Turck Banner now offers two MDR controller solutions, one from each parent company, Banner and Turck. Both controllers share many advantages but are tailored for different MDR types and manufacturers.
Roller conveyors are used throughout industry for material handling, ie moving parts, boxes and pallets in warehouses, and on assembly lines. They are powered either by a large external motor, using drive chains and belts, or by small motors built into the roller.
Motor Driven Rollers (MDR) offer several advantages over traditional roller conveyors powered by external motors, including energy efficiency, reduced maintenance, improved safety and scalability. To benefit from these advantages each roller needs a controller, and Turck Banner now offers exactly that.
MDR systems use low-voltage motors, consuming significantly less energy than systems with large external motors, and they only run when needed. The conveyor is divided into small independently controlled zones, allowing each zone to run only when required and when the next zone is ready. This provides buffering between production areas, allowing items to wait for the next phase in the process, smoothing the flow of the whole process while also protecting delicate items from bumping into each other and preventing product pile-ups.
MDRs reduce the electrical hazard as they are low voltage. They also reduce the mechanical hazard, as they are self-contained, and the smaller controlled zones stop quickly if there is a blockage, minimising the risk of injury. As they have fewer moving parts than externally driven roller conveyors and are not run continuously, they require less maintenance.
The main difference between the Banner and Turck controllers is the control method. The Banner R50C uses analogue control of roller speed and direction, whereas Turck TBEN-LL-4RMC uses a CANOPEN protocol to control the roller. It also has 4 channels capable of driving 24/48VDC rollers. Currently the R50C is compatible with Itoh Denki PM - XE, XP, PM - XC, Interoll EC310, EC5000, PulseRoller Senergy IDC, Lenze MDR o450 and Rulmeca BL3. The TBEN-LL-4RMC is compatible with Interroll RollerDrive EC5000 BI Series.
The R50C uses Modbus communication with a PLC, and controls a single MDR. It is small, only 93mm x 50mm x 18mm, and designed to be mounted directly to the conveyor, close to the MDR. The R50C needs no additional housing as it meets IP65, IP67 and IP68, and has a working temperature range of -40degC to +70degC. A dual control version will be available shortly.
The L-coded M12 feed-through power connectors on the R50C allow multiple units to be daisy- chained and share up to 16amps of power. The two A-coded M12 connectors link to the PLC and MDR to control the start/stop functions, direction, error conditions, diagnostics and precise analogue 0-18VDC speed control.
Having one controller per MDR keeps everything simple and close together. The Modbus connections back to a PLC can be combined using a Banner SNAP Signal hub, which also bolts directly to the conveyor with no extra housing required. The hubs can also be used to connect to the sensors required to detect items on the conveyor.
The TBEN-LL-4RMC can control four MDRs and also has four I/O for connecting sensors or other devices.
Using M12 connectors simplifies wiring, and speeds up installation, compared to a controller with wiring terminals. Power connectors and Ethernet connectors feed through, to enable daisy-chaining of multiple controllers. The TBEN has the Field Logic Controller ARGEE built in which, if required, can control a section of conveyor independent to the rest of the control system. If local control is utilised, the Ethernet connection need only provide basic status and diagnostics to the main control system, thus greatly reducing the process load on the control system. Local control greatly simplifies expansion or reconfiguration of a conveyor. The TBEN module is a multi-protocol module. This means one device can communicate with various PLC Fieldbus Protocols like Ethernet/IP, Profinet, CC-Link, or Modbus TCP.
For large conveying systems, Turck's BEEP technology is available. This allows one IP address to be used with 33 slave IDs, saving hugely on required IP addresses.
The TBEN is 231mm x 661mm x 31mm, designed to mount directly onto the side of the conveyor with no extra housing. It meets IP65, IP67 and IP69K, and has a working temperature range of -40degC to +70degC.
Both systems have separate motor power and device control power. This enables an E-stop circuit to cut the motor power while maintaining communication, facilitating faster recovery and intelligent system control during the stop conditions.
The rugged housings and wide working temperature range allow both of these controllers to be used in harsh environments, such as refrigerated, or wet and dirty areas.
Turck and Banner also make a range of complementary products, like sensors designed to fit between rollers, wireless and wired networking products and RFID tracking systems.