Increasing steel prices and a desire to move to non-conductive parts for electrical cabinets, have encouraged a supplier to expand its reinforced polyamide technology.
Increasing steel prices and a desire to move to non-conductive parts for electrical cabinets, have encouraged EMKA to expand their reinforced polyamide technology. This time to produce a multi-point door closure system suitable for specialist and OEM panel builders. The 1120 program of lock rods and clamps integrate with EMKA's extensive range of swing handles, providing a non-conductive multi-point mechanism as an added safety feature.

It is of especial value for medium to large cabinets, and the 1120 program is lower cost than its steel equivalent, while providing additional internal closure points for an improved gasket pull-down.

As with all EMKA systems, the 1120 is modular in concept and quickly fitted by specialist or OEM cabinet builders looking for high quality detailing in their accessories.

Polyamide slides and clamps operate especially smoothly, and provision of pull-down points at 150mm intervals ensures a solid quality feel to the mechanism for doors from 800mm to 2.2m high.

Further information on EMKA products and services may be found at: www.emka.co.uk, where it is also possible to download any part or all of the EMKA product catalogue.

Multifunction digital multimeter gives engineers the 20 most common test measurements, including voltage, current, capacitance, inductance, temperature and resistance.
National Instruments new high-performance, multifunction NI PXI-4072 FlexDMM gives engineers the functionality of three common instruments in a single-slot 3U PXI module - a 61Z2-digit multimeter, an LCR (inductance and capacitance) meter and a 1.8 MS/s isolated digitiser. The NI PXI-4072 FlexDMM brings digital multimeters one step closer to providing universal measurement capability by offering engineers the 20 most common test measurements, including voltage, current, capacitance, inductance, temperature and resistance. By integrating these measurements into one PXI module, engineers reduce test system size and cost, increase throughput and shorten test development time.

The new module builds on the company's NI PXI-4070 FlexDMM by adding inductance and capacitance.

In the new measurement mode, the FlexDMM offers 0.25 percent basic accuracy for both inductance and capacitance measurements.

As a digital multimeter, the FlexDMM delivers fast and accurate 61Z2-digit DC voltage and current, resistance measurements and true-rms AC voltage and current.

In the high-voltage isolated digitiser mode, the FlexDMM can acquire both AC and DC-coupled voltage and current waveforms up to +/-300V and +/-1A input at a maximum sample rate of 1.8 MS/s.

The FlexDMM is ideal for a variety of applications including component screening and cable capacitance testing in industries such as semiconductor, automotive, consumer electronics and aerospace/military.

Engineers can quickly increase the channel count of their FlexDMM system by integrating with NI switch modules, such as the NI PXI-2532, a 512-crosspoint high-density matrix.

When engineers use the FlexDMM with NI switch modules and NI Switch Executive switch management software, they can measure thousands of channels with a single multimeter.

The NI PXI-4072 FlexDMM comes with NI-DMM driver software that is optimised for use with NI LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI and Microsoft Visual Studio.NET.

About NI Modular Instruments NI modular instrumentation combines high-performance hardware, flexible software and innovative timing and synchronisation technology for test and design applications.

NI modular instrumentation includes: • High-resolution digitisers (eight to 14 bits, up to 200 MS/s) • Signal generators (up to 16 bits, 200 MS/s) • Digital waveform generator/analysers (up to 100 MHz) • Digital multimeters (up to 61Z2 digits) • RF vector signal generators and analysers (up to 2.7 GHz) • Dynamic signal analysers (up to 24 bits, 204.8 kS/s) • Switching (multiplexers, matrices and general purpose) About National Instruments - National Instruments is a technology pioneer and leader in virtual instrumentation - a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists approach measurement and automation.

Leveraging the PC and its related technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs through easy-to-integrate software, such as the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment, and modular hardware, such as PXI modules for data acquisition, instrument control and machine vision.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 3,100 employees and direct operations in 40 countries.

A combined single pole circuit breaker and 'on/off' switch provides simultaneous switch function and motor and transformer protection in office equipment and electrical tools.
The E-T-A Series 3131 is a combined single pole circuit breaker and ON/OFF switch available from Aerco that is designed to provide function control and circuit protection in a single unit. Designed primarily to provide simultaneous switch function and motor and transformer protection in boats and caravans, they will also be highly suitable for construction vehicles, household appliances, office equipment, electrical tools and medical equipment. Both aesthetically pleasing and functional, the rockers have a highly tactile, soft-touch actuation and are available in either black or blue with legends that cover most of the common functions likely to be required such as 'pumps', 'showers', 'lights' and 'wipers'.

Both switches and breakers can be specified with blue or yellow LED illumination and the switches can be provided with dim illumination when circuit is off and bright when active.

The switches are available in two and three position, either momentary or latching.

Although in most applications the integration of circuit breaker and function switch will simplify panel design, switches without the breaker facility can also be supplied.

The Series 3131 meets the requirements of circuit breaker standard EN 60934 and is sealed to IP66 rated front of panel splash protection.

Voltage rating is 24V AC or 28V DC with a current capability of up to 20A.

The operating temperature range is -20 to +60 deg C and lifetime is 30,000 operations.

Designed for straightforward installation a range of compact soft-starters, provide controlled starting and stopping for motors up to 110kW and is easy and economical as for smaller drives.
With Moeller Electric's new DS6 range of compact soft-starters, providing controlled starting and stopping for motors up to 110kW is as easy and economical as it is for smaller drives. Designed for straightforward installation, the new units need only the addition of an NZM circuit breaker to produce a complete motor starter with isolation facilities as well as fully co-ordinated short-circuit and overload protection. Setting up DS6 soft starters, that can be mounted side by side without gaps, is equally straightforward.

No complicated parameterisation is needed, users simply set the acceleration and deceleration times, along with the start voltage, to suit their application, and the drive is ready for use.

The new soft starters use two-phase control, which provides excellent value for money and allows exceptionally compact overall dimensions to be achieved.

Until now, however, two-phase control has only been suitable for small motors, because of problems with DC components and elliptical rotational fields.

New asymmetrical trigger technology, developed and patented by Moeller Electric, completely eliminates these problems, guaranteeing smooth acceleration and deceleration under all operating conditions.

This has allowed the new DS6 soft starters to extend the economy and convenience of two-phase control to drives in excess of 100kW.

As a further aid to economy, all of the new DS6 soft starters incorporate automatic internal bypass.

This means that, while the motor is running at constant speed, the thyristors used to control starting and stopping are bypassed, thereby reducing losses and heat generation.

Suitable for operation from supplies in the range 230V to 460V at 50/60Hz, Moeller Electric's DS6 soft starters are supplied in two frame sizes and nine ratings, from 18.5kW to 110kW at 400V.

The units have an AC53a rating of 10 starts/h, with 3x starting current for 5s.

The control voltage is 24V DC, ensuring compatibility with all modern automation systems, and integral LEDs are provided as standard to give instant visual confirmation of operational status.

Honeywell and Phillips Petroleum completed a five-year programme to modernise and upgrade Phillips Petroleum Company's Sweeny Refinery and Petrochemical Complex.
Honeywell's industrial automation and Control business along with Phillips Petroleum Company have celebrated the completion of their joint five-year program to modernise and upgrade Phillips Petroleum Company's Sweeny Refinery and Petrochemical Complex. In June 1994, Phillips formed a business alliance with Honeywell. Working together, the companies created a master Manufacturing Automation Plan (MAP) for modernising and integrating control technology and information systems at the Sweeny site.

Honeywell served as the general automation contractor and assumed all project management responsibilities for the modernisation work, providing on-site project management, engineering and procurement services.

This approach offered Phillips single-source accountability for the project.

It also reduced Phillips' overall total cost of ownership and improved the company's ability to respond to changing business conditions.

'The results achieved by the joint Honeywell-Phillips MAP team on the largest, most comprehensive automation program completed in industry, to date, clearly demonstrate the powerful competitive advantage possible through a strategic business relationship,' said Jerry Walker, VP, Strategic Corporate Accounts for Honeywell IAC.

Honeywell and Phillips also implemented three major new products during the program: Fail Safe Controllers, Global User Stations and High Performance Process Managers.

The ability to incorporate changing technology during the course of the on-going program demonstrated a high degree of agility on the part of Phillips and Honeywell.

'We are very proud of the improved efficiencies and overall success at the Sweeny Complex,' stated John Mihm, Vice President of Technology and Project Development for Phillips.

The project was made easier and less costly by contracting with one general automation contractor instead of multiple outside engineering firms, consultants and suppliers.

Moreover, the highly integrated project team was successful in reducing labour costs, while a collaborative premising process minimised disruptions to plant operations.

Honeywell has completed the third stage of Scottish Widows' £1.8 million investment in building systems and infrastructure at its new £60 million headquarters complex in Edinburgh
Honeywell has completed the third stage of Scottish Widows' £1.8 million investment in building systems and infrastructure at the new £60 million Scottish Widows headquarters complex at Port Hamilton, Edinburgh. In the first stage, the control company's subsidiary, Honeywell Network Solutions, installed a complete structured cabling system with a total of 16,000 outlets for all the site's services, voice communications and datacomms. In the second, Honeywell Enterprise Service Solutions supplied and installed security and CCTV systems.

The third stage comprised the installation of 82 Honeywell Excel 5000 outstations, linking to 7000 hardware points throughout the building, to replace the original non-Honeywell building management system stations.

Honeywell also installed seven networked PCs that provide access to the building management system.

Honeywell Network Solutions employed the SYSTIMAX structured cabling system from Lucent Technologies across the 50,000 square metre site, which comprises four office buildings, shops and restaurants and an underground car park.

Honeywell Network Solutions has been a reseller of Lucent Technologies' cabling products since 1987 and, in January 2000, Lucent named Honeywell as its VAR (value-added reseller) of the Year, for the fourth year running.

Scottish Widows' facilities manager, Bob Bambery said, 'Our priority was to have a building that can support Scottish Widows' drive for producing more flexible products in an ever-changing marketplace.

Communications and data are the backbone of the service we provide to our customers, so we need a building that can cope with a many changes and reorganisations.

The cabling infrastructure provided by Honeywell satisfies our needs in the best possible way.'

Arcom's new APC-Celeron is perfectly suited for environments where standard office PC's are not rugged enough due to vibration, heat, dust or other environmental conditions.
Arcom announces the release of a new low cost, high performance industrial PC. The APC-Celeron is perfectly suited for environments where standard office PC's are not rugged enough due to vibration, heat, dust or other environmental conditions, yet offers the same proven hardware and software platforms engineers have become accustomed to using. The APC-Celeron is a 19' rack-mount PC supplied with your choice of memory and operating system.

At the heart of the APC is a high performance plug-in PCMIG CPU board with a minimum 466MHz Intel Celeron processor socket 370 design.

The system comes pre-loaded with a variety of operating systems, including: DOS, WindowsNT, Windows2000 and Linux redhat 6.2.

A unique feature of the APC-Celeron is the EMC, shock and vibration testing done to industry standards.

Whether operating in a semiconductor clean room, or collecting data in a travelling locomotive, the APC has been tested to meet your requirements.

Examples of EMC markings include: CE marked to Residential, Commercial, and Light Industrial Standards, meets emissions EN50081-1 and immunity EN50082-2, and conforms to EMC directive 89/336/EEC.

Vibrations markings include British Rail Category 1, and IEC 68-2-6.

Arcom systems also provide a clean, filtered AC-DC power supply, free of any powerline-conducted immunity or emissions problems.

The rack features a high degree of ruggedization, including adjustable board clamps, seamwelded chassis, and shockproof mounts for the vibration hazzards encountered in factory and plant environments.

The APC-Celeron includes a 48-speed CD-ROM drive, 3.5' floppy disk drive, at least a 6.4GB hard disk drive and a 250W power supply.

Other features include interfaces for VGA monitor, keyboard, mouse, parallel port and two serial ports.

System expansion is provided with a full-length 14-slot backplane, configured as 10-slot ISAbus and 4-slot PCIbus.

Arcom also offers a complete line of ISA and PCIbus add-on boards to provide the user with a wide choice of high-integrity I/O expansion functions.

These cards include analogue and digital I/O, quad serial, counter-timer, and relay cards.

The Melservo J2-E-S96 from Mitsubishi Electric is an addition to the well established MR-J2 range of position controllers.
The Melservo J2-E-S96 from Mitsubishi Electric is an addition to the well established MR-J2 range of position controllers, extending the company's offering to the machine tool industry. This is a dedicated servo system designed to give extremely fast bi-directional turret indexing combined with ease of configuration. Industry demand for ever shorter cycle times for machining parts has increased the requirement for faster turret control and tool selection.

The new J2-E-S96 Turret Servo from Mitsubishi achieves the required high performance with an extremely short response time of only 3msec from a start signal.

The product is offered as a simple-to-use standalone solution including servo motor and controller-amplifier, and installation is made easy through the controller's simple ON/OFF input/outputs.

MR-J2-E-S96 is dedicated to turret applications, which means that programming complex turret indexing directional logic routines into the CNC control's PLC is completely eliminated.

The only programming required is to configure the stop positions through the intuitive Windows based set-up package.

The set-up software can also be used to display a variety of monitoring data, and to carry out performance tuning, diagnostics and testing.

Everything you would expect from a turret solution is built in to the Melservo J2-E-S96, including absolute positioning, enhancing its appeal to machine retrofitters.

Functionality includes uni-directional or bi-directional shortest path indexing by parameter selection.

In addition to the normal rotational torque control, a second limit can be switched in to anticipate the torque effects of encountering mechanical triggers and locking systems.

Furthermore, the torque limit can externally adjusted via an analogue signal or a simple potentiometer.

The MR-J2-E-S96 has a capacity of 127 step positions, which means that it can be used for rotary table applications or sophisticated toolchangers and tool magazine systems.

For example, in addition to the standard acceleration/ deceleration setting, a second set of control parameters can be switched in for special load conditions where the toolchanger is required to move with a more gentle ramp.

Step position feedback and zero pulse output ensure that the CNC controller PLC knows the exact status of the turret/toolchanger indexing sequence.

Completing the picture for this well thought-out product are features such as the user-friendly auto-gain function, which tunes automatically to handle an unbalanced load.

Alternatively, the user can select manual adjustment of gain.

Whichever option is chosen, a stable system can be achieved extremely rapidly, saving hours of tedious trial and error tuning.

The range of MR-JR-E-S96 solutions extends from 50W to 1kW (4.7Nm) with IP65 motors, which are both compact and rugged.

Simple tuning, absolute positioning and built-in functionality makes these servos worthy of serious consideration for both straightforward and sophisticated turret/toolchanger applications.

An energy chain for long distances floats in a magnetic force field and is wear resistant and noise-free for use in cleanrooms, automotive paint plants, industrial robots and linear motors.
Igus unveiled the new energy chain for long distances at the Hanover Fair, Germany, earlier this year. It is the first energy chain available globally that floats in a magnetic force field and is wear resistant and noise-free. Possible application areas include cleanrooms, medical engineering, measurement engineering, automotive paint plants, industrial robots, electronics manufacturing, materials handling and linear motors.

LeviChain is held in a state of constant tension magnetically and is fixed within a metal guiding trough mechanically.

This means the upper run of the energy chain can run freely and does not make contact with anything.

Customary friction and wear are eliminated, because the upper and lower runs of the energy chain are unsupported and do not touch each other.

The magnetic field also means the energy chain does not have to unreel or glide on itself and so noise is kept to just 41.7dB(A) at a distance of 1m.

The almost silent, wear resistant LeviChain is cleanroom-compatible in accordance with ISO Cleanliness Class 4 (at v = 0.6m/s).

The driving force required is independent from the weight the energy chain transports when it is travelling at a constant speed.

Therefore, even a low initial force can achieve a high rate of acceleration.

A maximum additional load of 4 kilograms per metre is possible without any problems.

An 'E-band' connecting the energy chain links replaces standard pin-hole connections.

This means no wear happens at these points.

The E-band design works faultlessly with lightweight metal parts, which enable the 'floating' energy chain to maintain a constant linear motion.

LeviChain's design means it is ideal for long, unsupported travels up to 40m.

The magnets have a centring effect.

This means the energy chain remains in position no matter how quickly it accelerates or decelerates.

The upper and lower chain runs can move independently of each other at high speeds and bending radii between 45 and 100mm.

The upper run always 'floats', whereas the lower run can be guided magnetically or mechanically.

The new energy chain is available now, pre-assembled in three widths up to 75mm.

The energy chain can be easily filled with cables and hoses by pressing them through an opening, which snaps back into place automatically.

The LeviChain system can be installed in unsupported, hanging and standing applications and requires very little height and width space.

Ideal for wire and cable applications in the power electronics industry, coiled cords are compliant with RoHS standards and are available in light, medium and heavy duty selections.
Whitney Blake Company, the leader in interconnect solutions, offers its extensive line of RoHS compliant Koiled Kords. Available in light, medium and heavy duty selections, Whitney Blake's wide variety of in-stock and custom designed Koiled Kords are ideal for a myriad of applications in the electronics industry. Manufactured using a highly-mobile and extremely durable neoprene jacket for extra protection, Whitney Blake's Koiled Kords deliver maximum product consistency and reliability.

These cords have an extension length of 10-20ft (2-4ft retracted) and are available in 12AWG through 18AWG.

The light and medium duty cords reach a maximum of 300V, while the heavy duty cords reach a maximum of 600V.

All are UL-listed and CSA-certified.

In addition, Whitney Blake offers in-stock power supply Koiled Kords which are UL-listed, CSA certified / SVO/SJO, and rated for 125V.

These cords come in 1.5 lengths (retracted), with an extension length of 7.5ft, and are three conductor 18 gauge.

Various wire gauges and conductor counts are also available.

Whitney Blake's highly skilled team of in-house engineers, combined with the company's state-of-the-art quality assurance and testing lab, work in coordination with you and your staff to develop, prototype, test and produce the product that best fits your application.

* About Whitney Blake Company - Whitney Blake Company is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of custom cable, cable assemblies and custom over molds for high performance, high flex applications.

Its services include contract assembly and plastic mold injection utilizing its Mexican manufacturing capabilities.

Its cable assemblies are used by OEM's as a component in the manufacture of a variety of commercial and military communications, transportation, electronic data processing, medical electronics, durable goods and other equipment.

A stackable, IP67 plug connector system is designed for power distribution in modular and remote machinery and provides connections for cables with 6x4mm2 + earth/690V/25A for power.
Duplicon is a stackable, IP67 plug connector system from Phoenix Contact designed for power distribution in modular and remote machinery and similar installations. The system provides connections for cables with 6 x 4 mm2 + earth / 690 V / 25 A for power and 24 V or ASi bus. As a direct device connection, the incoming and secondary power circuits are plugged in separately but can be disconnected collectively for servicing and maintenance without interrupting the power supply.

On the device side, the plug connector comes with an optional screw connection, plug connection or a direct PCB connection in 90deg and 180deg versions.

The plug connector offers a continuous connection from within the control cabinet through the remote power connector to the device connections in the field.

The removable cover makes it easy to conduct testing and inspections additionally the square design provides flexible cable connections at 90deg angles.

The sturdy housing design in die-cast aluminum and the vibration-resistant stainless steel clips enable the connector to be installed easily, even under harsh field conditions.

* About Phoenix Contact - Phoenix Contact is one of the world leaders in developing and manufacturing connectivity solutions and automation components.

Its principal product ranges include: printed circuit board connectors; modular terminal blocks; fieldbus components; surge voltage protection systems; industrial plug and socket connectors and interface units.

To assist in specification of electrical conduit, Kopex International has now introduced a new version of its Shortform Product Guide with a concise overview of solutions, services and capabilities.
To assist in the specification of the correct electrical conduit, Kopex International has now introduced a new version of its Shortform Product Guide. This publication provides a concise overview of solutions, services and capabilities and is ideal for specifiers, contractors and stockists. The new publication includes a selection guide which covers the company's traditional pliable and metallic ranges as well as non-metallic conduit systems.

Kopex products are particularly well suited to specialist applications within hazardous and onerous environments such as offshore oil and gas, pharmaceutical, MOD, chemical industry, food production and healthcare where EMI screening capabilities are particularly critical.

To order a copy of the Shortform Product Guide, or for more information on Kopex International's range of products and services, contact the company's Marketing Department.