Press Releases | Library.Automationdirect.com

Contrinex Extended-protection Safety Light Curtains from AutomationDirect

AutomationDirect has added new Contrinex slim-profile safety light curtains, used for human protection and product/machine safety, to its extensive Safety Products lineup. The new Contrinex 14mm and 30mm beam resolution extended-protection, slim-profile safety light curtains eliminate blind spots (the height of the light curtain is the height of the protected area) and the slim low … Read More
IronHorse Farm Duty and Open Drip-Proof Motors from AutomationDirect

AutomationDirect has added more farm duty and open drip-proof motors to its extensive general- purpose AC induction motors lineup. New IronHorse® MTF2 series farm duty motors, priced from $359.00, are totally enclosed fan cooled (TEFC) single-phase 208-230V, 1800 RPM AC motors with increased horsepower ranges from 2hp to 10hp. The NEMA T-frame motors are IP55 … Read More
STEGO Enclosure Products from AutomationDirect

44 new STEGO part numbers have been added to AutomationDirect’s enclosure thermal management and enclosure lighting product lines. New STEGO enclosure products include a “Smart Sensor” temperature/humiditysensor, a unique flat form factor heater, enclosure door switches, and new Varioline series LED enclosure lights. The compact Smart Sensor ($126.00) electronically measures temperature and humidity and converts … Read More
Brass-Bodied NSF Approved Potable Water Solenoid Valves from AutomationDirect

Since 1960 ODE has been a leader in designing and manufacturing a complete line of solenoid valves. National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certified lead-free brass-bodied water valves from ODE are an excellent choice for food and beverage grade potable water applications where products can be consumed by humans. Two types of these brass solenoid valves are … Read More
High Flex Continuous Flexing Control Cable from AutomationDirect

igus CF9 and CF10 series multi-conductor control cables for continuous flexing applications are available in sizes from 20AWG to 14AWG, with three to seven unshielded (CF9 series) or four and five shielded (CF10 series) conductors. A green-yellow insulated ground conductor is included in the conductor count of each cable. Individual conductors are bare copper and … Read More
IDEM Non-Contact Guard Locking RFID Coded Safety Switches from AutomationDirect

IDEM non-contact RFID coded safety switches from AutomationDirect are designed to provide interlock protection on hinged, sliding or removable guard doors. These switches are particularly advantageous when poor guard alignment exists, when high-level anti-tamper is required, where high-hygiene requirements exist (food industry hose down applications) or where long mechanical life is required. When used in … Read More
AutomationDirect adds Inductive Linear Position Transducers

Linear Variable Inductance Transducers (LVITs) from Alliance Sensors Group convert the linear displacement of an object into a proportional electrical signal output of 0-10V or 4-20mA (depending on model). LVITs are contactless devices designed for dimension or position measuring applications where the sensing element cannot be attached to the object being measured. LVITs exhibit outstanding … Read More
Single and Three-Phase SR35 Series Soft Starters from AutomationDirect

More fully digital soft starters have been added to the AutomationDirect drives and motor controls lineup. STELLAR® SR35 series full-featured solid-state soft starters are available in three frame sizes to control both 1-phase and 3-phase AC induction motors with 24VDC control voltage (optional 110-230 VAC). Designed for 17-361 full-load amps at 110-240 VAC (1-phase) or … Read More
NITRA Pneumatic Air Preparation Filters, Regulators, Lubricators from AutomationDirect

AutomationDirect NITRA® pneumatic air filters, air regulators, air lubricators, air relief valves and combination air filters/regulators are now available with larger gauges and a new easy quarter-turn twist off feature. These air preparation units are available in a wide variety of port sizes to meet a broad range of pneumatic air supply filtration, air regulation … Read More
Productivity2000 PLC Analog and Specialty I/O Modules from AutomationDirect

The AutomationDirect Productivity2000® PLC is a modular, rack-based system with a full lineup of discrete, analog and specialty I/O modules providing over 400 local I/O points. With remote expansion, over 4,000 total I/O points are available. Two new 4-channel analog input modules (from $159.00) provide 0-20 mA or 0-10 VDC inputs, and two new 4-channel … Read More
KwikHinge Enclosure Door Hinges and Ultimate Series Gland Plates from AutomationDirect

Versions of Hubbell-Wiegmann floor mounted, freestanding and disconnect enclosures in carbon steel and stainless steel are now available with KwikHinge™ door hinges. KwikHinge hinges enable quick and easy removal of doors. This makes common tasks like subpanel installation or door modifications substantially easier. The hinge pin is made of stainless steel for strength and durability … Read More
Cat5e Industrial Ethernet Cable from AutomationDirect

Quabbin® DataMax Extreme Industrial Ethernet cable jackets were developed to survive the many industrial hazards that commercial jackets will not. Quabbin Cat5e Industrial Ethernet cable has a UL PLTC rating allowing it to be installed in a cable tray without the need for conduit. With its 22 AWG conductors it works well in power over … Read More
AutomationDirect adds Capacitive Pushbutton Sensor Switches and Indicators

Captron SENSORswitches are capacitive pushbuttons which are activated without pressure, using a hand or other parts of the body. The buttons have a determinate sensing distance, which may be altered by varying the approach speed and/or damping factor. A quickly approaching finger will achieve a higher sensing distance than a slowly approaching finger. A hand, … Read More
Digital Panel Meters for Pulse/Frequency Display from AutomationDirect

ProSense® digital panel meters in 1/32 and 1/8 DIN sizes feature IP65-rated meter faces, simple menu-driven pushbutton configuration, and accept a wide variety of process inputs. Red, green or amber, 4 and 5-digit LED displays are available depending on model. All panels offer selectable decimal point location. Available input options include analog, temperature, AC/DC current … Read More
AutomationDirect adds VNTC Tray Cable

VNTC (Vinyl Nylon Tray Cable) 600 Volt Type TC-ER control cables from AutomationDirect are suited for use in wet and dry areas, conduits, ducts, troughs, trays, direct burial and where superior electrical properties are desired. VNTC cable is available in 18 AWG to 10 AWG with 3 to 24 unshielded copper conductors. Cables are cut … Read More
Configurable Modular Encoders for Stepper Motors from AutomationDirect

AMT series encoders from CUI Devices are advanced capacitive encoders with a variety of uses. AMT series encoders are typically mounted to the back of a stepper motor but can be used in many other applications. CUI offers the AMT series encoders with configurable pulses per revolution (PPR). The PPR can be set for most … Read More
More StrideLinx Secure Remote Access VPN Router Options from AutomationDirect

AutomationDirect StrideLinx® VPN routers provide an outgoing, secure connection from remote machines or systems to the StrideLinx platform. Routers are easily configured and have a built-in firewall to isolate company and control networks. These easy-to-use, IT-friendly industrial VPN routers minimize costly field support by providing remote programming, monitoring, and troubleshooting. Multiple router connection options are … Read More
Current-Limiting UL 489 Miniature Circuit Breakers from AutomationDirect

Eaton FAZ-NA and FAZ-NA-L series current-limiting miniature circuit breakers from AutomationDirect offer optimum and efficient protection for feeder, branch and control circuits up to 63 amps. These DIN-rail mountable circuit breakers are available with B, C or D trip characteristics in accordance with UL 489. The new FAZ-NA-L series is rated at 240VAC, the existing … Read More
SureMotion High Torque Synchronous Drive/Timing Belts from AutomationDirect

Synchronous drive belts and pulleys utilize teeth to prevent slippage and unwanted speed variations. AutomationDirect SureMotion® 5M and 8M (5mm and 8mm pitch) high torque synchronous drive/timing belts have a curvilinear HTD® (High Torque Drive) tooth profile which allows the belts to have a much larger pulley contact area for improved performance. The chloroprene belt … Read More
AutomationDirect adds Linear Position Potentiometers

GEFRAN linear potentiometers and accessories are now available from AutomationDirect. Linear potentiometers are used to detect position and linear direction movement. A sliding contact moves along a linear resistive element acting as a variable resistor. The proportional change in resistance indicates the position and provides a distance measurement signal. A signal conditioner can be used … Read More
Thermocouple Extension Wire and Cable from AutomationDirect

Extension cable for both Type K and Type J thermocouples is available with either an overall shield (OS) or with individually shielded pairs with an overall shield (SPOS). These cables allow the connection of multiple field sensors to operating instrumentation or PLC input cards with one run versus having to install multiple extension wires. The … Read More
Expanded Communications and Analog I/O Capabilities for the BRX PLC

New expansion I/O modules from AutomationDirect for the BRX stackable micro brick PLC include communications modules, universal analog I/O modules, and universal temperature combination I/O modules. Expansion modules snap onto the side of any BRX Micro PLC Unit (MPU) or BRX Remote I/O controller, creating a sturdy and rugged PLC platform. Added BRX serial communications … Read More
Control Cabinet Cable Entry Systems from AutomationDirect

The KDL/D cable entry system allows cables to be installed through enclosures or other bulkhead surfaces, with the added benefit that pre-made, terminated cables can be installed without disassembling the connectors. The split-frame system enables the quick and simple installation of up to 48 cables in a single frame. Four frame sizes, starting at $16.00, … Read More
New DURApulse GS20 Series High Performance AC Drives

The DURApulse GS20 Series of next generation high-performance VFD drives provides many standard and advanced functions in a compact reduced size unit. The new GS20X series of AC drives is IP66/NEMA 4X rated for operation in harsh environments. The drives include many of the same standard features as our GS family of drives including dynamic … Read More
AutomationDirect adds ProSense Advanced Process Controllers

Made exclusively for AutomationDirect by Yokogawa, ProSense® PPC5 series advanced process controllers handle temperature, pressure, level, flow, and other process variable control applications and offer a variety of control, input, output, alarm and communications options. These 1/4 DIN controllers accept inputs directly from thermocouple, RTD, and analog mA, mV, V signals. Remote setpoint and contact … Read More
AutomationDirect adds Enclosure Thermoelectric Coolers

Seifert SoliTherm® Thermoelectric Coolers from AutomationDirect use the Peltier Effect for closed-loop cooling. The only moving parts are axial fans so there is virtually no maintenance. The Seifert Peltier thermoelectric cooling units can be mounted in nearly every position (except roof mounting) because they don’t have a compressor or any moving parts aside from the … Read More
AC Line Reactors and Output Filters for Variable Frequency (VFD) Drives

AutomationDirect has added new line reactor models and VTF (voltage time filter) series output filters that protect AC motors and variable frequency (VFD) drives from electrical disturbances. The LR2 line reactor series adds seven new frame sizes to match all GS, DURApulse and WEG drives. The LR2 Series can also be used with a variety … Read More
AutomationDirect adds Motor Control Relays and Intrinsically Safe Relays

ProSense® motor control relays from AutomationDirect perform specific protective functions for motors or motor components to ensure proper and more efficient operation. Intrinsically safe relays provide safe and reliable control of loads within hazardous locations. Phase monitor relays provide protection against premature equipment failure caused by faults on 3-phase systems. Phase monitor relays provide protection … Read More
AutomationDirect adds 20 AWG multi-conductor flexible control cable

Multi-conductor flexible control cable from AutomationDirect is now available in 20 AWG unshielded models with 3 to 25 conductors including ground. Existing gauge sizes are available from 18 AWG to 10 AWG with 3 to 41 unshielded or shielded conductors including ground wire. The cable’s outer jacket is a flexible, premium grade Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) … Read More
Quick-disconnect M8 cables and M12 field wireable connectors from AutomationDirect

Quick-disconnect cables have a 3, 4 or 5-socket M8 female connector on one end and 3, 4 or 5 open leads on the other end to provide fast and easy connection between field devices and terminal connections. A “lock in place” nickel plated brass or zinc coupling nut resists high levels of shock and vibration. … Read More
AutomationDirect adds CLICK PLC input simulator and high-current relay output modules

Higher amperage relay output modules and an 8-point input simulator module are now available from AutomationDirect for the CLICK® series stackable micro brick PLCs. The CLICK C0-04TRS-10 ($54.00) is a 4-point, 10A per point, isolated relay output module with four Form A (SPST) relays and 4 isolated commons. Operating voltage range is 6-24 VDC / … Read More
AutomationDirect adds Headless C-more Remote HMI without Attached Display

Intended for the user who doesn’t require a built-in HMI display, needs a larger display, or would rather strictly use the C-more mobile app, the C-more® EA9 series remote (headless) HMI unit provides all the functionality of an EA9 touch panel without the extra cost of a touchscreen interface. The headless unit supports an HD1280x720 … Read More
Continuous Flexing Profinet Cable from AutomationDirect

DataMax Extreme® Industrial Profinet cables are a two-pair shielded construction with 22AWG twisted pair conductors and 7/30 stranded tinned copper with color coded high-density polyethylene insulation. Shielded constructions include both a tinned copper braid shield and aluminized polyester foil overall shield. The cable’s outer jacket is pressure extruded Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) with excellent moisture, chemical, … Read More
AutomationDirect adds STRIDE Field I/O for Modbus TCP-Capable Systems

AutomationDirect’s STRIDE communication products provide reliable connectivity to industrial controllers and field devices. The STRIDE Field I/O family of modules provides a simple and economical means to connect inputs and outputs to a Modbus TCP communications network via Ethernet 10/100 Base-T. Each module operates as a standalone Modbus TCP server, and can be remotely configured … Read More
ProductivityOpen Industrial Open-source Controller (Arduino-compatible) from AutomationDirect

The open-source Productivity®Open platform provides all the great features of a standard Arduino plus the added power and reliability of an industrial controller. The processor circuit of the P1AM-100 CPU is designed to mimic the Arduino MKRZero microcontroller. The P1AM-100 is compatible with most available Arduino MKR format shields, and/or the industrially-hardened ProductivityOpen shields, and … Read More
Wenglor 50 x 50mm Rectangular Photoelectric Sensors from AutomationDirect

Wenglor rectangular 50 x 50 x 20mm photoelectric sensors from AutomationDirect include diffuse with background suppression, retroreflective, retroreflective for transparent objects, and through-beam models. The popular size of these Wenglor sensors makes them ideal as drop-in replacements for other higher-cost rectangular photoelectric sensor brands. Sensing ranges vary from 1200mm for background suppression sensors to 20m … Read More
Hammond Industrial Enclosures from AutomationDirect

Hammond Manufacturing® enclosures, including disconnect, stainless, commercial, console and other enclosure styles, are now available from AutomationDirect along with our existing AttaBox®, Hubbell-Wiegmann® and Integra enclosure offerings. A wide variety of metal and non-metal enclosures, rated NEMA 1, 3, 3R, 3S, 4, 4X, 6, 6P, 12 or 13, are available in wall-mount, floor-mount and freestanding … Read More
ProSense Digital Panel Meters from AutomationDirect

AutomationDirect ProSense® digital panel meters in 1/32 and 1/8 DIN sizes are AC or DC powered and feature IP65-rated meter faces, simple menu-driven pushbutton configuration, and accept a wide variety of input signals. Available outputs include alarm relays, milliamp current, and sensor excitation voltage options. New process-display options now include (depending on series) AC or … Read More
AutomationDirect adds Schmersal IP69K Rated Joysticks

Schmersal joystick selector switches have design features that make them suitable for food processing, pharmaceutical, and medical applications. The joysticks comply with the special cleaning requirements of the food industry to prevent cross-contamination, particularly when used in machines that process raw goods. The IP69K rating also makes the joysticks suitable for marine applications, traffic systems, … Read More
NITRA Rodless Air Cylinders from AutomationDirect

NITRA® L-Series Rodless Cylinders from AutomationDirect offer a robust design in a compact package. Rodless cylinders can offer the same stroke as rodded cylinders in a smaller space. Rodless cylinders have the piston connected to a carriage that rides outside the extruded cylinder wall, reducing overall length, making them ideal for small or tight location … Read More
WEG Fully Digital Soft Starters and Micro VFD Drives from AutomationDirect

New compact soft starters and micro VFD drives have been added to the AutomationDirect motor controls lineup which encompasses simple manual controllers, motor contactors and starters, drives and soft starters. WEG SSW05 and SSW07 soft starters are compact, fully digital soft starters with state-of-the-art DSP (Digital Signal Processor) controller designed to provide great performance on … Read More
Inductive Proximity Sensors with Analog Output from AutomationDirect

DW Series round metal inductive proximity sensors with analog outputs are now available from AutomationDirect in 8mm, 12mm, 18mm and 30mm cylindrical sizes. These reliable DC-powered (10-30V or 15-30V) threaded-barrel sensors are IP67 rated and are available with 2m pigtail cable or quick-disconnect. 8mm analog inductive proximity sensors detect the presence of ferrous metal objects … Read More
ProSense Variable Area Mechanical Flow Meters from AutomationDirect

ProSense® FG1 Series mechanical variable area flow meters provide visual indication of flow rate for water or petroleum-based fluids. These meters provide +/-5% full scale accuracy and a repeatability of +/-1%, important for cyclical applications requiring consistent readings. Two adjustable flow limit pointers are available to provide preset indication of high, low, or normal flow … Read More
AutomationDirect adds VFD / Servo Cable with Signal Pair

VFD-SC series VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) / Servo cable offers 4 conductors, available in 16 AWG to 10 AWG gauges, plus a foil-shielded signal pair. The VFD-SC series is the same high-quality cable as the standard VFD-C series; the addition of the shielded 16AWG signal pair allows the cable to be used with motors and … Read More
AutomationDirect adds Helical Bevel Gearboxes with Cast-Iron Frames

The new IronHorse® HBR series of helical bevel gearboxes combines the helical gearset with a bevel gearset to create an output that is perpendicular to the input. All HBR series gearboxes are hollow shaft output and accept double or single shafts. Dual and single output shaft kits are available. Helical gears offer a smoother, quieter … Read More
Leadshine 2-phase Digital Stepper Drives from AutomationDirect

Leadshine Technology is an industry leading motion control supplier offering high value steppers that are simple, easy to use, long-lasting, and reliable at very affordable prices. Leadshine factories are ISO9001 certified. These high-qualiity, 2-phase, digital stepper drives offer a basic feature set at an unbeatable value. Leadshine 2-phase digital micro-stepping drives with micro-stepping motor movement … Read More
High Bus Voltage (AC Input) Stepper Drives and Motors from AutomationDirect

AutomationDirect has added a high voltage AC drive and compatible high torque motors to its stepping system motion control product offering. The AC stepper drive is powered from 90 to 240VAC and is intended for use with step motors designed to handle a high bus voltage of 340VDC. MTRAC motors are specially designed to work … Read More
Compact Thermoplastic and Halogen-Free Limit Switches from AutomationDirect

The new AEP series of reinforced thermoplastic compact limit switches includes a variety of actuator types including metal plunger, side rotary lever, adjustable lever, rod actuator, and 360-degree spring actuator. These compact-sized plastic limit switches have standard U.S. 25mm mounting hole spacing; housings are double-insulated and epoxy resin-filled, providing IEC IP67 protection. Contacts are Snap-action … Read More
Eaton Electronic Overload Relays up to 175A added by AutomationDirect

Eaton XT series self-powered electronic overload relays are self-contained units available at up to 175A. Eaton XT electronic overload relays are the most compact, high-featured, economical products in class, offering additional trip classes, universal connections to any contactor, and a wide amperage range. Accessory 24VDC and 120 VAC remote reset modules provide remote overload reset … Read More
2020 FIRST Robotics Digital Animation Award

The 2020 Digital Animation Award is offered to help encourage students to cultivate skills in design and creation of animation including, but not limited to, storytelling, creativity, use of computer software, and an understanding of different techniques and forms of animation. This award is open to all FIRST Robotics Competition teams.