Industry 4.0: Integrating Production And ICT - OKW ENCLOSURES

The rapidly increasing digitisation of the economy and society leads to Industry 4.0. People, machines, equipment, logistics and products should be able to communicate and cooperate directly with each other. This is intended to integrate production as well as logistics processes intelligently between companies in the same production process in order to make production even more effective and more flexible. This creates value-added chains, which also include all phases of the product life cycle of a product - from the idea to development, production, usage and maintenance, right through to recycling. Customer wishes are incorporated, from the product idea up to and including the service.

By networking companies, it is possible to optimise not only one stage in production, but the entire value-added chain. If all information is available in real time, a company can, for example, react at an early stage to the availability of certain raw materials. Production processes are controlled across companies in such a way that they save resources and energy. All in all, the cost-effectiveness of production can be improved, the competitiveness of industry in Germany strengthened and the flexibility of production increased.

Source: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie,
 www.bmwi.de/Navigatio

In this blog we feature Industry 4.0 customer applications for our enclosures:

WIRELESS NETWORK ACCESS POINT

At field level, the sWave.NET wireless network facilitates variable communication between wireless switching devices and access points, which function in a similar manner to a router. They receive signals from wireless switching devices, bundle them and then transmit them, e.g. by Ethernet or Wi-Fi, to one or several application servers. The access points are installed across the transmission range and communicate with the wireless switchgear.

About 100 radio switches can be managed for each access point. If more radio sensors are needed in the radio range of an sWave.NET access point, further access points can be logged on to the system. If a switching device sends a message, it follows a defined sequence of access points. If transmission to the first access point fails, the second access point is addressed etc. This ensures a very high level of transmission security.

In the choice of enclosure, it was decided to use the SYNERGY EDGE aluminum profile enclosure. Depending on requirements, the enclosures were subsequently processed mechanically (for interfaces) and printed.

steute Schaltgeräte GmbH & Co. KG
www.steute.de

View Synergy enclosures range >>

SMART TAG

The conbee Smart TAG is based on the Bluetooth 4.x specification with a range of up to 150 m. The fully configurable TAG has an authentication function using out-of-band or SecureSimple pairing, is forgery-proof and has a motion sensor that is capable of recognising manipulation attempts. Status data are transmitted at dynamically adaptable transmission intervals in advertisement packets that provide information about the object to be tracked. The intelligent TAG cyclically reports its identification number, temperature and movement data as well as battery status and optionally also its position.

The unit can be used across all industries: agricultural and forestry construction, building/industrial automation, facility management,, medical care, logistics and storage, telematics, etc. The TAG is suitable for iBeacon applications, access and presence monitoring, indoor and outdoor localisation, inventories, location-based marketing scenarios and much more.

Using the OKW MINITEC enclosure, the conbee Smart TAG can be carried comfortably on a keyring or attached to the object to be tracked. Different color variants are also available, depending on the application requirements.

conbee GmbH
www.conbee.eu

View Minitec enclosures range >>

MOBILE DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE FOR CAN AND CAN FD BUSES

The PCAN-Diag FD is a handheld device for diagnosing communication on a CAN bus. Diagnostic options exist both at protocol level with the evaluation of CAN 2.0 and CAN FD messages as well as on the physical plane with the help of an oscilloscope function and additional measurement functions for voltage and resistance. The oscilloscope function is used for the qualitative assessment of the signal characteristic on the CAN bus. Two independent measurement channels scan the two CAN High and CAN Low lines at up to 100 MHz. On the basis of the signal characteristic, the PCAN-Diag FD decodes CAN frames and shows their component parts as a graphic curve.

At protocol level, the incoming CAN traffic is displayed in list form, optionally in a symbolic form to allow this to be interpreted better. For subsequent analysis, a tracer is included to record the CAN traffic. Outwardly, individual CAN messages or even entire sequences of CAN messages can be sent to the connected CAN bus, for example, to retrieve diagnostic data. Recorded CAN traces can also be reproduced.

Power is supplied by means of internal batteries. The device is charged using a special storage station. PEAK specified the OKW DATEC-COMPACT enclosure for this device.

PEAK-System Technik GmbH
www.peak-system.com

View Datec-Compact enclosures range >>

ROBUST UHF READER

The RFID reader for the passive ultra high frequency (UHF) range generates an energy field from electromagnetic waves. As soon as a passive UHF transponder enters the energy field, it sends the content of its memory to the relevant RFID reader. Supported operating systems include Windows, Linux and Mac OS. The reader has an integrated, circular antenna structure as well as ultra-bright, freely configurable LEDs. The internal electronics are protected against water jets. Possible applications are the logistics sector, data acquisition at workplaces or for industrial use, access controls etc.

The advantages of a UHF reader are the particularly high range and the ability to read several transponders simultaneously. The UHF evaluation unit controls the data exchange with the RFID antennas and/or the sensor/actuator level, communicates with the higher-level control level and makes it possible to configure the device.

The OKW SNAPTEC enclosure used for this purpose is characterised by rational assembly using an innovative snap-in method. The high bottom part provides a maximum surface area for the existing cable gland. Thanks to the integrated seal in top part, the enclosures have the high IP 65 protection class.

RF-Embedded GmbH
www.rf-embedded.eu

View Snaptec enclosures range >>

MPI ADAPTER

The MPI adapter is available in different versions, e.g. as a programming adapter for connecting to a PC or laptop, for the implementation of a USB port on the MPI bus or with a protocol function. The multipoint interface (MPI) is an interface, and the MPI bus is a proprietary interface for Simatic S7 devices by Siemens and is used for connecting PGs (programming devices), OPs (operator panels) and other Simatic S7 devices.

The adapter was realised using the TOPTEC plastic housing. The individual components of the series of enclosures are mounted by means of a snap-in method. The PCBs can be fitted on both sides with interfaces that project beyond the actual width of the enclosure. The previous assembly of the connectors on the case wall and the connection cable for the PCB can now be dispensed with.

The TOPTEC was modified for the MPI adapter at the customer's request by means of mechanical processing for the interfaces and printing on the top.

Helmholz GmbH & Co. KG
www.helmholz.de

View Toptec enclosures range >>

INDUSTRIAL ROUTER

The Industrial Router is designed for tracking goods with remote access. For this purpose, the router is stationary placed at key points in the company to read the data from smart tags automatically and sends them to a central user server, e.g. via Bluetooth or LAN/WLAN.

So-called "tag finders" can be customized depending on the customer requirements and alert the head office in case of undesired incidents. Transmitted data, e.g. current position, temperature, humidity etc. The router is designed for indoor and outdoor applications.

The wall-mounted NET-BOX enclosure was used for this application. The flat design of the enclosure gives you plenty of scope for installing electronics, smaller displays and large-volume connectors.

The design on the underside is also exciting: the wall mounting is on the right and left, and in between there is a surface for interfaces. When the wiring for the electronics has been completed, the connectors are elegantly covered with a trim – all this without any visible screw connections.

View Net-Box enclosures range >>