Automation & Control Products

Rollon has launched its new Cobot Transfer Unit (CTU), designed to push the boundaries of collaborative robot applications. With a series of key enhancements, the latest CTU model offers improved flexibility, easier integration, and increased performance, making it the ideal solution for automation processes requiring extended reach.

The new CTU introduces a range of updates aimed at simplifying installation and maximizing efficiency. A transition to a new motor helps ensure reduced lead times, as it is readily available in stock. Additionally, the adoption of a 220 V power supply—matching the voltage of Universal Robots—eliminates the need for industrial voltage, simplifying integration and reducing electrical complexities.

The revised match between CTU and robot sizes improves compatibility, now supporting the entire Universal Robots range, including the UR20 and UR30. The integration of the R-Smart actuator further enhances system stiffness and load capacity, helping ensure higher reliability in automation environments.

“Our latest CTU reflects Rollon’s commitment to continuous innovation and customer-driven design,” says Andrea Tosi, VP Technology at Rollon. “By optimizing the system architecture, we have created a solution that delivers seamless integration with Universal Robots, greater flexibility, and improved efficiency. With this launch, we are empowering manufacturers with a robust, plug-and-play motion solution that extends the capabilities of cobots like never before.”

Rollon’s CTU is a turnkey system that includes an actuator, a gearbox, motor, electrical cabinet, and Rollon’s URCap software, allowing intuitive programming directly from the Universal Robots teach pendant. This enables users to control both the robot and the transfer unit through the same interface, eliminating the need for additional programming expertise.

With a steel-reinforced belt drive, extruded aluminum profile, and recirculating ball guides, the CTU offers high stiffness, lightweight construction, and strokes of up to 5,500 mm, with extensions available upon request. The system also features various accessories for smooth integration, making it easy for customers to tailor the setup to their specific requirements.

Designed for tasks such as light material handling, assembly, pick-and-place, and packaging, CTU’s compact design, easy installation, and flexible horizontal or vertical mounting support adaptability across diverse automation environments.

Weidmuller USA has introduced the PowerCrimper Vario, a semi-automated machine with an electric-powered drive (no foot switch required) for applications that require durable crimping connections. Procedures start only when the protective cover is closed, ensuring finger safety for operators. The crimper also provides short cycle times of approximately one second, and a high level of flexibility in combination with PowerStripper 6.0/16.0. Various inserts, such as for insulated connectors from 0.5 to 6mm² (AWG 20-10) or for wire end ferrules 6 to 16 mm2 (AWG 10-6), enable a force-saving crimping process.

The new OmniVance collaborative, automated machine tending cell can reduce the time spent on repetitive machine tending tasks by up to 60%. Featuring a portable, compact design that is easy to move between different machines, the cell is based on ABB’s GoFa 12 IP67-rated cobot, which combines a long reach of 1.27m with repeatable precision for loads up to 10kg. GoFa also includes power- and force-limiting capabilities, enabling it to work safely alongside human operators without the need for conventional barriers. ​All major components of the cell are pre-engineered and integrated, including the GoFa cobot, tray system and gripper, requiring just one day for installation and set-up. The cell offers ABB’s Wizard Easy Programming software, which uses no-code, block-based technology.

The 28th annual SPDEI Trophies award recognizes KYOCERA AVX for distinguished performance in the passive components segment of the French industrial electronics distribution industry.

KYOCERA AVX, a leading global manufacturer of advanced electronic components engineered to accelerate technological innovation and build a better future, received a 2024 SPDEI Trophies award for distinguished performance in the passive components segment of the industrial electronics distribution industry.

The SPDEI Trophies awards are bestowed by the French Professional Union of Industrial Electronics Distribution, Syndicat Professionnel de la Distribution en Électronique Industrielle (SPDEI), and annually celebrate a select group of suppliers for the superior quality of their support for and collaboration with the industry.

The 2024 SPDEI Trophies awards marked the 28th annual celebration and were presented at the end of the organizations’ annual conference, which was held at the Automobile Club de France in Paris on December 3, 2024, and presented various assessments of and outlooks for the electronic components market in France, particularly within the railway sector. Sylvie Godebert, KYOCERA AVX Area Sales Manager and Point-of-Sale (POS) Manager – Paris, France, and Bruno Brucker, Country Manager of France-Benelux North Africa for KYOCERA AVX, were on-site to accept the award.

Evaluation criteria for the 2024 SPDEI Trophies awards included products, profitability, resources and support, and the traceability of designs. KYOCERA AVX was one of 26 total honorees spanning eight award categories — Digital Semiconductors, Analog Semiconductors, Wireless and Sensors, Display and Embedded, Passive Components, Electromechanical Components, Energy Conversion, and Connectors, Cables, and Accessories — and one of five honorees within the passive components category.

“We are very proud to have earned 2024 SPDEI Trophies award for exceptional performance in the passive components segment of the industrial electronics distribution industry,” said Pascal Dubois, Vice President of Sales – EMEA at KYOCERA AVX. “The SPDEI Trophies awards are awarded by our peers in the French distribution industry, which makes them especially meaningful, and this year’s award marks the second consecutive recognition of our commitment to quality and our successful teamwork, which is both validating and encouraging.”

ControlByWeb has updated the original WebRelay and WebRelay-Quad with new features, including browser-based programmable logic, MQTT, OpenAPI and new networking options. WebRelay models now also include cellular and Wi-Fi options. The updated cellular devices operate worldwide utilizing a multinational roaming eUICC SIM. All cellular devices include access to the ControlByWeb Cloud for direct remote access, control, logging and an interactive dashboard. ControlByWeb devices can connect peer-to-peer, allowing worldwide mesh control systems. The WebRelay and WebRelay-Quad, now WPA2 and WPA3 Enterprise compatible, offer enhanced network and device security. Additionally, the WebRelay is a wireless access point. Phones and tablets can also connect directly to the device to display a dashboard with the current I/O status.

TDK Corporation (TSE: 6762) has expanded its CGA series for automotive and C series for commercial multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) to 10 nF at 1,250 V in 3225 size (3.2 x 2.5 x 2.5 mm – L x W x H), with C0G characteristics (Class I dielectric). This is the industry’s highest capacitance* for a 1,250-V rated product in 3225 size and this temperature characteristic. Mass production of the product series began December 2024.

Circuits using silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, which can withstand high temperatures and high voltages, are being adopted, and more and more circuits are becoming higher voltage and higher current to reduce the charging time of electric vehicles. With this, the demand for high-voltage resistance for resonant and snubber capacitors grows.

C0G characteristic products change their capacitance only slightly over temperature and voltage, making them ideal for such applications. These MLCCs are high voltage resistant because their product and process design were optimized. This makes them compatible with high-voltage circuits and makes it possible to reduce the number of MLCCs mounted in series, contributing to space-saving designs. Furthermore, compared to TDK’s previous products, it can reduce the heat generated and thus contributes to prevent excessive heat in the applications. TDK will further expand its lineup to meet the needs of customers.

Glossary

• AEC-Q200: Automotive Electronics Council standard for passive automotive components.

Main applications

• Resonant circuit capacitors.
• Snubber capacitors.

Main features and benefits

• C0G characteristics with very small changes in capacitance over temperature and voltage.
• Enabling space-saving designs and reducing the number of components because the products can withstand high voltage up to 1,250 V in 3225 size.
• High reliability qualified based on AEC-Q200.

The latest 3.80 version of edgeConnector Siemens, edgeConnector 840D and edgeConnector Modbus from Softing includes ARM 32-bit support for compact edge hardware. EdgeConnector’s increased performance enables use with a wider range of devices for edge applications, including Wago’s Compact Controller 100, Wago PFC 200 and open-source hardware boards like Allwinner A20. The edgeConnector product family consists of docker-based software modules that enable access to process data in CNC applications using Simatic S7, Sinumerik 840D and Modbus TCP controllers. As containerized software, these modules can be quickly deployed, run on standard hardware and can be managed from a central location. The software provides a secure data integration between production and IIoT systems.

TASKING offers a complete development flow of certified tools for safety-critical embedded software.

TASKING is introducing the winIDEA Tool Qualification Support Package (TQSP). The ISO-compliant debugging solution allows TASKING to be the only embedded software tool supplier to offer a complete development workflow of certified tools for all areas of the development of safety-critical embedded software.

In modern vehicles, the number of ADAS features continues to increase, while the ASIL requirements of the associated ECUs and driver assistance safety functions also continue to rise. To overcome these challenges while staying on time and on budget, system developers and integrators need qualified tools that are certified for use in safety-critical applications.

As a long-time leader in safety and security compliant embedded software development tools, TASKING has provided ASPICE CL2 compliant, ISO 26262 and ISO 21434 certified toolsets including compiler, assembler, linker and locator for more than 20 years.

Thanks to the TQSP, winIDEA and the renowned BlueBox debuggers can now also be used without hesitation in the development of security-relevant applications. TASKING can thus offer a system-level solution for software developers and integrators, and thereby provide a complete ISO-compliant development workflow including both compiler and debugger toolsets.

The TQSP is designed to qualify specific winIDEA functionalities accessed through the winIDEA SDK in the user’s environment for their specific use cases. The package was certified by TÜV-Nord for ISO 26262 (functional safety for road vehicles) and IEC 61508 (functional safety of electronic systems), ensuring compliance with these functional safety standards. This reduces the complexity and workload associated with tool qualification. When the TASKING provided Safety Manual is used with the TQSP, the end-user achieves a more efficient and focused qualification process allowing them to save time and effort.

The N-Tron NT116 unmanaged industrial Ethernet switch offers Ethernet I/O and process control in a compact and ruggedized form that includes 16 high performance copper ports (10/100BaseTX RJ45). The NT116 offers high shock and vibration tolerance, and all ports have ESD and surge protection. Users benefit from a 1.2M hour MTBF rating in a design that operates in temperatures from -40°C to 85°C. The NT116 supports full wire speed communications of up to 3.2 Gb/s throughput. The unit uses store-and-forward technology and supports full and half duplex operation. Two 10-49V DC power inputs are provided for redundancy. The NT116 features IEEE 802.3 compliance as well as UL Ordinary and Hazardous locations, ATEX and IECEx certifications.

Smart devices are bridging the gap between IT and OT domains and transforming every stage of production in process manufacturing and beyond, unlocking new efficiencies. RS helps process manufacturers select, integrate, and maintain optimized solutions.

RS, a global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, offers an expansive selection of digitalization and integration solutions engineered to boost efficiency and productivity in the process manufacturing industry.

In addition to pervasive industrial market challenges, including unplanned downtime, skilled labor shortages, and supply chain interruptions, process manufacturers contend with stringent safety, tracking, and tracing requirements and a variety of environmental hazards, including extreme temperatures, high-pressure washdowns, and chemical exposure. Smart digitalization and integration solutions designed to support automation, remote condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and advanced data analytics play a vital role in helping process manufacturers overcome these common challenges and get the most out of their systems.

When utilized effectively, digitalization and integration solutions bridge the gap between information technology (IT) and operating technology (OT), enabling end-to-end optimization that results in increased accuracy, higher efficiency, reduced downtime, improved product quality, fewer staffing and workload issues, greater productivity, and enhanced regulatory compliance. The efficiency and productivity improvements enabled by IIoT technology employed in factories alone are expected to generate up to $3.3 trillion by 2030, much of which can be attributed to the preventative maintenance strategies that IIoT technologies enable since these efforts have been proven to reduce unplanned downtime by up to 70% and maintenance costs by up to 25%. As such, the demand for digitalization and integration solutions like these continues to expand.

The RS portfolio of smart digitalization and integration solutions features a wide variety of products designed to enhance industrial performance and includes selections optimized to withstand the hazards of process manufacturing environments. RS also has the experience and expertise necessary to help process manufacturers select, integrate, and maintain these solutions and capitalize on a variety of impactful advantages, including:

Better, More Data-Driven Decisions: Timely, reliable data plays one of the most important roles in the latest digitalization and integration technology. Without it, process manufacturers risk making uninformed decisions with inaccurate information.

Integrated systems arm businesses with more data than ever before while improving prediction accuracy and enhancing shareability. Decisionmakers can better assess and analyze their systems by seamlessly accessing and distributing data, often in real-time. Additionally, analytical tools like manufacturing execution systems (MES) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems further review, analyze, and distribute information, enabling better, more informed decision-making.

Connectivity components, such as connectors and cabling, are essential to industrial network communications and transmit data from IIoT devices, like sensors, to controllers programmed to manage machinery and processes. RS connectivity solutions designed to support digitalization and integration in process manufacturing include the Murrelektronik F&B PRO line, which is engineered to meet the exacting hygiene, cleanliness, and corrosion protection requirements for food and beverage applications, and the FSCG Series cable glands from ABB Installation Products (formerly Thomas & Betts brand), which feature a smooth, hygienic, single-piece, fully enclosed, and corrosion-resistant stainless steel construction with FDA-compliant EPDM seals rated IP66 through IP69K.

Proactive, Preventative Maintenance: Unplanned downtime can cause a huge hit to a company’s bottom line. A Siemens report found that unplanned downtime cost Fortune Global 500 companies 11% of their yearly turnover — almost $1.5 trillion — in 2022. With more and better data comes better insights into machine and system health. This allows operators to know when maintenance is needed ahead of time and better align any necessary downtime with production schedules, demand, and logistics.

Smart sensors digitalize critical equipment data and — with the help of industrial data communication devices, like routers— transmit that data to controllers, like PLCs, in real-time, enabling adjustments that previously required human intervention and providing manufacturers with valuable insights into machine and system health that enable predictive maintenance and reduce downtime. RS sensor solutions optimized for digitalization and integration in process manufacturing include the ifm efector PI Series sanitary pressure and level sensors, which are ideal for tank level and pressure measurements. Optimized data communication devices include Phoenix Contact’s mGuard family of rugged, industrial-grade security devices with integrated firewall, router, and optional VPN functionality.

Flexibility and Nimble Adjustments: For process manufacturers, innovation — ranging from new recipes and formulas to product improvements — means experimenting, testing, and adjusting, and success means safety, consistency, and compliance. Digitalization and integration solutions enable precise, repeatable measurements, ensure adherence to existing recipes to improve quality control, monitor the shelf life of essential ingredients, and automate the documentation of production processes to ensure consumer safety and regulatory compliance.

I/O solutions help link smart sensors to PLCs and other controllers that use sensor data and internal logic programming to control and automate system processes with precision, accuracy, and consistency. RS I/O solutions engineered for deployment in challenging process manufacturing environments include the multifunctional, modular, and scalable Siemens SIMATIC ET 200 distributed I/O systems, which enable integrated and optimized data availability in industrial automation systems, and SIMATIC ET200eco PN I/O modules, which are especially compact and rugged with flexible configurations, simple installation, and fast commissioning.

Traceable and Transparent Food Safety: Innovative digital systems, like MES employed in food and beverage manufacturing operations, enable end-to-end batch traceability and lot tracking capabilities that are essential for compliance with the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements. They allow manufacturers to respond quickly and effectively to any production or distribution issues that may arise (e.g., improper temperatures), preventing safety hazards and profit losses.

When paired together, MES and cloud-enabled ERP solutions play a key role in unifying data from IIoT devices and other digitalized and integrated factory equipment and processing and analyzing that data in real-time. IIoT devices essential to food and beverage traceability include temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and adapters.

Improved Worker Conditions and Experience: Many of the latest smart devices offer remote monitoring and cloud sharing capabilities for added convenience and visibility. These features allow operators to review, share, and analyze data quicker and easier than ever before, even when they’re not on-site, which can lead to safer working environments, improved personnel performance, and more accurate staffing and workload management.

Networked facility security solutions, like machine guarding devices designed to control equipment access, are another key element of integrated process manufacturing systems. Many industrial safety and security solutions are ruggedized against hazards like shock, vibration, and extreme operating temperatures, and a growing number of them offer robust resistance against sanitation and sterilization processes, like high-pressure, high-temperature, and harsh-chemical washdowns. RS facility security solutions optimized for digitalization and integration in process manufacturing include Omron Automation’s D40ML magnetic-locking safety interlock door switches, which feature high holding force and integrated RFID technology for robust tamper resistance.

“The industrial digital transformation catalyzed by the combination of Industry 4.0 trends and technologies is helping organizations in every segment of the market overcome pervasive challenges and achieve collective goals,” said RS Application Engineer Miguel Gudino. “Integrating IT and OT allows businesses to capitalize on all the benefits these tools have to offer. These advantages extend to every phase of the production lifecycle and help manufacturers overcome pervasive challenges, achieve common goals, and pave the way for future advancements that deliver even more impactful benefits.”