The new wireless LANs can put an end to cable clutter and are an interesting extension for classic cable networks. Perhaps a wireless network solution (Wireless LAN = W-LAN) is the right concept for your business. Wireless LAN products can be easily integrated into any Ethernet environment. Any network station with an Ethernet card can be connected immediately via radio, regardless of the network protocols and hardware used, as only a standardized Ethernet interface is used. No additional drivers or hardware changes are required for the external devices. The monitoring functions enable optimum positioning of the devices without great effort.

The network products we sell comply with the IEE802.11 standard and are 100% compatible with other products that comply with the IEEE 802.11 FHSS standard. The products work with each other at a data rate of up to 3Mbps. A dynamic algorithm selects the best possible data rate. The transmission quality is monitored and the data rate is adjusted individually for each station according to the prevailing conditions. With the integrated antennas, ranges of 50 – 200m can be achieved in buildings, with external antennas up to 5000m can be bridged.

We would like to show you how such technology can be usefully combined with weighing technology in the example described below:

Crampe – Brandenburger Baustahl, Brandenburg

Task
Scales are to be used at the end of the production process to determine the weight and label structural steel coils. In this case, retrofitting spoolers and roller conveyors with weighing systems is a very cost-intensive option due to the existing plant. In addition, a connection of the scales to the central computer system was planned. The batch data and weights were to be assigned to the orders at the same time as production. The coils produced were also to be marked with barcodes for electronic recognition in the warehouse.

Solution
Three crane runways are installed in the production hall to transport the coils to the storage area. We supplied suspended crane scales – with 200 m radio data transmission – for these cranes. Each crane scale is equipped with an infrared remote control to trigger the weighing process. The scales can also be zeroed or tared with this device and the order number can be entered. From the crane scales, the weighing is transmitted with the order number by radio data transmission to a central PC system, which was installed in the hall office. The data is entered and the scales are managed via the PC, to which a system printer is connected to print out the statistics.
The entire printer is controlled via a wireless LAN. For this purpose, the printers were additionally equipped with print servers and a so-called “station adapter”. The “station adapter” connects a network station – in this case the printer – to the Ethernet. The access point from the wireless LAN to the wired LAN is the so-called “Access Point”, which was connected to the network card on the PC in the hall office.
Transportable steel frames have been provided for the label printers. The label printers were equipped with a dispensing edge and a rewinder for the carrier tape. The selected print width is max. 104 mm, which is sufficient for the usual data such as batch number, diameter, serial number, date/time, weight and barcode. By using additional memory cards in the printer, neutral labels can be used, as it is also possible to print the company logo stored there as well as various quality marks.
The EDraW program we created was used for recording, processing and managing weighing data. This program has already been sold all over the world for scales in structural steel production. Coupling with the existing production planning system was carried out using our “EWP-Transfer” software module.

Benefits
The use of crane scales meant that no conversion of the plant was necessary. Expensive cabling was saved as the entire system is based on wireless data transmission. Wireless transmission has the additional advantage that the printers can be set up at the required production location without the need for fixed cabling in the production hall. There was no dependency on the operating system during installation and no special driver installation was required, which in turn simplifies future system maintenance. As the “Access Point” is designed for the connection of several port stations, further wireless network stations can be integrated at a later date without any problems.