Modern servo drives with advanced tuning capabilities — when paired with performance servo motors having high-resolution feedback — can eliminate load-to-motor inertia-mismatch concerns. By the Kollmorgen engineering staff The accepted principle of matching motor to load inertia is no longer pertinent with today’s faster motion-control processors and advanced control algorithms. This outdated inertia-matching method of […]
Industrial Automation
How custom BLDC motors boost performance and lower costs
From packaging to communications, BLDC servomotors are gaining market share in a variety of industries — and for good reason. They deliver high torque and smooth rotation (with minimal torque ripple) and lend themselves well to cost-saving customization. By Ralph Adams • President | Orbex Group Design engineers typically rely on off-the-shelf brushless dc (BLDC) […]
Soft starters from Siemens feature integrated Safe Torque Off function
The SIRIUS 3RW55 Failsafe soft starters from Siemens are the first to feature the integrated Safe Torque Off (STO) function. This ensures that the motor comes to a complete standstill if an operator initiates an emergency shutdown. The motor then remains in this state until the restart interlock is used to restart it. Another important […]
Choosing between (or combining) relays and PLCs
Top design objectives for control installations include capability, reliability, and cost effectiveness. Many new and retrofitted control panels employ components such as PLCs and even industrial PCs (IPCs) and programmable automation controllers (PACs) for advanced connectivity and control. It’s often appropriate to use these more complicated (and capable) options and remove or forgo electromechanical relays […]
DIN rail: Basic construction and versions
The ubiquitous nature of components for DIN-rail mounting makes this standard particularly helpful … especially when panel redesigns are in order. Here, a technician need only to unclamp components, slide them to their new locations, and reclamp them to the DIN rail. In addition, DIN rail prevents upside-down and other incorrect installation. A typical DIN […]
Bodine now offers 60 new hypoid PMDC gearmotors
Bodine Electric Co. has just announced sixty (60) new 33A7-25H2 and 33A7-30H3 hollow-shaft right-angle hypoid PMDC gearmotors. These integral geared motors combine Bodine’s high-performance type 33A7 permanent magnet dc motor with two new hypoid gearheads. They are a suitable drive solution for applications needing compact size, quiet operation, high torque density, and low energy consumption. […]
Yaskawa debuts intuitive software tool to aid advanced manufacturing
The Drives & Motion division of Yaskawa America, Inc. has released Yaskawa Compass, a new software user interface tool for advanced manufacturing. Yaskawa Compass is a CNC navigator, a graphical user software package applicable to multiple applications in 3D printing, shape cutting, machine tools and robotics. “Compass is designed with creativity in mind allowing machine […]
Common IoT and connectivity terminology related to ctrlX AUTOMATION
In a recent online event, Bosch Rexroth engineers explained their new ctrlX AUTOMATION scalable platform … which among other things, allows flexible creation of topologies. Read more about this new offering at motioncontroltips.com/bosch-rexroth-now-sells-new-line-of-automation-ctrlx-automation. Its Linux real-time operating system, support of open standards, and comprehensive IoT connections dramatically reduce engineering time. Following are videos from the […]
Part 6: IDE and other software for connectivity and IoT design work
As mentioned in Part 5 and at the top of this series, software that unifies various aspects of automation development is key to IIoT connectivity. Such software typically provides what’s called a universal engineering environment or more commonly an integrated development environment (IDE) to let engineers connect machinery with IT and other facility architectures. In […]
Part 5: Motion control + MQTT, OPC-UA, and other protocols for cloud services
In Part 4 of this series, we detailed edge computing and gateways for industrial machinery. Now consider the various protocols and communications leveraged in IIoT connectivity — for example, the SCADA, MES, and ERP architectures we already covered in Part 1 and 2 of this series. These are the most involved in IT/OT (operational technology) […]