Contrinex

Safety systems for the protection of personnel are this year’s hot topic for Contrinex at SPS IPC Drives in Nuremberg, Hall 7A, Stand 406. Highlights include the unveiling of two new series of safety sensors, certified category 4 according to ISO 13849-1. Types are available with magnetic or RFID coding, which ensures immunity to mutual interference, and also largely eliminates the risk of tampering.

Contrinex has introduced a new range of safety light curtains that sets new standards in terms of reliability and value for money. Known as Safetinex, the modular design allows fully tested systems to be delivered on a very short time scale.

Contrinex has developed a range of rugged inductive sensors that has been specifically designed for dealing with the hazardous environments found in the food industry. Although the food handling process itself does not always present an aggressive environment, the cleaning and wash-down routines required to meet hygiene standards usually involve caustic chemicals that can cause severe damage to control sensors.

In large production plants such as found in dairies, breweries and food processing and automotive manufacturing plants there are major technical issues resulting from long cable runs and, because cable prices have quadrupled over the past five years, there are also major cost issues.

Many manufacturing processes such as furnaces, steel plants, casting machines, engine control, foundries, heat treatment plants, plastic moulding machines, food processing and cooking and baking lines run at temperatures well above 70°C at which most conventional feedback sensors begin to malfunction and fail. Contrinex, the Swiss sensor specialist, has introduced a new range of high temperature inductive proximity switches that is designed specifically for use in such demanding conditions and will reduce costly downtime.

Automated welding fixtures operate under the toughest possible conditions being subject to frequent and hard physical knocks, metal spray from welding processes and severe and frequent heat cycling. In addition, the intense levels of RFI created will cause the majority of inductive sensors to malfunction and, in some cases, change output status. In industries like automotive manufacture large numbers of welding cells and fixtures are expected to achieve high levels of reliability to meet production targets and sensors can be a weak link in the quest for uninterrupted production.

Diffuse background suppression (BGS) photoelectric sensors are used in applications where accurate differentiation between the target and potentially interfering backgrounds is essential. As with all such set-ups, when using this technique it is vital that only the target is sensed, regardless of the colour, surface and shape of the background and target.

Now available from Contrinex is a new generation of photoelectric proximity switches designed to provide users with a high level of performance at competitive prices.

Contrinex has introduced a new range of M18, low cost, high precision diffuse laser sensors designed to solve the problem of detecting small components or features during manufacturing processes.

Contrinex has once again pushed back the boundary of sensing technology with the launch of its new ultra-tiny diffuse fibre optic sensor that has a tip diameter of only 0.5mm making it ideal for detecting extremely small targets or features.

A new high quality, distribution system from Contrinex offers a complete interconnect solution that replaces expensive connector cabinets, terminal boxes and complex, error-prone wiring systems thus cutting installation times by up to 80%.

The Contrinex Series 700, the world’s toughest range of stainless-steel, inductive sensors, now includes versions with an M8 sensor plus M12 connector allowing system designers to use compact high performance sensors while standardising on M12 connector format.

Contrinex has introduced a new range of low-cost ultrasonic sensors designed specifically for sensing clear objects as found in modern packaging techniques where high clarity material improves the attractiveness of the product.

Specialist aluminium extruder, Hydro Aluminium, is using Contrinex stainless steel sensors to improve system reliability at its production plant at Birtley near Newcastle.

Contrinex has developed a unique multiple beam, diffuse, fibre optic sensor to solve the problem of capturing, counting and controlling small components produced by modern, high performance manufacturing machinery.