Electrical automation solutions. Motion in your power. In today's industrial landscape, electric drive technology plays a crucial role in many manufacturing and logistics processes. In recognition of this, SMC offers a comprehensive portfolio of highly adaptable electric drive components, perfect for various motions and applications. Whether it's linear motion, rotating, gripping, or stopping, our electric actuators and drives fulfil all your requirements with precision and versatility. Picture a world where every move is enhanced by electrical solutions. Are you curious about a custom electric solution tailored just for you? SMC's state-of-the-art electric actuators are synonymous for flexibility – they don’t just operate, but also transform to meet your specific needs. Take advantage of the adaptability of our electrical solutions that put you in control and where the system adjusts to your specific instructions. Advantages of SMC’s electric drive technology Our range of electric solutions features battery-less actuators with absolute encoders, eliminating the need for regular maintenance and ensuring continuous precision operation. Our motorless actuators boast a streamlined, efficient design - perfect for situations where space and energy savings are crucial. Paired with STO-enabled controllers for an extra layer of safety, our solutions go beyond adaptability – they are smartly engineered for the future. The broad array of mechanics and controllers, coupled with their unrivalled flexibility, allows us to confidently proclaim that SMC’s electric actuator solutions offer you many advantages: Perform any movement, anywhere, in any way you want – A world of motion at your disposal Control it as suits you best – Digital I/Os, IO-Link, and communication protocols such as PROFINET, EtherCAT®, and EtherNet/IP™ Make the safety of your machine better – Safe Torque Off sub-function with SIL 3, SIL CL and PL e certifications Smart up your factory – SMC electric solutions are Industry 4.0-friendly. Step into the future of motion control with SMC, where your power to move is limitless.

SMC customers can feel the full force of its electric actuator range thanks to ongoing investment in its product portfolio that now delivers total movement and control for any application. SMC has stepped up a gear to give its customers freedom of movement and control with its wide range of electric actuators and controllers that now offer a total solution and greater adaptability across a variety of applications. Workpieces can be moved in any direction and at a variety of speeds and loads thanks to the full range of mechanics and controllers available from SMC. “At SMC we work closely with our customers and respond to their needs.  Today, we offer a complete series of mechanics and controllers so our customers have the freedom of choice to move workpieces in any which way they need.  Importantly, they don’t have to adapt to our products; our products are designed to adapt to their needs,” said a spokesperson from SMC. SMC’s series of mechanics have been developed for environmental resistance, and include basic designs to those that are built to cope with specialist conditions, such as, clean room specifications, dust-tight/water-jet-proof or secondary battery compatible. Further flexibility is achieved with the introduction of SMC’s LE motorless, which is ideal for operators who require the mechanics but prefer to use their own motors.  Alternatively, operators can opt for a pre-configured and fully-equipped solution that, with just one part number, gives them a complete package featuring all the essential components from mechanics and control to wiring. Handing total control to customers, SMC has also developed a range of controllers to complement the mechanics on offer.  The portfolio offers digital I/O commanded controllers, whereby operators can achieve direct parametrization at the controller, and the choice of DC servo/step, with programless or step by step programming, or AC servo motors. Taking its controllers to the next level to give additional direct network connectivity to a range of protocols, including the key players EtherNet/IP™, PROFINET and ETHERCAT, SMC has introduced the JXC*1 and JXC*3 fieldbus command controllers. Whilst the JXC*1 controls one actuator, the JXC*3 can control up to four devices and allows for synchronization or arc/linear interpolation. The JXC*3 offers two models – one commanded by parallel digital I/O and the other commanded by Fieldbus technology and compatible with EtherNet/IP™. This combined advanced functionality and remote control and diagnosis, means that SMC’s electric actuators are the ideal partners for the Industry 4.0 scenario, helping customers to deliver the smart factory concept.  “There is no doubt that, for those who are moving towards Industry 4.0, SMC offers the smart solutions for smart factories.  We work in partnership with our customers and our electric actuator and controller range has been developed to meet their requirements and give them the freedom of movement and control they require.” concluded SMC spokesperson. To find out more about SMC’s electric actuator and controller range visit www.smc.eu.

The new Impact Blow Gun (IBG) from SMC is the most energy efficient on the market, using up to 87% less air than any other standard blowing gun. SMC is set to ‘clean up’ the blow gun market thanks to the launch of its IBG, which blows with a much shorter and stronger air pulse than existing commercial blow guns. Production in process industries with particle generation or refrigerated processes, and where noise is not an issue, such as forestry, machining and heavy industry, is optimised thanks to IBG’s performance, which is as much as 97% quicker to use than the competition. Significant energy savings are also achieved due to the small amount of air required to create a fast and stable, high pressure air blow, that will effectively clean away metal chips, dirt and water droplets. Also thanks to its built-in air tank, the IBG achieves a peak pressure that is three times greater than SMC’s previous VMG.     A spokesperson from SMC said: “We are always seeking ways to help our customers achieve greater productivity and energy efficiencies and the IBG is a fine example of our design innovation. The dirt particles generated by many industrial processes affect machinery performance and impacts productivity as stoppages are needed to clean affected components. For our customers this is a huge, time consuming and costly process. Our IBG resolves these problems by significantly reducing cleaning operation time and speeding up production.” The IBG offers flexibility as its peak pressure can be regulated with five different levels available, to meet the needs of various processes within a plant. For more information about the IBG, please visit SMC’s New Product Section at www.smc.eu

SMC’s CO2 emission-reducing initiatives. Production process and product performance improvements with a focus on the environment Over the past several years, SMC has continued to take on its social responsibility to seriously promote and support sustainability in order to minimize negative impacts to the environment. SMC is always looking to develop newer and greener solutions with CO2 reduction as a top priority as a leader in the field of pneumatics. One of the key components of our comprehensive approach is the designing of compact and lightweight products. Smaller, lighter products require less raw materials to make and less time to process. In addition, the products themselves use less energy. All of these efforts contribute to reduced CO2 emissions. SMC’s fully integrated technical, production, and sales departments are able to respond to the needs of our customers from around the world with a shared goal of finding new methods to effectively protect the environment.  

Industry Solutions. What are the similarities between a car and a bar of chocolate?. None at all, and their production process even less. So that is why we've got teams of experts around the world specialized in the characteristics of each industry: in their laws, regulations, standards or specific technology requirements. We are concerned about the specifics of your production process.

Static electricity is an invisible but costly problem for manufacturers that can cause both production issues and lower quality products. This issue can only get worse as winter sets in and temperatures plummet, warns SMC. However, the company is offering customers a cure for the winter blues with a series of ionizers to neutralise the build-up of static.   Cold air holds less water vapour, which means the atmosphere is less conductive and encourages static electrical conditions.  In response, SMC has developed a full suite of ionizers that not only offer antistatic solutions, but are also suitable for dust removal and dust collection leading to reduced production costs, improved performance, increased efficiency and improved safety.  A spokesperson from SMC said: “Poor static control is still an issue for many operators who lose out financially due to high levels of rejection rates, poor product quality and unreliable processes.  Cooler winter conditions can make this problem worse, and we’d encourage customers to take preventative action now. “Our ionizers offer simple solutions that deliver effective static control for numerous applications.  “Thanks to SMC’s global reach, our clients benefit from complete and specialist solutions, so they can concentrate on more pressing production needs.”  SMC’s antistatic products include the bar type IZS that remove electrostatic from both flat and remote surfaces.  Available in three different models, the IZS40 is very simple to use with an ON/OFF only power function.  The IZS41 has a feedback sensor that features both an energy saving and continuous neutralisation run mode.  The Dual AC type IZS42, has reduced potential amplitude of 25 V or less.  It’s easy to adjust and reduces maintenance time thanks to an auto balance sensor that is built-in as standard.  For those seeking a handheld fan type ionizer, the IZF is designed to operate without the need for compressed air supply. The IZF21/31 has an ion balance of ±5 V and an optional adjustable louver to change the static neutralisation area.  It’s highly functional, with the option for automatic cleaning and flow rate adjustment.  A filter can be added to prevent foreign matter from entering the motor that helps avoid a short-circuit occurring between emitters.  A quiet alternative is the IZF10, which includes a low noise model of just 48 dB(A) and an electrode needle contamination detector. Operators working in confined spaces or on small pieces can opt for the IZN nozzle type that removes both electrostatic and dust.  There are various nozzles to choose from for different applications, ranging from standard to high flow. Finally, SMC also offers a fully integrated solution that allows operators to box up their dust and static issues.  The ZVB Box manages static neutralisation, dust removal and dust collection in a single box by using nozzle type ionizers.  Other outstanding features include emitters that are easy to remove, replace and clean and an optional photoelectric sensor reflecting plate for automatic workpiece detection. SMC is the world leading expert in pneumatics and offers over 12,000 basic products with over 700,000 variations. The company has a diverse customer base covering all automation industries. For more information, please visit www.smc.eu

Pneumatic cylinders: drive energy efficiency by switching to 4 bar operating pressure. Climate change, sustainability and energy efficiency have never been so high on the political agenda. The UN’s recent Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK brought the world’s political leaders, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), businesses and scientists together with the aim of accelerating action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The question for those of us at the industrial machinery level, is how can we contribute? Today, I see a new generation of engineers keen on influencing the industrial world in a positive way, creating machines that attain new levels of energy efficiency to help protect the Earth for future generations.   By Séamus Dunne, Actuator Section Technical Manager, SMC European Technical Centre JANUARY 2022 By designing industrial machinery and systems for an operating pressure of 4 bar, rather than 7 bar, end users can cut their energy consumption by up to 29%. With such an enormous environmental benefit on offer, the question is how to turn this idea into reality? SMC’s Industry Projects Manager for Europe, Andy Still, has extensive experience in this area. Check out his article on energy efficiency: ‘Release the pressure’. Here at SMC, thinking about our energy-saving products, we offer both ISO and non-ISO cylinders; each has its own attributes and advantages. ISO cylinders prove beneficial in a variety of different applications which, in addition to their consistency in dimensions (regardless of pneumatic supplier), is why they remain popular for industrial machinery projects around the world. However, if you really want to push energy efficiency to new levels, I’d suggest that non-ISO solutions are the product of choice. Our engineers in Japan are always looking to design more efficient alternatives in order to drive down energy consumption and help OEMs create more sustainable solutions. We believe that more compact and lighter is the way forward for those seeking ultra-efficient solutions. Less material means lighter machines and lower shipping costs. Smaller products ultimately lead to smaller machine footprints. More machine lines can be installed into factories increasing productivity. And, although I can’t state that lighter and smaller always translates into less air consumption, fitting such components to moving parts of the machine can translate into less energy consumption. To give you an idea of the difference between ISO and non-ISO, here’s one example: compared with the SMC C96-C ISO cylinder (50 mm bore, 100 mm stroke), the length of our new JMB series demonstrates an 18% length reduction, while width is 9% less and weight is 39% lighter. Notably, it is possible to deliver air consumption savings through the use of intermediate bore sizes. For instance, to move a workpiece with a weight of 37 kg, a cylinder with a bore diameter of 43 mm or more is required (if operating at 5 bar pressure). Previously, a conventional 50 mm diameter bore would have been the closest option since the next smallest size, 40 mm, has insufficient output. However, with the newly released JMB cylinder in 45 mm diameter bore, sufficient output is available while also saving air due to a 0.4 L (ANR) reduction in air consumption compared with the 50 mm variant. SMC´s JMB Series – Offers intermediate bores Customers frequently tell me they want more compact cylinders that still offer optimal performance while also reducing energy requirements. Unfortunately, achieving these optimisations and the high levels of energy consumption savings that the climate crisis demands, is extremely difficult within the constraints of ISO 15552. Although we of course continue supporting customers with an extensive range of ISO cylinders and options, we’re advancing the development of other cylinder ranges - such as our JMB series - to satisfy market demand for more compact and energy-efficient products. We are at a time of critical decision-making for the entire planet. Let’s make the right choices. Additional graphical data Air consumption can be reduced by optimal size selection EXAMPLE In order to move a workpiece with a weight of 37 kg, a bore size of Ø 43 or more is required. Previously, a Ø 50 bore size would have been the closest option since the next smallest size, the Ø 40, has insufficient output. However, with the newly released bore size of Ø 45, sufficient output can be obtained while also saving air due to a 0.4 L (ANR) reduction in air consumption compared with the Ø 50.   ∗ Conditions/Supply pressure: 0.5 MPa, Load factor: 50 % Current bore size output NOTE 1 - Supply pressure: 0.5 MPa, Load factor: 50 % When the intermediary bore size of Ø 45 is used NOTE 1 - Supply pressure: 0.5 MPa, Load factor: 50 % AIR CONSUMPTION - Ø 50: 2.2 L (ANR) − Ø 45: 1.8 L (ANR) = 0.4 L (ANR) 18 % reduction Air cylinder and ISO 15552 Cylinder dimension & weight comparison Compared at ø63-200 mm stroke  For CO2 emissions reductions of our ISO cylinders versus their Non ISO alternatives, please check the Sustainable Management of CO2 catalogue here.

The MACM is a new centring unit from SMC that helps to align and position heavy workpieces on the move, so manufacturers can install and operate more compact conveyor lines. Manufacturers seeking solutions to help save space and energy need look no further than SMC’s latest centring unit. The MACM helps to align and position workpieces up to 1,000 kg on conveyor lines, so smaller cylinders can be used. Further advantages of the MACM are achieved by its flexibility, as it can move in any direction and rotate transferrable workpieces 360°, while maintaining ±1 or less centring accuracy. A spokesperson from SMC, the world’s leading expert in pneumatics, said: “Space and energy usage are key challenges for manufacturers and the MACM has been designed to help our customers achieve savings in these areas and operate more compact and efficient conveyor lines.” Other features of the MACM include a built-in air locking mechanism and the option of mounting an external photo sensor to offer greater control during the process. Further usage benefits are achieved with the choice of three table materials and a table centre movable range up to Ø100 mm, which makes the MACM ideal for general automation and material handling plants.

SMC – LEADING EXPERTS WITH A PASSION FOR INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION. SMC is pursuing worldwide customer satisfaction supporting automation through the most advanced technologies. Founded in April 1959 in Tokyo, Japan, SMC Corporation today employs over 23,000 talented employees in over 80 countries worldwide. The SMC Group entered the pneumatics market back in 1959 and, since then, we have evolved, together with our customers’ requirements, to build a comprehensive automated control equipment portfolio. 12,000 basic models with over 700,000 variations, designed to provide you with greater competitiveness. Although listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange since 1989, our most important asset resides in our strong technical expertise. Five technical centres, 2 of them located in Europe (UK & Germany) staffed with 1,700 dedicated engineers, vouch for our technical drive. Technical support that translates into the development of ad-hoc solutions to help tackle your challenges. Customer satisfaction is at the heart of our mission; constant communication with our market is the mechanism. 7,900 sales engineers comprise a highly trained sales team that supports and strives to find the best to solution for you.

ZK2-A Series. The all-in-one silent energy saving solution. If you need to generate vacuum, why not do it while consuming significantly less air at the same time? ZK2-A is an all-in-one solution that incorporates: a supply valve, a release valve, a vacuum switch, a vacuum break flow adjustment needle, a suction filter and a silencer. Thus it provides you with immediate savings in installation and maintenance expenditure. Furthermore, ZK2-A is an energy saving solution that promotes efficient air consumption thanks to a 2-stage ejector which, in principle, increases air suction by 50% while reducing the air consumption by 30%. The consumption can be reduced a further 90% when choosing the digital pressure switch with energy saving function, which allows intermittent energising; i.e. the vacuum unit only gets activated when vacuum level falls below the desired value. In summary, with ZK2-A Series you will: Achieve efficiency – Ejector, pump and manifold system in a single unit Lower your air consumption – Energy saving digital vacuum switch and a 2-stage ejector Get compactness and lightness – Ideal solution for moving tools Make your work place quieter – High-noise reduction silencer.