In modern industrial automation, wireless communication is no longer an accessory element. Sensors, machinery, robots, handling systems, industrial gateways and connected devices must exchange data in a stable and reliable way within complex production environments.
When the radio link is not stable, the issue does not only concern the temporary loss of a signal. It may mean missing data, transmission delays, lower control reliability, supervision difficulties and loss of efficiency in the production line.
In these contexts, the antenna should not be considered a component to be selected at the end of the project. It is part of the RF architecture and can contribute to communication continuity, data stability and consistency between device, machine and real industrial environment.
ElettroMagnetic Services Srl designs and manufactures custom antennas and tailor-made antenna systems for industrial automation, Industrial IoT, smart factories, robotics, connected machinery, industrial sensors, gateways and wireless equipment intended for production environments.
Custom antennas for industrial automation and Industrial IoT antennas must be developed by considering, from the very beginning, the real device, the radio technology used, the machine or production line into which they will be integrated and the RF conditions of the industrial environment.
We do not supply complete industrial automation systems, nor do we develop active electronics, radio modules, PLCs, robots or supervision software. Our contribution concerns the antenna part: design, optimisation, manufacturing and characterisation of custom antennas and antenna systems intended to be integrated into the Customer’s RF devices.
The objective is to help the Customer develop an antenna solution that is consistent with the RF architecture, the final device, the machine and the operating environment in which the system will have to work.
Antennas for smart factories, robotics and connected industrial systems
A smart factory is an environment in which very different devices must communicate with each other in a coordinated way. Sensors, robots, machinery, mobile units and supervision systems may be located in the same operating space, but have completely different roles and installation conditions.
Antennas for smart factories and antennas for industrial robotics must therefore be evaluated in relation to the role of the device within the plant, the presence of metal parts, the movement of the machine or robot and the link continuity required by the production process.
A sensor installed on a machine does not operate in the same RF context as an industrial gateway or a mobile robot. Position, mechanical constraints, presence of metal, movement and signal propagation conditions all change.
For this reason, the antenna should not be evaluated only as a component of the individual device, but also in relation to the function that device performs in the machine, production line or plant.
Designing the antenna according to the real application means reducing the risk that wireless equipment may be compliant during testing, but lose reliability once installed in the final production context.
Why a standard antenna may not be enough
A datasheet does not always describe how the antenna will behave in the actual conditions of use.
In industrial environments, RF conditions are rarely ideal. Machinery, metal structures, electrical cabinets, robots, handling systems, cabling and reflective surfaces can modify the behaviour of the antenna and make a link unstable even if it seemed correct in the laboratory.
In these cases, the issue is not only choosing an antenna compatible with the required electrical specifications. The point is to understand whether that solution can work in the real device, in the available position and in the production environment in which the system will have to operate.
A custom design reduces the distance between nominal performance and real behaviour, transforming the constraints of the industrial application into concrete design criteria.
Industrial environments: metal, movement and RF coexistence
Industrial automation presents operating conditions that can make wireless communication complex.
The presence of metal is often dominant. Machines, frames, covers, electrical cabinets and production lines can reflect, shield or alter the radio signal.
Movement introduces additional variables. A robot, an AGV, a handling system or a moving part of the machine can change position and orientation, continuously modifying the link conditions.
In addition, several radio systems may coexist. Industrial Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, private 5G networks, LTE-M, LoRaWAN, RFID, gateways and wireless sensors can operate in the same production environment, often in limited spaces.
Industrial Wi-Fi antennas, industrial LoRaWAN antennas and industrial RFID antennas must therefore be designed by considering not only the radio technology, but also RF coexistence, metal obstacles, antenna orientation, available position and real propagation conditions within the production environment.
In these scenarios, the antenna must be designed by considering not only the device, but also the machine, the installation position and the role of the radio link within the industrial architecture.
Rugged antennas for machinery, production lines and moving robots
In industrial systems, the antenna often has to operate under demanding conditions.
An antenna intended for machinery, a production line or a robot must not be evaluated only for its RF performance. It must also be designed to withstand the environment in which it will be installed and to integrate correctly into the final product.
Vibrations, shocks, dust, humidity, detergents, oils, temperature variations and mechanical stresses can compromise over time a solution that has not been designed for the industrial environment.
Rugged industrial antennas must maintain consistent RF performance even in the presence of mechanical stresses, exposure to contaminants, demanding duty cycles, installations on machinery and operating conditions typical of production environments.
A custom design makes it possible to develop an antenna that is more consistent with the constraints of the machine, reducing compromises, late adaptations and risks of incompatibility with the production process.
Antennas integrated into industrial devices, sensors and gateways
Many connected industrial devices require antennas integrated directly into the enclosure, cabinet, cover, machine or highly constrained mechanical spaces.
Antennas for industrial sensors and antennas for industrial gateways must be developed by considering enclosure, materials, available ground plane, position of the electronic board, cabling, power supply, proximity to metal parts and real installation conditions in the plant.
In these cases, even a small variation in antenna position, enclosure geometry or distance from metal parts can modify the RF behaviour of the device.
For this reason, ElettroMagnetic Services Srl develops custom antennas by working on the real device and not only on theoretical conditions or ideal models.
The advantage is obtaining a solution designed for the actual shape of the product, for assembly constraints, for installation conditions and for the performance objectives required by the industrial application.
From the laboratory to the production line: reducing RF risk
A wireless device for industrial automation may work correctly in the laboratory and show critical issues only when installed on the production line.
Antennas for industrial wireless devices must therefore be evaluated under conditions as close as possible to the final application, because the production line introduces constraints, obstacles, reflections, movement and interference that can modify the behaviour of the link.
This happens because the laboratory does not always reproduce the complexity of the industrial environment: metal, obstacles, reflections, movement, coexistence with other radio systems and installation constraints can modify link behaviour.
Discovering an RF criticality at an advanced stage can generate costs, delays, mechanical modifications, redesigns or validation problems at the end user’s site.
Designing the antenna from the earliest stages of development makes it possible to transform these criticalities into design requirements, reducing the risk of late corrective interventions.
From the industrial requirement to the antenna solution
Every antenna project for industrial automation starts from the analysis of the application scenario.
ElettroMagnetic Services Srl evaluates together with the Customer the type of device, the radio technology used, the role of the product in the machine or production line, the available position for the antenna, the enclosure, the mechanical constraints, the operating conditions and coexistence with other radio systems.
From this analysis, a tailor-made antenna solution is developed through electromagnetic simulation, prototyping, optimisation on the real device, measurements and characterisation in an anechoic chamber.
This process makes it possible to transform industrial constraints into design criteria, reducing the uncertainty between expected performance and real behaviour.
The advantage for the Customer
Involving ElettroMagnetic Services Srl in the design of custom antennas for industrial automation, robotics and Industrial IoT means addressing the RF part related to the antenna while design choices are still open.
This makes it possible to avoid standard antennas that are not optimised for the real device, reduce the risk of RF criticalities in the advanced stages of integration and develop an antenna solution that is consistent with the RF architecture, the machine and the production environment.
It also means being able to verify the behaviour of the antenna or antenna system through measurements and characterisation in an anechoic chamber before delivery.
In industrial automation projects, the antenna is not a secondary component. It should be evaluated from the earliest stages of definition of the RF architecture and the final device, when position, enclosure, cabling, protections and coexistence with other radio systems can still be optimised.
Custom antennas for your industrial automation application
If you are developing a wireless device for industrial automation, Industrial IoT, smart factories, robotics, connected machinery, industrial sensors, gateways or equipment based on industrial Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, LTE-M, RFID, private 5G networks or proprietary technologies, ElettroMagnetic Services Srl can support you in developing the custom antenna best suited to your application.
Tell us about your project: radio technology, device, machine, available position for the antenna, installation constraints, operating environment and expected performance are the starting point for designing an antenna solution that is truly consistent with your industrial application.
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