Will Wireless Work For My Process Control Application?

Model A750/753 Wireless Demonstration Unit

Wireless transmission of process measurement and control signals has not been new technology for quite some time. That said, there still remain many facilities where it has not made any inroads yet. When technology is new to the industrial market, especially if it challenges the current way things are done, early adopters with larger scale, higher dollar operations are needed to put the technology into practical use and generate manufacturing volume for the technology producers. If deployment of the technology proves beneficial, the market grows on the consumer and producer sides. With greater efficiency and scale, the trend for the technology costs tends to decrease, while the range of feasible applications and projects grows.

Wireless communication for industrial applications is well beyond the point of early technology adoption. Protocols are in place, products for the transmitting and receiving of wireless process signals are mature. As a designer, engineer, manager, or operator of a process, you should confidently consider wireless connections between measurement and control or recording devices as part of any new installation or upgrading of existing facilities.

Regardless of what I have just written, sometimes we just need to see things work before we can make the leap of adoption. New ways of doing things bring the promise of reward, but also the concern of the unfamiliar.

Analynk has a solution for you.

Analynk's wireless demo kit includes a model A750 receiver and A753 transmitter both housed in NEMA 4 enclosures. The kit operates at 900 MHz with full 1W power. Locate the transmitter and receiver at points where you wish to establish a wireless connection. You can provide your own input signal, or use the provided simulator to show that a wireless connection can be established and function in a manner that will give you confidence to move forward with implementation. The kit is useful for testing out possible new locations for distance and signal strength. You will use it as wireless communications expand through your facility. Test the location first, then order the needed wireless equipment. It's a solid and low risk solution.

Analynk is a manufacturer of both wireless and wired devices for process measurement and control. The company's offering includes a wide array of standard products, as well as integration and customization to meet specific project requirements. Contact the specialists at Analynk to discuss your industrial wireless application requirements.

Analynk Industrial Wireless Demonstration System from Analynk Wireless, LLC

New Hazardous Area Wireless Antenna for GLONASS, Iridium, and GPS

CTX Series Industrial Wireless Antenna
for Hazardous Areas

Operators in the industrial process control field increasingly rely on wireless communication as a key element of their infrastructure. The ability to connect measurement locations, even mobile ones, to data logging and control centers has enhanced operation efficiency and enabled procedures and monitoring that were cumbersome or impractical in a totally wired environment. Analynk Wireless continues with their response to demand within the process measurement and control field to utilize wireless technology across an increasing array of application scenarios by releasing their latest Hazardous Area Explosion Proof Antenna. 

The latest version of the company's CTX/CTM series enables remote data links for customers using Iridium, GPS, and GLONASS. This new product adds to the company's already expansive line of wireless communication products specifically designed for industrial applications, providing wireless data links to mobile or remote locations.

Analynk's antennas are operable across a very wide temperature range and provide substantial impact resistance, signal output, and ratings for hazardous environments. A data sheet for the new CTX/CTM antenna is included below. You can always contact Analynk directly to discuss your application ideas and get recommendations for product and complete system configuration.

Hazardous Area Explosion Proof Antenna for GLONASS, GPS, and IRIDIUM from Analynk Wireless, LLC

Analynk Expands Offering of Wireless Access Point Enclosures For Hazardous Areas

Industrial Wireless Access Point Enclosure For
Hazardous Area

Analynk Wireless has developed a range of industrial wireless communications products suitable for use in hazardous areas. One product line, Hazalynk, includes enclosures for wireless access points that can be installed in hazardous areas. The company has recognized the special adaptations needed for installing wireless access points within hazardous areas in industrial process settings, and tailored the products to show their recognition of the needs of those responsible for providing industrial wireless communications in these specialized zones.

The Hazardous Area Access Point Enclosures are designed to accommodate the customer's selected access point device. Preconfigured models accommodate units from Cisco, Symbol, Meru, Aruba, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, and other brands. Custom arrangements are possible to accommodate most brands and models.

The matching enclosure for an access point will have:

• Custom mounting bracket mating to the customer's access point.
• UL listed enclosure for subject hazardous area, including antenna locations coordinated with access point device arrangement.
• UL listed explosion proof antenna, one or more as need for the subject access point.
• All hardware, mounting plate, and RF cables to simplify installation and startup

A product specialist can help you with the latest available information. Contact them to discuss your application and how to best fulfill your hazardous area wireless communication requirement. Watch the short video.

Out of the Box Thinking Delivers Benefits with Industrial Wireless Test Station

Tire manufacturer used wireless technology
to improve output

Wireless network communication has enjoyed continuously increasing rates of adoption in the industrial process control field for a number of years. Protocols and methodologies are generally well established and a wide range of products are available, making it less challenging to configure an application solution. As the manufacturers of industrial wireless devices have gained production efficiency and responded to an increasingly competitive market, the cost of implementing a wireless solution has become less of a barrier. Truly, industry is now in a phase where creativity and ingenuity will bring changes to traditional process and production operations to take full advantage of the untethering of many common measurement and control devices.

Traditionally, most measurement and control instrumentation was fixed in place by piping or cabling. While that is still the case throughout much of the industrial sector, opportunities are continuously emerging for wireless technology to provide improvement in performance and efficiency. I came across an example of how one manufacturer of tubeless tires devised a wireless test station to replace their existing wired version to:

• Reduce maintenance by eliminating signal cables and power cables. No more cable damage from moving wired transmitters around the tire test area. 
• Replace manual data logging with remote automatic data logging. 
• Maintain or increase the accuracy of each measurement point. 
• Allow a single test station to be employed easily at multiple locations throughout the factory. 

This was accomplished using readily available pressure transmitters, wireless transmitters, access points, receivers, and related hardware to provide a complete measurement system delivering test and measurement data to a remotely located data logger.

Use your creativity, your ingenuity. Get outside the box and examine your industrial process or production operation. Look for opportunities to sharpen your efficiency and improve outcomes. The prospects are good that there may be more gained from a wireless installation than the mere absence of cabling. Discuss your ideas with a wireless product manufacturer, solicit their recommendations, and evaluate the potential benefits to your operation.

Explanation of Explosion Proof Enclosures

Explosion Proof
Access Point
Enclosure

This is a short video that explains what an explosion-proof enclosure is, what defines it as “explosion-proof”, and the principle behind why its safe to use in explosive or combustible atmospheres.

“Explosion-proof" doesn't mean the enclosure can withstand the forces of an external explosion. It means that the enclosure is designed to cool any escaping hot gases (caused by an internal ignition) sufficiently enough as to prevent the ignition of combustible gases or dusts in the surrounding area.

Analynk provides hazardous area wireless access point enclosures are designed and certified for use in hazardous locations. For more information, contact:

Analynk Wireless, LLC

790 Cross Pointe Road

Columbus, OH 43230

614-755-5091 phone

614 -755-5093 fax

info@analynk.com

www.analynk.com

Hazardous Area Access Point Enclosures for Explosive Atmospheres

Hazardous area wireless access point enclosures are designed and certified for use in hazardous locations such as chemical plants, refineries, oil & gas platforms, mining facilities, grain processing, and plastics processing. These enclosures also provide an additional level of security for your wireless access point by preventing tampering, vandalism, and theft.

Industrial wireless access point enclosures designed for Class 1, Division 1, Hazardous Locations, Groups C & D, ATEX Zone 1. Available for Symbol, Cisco, Meru, Aruba, HP, and Motorola access points.

• Designed for Class 1, Division 1,  Hazardous Locations 
• 802.11 b/g 
• Available for Symbol, Cisco, Meru, Aruba, HP, and Motorola access points 
• Explosion proof antennas 
• ATEX certification for Explosion Proof enclosure and antennas available 

Welcome to the Analynk Blog

We hope you find this support site helpful and informative. We plan on posting technical, application, and support information here on a weekly basis. We'll attempt to raise awareness of today's industrial wireless solutions for broader use and more efficient application.