THE SHOW | THE MICROTECHNOLOGY INFORMATION PORTAL
06.04.2026
C - Automation
A lot of effort for nothing!
Margin pressure! Swiss machine and plant manufacturers in particular are likely to be very familiar with this term. While the Swiss franc was still trading at 1.60 euros in 2012, the Alpine dollar reached parity for the first time in the summer of 2022. This was a painful development for the export-oriented industry. In order to remain competitive globally, it has since had to sell its solutions at low or no profit.
One or two such financial years may be bearable. But if this becomes a permanent situation, as is the case with the continuing strength of the Swiss franc, even solidly positioned companies will eventually reach their limits. But what can be done to remain competitive?
Image processing with complex installation costs
The answer is clear: costs must be reduced! But how? The approaches taken so far are alarmingly similar and, above all, unsustainable. Either those affected relocate their production or they put pressure on suppliers to reduce prices. But what happens when these levers have been pushed to their limits? Felix Kottmann from Murrelektronik AG in Beringen therefore favors a different approach: “A modern installation concept can be applied in all industries and immediately reduces labor and material costs.”
One area that the System Sales Engineer considers particularly well suited for this is image processing. The reason: here, the number of cameras installed is directly related to the clock rate and the required precision. If the field of view and the product features to be inspected increase, additional cameras are needed to maintain a consistent clock rate.
Anyone who has ever had to create a diagram knows what this means in practice. Each additional image processing system increases its complexity, as twelve cables from each camera go into the control cabinet. It is therefore not surprising that the corresponding drawings can quickly run to 30 pages or more. The most comprehensive circuit diagram that Felix Kottmann has come across in his career to date comprised 37 pages for 64 cameras.
Image processing as a cost trap
The effort begins with planning and documentation. But it gets really tricky for the electrician, who has to strip twelve wires for each camera and connect them in the control cabinet. In the example with 64 cameras, that means 768 terminal blocks.
The curious thing about this is that of the twelve poles that the technician connects in the control cabinet, only four wires are needed in 90 percent of all applications: plus and minus for the power supply, one wire for the trigger signal, and another wire as a feedback contact or for the encoder signal. The remaining poles are reserved for functions that are only needed in a few special cases. In some applications, only two wires are even needed for the power supply, as IP communication is handled by a switch.
“This means that at least eight wires are run through the system that are not actually needed,” explains Felix Kottmann. Unfortunately, it is not enough to simply ground them. Because other signals, such as the serial interface (RS232), are transmitted via these wires, each wire must be shrunk and neatly laid in the cable duct or on a potential-free support terminal. If the installer fails to do this, there is a risk of a short circuit or worse.
For the above-mentioned application with 64 cameras, this is a lot of effort for nothing! There are 512 terminals on the top-hat rails, whose sole function is to neatly supply unused wires. Added to this are the higher costs for a larger control cabinet and hundreds of meters of copper wiring, which are also unnecessary. In addition, the twelve-pin cables make service and maintenance more difficult later on, as they are more difficult to handle.
Reduction in working hours and material costs
But how is it that 12-pin cables have been used in machines and systems for years as a matter of course, even though two-thirds of the pins are not even needed? The answer is as simple as it is disappointing: no one has thought about it until now! This starts with camera manufacturers, who do not offer their users sustainable installation concepts. The latter buy the cameras, receive a twelve-pin connection cable with them and, with a bit of luck, a corresponding M12 plug with an open end – but that's it!
Now, it would be easy to blame the camera manufacturers for excessive cable ducts and control cabinets full of terminal blocks with no function. The fact is, however, that connector manufacturers have not yet recognized this connection either. “That's why the realization that 75 percent of the signals are not needed is the real game changer for machine and plant manufacturers,” Felix Kottmann is convinced.
Murrelektronik recently presented this game changer in the form of a four-pin connection cable for image processing systems, which was developed in collaboration with Cognex. Users now only need to run four cables through the field instead of twelve and connect them in the control cabinet. This reduces installation time by a factor of three and also significantly lowers the cost of hardware components. Only one-third of the terminal blocks are needed, and of course a four-pin connection cable costs only a fraction of a twelve-pin cable. Another plus: by eliminating everything superfluous, the machines and systems become lighter and slimmer, can be packed more quickly, transported more cheaply, and later set up much more quickly.
Last step toward zero cabinet
In combination with the hybrid switch, the four-pin cable offers even greater savings potential. The hybrid switch allows power, trigger, and encoder to be tapped directly via the connection cable (7490-40507-xxxyyy). Right next to it is an X-coded Gigabit Ethernet port, which enables integration into the higher-level network. Thanks to its IP67 design, the hybrid switch can also be placed in the field in close proximity to the cameras. This eliminates several hundred meters of costly data cables at a stroke. “The hybrid switch thus enables the transition from the control cabinet to the zero cabinet approach,” says Felix Kottmann.
This is possible because the hybrid switch, as a fully-fledged managed switch, integrates all the (security) functions required for modern automation concepts. Various settings can be made via the integrated web server, with LEDs indicating performance and connectivity, among other things. "You can also see which camera is currently transmitting data. This is particularly useful during commissioning,“ enthuses the automation expert. He illustrates this with an example: ”With the switch, the cameras can be restarted, controlled, or configured for inspections at any time via the web server. This saves an enormous amount of time!"
This interaction also reduces the time required in the event of malfunctions. What happens in the above-mentioned application with the 64 cameras in the event of a failure? “You know the IP address, but that doesn't help if the cameras are installed in a compact space,” says Felix Kottmann, adding: “With the hybrid switch, cameras can be grouped. If there is a problem, you simply let the affected port on the hybrid switch flash and locate the fault quickly and easily.”
For Felix Kottmann, this final step toward zero cabinet is also the important and decisive step toward greater margins: “You don't need to have studied business administration to recognize the potential savings. Two-thirds less effort for installation and material costs ultimately have a positive impact on the bottom line.”