An answer for every detection problem

The basis of Industry 4.0? Smart sensing. It is the sensors and cameras in the machine and on the line that provide much-needed data to make processes increasingly efficient, safe and productive. A range that should therefore not be missed at automation specialist fortop. "Thanks to the strengths of and complementarity between our brands, we can always look at what fits best technically for our customers," explains fortop director Ton Kanters.

Where in the past a sensor only gave two signals - on or off, right or wrong - that has become a different story with the advent of new technology. Today they send out exact values, i.e., data, for a wide range of processes. Kanters: "Intelligent detection goes pretty wide. Whether you want to know the position, color, angle, surface or ... of something, there are solutions for that today. They not only pass on the values, but also how much a parameter deviates and what the exact position of a product is, for example, so that a robot can pick it up. In short: a whole bread and butter to work with to optimize processes."

Answers from engineering

In a world of Industry 4.0, it is also increasingly important for machine builders to have that foundation of smart sensing right. "We notice that by the questions we get from customers. Technology has gotten smarter and the possibilities are more extensive. So you can achieve a lot with smart sensing. But how do you do that? Because at the same time, the issues have become a bit more complex as a result. We really think along with our customers about how we can extract just that information from their machines that is important in order to control or monitor them better," Kanters says. fortop also starts from a broad range of products. "Because we want to start from the technology and not talk to a product."

Advancement of vision technology

In recent years, Kanters has noticed a greater interest in vision technology. "In this we make the distinction between, on the one hand, cameras that already have the program in them and, on the other hand, cameras that have an industrial PC behind them. The advantage then is that the camera itself can be a bit more compact and that higher resolutions are possible. On the other hand, you have to have sufficient programming knowledge to work with it. We help customers make the right decision. What delivers the best possible result for the application in question? Because sometimes it can be done just as well with a simple sensor."

Making a difference in reliable detection

Kanters gives an example of how fortop achieved reliable detection for a customer using different types of packaging. "The diversity in materials - different colors, reflective surfaces, creased or not - and position meant that a standard sensor could not cope. In this case, we recommended a Blue Light Sensor from SensoPart. By using blue light rather than conventional red light sensors, a different wavelength is used, resulting in different detection characteristics. Actually a simple sensor, but with a lot of technology behind it," Kanters summarizes. In addition to Sensopart, fortop also supplies detection solutions from Basler, Rechner, Reer and Steute. "Each of these are brands that do not cover the whole spectrum, but are very strong in what they do and thus make a difference for our customers."