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I’m currently looking for a timed delay relay for our bottling line. We’re looking to find a timed delay relay for when a “no good” signal is read by one of our tools on our cameras to send the signal at a delay so that our solenoid will trigger our rejection station into our rejection basket. Currently without the relay, the solenoid is just firing right away when the signal is read. Is there anyone who has a similar setup or experience with timed delay relays that would refer a specific one for our setup and has experience? We’re looking for a relay with a delay of seconds and under.
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You will have to narrow it down by your operating voltage, termination style, and the length of the delay.
Remember to check the datasheet to help verify compatibility to your application.
Have you considered using a small PLC or a smart relay for the task?
I would not recommend a delay for this application as time is unlikely to be a constant. For example, the conveyer may have different speeds for startup, hot vs cold days, and variability with the number of products on the line at any given time.
Instead of a simple time delay, you may benefit by adding a sensor in close proximity to your rejection solenoid. With this solution the solenoid would activate when the reject product is present.
The trick is to include intelligence that receives the defective signal and then waits for the product to be detected by the new sensor. There is likely a N product physical distance between the defect sensor and the reject solenoid. Consequently, your logic may need to count the N products before activating the solenoid.
Specific recommendations:
If you already have a PLC on the production line, you may be able to incorporate this functionality with little additional effort.
If the PLC is absent, locked with proprietary code, or other otherwise inaccessible, use a small PLC or programmable relay.
As a starting point, you may want to consider one of these small PLCs and smart relays. You will need to program the device. IMO, if you can physically connect the relay into the larger system, you should have no problem with the program. As an example, consider Crouzet Soft. This is marketed as the easiest-to-use automation software.
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