Energize and Control Techniques hosted a technical webinar recently which discussed the latest developments in automation and control for industrial applications.
In particular, the webinar discussed the use of Near field Communications (NFC) technology in modern industrial equipment.
NFC is the technology behind “tap to pay” contactless payment systems they most people are familiar with. They might not know, however, that the same technology is used in access control systems at gyms, hotels, offices and factories. This technology has been standardised and is supported in hundreds of different products beyond credit cards and access control, to mobile phones and in automotive applications and industrial equipment interfaces.
Dr Richard Gibson, a product development engineer at Control Techniques in the UK, who conducted the webinar, explained the inner workings of NFC, how data is transferred between the tag and the reader/writer device, the frequency at which NFC operates and the levels of security available.
He showed how the use of NFC would simplify setting up industrial equipment such as drives for motors and pumps, especially when a number of drives need to be set up to operate together or in the same applications, such as irrigation systems, for example.
Click here for a recording of the webinar
Click here to download a copy of the presentation
NFC is now commonly used in manufacturing processes to track products along a production line. They are often used as electronic barcodes by many courier companies because they can be read quickly, even in low-light areas, such as the back of a delivery van.
An interesting example is found in automobile factories where NFC tags, attached to the panels prior to painting, ensure that all the panels of the assembled vehicle were sprayed with the same batch of paint, thereby improving colour consistency in the finished product.
Its design conforms to an international standard which features very close proximity (2 cm) and in most cases does not require a battery, because NFC tags “harvest” the power they need from the read/write connecting device. The standard is regulated by the NFC Forum which is the governing body of the standard. A compliance programme ensures the reliability and interoperability of NFC connections.
Since most modern smart phones have NFC capability built in, the client does not need to buy a dedicated reader/writer device for use with his NFC-enabled industrial equipment.
Dr Gibson showed a free-of-charge App, “Marshal”, which Control Techniques has introduced for use with its latest drive offering, the Commander S.
He shared a number of useful links during the webinar:
Control Techniques company website
Commander S basic PID Setup – a YouTube video
Commander S clone drive – a YouTube video
Commander S Fire Mode – a YouTube video
Click here for a recording of the webinar
Click here to download a copy of the presentation
For more information, please contact Jacqui Gradwell, Control Techniques, Phone 083 406-2137, jacqui.gradwell@mail.nidec.com , www.controltechniques.com
