Industrial Automation and Motion Control Blog | The Knotts Company

This post is brought to you by Dorner.

Dorner’s 2200 Series SmartFlex conveyors are one of our most flexible systems available. For this application, the customer was moving bottles on a packaging line and needed added versatility. 

Topics: dorner, Dorner Conveyors,, smartflex conveyors, 2200 Series, lift gates

This post is brought to you by Bimba.

Challenge:

A manufacturer of biological and medical laboratory test equipment has historically used a small Bimba Flat Square II cylinder in their compact analyzer for clinical diagnostics. The cylinder moves a needle vertically to prepare samples on a small plate that is about the size of an index card, and holds approximately 100 samples. After one sample cycle is complete, the plate indexes to the next location until all samples are prepared. When the testing needed to increase the number of samples to over 300 with the same size plate, greater precision in a smaller foot print was needed.

Topics: air cylinder, bimba, bimba solutions, cylinder

This post is brought to you by Bimba.

Challenge:

A Mettler Toledo IND560 weighing terminal which was used in a cleanroom Class GMP B needed to be equipped with a pinch valve to automate a glass bottle filling process. Due to the environment, a solenoid operated pinch valve in stainless steel was required. The pinch valve had to communicate with the weighing terminal and close when the pre-defined set point was reached. The weighing terminal didn’t provide enough Amps to power the pinch valve, so an independent power supply was installed as well.

Topics: bimba, bimba solutions, bottle filling, pharmaceuticals

This post is brought to you by Bimba.

Topics: bimba, solution, manufacturers, print head

This post is brought to you by Unitronics.

Twisted Vine Brewery is a three-man craft brewery located in Iowa, with a passion for creating the best possible beer. To achieve this goal, they wanted to implement a control system in order to automate and monitor the brewing process.

The Twisted Vine team selected a Unitronics Vision1040 PLC+HMI because it was reliable and robust, capable of running in the steamy brewing conditions. Additionally, the all-in-one programming software was easy to use and quick to set up.

Topics: PLC, HMI, Unitronics, brewery

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

Robots & employment: Opportunities are bright for workers and their cobot colleagues

We recently wrote about the fascinating impact robotics is having on manufacturers’ reshoring initiatives, but there’s more to the employment and robotics story. In fact, automation is proving to have a substantial—and positive—impact on manufacturing employment around the world, and studies continue to bear out these conclusions.

Topics: manufacturing, Robots, UR, cobot, Universal Robots, employment

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

Topics: manufacturing, Robots, UR, cobot, Universal Robots, cobots

This post is brought to you by Unitronics.

How can retrofitting old controls with an all-in-one PLC improve machine flexibility?

Summary:

OPA Consulting Services provide industrial process control solutions, including reetyofitting for a wide range of industries and customers. OPA often relies on Unitronics PLC+HMI controllers to offer powerful, easy-to-use solutions. For one recent project, OPA replaced the 40 year old control system on a monofilament extrusion machine with Unitronics PLCs. The new controls were user-friendly - with integrated HMI panels - and increased the application’s flexibility, leeting the customer switch between local and remote functions.

Topics: PLC, Success, HMI, Unitronics

This post is brought to you by Dorner.

Dorner recently worked with a customer who needed to take a case and flip it 180° within a short distance. The case was slightly bulky at about 1’ x 1’ x 10”. While there are many different ways to rotate cases, the customer wanted a way to positively control the product as it rotated. 

Topics: Dorner Conveyors,, smartflex conveyors, conveyor, flexmove technology

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

Ever tried to program a robot? If the answer is no, here’s your chance. Universal Robots Academy comprises a series of free e-learning modules that will eliminate your status as a novice and turn you into a robot programmer. And even if you already have some experience with robot programming, you might still benefit from a brush-up.

Topics: Robots, UR, Training