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Industrial


The importance of EMI protection in industrial robotics


Photos courtesy of TE Connectivity


The future of industrial looks bright, intelligent and robotic. The number of applications for state-of-the-art industrial robotics continues to grow exponentially in industries like automotive and aircraft construction all the way to the pharmaceutical industry. A challenge, however, is engineering these robots for industrial-level environments with harsh conditions — including the highest amounts of electromagnetic interference (EMI).


E


lectromagnetic interference, more commonly known as EMI, is an interference that is caused by an electromagnetic irregularity emitted by one device that then impacts the way another device works. While EMI occurs in everyday life, the volume dramatically increases the second you step onto a factory fl oor with industrial robotics, subsequently increasing the need for built-in protection and safety.


Heavy duty solutions


In factory environments facing high vibration, dust intrusion, temperature challenges and high data transmission, heavy duty connectors (HDCs) help ensure fl exible design options with dynamic inserts and power, signal, and data connectivity. Heavy duty connectors are rectangular industrial connectors designed to transmit power, data, and signal in the toughest of industrial robotics applications. They provide a reliable solution with rock fall safe aluminum enclosures with protection degrees from IP65 to IP69K. Approved according to EN/IEC 1984 standard, HDC connectors range from 10A to 650A, and are available with up to 288 contacts.


HDCs help ensure that the enormous quantities of data points from the robots in a manufacturing environment are gathered and routed at the highest possible speed without interruption from EMI. Reliable connectivity ensures higher productivity, effi ciency, and safety — all of which are critical in harsh environments where employees and robots work side by side.


Importance of EMI protection


Motor and motor control functions on robots produce the most EMI on the factory fl oor. This is due to the incredibly strong power signal of the rectangular tape that is typically used — up to 600 watts (20 amps). These conditions require a specialized shield on the cable. This ensures that the EMI emitted by


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the motor and motor control will not impact the overarching environment. Shielding is also important for the termination of the data stream, which applies to HDCs and RJ45 inserts. Another important aspect is noise. If a design is not done properly and not effectively protecting against EMI, motors can be producing high noise levels that impact other lines in the factory. This impact could be on the signal and data communication needed during installation. Magnetic interference is also common, especially in environments where electrical welding is used. Magnetic interference can corrupt data, which can result in signifi cant productivity losses or, even worse, damage to the equipment or surrounding employees. Therefore, ensuring a reliable data stream regardless of environment is critical.


Trending technology


A current trend within robotics applications is one cable technology. This is a trend to save money as well as implement power and signal into one connector housing. TE has taken this a step further by offering both one cable options as well as hybrid solutions. These are working with power and signal connectivity in one cable, in one housing.


Looking into these hybrid designs, EMI protection becomes even more important if combining an AC power line with signal and data in one single cable. All of the lines must be properly


shielded and protected against each other, otherwise the data computation may be compromised throughout this cable. TE understands the need for reliable connectivity in your factory to meet today’s demands for higher speeds, shorter downtimes, faster installations and maximized reliability despite increasingly harsh environments. The INTERCONTEC product portfolio connects servo motors to servo drives and controls as well as to robotics and machinery enabling reliable operation while reducing installation time and downtime.


Shielded protection


Within TE connectors is shielding technology. With the broad portfolio, factories can choose which products work best for their applications. For example, there is braided shielding as well as foil shielding technology.


Foil shielding is a type of cable that is encased using a thin layer of copper or aluminum. Typically, it will also have a polyester backing to increase durability and work in tandem with a drain wire to ground the shield. The main advantage is that it offers full coverage and can stand up to high-frequency applications like robotics. It’s also an economic solution that has an easy production process. On the other hand, it’s not as durable and some of the elements can be fragile when faced with high-fl ex applications. But, in high EMI environments, the maximum coverage of foil shielding is ideal. Braided shielding uses a tightly woven lattice of thin tin or copper to encapsulate a cable assembly. This provides a low- resistance path to the ground and is the most traditional shielding form. It’s more versatile, more fl exible and offers greater strength. Braided shielding is often recommended for EMI applications, but at low to medium frequencies. However, it does not always guarantee coverage depending on how tight the braiding is, and it can take up more space on the manufacturing line. Overall, fi nding a problem caused by EMI is more diffi cult


than fi nding other problems in a system — a connector that isn’t locked into its interface for example, is immediately visible and can be corrected. Seeing and fi nding a mistake caused through EMI takes time and expertise, resulting in protective, proactive components being essential on the factory fl oor.


www.te.com Components in Electronics September 2021 15


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