Upgrading Traditional Drives to Intelligent Actuators
IO-Link® is a powerful, 2-way communication technology that allows traditional sensors and actuators to become intelligent, boosting factory throughput and minimizing downtime by allowing diagnostics and parameterization of intelligent actuators on-the-fly.
From ramping up production to completely changing the equipment’s function, there’s a need for factories to be more flexible and for automation equipment to adapt in real time to keep up with changing demand. This requires intelligence at the edge, where devices connect with the real world, to unlock a new level of real-time flexibility. The key to this is IO-Link, which is the first standardized IO technology worldwide (IEC 61131-9).
What Is the IO-Link Technology?
Based on the existing 3-wire connection technology for sensors and actuators, IO-Link is the first powerful, bidirectional point-to-point communication technology that’s standardized. It regulates the interaction between sensors and actuators with a controller in industrial systems. Because of its compatibility with popular industrial architectures, including field bus and Industrial Ethernet, it can simply be connected to existing PLCs or HMIs using standard connectors, usually M12, without additional cabling requirements. As such, IO-Link technology enables extensive diagnosis and on-the-fly remote adjustments to an intelligent actuator’s electrical characteristics to minimize factory downtime and maximize throughput.
Boost Factory Productivity with Intelligent Actuators
The PD42-1-1243-IOLINK intelligent actuator incorporates industry-leading motion control technology into a plug-and-play solution that is 2.6× smaller and lowers power consumption more than 50% compared to the competitive solution, bringing intelligence to the factory floor to improve factory uptime and maximize throughput. It achieves this by combining the TMC2130-LA motor driver and MAX22513 IO-Link transceiver to build upon the benefits of the IO-Link bidirectional universal interface. The PD42-1-1243-IOLINK intelligent actuator boosts factory productivity by monitoring 50% more configuration and performance parameters than other solutions on the market.