Removable Cutter Feature: Repairable Hole Punch Cylinders from Bimba

Do you use hole punch cylinders? 

Replace damaged or worn out cutting heads without having to replace the complete cylinder. 

Bimba's rugged hole punch cylinder has been designed with a removable cutter. The cutter can be replaced as needed without having to replace the entire cylinder. The razor sharp cutting teeth are designed to punch millions of holes in thin plastic film.

Save money, time and inventory costs. Replacement cutters are offered in boxes of five. 

Download/view Bimba Repairable Hole Punch Cylinders brochure in PDF format.

Feature	Benefits
High strength carbon steel piston rod with .07" ID	Air jet ejects cutter slugs from the cutting head
Oil soak felt washer behind the rod seal	Offers a continual source of rod lubrication
8 models; 7 cutter sizes	Application flexibility
Nickel plated steel rod guide	Improved fatigue resistance over aluminum in high cycle applications
Standard extend and retract bumpers	Minimizes sound levels
Special cutter shapes and custom stroke lengths available	Special cutter shapes and custom

Product News from Smart Vision Lights

Silicone Optic Lenses: A Great Alternative

If your company uses glass or plastic lenses in your lighting manufacturing process, consider optical-grade silicone lenses from Smart Vision Lights. Silicone lenses don’t yellow with time and don’t age like polycarb, vinyl, or acrylic. Silicone also does not craze due to heat, or react with most harsh chemicals or to UV light. Smart Vision Lights’ LHP 5 million-lux Line Scan Light uses silicone. Even more products using the technology will be released soon, allowing for brighter LED lights without concerns about thermal damage to optics common to plastic lenses, or about the higher cost of glass optics.


EZ Mount LED Ring Lights Offer More Flexibility

Smart Vision Lights’ EZ Mount LED Ring Light can be mounted on a camera lens, and can quickly and easily adapt to any vision system with any of four standard mounting options, including regular step-up or step-down rings, mounting the lens at the front end of the EZ Mount LED Ring Light, via a T-slot on all sides of the light, or with the threaded M4 holes on the back plate of the light. The EZ Mount line offers a high-output LED light in aluminum housing. The lights are available in light output options of White, Red, Amber, Blue, Green, Cyan, IR, and UV. The Ring Light includes an integrated constant current driver with a built-in strobe input with option for PNP or NPN trigger control, meaning there’s no need for an external driver to control the light.

The Multi-Drive Internal Driver: Always ON

Smart Vision Lights’ Multi-Drive internal driver combines the Constant ON operation and the high-pulse operation into one easy-to-use product. Multi-Drive allows the user to run the product in Constant ON operation or pulse/strobe the light at the maximum allowed intensity by the LED manufacturer by simply setting the product parameters, all while protecting LED lights from damage. The built-in Multi-Driver, developed by Smart Vision Lights, also protects the LEDs from premature degradation and failure caused by excessive heat by regulating the current delivered to the LEDs and limiting the duty cycle of the light.

 Want more info?

Contact FPE Automation. Your solution specialists can help.

QC Industries Expands Custom Engineering Capabilities

Custom Conveyors

If you're looking for something a little different than a standard conveyor, QC has just expanded its ability to customize one for you. Whether it's a simple bracket to integrate with a customized piece of equipment, a custom drive package, or a modification to one of our conveyors to fit your application parameters — FPE and QC can help.

Here are just a few custom solutions QC Industries has created.

 

Backlighting

The conveyors can be modified to accept a wide variety of customer-specified backlights for vision applications. When coupled with a translucent belt, the conveyor creates an ideal platform for inspection as parts travel past.

 

Custom Stands & Side Tables

QC is often asked to design special stands to accommodate each customer's unique requirements. In this pack-off line, candy came in from the wrapping machines and was packed by hand into boxes coming in from the box erector. The filled boxes then left on a third line of conveyors for shrink wrapping. The application required custom stands and stainless steel side tables where operators packed the boxes.

 

Multiple Bands

In this application, the customer needed to perform an operation on the bottom of a part as it moved across the conveyor. QC's solution involved running two belts on the conveyor with a cutout between them. The part straddled the two belts and a robot performed the operation from below through the cutout.

 

Elevator Conveyors

For an application that required product to move across a healthcare packaging plant, QC devised an elevator system to elevate the bins to move overhead across the plant. The system consisted of two 300 Series Indexing Conveyors with an InnerDrive Conveyor mounted between them. After bins moved onto the InnerDrive Conveyor, the 300 Series conveyors moved in tandem to raise the InnerDrive Conveyor, which then moved the bins onto the overhead conveyor system.
Watch a video of this system in action

Need a custom solution? Contact FPE Automation.We're here to help!

Carlo Gavazzi Announces New Line of Fiber Optic Sensors

February 2016. Source: Carlo Gavazzi CARLO GAVAZZI is proud to announce the launch of a new line of Fiber Optic Sensors, including the FA1 Fiber Optic Amplifier, and the FUT and FUR Fiber Optic Cables.  The compact, intuitive, and flexible design of the FA1 Fiber Optic Amplifier is ideal for a wide variety of applications. An adjustable signal level, selectable response time, multiple timer functions, and UL508 approval provide the proper features and application flexibility required in industries such as semiconductor and packaging. Two 4-digit LED displays simplify programming, and provide excellent feedback for monitoring application set-up, troubleshooting, and operation. FA1 Amplifier features include: Two 4-digit LED display for signal/threshold levels Adjustable sensitivity via an intuitive 3-way switch Selectable response time Different timer functions 100mA NPN or PNP output Light on and dark on switching cULus (UL508) approved and CE marked Along with the FA1 Amplifier, Carlo Gavazzi is launching an entirely new line of fiber optic cables, including the FUR Fiber Optic Cables for reflective applications, and the FUT Fiber Optic Cables for through beam applications. Available in a variety of fiber diameters and head diameters, the new cables are designed to simplify installation in diverse applications. Extended range, right angle head, and multiple sleeve options are also available. Bendable sleeves provide a means to extend the fiber or direct the light beam in installations with unusual mounting restrictions. FUT and FUR cables are currently available in plastic, and glass fiber optic cables will be available later in 2016. FUR and FUT Fiber Optic Cables features include: Reflective and through-beam types Inner diameter: 0.25, 0.5 or 1.0mm Outer diameter: 2.2 or 1.25mm Bending radius: 10, 15, 25mm Over-molding protection Straight or angled sensing heads Sleeve length options: 10, 20, 30 or 40cm Provided with all mounting nuts 2m standard length The new FA1, FUT, and FUR Fiber Optic Sensors will replace all older versions of plastic fiber optic sensors. For details on products to be phased out, including a cross reference to the new sensors, please refer to the Discontinuation Notice link below. The Fiber Optics Sensors and Amplifiers are available from FPE Automation. For more information on The Fiber Optics Amplifiers and Cables, please click on any of the links below: Data Sheets: Videos:  FA1 Amplifier Data Sheet  White Board Video  FUR/FUT Fiber Optic Data Sheet  Programming Video  Installation Manual  Application Video

Win a Robot from Universal Robots

Need a helping hand to get the job done? 

Now you have the chance to win one! Is there a manual process in your production set-up that you believe could benefit from being automated? Then tell UR about it for a chance to win one of three robots. It could be a monotonous task that your employees would only be too happy to swap for one that requires problem solving skills or a task that needs to be carried out faster for you to stay competitive. 

The three winners of a collaborative robot arm from Universal Robots will be the ones who can present the tasks most worthy of automation – so make sure you argue well when you tell us why you need a hand!
 
ENTER TO WIN HERE

Introducing the PHD Plus® Series ECP Electric IP69K Cylinder

Hot off the presses from PHD:

PHD is pleased to release the PHD Plus® Series ECP Electric IP69K Cylinder.
 


PHD series ECP Electric IP69K Cylinders are available in either ball screw or lead screw (polymer nut) versions, providing a wide range of high thrust or high speed capabilities. These performance electric cylinders are designed for food processing and packaging equipment utilized in high pressure/high temperature washdown and clean-in-place (CIP) environments. The Series ECP offers inline or foldback motor configurations and a broad variety of mounting accessories.

Three models are available in three sizes each:

Base Model

• Designed for applications in high pressure and high temperature washdown environments
• 300 grade stainless steel body and rod with aluminum head and motor mount
• Your Motor, Your Way

USDA Certified for Product Splash Zone (-Y8 Option)

• Designed for food processing industry splash zone and caustic washdown applications
• All external surfaces are 300 grade stainless steel
• USDA certified for splash zone environments in all orientations
• Limited Your Motor, Your Way with USDA certification*

USDA Certified for Product Contact Zone (-Y91 Option)

• Designed for food processing industry product contact zones requiring caustic washdown
• All external surfaces are 300 grade stainless steel
• USDA certified for product contact and over product
• Includes external rod wiper and sanitary tray for over product applications
• Limited Your Motor, Your Way with USDA certification*

* USDA Certification from PHD requires an -M Motor Code option with the -Y8 and -Y91 models.

Download/view Series ECP Electric IP69 Cylinders brochure.

Universal Robots: Collaborative Robot Case Study

“The robot has to be as delicate and as sensitive as a human" This was the challenge Paradigm Electronics in Toronto faced when looking for a robotic solution to handle the finish polishing of loudspeakers. The Canadian manufacturer also needed the robot to operate in tandem with employees, so fencing it was not an option. The collaborative UR robots - or co-bots - met these criteria delivering a 50% production increase. "The Universal Robot was not only the best for the job, it was also the most cost efficient," concluded John Phillips, Paradigm's Senior Manager of Production Services. The UR co-bots lowered the automation barrier for Paradigm and continues to get robotics within reach of users not only in manufacturing, but also in industries such as healthcare and agriculture. We're expanding our local presence to better serve these new and existing markets, moving into new locations in Dallas, Southern California and Ann Arbor, Michigan, which will become our new headquarter for Americas. We look forward to discuss how Universal Robots might optimize your production. All the best, Scott Mabie General Manager of Universal Robots’ Americas Region Watch how a UR10 robot in force mode polishes Paradigm speakers: The UR robots have a built-in, adjustable force mode feature that is easily pre-programmed for specific applications. “If too much force is applied, the surface heats and the results go the opposite direction to what you’d hoped. Having the ability for the robot to work to a specific force was a huge advantage. We were aware of technologies that allowed for a force feedback system but they were actually as expensive as the entire UR robot."  ~ John Phillips, Senior Manager of Production Services, Paradigm Electronics. Universal Robots gives Paradigm Electronics these advantages: Productivity increase of 50% with better manufacturing consistency Elimination of bottlenecks in production of labor intensive loudspeakers. Fast implementation with user-friendly programming and set-up Improved work environment with most strenuous polishing tasks now automated  Payback period between 12 and 14 months A demo at your door Do you have an automation challenge? Does you production need to be optimized? Do you need to relieve your employees from monotonous and strenuous tasks? If you answer is “yes” to any of these questions, request a demo at your own facility for hands-on insights to how our robots can assist you. FPE Automation has invested in Universal Robots so we can bring one right to your door! Robots are on the road daily, traveling to companies just like yours. Contact FPE to schedule a demo.