After a company that provides airtight enclosures to aviation enterprises underwent a refurbishment, the company wanted a new controller that could ensure the selection of appropriate process parameters, such as current and time, according to different needs. How is this requirement achieved through Turck RFID?
The necessity of glass sealing
Hermetic housings, as crucial components, are commonly used in airbag detonation systems in the aerospace and automotive industries. They are also essential components in aerospace engineering, medical technology, and military equipment. These hermetic housings have guide holes with inserted metal pins, and the openings of these guide holes are sealed with glass rings.
Glass is used for sealing because the sealing of the guide hole needs to meet various requirements. It needs to ensure airtightness while also resisting high temperatures and high pressures. Plastics cannot meet the high-temperature resistance requirements, and rubber seals are not suitable for prolonged vacuum sealing. Therefore, glass is the ideal sealing material that meets these requirements.
Upgrading issues for glass sealing companies
Schloetter , a Salzburg-based manufacturer and builder of control systems for the electroplating industry, recently refurbished its electroplating workshop. Initially a pilot plant, the workshop was then dedicated to electroplating small enclosures sealed with glass. " As part of this work, the workshop's control system was also updated to optimize the operating processes, " Hogl explained. The new controller ensures that appropriate process parameters, such as current and time, can be selected according to different needs.
Turck RFID provides solutions
This is precisely the need that Turck RFID can address. The code carrier is affixed to the workpiece carrier, and the only data the controller needs is the information about the carrier's outer shell. The controller can identify the workpiece carrier using sensors installed in different electroplating tanks and then select the appropriate process parameters.
The Turck TN-M18-H1147 RFID reader/ writer significantly improves automation and reduces error rates. Stephan Auerböck, Turck's Sales Manager in Austria, confirmed, " In this specific application, the environmental conditions of the electroplating workshop also need to be considered, even if these conditions are not a problem for the product. " Electrovac uses Turck's BL ident series products. BL ident is a complete RFID system particularly suitable for industrial environments . Whether for production control or distribution, logistics, or automation, users can use interference-free HF technology and wide-band UHF technology simultaneously in a single RFID solution with the BL ident system . Data exchange with fast-moving carriers is possible even in industrial environments, and it boasts long detection distances. Each BL ident system can flexibly adopt various carriers, reader/writers, connection technologies, and interfaces (gateways and RFID electronic modules) to form customized RFID solutions. In addition to ultra-fast FRAM carriers with unlimited read/write cycles , Turck also offers high-temperature carriers that can withstand temperatures up to 210°C, suitable for use in painting workshops, etc. Another important feature of BL ident is that it can be easily integrated into existing workshop systems.
Benefits – Reduced human error
“ If we don’t use these products, we have to manually enter all the parameters, selecting from a list or stored data. Even with the utmost care, it’s easy to make mistakes, ” said Harald Hraschan, project manager at Schlötter.
Workshop maintenance technicians will also be pleased with other features, such as the hot-swappable electronic modules during equipment operation, which eliminates downtime. Furthermore, the LEDs on the read/write head allow for intuitive visual fault diagnosis.
