IO-Link in Operation

One of the most important operating criteria is equipment availability. This is increased by the maximum transparency using IO-Link right down to the sensor/actuator level, greatly raising the degree of efficiency of a machine.

The machine is running and the deadline for shipping the finished products has also been set. Now the last thing you need is a machine failure, especially due to a dirty sensor or safety light barrier. Here is where IO-Link comes into the game, because this new technology has diagnostics mechanisms built right into it. You are warned before a safety light barrier becomes completely obscured, and you can make it more sensitive while the machine is running so as not to compromise production for the all-important customer. This guarantees greater equipment up-time and better utilization of the machine.

Application example: Tire production with automatic parameter setting using IO-Link

If the color sensor reports a defect during production, it can be easily replaced. The new color sensor gets its parameters from the PLC or a data server while the machine is still running.

previously

with IO-Link

  • Machine produces and then stops suddenly
    >-> Reason: Color sensor totally contaminated
  • Changing tire color for example currently means stopping the machine, since the color sensor cannot be reprogrammed during run time
  • Color sensor fails during production and has to be replaced
    --> Parameter setting of the sensor in situ and while machine is stopped

  • Machine produces and reports color sensor contaminated
    --> Automatic re-parameterizing based on degree of contamination and diagnostics message
  • Re-parameterizing of the color sensor (e.g. for new tire color) possible while running
    --> Reduction in downtime
  • Simple error handling without re-parameterizing, since the PLC has the parameter settings stored