Mobile Industrial Robot (MiR) is Changing The Game

Although robots have been improving a wide variety of industries all over the country, many facilities have concerns regarding expenses and programming of the new technology.

Metro Plastics Technologies, Inc. felt that they should share how the MiR200 autonomous robot has impacted their business. The manufacturing company has been a provider of superior custom molding services since 1975. Since that time, the business has grown significantly and with that, they faced new challenges. One of those was how to transport material within the plant to different stages of production without delaying the delivery time of the project to the customer. It all changed when they were introduced to the MiR200 autonomous robot.

With its simplicity to program, durability and ability to work on its own, employees were free to focus on the tasks that will result in the best products. The company quickly realized that the autonomous robot is the most cost and time effective solution. Along with that, the robot has completely eliminated fork lift traffic and the plant has become a safer work environment for employees.

According to the manufacturing company's Project Coordinator Emma Morris, mapping the entire production floor only took 2-3 hours and changing the programming to adjust to the plant’s needs that come with time is extremely easy.

Metro Plastics Technologies, Inc. is one of the many businesses the MiR robot has impacted. If you would like to learn how the MiR autonomous robot can improve your facility, give us a call at (800) 228-2790.

Encoder Products Company Offers The Latest In EtherCAT Communication

Encoder Products Company (EPC) has been a leading designer and world-wide manufacturer of motion sensing devices since they opened their doors in 1969. Throughout the years they have maintained that legacy by designing the latest and best products in the industry, which is why EPC has recently released two versatile encoders suited for applications where Ethernet-based connectivity is required.

The Model A58HE, a 58 mm encoder in a hollow bore construction, and the Model A58SE, a 58 mm shaft encoder available with either a clamping flange or a synchro flange, were specifically designed to endure harsh factory and plant environments while working with the efficiency of EtherCAT and multi-turn absolute encoders.

Along with all of the advantages both models will bring to production, EPC also focused on designing a line of products that would make installation easy and straightforward. According to EPC’s Technical Sales Manager and electrical engineer Sarah Walter, “[the encoders] plug directly into a network with minimal prerequisites, and work in various configurations, including daisy-chaining, and redundant-ring configurations that can continue communication in event of a line break.”

The A58HE and A58SE encoders offer:

• EtherCAT Deterministic Communication (CoE, FoE, and EoE)
• Multi-turn resolution up to 43 bits
• Up to 16 bits of single turn resolution
• 58 mm diameter housing
• Bores sizes up to 0.375" or 15 mm
• Shaft diameters up to 0.375” or 10 mm
• Durable magnetic technology
• Proven turns counting technology with no gears or batteries
• Operating temperature range of -40° C to 85° C
• Sealing rating of IP65 (on A58SE, 10 mm shaft comes with IP67 sealing)
• Continuous digital position monitoring
• Ability to retain absolute position after a power outage
• Meet CE/EMC Standards for Immunity and Emissions

For more information about this product, please contact us at 800-228-2790. Our sales team would love to stop by for a demonstration and show how this line can improve your production.