Pepperl+Fuchs Blog

There are many great reasons to attend this year's Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). One is to experience the technology from Pepperl+Fuchs. From May 6 to 9 at OTC in Houston, Texas, Pepperl+Fuchs will be exhibiting its process automation solutions for the oil and gas industry. These leading sensing technologies, explosion protection products, and intrinsically safe mobile devices will be featured at booth 4261 in Hall A of the NRG Center. Conference attendees will have a chance to learn more about the following technologies:

The FDA requires drug manufacturers to follow strict cleaning guidelines. According to the FDA, any equipment a manufacturer uses during drug production must be “cleaned, maintained, and, as appropriate for the nature of the drug, sanitized and/or sterilized at appropriate intervals to prevent malfunctions or contamination …” This is why drug manufacturers clean their batch process tanks at regular intervals.

High-tech drug manufacturers are utilizing Industry 4.0 technology to enhance their automated processes. Portable mixing tanks used in drug processing, preparation, material buffering, and storage are sometimes fitted with multiple industrial sensors to ensure the highest standards in drug production are always met. The data generated during these processes can be transmitted wirelessly to the process control system with the help of Pepperl+Fuchs’ Bullet WirelessHART adapters.

The LGM series measuring light grid is an array of thru-beam photoelectric sensors housed in a single emitter and receiver pair designed to continuously communicate with a PLC through any IO-Link master. They are available in a variety of heights ranging from 100 mm up to 3200 mm, with the number of beams varying based on the height. The light grid can be remotely configured for easy setup and parameterization via PLC with the help of IO-Link technology; complex single beam calculations are not required to set up these sensors.

Companies place more than product on their conveyor systems. They also rely on this technology to improve productivity and lower material handling costs. If conveyor technology remains outdated, however, the burden on maintenance staff increases as does energy consumption. The G20 ZPA motor control module from Pepperl+Fuchs provides the reliability and cost savings that companies depend on.

According to the global transport and logistics insurer TT Club, container ship fires happen every 60 days. Half of these fires start in the engine room, and most of them are caused by pressurized system leaks. However, fires can occur anywhere where there is air, fuel, and heat. When a fire does happen on a vessel, crew members’ lives depend on the speed and reliability of the ship’s alert system.

Industries from automotive to pharmaceuticals share the goal of increasing workflow efficiency on factory floors and in distribution centers. Many are turning to industrial automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to better their intralogistics. With the help of sensor technology from specialists like Pepperl+Fuchs, AGV systems benefit manufacturers in the following ways:

In a typical day, a garbage truck visits over 800 homes and collects up to 14 tons of waste. These trucks usually operate up to 16 hours a day for six days a week and ultrasonic sensors are installed to enhance waste collection processes. Using high-frequency sound pulses, the sensors effectively detect fill level, distance, position, and presence while being unhindered by smoke, dust, light, and color. 

A future-proof thin client should be a long-term virtualization solution that reduces costs, enhances system management, and improves productivity. That is why our BTC12 thin client is designed with technology that can be adapted to future industry demands.

Junction blocks have become a standard in factory connectivity. While traditional parallel wiring methods are still used, they continue to be inflexible, time consuming, and prone to error. Junction blocks from Pepperl+Fuchs allow multiple devices to be connected to a central point, add flexibility, save time, and reduce wiring errors.