According to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, technical protective measures should be used to reduce risks that cannot be avoided through safe design measures. These technical protective measures include safety devices such as door locks, covers, light curtains, and other equipment that monitors the machine movements. When the safety device controls and external device, such as […]
Servo Drives
What machine safety functions address speed, and when are they used?
The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC states that when a machine manufacturer is unable to eliminate the risks of potential hazardous situations (for example, mechanical hazards such as crushing or cutting) through safe design methods, the next step is to reduce the risks through technical protective measures. These technical measures include protective devices, such as door locks […]
Motion system design: How to manage inertia mismatch
One of the most important parameters when sizing a motion system is the inertia of the load being moved. Regardless of the type of motor being used — AC induction, stepper, brushless DC, or AC servo — the ratio of the load inertia to the motor inertia has an important influence on system performance. If the […]
Common dc bus servo drives for applications with regenerative energy needs
The new MELSERVO-J5D servo amplifiers from Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. offer a unique servo-based solution for applications that need to handle regenerative energy. The common dc bus servo drives are ideal for medium to large servo applications that require multiple drive units capable of managing regenerative energy. Available in 400 V and 1 kW to […]
What is cyclic synchronous control (position, velocity, and torque)?
Cyclic synchronous control modes — cyclic synchronous position, cyclic synchronous velocity, and cyclic synchronous torque — are standardized operation modes of drives, defined in the CiA 402 profile specification, CANopen device profile for drives and motion control and included in the IEC 61800-7 standard, Adjustable speed electrical power drive systems — Part 7: Generic interface and use of […]
New micro-sized servo drives rated to 60-A continuous output
ADVANCED Motion Controls has released seven new micro-sized FlexPro servo drives rated to 60 A continuous output. The 60-A continuous current rating is 33% higher than previous models for the same size making these the company’s highest power-density servo drives to date. This offering includes PCB Mount, Machine Embedded and Development Board form factors. PCB […]
AutomationDirect adds new servo systems for motion control applications
AutomationDirect has added LS Electric servo systems that provide extremely accurate motion control and include the most requested features — setup wizards, auto-tuning, built-in indexer, and more — in an extremely cost-effective package. The L7S family of brushless servo systems is fully digital and capable of covering a broad range of motion control applications. There […]
STXI Motion, Redler Technologies partnership delivers complete motion solutions for machine builders
STXI Motion and Redler Technologies have partnered to address the growing needs of machine builders for mobile, compact, and ruggedized low-voltage motion solutions. STXI Motion provides motors, encoders, and mechanical designs for full motion design solutions. By combining STXI Motion’s portfolio and expertise in low-voltage servo motors and drives with Redler Technologies’ servo drives for […]
Why do servo drives use PWM and how does it work?
The basic function of a servo drive is to convert, or amplify, low-power signals from the controller into higher-power signals to be delivered to the motor windings. Servo drives (also referred to as servo amplifiers) can be either linear or switching types, depending on how power is delivered to the motor from the switching devices […]
When is dither helpful in motion control systems?
Dither is one of several terms used to describe small, rapid, back-and-forth movements of an object. Depending on the context, when the term “dither” is used in motion control systems, it can refer to purposeful, commanded movements or to unintended, unwanted motion. In some motion systems, dither is purposely induced to reduce the effects of […]
