SICK AT THE SPS 2023: FINDING NEW SOLUTIONS AND CREATING VALUE

At SPS 2023, SICK will present solutions ranging from smart sensors and sensor systems for factory automation, intralogistics and safety engineering, to vision-based solutions for the manufacture and assembly of high-voltage battery systems for electric vehicles, as well as smart services for compressed-air monitoring and their potential integration in energy management systems. To help ensure that visitors to its booth find the information to meet their individual needs, SICK has divided its solutions portfolio into six clusters: Automotive & Electronics, Consumer & Logistics, Industrial Robots, Machines & Motion, Mobile Platforms, and Transparency – which is also reflected in the booth’s design.

The solutions presented here are the outcome of close partnerships: They were jointly created with customers, taking their sector and individual challenges and needs into account.

W4S: Next-gen miniature photoelectric sensor family
The new, next-generation miniature photoelectric proximity sensor W4S rounds out the versatile W4 product family. Thanks to their compact but sturdy VISTAL housing with side-scanning window, the photoelectric proximity sensors, retro-reflective proximity sensors and retro-reflective sensors are especially well-suited for applications with limited space. One particular highlight of the product line: the “Optical Experts,” which are specially designed for challenging tasks, e.g. detecting discontinuous, uneven, extremely flat, transparent, reflective or high-contrast surfaces. With likely the best background light suppression available on today’s market, all W4S sensors deliver optimum availability and process stability. An IO link and smart functions for sensor monitoring and diagnosis connect the sensors to the world of digitalized machinery and applications – which also goes a long way toward making them future-proof.

DT80 distance sensor with IO link offers outstanding precision, even at great distances
Ranges of up to 80 meters, outstanding precision and repeat accuracy in close proximity, a brand-new, intuitive usability concept with a symbol-based sensor display (Icons Inside), and a compact housing that meets IP65 and IP67 criteria are just some of the highlights of the new DT80 distance sensor. Given its range of strengths, the DT80 covers a variety of new stationary and mobile application areas, e.g. in steel- and metalmaking, special-purpose and municipal vehicle manufacturing, mobile machines, port facilities and the consumer goods sector. For example, the sensor is used on self-driving forklifts to ensure extreme precision and repeat accuracy when it comes to the height positioning of their forks. This not only boosts operational efficiency and safety; it also paves the way for integration into automated processes and the recording of operational data, which can in turn be transferred via an IO link for further use.

Ruler3000: New, compact designs combine high precision with maximum measuring speed
SICK has now extended its Ruler3000 palette of 3D streaming cameras with the three compact, integrable models Ruler3002, Ruler3004 and Ruler3010. With speeds of up to 46 kHz, guaranteed view fields of up to 26.6 mm, and short shutter speeds thanks to their high-performance 3R blue laser emitter, they open new avenues for reliably capturing even the smallest details – which is needed in applications like inspecting electronic and consumer goods components, circuit boards and semiconductors, or in the manufacture and assembly of high-voltage batteries. The 3D cameras offer not only superb repeat accuracy, even on bright, glossy and metallic surfaces, but also the new, patent-pending Surface+ technology, which adds a further imaging dimension capable of revealing even the smallest scratches on smooth, shiny metal surfaces like battery housings. SICK’s user-friendly Stream Setup interface facilitates machine integration, while our GenIStream API makes programming easier for C# and C++ users. Conformity with GigEvision and GenICam offers plug-and-play access to third-party software like HALCON and LabVIEW. And thanks to SICK’s AppSpace software platform, developers can use a broad range of image-processing tools and sample applications.

Reliably managing even the heaviest shipment traffic with the all-in-one solution Goods-Receipt
Less time wasted searching, disruption-free processes, and avoiding unnecessary costs – SICK’s intelligent solutions for automated goods receipt offer all this and more. Based on a digital platform for gathering, processing and preparing package-relevant data, the Goods-Receipt solutions employ cutting-edge scanning technologies to provide complete, real-time transparency – allowing you to reliably manage even the heaviest shipment traffic. In order to meet individual customer requirements regarding the identification and sorting of packages, these system solutions for automated goods receipt are available in scalable degrees of automation – from manual package recording to fully automated package receipt with direct integration into customers’ handling and sorting systems.

System solutions for more safety in the manufacture and assembly of high-voltage batteries
With the Foreign Object Detection System (FOS) and Static Hotspot Detection System (SHD), SICK highlights two laser-based system solutions for detecting foreign objects and early recognition of overheated surfaces in high-volt batteries. While the FOS runs contact-free checks for the presence of foreign objects before the battery is installed in the chassis, the SHD uses infrared cameras to identify hotspots on the battery’s surface. Together, they offer effective protection from potential hazards like short circuits, fires and explosions in electric vehicles or production facilities – helping prevent human injury and property damage, loss of stock, and plant/production downtimes.

Digital service cuts compressed-air costs by up to 30 percent
SICK’s Monitoring Box FTMg Premium is a new digital service for monitoring compressed air. In addition to continuous monitoring, the Cloud solution from SICK’s Field Analytics Portfolio can identify consumption losses due to machine- or process-related inefficiencies and detect leaks at an early stage, reporting them with an alarm. Moreover, the digital service can compare sources of compressed-air consumption on the basis of their consumption and attendant costs and suggest optimization options. With the Monitoring Box FTMg Premium, production planners, energy managers and maintenance engineers can ultimately reduce their compressed-air costs in manufacturing by up to 30% – while also reducing the CO2 footprint and making service work more efficient.