The Metal Work EB80 BOXI Valve Island, now also available with IO-Link, is a suitable candidate for end of arm tooling (EOAT).This is an integral part of robotic technology. It refers to the equipment that interacts with other parts and components of the manufacturing process, typically at the end of a robotic arm. The EOAT gives a robot a specific functionality and can be changed to fit different applications or even be built to accommodate several processes at once. Either way, advancements in EOAT capabilities are parallel to advancements in robotic capabilities.
Pneumatic EOAT’s have proven to be the most popular, since they are easy to integrate, are energy efficient and pack a lot of power in a small package. Pneumatic grippers are a popular EOAT for robots, as pick and place applications are prime targets for automation and the gripping capabilities of robots have advanced significantly in recent years.
The Metal Work EB 80 electro-pneumatic valve island system features the utmost modularity and allows for the construction of all types and sizes of valve islands. IIoT ready, with most of the commonly used Fieldbus protocols or multi-pin connection available, this solution has enormous potential. This potential, however is not commonly exploited to the full when only a few valves are needed and there is no need to manage electrical input or output signals.
The EB80 BOXI was designed to best meet the requirement for simplicity. It consists of a solid base that accommodates pneumatic and electrical connections, all electronics and up to four valves. A comparison with a modular EB 80 for four valve shows that BOXI weighs 35% less and saves 30% space, in addition to its competitive price, while maintaining many of the advantages that have made the EB 80 so popular, namely:
• All the valve functions from the trusted EB 80 range can be installed.
• The island can be powered at 12 or 24 V DC.
• Fully interchangeable cartridge fittings.
• Energy consumption of only 0,3 W for each valve.
• Diagnostics (open circuit, over-under voltage and short-circuit) with LED indication lights.
• Possibility of connecting multi-function modules to the pneumatic outputs.
There are two options for the electrical connection, a 9 pin multi-pin connection (digital hard wired) and an IO-Link option. With IO-Link, the control signal of the valves and the power supply can be conveyed in a single standard M12 connector (Port Class A or A-Coded). If the IO-Link master cannot supply enough electrical current to the valves or if you want to keep the signal separate from the power, it is possible to use a special connector to dedicate an auxiliary electric power supply (M8) separate from the control signal (Port Class B or B-Coded).
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