Balluff
Neuhausen auf den Fildern, Southern Germany
About Balluff:
Balluff, a family-run company for four generations, stands as a global leader in sensor and automation technology. Founded in Neuhausen auf den Fildern near Stuttgart, it has expanded from its early 80s international market ventures to a presence in 68 countries.
Renowned for exceptional ‘Balluff quality’ in sensors, identification, and image processing, the company excels in network technology and automation software.
Committed to IIoT and digital transformation, Balluff’s ethos, “Innovating Automation,” drives their development of advanced customer-centric solutions. Since 1921, Balluff has achieved a revenue of 567 million EUR, employs 3900 staff, runs 38 subsidiaries, and maintains 7 production sites, all dedicated to innovative, quality automation solutions.
Table of Contents:
Products of Balluff:
Balluff presents a high-quality product range marked by great diversity: sensors and systems for position measurement, identification, object detection, and process media monitoring.
Their portfolio also includes industrial image processing, networking, and connectivity technology for robust infrastructure, along with compatible accessories. They develop comprehensive automation solutions and guide customers into the digital industrial world.
Inductive Sensors:
Balluff Inductive Sensors offer versatile automation solutions with durability, ensuring wear-resistant, non-contact detection of metallic objects. They provide standard and specialized sensors for challenging environments, including hygienic and high-pressure applications. Balluff Inductive Proximity sensors are robust designs that ensure reliable performance under extreme conditions, upholding superior process control and automation excellence.
Capacitive Sensors:
Balluff Capacitive Sensors excel in detecting objects and monitoring fill levels across a multitude of non-conductive materials, liquids, and granules. Featuring Smart Level technology, these sensors adeptly handle moisture and adhesion, ensuring high application security even through container walls. In the Balluff Capacitive proximity sensors have various designs, including compact and adhesive options, they offer flexibility and reliability for diverse industrial applications.
Photoelectric Sensors:
Balluff Photoelectric Sensors, including Diffuse Sensors, Retroreflective Sensors, and Through-beam type Sensors, as well as precision Fork sensors, are engineered for optimal performance in industrial automation. These sensors ensure accurate detection of presence, shape, color, distance, and thickness with a variety of light types and designs for flexibility and efficiency in handling tasks.
Magnetic Field Sensors:
Magnetic Field Sensors provide contactless, wear-free detection of piston positions in cylinders and grippers. These sensors are designed to function reliably even at high speeds, with precise switch points and low hysteresis, ensuring high application security. They are impervious to contamination and come in various configurations for T-slot, C-slot, and tie rod cylinders, as well as for multiple slot shapes and round cylinders, offering a firm grip and quick mounting.
Mechanical Cam Switches:
Mechanical Cam Switches, designed for precise positioning and limit switch tasks, have proven their robustness in metal-working and automotive production. These maintenance-free sensors offer reliable operation in harsh environments, with high-end seals and IP67 protection, ensuring flawless functionality amidst vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and contaminants.
Ultrasonic Sensors:
Balluff Ultrasonic Sensors provide versatile, precise measurements for position and distance. They detect solids, powders, and liquids effectively. BUS sensors excel in contactless level and height measurements. Their design resists fog and dust, ensuring reliability. The BFD sensor represents a metalworking breakthrough. It precisely monitors hydraulic cylinders. They offer high precision and minimal blind spots. They adapt with digital and analog outputs for various uses.
Magnetic Encoders:
Balluff Magnetic Encoders offer precise positioning and velocity sensing for dynamic applications. Equipped with high-precision measuring systems and robust targets, they excel in both linear and rotary tasks. Their durable construction ensures high machine availability, even in extreme conditions, with simple installation and long service life.
Magnetostrictive Sensors:
Balluff Magnetostrictive Sensors offer precision and reliability for various industrial applications. Designed for harsh conditions, these sensors provide absolute position and speed measurement over long distances, ensuring high machine and system availability with their contact-free, wear-free technology.
Inclination Sensors:
BSI Inclination Sensors offer precise position control for various applications, measuring angular deviations up to 360°. They are suitable for diverse industries, featuring capacitive measuring principles and robust IP67 protection for harsh conditions.
Pressure Sensors:
Balluff BSP Pressure Sensors are designed for monitoring process, hydraulic pressure, and vacuum in factory automation. They feature stainless steel housings, LED displays, and VDMA-compliant programming, with a pressure range of –1 to 600 bar and IP67/IP69K ratings.
Temperature Sensors:
Balluff Temperature Sensors are engineered for diverse applications, providing reliable temperature monitoring in both liquid and gaseous media. These sensors offer reliable readings across various media, designed for adaptability with a rotatable display and high vibration resistance. Compact, display-free models and robust connectivity options, including an M12 connector, meet diverse industrial needs.
Flow Sensors:
Balluff Flow Sensors are integral for minimizing unplanned downtime by monitoring process media like lubricants or coolants. These sensors alert to flow changes, enabling rapid response to prevent machine or system stops. With no moving parts and contamination resistance, they offer visual flow indicators, screw-in or inline form factors, and are UL and CE approved for assured quality and safety.
Condition Monitoring Sensors:
Balluff BCM Condition Monitoring Sensors prevent unscheduled production stops by providing critical condition data, essential for IIoT and smart manufacturing. These multi-functional sensors measure vibration, temperature, humidity, and air pressure, featuring integrated evaluation electronics and IO-Link connectivity for easy integration and flexible data design in a compact form.
Digital Position Indicators:
Balluff next-generation digital position indicators redefine precision in format changes with intuitive operation and washdown capability. Featuring extended IO-Link functionality, they ensure rapid, reliable adjustments, enhancing machine flexibility. These indicators, part of the Smart Automation Monitoring System, offer internal diagnostics and maintain high efficiency even in demanding food & beverage environments, exceeding IP69K standards.
Rotary Encoder:
Balluff Rotary Encoders ensure precise positioning and motion control in various applications. Absolute encoders offer unique position values, eliminating the need for homing and retaining data during power outages. Incremental encoders excel in high-resolution angle measurements and speed monitoring. Both types boast robust designs, and high protection classes, and are available in optical or magnetic technologies for optimal performance in harsh environments.
RFID:
Balluff RFID systems, branded as BIS, are pivotal in modern manufacturing for ensuring the unique identification and traceability of objects and products. These systems facilitate transparent and traceable production steps, which are crucial for meeting contemporary production demands.
RFID technology enables the contactless exchange of data between transponders and readers, ensuring efficient data transmission to the controller through evaluation units or IO-Link network modules.
Balluff’s solutions are compatible with nearly any controller and support all frequency ranges, including LF, HF, and UHF, offering a comprehensive range of components for diverse applications. The BIS V evaluation unit’s frequency-independent technology allows for the flexible combination of RFID systems, sensors, readers, and transponders.
Machine Vision and Optical Identification:
Balluff Machine Vision and Optical Identification solutions are pivotal in industrial automation, enhancing quality control, efficiency, and safety across sectors. These vision systems enable real-time visual data analysis, defect detection, barcode reading, and robot guidance.
They comprehensive suite includes industrial cameras, smart vision sensors, 3D cameras, and embedded vision technologies, all integrated with machine vision software.
This array of components is essential for optimizing production processes and ensuring the reliability of automated tasks. Additionally, It provides specialized optics and lighting solutions for vision systems, furthering the capabilities of machine vision applications in complex industrial environments.
Safe I/O Modules:
Safety I/O modules integrate safety with automation via IO-Link, streamlining safety applications while ensuring cost-efficiency and low maintenance. Supporting standards up to PLe/SIL3, these modules facilitate remote diagnostics, employ standard M12 cord sets for connectivity, and promise seamless integration. With IP67, TÜV, and ODVA certifications, they enhance machine performance and safety, offering a reliable and efficient safety solution.
Safety Sensors and Switches:
Balluff Safety Sensors and Switches are engineered for a variety of applications, ensuring equipment and personnel safety. They offer non-contact inductive detection, electromechanical, and RFID-based monitoring for precise position and access control. With universal M12 cables, installation is streamlined, reducing errors and costs.
These devices are robust, tamper-resistant, and suitable for high-level safety applications up to PLe/SIL3, enhancing operational security and efficiency.
IO-Link Wireless:
Balluff IO-Link Wireless system revolutionizes factory automation with its master, hub, and bridge components. This advanced radio standard circumvents traditional wired connections, receiving sensor data via radio, which simplifies installation, enhances design flexibility, and reduces connector and cable wear.
It’s also conducive to retrofitting existing systems, ensuring reliable and efficient integration of sensors and actuators with IO-Link’s established performance.
Network Blocks:
Network Blocks ensure seamless communication from the sensor to the internet, vital for modern production’s data demands. They offer installation flexibility, simple wiring, and consistent diagnostics with central configuration via IO-Link.
These blocks support various protocols like Profinet, Profibus, and CC-Link, with robust IP67 housings, ensuring reliable data throughput and real-time control in harsh environments.
Network Switches:
Network Switches provide the infrastructure essential for complex industrial networks. They offer a range of Ethernet-based systems and components for machine and system integration, including Profinet and Ethernet/IP.
Key benefits include unmanaged switches with IP67 and IP20 ratings, transfer rates of 10 and 100 Mbit/s, and features like Auto-Negotiation and Auto-crossing to prevent wiring errors and ensure efficient data flow.
I/O Blocks:
Balluff I/O blocks efficiently transport signals, connecting sensors and actuators to control systems via fieldbus or network, significantly reducing wiring complexity.
These blocks feature signal preprocessing and advanced diagnostics, with various designs and connections for diverse applications, even in extreme environments. Key benefits include easy installation, efficient configuration, continuous diagnostics, and suitability for harsh conditions.
Inductive Couplers:
Balluff BIC Inductive Couplers offer a contactless method for transmitting power and data, eliminating mechanical wear and enhancing system availability. They enable quick disconnection, are maintenance-free, and facilitate shorter cycle times and flexible sequences.
These couplers support IO-Link signal transmission, allowing for simultaneous control of actuators and sensor signal collection, with no need for configuration and easy Plug and Work installation.
Connectivity:
Connectivity solutions are engineered for flexibility and reliability across all industry sectors. Offering a comprehensive portfolio from sensors and network technology to connectors and cables, it ensures rapid integration and seamless commissioning for diverse industrial applications.
Their product range includes various connection cables, distributors, and connectors designed for robust and mobile applications, guaranteeing reliable sealing, signal, and data transmission. It connection technology withstands industrial rigors, including extreme temperatures and harsh environments, with certain products boasting Ecolab approval or IP69K protection class, suitable for sensitive sectors like the food industry.
This commitment to quality and precision in connection technology forms the bedrock of machine and plant reliability, upholding productivity standards across global industries.
Human-Machine Interfaces:
Balluff Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) are essential for modern industrial production, providing reliable indicators and signaling devices to display information and statuses of machinery and systems. These devices ensure that operators are always informed of the operational status through visual and auditory signals.
For instance, Balluff’s SmartLight visually alerts operators to temperature changes, ensuring critical levels are noticed immediately, enhancing safety and efficiency. The signaling devices offer simple operation, high safety, and reliability, with industry-compatible designs and standardized network connections.
They are Industry 4.0-ready with IO-Link capability, allowing for versatile configurations and on-the-fly adjustments without mechanical reconfiguration, making them a smart choice for any automated process.
Power Supplies:
Balluff Power Supplies ensures efficiency and reliability for diverse industrial needs. They offer a wide selection of voltages and power for optimal supply solutions.
The range includes 1- and 3-phase options for control cabinets with superior power range. These solutions are cost-effective and designed for a variety of applications. IP67 field power supplies feature IO-Link for advanced condition monitoring.
They also allow for remote parameterization, improving plant-wide diagnostics. Heartbeat® units provide predictive maintenance and extended diagnostics via IO-Link. This technology represents an advancement in intelligent power solutions. It minimizes downtime and boosts productivity in industrial environments.
Accessories:
Balluff’s comprehensive range of high-quality Accessories ensures the easy mounting, precise installation, and exact positioning of sensor technology, RFID systems, and signaling devices, contributing to high machine availability.
Their extensive selection supports optimal hardware mounting in machines and systems, offering various designs for nearly all applications. Beyond precise sensor mounting, they provides machine accessories like protective housings and lighting accessories to enhance the use of sensors and systems.
The portfolio is designed to complement each component version, streamlining machine and system design, installation, and production processes. Additionally, they offers reflectors, fibers for optical systems, and signal converters and adapters for efficient signal transport. Expert advice is available for selecting and combining the right accessories for specific needs.
For More Details visit: https://www.balluff.com/en-in