SICK’s newly developed flagship CSS colour sensor delivers best-in-class colour resolution and the ability to distinguish even the slightest nuances in shade. Its capability to identify subtle differences in surface structures and textures opens up wide-ranging applications in electronics components manufacture.
The SICK CSS Colour Sensor detects colours precisely, regardless of the distance from the object, at lengths of up to 500mm. This unique distance regulation capability dispenses with the need for strict guidance of the target. It therefore accommodates changing sensing distances automatically on a production line, e.g. to account for differing orientations of a product on a conveyor, and to handle varying object sizes with ease.
Live L*A*B* or RGB colour values are displayed directly on the CSS’s on-sensor full-colour display. A teach-in method enables the sensor to assess the similarity between the detected colour and expected colour in real time. Up to 15 colours can be output directly via the sensor’s four switching outputs. The SICK IO-Link CSS Colour Sensor also offers the capability to output up to 24 colours to a machine controller.
With a switching frequency of 13.8kHz, the SICK CSX High Speed sensor works at double the pace of its predecessor device, while still offering customers the option of full mounting compatibility for direct replacement. As well as typical applications such as the detection of colour marks, labels and splices, the CSX now masters new high-speed production tasks such as rapid sorting of objects according to colour.
The CSS and CSX colour sensors help to achieve higher process speeds and higher throughputs with detection repeatability in electronic components manufacture, for example to detect splices and colour marks, differentiate components, or detect poles in battery production.
The SICK CSS colour sensors can be quickly and precisely configured for the specific application using the setup assistant in SICK’s SOPAS software. The IO-Link version offers additional advantages for quick and simple commissioning, as well as rapid diagnosis, process monitoring and fine adjustment of the process set-up.
