System integrator, Teknodrom Robotik ve Otomasyon, has implemented a production line in Turkey for one of the leading manufacturers of exhaust systems. The challenge in the project was to provide the required level of flexibility for the line, which needed a variable, robust and EMI resistant automation technology due to the welding applications in place. In its search for a supplier, the company came across Turck with its extensive portfolio of sensors, connection technology and I/O systems, which could easily meet the demanding requirements involved, while also providing I/O-Link functionality.
One of the leading manufacturers of exhaust systems chose Turck’s BL20 modular I/O system in order to provide a highly flexible I/O solution. A special feature of the new production line is the fact that fieldbus systems have to communicate with different controllers – an ideal application field for Turck’s BL20 modular IP20 I/O system. These multiprotocol gateways, which speak Profinet, Ethernet/IP and Modbus TCP, feature the necessary I/O slices to enable the system to bring different types of signal to the controller and also link different blocks of the production line. The system integrator was responsible for the installation and integration of the entire automation solution, and spoke to Turck about the sensor and I/O requirements early in the design phase.
IO-Link ensures efficient production
The user benefits enormously from the flexibility that IO-Link provides for the requirements of this system. Turck’s BL20-4IOL gateways with IO-Link master modules and the IO-Link-capable IP67-TBIL I/O hubs bring up to 16 switching signals from the field to the control cabinet via a single three-wire cable. The TBIL functions as an IO-Link slave, bringing 16 binary signals to the IO-Link master on the BL20 gateway. This considerably reduces wiring effort and wiring errors. The alternative passive junctions with large multipole cables are more expensive and time consuming.
Another benefit of IO-Link in the production line becomes apparent when tools are interchanged: “The clamping devices for the products have to be changed frequently in the plant. Here, the IO-Link modules for BL20 offer a high level of flexibility. During the installation, we can quite simply adapt the BL20 system and add more signals or reduce them. “With every additional expansion or upgrading of the plant we benefit from this flexibility,” says Selim Çaatay, the responsible control technician at Teknodrom.
Efficiency through decentralised IP67 I/Os
Even at the production lines for MIG (metal inert gas) welding, the smart IO-Link solution is significantly simpler, faster and more economical to implement than multiple cable systems. It also makes a major contribution to quality assurance. All signals are collected via Turck’s TBIL IP67 I/O hubs and then forwarded to the BL20 system via a single three-wire line. The IO-Link master and multiprotocol gateway handles the additional communication with the controllers via Ethernet. Thanks to the digital IO-Link transmission, the user saves on the expense of shielded cables and other EMC measures. The Turck solution also saves installation costs and is easy to maintain.
Flexible solution for the automotive industry
For users wishing to fully exploit the possibilities of IO-Link, Turck offers an extensive portfolio, starting with a host of sensors, cables, inductive couplers and I/O hubs, right through to programmable fieldbus and Ethernet solutions. Customers not only benefit from the comprehensive offering for IO-Link and the company’s many years’ experience in the automation of automotive production lines, but also from a host of application-specific sensor and fieldbus solutions for this sector. With Turck multiprotocol, the company has developed a technology that combines the three globally used Ethernet protocols (Profinet, Ethernet/IP and Modbus TCP) in a single device – both with IP20 and IP67 protection – as a modular system or also as compact block I/Os.
For more information contact Brandon Topham, Turck Banner, +27 11 453 2468, [email protected], www.turckbanner.co.za
| Tel: | +27 11 453 2468 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.turckbanner.co.za |
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