Cengiz Özemli
Academic
- Thread Author
- #1
Seamless Integration from Sensor to PLC from HBK
Hottinger Brüel & Kjær (HBK) will demonstrate how high-accuracy measurement data can be seamlessly integrated into modern automation architectures at SPS 2026 (Hall 4A, Booth 365). Under the theme "From Sensor to PLC," the company will showcase, through nine interactive demos, how precise force, torque, weight, and strain data can be acquired, analyzed, and directly used to drive real-time control systems.
Revolutionizing Precision Measurement with IO-Link
A key focus of the HBK booth will be the integration of high-accuracy measurement technologies into the IO-Link ecosystem. This approach allows machine builders and system integrators to connect critical sensor data directly to industrial control networks, simplifying wiring and significantly reducing control system complexity. By embracing real-time industrial communication and edge data processing, HBK brings extreme measurement accuracy, traditionally reserved for test, research, and validation environments, directly to the factory floor. This enhances process repeatability and accelerates machine commissioning.
Advanced Robotics and High-Speed Data Flow
For advanced manufacturing applications, HBK will present a live robotic cell featuring specially designed 6-degrees-of-freedom (6-DoF) force and torque sensors. These sensors have been specifically developed to enhance robotic precision and active control, even in compact setups where integration space is limited.
The booth will also showcase new high-speed data acquisition hardware, including the BMX60 interface module. This unit can transmit torque, rotational speed, angle, and power data over fieldbus networks at speeds up to 5 kHz. Visitors can also explore the FS12DBX optical digiBOX, which combines real-time control capabilities with advanced fiber optic sensing, offering new approaches to machine monitoring.
6-DoF Force/Torque Sensing and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) Technology
In advanced robotics, standard single-axis load cells are insufficient for complex assembly, polishing, or machining tasks. A 6-DoF sensor uses an intricate internal strain gauge network to simultaneously measure linear forces along three spatial axes (Fx, Fy, Fz) and the corresponding rotational moments or torques (Mx, My, Mz) around those axes. This multi-dimensional real-time feedback allows a robotic controller to dynamically adjust its path and applied pressure within milliseconds, giving the robot a human-like sense of "touch" and force feedback.
Furthermore, the aforementioned FS12DBX optical digiBOX is based on Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technology, a photonics-based measurement method. Instead of relying on changes in electrical resistance like traditional foil strain gauges, FBG sensors use a micro-structured optical fiber that reflects specific wavelengths of light. When the optical fiber is subjected to mechanical strain or temperature fluctuations, the physical spacing of the grating changes, and the wavelength of the reflected light shifts. Because FBG sensors transmit data entirely via photons rather than electrons, they are intrinsically safe and 100% immune to electromagnetic interference (EMI). This makes them extremely valuable for condition monitoring in electrically noisy industrial environments near high-voltage motor drives or induction furnaces.
