Bad Duerkheim. The intelligent integration of facilities, machines and devices, e.g. by sensors or digital systems, is understood as Industry 4.0. It becomes increasingly present in the manufacturing industry and enables a closer networking between human beings and machines. Against this background PS Automation has focused on developing an intelligent quarter-turn actuator with more power and shorter operating times that is able to integrate facilities by fieldbus or mobile devices by WLAN.
A prototype of the new PSQ-S will be presented for the first time at the Valve World Expo 2016 in Duesseldorf. It is a further development of the proven PS-AMS quarter-turn actuator series with circular design, modern brushless DC technology and a lot of new features. Market launch is planned for 2017.
Less is more – the PSQ-S convinces by its compact design as it doesn’t need any additional external housings. Even optional components like local control or power failure backup PSCP, which drives the actuator in a pre-configured position in case of power loss, don’t need a separate housing anymore. For an energy-efficient and gentle operation the actuator has an optimized gearbox with speed-variable brushless DC motor. Heart of the integrated BLDC actuator control is an efficient 32 Bit ARM microcontroller. It controls the whole actuator, collects operating data and identifies problems during operation. A new feature is the real-time clock which saves diagnostic data with a time stamp, allowing more detailed analysis. Optionally, the customer can use five freely-programmable bistable relay switch outputs. Each of them can be assigned to a particular operating or error status. A significant improvement compared to the former PS-AMS series is the Hall sensor for contactless position monitoring.
The actuator has three multi-voltage binary input ports which are programmable for various functions, like 3-point-control or to drive the valve in a predefined position. For modulating operation there are two galvanically isolated input ports available for analog setpoint 0(4)-20 mA / 0(2)-10 V and a position feedback 0(4)-20 mA / 0(2)-10 V. The second analog setpoint can be used e.g. for the optional process controller or for variable speed control. Various wide-range power supply converters are available to connect input voltages from 24 – 400 VAC.
There are three ways of commissioning the actuator. The most cost-effective solution is an integrated local control by push-buttons and 7-segment LED on the actuator main board for status messages and parameterization. A more sophisticated option is an integrated WLAN access point for easy and wireless parameterization with mobile devices or laptop. The third option is an external local control with illuminated multicolored LCD graphic display and knob operation combined with LEDs for status information.
There are two ways of electrical connection. The most cost-effective way is wiring to the terminals of the main board. The second possibility is via a connector plug at the actuator housing. The actuator with the pre-installed connector plug is available with double-sealed sealing as an option. The actuator housing is rated for protection enclosures up to IP68.
A fieldbus-ready variant of the PSQ-S enables a technological connection between actuator and the programmable logic control (SPS) of the user, e.g. via Profibus or CANopen. Furthermore, the fieldbus-ready variant makes it possible to analyse all operating data. Further options include mechanical position switches and advanced diagnosis functions with the help of additional sensors like temperature and humidity sensor. Explosion protection will be also available for the actuators PSQ-S in the near future.
