Electronic digital position indicators set new standards in function and design

SIKO PositionLine DE04 and DE10:

SIKO GmbH: Precision, flexibility and reliability play a crucial role in position indicators. Where mechanical displays come up against their limits, electronic solutions are required to ensure flexible applications. To meet this need, SIKO GmbH has developed the DE04 and DE10 electronic digital indicators as part of the SIKO PositionLine range. For mechanical construction and mechanical engineering in general, both devices open up a number of opportunities – and plentiful advantages besides.

Buchenbach – Mechanical position indicators from SIKO have been used for more than 30 years to measure stop- and work-piece positions in many fields of mechanical engineering. Early on, SIKO GmbH grasped the natural limits of mechanical position indicators. As the inventor and market leader in mechanical and digital position indicators, the company set out systematically to bring its products ahead. The result: the DE04 and DE10 electronic digital position indicators, which close up the gaps of the mechanical units in practical application.

DE04 and DE10 are battery-operated, electronic position displays in a hollow shaft design. The devices are used for direct reading of position values on adjusting spindles. Thanks to the higher resolution and accuracy, faster speed and better speed characteristics, and enjoying additional advantageous features, they are distinctly superior to the mechanical indicators.

Limitations of mechanical position indicators

The reasons for the development of the new DE series are extensive. According to Sven Wischnewski, PositionLine product manager at SIKO GmbH: "The mechanical indicators of our DA-series were no longer capable of satisfying all the demands that have to be satisfied in today’s world." For example, negative values are not clearly legible. Sven Wischnewski again: "When the counter is rotated from zero into the negative zone, the exact numerical value automatically appears on the electronic display with a minus sign. This is not the case with the mechanical solutions.".

While the display of extremely uneven values was not possible on mechanical devices, such values pose no problems for the DE04 and DE10. For both mechanical and electronic displays, the spindle pitch that is to be displayed on the unit after a rotation of the hollow shaft must be pre-defined. With the DE04 and DE10 digital position indicators, any number between two and 90,000 can be freely programmed – which, again, is not possible with the mechanical solutions. "With the mechanical position indicators, according to the desired value and depending on machine design, a suitable gear set is built in. However, appropriate matching drives for all values are not available, meaning that no extremely uneven values can be displayed,” explained Product Manager Sven Wischnewski. The parameterization of the electronic displays can be done comfortably either at the factory or by the user via the SIKO programming software ProTool DE.

With mechanical displays, the maximum display value following a single rotation is limited for technical reasons. As well, the stress on the gear wheels increases so greatly at higher values that damage to the gears can quickly result. Electronic displays are unaffected by this problem. If a display value that is greater than 00200 after one turn is needed, electronic displays should be used in any case.

Experience shows that such high values occur in particular when the display is attached not to a spindle, but to gear wheels or belt drives, for example.

Serious disadvantages of mechanical solutions are also noticeable in angle measurements. Once the mechanical unit reaches 360 degrees, it simply continues to count. The DE04 and DE10 indicators, on the other hand, contain a programmable angle mode in 0.1-degree increments, which at 360.0 degrees resets to 0.0.

Calibration made easy

Various production procedures require periodic calibration of the counter. Users who in this case deployed a mechanical position indicator with a reset function found themselves faced with relatively high investment costs.

The DE04 and DE10 electronic digital displays compensate for this disadvantage, since a reset button is already integrated into the device by the manufacturer. These devices are typically used in wood milling machines to calibrate the display value to the respective tool size. Moreover, the electronic digital readouts aid in the assembly of cables, wires or hoses. At each unwound piece of cable, the display is simply reset to zero.

Attractive appearance and optimum compatibility

In addition to their technical advantages, the two newly developed electronic readouts from SIKO have an appealing modern look. Where the appearance of the mechanical position indicators was limited by the "Form follows function" principle, the DE04 and DE10 were free to explore a more contemporary design. "For a small premium the customer can permanently increase the added value of his overall machine by improving the appearance of the display devices," said Product Manager Sven Wischnewski.

To keep down the costs of upgrading from a mechanical to an electronic digital position indicator, the dimensions of the new devices have been adapted to their mechanical predecessors. This makes the devices compatible and easy to install in customer systems. In particular, the clearance between the torque support and hollow shaft important for the mounting is identical in mechanical and electronic displays. Both indicators feature a rotational speed of 600 rpm and can be deployed at working temperatures from -10 to +60 degrees Celsius.

Large LCDs with a character height of 8 mm (DE04) and 11.5 mm (DE10) make for highly user-friendly displays. The numbers are thus much larger and easier to read than those on conventional position indicators. The power supply is via a 3V standard coin cell that can be quickly and easily replaced by the user. The battery life is eight years. Once set, the parameterization remains even after a change of battery.

Extensive range of applications

SIKO has been a sought-after and reliable partner of industry and the mechanical engineering sector for many years.

Our extensive product range, which has expanded from simple mechanical displays to encompass high-precision measuring systems, provides reliable and high-quality solutions from a single source. "SIKO is the sole manufacturer of installation-compatible mechanical and electronic position indicators. This unique feature is due not least to our continuous product development," said Sven Wischnewski.

With its PositionLine range, SIKO offers a wide variety of high-quality display solutions that are deployed in a broad range of industries. In addition to the classical mechanical engineering firms, these include wood and metal working companies, paper processors, and firms in the packaging and labeling sectors.

SIKO: Leading through innovation awareness

Innovation awareness, expertise, transparency and reliability are the core values in the nearly 50-year history of SIKO GmbH. The family business founded in 1963 in Buchenbach bei Freiburg quickly developed into a dependable partner for rotary and linear measuring systems, servo drives and rotary- and cable-actuated encoders used throughout the mechanical engineering sector. SIKO today has a presence in over 30 countries through independent sales representatives and subsidiaries. The continuous exchange of experience in science and research as well as a close relationship with users and customers create the foundation for the solutions of tomorrow.