Yaskawa's new motion trifecta packs automation punch

Yaskawa America’s Drives & Motion Div. now sells three new motion-control products to improve automation systems and maximize effectiveness when used in combination.

The MP3300iec machine controller makes automated equipment more responsive by boosting both processing speed and memory capacity, lifting both parameters to the highest levels in the motion control industry. In addition, MP3300iec has the ability to utilize the MECHATROLINK-III motion network and leverage the new version’s improvements in cycle time and connectivity.

MotionWorks IEC version 3 software makes automation programming easier and more effective with support for PLCopen Part 4, a built-in cam editor, an HMI tagging tool, and an enhanced logic analyzer, among other things.

The VIPA SLIO system is a remote I/O that simplifies the addition of power and signal options.

When designers use the MP3300, SLIO and MotionWorks V3 together, a capability in the latest version of MotionWorks automatically configures any VIPA SLIO modules that designers add to the network …

… relieving programmers of the tedious task of manually entering a system’s I/O data into operating software.

The processing speed of the MP3300iec is double the rate of the previous generation of processors — an improvement fully leveraged by new features in MotionWorks. The result is 50% to 100% better network speeds. In addition to functioning effectively under MECHATROLINK-III, MP3300 and SLIO were created to work with full efficiency on EtherNet/IP and Modbus TCP networks.

“We think of these three products as the first of a new generation,” said Jacky Wong, the Product Engineering Manager in charge of the introduction.

“Each is backward compatible with myriad Yaskawa components, yet they represent a true step forward in capability,” he noted.

Wong added that the development of the three new products was spurred by customer demand for Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). This is a lean-manufacturing technique based on a hierarchy of metrics to evaluate manufacturing operations.