Vending machines

Flammable refrigerants such as propane (R290) have become more widely used in vending machines as they have low-GWP. Apart from the compressor, some vending machines also have heaters for thawing of food or, in the case of coffee vending machines, for heating of the water and milk.
Solid state relays such as the RM1A and RAM1A series are ideal solutions since they do not produce any arcing during load switching. Additionally, their low-profile design makes them an easy fit in tight electrical panels. The RAM1A...G housing material is also glow-wire certified according to IEC/EN 60335-1.

A main component of a vending machine is the compressor. Traditionally, compressors have been controlled by mechanical relays and contactors which produce arcs during load switching.
A possible alternative is a solid state contactor such as the RGC1A. The RGC1A is a 1-pole solid state contactor that is rated both for motor (AC53) and resistive (AC51) switching. It does not produce any arcing during switching and hence, is not considered a potential ignition source. The RGC1A comes with an integrated heatsink and is therefore a plug and play solution. The RGC housing material is also glow-wire certified, making it easier to comply with the application standard IEC/EN 60335-2-89.

In vending machines with cup dispensing, the proper detection of the presence of the plastic cup is important to avoid liquid spillage. Both PA18 diffusive reflective sensors and PH18 retro-reflective sensors are well suited for this application. Both sensor families have a potentiometer to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor to suit different application requirements.
For more demanding applications, the PD30 diffuse reflective sensors, come with background suppression feature (BGS) that is based on a brand-new sensing principle which considerably increases the sensing distance (200 mm) and improves the detection accuracy of different colors.