Our autumn highlights range from accessories for providing information and new online tool functions to an adapter for control circuit devices.

The online tools at item are forever being expanded. Take a look at the item Engineeringtool, for instance, which is now available in 41 countries and numerous languages. This solution now also supports angle brackets, flat brackets and other components to reinforce constructions and boost rigidity. Engineers with two computer screens are also able to work with the item Engineeringtool and access the item Online Shop at the same time, simply dragging and dropping components from the item Online Shop straight onto their designs. But having a single screen isn’t a problem, as users can simply open two browser windows. Users can therefore compare products in the Online Shop and place them onto their construction in the Engineeringtool straightaway – there’s no need to kick start a new search. Because the software solution doesn’t need to be downloaded, these new functions and any future changes are automatically available to use. As always, the detailed documentation – which includes drawings and a PDF step-by-step installation guide – is one of the many key advantages to using the item Engineeringtool.

For particularly complex automation tasks

There are new additions for item MotionDesigner®, too, with the design and selection software now also covering cantilever axes, which flip conventional wisdom on its head to feature a fixed carriage and moving linear unit, instead of the more usual opposite arrangement. Cantilever axes are deployed as a Z axis in handling systems, to carry out pick-and-place tasks in multiple-axis gantries and much more besides. Users can choose this alternative axis type in the “Mounting arrangement” section. The steps that follow are exactly the same as before, providing engineers with tremendous support – even when designing highly complicated applications. The fixed carriage has to accommodate high loads and torque, which the axis itself generates due to its dynamic movement, tools and operating forces.

By taking care of the calculations, item MotionDesigner® makes it much easier to design and select components, generating the ideal combination of Linear Unit, Gearbox, Motor and Controller suited to the automation task at hand in just a few seconds. What’s more, this software package indicates the maximum support span. After all, a horizontal linear unit’s deflection needs to stay below the set upper limit to ensure operations run safely and securely. As this upper limit is automatically added to the project documentation, users no longer have to do the maths themselves and it takes less time to engineer the item linear motion unit®.

The many sides to ergonomics

Industry 4.0 is in no way pushing ergonomics into the shadows. Paperless solutions are becoming increasingly important and these also need to be tailored to users’ specific needs. That’s exactly why item has developed Tablet Holder 8 and Tablet Arm 8. Both keep mobile end devices securely fixed into place at all times with a rubber-coated clamp and built-in spring mechanism. The ends of the clamp open in sync, making it simple to mount and remove the tablet. As a result, tablets can be fixed to SystemMobiles, transport trolleys or any Line 8 system groove. Tablet Holder 8 with three joints can be tilted and rotated perfectly to the user’s viewing angle. The tablet can even be rotated 360 degrees, allowing staff to switch effortlessly between landscape and portrait format. Tablet Arm 8 features a Double Pivot Arm with five Friction Joints, which provides additional flexibility and makes it even easier to achieve the desired position without compromising on stability. These joints ensure that the tablet can be perfectly positioned and stowed away at the work bench.

Just from looking at its slender lever, ergonomic and grip-friendly shape, and contrasting coloured cap, it’s clear that Clamp Lever Pi is part of the operating elements Pi range. In another of our blog articles, we have already revealed the story behind this range and winner of the Gold German Design Award. Using Clamp Levers Pi, accessories and machine components can be fixed in place and released in next to no time. Slide Guides and Angle Locking Brackets are now even easier to operate – and thanks to the simple release mechanism for separating grip and insert, that applies to tight spaces, too. Clamp Lever Pi comes in grip lengths of 50 and 60 mm. Depending on their design, the Clamp Levers have either a female thread or a male thread in various lengths. The grip and insert can be separated by activating the pushbutton, allowing users to rotate the grip however they wish.

Safe operation – at the push of a button

Emergency Stop Buttons and Selector Switches can now be integrated into item Installation Columns, work benches and machines without any tools thanks to the Adapter M45 for Control Circuit Devices, 22mm. This modular solution comes in white, dark grey or yellow and can be used to create customised, preassembled units. Users can choose from green, red or white pushbuttons, a Selector Switch that can be rotated 60° and a turn-to-release Emergency Stop Button, all of which are held in place by a threaded ring that is included in the scope of supply. The chosen Control Circuit Device, 22mm, is inserted into the Mounting Clamp for Contact Blocks, 22mm. This solution allows the wired Contact Blocks to be plugged in from the back, with cables running safely and securely through the aluminium cable conduit. An additional benefit is that the combination of Adapter M45 and Mounting Clamp is flexible and can even be used with other conventional control circuit devices with a diameter of 22 mm.

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