Variable frequency drives have an incredible amount of functionality. Due to advancements in technology over the years, HMIs in the form of VFD keypads have become more user friendly with easier navigation, higher resolution displays, and more detailed setup wizards. By Jonathan Kopczyk | Technical support engineer • Yaskawa America Inc. Looking back at the […]
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 […]
Power over Ethernet (PoE) and M12 connectors in motion designs
Though the internet of things is most visible to laymen in consumer devices, the IIoT is massive. The majority of applications are in business, factory, and healthcare settings … and more than a third of the nearly $6 trillion IoT market is in manufacturing. Connectivity is the basis of all this IIoT — providing the […]
What do bit rate, baud, and cycle time mean in industrial networks?
For industrial networks, two of the most important performance factors are determinism and speed. In other words, industrial networks must be able to deliver data in a specified, predictable period of time, and they need to do so as quickly as possible. When describing network speed, three specifications are typically used: bit rate, baud, and cycle […]
What is Ecolab certification for automation components?
In applications that involve wet or humid environments — especially those in the food and beverage industry — a component’s IP (International Protection) rating for ingress of dust and water is an important factor in its selection. But even if a component is rated as dust-proof and protected against the forceful water jets used during washdown […]
KEB America debuts EtherNet/IP for S6 and F6 drives
KEB America has introduced EtherNet/IP for its S6 servo drive and F6 VFD products. EtherNet/IP is immediately available with firmware version 2.6 and higher with the application control board. KEB’s implementation uses the AC Drive Profile to increase interoperability between similar device types. KEB’s EtherNet/IP has been tested and is certified by ODVA, Inc. Supported […]
What are Hiperface and Hiperface DSL?
Position feedback is core to any servo application, and most rotary servo motors employ an integrated feedback device with a physical link back to the servo drive, allowing the drive to read the motor’s position and correct any errors between the commanded and actual positions. Two interfaces that facilitate the communication between the motor feedback […]
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) […]
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