Bürklin Elektronik Quarterly # 03/2021 Englisch

BÜRKLIN 

QUARTERLY # 03 

2021 

INDUSTRY 

TECHNOLOGY 

SPECIAL

@ 

TOPIC 

OVERVIEW 

DEAR 

READERS 

P. 02 Imprint 

P. 03 Foreword 

P. 04-05 Trade fair 

Bürklin Elektronik at the 

AAA Chemnitz and Essen 

P. 06-09 PIM system Contene 

from T+S Text und Satz 

Verarbeitungs-GmbH 

P. 16-17 Power supply systems 

for industrial applications 

New products 

from TRACO POWER 

P. 18-19 Industrial Controller 

The new BB-400 

from BRAINBOXES 

P. 20-23 Cooperation 

Our new partner WEG 

It was foreseeable that the Corona crisis would result in numerous other problems in addition to the individual 

consequences of the illness - but the extent of the consequences was not. What late effects the Corona crisis 

has brought to our school education is not yet visible. What is now not only visible, but also tangible, is the 

shortage of raw materials. 

According to a recent survey by the Munich-based Ifo Institute, 45 percent of German industrial companies are 

short of parts or materials. Manufacturers of rubber and plastics are suffering particularly badly, with 71.2 percent 

reporting problems. In the automotive industry, which is so important for Germany, there have already been 

stoppages. The main problem here is the shortage of microchips and other electrical components - our field of 

activity. The shortage of raw materials is leading to price increases and experts are already warning of possible 

hyperinflation. 

P. 10-13 Portfolio expansion 

Automation Technology 

from C&K 

P. 14-15 Create your own 

Individual Connectors 

from HARTING 

P. 24-27 More ergonomics and increased efficiency 

Tool support products 

from AERO-MOTIVE 

Subscribe to our newsletter now! 

All the news, all the promotions, 

valuable know-how, 

can be unsubscribed at any time! 

Of course, we at Bürklin Elektronik are also affected by this, even though our core function is to prevent such 

bottlenecks. But as I said at the beginning: the full extent of the consequences was very difficult to foresee. 

Delivery times are increasing and you, dear customers and suppliers, are feeling this just like we are. We do 

our best to counteract this situation - every day! 

Let us inform you about the news at Bürklin Elektronik in our new Quarterly issue. We are also very pleased to 

welcome you to all about automation in Chemnitz in September and to all about automation in Essen in October. 

In addition, you can of course contact us every day with questions, advice or requests - we are here for you! 

Stay healthy! 

IMPRINT 

Editor & Head of Advertising: Thomas Hinze-Clausen, 

Bürklin Elektronik, Head of Corporate Communications 

Layout & Design: Clausen & Partner Munich | Tel.: 089 123 914 63 

Print: Druck & Medien, Kolpingring 3, 82041 Oberhaching-Munich 

Publisher & Address: Bürklin GmbH & Co. KG | Grünwalder Weg 30 | 

82041 Oberhaching | Germany | Tel.: +49 89 55875-0 | 

Fax: +49 89 55875-421 | E-Mail: info@buerklin.com | www.buerklin.com 

Copyright: All articles published in Bürklin Elektronik Quarterly are 

protected by copyright. All rights, including translations, are reserved. 

Reproductions of any kind, whether photocopies, microfilm or recording 

in data processing systems, require the written permission of the publisher. 

It cannot be concluded from the publication that the solution 

described or the designation used is free of industrial property rights. 

Liability: In the event that Bürklin Elektronik Quarterly should contain 

incorrect information, a liability only comes into consideration in case of 

gross negligence of the publisher or his employees. 

Print run: approx 6.000 

Pictures: Cover, P.2, P.6/7, P.8/9, P.10/11, P.12, P.14, P.28 © iStock by 

GettyImages; P.4/5 © all about automation; P.3 © Bürklin Elektronik; 

P.7/8/9 © T+S Text und Satz; P.12 © C&K; P.14/15 © Harting; 

P.16/17 © Traco Power; P.18/19 © Brainboxes; P.20/21, P.22/23 © WEG; 

P.24/25, P.26/27 © Aero-Motive; 

Some articles have been translated from the original German 

into English. 

Your Veronika Tretter (born Bürklin) 

Management 

2 Bürklin Quarterly 

www.buerklin.com 

3

TRADE FAIR 

BÜRKLIN ELEKTRONIK 

AT THE AAA CHEMNITZ 

The all about automation Chemnitz focuses on individual 

consultation. The stands are staffed exclusively by well 

qualified personnel. You will be able to speak directly to 

the contact person responsible for the region; they will 

have plenty of time for your questions and will remain 

your point of contact after the exhibition. 

An attractive supporting programme will take place in 

parallel to the exhibition. The lectures in the Talk Lounge 

will showcase concrete examples of applied products, 

new solutions and practical tips. 

General info: 

Opening hours: Wednesday, 22 September 2021 

9.00 am - 5.00 pm 

Thursday, 23 September 2021 

9.00 am - 4.00 pm 

Venue: 

Messe Chemnitz 

Messeplatz 1, 09116 Chemnitz 

Hall/Stand: 1-557 

They are free of charge and can be attended without 

prior registration. The exhibition stands and the lectures 

are always practice-oriented and offer products that can 

be used right away, profitable business relationships and 

individual solutions. 

Visit us, we look forward to your visit. 

SECURE YOUR 

FREE TRADE FAIR 

TICKET! 

Simply enter the activation code 10110 at 

https://www.automation-chemnitz.de/registrierung/ 

fill in the form and receive your free admission ticket 

by e-mail. Not only will you save 20 euros on 

admission, but you will also receive snacks and 

drinks free of charge. 

... AND AT THE 

AAA ESSEN 

The all about automation Essen focuses on individual 

consultation. This is where the so important discussions 

take place that generate trust between supplier and user. 

The all about automation Essen is manageable in the 

most positive sense. Visitors quickly find what and who 

they are looking for and discover new solution partners. 

In addition to the nationally and internationally active 

component and system suppliers of automation technology, 

it is above all the suppliers and service providers 

based in the respective region who characterise the face 

of all about automation. 

Visit us, we look forward to your visit. 

SECURE YOUR 

FREE TRADE FAIR 

TICKET! 

Simply enter activation code 10690 at 

https://www.automation-essen.de/registrierung/ 

fill in the form and receive your free admission ticket 

by e-mail. Not only will you save 20 euros on 

admission, but you will also receive snacks and 

drinks free of charge. 

General info: 

Opening hours: Wednesday, 27 October 2021 

9.00 am - 5.00 pm 

Thursday, 28 October 2021 

9.00 am - 4.00 pm 

Venue: 

Messe Essen 

Norbertstrasse, 45131 Essen 

Stand: 410 

The pleasant, almost informal atmosphere and the high 

quality of the exhibitors and discussions are the hallmarks 

of the fair. The concept is rounded off by the free 

catering at the coffee lounges for exhibitors and visitors. 



5

PRODUCT DATA MANAGEMENT 

AT BÜRKLIN ELEKTRONIK 

PIM SYSTEM CONTENE: 

THE IDEAL GUIDE THROUGH 

THE DATA JUNGLE 

Which added value does the PIM system Contene 

offer content managers at Bürklin Elektronik in 

enriching product data? 

Bürklin Elektronik has 

always attached great 

importance to providing a 

wealth of information to 

its customers before they 

purchase an article. What 

used to take place in the 

Bürklin store in a dialog 

between customer and 

sales staff is now, in the 

digital age, often reduced 

to customers’ entering 

one or two search terms 

in the online shop, which 

in turn displays matching 

articles. 

At Bürklin Elektronik, 

while customers are still 

assisted by the physical 

store and service helpline, 

the online shop is becoming 

ever more meaningful 

for servicing customers. 

Therefore, relevant, highquality 

product data enabling 

customers to select 

their products themselves 

are more important than 

ever. 

While the online shop 

with its search engine and 

clearly arranged display 

of article data contributes 

to providing customers information 

before the sale, 

there is another system 

working hand in hand with 

the ERP system and web 

shop. This system is Contene, 

a product information 

management system (PIM 

system). A PIM system is a 

platform for administering, 

updating, and consolidating 

product data. It is the 

central point for collecting 

all descriptive data about 

an article, such as article 

description, technical 

specifications, images, and 

data sheets, before these 

appear in the online shop. 

MATCHING SEARCH 

RESULTS IN THE 

ONLINE SHOP 

One of the key jobs of the 

content team is to furnish 

articles sold in the online 

shop with descriptive attributes 

so that the articles 

can be found more easily. 

For example, a search 

for “audio connectors” 

should display not only 

“speaker plugs,” but also 

“phone plugs.” For the 

search engine in the online 

shop to find an article, the 

search term entered must 

wholly or partly match 

at least one descriptive 

attribute associated with 

a particular article. (See 

Bürklin Elektronik Quarterly 

# 01/2021, pp. 8–9.) 

Contene features a unique 

search term editor that 

radically reduces the work 

of assigning search terms 

to articles. Only the most 

specific search term is 

assigned to an article. 

Because links from the 

most specific to the most 

general search term are 

stored in Contene, all 

other matching search 

terms are automatically 

assigned as well. 

When article data is exported 

to the online shop, 

each article is automatically 

assigned all relevant 

search terms and synonyms. 

That means that 

an article can be found in 

the online shop using a 

variety of search terms. At 

the same time, it minimizes 

the effort required 

to maintain a consistent 

database. 

HIGHER DATA QUALITY 

THROUGH BACKGROUND 

CALCULATIONS 

Studies show that fully 

described products are 

purchased more often than 

incompletely described 

products. Contene assists 

content managers 

to increase product data 

quality through background 

calculations. A quality 

score is calculated for each 

article based on the degree 

to which data have been 

provided for critical product 

attributes. This prevents 

incompletely described 

articles from appearing 

in the online shop, as an 

article may be published 

only once a minimum 

score has been reached. 

The content managers at 

Bürklin Elektronik search 

specifically for articles with 

low data quality scores so 

as to add missing technical 

data, product images, or 

data sheets. 

Another application of 

background calculations 

is the automatic generation 

of article descriptors 

for certain categories of 

articles. To be displayed 

clearly in the online shop, 

each article requires a 

compact descriptive heading 

that differentiates it 

from others. For example, 

calculation rules stored 

for SMD resistors serve to 

automatically generate an 

article descriptor such as 

“Resistor, thin film, SMD 

0102, Micro-MELF, 100 Ω, 

0.2 W, ±1 %, MMU 0102-50 

1% BL100R.” If the technical 

data of an SMD resistor 

are changed, the article 

descriptor is also updated 

in the background at the 

same time. The automation 

prevents redundant data 

maintenance and ensures 

that for all articles in a category 

the structure of the 

article descriptor always 

follows the same pattern. 

This saves time and simultaneously 

increases data 

quality through consistent 

product descriptions. 

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS 

COMPILED WITH EASE 

Some manufacturers of 

products offered for sale 

in the Bürklin Elektronik 

online shop currently 

provide digitally stored 

product data to support the 

content team. These data 

are consolidated into Excel 

files and then imported 

back into Contene. The 

import and export module 

integrated in Contene is 

very flexibly adaptable to 

data structures, allowing 

content managers to 

create and use appropriate 

imports and exports 

depending on the situation. 

Right from the import 

stage, the data are checked 

for structural consistency, 

thus minimizing the risk of 

importing incorrect data 

into Contene. The import/ 

export module coordinates 

not only manual imports, 

but also, as a background 

service, the automated 

data reconciliation with the 

ERP system. Data on new 

products in the range are 

transferred from the ERP 

system to Contene so that 

they can be enriched with 

technical specifications, 

descriptions, and data 

sheets by the content team. 

Uniform article descriptors 

created by background 

calculations 



7

As soon as the data quality 

is high enough, all data 

associated with the article 

are transferred automatically 

to the online shop 

and to Google Shopping. 

For its larger customers, 

Bürklin Elektronik makes 

available digital product 

information as BMEcat 

files for import into their 

purchasing systems. For 

this purpose, content 

managers at Bürklin Elektronik 

generate custom 

configured BMEcat files 

directly in Contene. The 

fixed storage of the export 

parameters ensures 

that all special features 

of the respective export 

are taken into account in 

each generation process. 

Manual reworking directly 

in the XML file is no longer 

necessary. 

The Contene import/export 

module thus enables 

the reliable exchange of 

data with other systems, 

either manually or automatically. 

FIND THE NEEDLE IN THE 

PRODUCT HAYSTACK 

The extremely flexible 

data filter in Contene 

enables the content team 

to search for specific data 

correlations. For example, 

to standardize attribute 

content, within data attributes, 

content managers 

can easily find different 

spellings of terms 

that are actually identical. 

When it is time to update 

manufacturers’ safety 

data sheets, the data filter 

finds all relevant articles 

in no time flat. Recurring 

queries are saved for later 

use and are then available 

to the entire content team. 

The data filter in Contene 

thus represents the central 

point for searching, 

finding, assigning, qualifying, 

and quantifying data. 

NOTHING IS AS 

CONSISTENT AS CHANGE 

Changes are a part of business 

and they come in 

many kinds. They arise as a 

result of shorter and shorter 

innovation and product 

lifecycles, for example, and 

through new regulations 

for labeling requirements 

for certain product groups, 

to give another example. At 

the same time, customers’ 

needs and requirements 

for information are increasing. 

As a reaction to these 

developments, the desire 

to show articles in the 

online shop in the context 

of product families so as to 

provide customers with a 

thorough overview of related 

items may arise. Many 

of these changes have an 

effect on Contene. Because 

of its dynamic system 

architecture, Contene 

is optimally positioned 

for future challenges and 

grows with the requirements. 

Performance is 

always in focus, though, as 

rapidly working with the 

system is important. This 

flexibility, in turn, allows 

Bürklin Elektronik to react 

quickly to new market 

demands. Identify specific data correlations 

using the data filter 

Everything in view in the 

adaptable user interface 

Article selection 

Calculations 

History of all 

changes to data 

Product data editing Cross-checks 

“Since its introduction in 

June 2020, Contene has 

supported us excellently 

in our daily work,” says 

Jürgen Melm, Manager 

of the Content Team at 

Bürklin Elektronik. “We can 

set specific priorities for 

enriching article data. The 

consistent user interface 

has accelerated the 

familiarization process 

enormously.” 

CONTENE: THE IDEAL 

GUIDE THROUGH THE 

DATA JUNGLE 

The PIM system Contene 

provides Bürklin Elektronik 

with a methodic flow of 

product information from 

the source of the data to 

the purchaser of an article. 

It links a wide variety of 

data sources, establishes 

standardized data quality, 

and monitors work processes, 

thus creating the 

conditions for managing 

even the largest quantities 

of data. At this time, over 

850,000 articles, approximately 

161,000 unique 

product images, and more 

than 420,000 unique data 

sheets are being managed 

in Contene. 

By: CHRISTIAN NITSCHKE 

Managing Partner of T+S Text 

und Satz Verarbeitungs-GmbH 

For over 30 years, T+S in 

Munich has supported Bürklin 

Elektronik to capture, manage, 

and publish structured product 

data. 

You can find more information 

about Contene online 

at www.contene.com 



9

C&K 

BÜRKLIN ELEKTRONIK 

TO SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND ITS 

PORTFOLIO FOR C&K! 

Bürklin Elektronik is expanding 

its business relationship with C&K 

Switches. The chances of growing 

together in the DACH region are very 

good. Reason enough to strengthen 

the portfolio in order to pursue this 

as a sustainable common goal. 

Both companies see good potential 

especially in the areas of toggle and 

snap-acting switches. We are very 

pleased to have Lars Stegmann - 

Vice President of Sales EMEA - as 

our partner. For his assessment 

regarding the pandemic, the current 

market situation and for an outlook 

for 2022. 

1. Mr. Stegmann, the year 2020 has 

been surrounded by challenges, 

mainly related to the pandemic. 

2021 is all about shortages and 

allocation. How is C&K navigating 

through those ‘interesting’ times? 

Lars Stegmann: The most important 

for us was, and still is, the health 

of our employees. With comprehensive 

hygiene concepts for the 

various sites around the world and 

far-reaching home office solutions 

in the administrative area, we are 

protecting our employees as best as 

we can so that together, we can get 

through the Covid 19 pandemic. 

Orders from our customers picked 

up positively from summer 2020 

onwards and demand remained at 

a comparatively high level until the 

end of 2020, despite the second 

wave, which started during fall. 

Subsequently, it was necessary to 

respond in a timely manner to the 

recovery in demand, in order to avoid 

supply bottlenecks and in order to 

secure supplies for our customers. 

In 2021, we were able to successfully 

build on this high level, are well 

positioned despite the current bottlenecks 

in the market and are now 

looking forward to a record year. 

2. In the current business environment, 

many products are in short 

supply. How is the availability 

situation affecting your business? 

Lars Stegmann: We at C&K are 

also affected by tight supply in raw 

materials for example and other 

supply chains from various upstream 

suppliers. Be it through 

COVID, or through current geopolitical 

or natural disasters. That said, 

we have been able to cope with this 

challenging situation and have been 

able to maintain our current delivery 

times at a reasonable level. 

3. Is C&K producing its products in 

Europe for Europe? 

Lars Stegmann: In 2020, we have 

started to switch to a ‘local for local’ 

strategy to some extent, however 

without losing sight of our global 

approach. 

Globally, we currently have production 

facilities in Germany, France, 

China, Vietnam and a joint venture 

in India. We are therefore well 

positioned to serve local markets. 

However, so-called cross-functions 

continue to occur, so that today not 

all products are manufactured 100 % 

in Europe for Europe. 

4. Bürklin Elektronik is very well 

positioned in the DACH region. What 

are the opportunities for Bürklin 

Elektronik to grow with C&K? 

Lars Stegmann: Enormous! Another 

reason for the ‘local for local’ strategy 

was to increase visibility in local 

sales as well. In the past, we were in 

danger of losing sight of this in the 

course of globalization and thus no 

longer being able to reach small and 

medium-sized customers in a 

reasonable manner. 

With our cooperation, our presence 

in the Bürklin online store and the 

excellent logistics of the company, we 

see many great opportunities to grow 

together and expand the market, 

especially in the DACH region. 

5. Last but not least Mr. Stegmann, 

what are your expectations for 

2022? How will the shortages and 

allocations develop? Will the supply 

chain ‘relax’? 

Lars Stegmann: The supply chain 

issues will continue to accompany 

us through 2022 and still hold some 

challenges for everyone. We expect 

a plateau in order intake in the first 

quarters of next year as we already 

have many orders in the books up to 

Q3 2022. 

From today‘s perspective, we continue 

to see the general market 

development for fiscal year 2022 as 

positive, forecasting a 5-8 % growth. 

Should the supply chain challenges 

ease before then, growth may well 

quickly reach double digits. 



11

Industry 4.0, IoT, robotics, artificial 

intelligence, machine learning are 

leading the new age of automation. 

In fact, a recent report by Statista 

projects that the market for global 

industrial robotics will be valued at 

more than $80 billion by 2025. 

In many cases, machines are outperforming 

their human counterparts in 

activities ranging from parts assembly 

to more complex, cognitive tasks. 

At the heart of this new industrial 

revolution are sensors and switches 

that can simplify both factory and 

process automation. In a competitive 

global environment, companies must 

focus on their ability to innovate. Given 

the popularity of Industry 4.0, the 

need to keep pace with innovation. 

Coupling sensor technology with 

business-specific switches is the 

next logical step in this evolution. 

By giving sensors the ability to control 

the operation of the system, the 

need for human supervision of process 

operations is eliminated, freeing 

up personnel for more important 

tasks. 

THE MODERN 

INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT 

Sensors and switches are critical 

components in any modern automation 

process. Today, sensor designers 

and manufacturers are bringing the 

two components together to meet 

specific challenges. Critical safety 

switches allow personnel to shut 

down lines in the event of a central 

system failure to prevent equipment 

damage and loss of life. 

The reason automation is being 

embraced so broadly by the industry 

is that it solves two fundamental 

problems facing process plants: 

1. rising labor costs make automation 

an attractive option for companies 

trying to control labor costs. 

2. safety in operating plants is of 

paramount importance, as companies 

face massive backlash in the 

event of a catastrophic failure of 

safety protocols. 

Sensors and switches will play an 

essential role in facilitating this 

deployment. 

TYPICAL AUTOMATION 

SENSORS 

Automation sensors are used across 

industries and in a variety of environments 

for factory automation 

and process automation. While each 

industry has specific requirements, 

typical sensors may include the 

following: 

- Proximity sensors: a proximity 

sensor can be either inductive or 

capacitive, depending on the type 

of material the sensor is required 

to detect. 

- Position Sensors: Typically using 

photoelectric technology, these 

sensors are used to detect the position 

of various components in the 

assembly process and are useful in 

a variety of industrial applications. 

- Pressure sensors: Using piezoresistive 

or equivalent technology, 

these sensors monitor pressure in 

tanks and pipes and are an important 

safety component in the 

processing industry 

- Flow sensors: Automated flow 

switches monitor the flow of a fluid 

and determine whether to turn a 

subsystem on or off as needed. 

C&K rounds out our industrial sensor 

offerings, having recently released 

the MPSR Ruggedized Magnetic 

Proximity Sensor. The MPSR series 

sensor (and corresponding magnet) 

are both sealed in a rugged 

aluminum housing combined with 

stainless steel wire sleeves to protect 

them from harsh environments 

where they are often used, whether 

they are made of oil, water, grease 

or volatile chemicals and gases. 

SENSORS RELY ON 

GOOD SWITCHES 

Where sensors are the nerves in 

automation, switches of various sizes 

and form factors facilitate human 

interaction. C&K switches can be 

coupled with almost any type of 

sensing application. For example, 

tact switches and slide switches 

such as C&K‘s KSC Series or JS 

Series can be used with a screen or 

LED-based menu for sensor setup 

and calibration. 

C&K DIP switches are commonly 

used in signal conditioning for these 

sensor types, as well as in applications 

requiring logic configuration or 

node addressing, and C&K‘s rugged 

RTF series switches are ideal for 

industrial applications that require 

IP67 sealed, compact, and minimal 

power consumption. 

Traditional rocker and pushbutton 

switches such as C&K‘s DA, PNP, 

or PLP series still have a place in 

the new wave of automation and are 

widely used throughout factory and 

process automation because of their 

ability to change power supplies 

(as opposed to signal buttons) and 

easy visual verification of equipment 

status due to their ability to be illuminated 

so it becomes clear what state 

a machine or sensor has taken. 

Of course, there is also a whole 

range of electromechanical detection 

and snap-action switches that are 

effectively zero-power sensors that 

draw no current. These are suitable 

for use to determine cam and actuator 

positioning on production equipment 

and to detect the presence and 

correct orientation of critical safety 

barriers during machine operation. 

Series such as C&K‘s HDT Detect 

series or our sealed ZMW Snap are 

ideal for these types of applications. 

THE OVERLOOKED NEED 

FOR SWITCHES. 

Process plants moving toward increased 

automation need high-quality, 

reliable switches for the longterm 

success of their venture. The 

switch is usually underestimated as 

a component. However, selecting the 

wrong switch for a sensor application 

e.g. influence maintenance issues, 

user errors and sensor reliability. 

Over the years, C&K has played 

an integral role in a wide range of 

mission-critical automation projects 

and successfully produces switches 

that are used in industrial applications 

worldwide. For companies that 

want quality as the hallmark of their 

automation process, there is usually 

no other choice.“ 



13

HARTING 

CREATE 

YOUR OWN 

CREATE YOUR OWN Developers know this. The availability of suitable components is often the main obstacle to 

a good idea for a new product. You have multiple cables that need to transmit data, power and signals from one 

circuit board to another and no provider has a suitable connector ready and available on the shelf. One approach 

would be to develop a special solution, but this usually takes too long and the minimum purchase quantity would 

be too large for prototyping to be worthwhile. In the end, you come up with an emergency solution, making the 

best of what’s available in terms of plug connections. So here’s our idea: why not simply invent a connector that 

developers can configure so that it does what they need it to do? And this is precisely what we did! We call it 

har-modular®. A connector that has been perfectly tailored to the application, that can be configured online 

from numerous modules and is capable of offering millions of individual solutions. From batch size 1, developers 

can therefore always find the connection they need. Just create your own 

Modularity and flexibility are becoming 

more and more important in 

device development. Development 

times for new devices are getting 

shorter and the role of prototyping 

is growing in importance. Here, a 

limited selection of available standard 

components is often an obstacle 

in device development. Component 

suppliers often keep a large selection 

of possible solutions in stock. Nevertheless, 

trends like miniaturisation 

and new architectures in devices are 

continually driving demands for new 

modes of connection. Manufacturers 

of connectors and other components 

would like to offer their customers 

even more variants, but stocking a 

new product range for each special 

solution would simply not be 

cost-effective. The customer-specific 

special solution is naturally always 

an option for very high quantities. 

Even if standard components can be 

adapted reatively quickly, it would 

still take too long in today’s development 

times for devices. 

The solution for this requirement 

for modularity, flexibility and greater 

speed in device development is 

har-modular®. Not only is it an 

additional variant of the largest DIN 

41612 portfolio on the market, but 

it is also a plug connection that can 

be configured completely by the 

customer and holds tremendous 

future potential. Each innovative and 

creative arrangement within a device 

design is no longer dependent on 

whether there is a suitable standard 

product or variant available. The 

developer adapts the connector to 

his/her requirements. Not the other 

way round. 

There are several million combination 

possibilities using various 

modules that can be simply configured 

at the click of the mouse. The 

possibilities are endless. Regardless 

of whether we are speaking about 

assembling finished modules today 

or generatively manufactured in the 

future: we deliver a tailored connectivity 

solution for your company. 

Any solution is possible and can be 

implemented from batch size 1. 

This offers developers completely 

new perspectives for rapid and costeffective 

prototype development. 

Modules for data, signals and power 

in various configurations can be 

freely combined in widths of 20-172 

millimetres. They are always clipped 

into a guide rail with two retaining 

elements at the ends and are consequently 

ready for use. The positions 

of the elements are completely free 

of one another and can be repeatedly 

newly combined. 

Using the har-modular® configurator, 

users can configure his/ 

her personal har-modular® online 

and place the order for a complete 

connector. No additional time is 

needed for adjustments to a standard 

solution, but absolute flexibility. 

With har-modular®, HARTING is 

not just continuing on its successful 

product path, but is also meeting 

the demands for miniaturisation and 

modularisation with a revolutionary 

concept for connectivity on circuit 

boards. 

Create your own! 



15

TRACO POWER 

POWER SOLUTIONS 

FOR INDUSTRIAL 

APPLICATIONS 

Power supply systems for 

industrial applications 

are subject to the highest 

quality standards. Therefore, 

our products comply 

with current international 

safety standards and are 

used primarily in control 

and automation technology 

and increasingly for IoT and 

IIoT applications - even 

in harsh and demanding 

environments. 

TBA SERIES – NEW COST OPTIMIZED 1 & 2 WATT DC/DC CONVERTERS 

BASIC 1 & 2 WATT DC/DC SIP CONVERTERSIN A MINIMAL-COST DESIGN 

- Continuous short circuit protection 

- I/O isolation: 1’500 VDC or 3’000 VDC 

- Operating temperature range -40 to +85 °C 

without deratin 

- Input voltage ranges (±10%): 3, 5, 12, 24 VDC 

- High efficiency up to 84% 

- SIP-4 or SIP-7 package 

- Unregulated outputs 

- 3-year product warrant 

TIB SERIES DIN-RAIL POWER SUPPLIES 

This new generation of DIN-rail power supplies combines most efficient circuit 

topology with optimized cost/performance ratio for industrial environments and for 

electric control cabinets. With a very high efficiency of up to 94.5% the units are in the 

vanguard of industrial DIN-rail power supplies concerning reduced power loss. 

The units operate with a high power factor of up to 99% by 

active power factor correction. The TIB series models 

are available with a nominal power of 80, 120, 

240 or 480 Watt (+50% boost power). The output 

voltage is adjustable from 23.5 to 28 VDC. 

TEL 10WI SERIES 

SMALLEST FOOTPRINT OF A TRACO POWER 10 

WATT DC/DC CONVERTER 

INDUSTRIAL POWER SOLUTIONS 

DC/DC FROM 1–300 WATT 

AC/DC FROM 2–1000 WATT 

- Wide selection of mounting type & packaging styles 

- IEC/EN/UL 62368-1 compliant 

- Industrial EMC immunity acc. to IEC 61000-6-2 

- Special portfolio for harsh environment acc. 

To ATEX, UL HazLoc 

- 3-years warranty 

- Most compact 10 Watt converter in DIP-16 metal casing 

- Highest power density of 3,83W/cm3 

- 6-side shielded metal case with insulated baseplate 

- Ultra wide 4:1 input voltage range 

- High efficiency for low thermal loss 

- Operating temperature range -40°C to +88°C 

- Built-In EN 55032 class A filter 

- Protection against short circuit 

- 3-year product warranty 



17

BRAINBOXES 

OPTIMISING INDUSTRIAL 

OPERATIONS WITH 

BB-400 INDUSTRIAL 

CONTROLLER 

Big Data – shorthand for the billions of transactions 

datasets generated daily – is key in industry, but simply 

collecting reams and reams of counts and figures isn’t 

enough. The data must of course be accurate and 

relevant. Moreover, it’s vital that it can be analysed in 

the right way to enable businesses to make the best 

data-driven decisions. 

The actionable insights are already there, contained 

in the data. Data visualisation – viewing information in 

clear graphical forms – takes the guesswork out of 

analysing big data by cutting out the noise and making 

it easier to spot trends, patterns and unusual values 

(outliers.) Often complex statistical analysis isn’t required; 

simply visualising data allows humans to understand 

the big picture unclouded by individual data points. 

The ability to visualise data from different sources in 

one place makes it easier to identify organisational 

opportunities, shines a spotlight on inefficiencies, and 

can help solve other common challenges on the factory 

floor: 

REDUCE COSTLY ERRORS 

To err is human; the ability to spot inevitable mistakes 

in real-time and respond quickly can make a huge 

difference. 

Representing data from varied sources on a centralised 

visual dashboard allows supervisors to see everything at 

a glance (shift productivity, machine downtime, outputs, 

etc.), making it easier to keep track of every part of the 

manufacturing process and action fast responses. 

STREAMLINE THE SUPPLY CHAIN 

By visualising data at any given time, and comparing 

against historical performance data, it’s easier to track 

ROI and delivery rates, identify where resources are 

allocated, and manage Overall Equipment Effectiveness 

to optimise supply chain efficiency. 

BALANCE QUALITY CONTROL WITH COST-CUTTING 

A visual data model makes it easy to see where resources 

are spent and proactively identify potential flaws; ensuring 

that all processes are designed to meet quality 

assurance standards in the most cost-effective way. 

Quality doesn’t always have to come at a price; some of 

the largest quality gains can be made by simple changes 

highlighted by the data. 

IDENTIFY & ELIMINATE INEFFICIENCIES 

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is the measurement 

and management of critical processes, often in 

real-time. By visualising datasets related to resources, 

materials, productivity, and shift performance in a 

comprehensive database, ERP can be enhanced, allowing 

decisions to be made more rapidly and with fewer 

errors. 

Wherever you are on your IoT journey, graphically visualising 

data makes it possible to optimise operations. 

Even without the facilities to capture data, it’s possible 

to prove concepts without wiring sensors, by using free 

to start, open-source software and Brainboxes BB-400 

Industrial Edge Controller 

- Process data locally and send to the cloud; 

use the built-in software or write your own with 

open-source tools 

- Develop on Raspberry Pi and deploy seamlessly 

to industry 

- -25°C to +80°C operating temperature range, 

5-30VDC dual power input with built in mini UPS 

https://www.buerklin.com/en/Industrial-Edge- 

Controller-8-x-I-O-Serial-Port/p/06P0000 

Watch the video guide to learn how sensor count data 

can be captured by the BB-400, and sent to a time-series 

database in InfluxDB, which will allow us to create 

graphical visualisations of the data in Grafana in the 

form of charts, graphs, and more. 

ABOUT BRAINBOXES 

Established in 1984; Brainboxes design and manufacture 

innovative industrial and IoT networking products, developing 

our own core technologies to become trusted as 

one of the leading communication device manufacturers 

in the world. 

Brainboxes range of industrial controllers, Ethernet 

switches, and converters allow you to retrofit for 

efficiency and productivity, connect machines with 

different ports and protocols, send real-time ‘big data’ 

to IT networks and the Cloud, and manage assets 

through predictive maintenance. 

Brainboxes’ team of highly qualified software and hardware 

designers are matched by an accredited in-house 

volume manufacturing facility and a global distribution 

chain. Substantial investment in R&D and manufacturing 

have gained us a proven reputation for products that are 

easy to use, highly configurable and extremely reliable. 

With the technical support provided by the same people 

who design and test all of our products, Brainboxes is 

able to offer the best lifetime support in the industry; 

all completely free. 



19

WEG – COMPONENTS FOR 

AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY 

A NEW PARTNER 

ON THE PROGRAMME 

Bürklin Elektronik customers can access an extensive portfolio of proven 

WEG switchgear and variable speed drives (VSD) from the Online Shop 

with immediate effect. The two companies and their new partnership are 

well-founded on numerous common values. 

WEG and its approximately 33,300 

employees are now active across the 

globe in over 135 countries, offering 

not only energy-efficient electric motors, 

but also automation and power 

transmission solutions for many 

industrial applications, among other 

things. As part of strategic business 

expansion in the automation division, 

Kerpen-based WEG Germany GmbH 

is proud to have gained Bürklin 

Elektronik as an important partner 

for distribution in Germany. 

“We have been looking for the right 

distribution partners in Germany and 

in the European region in general for 

some time now,” says Wilmar Henning, 

Managing Director of WEG Germany 

GmbH. “The breadth and depth of 

our product range, especially in 

low-voltage switchgear technology, 

calls for a competent partner with 

corresponding professional customer 

management and international 

experience. This is exactly what 

we found in Bürklin Elektronik.” 

Samir Pepelar, Manager LV (Low Voltage) 

Automation at WEG, explains: 

“We decided on Bürklin Elektronik 

for several reasons. Not only do the 

diverse opportunities of both companies 

form a good basis for growing 

together and with each other, we are 

also united by many common values. 

This includes the focus on our 

customers enjoying top priority as a 

central element of the supply chain, 

which goes hand in hand with the 

importance of the service concept 

as well as personal contact - despite 

the online business model.” 

On the part of Bürklin Elektronik, 

André Rupkalwis (Head of Procurement) 

comments: “With WEG, we 

have been able to gain another 

important global manufacturer of 

high-quality electronic components 

for our shop, one with whom we can 

expand and round off our product 

portfolio for our customers in industrial 

automation and process technology. 

We look forward to a great and 

long-term collaboration.” 

DRIVE TECHNOLOGY AS 

THE STARTING POINT 

Even though everything started 60 

years ago at WEG’s head offices with 

the production of electric motors in 

Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil, it has been a 

while since everything in the group 

revolved around copper coils. The 

company began manufacturing 

electrical and electronic components 

as well as automation technology for 

industrial applications back in the 

1980s. The electric motor, gearbox 

and automation technology business 

has been expanded to include divisions 

such as WEG Digital Solutions, 

Transmission and Distribution, Power 

Generation, Industrial Coatings and 

Varnishes. Recently, the company 

entered the wind power, solar and 

mobility business sectors, allowing 

WEG to position itself as a supplier of 

complete industrial systems. 

The business model which forms the 

base of WEG‘s success is built on five 

pillars: vertical integration, diversification, 

modular expansion, global 

presence and financial strength. For 

example, an extremely high degree of 

vertical integration enables flexible 

production – and therefore also competitive 

small series of highly customised 

products. With 47 production 

sites in twelve countries, WEG 

has established a modular production 

system that optimises capacity 

utilisation and reduces demand 

risks. Due to the product portfolio’s 

great diversity, know-how can easily 

be transferred to new markets and 

WEG can become a premium partner 

for global customers. With its solid 

financial foundation, the group is 

able to take advantage of growth opportunities 

as they arise. In general, 

WEG‘s mission is to realise continuous 

and sustainable growth while 

maintaining simplicity. The company 

offers its customers the performance 

of a global player combined with 

availability at any time when needed. 



21

For the past 25 years, WEG Germany 

GmbH has been operating successfully 

for the group in Germany and 

is currently preparing to meet the 

demands of ongoing growth. For better 

and faster customer service, the 

current capacities at the Kerpen site 

will be doubled. In spring 2022, the 

company plans to move into a new, 

modern and sustainably designed 

building, which will not only offer 

significantly more office and storage 

space, but also enough room to build 

up new services on site. This construction 

serves WEG in its increasing 

endeavours to address topics 

such as digitalisation and 

Logistics 4.0 in order to make its 

processes even more efficient for 

customers. 

SWITCHGEAR – FROM 

PUSH-BUTTONS 

TO CIRCUIT BREAKERS 

The most important product group 

Bürklin Elektronik has added to 

its portfolio is WEG’s low-voltage 

switchgear. This includes control 

and signalling devices as well as 

contactors, switch-disconnectors, 

motor-protective circuit breakers and 

circuit breakers. One focus here is 

on the complex of topics relating to 

switching and protecting motors. 

The family of contactors includes 

auxiliary contactors such as the 

CWCA, which is suitable for direct 

connection to a PLC, among other 

things. The compact contactors of 

the CWC series are suitable for all 

applications where conventional contactors 

are too large for the available 

space. Although small in design, they 

can switch motors of up to 11 kW 

/ 400 V AC3, for example. They are 

highly reliable in electrical switching 

operations and achieve over one 

million switching cycles. 

With the CWB series, WEG also offers 

power contactors in a user-friendly 

design where the extinguishing 

elements can be quickly and easily 

plugged in at the front without tools. 

In addition, the devices are characterised 

by a small overall width, 

achieved by a design with power 

contacts separated from the auxiliary 

contacts and control connections. 

Despite the compact design, it has 

been possible to integrate one NC 

contact and one NO contact as auxiliary 

contacts in all contactors of the 

CWB series. The slots for additional 

auxiliary contacts are also designed 

to save space and allow for 2 or 

4-pole auxiliary contact blocks to be 

mounted without tools. 

For the protection of circuits and the 

operation and protection of motors, 

WEG offers the MPW motor-protective 

circuit-breaker, a compact solution 

that is suitable even for challenging 

applications with high short-circuit 

current. They are equipped with 

both thermal and magnetic releases 

that protect against overload or ensure 

short-circuit protection. 

With the MSW switch-disconnectors, 

electric motors, machines and other 

equipment can be safely disconnected 

from the mains under load. They 

are suitable as main or emergency 

stop switches in accordance with 

IEC60204-1. 

Quality is the top priority for DWB 

molded case circuit breakers 

(MCCB). In this case, WEG relies on 

special material for the housing to 

guarantee high mechanical and high 

dielectric strength. Fixed and moving 

contacts are made of special metal 

alloys and ensure safe operation 

as well as a long mechanical and 

electrical service life. The surfaces 

of the copper terminals are specially 

treated to protect against corrosion 

and excessive heating. The DWB circuit-breaker 

family can switch rated 

currents from 160 A to 1,600 A. As 

the accessories can be used across 

the entire range, the series is highly 

flexible. At the same time, the switch 

offers optimal protection due to double 

insulation between the conductive 

parts and the front parts. 

THE RIGHT TORQUE 

FOR EVERY APPLICATION 

As a specialist in drive technology, 

WEG‘s portfolio of frequency inverters 

and soft-starters generally enables 

it to offer the optimum solution 

for every application in a power range 

from 0.25 kW to 15 MW. 

The CFW100 is one of the drive units 

Bürklin Elektronik has added to its 

range and is the smallest member 

of the CFW family with only a few fingers 

wide. The single-phase inverter 

was developed for the simplest 

applications in the power range from 

0.25 to 1.5 kW and controls asynchronous 

motors via V/f characteristic 

or voltage vector (VVW). Despite 

the compact dimensions, it was 

possible to integrate a control panel 

into the device. 

The next larger VSD is the CFW300, 

which is available in three sizes and 

can be operated in a wide voltage 

range as well as under direct current. 

Thanks to the easy handling and 

compact design, the devices offer a 

flexible and cost- as well as energy-efficient 

solution for applications 

with low motor power (0.25 to 7.5 

kW). 

The powerful and versatile CFW500 

frequency inverter is suitable for all 

applications from 0.25 to 110 kW that 

require high performance in speed 

and torque control of three-phase 

asynchronous motors. The device 

is available with sensor-less vector 

control, closed-loop vector control 

and scalar V/f control. It has an integrated 

SoftPLC, safety functions and 

various plug-in modules available 

as options. Soft-starters such as the 

popular SSW07 are now also available 

from Bürklin Elektronik. 



23

AERO-MOTIVE 

TOOL SUPPORT PRODUCTS 

FOR MORE 

ERGONOMICS 

AND INCREASED 

EFFICIENCY 

KA series balancer with feature 

”remote lock“ – control 

the manual drum lock at operator level 

Maintaining the highest quality while 

continuously improving efficiency 

in industrial manufacturing and 

assembly processes are challenges 

that every company in this environment 

must face. Optimizing the 

ergonomics of work processes and 

the organization of the workstations 

themselves make an important 

contribution to this. Aero-Motive tool 

retractors and balancers are used by 

our customers worldwide to achieve 

these goals. The use of our products 

noticeably reduces the physical 

strain on employees in repetitive 

work processes, making them more 

efficient and additionally reducing 

absenteeism and related follow-up 

costs. In addition, tidiness in the 

workplace is significantly improved, 

as the tool returns to its original 

position after use and is thus always 

ready to hand. Particularly sensitive 

tools can also be perfectly protected, 

as they are prevented from falling. 

Last but not least, the handling of 

heavy tools, such as hand-held welding 

guns or joining tools, is made 

possible at all by the use of balancers, 

thus opening up great 

potential with regard to flexible 

manufacturing processes. 

With our tool support products, we 

can cover the entire spectrum of 

these applications, as Aero-Motive 

offers a continuous weight range up 

to 300 kg payload across the different 

product series. In addition to 

tool retractors and balancers, our 

product range also includes position- 

ers, torque reels, e.g. for handling 

control elements, and static 

discharge reels. Within the individual 

product series, we keep a wide range 

of variants available for our customers 

in order to be able to offer 

the right solution for all application 

scenarios in a wide variety of industrial 

environments. In order to reduce 

the total cost of ownership to a 

minimum, we also offer our customers 

a wide range of spare parts, 

which can extend the service life of a 

product many times over. In line with 

this, our design is geared towards 

being able to carry out maintenance 

and servicing work as quickly and 

easily as possible, as we consider 

this to be an integral part of the 

quality of our products. This also 

includes the durability of our assortment 

and, in particular, the best in 

class ergonomics - both in operation 

and in installation and adjustment 

for the specific application. We have 

geared our entire company as well 

as all overlapping processes with 

Bürklin Elektronik to this. 

Find Aero-Motive Products 

at Bürklin Elektronik: 

www.buerklin.com/en/brands/aero-motive 

Aero-Motive retractors: 

RB, RF, 5F, F, FLRC series 



25

By: KONRAD LAUBERBACH 

CEO 

Aero-Motive Balancer: 

AB, BF, EB, EA, JA/JA, LA series 

Aero-Motive GmbH 

Email: info@aero-motive.com 

www.aero-motive.com 

Despite our extensive product range, 

we often encounter very individual 

requirements from our customers. 

As a medium-sized company, we 

are able to react very flexibly to this 

and implement these challenges 

in a short time. Another important 

service we offer our customers is 

the maintenance and servicing of 

our products - this includes not only 

checking and identifying signs of 

wear, but also replacing the affected 

components. 

In 2019 Bürklin Elektronik took over 

the Aero-Motive product line and 

transferred into the 100% subsidiary 

Aero-Motive GmbH. In 2020, 

the transfer of the entire business to 

Oberhaching took place step by step. 

Since then, a team of engineers, 

product and sales managers as well 

as mechanics and business people 

have been working on the development, 

production and sales of our 

products under one roof and in close 

cooperation with Bürklin Elektronik. 

Since Aero-Motive has been set up 

as an independent company, we have 

been able to organize the further 

development of the business much 

more flexibly and thus more 

effectively than in the past. In 

particular, the adaptive management 

of the supply chain is an important 

success factor in times of raw 

material shortages and bottlenecks 

and currently ensures extremely 

high availability to our customers. In 

addition, close cooperation between 

product management, sales, purchasing 

and development allows us 

to work very agilely and independently 

on the further development of 

our product and service range. This 

flexibility is an important advantage 

in meeting the requirements of the 

market and one that our customers 

now greatly appreciate. 

Application with AB series 

Aero-Motive Balancer 

Since 2020 our tool support products 

have been developed and 

manufactured in Oberhaching near 

Munich and distributed by Bürklin 

Elektronik. The direct proximity 

enables us to use the first-class 

logistics and distribution processes 

available there. After manufacturing, 

our products are stored at Bürklin 

Elektronik, allowing incoming 

customer orders to be shipped the 

same day. We keep a wide range of 

our products in stock for immediate 

availability, which allows us to meet 

our customers‘ needs in the shortest 

possible time. 

We are very happy that we can 

continue the success story of 

Aero-Motive with this setup and 

are proud to receive a lot of positive 

feedback from our customers all 

over the world for this as well. 

You can contact out product 

experts at Bürklin Elektronik at 

Tel.: 089/55875-700 

www.buerklin.com/en/brands/aero-motive 

E-mail: info@aero-motive.com 



27

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DELIVERY PROMISE: 

SAME DAY SHIPPING 

FOR ALL ORDERS 

RECEIVED BY 6PM 

• Online Shop: buerklin.com 

• Industry-focus line cards of well-known and reliable manufacturers 

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28 

Bürklin Quarterly

Bürklin Elektronik Quarterly # 03/2021 Englisch

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