Siko

About Siko

Siko is a manufacturer of rotary and linear measuring systems, actuators, individual-programmable displays used in many industries, especially in mechanical engineering. The company was founded in 1963 in Germany by Mr. Günther Wondres. The company developed and produced handwheels with analogue position indicators. In 1976, digital position indicators were launched, which were a huge success. The position values are displayed digitally on the machine display, thus ensuring positioning accuracy to tenths of a millimetre. In the following years the product portfolio of the holding company expanded considerably. In 1996 the company developed its first absolute encoder, based on a magnetic strip measuring system. Today the company is the market leader in digital displays.

The company's headquarters are in Buchenbach, near Freiburg, Germany. The company employs more than 150 people in Germany. The managing director is Mr Horst Wondres. Today the company has independent sales offices and subsidiaries in over 30 countries: Russia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Spain, Switzerland, USA, Poland, England, Denmark, France and others.

The company's corporate strategy includes the following points: Security, a healthy and stable company with a guaranteed future; Innovation, the art of measuring technology; Know-How, more than 40 years of experience in a wide variety of sectors; Openess, honesty in relations with customers, employees and suppliers.

Sico offers complete turnkey solutions in measurement and position monitoring. With its precision and innovative strength, the company sets global standards for reliability and quality. The company guarantees the following aspects: one-stop shop for measuring, display and motion technology, extensive industrial application expertise as well as cost-effective individual solutions.

Corporate structure  

SIKO Products Asia Pte. Ltd. is the youngest subsidiary, headquartered in Singapore. Since the beginning of 2013, it has been functioning as a strategic hub in the Southeast Asian market. This subsidiary provides competent customer service throughout Southeast Asia. In addition to distribution and technical customer support, local distributors are at the centre of attention for the company.  

SIKO International Trading Co. Ltd. is based in Shanghai, offering Chinese customers a local network of distributors and professional on-site service. The main functions of this Chinese subsidiary are local distribution as well as technical support for customers and OEM users. 

The division has an extensive warehouse, which guarantees optimum delivery times for products.  

SIKO Products Inc. has been providing excellent support to the North American market for more than 30 years. Located in southeastern Michigan, experienced engineers provide technical support and ensure consistent customer satisfaction with products and service. A 600 square metre warehouse guarantees short delivery times.  

SIKO Italia S.r.l. was established in 2001 in order to ensure optimal care for customers and OEM users in Italy. Thanks to a high degree of technical competence and close contact with local customers, successful solutions for the Italian industry and mechanical engineering are offered. Long-term cooperation, based on the trust of local customers, in the field of products and on-site service, has brought SIKO Italia steady growth and a reliable reputation. 

With around 25 employees, SIKO MagLine AG guarantees professional and customer-oriented support for Swiss customers. This enables local companies in Switzerland to gain access to the know-how and experience that SIKO has gained over 50 years. In addition to sales and technical support in Switzerland, the subsidiary also has a production facility for high-precision sensors and measuring displays. 

Company products

Position indicators: electronic digital sensors; mechanical digital sensors; mechanical analogue sensors; operating handles; manual and pneumatic clamping plates.

Rotary encoders: Incremental encoders; absolute encoders; potentiometers; displays.

Wired encoders: Fieldbus actuators; analogue actuators; incremental actuators.

Magnetic rotary and length gauging systems: transducers; magnetic strips; magnetic rings; displays; translators.

Company products are widely used in many industries, such as: automation systems; press equipment; woodworking; textile machines; packaging industry; machine building.

The company offers the following product ranges:

Mechanical and digital position indicators

Position indicators from the Siko brand are a good solution for controlling and displaying measured values. Measured values can be collected with high accuracy and are easy to read.

These digital position indicators can be securely mounted directly on an axle or spindle. Simply attach it to the shaft, lock it in place and you're ready to go - thanks to sophisticated technology, millions of little orange indicators are in action all over the world as spindle position indicators.

Position indicators are used in all industries and production plants because almost all machines or production lines need guide elements or tools that can be positioned safely. The range of digital position indicators includes models DA02, DA04, DA05/1, DA08, DA09S, DA10, DA10/R1 in different shaft diameters, housing and display.

Electronic digital position indicators. Electronic position transmitters are designed for precise control of spindle adjustment. The combination of the AP04 position indicator, the AP04S linear measurement system, and the AP24 display allows coverage of all adjusting points on the machine within the format to be monitored.

In industrial environments, customers especially appreciate the precise and reliable recording of measured values offered by electronic position indicators. The magnetic measuring method is particularly reliable and, in addition, resistant to dirt or vibration, and suitable for use in harsh environments. The LCD display also allows a clear reading of the corresponding position values. The range of electronic position indicators includes electronic position transmitters DE04, DE10, DE10P, AP04, DA05/1, DA08, DA09S, DA10, DA10/R1, differing in their shaft diameter, body and LCD display.    

Control knobs. The control knob is an innovative product that combines a position indicator with the operating element of a rotary knob for spindle positioning.

These versatile products of the DK series for industrial use are used in processes that require high precision valve adjustment for numerous metering tasks. Many control knobs available on the market are not suitable for this purpose because they cannot achieve the required level of accuracy and repeatability. The company's control knobs meet both of these criteria and are even able to visualise linear adjustment processes. The product range includes the DK01, DK02, DK03, DK04, DK05, DKA02, DKE01 control knobs with various display modes and different housings.

Clamping plates. The clamping elements allow safe device settings in the gripping and clamping area.

The combination of spindle indicator and pneumatic clamping plate is the obvious choice. The compact and robust form of the clamping plate also makes it possible to use these products as an independent clamping element in order to clamp any type of rotary axis on the machine. The range of clamping fixtures includes KP04, KPL04, KPE04, KP09, KPL09, KP09P inserts.

Incremental rotary encoders. Incremental rotary encoders operate on the optical or magnetic encoder principle with solid or hollow shafts. The product range includes models IG07, IG07M, IG09M, IG16, IG17, IV28M/1, IH28M, IV58M, IH58M.

Zico Global products 

Automation

The SIKO position indicators monitor and display the position of the parts on which they are installed. The SIKO position indicators are equipped with a multi-digit display and feature optimum read-out precision, transforming the received data about the speed of the adjacent axis into comprehensible values on the display. DE series electronic digital position indicators are programmable and offer a sensible alternative to mechanical counters, especially in cases where the desired gear ratio cannot be selected. The series also features analogue position indicator handles, whose special scale allows extensive customisation options.

Flexible magnetic strip

SIKO's range of flexible MagLine magnetic tapes includes incremental and absolute magnetic tapes for capturing distance or angle information. SIKO flexible magnetic tapes consist of a magnetically encoded plastic tape firmly attached to a steel carrier. Each flexible tape has one or two magnetically coded tracks. The advantage of using flexible magnetic tapes is that they can be precisely cut to the required dimensions. The accuracy of magnetic tapes depends on the distance between the individual poles in the magnetic code.

Position, speed and acceleration measurement

Incremental and absolute angle encoders with magnetic or optical operating principles from SIKO have a solid or hollow shaft and are available in different versions. SIKO encoders are highly resistant to shock and vibration as well as to high temperatures, oil, grease, dirt and water. The encoder system is not subject to physical wear and tear and requires no maintenance. SIKO encoders have a compact design due to the unique positioning of the sensor system. Rotation speed is up to 12000 rpm. Absolute encoders are also available in versions designed for use in demanding industrial environments.

Ring Magnetic Tape

SIKO ring-shaped magnetic tapes are widely used for the measurement of rotary movements in specific applications. SIKO magnetic tapes are available in several versions, and it is possible to find the right version for every engineering task. In order to avoid measurement errors when coupling with rings, SIKO has launched its own production with a unique technology: first the magnetic tape is attached to the carrier and then it is incrementally coded. This makes it possible to take quality measurements within a 360 degree range.

Ring magnets

SIKO's ring magnets from the MagLine Roto series, specifically designed for magnetometric rotation measurements, are plastic rings with a magnetic code for measuring angles, speeds and rotation frequencies. The suitable ring magnet is selected from a variety of options which differ in size, outer diameter, number of revolutions, accuracy class, number of poles on the magnetic ring and whether a reference point is present or not.

Magnetic tapes self-adhesive

Self-adhesive magnetic tapes from SIKO's MagLine Roto series are plastic tapes with magnetic coding for measuring angles, speeds or rotational speeds. Absolute coding of the magnetic tapes ensures high reliability and accuracy as well as reproducibility of the measurement results. The use of magnetic sensors allows position detection even when de-energised. This means that position data is retained after the system is switched off and then on again, even if the sensor is displaced.

Machine tool equipment

SIKO's manual and pneumatic clamping elements enable the locking of machine parameters and the locking of shafts and adjusting axes. During format changeover on the production equipment, the shafts are adjusted to the required position using mechanical or electronic SIKO position indicators. To ensure reliable operation of the equipment and to prevent unwanted movements caused by vibrations, external forces or operator errors, it is recommended that the position be locked in position by means of special locking devices. 

Actuators and positioning

SIKO offers a wide range of roller drives with absolute magnetic positioning, evaluation electronics and industrial interface communication Ethernet and Fieldbus. Systems with fieldbus connection are becoming increasingly popular and are already an industry standard in some areas, above all due to the significant savings in installation and maintenance costs. These systems also enable ideal digital communication between intelligent drive systems and higher-level automation systems based on programmable logic controllers and industrial PCs. 

Testing and monitoring

The SIKO translator modules enable the conversion of signals from passive magnetic sensors into digital pulses or absolute serial values. Control and parameter adjustment of the modules is simple. The combination of passive magnetic sensors and evaluation electronics is most often used in situations where mounting space is limited and not sufficient for the installation of an active magnetic system. The main criteria for the selection of evaluation electronics are the maximum resolution and sensing distance as well as the need for absolute or incremental measurement.

Control knobs

SIKO control knobs are easy to adjust manually and are a combination of a position encoder and a swivel element, which is used for positioning shafts. Despite their compact dimensions, the SIKO control handles offer high positioning accuracy and are ideally suited for installation in confined spaces. During installation, only a single hole needs to be drilled for mounting the locking lever. SIKO control handles are economical thanks to the choice of materials that are appropriate for the intended use and a long service life.

Control system for quick format change

The SIKO ETC5000 is an automatically configurable control system with an intuitive touch screen interface and Easy Touch Control ETC5000 is designed for quick format changes and can control up to 31 compatible bus-capable position encoders or actuators. The system provides the ability to adjust the position of individual elements as well as complex regulation. The connection is made via RS485 or USB interfaces. With the Easy Touch Control ETC5000 the controlled adjustment by means of the position transmitters or the fully automatic adjustment by means of the actuators is possible. 

Standard mechanical elements

SIKO's standard disc-based mechanical controls, made of aluminium or fibreglass-reinforced plastic, have proven their worth over decades of use in various fields. The controls are available in various shapes and sizes and can be combined with analogue position encoders for positioning adjustment shafts in industrial machinery. The HG series has been specially designed for use in the food industry and has no corners to collect dirt.

Electrical measurement

This section features MagLine series incremental and absolute magnetic encoders, which provide a cost-effective alternative to optical sensors. The information collected on magnetic tapes or rings is transmitted by the sensors to the broadcast modules as well. The values measured by the active sensors are converted into digital pulses, analogue sine and cosine signals or serial absolute values. With passive sensors, an additional display or translator module is mandatory.

Electronic control knob

SIKO's innovative freely programmable electronic control knob DKE01 combines an electronic programmable position encoder with a star or disc type of control and provides flexible positioning options. The operating parameters of the control knob can be modified to suit the specific application and cover the majority of possible applications. The rotary knob unit has a five-digit LCD display with a digit height of 11.5 mm. Programming is done using special ProToolDE software. Length and angle measurements are possible. Suitable for shafts with a maximum diameter of 20 mm.