Pepperl+Fuchs Blog

ecom's Smart-Ex® 01 and Ex-Handy 09 ensure safe and clear communication with industrial-strength noise cancellation

We’ve all experienced the frustration of trying to make a phone call in a noisy environment—at a sporting event, concert, restaurant, or bar. You struggle to hear what the person on the other end is saying and find yourself yelling “what!?” or “can you repeat that!?” into the phone.

What do you need to get started?

• You will need the AS-Interface Toolkit for Rockwell Automation PLCs—it's a Zip file you can download from our website.
• This toolkit is intended to help a PLC programmer by providing ALL the necessary tools for integrating AS-Interface into a Rockwell Automation PLC.

Before we get into the advantages of radio frequency identification (RFID) over traditional barcode technology, let’s do a quick overview of both:

Barcodes are a series of machine-readable, parallel black bars that represent identification information. The information is encoded by varying the widths of the bars and the distances of the spaces between each bar. An optical barcode scanner then translates the information for further interpretation.


RFID products use unique radio waves to communicate information. Typical industrial RFID systems consist of an RFID reader (head), RFID interface (controller), and RFID tags (transponders).

AS-Interface gateways control the AS-Interface system and make the process data available to all higher-level networks of the PLC in a defined configuration. Pepperl+Fuchs offers AS-Interface gateways for all standard buses such as EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, PROFIBUS, DeviceNet and CC-Link. When considering EtherNet/IP or MODBUS/TCP gateways for AS-Interface networks, keep these benefits in mind:

Ultrasonic sensors are non-contact devices used for object detection or level measurement. They operate on the principle of sound traveling through a medium, where a transducer emits a sound wave at a specific frequency. Based on the time it takes the reflected sound pulse to reach the transducer, the sensor’s internal logic determines if the object is within the nominal sensing range and generates an output signal.

This episode of Ask an Expert for industrial sensors examines and provides answers to interesting sensing questions we've received from customers just like you. We explore and answer these questions:

1. What load does a proximity switch need to sense for bench testing?
2. Does the SJ5-N inductive slot sensor need an intrinsic safety barrier?
3. Should I use a fiber optic sensor for injection molded parts detection?
4. Are the components in an AS-Interface circuit board module epoxy encapsulated or sealed?
5. Do you have a handheld solution to identify nonworking RFID tags?

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are used to move product throughout the factory or warehouse floor. Speed and precision are key when moving materials— if you've seen AGVs zipping around in a warehouse, you want to ensure that they stay on track and that they go exactly where they need to, with materials and AGV intact.

The video below discusses the key features and general applications for our PGV absolute positioning system for automatic guided vehicles. The PGV follows Data Matrix codes or colored lines with sub-millimeter precision and is ideal for guidance of AGVs.

From control codes to initiate starts, stops, and turns, to the user-friendly software Vision Configurator, the PGV is packed with the tools you need for any AGV application.

Every sensing technology has its own set of unique capabilities that allow it to perform reliably in certain areas. In dirty environments, a photoelectric sensor’s light beam may fail to return to the receiver due to a covered lens or reflector. However, ultrasonic sensors thrive in dirty and dusty environments, since sound waves are unaffected by dust particles floating in the air or adhering to the sensing face. Industries that commonly use ultrasonic sensors include agriculture, food and beverage, and packaging. The following key attributes will help you select the right ultrasonic sensor for your application.

Process automation plants using industrial HMI often place the equipment in remote locations in the field, away from the process control room or maintenance stations. For busy plant personnel, it's much easier to be able to configure these remote monitors from a centralized location or even off-site remote location. In addition, maintenance and technical support for the daily HMI operators can now be done remotely without needing to physically stand in front of the screen, which is often difficult and time-consuming (pharmaceutical clean rooms, large refineries for example.)

AS-Interface gateways are the core of the wiring system.  They serve as the link between the sensor/actuator level of AS-Interface and the upper-level bus systems where PLCs (programmable logic controllers), PCs or other field bus systems reside.