Posted to News on 11th Apr 2017, 16:17
Motion control upgrades from RS offer benefits across the board
RS Components is now offering everything engineers need to design, develop and deploy world-class motion control systems. From adding smart capabilities and upgrading systems, to dealing with sustainability challenges and ongoing maintenance, the huge range of products on offer from RS will provide answers to just about every motion control question and application. Technological offerings include products from many of the world's leading motion control companies, including Festo, Danfoss, Omron, Phoenix Contact, Schneider Electric and ifm.
One application that is gaining from a contemporary motion control approach is conveying. Forming the main arterial link in multiple industries and applications, including production lines, packaging and filling machines, and warehouses and storage systems, the upgrade of conveying systems can offer immediate and tangible benefits in terms of throughput, energy usage and long-term service life.
Upgrade options include the addition of newer, more intelligent hardware, such as QUINT4 power supply units from Phoenix Contact. These use near-field communication to allow the upload of user-defined settings from a PC or laptop; plus there is an app for mobile and tablet devices. Users also configure QUINT4 to monitor DC current, power, or voltage in real-time via a 4-20mA analogue output. This intelligence, in a broader sense, can also improve access to the wider connected enterprise, using IoT-based systems and capabilities. Energy efficiency can be tackled through the use of higher-efficiency motors, such as the IE3 AC motor range from TECO Westinghouse, or the deployment of variable-speed drives/inverters to control motor output more intelligently. Products of note include the new VLT FC 280 from Danfoss, which can be easily retrofitted to replace the popular VLT 2800.
From a maintenance standpoint, RS provides multiple products and services to support predictive maintenance regimens, such as electronic vibration sensors from ifm. These can be used to monitor motor and bearing vibrations in order to identify critical operating states before failures occur.
RS has also extended its stock from Festo, with the addition of 400 new products on top of the initial 1200 products it launched in June 2016. The extended offering comprises Festo's top selling ranges, plus other innovative products, such as EPCO electric cylinders, which offer various benefits compared to traditional pneumatic equivalents.
Engineers and technicians can access significant support and information from the RS website, where the dedicated motion control section contains a raft of additional information and complementary products. Tutorials and articles are also available from the website's DesignSpark section, and include how to increase efficiency in a motion control system and motor efficiency and IE3.
