Contrinex SMART Sensors Upgrade the Measurement of Eccentricity During Steel-Rolling.

The precision of Contrinex’s inductive sensors finds them in an astonishing array of applications and this is further expanded by the introduction of their SMART sensors. An example of utilising this new technology is to measure the roller deformation and eccentricity when bending and forming heavy steel or aluminium plates and strips.

Reliable monitoring is essential to avoid potentially significant scrap costs, but taking machines out of service to inspect rollers causes downtime which drives designers to identify real-time monitoring solutions. Contrinex’s SMART Distance Measurement Sensors (DMS) are able to deliver actionable precision information about the condition of a roller, in real-time, including during rolling operations.

CUSTOMER APPLICATION

Bending and forming heavy metal plates and strips, particularly in steel or aluminium, requires large-scale investment in industrial rolling equipment with a consequent need to maintain high levels of uptime and productivity. Key to this is monitoring roller deformation and eccentricity, as these are common causes of out-of-tolerance production which can result in significant scrap costs.

Production engineers rely on regular measurement of both parameters to enable corrective action to be taken before product quality suffers. Traditionally, this required machines to be taken out of service to take the necessary measurements, not only putting unwanted time pressure on maintenance teams but also making it almost impossible to detect every occurrence before product defects occur.

The availability of affordable and robust distance measurement sensors from Contrinex which offer exceptionally high accuracy, has enabled designers to identify real-time solutions, eliminating avoidable downtime. They need rugged, high-performance devices, suitable for harsh industrial environments, that communicate seamlessly with modern control systems. Accuracy and reliability must go hand-in-hand with cost-effectiveness, giving an attractive price-performance ratio.

CUSTOMER SOLUTION

Designers elected to take advantage of Contrinex’s high-resolution Smart Distance Measurement Sensors (DMS) to upgrade an existing machine. By fitting a semi-permanent, but demountable, crossbar along the top roll of a three-roll bending machine, supporting six stainless-steel M18 DMS sensors at regular intervals, the engineering team implemented a robust, cost-effective solution to the problem.

With the sensors positioned immediately adjacent to the surface of the roller, and with a measurement accuracy to within fractions of a millimetre, they deliver actionable information about the condition of the roller, on-demand and in real-time – including during rolling operations. The design of the mounting brackets offers additional protection for the sensors, further protecting these rugged all-metal devices from accidental damage.

The embeddable, one-piece V2A (AISI 303) stainless-steel M18 Smart DMS Sensors, have a nominal 10-mm sensing distance for carbon steel, and are highly robust and resistant to vibration and mechanical shock. Capable of measuring both lateral and axial displacement directly, these devices also record cumulative data, including operational cycle count and temperature, with customer-specific alarm thresholds for each parameter programmed into the sensor memory.

IO-Link connectivity, standard across the range, provides an easy industry-standard interface to the central control system for routine process data. During initial calibration, each sensor’s configuration is stored automatically on the local IO-Link Master; this allows plug-and-play replacement of sensors should the need arise, without any loss of functionality and without any need for recalibration. Designed with the needs of OEMs and system integrators in mind, Smart Sensors provide an unobtrusive fit-and-forget solution.

PRODUCT ADVANTAGES

 🕵🏽Reliable & fast detection

📈 High-precision measurement

📏 Long sensing range

💪 Robust & reliable in demanding conditions – V2A (AISI 303) stainless-steel housings

🏎️ High-speed device-to-device communication enables decentralised data processing and decision-making

💾 Cumulative data, including temperature and operating-cycle count, is recorded in on-board data storage

✨ EMC resilient

🌡️ Wide temperature range -25°C TO +70°C

🎛️ IO-Link – Ideal for Industry 4 - Easy integration to the machine control system for process data

🔢 Locally stored device configurations allow plug-and-play replacement of sensors

PocketCodr – The simple way to Develop & Configure Smart Sensors Using an App 📱

The new Bluetooth PocketCodr sensor connection unit and its companion app make the design and configuration of Smart sensors as simple as using a phone app. Configure, monitor and share the settings of Smart sensors and IO-Link sensors from any manufacturer, without the need to use a PLC.

PocketCodr’s ‘Action Widgets’ make the configuration of Contrinex’s Smart sensors faster and easier because they provide easy-to-understand, step-by-step intuitive, graphics-based screens, with simple controls, like sliders, buttons and checkboxes with helpful hints - With PocketCodr you can say goodbye to programming manuals, and share settings by sending a code to another Pocketcodr user anywhere in the world, via email, messenger, text, etc.

PRODUCT ADVANTAGES

📱 Configure & Monitor any brand of IO-Link sensor on your phone

🤖 Program SMART & IO-Link sensors without the need for a PLC or coding

📧 Share configuration settings via email, messager, text, etc.

🆒 Action widgets guide the configuration of Contrinex sensors

📂 Sensor's IODD file automatically loaded when publicly available

🚦 LED status indicators

🔋 Long-lasting Lithium rechargeable battery with USB C charging

📻 Simple & Fast Bluetooth connection, without the need for passwords

🍏 Download from the AppStore or Google Play

 Click to download Contrinex’s Product Overview brochure to find out more.

Come and speak to us at #FoodManufacturingLive on the 1st May at the 🏍️National Motorcycle Museum or call PLUS Automation Ltd on 0121 58 222 58 or email Sales@PLUSAutomation.co.uk to discuss how they can help you #MakeSenseofSensors using 🧲Inductive, 👷Machine Safety,🔦 Photoelectric, 🗜️Pressure, 🥛Process, 📻RFID & 🦇Ultrasonic sensors from Contrinex, ReeR Safety & Satron.

With over 2,000 sensors in UK stock, supported by stock held in Europe and short manufacturing lead times, they'd welcome the opportunity to talk about improving your automation and machine performance, or how to reduce your wastes and costs.