TECHNOLOGY PREVIEW -
Press brake foot pedals go wireless. For decades now, press brakes have been operated through foot pedals that are hardwired to the machine controls cabinet. While this is the standard method for a safe and reliable connection, foot pedal cables running across the floor tend to get in the way of machine operators, create potential tripping hazards and can make it difficult to move the pedal to a comfortable working position. All this is about to change with a ground-breaking wireless safety communications technology that enables press brake manufacturers to easily incorporate wireless functionality into their existing foot pedals. The new wireless safety communications technology employs a unique SIL3 communications process that provides remote input and output connections between a remote wireless device and the machine. Wireless foot pedals have several advantages over their wired counterparts in terms of improved ergonomics, reduced operator fatigue, eliminating down-time caused by damaged cables and removing tripping hazards for a safer work environment.
Flexibility to incorporate additional functions Wireless remote hardware is incorporated into the design of the foot pedal pendant and contains physical inputs for the foot pedal contacts. The wireless pedal is paired with a module on the press brake that is interfaced with the machine safety controller that processes the incoming foot pedal signals. The addition of remote wireless inputs in the foot pedal now gives press brake manufacturers the flexibility to incorporate additional functions to wireless foot pedal stations. While most wired pedals will include the same base functions such as the down and up pedal switches,
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manufacturers are now incorporating other wireless controls including buttons for upper and lower tool clamping, an illuminated emergency stop button, machine reset, machine start and stop, plus more.
Extremely low power consumption A major breakthrough of the new wireless technology is its extremely low power consumption. The method in which the data is transmitted is one of the keys in significantly reducing power consumption and thus eliminating the need for a large battery and frequent recharging. In addition to the energy efficient design, an indoor solar cell is incorporated into the foot pedal pendant that uses ambient light to constantly charge and extend the life of the battery, providing up to 50% of the energy requirements.
Up to two months use from a single charge A single charge can power a wireless foot pedal for up to two months. Of course, press brake manufacturers can opt for larger capacity batteries to extend the time between manual recharges. When the foot pedal does need to be manually recharged, a USB charging port on the foot pedal pendant makes it relatively simple to plug the pedal into a charging port on
the machine or through a standard USB charger. The foot pedal can also be connected to the press brake via a quick connect cable for normal wired operation if necessary.
E-Paper display Also incorporated into the wireless pedal pendant is a 25mm x 65mm E-Paper display. This active display presents a range of useful information for the machine operator including the maximum wireless range and current distance from the machine, connection status, battery level, emergency stop status as well as the status of any optional auxiliary functions. Again, in keeping with the low-power design, the E-Paper display consumes very little energy, putting almost no additional load on the power system.
Support for multiple wireless pedals Foot pedals are paired with the machine module and press brakes can support multiple wireless pedals when two operators are required to handle the material during bending. Two foot pedals can be easily connected to a single machine and the number of active pedals is selected via the CNC. The pedal station number and active status are updated in real-time and displayed to the machine operator via the integrated E-Paper display. PRESS BRAKE BUYER’S GUIDE
