Lisa Eitel - Motion Control Tips

New drum motor and new hygienic solutions from Interroll at PackEXPO 2018

October 10, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

The Interroll Group, the leading global provider of material flow solutions, will introduce new products and solutions to the Americas region at PackEXPO at McCormick Place in Chicago from October 15 to 17, 2018 (Booth E 10300). One of the highlights will be the new generation of drum motors, which Interroll is now expanding with more diameter options.

Interroll will debut the DM0113 and the DM0138—the latest addition to its range of drum motors. The new generation of drives offers an impressive range of benefits: Stronger shafts and ball bearings ensure a particularly long service life and the extremely stable design for the planetary gear allows high torques to be transferred with low levels of operating noise. All the drum motors in the new generation comply with the requirements of IP69K, the highest degree of hygiene protection, meaning that they are significantly quicker and easier to clean in comparison to traditional gear motors. Local manufacturing ensures that delivery times of the new drum motors will be kept at a minimum.

Customers seeking to upgrade their so-called blue belt conveyors will be offered exclusive new equipment: Interroll invested into new polyureethane coating equipment for producing Interroll Premium Hygienic shells for driving homogenous belts in Wilmington, USA. This solution is unique in the market.

Another highlight will be a Modular Conveyor Platform (MCP) Loop display. The MCP is ideally suited to demonstrate the ease of use and flexibility of automatic order-picking systems. The highly versatile Interroll conveyor platform has proven to be the suitable choice — as it can be adapted to the most diverse specific needs of clients and users alike.

Furthermore, it is possible to use the platform as a basis for retrofitting systems for the flow of materials in a particularly quick and practical manner. The modules, most of which come pre-assembled, made the system easy to install. The MCP is controlled by Interroll MultiControl, the new network interface card for PROFINET, EtherNet/IP and EtherCAT. With help of the MultiControl, sensors and RollerDrive are directly integrated in to the field bus level.

Bodine’s SCR-rated PMDC gearmotors — for hybrid applications

October 10, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

To provide greater flexibility and compatibility with unfiltered SCR controls, Bodine Electric Co. now offers a new selection of 90-V and 180-Vdc gearmotors with a rated maximum armature speed of 2,500 rpm. These gearmotors are designed for “hybrid” applications that neither match the 90-V 1,725-rpm industry standard (for operation with unfiltered speed controls) nor Bodine’s typical voltage and rpm for filtered 130-Vdc speed control operation. These new stock models from Bodine can replace 90-V or 180-Vdc gearmotors sold by Baldor, Bison Gear, Leeson, or Grainger.

Clockwise from left: Bodine type 24A-Z, 33A-WX, 33A-5L/H, and 42A-FX SCR-rated gearmotors.

The initial product launch includes 70 standard/stock models with four of Bodine’s most popular gearhead designs.

Bodine SCR rated PMDC gearmotors provide high starting torque, adjustable speed and predictable speed/torque characteristics. All feature Class F TENV insulation. The Bodine type 24A-Z parallel shaft gearmotor features unvented gearhousing and all-steel gear trains that are permanently lubricated for maximum life and performance. It delivers up to 120 lb-in. rated torque. Speed ranges from 14 to 417 rpm, depending on the gear ratio.

The type 33A-WX parallel shaft gearmotor is constructed with all steel helical gears that meet or exceed AGMA 9 standards for maximum life and quiet operation. It delivers up to 205 lb-in. rated torque, with speeds from 8.0 to 658 rpm, depending on the gear ratio. The type 42A-FX is the largest of the three parallel shaft gearmotors. Like the type 33A-WX it features hardened steel gearing for quietness and high output. It delivers up to 350 lb-in. rated torque, and speeds from 8.3-500 rpm. The type 33A-5L/H hollow shaft gearmotor connects directly to the driven load and features versatile, universal mounting options. It delivers up to 89 lb-in. rated torque, with speeds from 33 to 500 rpm, depending on the gear ratio.

The SCR rated gearmotors and their corresponding controls and accessory kits are available through Bodine’s extensive distributor network or from the Bodine web site. Custom designs are available to qualified OEMs. Typical OEM modifications include factory installed encoders or brakes, custom wire harnesses, and application-specific mounting and shaft details.

Bodine Electric Company offers over 1,200 standard stock products, and thousands of custom designed fractional horsepower (FHP) gearmotors, motors and motion controls (fixed and variable speed AC, brushless DC, and permanent magnet DC). Bodine gearmotors and motors are designed for demanding industrial and commercial applications such as medical devices, scientific and laboratory equipment, labeling equipment, printing presses, packaging equipment, and factory automation. Bodine Electric is headquartered in Northfield, Illinois (20 miles north of Chicago) with manufacturing and assembly operations in Peosta, Iowa, U.S.A. Bodine’s quality management system is certified to ISO 9001. For motr information, visit www.bodine-electric.com.

Ogura explains how permanent-magnet brake work with new animation

October 8, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

Ogura Industrial Corp. has created a new animation showing how permanent magnet brakes work. The animation shows an exploded view of the component parts and how they interact with each other.

In permanent magnet brakes, holding force is created by permanent magnets and released by energizing the magnetic field.

Permanent magnet brakes are higher torque and smaller diameter versus spring applied brakes. Permanent magnet brakes also allow torque to be controlled by varying the offsetting current to the brake. Brakes are used on a wide variety of medical, robotic and other motion control applications.

Check out the video on the manufacturer’s website and on YouTube:

Ogura Industrial Corp. has been producing clutches and brakes since 1938. Over that time, the brakes manufacturer has developed more than 5,000 different models of clutches and brakes. Although Ogura primarily produces electromagnetic clutches and brakes, the brakes manufacturer also produces magnet particle brakes and clutches as well as mechanical, pneumatic, and hydraulic motion components —and a variety of specialty products. Ogura is the world’s largest manufacturer of electromagnetic clutches and brakes … current manufacturing capacity is more than 30 million units per year.

To provide localized support, the brakes and clutches manufacturer has manufacturing plants spread throughout the world — in Asia, The Americas, and Europe. All manufacturing facilities are ISO certified and conform to ISO 9001;2008, ISO 140001, and ISO/TS 16949.

Design engineers seeking a special product or modification to existing standard models should call (732) 271-7361 or visit www.ogura-clutch.com.

Coordination of motion automation with robotics — with unifying software and hardware

October 5, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

Automated installations feature more robots than ever. But unless it’s a custom or Cartesian setup, robot controls are traditionally segregated from those for automated motion axes. So connectivity between robot and system controller or PLC is via a network — usually based on Ethernet. Then a control system coordinates the machine functions of nearby conveyors or other workcell systems with those of the robot controller.

B&R has expanded its portfolio of modular mapp software components … so now, mapp RoboX and mapp Teach make it faster and easier than ever to get robotic systems configured and ready for operation. mapp RoboX controls any kinematic system with up to 15 axes. Developers get design freedom … yet the robot is simple to parameterize, with visualization and diagnostics already onboard. This saves time in development and during operation. For the next step there’s mapp Teach, which provides intuitive teach-in functionality to define and manage the robot’s movement sequences and quickly get it going. mapp technology consists of individually encapsulated blocks that streamline development of new applications. The components provide basic functionality with graphic configurability — cutting development times by an average of 67% … and all mapp components are connected via mapp links. Each mapp component retrieves the data it needs from other components using a client-server model.

Synchronization can be limited, and integration requires use of separate motion and robot programming — with the latter (if not code generated by teach modes and pendants) in proprietary software.

In contrast, some newer functionalities are helping engineers more tightly coordinate robot operations with motion systems — especially for common applications. These also simplify integration. Epson Robots T3 SCARAs integrate controllers in their bases that (in some versions) run conveyor-tracking software for simple setup of assembly and other automation. DENSO Robotics, Mitsubishi Electric, and Universal Robots also offer conveyor-tracking functions that leverage either sensor networks or machine vision.

Such synchronization is tight enough to allow for execution of pick-and-place, sorting, and other motion-to-robot automation tasks.

Integration of motion and robots (including SCARAs and parallel robots such as delta robots and hexapods) is also possible through unified or unifying software and hardware. That includes robot programming for converting to and from coordinate reference frames more commonly used by motion design engineers. Case in point: Galil motion controllers with an onboard Coordinate Transformation function execute code to control robots without the latencies of other options. Design engineers work with an application engineer to define reverse and forward transformations; then equations are written into the controller’s firmware for quick execution. Beckhoff TwinCAT Kinematic Transformation software also allows programming and reading robot moves in Cartesian coordinates.

Stay tuned to therobotreport.com for more on this topic and other open solutions.

Some controllers for automated installations can command coordinated motion axes while concurrently controlling a robot set to run off a remote host. Lenze Americas modules for controller-based automation incorporate delta robots essentially as motion axes. These unifying controllers and a single programming environment maximize cross-functionality between motion axes and robot.

In a similar way, an Adept Robot Control Library allows control of SCARA, parallel (hexapod) and articulated robots by Omron NJ/NX controls or NY-series Industrial PCs with common instructions and programming.

Consider still another example: Mitsubishi Electric Pak/iQ offerings for the packaging industry include integrated robotics and servo and PLC programming with one piece of software. Onboard analytics help operators avoid unplanned shutdowns; machine learning and continuous-tuning algorithms optimize servo performance. A typical setup might include a robot controlled via a MELSEC iQ Platform … with a Q series PLC and integrated robot controller on the same rack. Then communication between robot controller and PLC CPU is across that rack for top speed and throughput — and simplified robot-cell setup. Networking connects other components such as inverter drives and dedicated safety controllers.

Integrating robotics with other machinery allows top overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) by going beyond simple handoffs. The trend is towards complementary control, motion, robotics, and data management. Image courtesy Mitsubishi Electric

New functions in B&R SafeDESIGNER 3.1 include expanded numeric ranges for functions

October 5, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

The latest version of B&R’s SafeDESIGNER tool now makes it possible to process and compare safe INT and DINT signals in addition to linking them mathematically using basic arithmetic operations. Safety-oriented function blocks are also available for converting INT and DINT values in either direction. This expansion now rounds off the full range of numeric functions for the Automation Studio 4 development and configuration tool.

Safety applications increasingly need numeric functions to manage values for pressure, temperature and speed. Since its introduction in 2008, SafeDESIGNER has provided support for safe INT data types and associated arithmetic operations and comparison functions. This range of functions has been continuously expanded ever since.

Monitoring synchronous operation with B&R software

Users of Smart Safe Reaction technology from B&R can now process safety-related speed and position values and use them to initiate safe machine states. These functions are suitable for cases where requirements go above and beyond the possibilities provided by prepackaged SafeMOTION functions. Possible scenarios include integrating additional safe rotary encoders in a safety application or monitoring several power transmission systems for synchronism. In process control applications, SafeDESIGNER has become a widely used tool perfectly suited for the safe processing of pressure, temperature and flow signals.

B&R is a privately owned company with headquarters in Austria and offices all around the world. As a global leader in industrial automation, B&R combines state-of-the-art technology with advanced engineering to provide customers in virtually every industry with complete solutions for machine and process automation, motion control, HMI and integrated safety technology. With industrial fieldbus communication standards like POWERLINK and openSAFETY as well as the powerful Automation Studio software development environment, B&R is constantly redefining the future of automation engineering. The innovative spirit that keeps B&R at the forefront of industrial automation is driven by a commitment to simplifying processes and exceeding customer expectations. For more information, visit www.br-automation.com.

Integrated “all-in-one” stepper motor + drive + controllers from AMCI now smaller

October 3, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

Advanced Micro Controls Inc. (AMCI) has added a smaller size-17 option to their lineup of PLC-based SMD Series “all-in-one” stepper motor + drive + controllers to satisfy a wide variety of applications with varying torque requirements. The SMD Series offers many sophisticated features at a budget friendly price point, and integration eliminates the need to purchase multiple components. AMCI’s SMD Series integrated solutions are suitable for new machinery, retrofits, and rapid changeover applications.

AMCI’s SMD17E2 (NEMA 17) integrated motor combines a high performance 80-oz in (0.56 N-m) torque stepper motor with a powerful DC drive and Ethernet/IP & Modbus-TCP interface in a single, compact product design. The embedded Ethernet switch simplifies multi-axis applications and optional encoder feedback eliminates the need for a separate home limit switch.

The AMCI SMD Series motors feature built-in EtherNet/IP & Modbus-TCP network connectivity, embedded Ethernet switch, SynchroStep technology, optional integrated encoder (incremental or multi-turn absolute), IP67 rated versions, gearboxes, and compatible cord sets. All of AMCI’s SMD integrated motors are programmed from the host controller, so there’s no separate software to buy or learn.

With the addition of the NEMA size 17 package, options now include NEMA size 17, NEMA size 23, NEMA size 24, and NEMA size 34, with torque ranging from 80 oz-in (0.56 N-m) to 1,100 oz-in (7.77 N-m).

AMCI has been a trusted source of PLC-based motion controls for over 30 years, and released their first SMD Series product over 10 years ago. The SMD Series has earned partnerships with leading names in the industry including Rockwell Automation (listed as an Encompass Product), IDEC Corp. (offered as an integrated solution for the FC6A MicroSmart PLC as ISMD Series), and Wittenstein (partnered to sell products together – AMCI offers CP and NP series gearboxes).

For more information, visit this deep link on the www.amci.com website detailing PLCs and motor drive controllers.

Founded in 1985, Advanced Micro Controls, Inc. (AMCI) is a leading U.S. based manufacturer with a global presence. AMCI industrial control products improve PLC-based automation systems with specialized position sensing and motion control technology that simplifies automation and adds reliability to manufacturing processes. AMCI designs and manufactures all of their products, enabling superior quality and innovation. The company provides 24/7 technical support staff, ready to answer questions about installation, configuration and operation of all AMCI products.

Heavy-duty absolute encoders — now with EtherCAT communications

October 2, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

New EPC Model A58HE and Model A58SE are EtherCAT-ready, multi-turn absolute encoders for harsh factory and plant environments. They work in applications where fieldbus connectivity is required, and the encoder must retain absolute position information after power-off events. The Model A58HE is a 58-mm encoder in a hollow-bore construction, and the Model A58SE is a 58-mm shaft encoder available with either a clamping flange or synchro flange.

EPC’s Models A58HE and A58SE offer EtherCAT Deterministic Communication: CoE, FoE, EoE

“Both the A58HE and A58SE encoders are easily designed into a wide variety of applications,” says Sarah Walter, electrical engineer and EPC Technical Sales Manager.

“They plug directly into a network with minimal prerequisites, and work in various configurations, including daisy-chaining, and redundant-ring configurations that can continue communication in event of a line break. That makes for quick installation and facilitates data exchange among connected devices, allowing companies to transition to a networked system and facility … and these encoders work with CANopen over EtherCAT, so for users familiar with CANopen technology, implementation will be straightforward.”

The Model A58HE and Model A58SE Absolute Encoders offer:

EtherCAT Deterministic Communication
Multi-turn resolution up to 43 bits
Up to 16 bits of single turn resolution
58-mm-diameter housing; bores sizes up to 0.375 in. or 15 mm
Shaft diameters up to 0.375 in. or 10 mm; durable magnetic technology
Proven turns counting technology with no gears or batteries
Operating temperature range of -40° C to 85° C
Sealing rating of IP65 (on A58SE, 10 mm shaft comes with IP67 sealing)
Continuous digital position monitoring; ability to retain absolute position after a power outage
Meet CE/EMC standards for immunity and emissions

Encoder Products Company (EPC) is a leading designer and world-wide manufacturer of motion sensing devices. EPC began operations in 1969, producing a line of custom encoders from a small, home-based shop. Today, EPC is the largest privately-held encoder manufacturer in North America, producing a complete line of incremental and absolute rotary encoders and accessories in a 100,000 ft² vertically integrated facility in Idaho. For more information, visit encoder.com.

October 1st — Conveyor manufacturer mk North America celebrates 30 years

October 1, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

Leading conveyor system designer and manufacturer mk North America is celebrating 30 years in business. Check out the company’s new video detailing the company’s products and services to commemorate the occasion.

As the U.S. subsidiary of the German machine builder Maschinenbau Kitz, mk began in 1988 when Andreas Tietje established the U.S. location in Simsbury, Conn. At first, the manufacturer was called mk Automation Engineering and focused on T-slot aluminum extrusion and the myriad systems that can be made from such engineered product … including conveyors. The latter have become a large part of the business over the years.

In 1996, mk moved to 105 Highland Park Dr. in Bloomfield, Conn. where it’s now based. In May 2010, the company changed its name to mk North America, Inc. and in 2012 purchased the building on an adjacent lot to add more space to support a growing product line.

With rapid growth continuing and demand increasing from manufacturers, mk North America then joined its facilities in 2013 and introduced a product series — including the CleanMove stainless steel conveyors.

By 2014 mk North America had branded the VersaMove pallet conveyors — which it had been making since the 1990s. Even today, VersaMove pallet conveyors help companies worldwide meet productivity, sanitation, and project requirements in an array of industries.

Today, mk North America continues to offer its solutions worldwide including aluminum and stainless conveyors, pallet handling systems and extruded aluminum framing that provide unsurpassed variety, maximum flexibility and easy integration for machine builders, systems integrators and manufacturing companies around the globe.

“mk stands behind the promise of delivering a better product and a better solution by offering exceptional customer support from concept to completion and beyond,” commented Andreas Haussmann, President.

“At mk North America we believe that our people make the difference. It’s their ingenuity, their passion and their dedication that makes mk stand out as the leading manufacturer of standard and custom material handling solutions.”

For more information, visit www.mknorthamerica.com.

Located in Bloomfield, Connecticut, mk North America, Inc. designs and manufacturers conveyor and material-handling systems. The company’s original Aluminum Framing System continues to serve as the base technology in all of the new solutions mk brings to market which today includes 20 different Aluminum Conveyors, VersaMove pallet-handling system, CleanMove stainless steel conveyors, as well as the Aluminum Framing.

Advanced manufacturing and materials have made an highly efficient traction drive possible

September 14, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

Rolling Motion Industries (RMI) has released two high-efficiency traction drives — the MAR-17-1-2.1 Traction Drive and the MAR-23-1-2.1 Traction Drive. These are 1-Way traction drives with only six moving parts and use an engineered traction fluid with a coefficient of friction of just 0.1 to 0.12. These traction drives typically last three times longer than conventional gearboxes and with no metal to metal contact these high efficiency drives generate up to 72% less heat after 24 hours of continuous operation, Additionally they create up to 38% lower dB at 3000 rpm (less than a home refrigerator) than conventional gearboxes. Even though there’s no metal to metal contact there’s no slippage or lost motion between the input and output shafts.

The MAR17-1-2.1 Traction Drive is designed for speeds to 3,600 rpm with 10 to 20 in/lb of torque, and the MAR-23-1-2.1 Traction Drive is rated for 3,600 rpm with 20 to 30 in/lb of torque. Operating at temperatures that are lower than a motor’s, with low vibration, and no torque losses from 10 to 3,000 rpm, these traction drives permit a motor to operate at peak efficiency. Applications for these 1-Way traction drives which can operate in explosive environments (ie. zone 1 and 21) include: Pumps, blowers, fans, turbo and super chargers, conveyers, HVAC systems, medical applications, and other power transmission and motion applications.

These revolutionary drives are available with an optional overriding clutch. Incorporating standard NEMA mounting dimensions, these drives can be easily integrated into new and existing applications.

In 1993 John Pawloski and his brother Ray took over the family business, Jewelers Machinist Co. They realized they needed to switch from outdated conventional thread grinders to CNC thread grinders. As a result, Jewelers Machinist Co is a source of some of the most complex thread grinding in the industry. The concept for the RMI traction drive came from John in 2007. Working in that high precision industry aided John in the development of the RMI Traction Drive.

In the years that followed, the design of the individual components and formula of the engineered traction fluid were finalized, testing was completed, a patent granted, and production begun. The RMI Traction Drive is one of the most efficient ways to transmit power from one point to another. Using rolling motion, RMI is able to transfer power at various ratios with minimal energy loss. Tested against V-belt, direct drive, chain, and gearbox setups, RMI Traction Drives offer energy saving benefits through true efficiency rating percentages up to 98%. The high efficiency of the traction drive allows electric motors to run at their peak efficiency ranges.

There are many applications where it can be used from automotive to industrial to medical. The RMI traction drive can be used in the electric vehicle market and precision applications. Offering benefits such as low backlash and no back driving, it set a new standard for high efficiency.

For more information, call (860)846-0530, email info@RMIDrive.com, or visit RMIDrive.com.

AMK Automation showing smarter motion control solutions at PACK EXPO Chicago

September 14, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

AMK Automation Corp. will exhibit smart, versatile, efficient motion control technology to help solve many of the packaging industry’s most persistent challenges at PACK EXPO Chicago, October 14-17, 2018. The AMK Automation display will be at booth N-6129 in the North Building of the McCormick Place convention center.

The AMK Automation motion control portfolio features decentralized, hybrid and centralized control solutions designed to give machine builders choices: smarter, simpler servo motors, servo modules and controllers they can use to overcome system design roadblocks and build better machines, faster.

The booth will showcase new additions to the AMK portfolio, including the AMKASMART ihXT servo module, as well as proven decentralized systems like the AMKASMART iSA decentralized controller. In the booth, there will also be updated exhibits including an interactive machine demo that uses a hybrid motion control framework, seamlessly integrating decentralized and centralized systems to support multiple axes.

“What does it mean to build better machines, faster? It means that motion control technology shouldn’t be a roadblock to building next successful machine—it should clear the road.” said Tom Jensen, general manager and technology evangelist.

“For example, with the AMKASMART drive system, we’ve simplified what other companies tend to make costly and complex. We combine power and motor requirements into one powerful decentralized machine controller that makes it easier to complete many machine designs, particularly packaging machines with distributed motion axes.”

Jensen, who has been involved with industrial automation for decades, believes that widely used packaging applications like conveyors could benefit from AMK’s smarter, simpler motion control. “We propose a radically simple approach to conveyor control,” he said. “Instead of multiple integration steps that tune each conveyor separately, use standardized control structures for any conveyor component and layout.”

“The seamless control response makes for modules that respond to the same commands regardless of vendor,” he said. For full details on this radical new concept, download the Technical Article — A Radical Approach to Simplify Conveyor Control and Automation Productivity.

The AMK Automation booth at PACK EXPO will highlight a variety of drives, controls and motor solutions to help equip machine builders and end users with better technology options, including:

MAKe Automation Packages: Designed to add new flexibility and ease of integration to the AMKASMART family of servo modules, these two new software packages simplify two key configuration challenges: adding an automatic adjustment/recovery system to an existing machine motion control network and adding a package that automates and streamlines servo motor and drive configuration for conveyors and conveyor cells.

Hybrid Automation Solutions: AMK’s hybrid machine automation framework provides flexibility, with centralized solutions for when power is needed and the ability to quickly add remote modules. This hybrid approach seamlessly integrates servo modules like AMK’s cabinet-based AMKASYN KE series power supply with decentralized components such as the newly available AMKASMART ihXT drive-integrated servo motor module. Engineered from the ground up to be fully cross-compatible, the portfolio frees packaging machine designers to select the best drive and control technologies to serve the requirements of their solutions.

Decentralized Solutions: The AMKASMART decentralized drive technology from AMK provides true modularity for machine construction with limitless machine power and the ability to eliminate costly control cabinets. The AMKASMART product family includes a variety of servo controllers, such as the compact iX servo controller; the iC servo converter, consisting of a servo controller with integrated power supply module; and the iDT “all-inclusive model” in which the servo controller is installed directly on the motor.

SPINDASYN SEZ Linear Drive Motors: The new electronic cylinder SEZ from AMK is a linear drive motor system in which the rotor is pressed directly onto the screw. Featuring high and constant force, high precision and high energy efficiency, the closed-loop positioning and force control of the SEZ make it an suitable alternative to other linear technologies, such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, rack and belt drives and linear motors. With several options available for screw and strength length, motor type and acceleration, the SEZ is installation-ready and provides high rigidity without additional wearing parts. For more information, visit amk.systems/packexpo.