• SMC's EX600-W wireless fieldbus system.
    SMC's EX600-W wireless fieldbus system.
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SMC will exhibit its new wireless fieldbus system for industrial robots on stand D16 at FoodTech 2019.

The EX600-W, which is being used in the food, beverage, and packaging industries including a prominent install at SunRice subsidiary CopRice, won the Technical Innovation of the Year Award at the 2019 Motion Control Awards in the UK.

Ming Liu, head of Product and Pricing Group at SMC Australia and New Zealand, describes the system as EtherNet/IP and PROFINET compatible; capable of withstanding electric noise; and suitable for harsh industrial environments.

“This wireless fieldbus system can manage both digital and analogue signals, as well as pneumatic products – making it a flexible solution for all applications.

“The EX600-W is small and light weight, fits onto the robot head, has minimal wiring, and offers remote control and fault finding, among other features,” he said.

Liu adds that the unit continues to function well in noisy and harsh environments, and ensures minimal installation, modification, and maintenance time.

“The EX600-W uses the 2.4 GHz ISM frequency band and every five-millisecond frequency hopping. The noise resistance design makes it even suitable in welding environments.

“The risk of disconnection and circuit breakage is also significantly reduced to both performance and productivity,” he said.

At FoodTech 2019, SMC will exhibit a functioning collaborative robot (cobot) equipped with the EX-600W.

“When working with a robot head there is flexibility, size, weight, cable length, communication failure, and also the safety of the operator to consider.

“We encourage all visitors to come and view and discuss their application requirements with us. With Industry 4.0 on everyone’s minds, this is a prime time to witness the benefits of deploying IIoT solutions and to have your questions answered,” said Liu.

FoodTech 2019 will be held from 28 to 30 July at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

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