
AS-interface is well established in many fields because it provides savings in installation while being simple to use. However, to date the connection modules have been designed with general manufacturing industry in mind, leaving no suitable products for industries that regularly have to maintain hygiene by washing down their plant.
Now As-i founder member ifm electronic is offering a complete range of AS-interface products with high IP ratings and materials of construction selected specifically to meet the requirements of the food and pharmaceutical industries.
The AS-i ProcessLine from ifm electronic covers active modules with three inputs and four outputs or, alternatively with eight inputs, and passive modules for intelligent AS-i devices with eight ports.
All modules are constructed in stainless steel and tested to IP68 and IP69K - in addition to being tested with cleaning materials representative of those used in industry.
To connect these field modules to the input/output devices ifm electronic offers jumper cables with stainless steel nuts that meet the same requirements. The connection to the AS-i flat cable, which is itself resistant to the acids and alkalis commonly used for cleaning, ifm electronic provides two devices, the E70354 and the new E70454, again both in stainless steel with IP69K ratings. These splitters clamp onto the yellow cable and connect to the modules via M12 connectors.
Of course, as a sensor specialist, ifm electronic has no shortage of field sensors compatible with both AS-i and food or pharmaceutical washdown areas. From inductive proximity sensors and photoelectrics for position sensing, through to process sensors for flow, pressure or temperature, ifm electronic offers a complete package for food users.
