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Latest Application & Company News from RET Automation Controls

SureCross Wireless Enables Flour Mill to Access Temperature Data during Thermal Remediation

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 30/05/2014, 13:49
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SureCross Wireless Application Note SureCross Wireless Enables Flour Mill to Access Temperature Data during Thermal Remediation   Customer Scenario The EPA has placed restrictions on the use of many fumigants citing a correlation between their use and ozone depletion. As an alternative, a large-scale flour mill performs three to four thermal remediations per year to eradicate flour beetles. The temperature inside the mill is brought up to 122° F (50° C). This is done gradually to minimize equipment and building strain caused by heat expansion. Once this temperature is reached it must be sustained throughout the entire mill for 24 - 36 hours to allow the heat to penetrate any crevices that might shelter the beetles. Failure to sustain a minimum of 122° F will undermine the effectiveness...
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Banner Wireless Enables Calculating Machine Run Time

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 30/05/2014, 13:38
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SureCross Wireless Application Note Banner Wireless Enables Calculating Machine Run Time   Customer Scenario During normal operation, operators load a welding machine with the frame components to be welded. The loaded parts enter a robot welding cell and a completed frame exits. The operators unload the completed frame and load more components in preparation for the next welding cycle. ChallengeProduction goals were not being met. Operators blamed machine downtime for the failure to meet production goals and maintenance personnel blamed operators for working too slowly. To determine where the problem was, this facility needed to accurately measure and report machine run time back to a control location. SolutionPLC logic added to the welding machine now turns on an output when the...
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Banner Wireless Enables Call for Parts/Call for Service

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 30/05/2014, 13:18
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SureCross Wireless Application Note Banner Wireless Enables Call for Parts/Call for Service   Customer ScenarioTo improve efficiency, assemblers at work stations need a way to call for parts and service that doesn’t involve them leaving their work stations. Getting parts more quickly would improve production efficiency, and using a system of remote indicators would let the supervisors to see the status of each work station, allowing the supervisors to fix production problems quickly and to collect production metrics. ChallengeBecause the work cells were frequently reconfigured, physical I/O wiring was difficult and expensive. Some work cells are on the other side of the plant, making range is an issue for many wireless systems. A bidirectional I/O system was required because some work...
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Remote Machine Monitoring Allows Supervisors to Take Immediate Action

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 30/05/2014, 10:19
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SureCross Wireless Application Note Remote Machine Monitoring Allows Supervisors to Take Immediate Action   Customer Scenario Machines run out of parts or break down, causing significant delays. Reducing these delays and down time would increase production output. It was determined that all important machines and process should be monitored at a central location to allow supervisors to immediately address problems. Challenge Wiring to each machine was too expensive and time consuming. Hard I/O wiring would also make it more difficult to reconfigure the plant layout, which is done periodically. The machines being monitored were in a variety of locations, some near the centralized area and some on the other side of the plant making range an issue for many wireless systems. In addition,...
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Presence Detection on Rotating Lathe Turret

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 30/05/2014, 09:54
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SureCross Wireless Application Note Banner Wireless Enables Presence Detection on Rotating Lathe Turret Customer ScenarioBetty Machine has been meeting and exceeding customer expectations in the manufacture of precision machine parts, CNC and screw machine products for over 60 Years. Attention to detail, accuracy and consistency are fundamentals embedded into the culture and processes established by Betty Machine. ChallengePrecision machinery, an expert staff and high-quality raw materials are integral to the production processes at Betty Machine. As material is loaded into a lathe, the operator validates its position and alignment to prevent tooling damage, material loss and production slowdowns. Betty Machine wanted to improve process efficiency by automating this process. The solution...
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Calling for Parts - Furniture Manufacturer

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 30/05/2014, 08:45
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SureCross Wireless Application Note Calling for Parts - Furniture Manufacturer Customer ScenarioA furniture manufacturer has four manufacturing lines: red,green, blue, and yellow. When a line is in need of parts, one of the operators flips a switch that turns on that line’s color on a tower light located centrally in the warehouse. One of the two forklift operators notices the signal tower light and retrieves parts for that line.Customer NeedA solution that: Increases the forklift operator’s response time byputting the call for parts indicator on the forklift’s dashboard Allows the forklift operator to acknowledge the request and eliminates redundant part deliveries by both operators The ChallengeThis is a large facility and the forklift trucks are mobile, making a wired solution...
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RET partners with Solexy Wireless

- Company News
Published on 18/05/2014, 13:50
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RET Automation Controls is excited to announce that they are the official distributors of Solexy Wireless in Southern Africa.  SOLEXY Wireless provide innovative technologies that efficiently allow for the safe integration and easy operation of radios and other electronic equipment in hazardous area rated environments. Main industries of applications are refineries, oil and gas rigs, chemical plants and mines.  Give us a call to find our more.
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MultiCon as an Energy Meter

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 15/05/2014, 14:41
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MultiCon Controller / Data Recorder used as an Energy Meter MultiCon efficiency has been proven in various industry applications. In some branches, measurement of energy consumption is highly important. There is no need to invest in additional meters - that is where our multichannel controller/recorder comes in handy. Thanks to the transmitters available in our offer, you can easily change the voltage and current into standard automation signals. MultiCon can use a number of the built-in mathematical functions to easily calculate the balance and the existing energy consumption.   Link to the Multicon Product Range  
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RET Automation Controls Celebrates 30 Years

- Company News
Published on 10/04/2014, 20:06
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On the 11th of April 1984, RET received their first order for R186.00 from G. Boerstra (Pty) Ltd, and over the last 30 years has had the privilege of developing close relationships with customers throughout Southern Africa.  With the support of some of the leading global automation providers, RET has become a leader in its field, offering high quality, innovative products and solutions.  RET would like to thank all of it’s customers and suppliers for their support in making RET what it is today.  RET would also like to thank all of it’s staff members for their efforts and the sacrifices they have made to build the RET business and brand. The last 30 years have been exceptional, but with new products and solutions being released every week,  RET is sure that the next 30 will...
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R-Gage Series supports collision avoidance and vehicle detection in mining operations.

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 05/04/2014, 11:30
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An updated series of radar-based sensors with enhanced capability for detecting large objects in challenging outdoor situations has been introduced by Banner Engineering. The R-Gage sensors support collision avoidance and vehicle management applications in container ports, traffic and parking systems, manufacturing, mining, materials handling and railroads. With expanded distance capabilities, the new sensors can detect objects both farther away from the sensor and closer to it (reducing “dead” zones). The Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar provides reliable detection in nearly any weather condition; it is not affected by rain, snow, wind, fog, light, humidity or temperature. It also detects stationary objects that cannot be detected by Doppler radar.The sensors provide dual-zone...
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Banner provides a solution for rotary bottle fillers

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 13/02/2014, 08:43
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Image Sensor Inspects & Verifies Vent Tube Presence on High Speed Rotary Fillers.  Banner Engineering, the sensor specialist, was recently approached by a large-scale brewing company that brews and bottles many popular brands of beer in the United States to supply a solution for a unique problem they had on high speed rotary bottle fillers.The rotary fillers dispense beer into bottles travelling at speeds of up to 900 bottles per minute. Periodically a spreader washer and/or a vent tube may become loose and drop into a bottle or onto the line. Beer will continue to dispense but the bottles will not fill correctly and product will be wasted. If undetected, affected bottles may be capped, packaged and even shipped, resulting in the product having to be recalled. The company needed a...
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Hans Turck is 90

- Company News
Published on 09/01/2014, 09:00
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On January 9, Hans Turck, co-founder of the automation specialist Turck, celebrated his 90th birthday. The birthday celebrant, who has lived in Mülheim an der Ruhr and Cape Town since his retirement from the company in 1998, started the special day together with his wife in South Africa, his adopted country. His outgoing personality and openness, his outstanding sales skills and his ability to enthuse his customers, soon paved the way for Hans Turck to become a successful entrepreneur. After completing his engineering degree in 1950, he first of all gained ten years experience in sales before setting up his own engineering office in Mülheim, from which Hans Turck GmbH & Co. KG later developed. In 1965 Hans Turck sold his first product – an amplifier module that his brother Werner had...
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Reliable, cost effective alternative to manual UV detection system

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 30/11/2013, 16:18
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In large, high production sawmills where success can be measured in board meters, the price per board is determined by the grade of each individual board. It is essential that every board be properly graded, sorted and processed. Operators grade each board as it travels along the conveyor line, marking it with a UV detectable crayon wherever there is a flaw or imperfection in the wood. A sensor or manual inspection is then used to detect the UV marks and direct the board to an area where it can be repaired or rejected. Equipment used in sawmills faces unique environmental challenges from tree pulp, dirt and other debris. Traditional UV sensors frequently fail under these conditions. They also have a limited operating distance and therefore need to be mounted close to the sensing point,...
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Banner’s WLA Work Lights solve inspection application for global healthcare company

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 29/11/2013, 13:22
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For companies that produce liquid pharmaceutical products, such as those used in syringes and IV bags, it is critical to identify particulates or foreign substances of any size before the products are released for distribution.A global provider of healthcare products had been using vision machines to detect particulates in their pharmaceuticals. When the machines were no longer able to detect contaminants to the required percentage level, the company began using human visual inspections. Since many of the particulates are extremely minute, the company needed to install bright and highly uniform illumination in their work stations so operators could effectively verify the quality of the products.Banner Engineering introduced the customer to the WLA Work Light Series, a perfect fit for their...
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Blue QS18 detects amber prescription bottles

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 29/11/2013, 13:12
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Pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies are making a switch from polypropene  (PP) to polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) bottles for prescription fulfilment. The amber coloured PETE bottles are cost effective and easy to recycle, however the plastic’s clear (almost semi-transparent) appearance poses a challenge to standard red LED sensors that are used in pharmaceutical plants.Sensors with red LED’s that have been used in the past essentially see through the PETE bottles, causing problems such as missed detection, double counting and mislabelling. With hundreds of red LED sensors needing to be replaced, Banner Engineering was approached to come up with a solution.After many hours of testing it was found that the best solution was to replace the red LED with a blue LED light source....
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Multihop radio with built-in I/O connects directly to sensors and probes

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 30/09/2013, 19:52
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A new radio from Banner Engineering combines wireless transceiver, power supply and I/O circuits in a single compact housing. The DX80DR multiHop radio connects sensors directly to the network, eliminating the need for data-loggers, power supplies, PLCs or HMIs at the sensor location. The enhanced radios expand the capability of Banner’s SureCross wireless solutions in numerous industries including oil & gas, composting, grain handling, water monitoring, aquaculture, irrigation, parking, flood warning and facilities monitoring. The increased capability of the radio allows real-time access to information that was previously logged at sensor sites for later download. I/O terminals are provided for thermocouples, digital and analogue input and output, battery-operated irrigation valve...
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Shrink Sleeve Labelling at Very High Speed

- RET APPLICATION NEWS
Published on 25/09/2013, 09:21
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  Banner Sensors Keep Pace at 800ppm.  To meet production demands, large scale bottlers rely on automated equipment operating at high speeds over prolonged periods of intense use. Equipment accuracy and consistency are essential to maintain standards. Products that are not correctly filled, capped or labelled may have to be removed from the line and reprocessed, driving down efficiency and productivity and raising expenses. A challenging application came from a leading manufacturer of labelling equipment who offers high-speed shrink sleeve label applicators designed to process 800 bottles per minute. The company had used standard retroreflective sensors to detect bottles on the line and trigger a label sleeve to drop down. These sensors did not perform reliably at high speeds....
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FORD Motor Company visit RET

- Company News
Published on 12/09/2013, 11:09
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On the 12th of September 2013 RET Controls held an open day for FORD Motor Company. The guests from FORD were broken up into small groups and taken through RET's demonstration room.  Here they were given the opportunity to see RET's full product line in action.If you or your company would like to attend one of RET's open days please do not hesitate to contact us.
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RET Automation House
130 Boeing Road East, Bedfordview,
South Africa, 2007.

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RET Automation Controls

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RET Automation Controls provides market leading solutions to the factory automation and process automation markets in Southern Africa.  Over the last 30 years RET Automation Controls has been privileged to be able to develop relationships with global leaders in the automation industry, creating a portfolio of complementary products to enable the establishment and maintenance of mutually beneficial long term customer relationships.RET Automation Controls has always ensured that it is supplying products for which it can be proud of and which enhance RET’s reputation as a supplier of high quality innovative products and solutions.

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