With its new battery-powered clamping devices, SCHUNK offers a forward-looking solution for companies that want to record process-relevant conditions in real time and transmit them efficiently to the machine control system. This technology is particularly attractive for industries that want to move away from cost-intensive compressed air and hydraulic solutions – whether to reduce operating costs or to avoid contamination, which is absolutely undesirable in clean rooms or the food industry.

SCHUNK is relying on IO-Link Wireless for wireless communication between clamping devices and machine control systems in this new development. This technology is being used for the first time in the battery-powered TANDEM power clamping blocks of the KSE3 series and in the VERO-S zero-point clamping modules. The control and transmission of the permanently recorded states of the clamping devices is carried out via IO-Link Wireless and an IO-Link master, which ultimately transmits this information to the machine control system.

Particularly noteworthy in this context is the collaboration with Blum-Novotest, a specialist in BRC wireless technology. If a BLUM measuring system with BRC wireless technology is already in use, the new clamping devices from SCHUNK can be quickly and cost-effectively integrated into existing manufacturing processes. This saves time, reduces installation costs, and increases flexibility in production.

Despite the switch to battery operation, users do not have to compromise on clamping force and retraction force. On the contrary: the new clamping devices are designed to offer the same performance as pneumatic or hydraulic systems. There are also no additional interfering contours, as the actuators and electronics are fully integrated into the clamping device. Signal processing takes place directly in the clamping module, so that only the IO-Link interface needs to be integrated. The new battery-powered clamping devices from SCHUNK are not only powerful, but also extremely efficient, according to their developers: up to 1,000 clamping cycles can be performed per battery charge. SCHUNK is thus continuing on its path toward sustainable, resource-saving, and

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