The Conveyor | October 2026 Control, Automation, and Robotics News

October brought a range of new products and industry announcements across industrial automation, control, and robotics. Balluff introduced a slim, IO-Link-enabled machine status light, while Yokogawa launched a gas density measurement system for binary gas mixtures. Siemens expanded its data acquisition portfolio with modular Simcenter SCADAS ES hardware, and Schmalz developed an intelligent electric vacuum generator designed to improve energy efficiency on mobile robots. Other highlights include Patlite’s configurable voice annunciator, Darveen’s 21.5-inch industrial panel PC, and a collaboration between Festo, ABB, and NVIDIA to bring real-world motion behavior into robotic digital twins. Here are some of the developments you may have missed this month.

 

Balluff Shines a New Light on Machine Status

Engineers love to indicate machine function and status with a visible light. Segmented tower lights and beacons have always been the go-to devices for this kind of visible indication, but some settings require lights with a thinner, longer profile with a continuous light color.

 

Balluff’s new SmartLight Rigid visible indication system.

 

Balluff recently introduced the SmartLight Rigid, delivering that round, thin profile with a 20 mm diameter and lengths from 250 to 950 mm. Depending on the model, the light can be configured with separate control wires or via IO-Link, with a variety of predefined color options. The light is visible from 180°, making it ideal for mounting on the side of equipment for a wide viewing angle.

 

Yokogawa Provides a Better Way to Measure Gas Density

Chemical, energy, and oil/gas industries store various gas mixtures with varying concentrations and densities. For example, hydrogen-cooled generators must operate within safe oxygen-concentration boundaries to avoid the risk of explosion. The densities can be measured using the mixture's resonant frequency.

 

Yokogawa OpreX Gas Density Measurement system with the sensor on the left and the converters in both standard (middle) and ex-proof (right) enclosures.

 

Yokogawa recently launched the OpreX Gas Density Meter system, which includes both the measurement tool and the controller and provides a safe method for measuring and transmitting gas properties. The sensor works in binary gas systems (where two gases are present). The converter features a color touchscreen for easy configuration and provides output signals via RS-485 and Ethernet-based protocols.

 

Easier Testing and Data Acquisition, Thanks to Siemens

Data acquisition (DAQ) systems are useful for field-testing new systems and assemblies before they can officially be launched. Because so many data points are under test, DAQ systems must accommodate hundreds, or even thousands, of channels with various input types while logging data and trending critical variables.

 

Siemens Simcenter SCADAS ES DAQ portfolio.

 

Siemens recently announced the Simcenter SCADAS ES, a modular portfolio of DAQ hardware that supports all levels of lab and field testing. Modularity makes it scalable and expandable, and the onboard, open software provides validation and analysis that go beyond simple sensor readings.

 

Schmalz Brings Mobility to Pneumatic Robot Grippers

Mobile robots, being entirely self-supporting and untethered, introduce several engineering challenges. This is immediately obvious when investigating vacuum-powered gripping tools, since these mobile robots must be free of both air supply and power supply lines. All pneumatic work must be efficiently powered right on board the mobile platform.

 

Schmalz smart vacuum pump on a mobile platform.

 

Schmalz has developed an exceptionally efficient vacuum generator to provide both air and electrical efficiency in one device. The new intelligent vacuum pump GSP uses electric vacuum generation, combined with air usage monitoring to dynamically adjust the generator as the parts are grasped. For smooth objects, this means that the suction is instant and the pump can reduce its output to zero. The result of this is a system that can be up to 90% more efficient than comparable mobile systems.

 

Patlite Provides Audio Alerts for Industrial Machinery

Visible indicators, like stack lights, are excellent status indicators for stationary machines with attentive operators. But what about moving equipment that changes orientation, or situations where the operators may have their backs turned to the equipment? For these cases, an audio output may be critical.

 

Patlite’s new Slim Voice Annunciator.

 

Patlite has recently developed the BSV Slim Voice Annunciator, a compact speaker that can change audio tones, signals, and volume, and it can also accept custom audio tracks to provide nearly any kind of alert message. The BSV can output sound up to 103 dB, and Patlite develops custom sounds in its Audio Builder software and transmits them over USB-C.

 

Darveen Advances Deeper Into AI-Capable Tech

Industrial panel PCs combine two of the most critical control functions into one device: the CPU, or ‘brain’ of the controller, and the operator interface, or HMI. Panel PCs provide an operating system that runs a version of Windows or Linux attached to the back side of a rugged monitor, usually with touch capabilities.

 

Darveen's new 1215 panel PC.

 

Darveen launched a new industrial panel PC, the 1215, featuring a 21.5-inch touchscreen and a wide range of industrial features. COM and network ports connect to both modern and legacy equipment, and it supports two solid-state drives for redundancy and data storage.

 

AI-Enabled Digital Twins from Festo and ABB

AI is the theme of the year, and its applications are stretching into virtually every part of automation. Digital twins, which replicate the operation of real hardware in a virtual environment, can use AI to run faster physics and model motion. These systems can be trained to interface with other digital systems, providing a far more comprehensive picture of a large system.

 

Festo and ABB combine the physical and virtual worlds with NVIDIA.

 

Festo and ABB are collaborating with NVIDIA to incorporate the real-world behavior of Festo motion control systems into ABB’s RobotStudio, helping identify potential integration issues well before physical development.

Stay tuned to Control.com for the best coverage of product and company news from the automation industry!

 

All images used courtesy of the respective manufacturers