Flexible visualisation with LED strips

With ifm’s new LED strips, which feature an IO-Link interface, each LED can be controlled individually. This opens up particularly attractive possibilities for visualisation on machines and systems across a wide range of applications.

Today, signal tower lights or individual indicator lights are still often the standard solution for visualising the current status of a machine or system for the operator. Modern LED technology opens up a whole new range of possibilities. ifm is now launching new LED strips that enable innovative visualisation concepts. The strips are available in lengths ranging from 250 mm to 5,000 mm and comprise up to 320 LEDs, each of which can be individually controlled in terms of colour and brightness. ifm uses a special manufacturing technology for its LED strips: the flexible printed circuit with the LEDs is fully encapsulated in plastic using a special extrusion process. This ensures a high IP 69K protection rating, making the LED strips the ideal choice for food applications. Should an LED ever fail, the rest of the strip will continue to function without any restrictions thanks to an integrated bypass system. Thanks to their flexibility, the strips can also be installed on curved surfaces.

Predefined operating modes

Users can control the LED strips via the matching DV1617 control unit. This allows them to select from a range of predefined operating modes. In Segment Mode, individual segments of the strip can be defined and then controlled independently Particularly noteworthy is the Run Mode, which enables the display of a moving light pattern. This makes it possible, for example, to visualise the position of a product on a moving conveyor belt. The Bargraph Mode displays values as a bar chart. The Position Mode, in turn, allows specific positions to be displayed clearly and unambiguously.