Several custom components were developed specifically for this new conveyor. First of all the motors were created by combining a standard gearbox with a special version of a torque motor. It was literally impossible to burn out the motor as it dissipated as much heat as it could generate. 

A special I/O module was also developed to operate this conveyor.  The single block turned on and off two sets of three phase motors , changed the direction of the motor, monitored the motor current, and protected the motors with onboard fuses.  It also monitored two inputs, and monitored the sensors for short circuits or open circuits. The module was controlled using a DeviceNet network. Both in and out ports were provided for the network, as well as the three phase power supply, so that the cables could be daisy chained from one block to the next.

Another special DeviceNet block was created by InterLink based on our requests.  The block provided bidirectional I/O so that one network could communicate with another. This allowed each conveyor module to communicate with its neighbors so that a pallet was not transferred into a module that was not ready to receive it.  The block shown below is the current version of this product.  It was given to our founder by Interlink in appreciation for suggesting the idea for the product.

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Copyright 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Innalytical Solutions Inc.
Updated March 16, 2006