ifm sensors in pmd's new cleanroom lab
The completely new cleanroom lab of pmdtechnologies ag is used to develop and test the 3D image and distance sensors from pmd. ifm sensors are used to monitor the function of the compressed air system and the vacuum pump.
After the move to the new location THE SUMMIT the cleanroom lab of pmdtechnologies ag also resumed its operation. The lab equipped to the latest standards is used for the development and testing of the 3D image and distance sensors from pmd that are also installed in various ifm products.
Of course, ifm sensors are used to monitor the function of the installed compressed air system and the vacuum pump of the cleanroom. The data provided by the ifm pressure sensors PQ3834 (for compressed air) and PQ3809 (for vacuum) are needed for the operation of the automatic wafer probes from Accretech and the pick-and-place handling system from esmo for the final tests of pmd sensors.
In addition, elf ifm SD6050 flow sensors are used to evaluate the consumption of the system over the operating time and to identify leaks.
IO-Link for connection to an online dashboard
Using the ifm AL1940 IO-Link master together with an edge controller netPi (an industrially compatible version of the Raspberry Pi from Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH) the data is sent to a clear dashbord via an IoT Ethernet channel (Y path) and a Node.js webserver in combination with Node-RED, allowing a simple monitoring of the respective conditions or giving a warning, if there are abnormalities, via various selectable communication channels, in this case via email. In addition, a data logger is implemented (netPI) that provides the consumption data incl. timestamp in CSV format via an FTP server.
Node-RED is based on the concept of flow-based programming (FBP) allowing clear visualisation and programming (via JavaScript) of complex data flows and division into blocks. Therefore, it is also possible for people who are no computer scientists to implement complex IoT applications within a reasonable time.
The structure and combination of these components show an interesting application example as system solution with regard to Industry 4.0 and are a prime example for the digital sensor communication at the location THE SUMMIT.