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Market for industrial valves to reach $56bn in 2012
Over the next five years, demand for industrial valves in China will approach that of the US according to the McIlvaine Company
Surging demand for valves and actuators
Rising demand from diverse process industries supports steady growth in global valves and actuators market
Sensor market is forecast to grow
Frost & Sullivan predicts the market for sensors will grow, largely due to the development of sensors with greater functionality
Adopting a holistic approach to safety
Didier Turcinovic, founder and President of the Safety Users Group, explains the importance of a holistic approach to safety management
A lifecycle approach to security management
Karl Williams outlines how a novel lifecycle approach to security management is setting a new process industry standard
Wireless plant and the process environment
Hartmut Wallraf, Chief Technology Officer with Invensys Process Systems Europe, Middle East and Africa, outlines where the technology is now and what the future holds for it
Safety switch uses RFID technology

With its EN 954-1 Category 4 certification, it is particularly suitable for high-hazard environments. Features offered by the T 4000 include a long switching distances (15mm maximum), up to four RFID (radio frequency identification) sensors can be connected to a single evaluation unit, and high immunity to impacts and vibrations.
Applications include the protection of access doors to robot cells, or for protective barriers alongside production and assembly lines – such as in the automotive industry. Movable covers on machines, such as protective hoods, can also be monitored to prevent unsafe access.
The reading head of the T 4000 multi is mounted to the fixed part of a guard assembly and connected to the evaluation unit by a cable that is available in two versions for the simultaneous connection of two or four sensors.
The reading head uses induction to generate the energy required for the transmission of the transponder code.
The actuator (transponder) is mounted on the moveable part of the assembly, such as an access door, so it is a safe switching distance from the reading head during machine operation.
The sensor’s large response range offsets tolerances between the door and the protective barrier – thereby reliably preventing false alarms.

For more information, visit www.sick.de