wiredInUSA April 2019

global 2G-4G mobile technology. Elena Eberhardt, business development and marketing manager at Schildknecht AG, said: “Normal cable drums can be replaced with smart ones through the use of low-cost robust sensors with Bluetooth 5 or mobile broadband technology. And, what is more, the eSIM card with global availability makes international use easy to implement.” The smart cable drum helps to automate inventory management in the warehouse. Stock levels can be calculated by accessing information on cable stock, and the current location of the cable drum can be identified at any time. The smart drum can send its data directly to Lapp or to the company’s internal network. A further user benefit is built-in theft protection, provided through the optional GPS module.

hybrid cables are smaller and much lighter, and therefore put less strain on the C-track.

Lütze Superflex cables are designed for above-average flexural fatigue strength for long-term and fail-safe use in the C-track. A braided shield, optimized for continuous use, offers high active and passive interference resistance (EMC), and the cables will operate safely within a temperature range of –40°C to +80°C. Halogen-free, and conforming to RoHS standards, Superflex hybrid cables meet the requirements of UL approval.

Cable drum keeps in touch

Lapp has developed a smart cable drum, in cooperation with Schildknecht AG, a wireless specialist in industrial applications. “We want to assist our customers in making Industry 4.0 a reality in their company. The smart cable drum helps digitalize inventory management by using an accurate method to adjust warehouse stock to actual needs. This saves costs andwarehouse capacities,” explained Ralf Moebus, product manager industrial data communication at Lapp. Fitted with a sensor and an electronic radio transmitter, the smart drum can calculate the current cable stock and send the information to a data portal in the cloud, either via the company network or

S S Lapp’s smart cable drum

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wiredInUSA - April 2019