Norgren has developed the Smart Suite of products, designed to enhance machine performance and provide user intelligence and feedback. Norgren technical director Chris Bramley.
said the Smart Suite of products would make pneumatics easier to instal and use, and lead to better machine utilisation and less down time, resulting in more cost-effective solutions in the future. “Star of the show is the Smart cylinder. This is the first integrated actuator to fully comply with VDMA and IP 66 standards within the VDMA space envelope. Despite its sleek, clean line appearance, it contains its own valve and solenoids, and fieldbus connection inside the casing and is fully interchangeable with other VDMA actuators across the complete range from 32-100 mm bore,” he said. The Smart cylinder is available in stroke lengths of up to one metre and achieves a top speed of 1.5m per second, making it suitable for most applications. Other user benefits include diagnostics via the fieldbus system, which tell the operator whether the cylinder is functioning normally. Data is fed back to the operator which shows if the unit has stopped functioning correctly, if there is maintenance required and shows exactly which unit on the machine has failed and therefore needs to be replaced.
