New product roundup
Over the past month, three names in advanced manufacturing have made announcements regarding upcoming product releases. If you work with industrial automation, it’s important to stay in-the-know on the latest offerings in production tech. The next time you need to specify an electrohydraulic cylinder, it may come in handy. Below you’ll find blurbs highlighting the notable features of each release, along with links to the corresponding media write-ups. Let’s get to it.
An industrial PC, in your pocket
B+B SmartWorx (formerly B+B Electronics) has announced a project, undertaken in partnership with Industrial Automation, focused on embedding the latter’s ignition edge software into a number of devices, including B+B SmartWorx’s UNO industrial computers. According to the company, the goal of the integration of these technologies is to deliver a more compact and portable option for data gathering and analysis at the edge of industrial networks. The new industrial PC, dubbed the C-UNO2271-W10EDG-1, will handle up to 500 tags and communicates with other Ignition-enabled devices at the network edge. It’s all part of a larger strategy that features a growing array of proprietary software-enabled products from B+B SmartWorx. While it has yet to be implemented live, the convergence of these technologies looks like a clear step towards a fully connected IIoT.
A single-source actuator
Power management systems vendor Eaton has officially launched an electrohydraulic cylinder that aims to simplify the set-up associated with using electrically actuated systems. Their new product features a feedback transducer and control valve in addition to the cylinder itself. The self-contained system may help eliminate the redundancies found in custom set-ups as all the necessary components come with the product.
IIoT-Friendly Sensors
The IIoT is a large and growing market for industrial product vendors, and Balluff is no exception. The company recently released an announcement regarding its standard photoelectric sensors. The devices can now be configured via IO-Link. Given that data collection is the name of the game for these sensors, increased connectivity with the machines that depend on their readings could be beneficial for users. According to the company, IO-Link compatibility will be available across Balluff’s full line of tubular photoelectric sensors, including retroflective, diffuse, and through-beam modes.
For more context on how the integration of machine networks is reshaping the world of manufacturing, check out our recent feature on the IIoT.