Winterthur, April 2020 – By launching its new miniature charge amplifier with IO-Link, Kistler is opening up a vast range of applications for piezoelectric sensor technology in digital production environments. Robotics, packaging and the food and beverage industry are just some of the sectors that will benefit.. This extremely compact device combines analog and digital technologies, paving the way for Industry 4.0.
Kistler is launching the 5028A – a charge amplifier that uses IO-Link technology to output analog signals from piezoelectric sensors as digital measurement data. Customers benefit from the strengths of piezoelectric measurement technology (such as compact design, rigidity and a wide measuring range), but they still have the digital advantages of resistance to interference and end-to-end communication. IO-Link technology provides users with real-time data to monitor plant status – all the way down to individual sensor or measuring chain level. This opens the way to predictive maintenance: for example, users can initiate maintenance tasks on a plant if data is regularly outside of the setpoint range.
By incorporating a digital interface into the 5028A, Kistler is taking another step towards the smart networked factory in keeping with the goals of Industry 4.0. The raw analog signal is already digitized in the amplifier. This avoids interference due to inductive or capacitive couplings. Likewise, complex and costly individual cabling for analog and control signals is eliminated. As required, the 5028A can also be used as an analog charge amplifier with a reset/operate input. In this mode, it delivers the performance needed to control very fast processes with low latency and jitter. Stefan Affeltranger, Product Manager in Kistler's Production Monitoring section, is a firm believer in the 5028A's potential: 'The 5028A is the world's first amplifier for measurement data from piezoelectric sensors that offers communication based on IO-Link. This device will fit easily into almost any industrial application that calls for lightweight components and simple solutions.'
