Gefran is participating in the tenth edition of SPS Italia, which is taking place at Fiere di Parma (Parma, Italy) from May 24 to 26, where visitors are welcomed with a stand full of new products touching on the company four Business Units: sensors, industrial process control systems, electric drives and automation components.

SPS is the ideal setting to present the new smart devices with IO-Link based architecture, the open protocol that is very much on the increase in industrial automation, enabling digital communication from field level upwards. The GR single-phase, solid-state relay series stands out here. It is a scalable platform with incremental performance and integrated diagnostics for controlling electrical resistances in industrial heating. The GRS-H, GRP-H and the totally new GRM-H models, all characterised by an ultra-compact design with current range from 15A to 120A. In particular, GRP-H and GRM-H are distinguished on the market for being the first relays in the world to possess IO-Link connectivity and for being easily configurable in the field thanks to the Gefran NFC (Near Field Communication) App. Furthermore, GRM-Hs integrate the typical characteristics of a power controller within the dimensions of an SSR: they allow management of linear and non-linear resistive loads such as MoSi2, Sic, SWIR, graphite and transformers. They also feature an even more sophisticated Soft Start function for controlling short-wave infrared lamps.

The Gefran range of IO-Link solutions, which already includes magnetostrictive position transducers and Melt pressure transducers, is also enriched by the new KS industrial pressure probe, equipped with IO-Link 1.1 interface and advanced diagnostic functions. The fundamental role of IO-Link was the subject of Paolo Buzzi presentation, Gefran Controllers & Power Controllers Marketing Manager, who, at the scientific conference “The next generation of automation between integration and simplicity of use” (on May 25), further delved into the advantages of this smart communication technology by illustrating two cases applied in the world of packaging and extrusion.

The three-day event also includes a preview of Twiist, the innovative position transducer, the first of its kind, with a patented system for measuring based on the 3-dimensional Hall Effect. Twiist is available in multivariable versions with digital CANopen and IO-Link output and in mono-variable version with analogue output. For a further look at the future of Smart Connected Factories, SPS is an opportunity to discover G-Vision, the new Gefran multitouch capacitive Panel PCs Platform, UL certified with integrated Web Server and 4.0 connectivity to communicate with all the main fieldbus protocols.

On the Drives&Motion side, Gefran presents two inverter lines: ADV200-SP for pumping systems with photovoltaic power supply and ADL500 for civil lifting. Solutions that testify to Gefran Drives&Motion’s willingness to differentiate its technological development capacity, focusing on increasingly green and evolved sectors, both from the point of view of system control and smart communication. In detail, ADV200-SP is the AC Drives line with integrated MPPT control best suited to meet the needs of each type of system and user, thanks to an extended power range of up to 1.8MW, a simple interface and the ability to manage hybrid systems with dual power supply.

Finally, an area of the exhibition is dedicated to kenFLY, a digital evolution of FLY Gefran Talent Academy. This is a space in which visitors can try out an interactive gamification experience and access the kenFLY hub dedicated to the fair’s stakeholders, designed to promote skills-training through the methodologies used by the Group to develop know-how and innovation. The kenFLY multimedia platform was also at the centre of Patrizia Belotti speech, Gefran Chief People & Organization Officer, during the inaugural Round Table “Automation and Digital for a resilient and sustainable manufacturing” (on May 24) and part of the Gefran programme for students participating in the “Lessons at the fair” initiative at the stand.