Supply chain and labor shortages are putting extra pressure on automation solutions to keep manufacturing lines running. Even though sensors are designed to work in harsh environments, one good knock can put a sensor out of alignment or even out of condition.
In our previous blogs, we discussed the basics of the P-F (Potential – Functional Failure) curve and the cost-benefit tradeoffs of various maintenance approaches. We’ll now describe the measures that can be taken to discover failure indicators along the P-F curve.
Bin-picking, random picking, pick and place, pick and drop, palletization, depalletization, these are all part of the same project. You want a fully automated process that grabs the desired sample from one position and moves it somewhere else.
The rise of many players in manufacturing automation, along with factories' growing adoption of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and automation solutions, present a suitable environment for open-source software.
If you have ever walked through a stamping department at a metal forming facility, you have heard the rhythmic sound of the press stamping out parts, thump, thump. The stamping department is the heart manufacturing facility, and the noise you hear is the heartbeat of the plant.
In the field of automation, a very popular choice for prime mover duties is the
pneumatic cylinder. Pneumatic cylinders carry many advantages in terms
of relatively low first cost, application simplicity, and durability.
The P-F curve is often mentioned in condition monitoring and predictive maintenance discussions. "P-F" refers to the interval between the detection of a potential failure (P) and the occurrence of a functional failure (F).
Why did the sensor cross the road? To work remotely, of course.
March 29, 2022
Even sensors are working remotely these days, and some have good reason. Many applications dictate that the sensing element be placed remotely from its associated electronics. Let’s looks at a few common examples of this.
When it comes to reliability and accuracy, there is no optical sensing mode better than the through-beam photoelectric sensor. Its reliability is a result of the extraordinary levels of excess gain - the measurement of light energy above the level required for normal sensing.