Balluff at Hanover Exhibition 2018

Preliminary trade show report

Sensor specialist and provider of innovative automation solutions Balluff will be showcasing their expertise at the Hanover Exhibition (Hall 9, Booth F53).

New cameras added to the portfolio
Balluff is expanding their Smart Vision Solutions line with 16 compact industrial cameras (series BVS CA). These are the ideal solution when objects need to be inspected from several angles of view. They are available as GigE Vision and USB3 Vision versions and are used in combination with an external controller. The proven Balluff BVS Cockpit operating concept handles analysis. As already familiar to those using other Balluff vision solutions, results data are passed to high-level production systems via common process interfaces such as TCP/IP, TCP UDP and PROFINET. Report and image archiving separated from the process network is of course a customer option.

Intelligent sensors for the smart factory
How modern production concepts and Industry 4.0 solutions can profit from intelligent sensors in many different ways is something Balluff will be showing in the form of two new photoelectric sensors. These versatile units combine different measuring principles in one device and provide the switching signal via IO-Link as well as information about the sensor status and current ambient conditions. Since the operating modes of the sensors can also be changed on-the-fly over IO-Link, very different objects can be detected under changing operating conditions. This makes production flexible while quickly adapting to changing requirements.

IO-Link – enabler for Industry 4.0
Anyone wanting to inform themselves about the various possibilities offered by IO-Link will also find Balluff the best place to get answers. IO-Link is considered an enabler for Industry 4.0. Practical examples will be used to show how using IO-Link simplifies installation of a system, reduced setup and commissioning time, saves costs and easily makes intelligent diagnostics and configuration concepts possible.

Safety portfolio expanded
Visitors will also see products newly added to the Balluff safety portfolio, including a TÜV certified all-in-one I/O module with safety actuator segment shut-off. Both sensors and actuators can be connected to the rugged, IP 67 rated IO-Link I/O hub with two galvanically isolated segments. Together with an external safety device the supply voltage for the actuator segment can be safely shut off in order to meet safety functions up to SIL2 per EN62061. The module also features eight digital in- and outputs.

Internet of things using the example of Mold-ID
Balluff and Lufthansa are presenting a jointly developed IoT concept study using Smart Mold-ID for an intelligent manufacturing application. The concept shows how data are generated, transported, processed and encrypted via OPC-UA or MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) to a cloud-based application. Software analyzes the information and prepares the results in visual form to make is useful. In this way users can use Smart Mold-ID to track the use of injection molding tools and schedule their repair and maintenance to better match the actual equipment condition. Quality control can also be organized much more efficiently and therefore more economically. Since important process data are gathered using sensors directly attached to the molding tool, any discrepancies can be countered by taking action in the production processes in real time.