Balluff IO-Link sensor/actuator hub with expansion

IO-Link actuator/sensor hubs from Balluff feature eight ports for 16 I/Os. They allow, for example, signals from up to 16 switching sensors to be collected from a distance of up to 20 m so that they can be made available to the machine controller via IO-Link and an IO-Link master using a simple 3-conductor cable. Versions are also available with an expansion port.

Slot 7 can be reconfigured as an expansion port by means of a simple parameter entry, so that a complete valve plug or an additional sensor hub can be connected to it. For the user this means a significant gain in flexibility and efficiency. Now it is possible not only to cost-effectively process additional I/Os, but also expand the range to a circle of another 20 m. Due to plug-and-play and the use of unshielded standard cables, the system can be started up quickly.