Pepperl+Fuchs Blog

Pepperl+Fuchs mobile equipment connectivity products must withstand the world’s toughest environments. In many applications, extreme temperatures, heavy contamination, aggressive substances, and mechanical stress play a major role. Connectors have to be sufficiently rugged and resistant and are tested above and beyond these requirements. But how can Pepperl+Fuchs maintain the promised quality of its products? In this blog post, we explain which tests our mobile equipment connectivity products go through to meet our high quality standards.

Networking different systems from diverse manufacturers—all of which feature different interfaces, profiles, and communication mechanisms—is the challenge of Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). This is where OPC UA comes in. It creates a uniform basis for continuous information exchange from the field to the cloud.

Safe Switch-On with Line Fault Transparency

Highly automated systems in sensitive areas of the process industry must ensure that pumps, valves, and active cooling systems are switched on safely at all times. All signal circuits must be monitored for possible line faults on the field side to ensure that all installed safety functions operate correctly if there is a fault. In this blog post, we explain the advantages plant operators have with using line fault transparency (LFT) modules from Pepperl+Fuchs ...

No matter the industry, application, or metal target, Pepperl+Fuchs has an inductive proximity sensor that can provide reliable object detection. Ranging from Basic Series sensors, which combine accuracy, durability, and cost effectiveness, to the ruggedized metal face Pile Driver and Mobile Equipment Series, choosing the best inductive sensor from our broad portfolio depends entirely on the needs of your application.

There are many types of protection available for your electrical control panel. Increased Safety (Ex e) and flameproof (Ex d) are two common protection types for electrical control panel enclosures installed in hazardous locations. Choosing the correct type of enclosure can be difficult and depends on many factors, including:

Industry 4.0 is generally understood as the comprehensive digitalization of industrial production. In Industry 4.0, entire production processes are interconnected with people, machines, products, factory facilities, and logistics processes. Production speed is increased significantly. In this blog post, we give an overview of the past Industrial Revolutions that have brought us to this point and outline how Pepperl+Fuchs is involved in Industry 4.0.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) grants plant operators access to large amounts of process data in real time from the smart devices on the factory floor. It is imperative that plant operators possess the proper tools for efficient data management to improve their processes and reduce costs. HMIs, thin clients, and software can help plant operators effectively utilize IIoT data to enhance workflows, increase safety, and perform predictive maintenance.

Conventional camera-based vision systems and light section sensors can be applied to range of applications. While vision systems are a more traditional solution, they can be expensive and complex for simple presence or absence detection tasks. In contrast, light section technology is a more economical alternative that offers a simple “yes/no” result for detection, monitoring, or protection applications. Whether for advanced measurement tasks, part verification, or profile comparison, these technologies can provide the results you need for your application.

We’ve all been there: You are sitting on the plane and want to relax with music. You plug in your headphones and play your favorite song. You reposition your head to get comfortable and the music stops. This is caused by a break in the headphone cord. While a break in connectivity is simply annoying in this scenario, it is a real problem in industrial environments where downtime can be costly. In this blog post, we discuss five industrial applications and the Pepperl+Fuchs cables best suited to provide reliable connectivity for each one.

Industry 4.0 applications require sensors to do more than just deliver process data to the PLC. In smart manufacturing, sensors must be able to communicate with other devices and higher-level information systems. This is possible with IO-Link, a simple, flexible, and secure open communication technology that enables continuous communication at the sensor level.