MRO professionals will find a comprehensive selection and customized services on the Conrad Sourcing Platform.

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"Our selection to cover technical requirements in the fields of automation and pneumatics is huge," says Manuel Gschwend, the Conrad product manager responsible. From sensors and connectors to drive technology and power supplies: Simply fast and comprehensive, Conrad supplies exactly the automation technology it needs for the modernization, expansion, maintenance and servicing of systems. In total, more than 900,000 product offers are available on the Conrad Sourcing Platform. In addition, there are suitable product and procurement services for companies, for example for customized e-procurement, on-demand and scheduled orders or the realization of individual 3D printing projects in industrial quality.

Innovations from leading manufacturers

Professionals can also get the information they need from Conrad without any detours: The Conrad team is currently presenting its comprehensive range in the field of automation technology and its services as a reliable procurement partner at all about automation, the trade fair for industrial automation. On top of this, the Conrad team will be spotlighting new products from well-known manufacturers in its Automation theme world: the new Compact Controller from Wago, for example, combines compact control and I/Os in one housing. The eSIGN signal tower with integrated siren from Werma sets new standards in terms of visibility. And Siemens is presenting its new industrial IoT gateway for implementing a wide range of applications as well as a new PLC expansion module that focuses on communication via different protocols.

Product ranges and trends at a glance

Everything from a single source: In a dedicated Conrad theme world, there are innovations, trends and tips for the automation of mechanical and electronic processes.

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"We have pooled our expert knowledge in our automation topic area, recommend special automation products and provide advice on specific user examples such as field and process technology, control cabinet and special machine construction or digitalization," reports Manuel Gschwend. Companies can also find exciting articles on future topics such as edge computing and machine learning, remote maintenance and industrial Ethernet, modernization and plant expansion, decentralized automation and robotics.

More stable networks and increased system availability

The design of automation systems is one of the most important topics in operational digitalization. Decentrally organized automation systems break down rigid hierarchies to give autonomous units the authority to make independent decisions. Systems and machines that can operate autonomously relieve the burden on the central control system and bring more security and stability to complex processes. In addition, cabling over long distances and distribution in control cabinets are largely eliminated. This means a reduction in potential sources of error and therefore also in maintenance and servicing costs.

Unmanaged switches for basic and standard applications

Unmanaged switches are a cost-effective, uncomplicated and secure solution for smaller companies. Installation is similar to a plug-and-play installation process. Depending on the version, the switches have fiber optic interfaces and SFP ports for greater flexibility. Thanks to quality of service functionality and multicast filters such as PTCP, they achieve improved prioritization of data traffic in Profinet and Ethernet/IP networks. This also helps to stabilize the network and increase system availability. The manufacturer Phoenix Contact, for example, offers the 1000 and 1100 series of unmanaged switches, which also support high-bandwidth applications.

Secure fast cabling for industrial networks

Data managed in production plants for plant automation and manufacturing applications is transported via Ethernet-based industrial networks. The performance of these networks is only as good as the cabling technology allows, and particularly high demands are placed on the installation of cabling in industrial environments. Siemens offers a system that meets all these requirements: with FastConnect, a sophisticated quick installation system has been developed for fast and error-free installation on site.

Power supply for automation

The cabling technology of the power supply must also meet special requirements. A high proportion of malfunctions and failures are due to overvoltages. It is not only lightning strikes, defective electrical equipment in the installation, the switching off of inductive consumers or the switching on of large capacitive consumers that cause transient overvoltages. Increasing automation itself is also causing more and more problems, as potential interference sources such as drives, motors and highly sensitive control systems are increasingly being used in complex electrical installations. Standardized surge test procedures provide information on how robust and safe a power supply actually is against short-term overvoltages. In addition, the surge voltage must of course also be prevented from passing through to the secondary side. The power supplies from Mean Well, for example, are therefore often certified in accordance with the IEC/EN62368-1 safety standard and designed as overvoltage category II (OVC II). As the demand for OVC III products is increasing, Mean Well has already certified a large selection of OVC III power supply units, such as the LRS built-in power supply units or the HDR series DIN rail power supply units, in accordance with IEC/EN61558-1. More information about decentralized automation can be found here.