Smart sensors have become indispensable to modern industrial transportation systems: RFID devices ensure a seamless identification solution in line with Industry 4.0 throughout the entire value creation process. Complete transparency and planning certainty will play an increasingly important role for companies in the future. SICK produces sensors that have to resist challenging target applications with numerous environmental influences such as major temperature fluctuations and the effects of moisture. For efficient venting and marking of such housings, Schreiner ProTech has developed a nameplate that is combined with a pressure compensation seal (PCS).
Temperature fluctuations may result in excess pressure or vacuum in electronic housings. Pressure differences stress the assembly components and their individual elements and may cause damage resulting in the destruction of the electronic system. A pressure compensation seal regulates this pressure by means of its membrane and at the same time provides protection against external influences such as water or dust. In many cases, housings require both protection and marking. However, separate products and process steps for pressure compensation and marking slow down the production process and increase the rate of defects.
SICK AG is a manufacturer of sensors for factory, logistics and process automation with worldwide activities. For the sensor housing of a driverless transport system (FTF), SICK was seeking a solution for venting and marking, and opted for a pressure compensation seal from Schreiner ProTech. “The processing of the pressure compensation seal and nameplate in a single pass saves process times and thus significantly cuts process costs. In addition, the solution saves a lot of space because marking and venting elements do not have to be installed side by side. Scanning the 2D code in the final process step also ensures that the membrane was installed as well,” says Gordon Bickel, development engineer at SICK.
Reduced qualification requirements due to just one product being applied to the housing are additional benefits. Furthermore, customized inscriptions can be performed at the customer’s site and the size adapted to the customer’s requirements. The label complies with IP 67 (protection against foreign particles, water and contact).
System Expertise
Membranes are high-tech products requiring professional processing for proper performance. To ensure their reliable application to components, Schreiner ProTech offers an application system that is optimally adapted to self-adhesive pressure compensation seals.