Bus flexes while transmitting data

Fairfield, NJ--Engineers can design and build automated assembly cells in a different manner these days. No longer must a main controller dictate all action through hard-wired sensors and manipulators. Instead, system intelligence can "move with the machine."

Intended for bi-directional digital data transmission in high-speed, multi-task manufacturing environments, UNITRONIC®-BUS FD cable gives design engineers a product that meets their electronic requirements while flexing at the same time.

"When your automated system, or part of your system, requires movement to operate, standard bus cable cannot perform the task," says Gerald Pochurek, director of engineering for Olflex® Wire & Cable, Inc. A fieldbus cable developed by Olflex, he points out, can flex continuously, and accurately transmit data signals from the PLC or main computer to remote units.

The new cable transmits data at a rate of 1 Mbit/sec for system lengths of 400m, and offers a minimum bending radius of 5 inches for continuous flexing applications. Construction incorporates a braided shield to protect against electromagnetic interference (EMI).

A special paired design ensures maximum crosstalk suppression in low-level signal transmissions. An outer jacket of durable, flame-resistant polyurethane protects the shielded pairs during the flexing cycle.

Olflex fieldbus cable products include lowcap and midcap designs to match system requirements. The lowcap design has a capacitance of 9 pF/ft and impedance of 150V. The midcap design has a capacitance of 18 pF/ft and impedance of 100V.

Pochurek says the new cable is compatible with a number of systems such as INTERBUS-S™ by Phoenix Contact GmbH, and PROFIBUS for many, including INTERBUS-P™, Vari-Net-P™, Modulink P™, SUCOnet-P™, SINEC L2-DP™ and ASI by Siemens AG, CAN from the auto industry, and BITBUS.

Additional details...Contact Olflex® Wire & Cable, Inc., 30 Plymouth St., Fairfield, NJ 07004, (800) 774-3539.