Tag Archives: MODBUS

Nokia extends Industrial portfolio of ‘ruggedised’ devices for improved connectivity

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Nokia has announced it is extending its Industrial portfolio of ruggedised devices to allow more enterprises to connect teams and equipment in demanding environments, such as mining, using private wireless networks.

The new 5G SA devices complete the portfolio and include a highly-durable smartphone, fieldrouters and 5G millimetre wave (mmW) hotspot providing even more connectivity options and capabilities for industries around the globe, it said.

“The Nokia Industrial portfolio of ruggedised devices is designed to ensure reliability and continuity of operations in the most arduous and remote environments, whether on an off-shore platform, a busy factory floor or even in the depths of a mine shaft,” the company said. “It maintains reliable team and equipment connectivity for mission-critical communications and operations at ports, mines, manufacturing facilities, logistics companies, government and public safety agencies as well as other entities.”

Nokia Industrial devices are pre-tested for industrial use and pre-integrated with Nokia private wireless solutions. Device Management, running on MX Industrial Edge, simplifies the introduction of new devices and operation processes on a customer’s network, according to the company.

With this range of devices, Nokia is also able to support frequency band combinations often associated with private wireless in 4G and 5G, including bands B31/72/87 as well as band 53. The solution also brings unlicensed capabilities to private wireless, such as the recently launched Nokia MulteFire fieldrouter.

The new range of 5G SA fieldrouters will enable enterprises to connect industrial machinery, sensors and vehicles to private wireless networks, Nokia said. With an anti-vibration design, Nokia fieldrouters are IP67-rated for both indoor and outdoor use. They connect to assets wirelessly, meeting the demands of a range of industrial standards and protocols including PROFINET communications, EtherCAT and Modbus. New 5G mmW devices starting with a hotspot will allow customers to take advantage of new spectrum as it’s released for high data rate industrial applications, the company said.

The Nokia XR20, a 5G SA capable smartphone, is built to withstand extreme temperatures from 55°C to -22°C, 1.8 m drops, one hour under water and more with its military-grade resilience, the company said. Nokia Industrial handheld devices come pre-loaded with key industrial applications including Nokia Team Communications running on MX Industrial Edge and Nokia Group Communications, allowing teams to securely keep in contact using push-to-voice, video and messaging.

The company concluded: “Deploying Nokia Industrial devices within a private wireless network that leverages the high-processing power of the Nokia MX Industrial Edge will enable enterprises to securely monitor and analyse operational data from myriad connected devices and sensors in real time. Customers can unlock new capabilities by downloading Nokia and third-party digitalisation enabler applications from the Nokia DAC catalogue to their devices, while monitoring and management of the devices is conducted over a single device management portal.”

Bearings International accelerates with new variable speed drives

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Bearings International (BI), through its relationship with Hudaco Group company Varispeed, is launching the VDrivePlus and AlphaDrive-Micro variable speed drives in the South Africa market.

Being part of the broader Hudaco Group allows BI to leverage synergies across a broad range of companies, meaning it can offer a complete product basket at its extensive branch network countrywide. One of these areas is electronic motor control solutions from Varispeed.

BI Marketing Manager, Victor Strobel, said: “For BI, it is all about the breadth of our product offering, which extends far beyond our customers’ core focus. This is because we look at customer requirements holistically. It is also a great way to introduce our customer base to the larger Hudaco Group.

“While the customer bases are different, there are definite synergies that we can tap into. It is all about positioning ourselves as a total solutions provider that is a single point of contact for all of our customer needs, as well as making them aware of everything else we are able to offer them.”

The AlphaDrive-Micro VSD (pictured) from Varispeed is a compact frequency inverter ranging from 0.2 kW to 5.5 kW, and available in 240 V and 400 V. Together with the VDrivePlus, these VSDs offer the best performance-to-cost ratio on the market, without compromising on quality and reliability, according to BI.

Certified in accordance with the latest European standards and regulations, the Alpha Drive Micro and Micro Plus are ideally suited to most applications in the South Africa market, including mining, food and beverage, manufacturing, and agriculture, BI says.

The compact design of the AlphaDrive-Micro VSD means it can be easily integrated into an electrical panel, as it mounts directly onto a DIN rail. A built-in software menu caters for optimised parameters for basic functions and applications such as fans, belts, conveyors, and pumps. Applications range from mining plants to water reticulation, HVAC, food and beverage, canning and bottling plants, and injection moulding plants, BI said.

The AlphaDrive-Micro VSD is based on the MODBUS protocol for open networking, with an EMC filter as standard.

One of the features of both drives BI highlighted was a parameter copy stick that allows for an automatic back-up of parameter settings in the event of load shedding. It also means that the same set of parameters can be transferred to many drives and even multiple sites.

The VDrivePlus from Varispeed is a much larger drive, ranging from 0.4 kW to 400 kW, available in 240 V and 400 V. This more advanced VSD features advanced motor control based on DSP technology, together with ‘smart’ auto-tuning, BI said. Additional features include flexible inverter control, dual high-resolution analogue inputs, and free mappable I/O channels.

BI said: “A universal function set is available for a range of industrial and residential applications, including integrated PID/pump controller routines. ‘Smart’ PC tools allow for quick inverter control, parametrisation, and troubleshooting. Here the size and range of the VSD makes it ideal for harsh operating environments from mining to industrial and even agricultural.”

Looking at future scope for synergy, Strobel pointed out that the VSDs can be easily supplemented with the Bauer electric motor range from BI.

These aluminium three-phase 380 V motors are made for industrial applications such as fans, compressors, pumps, sanding machines, and pedestal drilling machines, among others. The main benefit is that the motors are far lighter than their cast-iron equivalents due to the aluminium casing and end shield, according to the company.

The multi-mount design has the added benefit of being able to change the feet on-site. This gives customers the option of having the terminal box on the top or on the left- or right-hand side, depending on the specific requirements. In addition, Bauer motors can be fitted with an external brake of either an AC or DC type.