Many manufacturers exhibit at Automation Fair 2001

Atlanta, Ga.-In addition to Rockwell Automation exhibits and products on display at Automation Fair 2001, Nov. 14 - 15, there were more than 80 booths from its Encompass Solutions partners.

By Gary Mintchell, Senior Editor November 28, 2001

Atlanta, Ga.- In addition to Rockwell Automation exhibits and products on display at Automation Fair 2001, Nov. 14 – 15, there were more than 80 booths from its Encompass Solutions partners.

Fluke (Everett, Wa.) showed two full-color ScopeMeter test tools added to its 190 series handheld oscilloscope product line. 196C and 199C provide full-color display capabilities, faster display update rates than previous models, better trace contrast, ability to overlay traces, and digital storage.

Spectrum Controls (Bellevue, Wa.) showed an eight-channel universal analog input module for the ControlLogix platform. It is channel-to-channel configurable and accepts voltage, current, thermocouple, and RTD inputs.

ProSoft Technology (Bakersfield, Calif.) introduced a BASIC language emulation module (MVI56-BAS) for the Allen-Bradley ControlLogix platform, allowing migration of legacy BASIC programs developed for the PLC-5 and SLC 500platforms.

Hardy Instruments (San Diego, Calif.) showed a multi-speed Filler/Dispenser Controller incorporating 10/100 BaseT port, IR port, DeviceNet interface, printer port, built-in diagnostics, and a Help Wizard.

Sola/Hevi-Duty (Skokie, Ill.) demonstrated its ‘e-Transformer Product Selector’ on-line tools for ordering, checking status, and tracking shipments plus its new Series B control transformer family.

SyTech (Walpole, Mass.) showed its XLReporter product that works with Rockwell’s RSLinx and RSView to generate automated reports and data analysis and that is now part of Rockwell’s Encompass Program.

Hirschmann ‘s (Pine Brook, N.J.) upgraded Mach 3000 series modular Gigabit Ethernet switch allows high-availability backbone structures to be connected to rail switch rings via fast redundancy mechanisms (&500 ms) with up to 40 Gigabit Ethernet ports or 160 Fast Ethernet (100 mbps) ports.

DataLinc Group (Redmond, Wa.) announced SRM6210E and SRM6310E wireless, license-free Ethernet modems. SRM6210E operates in the 902-928 MHz band, while the SRM6310E operates in the 2.4 – 2.4835 GHz ISM band. Both are Class 1, Div 2 rated.

Woodhead Connectivity ‘s (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) NetAlert diagnostic tools for DeviceNet have been approved by Rockwell Automation for reference in its Encompass program. The product’s tools include NetMeter, which confirms and certifies DeviceNet installations by measuring 677 network performance parameters, and PowerMonitor, which monitors power quality at any cable junction.

Control Chief’ s (Bradford, Pa.) Communicator module enables wireless communication through the backplane of the SLC 500 series platform providing RF channel data rates up to 250 kbps with 2.4 GHz spread spectrum frequency hopping radio.

Cognex (Natick, Mass.) exhibited two ‘out of the box’ package vision inspection applications, CapInspect, which inspects container caps for presence/absence, skew, height and container fill level, and LabelInspect, which inspects package labels for presence/absence, measures label position, and inspects logos, decorations and other features.