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ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT & DESIGNSignal Towers & IndicatorsShedding light on increasedproductivity and safetyWe may view them as commodity products, but there is significantinnovation going on in the field of machine indication technologyAsk who invented the light bulb, and probablywe’d all reply Thomas Edison. But in fact in1840 British astronomer and chemist, Warrende la Rue, enclosed a platinum coil in avacuum tube and passed an electric current through it,thus creating the world’s first light bulb – a full 40 yearsbefore Thomas Edison was issued a patent for creatingit. So perhaps the true measure of success is the abilityto commercialise the invention.LEDs first appeared as a practical electroniccomponent in 1962 but had a very low intensity output.By 1970 photoelectric sensor manufacturers werestarting to use LEDs as an alternative to theincandescent light bulb, mainly due to their long life andphysical robustness, but they still had only about 1% ofthe light intensity. Then photoelectric sensor designersdiscovered that the LED had a benefit far more profoundthan its long life; unlike their incandescent equivalents,LEDs can be turned on and off at high frequency,typically several kilohertz. This modulating of the LEDmeant that the receiver could be tuned, like a radio, tothe frequency of the LED emitter.A small number of engineers pioneered modulationmethods and applied these to industrial photoelectriccontrols. Among those was Robert W Fayfield, thefounder and CEO of Banner Engineering Corp. In 1974Banner introduced the first self-contained, modulated,visible LED sensor and by 1978 Banner wasrevolutionizing the photoelectric control industry with itsMulti-Beam range of sensors. Today Banner continues toinnovate and lead the way forward in Photoelectriccontrols. Using its expertise in LED technology and highIP rated enclosures Banner has developed a pioneeringLighting and Indicators division.No enclosure requiredAn important range of products from this division,available in the UK from Turck Banner, is the EZ-Light,including dome lights, signal towers, multi-segment wallmount displays and machine mountable indicators. Thenewest addition to the range is Banner’s S18L S18Lgeneral-purpose indicators provide a simple and costeffectiveindication solution. The indicator is capable forstand-alone use on a machine or enclosed in a panel,with no enclosure required. The S18L features up tothree independent colours in one unit and multiplecolours to choose from for custom-coloured indication.The S18L indicators are available for mounting with avariety of brackets. Offering an operating range of -40°Cto +50°C and a durable, IP69K-rated housing, the S18Lcan be used in diverse applications, including harshwash-down environments. The multi-coloured S18Lindicators are available in green, red, yellow, blue, white,orange, turquoise, violet, sky blue and magenta. Daylightvisible models are also available. To avoid falseindication, the indicators face appears gray when off.Two key features are common to all Banner indicatorsand part verification devices. The first is that, unliketraditional beacons and lights, when an indicator is off itwill appear grey, making the indication obvious even at adistance and in bright conditions. The second is that theyare all designed to fit directly on the machine, they do notrequire an extra panel or enclosure and Banner have acomplete line of brackets including ones designed tofit common racking profiles.www.turckbanner.co.uk30

Signal Towers & Indicators ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT & DESIGNNew developments in lighting technologyWe round up recent product launches in signals towers and indicatorsTo the untrained eye, signal towers may notappear to have changed a great deal over theyears, and yet there is much development goingon in the field. Take for example the LD6ASignaLight tower family from Idec. The company hasadded a ‘clear lens’ type diffuser – an option which givesanother aesthetically improving feature to this stack lightfamily. The user can mount up to five LED modules to thebase unit and now each of these LED modules appear‘clear’ until the LED is turned on.The LD6A has impressed many new customers dueto its unique lens shape enabling high-visibility fromdifferent directions. Now this ‘clear lens’ feature gives aneven greater sleek appearance to the SignaLight, makingit even more eye catching.For its part, Motion 29 has added Patlite’s LS7 signaltower to its armoury – a stackable light tower unitencased within a removable shock resistant cone thatkeeps the surface smooth, preventing a build-up of dustand dirt. The extra cleanliness of the LS7 light towersuits the food industry where hygiene is paramount, andit is also an ideal light tower for other arduousenvironments, such as those where an oil mist is present,as the polycarbonate casing is resistant to stress cracks.As the casing can be easily cleaned it is perfectly suitablefor wash-down environments. The streamlined IP67Kenclosure houses a new state of the art inner lens designwhich gives increased contrast and excellent visibility.As you might expect, some of the leading enclosuremanufacturers also provide ranges of signal towers.Rittal for example has a full range of LED-based productswith modular configuration and simple assembly. You’llalso find a wide range of associated optical components,available in a range of colours and voltages.If you need something really bright, check out theModlight signal towers from Murrelektronic. A patenteddouble reflector system and high-intensity LEDs providean extremely high light yield. Modlight signal towers areavailable with diameters of 30, 50, and 70mm. Thewider diameter models are designed for applications withbigger machine installations. They can be seen easilyeven in large production plants. In smaller machines thatare operated by operation personnel, the smaller modelswith 50 or 30mm are the perfect choice.Taking signalling to a new levelDistributed by Switchtec, Sirena’s M-Line range ofbeacons and sounders are based on a simple yet effectiveconcept of three modular domes and five modular bases.The M-Line range comprises three model types: SIR-E(sounder), SIR-E LED (beacon/sounder), and FLR(beacon). The high optical performances of the beacons,together with the strong sound output of the soundersmakes M-Line a high-end range for the most demandingapplications. After a series of rigorous tests, M-Line hasbeen granted IP65 status.Another company combining indicators withsounders its Werma. The new 430 series offers a rangeof LED lights, permanent, flash, rotating and the strobelikeEVS light. The integral sounder has a massive outputadjustable up to 105dB with 32 available tones to selectfrom. The unit is approximately twice as large (407mmhigh) as the traditional combination unit available. Theoptical and audible signals can be triggered separately toprovide users with the option of activating just one signaltype or both at the same time to generate a maximumlevel of awareness.Where meeting standards such as EN54-23 and VdSis important, Pfannenberg offers the PY S-S-05 flashinglight and the combined PA X 105 visual-audible device.Product manager Volker Matthies explains: “Many of thevisual signaling devices currently used in fire protectiondo not meet the EN 54-23 requirements in terms of lightoutput, light distribution and quality of plastic. However,certified visual signaling must be used after 1st March.”The new Pfannenberg signaling technology whichconforms to all the standards and is aimed at planners,architects, builders, manufacturers of fire alarm systems,electrical wholesalers and suppliers of electricalequipment is approved for all the countries in the EU.www.idec.com/ukwww.motion29.co.ukwww.rittal.co.ukwww.murrelektronic.co.ukwww.switchtek.co.ukwww.werma.co.ukwww.pfannenberg.co.uk31