Wireless system cuts out requirement for cable run and for slip rings in aerosol filling

Rotary aerosol lines running at high speeds are avoiding the cost, potential electrical interference and consequent downtime of slip rings, thanks to wireless communications.

SMC Corporation in the UK reports that a leading supplier of aerosol filling equipment was looking for a way of avoiding this potential weak point in rotary indexing machines. Traditionally, they require communication cables running through the centre of the machine via complex slip rings, it explains. These allow the machine to keep rotating in one direction.

But they are expensive to buy, says SMC, and can cause electrical noise interference issues which may be difficult to eradicate. They are also time-consuming to install and require many cable connection points. This is labour-intensive and can also be a potential cause of machine failure.They constitute a complication that any OEM can do without, the supplier points out. For the end user it can be a key cause of unplanned downtime, once the cables become worn or damaged.

Rotary systems of this sort run at up to 80 containers a minute, and any unplanned failure, SMC explains, can be extremely costly.

It investigated this particular machine manufacturer’s remote IO and valve manifold requirements and determined that its wireless system would prove beneficial. Removing complex slip rings altogether helped to speed up equipment build time and improve commissioning times, while also removing a potential failure point from any machine, SMC argues. This, in turn, offered significant benefits to the end-user customers.

The company says its wireless system also reduces the footprint of the IO and valve manifolds and - as they are IP67 compliant - eliminates the need for several remote panels, giving the customer a saving in both cost and wiring time.

The built-in web server technology opens up the possibility of providing simple off-site remote-access support to end users.

SMC underscores the fact that what it provides is a true radio-based industrial wireless system - not to be confused with Wi-Fi. Frequency-hopping techniques make it impervious to electrical noise, it claims, while full data encryption ensures complete security of the communication signals.

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www.smc.uk