Intelligent actuators are a consistent continuation of the idea of distributed control installations. Kuhnke's SMART cylinder advances the fusion of cylinders, valves, sensor elements and bus address to a highly integrated component

Citation

(2003), "Intelligent actuators are a consistent continuation of the idea of distributed control installations. Kuhnke's SMART cylinder advances the fusion of cylinders, valves, sensor elements and bus address to a highly integrated component", Assembly Automation, Vol. 23 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2003.03323aad.007

Intelligent actuators are a consistent continuation of the idea of distributed control installations. Kuhnke's SMART cylinder advances the fusion of cylinders, valves, sensor elements and bus address to a highly integrated component

Intelligent actuators are a consistent continuation of the idea of distributed control installations. Kuhnke's SMART cylinder advances the fusion of cylinders, valves, sensor elements and bus address to a highly integrated component

Keywords: Linear motor, Cylinders

The SMART cylinder (Plate 6), a member of Kuhnke's AS-i family, is a standard cylinder with an integrated spool valve that is available with functions 5/2-way monostable and bistable and 5/3-way. Optional electronic sensors can be added at the stroke limits. There are two basic variants of the SMART cylinder: one has an AS-Interface with or without auxiliary voltage, the other is a multi-pole model featuring an 8-pole M12 connector as a link to other bus systems or directly to the PLC.

Plate 6 The SMART cylinder

Use the SMART cylinder far all applications with ISO 6431/VDMA 24562 cylinders working with piston diameters between 32 and 100 mm. After attaching the supply pressure and the electrical or bus connection all you need to do at the actual cylinder is set the damping and the speed of cylinder action. The "plug and work" principle illustrates the benefits of the concept: due to its integrative approach, the SMART cylinder minimises the components needed by the customer (tubes, fittings, throttle valves...), as well as the wiring and tubing required to install it into the machine, thus being a key factor of saving installation costs. A bonus put into the bargain is that the element can be replaced quickly for servicing - avoiding costly downtimes at the user's expense.

The SMART cylinder is marked by its smooth outer appearance without any undercuts and by housing the sensors behind a protective plastic rail. The unit features an auxiliary manual actuator and provides a protection to IP65 when fully connected.

For further information, please contact: Kuhnke. Impulses for Automation, Kuhnke GmbH, Lütjenburger Str. 101, D-23714 Malente. Tel: +49 (0) 45 23 / 4 02 0; Fax: +49 (0) 45 23 / 40 22 47; E-mail: sales@kuhnke.de; Web site: http://www.kuhnke.com