ifm offers individually controlled RGB machine lighting

ifm offers individually controllable RGB LED strips for industrial machine visualisation, allowing equipment designers to display operating conditions, indicate product positions, and guide workers through production tasks using programmable lighting.

The range supports up to 320 individually addressable RGB LEDs, with colour and brightness controlled through the company’s DP1617 controller. Four predefined operating modes provide different arrangements for displaying machine information without requiring a separate lighting control program to be developed for every application.

The strips are intended for factory automation and food production equipment, with industrial and hygienic variants available in lengths from 250mm to 5,000mm. Their encapsulated construction and integrated LED failure bypass system are designed to maintain operation in demanding installation environments.

Conventional industrial signalling commonly uses individual indicator lamps, stackable light towers, or illuminated push-button assemblies. These devices communicate machine states through defined colours or flashing sequences, but the information is associated with the fixed location of each indicator.

An addressable LED strip provides a continuous illuminated surface that can display different information along its length. Individual light sources can change colour and intensity, allowing visual indications to correspond with particular machine zones, workpiece positions, or stages of an automated process.

RGB LEDs contain red, green, and blue light-emitting elements. Adjusting the relative output of these elements changes the visible colour, while controlling each light source separately allows more complex patterns than a strip in which every LED must display the same state.

ifm’s DP1617 controller manages the individual lighting functions. The controller connects to the machine’s automation infrastructure through IO-Link, a standardised point-to-point communications technology used for industrial sensors, actuators, and other field equipment.

IO-Link allows devices to exchange process information and configuration parameters with a compatible master. The master can then communicate with the machine controller through the industrial network used by the wider installation.

For a visualisation application, the machine’s control software supplies the information that determines how the strip should operate. This might represent a process measurement, a workpiece location, or the operating condition of one section of the equipment.

The DP1617 converts those requirements into the selected lighting pattern. Its predefined functions reduce the need to implement every individual illumination sequence as a custom software operation, although the control system must still provide suitable values and configuration data.

Segment mode divides the available strip into independently controlled sections. Different colours can be assigned to separate areas, allowing one lighting assembly to represent several process conditions at the same time.

For example, the illuminated sections could correspond with different machine zones or stages of a production process. The position and length of the segments can be configured according to the display requirement, allowing the same physical lighting installation to support different applications.

Running Light Point mode illuminates successive LEDs to create the appearance of movement. The resulting pattern can indicate direction, show the progression of an operation, or direct attention towards a location along the machinery.

The motion is produced by changing the illuminated LEDs rather than moving a physical component. Its speed and visual behaviour are determined by the controller configuration and the application using the display.

Bar Graph mode represents a value through a progressively illuminated section. A machine controller can use the pattern to indicate a level, measured quantity, or operating state, with the visible length changing as the underlying value changes.

The display provides a spatial representation of the measurement rather than requiring the operator to interpret a numerical value. The control system must establish the relevant scale and ensure that changes in the illuminated section correspond to the intended process information.

Position mode controls selected LED groups to identify defined locations. This can support assembly guidance, workpiece tracking, or operations in which the next required action must be indicated at a particular point along the equipment.

Unlike a fixed indicator lamp, the position marker can be moved through the programmed lighting arrangement without physically relocating the strip. The approach is particularly suited to equipment where the relevant position changes between products or manufacturing steps.

The range includes general industrial versions identified by ifm’s DV11 series and food-industry versions within the DV12 series. Both are intended for integration into machinery, but their construction and material arrangements are selected according to the operating environment.

Lengths extend from 250mm to 5,000mm, with the longest configuration containing up to 320 RGB LEDs. Equipment manufacturers can therefore select a strip according to the available mounting space and the amount of visual information that needs to be represented.

The strips support straight and bent installation, allowing them to follow machine contours or fit into locations where separate indicator assemblies would occupy additional space. Installation must remain within the manufacturer’s mechanical and mounting requirements to avoid damage to the electrical connections or encapsulated structure.

ifm specifies a fully potted construction, with the product range designed for exposure to demanding industrial conditions. Its range information identifies IP69 protection, while individual product specifications provide the applicable environmental and ingress protection classifications for each version.

Ingress protection is particularly relevant to machinery operating in wet or frequently cleaned areas. Cleaning procedures may involve substantial water exposure, while food production equipment can also require materials and surface designs suited to hygienic maintenance.

The food-industry versions are intended for these applications, although suitability for a particular cleaning chemical, temperature, or installation method must be checked against the detailed specifications of the selected product.

Encapsulation protects the internal electrical assembly but can make conventional replacement of individual emitters impractical. ifm addresses this limitation through an integrated bypass arrangement that allows the remaining strip to continue operating if one of its LEDs fails.

The failed light source will no longer provide its intended illumination, but the bypass prevents that individual failure from necessarily interrupting the entire assembly. This can help maintain the availability of the remaining visual indicators until maintenance or replacement is appropriate.

The reliability benefit depends on the condition of the rest of the strip and the lighting functions being used. Where a particular illuminated position is essential to an operating procedure, the system must still account for the possibility that the corresponding LED is unavailable.

ifm supplies the lighting range alongside IO-Link masters, industrial sensors, signalling products, and related automation hardware. These products can be incorporated into a common control architecture, allowing machine measurements and operating states to be represented through the programmed lighting system.

Product selection requires the appropriate strip length, industrial or food production variant, DP1617 controller, and compatible IO-Link infrastructure. The available operating modes provide the basic visual functions, while the machine application determines how those functions are used during production.