Turck Australia ’s new BL20 motor starter economy module utilises the SWIRE technology to provide daisy-chain connection from a single I/O slice to each motor starter through a ribbon cable.
According to Nick Clute, Product Specialist with Turck’s network and interface division, SWIRE technology provides the benefit of plug-and-play connectorisation, eliminating the labour required to hardwire motor starters to digital output points and auxiliary contacts back to digital inputs. It is now possible to control up to 48 motor starters on a single fieldbus node.
The BL20 motor starter module allows 3-phase motor control to be connected to the same rack as standard I/O. In addition, with the SWIRE connection, motor starters can be mounted on separate DIN-rails within the same panel, pairing the flexibility of standard motor starters with the advantages of fieldbus control. Clute adds that the benefit of motor starters on a fieldbus is that they can be located close to the motor they are controlling.
The BL20 motor starter module is available in sizes ranging from .08 to 20 horsepower, both direct and reversing, for use on DeviceNet, PROFIBUS, CANopen, EtherNet/IP and Modbus TCP/IP networks, with both standard and programmable gateways. Trip indication may also be added to any motor starter. The BL20 motor starter module complies with industrial switchgear standards IEC/EN 60947-4-1 and carries an IP 20 environmental protection rating.
As the latest addition to Turck Australia’s expansive selection of industrial networking solutions, the BL20 motor starter module with SWIRE technology consists of a gateway, base modules and electronic modules. The I/O modules are configured independently from the fieldbus protocol, and up to 72 I/O modules may be connected to a gateway, facilitating systems that may include up to 1,152 digital I/O points or 288 analogue channels. All BL20 gateways are compatible with Turck Australia’s I/O assistant software package, developed to perform initial configuration, parameter set-up, documentation, commissioning and diagnostic functions for on/offline usage.
Turck Australia’s extensive line of products includes advanced sensors, measurement, instrumentation, connectivity, interface and networks for factory and process automation markets that meet clients' application demands.