LC Automation Latest News
Welcome to the LC Automation News Page with all the latest offers, new products, case studies and industry news from our suppliers.

Join The Automation Revolution...
LC Automation is thrilled to announce our upcoming event, Automation Revolution - Building Partnerships For Industrial Automation Success. We have brought 10 of our leading suppliers together, to showcase their innovations and explore how we can bring their products together to revolutionise Industrial Automation.

Efficient and Reliable Networking: The Benefits of Lutze Ethernet Connectivity for LOCC Box and LCOS Series
One universal base that covers the protocols of Ethernet IP, EtherCat and Profinet. What more could you want?

Switch to Simple With Klippon Relay D-Series
Relay modules specifically designed for universal usage in a wide range of industrial applications. With innovative functions and available in a particularly large number of variants, the relays are available in a wide range of designs for the most diverse applications.

We Won't Keep You In The Dark Any Longer - Patlite Is Our Latest Supply Partner!
When you're looking for a beacon, signal tower, warning lights, or audible alarm, if Patlite doesn't make it, it probably hasn't been invented... yet! That's just one reason why LC Automation is pleased to announce that Patlite has become our latest
supply partner!

Get 4 Weidmuller Tools For Just £200!
Special offer! Kick off 2023 with 4 of the best Weidmuller tools for £200. No strings. No catch. Just big savings! Interested? (of course) take a look at what's included and order your kit now! Good news... the offer has been extended!
But don't miss out, offer ends 30th March 2023!

Sick Launches Cost-Cutting Real-Time Energy Monitoring Of Compressed Air
As manufacturers face rising energy bills, Sick has launched the FTMg with Monitoring App, an Industry 4.0 solution that helps you see the data you need to reduce energy consumption through better control of compressed air.

Sick's FTMg 4-in-1 Flow Meter Promises To Give You Big
Energy Savings
Sick's innovative new FTMg thermal flow meter simultaneously measures gas flow, pressure and temperature then computes the combined values to detect leaks in pneumatic systems and monitor compressed air energy consumption in real time.

From Dusty to Durable: Choose the Right Outdoor Enclosure for Your Aggregates Industry
Control and automation equipment are everywhere, even if you don’t see it. Where that control and automation equipment needs to be outside, you need to use an outdoor enclosure that will suit the industry or application you work in.

Lutze's New IP 69K Fitting Bush - The Panelcon
As automation and digitalisation become more prevalent, secure access to machines for maintenance, service, and updates is becoming increasingly important. To meet this need, Lutze Panelcon panel connectors with hinged lids are the perfect solution. In this article, we'll discuss why these panel connectors are ideal for providing safe machine access.

Topping The Pizza The Right Way: FoodJet Uses Non-Contact Measurement For Its High-End Pouring Machine
Applying the right amount of tomato sauce or a perfect rim of jam on a cookie - this is a job for FoodJet, the specialist for precision pouring. Together with Sick and the SPEETEC 1D non-contact laser surface motion sensor, FoodJet is offering precision dosing and filling of foodstuffs, setting new standard for its customers.

Sick Label Checker Quality Control System Checks For The Presence Of Use-By-Date
Quality control is becoming ever more important. In the food industry, guaranteeing use-by-dates in particular, is of the upmost importance to manufacturers - as demonstrated time and time again by media reports on social food scandals.

Making Sure The Length Is Right: Contact Free Measurement Of Textile Webs
Producing standardised soiling on a wide variety of textiles and at the highest standard – this is the process the company Swissatest Testmaterialien AG has mastered.

Introducing Red Lion N-Tron Series NT5000 Gigabit Managed Switches
N-Tron series NT5000 gigabit managed switches provide ease of use, reliability, & security features to maximise operating performance & system uptime.

Lutze LOCC-Box-M In A Mini Format For Universal Current Control
Lutze has added the single-channel LOCC-Box-M to the successful and long-standing electronic LOCC-Box current control family.

Modern Conveyor Systems For Steadily Growing Online Business!
Conveyor systems that use DC motor rollers should ideally include protection circuitry close to the rollers. The decentralised technology used here allows monitoring and also offers other important advantages.

Don't Be Blue, Check Out The New Lutze DELTA PSU...
Lutze's latest Power Supply is the DELTA DRS Series - more economical, more efficient and more reliable!

Lutze Reaching For The Stars - Case Study
Lutze is involved in helping build a global network of robotic telescopes for professional scientific research and research-based education. Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) Network is a private operating foundation headquartered in Goleta.

Pilz PNOZ - The Optimum Safety Solution For Each Requirement
The safety relays PNOZ monitor safety functions such as emergency stop, safety gates, light barriers, light curtains, two-hand controls, speed, standstill and much more besides. Everyday, PNOZ safety relays prove themselves in millions of applications worldwide

Reaping The Benefits Of Secure Connectivity
Control systems integrator reaps the benefits of secure connectivity for remote maintenance and support with Tosibox.

Glaston Is Developing Its Services With The Help Of Tosibox
Before, a new machine being commissioned required a remote connection to support Glaston’s installation. Now, a remote desktop enables support.

Sensor Bolts-On For Continuous Condition Monitoring
Sick has announced the launch of its MPB10 Multi-Physics Box condition monitoring sensor, a rugged bolt-on device designed to deliver real-time, continuous service data from industrial machines, including electric motors, pumps, fans and conveyor systems, even in the harshest industry environments.

Making Productivity Sustainable With Pharma 4.0
With Mitsubishi Electric having written a white paper looking at robotics in the pharmaceutical sector, Solutions Manager David Bean highlights how industrial automation can improve the environmental footprint of pharmaceutical manufacturing activities.

The Worlds Best Selling Compact PLC -The Mitsubishi iQ-F FX5U
Designed to improve output and reduce costs, the Mitsubishi iQ-F series
just got better.

The VX25 Put To The Test
The maiden flight is a make-or-break moment in the aviation industry. Whenever technology is put through its paces for the first time, it’s about the nitty-gritty. It’s about the facts and nothing but the facts. Will the technology deliver what it promises? There’s no room for hot air here.

Integrated Or Separate?
Safety controllers are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to relay modules, even on smaller machinery. The designer can opt for one of two concepts: some designers favour integration of safety into the automation PLC, but a separate (small) safety controller offers clear benefits.

Crash Tests In The Bakery
Schmersal hygienically enclosed safety light curtains undergo testing at German baked goods manufacturer Coppenrath & Wiese.

AuCom Case Study: Tajik Aluminium Ball Mill
On-site training from AuCom assists in successful commissioning for MVS starter and has empowered site engineers to get a good understanding of the MVS starter.

AuCom CSXi: Passing the Toyota Test
Vehicles manufactured by Toyota go through many tests before going to market, and the AuCom CSXi has passed the test, with many units already installed.

Schmersal Safety Light Curtain Bluetooth App!
The Schmersal Safety Light Curtains are now Available with Bluetooth App 'SLC Assist' for iOS or Andriod smartphones or tablets!

Rittal Outdoor Enclosures Webcast - Which Solution Is Right For Your Environment?
Emma Ryde - Product Manager at Rittal, discusses how when deciding on the most suitable outdoor solution for your project or network, it’s crucial that the correct enclosure is selected for the environment.

Lutze Ethernet Hybrid Cables For New Siemens and Bosch Rexroth Servomotor Systems
The new Lutze Superflex one cable solutions with an integrated Ethernet element, are suitable for power supply, data transfer and controlling brakes in servo drives - they also comply with the new Siemens and Bosch Rexroth standards.

Lutze Servo Cables for Siemen and Bosch Rexroth - Plus A Short Lead Time!
The Lutze servo cables for the highest requirements with a temperature range of up to 90°C and offering many highlights for your applications.

Safety And Security Go Hand In Hand!
While engineering and industry are well positioned when it comes to safety, they are sorely lacking with regard to security. Security is no longer one of those topics that should perhaps be dealt with when one’s schedule allows. Instead, it is currently possibly the most important and urgent topic in engineering, or even in industry, as the experts at Pilz emphasise.

Lutze Product Of The Month!
Lutze have named their E-CO Switches with intelligent energy management their product of the month for November 2022!

Pilz Custom-Fit Safety For Prototypes!
Safety relay myPNOZ as a tailor-made, just-in-time solution on an inline measurement station. It offers the right functionality for the safety concept on the inline measurement station, but also has another convincing feature: myPNOZ was delivered pre-configured and ready to install, so no programming work needed for commissioning.

UK Manufacturers Say Digital Spending Is Raising Productivity
Almost 80% of UK manufacturers have increased their spending on digital technologies in the past two years, with a similar number planning to do so in the coming two, according to a new survey by the manufacturers' association Make UK and the enterprise software specialist Info.

Schmersals PSC1 Programmable Safety Controllers Are the Latest Safety Controller - And They're On A Short Lead Time!
The latest generation of Safety Controllers - Programmable, Modular, Multifunctional and Cost-Saving! The Protect PSC1 is compact, modular and very flexible. It offers further properties, which were previously unavailable in this combination.

Pilz myPNOZ - New Award Winning Modular Safety Relay
The new modular safety relay myPNOZ is produced individually according to your requirements in batch size, with no minimum order quantity. An easy-to-use device that’s flexible in application and boasts clever features, it ensures reliable monitoring of your safety functions, purposely designed for your system.

The World's Only IP69K Network-Enabled Gate Box from IDEM
IDEM UGB-NET is an access gate box which combines solenoid locking, RFID coded sensor and integrated machine control funcions in a robust heavy duty housing.

IDEM HS-SS-Z: Hinge Safety Switch - designed to mount for interlock position sensing of hinged moving guards.
IDEM’s HS-SS-Z and HSM-Z Intelligent Series Hinge Switches have been developed to provide and maintain a high level of functional safety.

IDEM Safety Switches Ltd. wins The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: International Trade 2022
IDEM have been awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise 2022! At LC Automation, we know it's important to celebrate our own acheivements but also our key suppliers' - Congratulations IDEM!

Keep Your Employees Safe with Robust RFID Solenoid Locking Switch & Industrial Ethernet Connectivity
The IDEM UGB-NET (Universal Gate Box) provides high-level RFID coded guard interlocking, lock monitoring up to 3000N and machine control functions in a heavy-duty housing. Where you are looking for a networked solution, the UGB-NET boasts integrated safe industrial ethernet capabilities via PROFINET with PROFISafe or Ethernet/IP with CIP Safety.

Sick Speetec - Industry Specific Examples
Wondering how the Sick Speetec can fit into your operation? You're in the right place, this article has industry specific examples of where the technology thrives.

Old Kit Is More Of A Hindrance Than Brexit, Say UK Firms
More UK manufacturers believe that their continuing reliance on ageing technologies is having a bigger negative effect on their businesses than Brexit, according to a survey of more than 400 manufacturing executives in the UK and US.

IDEM TouchSafe Two-Hand Control Stations - Keeping Your Operatives safe!
The TouchSafe stations are inteded for use as part of a Two-Hand control system for powered machinery. The Two-hand control station is permanently situated a specified distance away from the hazard snd confirms the operators position such that the machine function will stop before the operator could reach the hazard!

LOCC-Box...NEW Technology With the 2022 Upgrade!
New LOCC-Box Generation For Electronic Circuit Protection.

Looking for Finder Relay or Interface Modules? We Have Them In Stock Now!
Don't miss out on the Relays and Interface Modules you need; LC Automation have them in stock and available for next day delivery!

A Head of Steam; Industrial Instramental Solutions For Boilers.
From the first industrial revolution to the fourth, inspirational change has been driven by a willingness to embrace the unconventional and cross-traditional industry boundaries. A partnership between Byworth Boilers and Sick Sensor Intelligence has helped fine-tune its boiler house controls to save up to 7% on consumer bills.

SICK Product Training For LC Automation - Here's a Roundup!
On the 7th October, we had a fantastic training session with one of our key supply partners, SICK sensor intelligence!

IAI Modular Controller Now Supports EtherCAT Motion Network
Driving multiple axis of motion controllers from a single PLC has never been so easy. With its modular design, your IAI RCON controller can drive up to 8 axes, over a range of fieldbus networks - now including EtherCAT Motion Networks!

Why the Future of Industrial Automation Needs TSN
There is a lot of hype about one of the most significant and transformational developments in standard Ethernet technology - Time Sensitive Networking (TSN). This is an enabling technology for industrial communications that can help to realise IT/OT convergence and lead to substantial enterprise-wide improvements.

Be in Control With the Right Robot Controller
The current trend of robot control is changing with PLC-based solutions offering different benefits and opportunities over the traditional dedicated robot controllers. So what needs to be considered when selecting the right solution for the application?

Weidmüller Wins the German Innovation Award for its SNAP IN Connection Technology
Weidmüller developed SNAP In technology so engineers didn't need to waste time crimping cables and using screw-in terminal blocks. The new technology won over the German Design Council completely, with the independent jury subsequently awarding Weidmüller the German Innovation Award 2022 for its innovative SNAP IN connection technology.

Access Permission and Operating Mode Selection, Combined in One System!
In a language where they have a specific word for everything, surprisingly German only has one word, ‘Sicherheit’, to mean both ‘security’ and ‘safety’, whereas English clearly differentiates between the two.

Save Time and Reduce Your Fuel Costs with Secure Remote Access from Tosibox
Fuel costs are at an all-time high (and are unlikely to come down anytime soon), but if you're a machine builder that provides on-site support there is a solution. Tosibox Secure Remote Access could save you £££'s on your fuel costs by reducing the number of site visits your engineers need to make!

Join Jomo Pereira for a Virtual Tour of Our Mitsubishi Electric Robot Demonstration
Don’t worry if you missed our North West Manufacturing events in July. We couldn’t let Mitsubishi take their fantastic robot demonstration away before Jomo Pereira, one of our technical support engineers, recorded a quick virtual tour for you. Check out his video.

Look but Don’t Touch: Check Out The New Sick Speetec® Speed and Length Sensor
With the Speetec® non-contact sensor for speed and length measurement, Sick has added a compact, affordable laser surface motion sensor to its portfolio. Able to measure a wide range of continuous, web-fed or cut-to-length materials, it is perfect for industries such as packaging, digital printing, construction materials and mechanical engineering.

We Have a Big Announcement - LC Automation has become an Authorised Pilz Distributor!
OK, before we start popping the champagne, we know what you are thinking; ‘Hang on, hasn’t LC Automation been supplying Pilz products for ages?’ Well yes. You’re right, we have.

Our North West Manufacturing Directors Cut Event is Finished... so, that’s a Wrap Everyone!
On 6th July, LC Automation hosted a brand-new event; North West Manufacturing – The Directors Cut at our Blackburn Head Office and it proved to be a huge success, as you can see from some of the feedback we received...

Rittal Blue e+ Cooling Units - This Cool Successor has a Sustainable DNA
Rittal is expanding its smart cooling unit solutions by adding the new Blue e+ S range. Their latest generation of cooling units with their lower output categories of 300W, 500W, and 1 kW have been designed for efficiency, ensuring a smaller footprint and lower costs – just like their 'big brothers'. So it’s a win-win both for users and our future.

North West Manufacturing in Blackburn - 6th July 2022
Do You Want to Know if Robotics can Safely Improve Productivity in Your Manufacturing Company? You have come to the right place. LC Automation are hosting two events on the 6th of July, where Directors and Engineers can learn all about Robotics and Automation.

Free App is a Fantastic Place to Start Talking About Soft Starters
A complete motor solution should look at a.c. Inverters, Soft Starters and DOL or Star Delta options to find the best, or most cost effective solution for your specific application. But, we often find that customers who are used to working with a.c. Inverters (Variable Speed Drives), are not quite as confident when it comes to using a Soft Starter in a Fixed Speed Application. The AuCom ‘Start Here’ App can help.

We Have a Great Range of IDEM Safety Switches In Stock for Next Day Delivery!
Yes, that's right! We know that stock availability is a huge problem for many customers at the moment. That's why our purchasing team is working with key suppliers, such as IDEM, to get as many of the products you buy most often - available from stock for next day delivery.

Mitsubishi Freight Levy - Important Customer Update
You can't fail to have noticed that costs are rapidly increasing across the world - especially when it comes to fuel and transport. Due to a huge increase in their costs, Mitsubishi Electric has informed us of a new Freight Levy that they are obliged to apply to every invoice from 1st May 2022.

Futureproofing Your Operations with Cobots is Easier Than You Think
Automated shop floors where cobots work alongside operators are no longer the future, but rather the present. Collaborative solutions are already changing the way we operate and, ultimately, the industrial world we know.

Engineers; are You Still Wasting Time Crimping your Cables and Using Screw-in Terminal Blocks?
You are not alone - but do you know there is a much better way? SNAP IN Terminal Blocks from Weidmuller are an absolute game changer!

Revolutionary Control Panel Wiring System Saves Time, Saves Space and Saves Energy!
When it comes to energy efficient temperature control in your enclosures, there is one factor that is often overlooked – how you actually wire the control panel!

A Diagnostics Dream with Sick Safety Assistant App!
Sick deTec4 Series Safety Light Curtains are some of the most advanced units available in the UK, boasting a range of innovative features and time-saving benefits to make your life easier. The latest of these innovations is the integration of Near Field Communication (NFC) into the receivers, so you can now use your smartphone with the Sick App to read all the diagnostics data without a cable, software or laptop!

Red Lion Introduces NT4008 Gigabit Ethernet Switches
Red Lion introduces NT4008, a new 8-port Gigabit managed Industrial Ethernet switch series. The NT4008 series switches are certified to meet PROFINET PNIO v2.34 Conformance Class-B standards to ensure seamless integration into PROFINET networks using standard PLC configuration and management tools.
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