Weidmüller FreeCon Contactless in cleanrooms

Weidmüller FreeCon Contactless: The contactless, maintenance-free power transfer can be advantageously used in cleanroom applications.

Weidmüller FreeCon Contactless: Contactless, maintenance-free power transfer up to 240 watts. Minimal transmission losses enable an efficiency of up to 90 percent.

Weidmüller FreeCon Contactless: High flexibility through various proximity options, with the secondary side able to be approached from any direction towards the primary side. As soon as both modules face each other, the connection is established.

Weidmüller FreeCon Contactless in Cleanrooms: Contactless, maintenance-free power transfer up to 240 Watts. – Minimal transmission losses ensure an efficiency of up to 90 percent. – FreeCon Contactless can be directly switched via PLC control.

FreeCon Contactless from Weidmüller is designed as contactless, maintenance-free power transfer, developed for broad applications in industrial environments. Medical technology, food and electrical industries, aerospace, optics/laser or nanotechnology, and pharmaceuticals are also ideal fields for this innovative system. Because FreeCon Contactless transmits power of 240 watts – 24 volts DC / 10 amperes – contactlessly across an air gap of up to 5 millimeters via inductive resonance coupling, with an efficiency of up to 90 percent.

Power transfer in industrial automation typically occurs with connectors. In this conventional solution, burnt, bent, or contaminated contacts often lead to costly and time-consuming production downtimes. This is especially true for applications requiring frequent plug cycles or where special challenges are posed to products or processes, such as in medical technology, food and electrical industries, or in radioactive environments. Cleanroom applications demand the highest standards: the utmost cleanliness of products and processes and the prevention of contamination are crucial factors. Applications should be as completely sealed as possible to keep the entry and concentration of airborne particles very low.

However, connectors in cleanroom applications always introduce particle contamination. An elegant, efficient, and technically mature solution is offered by FreeCon Contactless: The contactless power transfer based on inductive resonance coupling allows wear-free connections that can even pass through a glass wall. This technology can be used almost anywhere, including in solid and liquid materials, but for physical reasons, it does not penetrate metal. In cleanrooms, contactless power transfer via FreeCon Contactless works flawlessly, ensuring the electrical supply of sensors and actuators at all times.

Currently, FreeCon Contactless is the only system on the market that can be directly switched via PLC control without needing an additional relay. The maintenance-free power transfer is very compact, measuring 100 mm in width, 100 mm in length, and 47 mm in height. With a power of 240 watts, it is the smallest device available on the market today. Built to high protection class IP 65, FreeCon Contactless also offers flexible mounting options such as direct mounting or mounting with brackets. FreeCon Contactless operates wear- and maintenance-free, thus increasing system availability, reducing service interventions, and minimizing maintenance costs. Thanks to contactless transfer via inductive resonance coupling, the system offers high flexibility and arbitrary approach options. Unlike connectors, the secondary side can be approached from any direction towards the primary side and can also rotate. Precise coupling of the system is achieved through accurate position control, called “predictive pairing.” An automatic connection can be made directly via PLC control.

Compared to similar solutions on the market, Weidmüller achieves twice the power density and significantly higher efficiency with FreeCon Contactless. An innovative thermal management and high efficiency enable the particularly high power output. In FreeCon Contactless, a magnetic field is generated on the primary side via a coil. The receiver also consists of a coil, in which a voltage is induced by the magnetic field. As soon as an electrical load is connected to the coil, current flows – and electrical power is transferred.