Electronic and electromechanical components used in the industry, on the production lines or in the professional instrumentation must be durable and precise. The efficiency of the system in which they function, but also the safety of the workers depend on their quality. It is always good to rely on proven brands while searching for key components on which the work of the automatic machines in plants, warehouses and factories will be based. Panasonic Industry is certainly one of them. Below, we present the choice of products offered by this Japanese manufacturer. Most of them are available directly from our warehouses. Original accessories, which make the mounting and connection of the Panasonic components trouble-free, can also be found in our catalogue.
SAFETY CURTAINS
Safety curtains are elements designed primarily to ensure the personnel’s protection from any damage to health resulting from contact with an operating machine. Light curtain consists of a transmitter and a receiver. If the beam of light emitted by the transmitter gets covered, the receiver will detect the obstruction of the light beam and will signal the fact by indicating the relevant status (called the alert status) on its output. This operation is initiated in milliseconds and (depending on the application) may result in, for example, shutting off the power or immobilizing the mechanism. TME catalogue includes, among others, SF4B, SF4C and SF4D series safety light curtains. Most of them are characterized by IP67 tightness class, which means these products can be used even in the harshest work environments.
Panasonic safety curtains can be put in series (one after the other). They are designed to prevent the formation of the so-called “blind spots”, i.e. the spaces at the edges of the curtain where the gaps between the light beams would be too big. The beams are emitted over the entire height of the curtain with the resolution as indicated in the documentation (for example, finger protection 10mm, hand protection 20mm and arm/foot protection 40mm). Software for the configuration of Panasonic curtains allows to fit the products to the particular needs and the specific character of the work environment to be secured. This enables, among others, the static extinction of selected beams or determining the minimal number of interrupted beams to trigger the alert status. The curtains are most often paired with safety transmitters (which is required by the industry norms) – for Panasonic, those are the SF-C13 and SF-C21 models.
MEASUREMENT SENSORS
Another essential element of a modern machine park is the measurement sensors. Almost every automated production process requires the use of these components. In TME, it is worth paying attention to at least three Panasonic series: HG-C, HG-S and HG-T.
HG-C series are the components with a CMOS sensor, in which a laser is used to measure the distance. The accuracy of measurement can reach even 10µm (depending on a model). Compact dimensions and low weight are their additional advantages. Configurable output can transmit the measured distance as a voltage or current function, thanks to which the sensor can be adjusted to the specification of the control unit. In the video posted below, you can see how the HG-C sensor is used for, e.g. confirming the hermetic seal of jars in the food industry or examining the work of the ventilator.
HG-S series components are direct displacement sensors. Those are, as befits the Panasonic brand, durable elements, in which the axis of motion of the removable head is determined by two sets of solid bearings (placed on the opposite ends of the guideway). Thanks to such a design, HG-S sensors can be used even in such places where they will count millions of repetitions of a given movement. Simultaneously, in applications requiring high precision, these products offer a resolution of 0.5 µm. In selected cases, it might be necessary to control the position of the head – for example, in a situation when the measurement is to be taken at intervals. Selected models of the HG-S sensors enable control using compressed air.
For the industry branches in which a highest-resolution measurement is required (for example, in the production of standardized elements), Panasonic has designed an HG-T series of measurement sensors. In factories producing paper, textiles, sheet metal, wires, screws and all other products in which thickness, diameter or other dimensions must be perfectly repeatable, HG-T components will help ensure the high-quality of the final product. The laser beam emitted by the sensor has a width of 10mm, and the measurement can be taken even from the distance of 500mm. Therefore, this solution will prove useful also in places where the measured objects are subject to vibration and slightly change their position. Even in such cases, Panasonic sensors can be used for measurement with repeatability of 1µm.
SWITCHES
Another example of Panasonic components for industrial applications is a wide choice of switches. In the TME catalogue, those are, e.g. lever switches and snap-action switches. The latter are particularly useful in applications requiring precise automation. The elements are fitted with SPDT, SPST-NC or SPST-NO contacts configuration and work perfectly in, for example, counting or positioning mechanisms. One of the dedicated applications of these components, as emphasized by the manufacturer, is the automotive industry. Panasonic snap-action switches are characterized with high tolerance to temperature (even within the range of -40°C do 85°C), and the IP67 tightness class (selected series). It means that in the production of vehicles they can be used either in the interior (for example for determining the extreme position of the seat), or in the places that are vulnerable to moisture (confirming whether the car door or the hood are closed).
The Panasonic offer of switches is wide and is constantly growing – that is why we kindly encourage you to visit our catalogue and get acquainted with the details.
