PECM Issue 42 2020 | Page 14

EDITOR’S CHOICE SICK’S LMS4000 SICK MOST POWERFUL AND ACCURATE 2D LIDAR SENSOR YET With its LMS4000, SICK has developed its most powerful and accurate 2D LiDAR sensor to date for food and beverage or end of line packaging applications, even at high speeds, in low ambient light or when goods or packs are matt black or glossy. The SICK LMS4000 2D LiDAR Sensor’s exceptionally high laser scanning frequency helps to produce more than half a million measurement points per second to calculate the position, shape, volume or surface quality of goods or packs over a wide depth of field, and at ranges up to 3 metres. Both precision and high-speed processing power are assured with the SICK LMS4000. It achieves a six-fold increase in measurement resolution, compared to previous LiDAR sensors even at very low remissions and no matter where the object is positioned, whether on a conveyor, in a container, carton or pallet, and whether it is free- standing or touching another object. The SICK LMS4000 is therefore ideal for fast-moving food and beverage, packaging or logistics applications where accurate dimensions, volumes or positions need to calculated, including automated palletising and depalletising, positioning tasks such as robotic pick and place, and shape and contour verification in quality control e.g. completeness presence and completeness checking of multipacks. The LMS4000 works using visible red laser light and the time-of-flight measurement principle to deliver precise data on the position and size of a wide variety of objects and transmits this data to an external evaluation unit, often in conjunction with an encoder. With SICK’s Continuous Wave technology, the LMS4000 needs no external illumination or additional line lasers. Because it is considerably less sensitive to ambient light, and has a wide depth of field, it can be considered as a cost-effective alternative to vision systems for 3D object profiling in some applications. Says Neil Sandhu, SICK’s UK National Product Manager for Market Product Manager - Imaging, Measurement, and Ranging:  “The LMS4000 is by far the most accurate 2D LiDAR scanner from SICK with some 14 PECM Issue 42 to achieve better throughputs with excellent repeatability and reliability.” Available in 10mW and 13mW variants with a laser protection hood option, the LMS4000 family of 2D LiDAR sensors are quick to install with M12 connections including switching I/Os and Gigabit Ethernet to ensure rapid data transmission. They are complemented by a range of industry-standard mountings and SICK encoders. truly outstanding vital statistics, including a very high 600Hz frequency and an angular resolution of less than 1 degree. In addition, several devices can be mounted together to extend the measuring range without any danger of interference. “The LMS4000 impresses because it achieves extremely high point-density measurements for accurate measurement and 3D profiling of goods at high speeds. So, our customers have a great opportunity The LMS4000 is easy to set up and parameterise using SICK’s SOPAS configuration software. Digital filters for pre-processing and optimising the measured values also help to tailor the sensor settings for specific applications. For more information about the LMS4000, please contact Andrea Hornby on 01727 831121 or email [email protected]. www.sick.co.uk