Achieve High-Precision Color Differentiation with Omron's E3MC RGB Color Sensors

from the Automation Group at Cross

If you need highly reliable color sensing technology, consider Omron's E3MC RGB color sensor - it can accurately detect extremely small differences up to four similar colors.  Ideal for food & beverage packaging, printing operations or any application requiring precise color differentiation.  It has a unique threshold sensitivity adjustment which allows users to change the threshold levels to one of several 'fine' or 'coarse' settings in order to distringuish between very similar colors.  It can even distinguish between different levels of white.

Omron E3MC / RGB Color Sensor



The E3MC discriminates differences in color without being influenced by ambient temperature changes, brightness or positioning of object being sensed.  It detects colors by knowing that the reflection ratio of the primary color - Red, Blue or Green - refelected by an object varies with the chromaticity of the object.  By using FAO (free angle optics), the sensor emits red, green and blue light on a single optical axis so the light will be reflected by sensing objects.  The E3MC receives the light reflected by the sensing objects through the receiver and processes the red - green - blue ratio of the light to discriminate the color of the sensing objects.

Built in amplifier type
Detect different colored parts.
Example - detect caps of different colors in a bottling process.  Settings are easily changed using the 4 color sensitivity  adjustment.

Extraction by Sorting Color
Example - sorts toothbrushes by handle color.  Stable detection is obtained without being influenced by changes in brightness of objects being sensed.

Fiber Optic type
Detect hard to differentiate marks

Example - highly resistant to fluctuations in color and offers stable detection of subtle color differences.

Fiber Optic type
Detect directional alignment for packaging
Example - used for aligning packaging directions by detecting delicate color differences or fine marks.

Omron is a valued supplier partner with the Automation Group at Cross.  Call Cross to discuss your Omron sensor application - we have decades of experience!
800.866.4568

Improve Process for Municipal Gas, Water & Waste Water Treatment

from the Integrated Solutions Group / Innovative Controls at Cross

Engineering Services

Innovative Controls has been improving tough municipal applications - municipal gas, water and waste water treatment - for years now.  With extensive process and engineering experience under their belt, they understand and appreciate the unique requirements of this industry.  Innovative has experience with multiple software & hardware platforms for applications such as:

• conventional water filtration with fully automated backwash sequencing and control
• municipal and industrial waste water treatment
• remote telemetry through RF radio, telelphone, high speed WAN and cellular networks
• plant wide security monitoring

Innovative Controls is a registered ISO 9001 firm reflecting their commitment to providing quality and excellence to the municipal industry.  With an established reputation for providing innovative and cost effective solutions for complex applications, the engineers at Innovative can assist in any or all aspects of the implementation process.  Their proven experience ensures the design, implementation, operation, and qualification efforts progress smoothly from kickoff to startup to continuous support for your system.

Municipal Applications:

• Legacy and obsolete controls migrations
• Conventional and membrane filtration
• Telemetry for municipal natural gas distribution
• Remote pump and valve controls
• Maintenance asset management
• Extensive reporting requirements and validation
• Waste water treatment
• Multi platforms for SCADA and PLC controls
• Remote telemetry for tanks and lift stations
• Security monitoring systems
• Custom DMR reporting

Automation Solutions:

• Project management
• Specification development
• Submittal and design development
• Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT, SAT)
• Programming and reporting
• Commissioning and start-up
• Control panel design and fabrication
• Automated remote alarm annunciation systems
• Remote video and security surveillance
• Control system and network design
• Automated drive systems

Partnership Alliance

A Partnership Alliance is a relationship built on trust, commitment, dedication and excellence.  Innovative Controls has developed several long-term Partnership Alliances that have led to mutually beneficial relationships allowing IC to develop preliminary planning strategies to ensure overall requirements are met through the most efficient means.  IC's quality assurance program is structured around providing the best quality service by offering more than just successful projects.  Partnering with IC provides clients with the automation expertise that encompasses the cost saving benefits of technology and experience.  A partnership alliance allows IC to learn your business needs and develop an understanding of the underlying requirements to meet your long-term goals and this level of commitment allows IC to take ownership in making your business successful.

865.671.7700 Knoxville TN
Contact the experts at Innovative Controls

Solve Complex Challenges with Parker's Pre-Packaged Solutions for Analytical Equipment Builders & OEMs

from the Automation Group at Cross

Attention analytical equipment builders & OEMs....speed up your time to market and lower your cost along the way.  Check out Parker's pre-packaged solutions utlizing their best-in-class electrical & mechanical components.

Here's an example for Liquid Handling:

A manufacturer of laboratory automation equipment needed electromechanical sub-assemblies for integration into an automated liquid handling machine. This machine would be required to operate at close to 100% duty cycle, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week in a production laboratory environment for liquid analysis. A three-axis motion system was needed for moving the dispenser assembly over an array of microtiter plates. The travel envelope of the system was 800mm X 300mm X 75mm. The customer would assemble, integrate, and program the completed system which included the X, Y, Z system, motors, drives, and control panel.

Parker Life Sciences' systems and products, offered at "Selectable Levels of Integration," enabled a perfect fit solution to be found from standard catalog linear tables. Based on travel, load, throughput, and other performance criteria, the LXR linear-motor table and XR ball-screw table were selected as the primary mechanical components for this three-axis system. Two 404LXR units comprised the X & Y axes and a smaller 401XR was selected for the Z axis. Flexible options such as a long life cable management system, electric brakes, and inter-axis pinning greatly simplified the integrator's efforts.

Parker's ability to provide tables, motors, drives, guarding, and accessories, minimized the possibility of making costly mistakes which often occurs when components acquired from different manufacturers are not matched and sized correctly.

Analytical Instruments example

A manufacturer of lab automation analytical instruments presented the challenge of moving XYZ motion in a 300 x 300 x 100 mm stroke range in a package weighing less than 10 lbs and small enough to be portable. The customer needed light weight motion for smaller power requirements and ease of portability. The customer also needed a tightly integrated solution to minimize the instrument footprint.

Parker met the design challenges with their new LCR Series linear actuators and ion stepper drives combined with the LV Stepper motors ina complete system solution designed specifically for the application at hand utlizing these short lead time products.  The LCR solution offers a complete integrated screw, bearing, motor design with a  stainless stell strip seal to keep debris out of the unit and an optional stepper drive for easy motion integration.

Parker Product Solutions

LCR Series

• low cost
• rugged positioners
• easy to size, select and integrate
• compact footprint for minimized machine size
• various lead screws and belt driven options
• varying stroke lengths from 1 mm to 1000 mm

LV Series

• high performance
• value priced
• size 11 through 34
• encoders available

MX-80

• only 80 mm wide and less than 2 inches tall
• linear motor version for high precision high speed
• ball screw version for higher thrust capacity and long life
• lead screw options for cost concious applications
• stroke lengths up to 200 mm
• driven by stepper or servo motors

OFS

• microstepping drive and drive/oscillator
• small open frame, low cost design
• 12-42VDC input, 3.5A output
• step/dir version or speed control version

Workstations and Guarding

• smooth body extrusions with no grooves
• inch or metric profiles
• bundled solutions, kits or raw components

ion

• 12-24 VDC input with up to 2 amps current output
• standby and run current adjustability
• 1 inch square by 3 inches long
• 3200 steps per rev standard

Frameless Kit Motors

• high torque - from 0.06 Nm to 9.7 Nm
• high speeds - up to 50,000 RPM
• superior performance high stiffness & better response
• compact design minimizes product size

EX-DC

• microstepping drive / controller
• 24-48 VDC input, up to 4.8 A output current
• fully programmable
• on-board program storage and I/O

Interact X

• 21CFR11 compliance
• up to 17" color touchscreens
• COM drivers for 35+ manufacturers
• stainless steel bezel options

ACR9000

• 1 - 16 axis of control in a single box
• COM drivers for LabView
• stepper or servo controls
• on-board program storage and I/O

The Automation Group engineers at Cross are Parker experts - contact us at 800.866.4568 to assist with your application.

Epson C3 Compact 6 Axis Robots

Ideal for small parts assembly, dispensing, lab automation, medical device assembly, machine tending, material handling, packaging, electronics and many more, this new & unique slimline design from Epson is best in class.

New, Unique SlimLine Design

• Industry leading cycle rates
• Best in class motion range
• High rigidity arm = ultra high speed
• Leader in compact 6 axis robots
• Robust SlimLine design for increased flexibility
• Compact wrist design for superior agility
• ISO 3 clean & ESD compliant models available

Unique to the C3 is the new SlimLine design which features a slim body and compact wrist pitch axis design.  This allows the robot to easily reach into confined and restricted work spaces from many angles with smooth motion.  This new design enables greater motion range and less mechanical restrictions, making C3 robots the most compact and flexible 6 axis robots available in the market today.

The tight integration of powerful motors and amplifiers along with ultra high resolution feedback and superior controls provide unmatched motion performance including higher acceleration and deceleration rates, as well as advanced linear interpolated motion.  All 6 joints of the C3 are on average 32.4% faster than equivalent competitor models in its class.

watch C3 video

Contact the Automation Group at Cross to learn more about Epson Robots.

800.866.4568

Parker's Xpress PAC - Truly Integrated Machine Control Solutions

Parker's Xpress Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) is the first truly integrated family of machine control solutions available from one supplier.  From HMI to machanics and everything inbetween, Parker's Xpress PAC family of programmable automation control products offer unique advantages from any other source:

• world-class visualization and motion platform products
• fast, cost-effective motionbus
• open Ethernet protocols
• industry-leading mechanical solutions

The Xpress PAC family centers around Parker's new ACR-96xx Programmable Automation Controller.  A truly converged platform, the ACR-96xx includes logic, motion and HMIin a single scalable product.

Interace Xpress HMI is the machine-level member of the Xpress PAC family.  Interact Xpress provides your system with a connection to the other side of the plant, or your plant on the other side of the world.

The Xpress PAC family supports standards-based development environments, open communications protocols and integrated remote support and data collection capabilities.

The Automation group at Cross has decades of experience solving the toughest applications.  Representing Parker since the 1980's, Cross engineers are well versed in numerous solutions for countless applications.  Contact a Cross engineer to help with your next project 800.866.4568