Hot products

By Mark Gottschalk, Western Technical Editor -- Design News, August 25, 1997

Rotary-servo drive system saves space

Compumotor's new DM1004 direct drive rotary servo system is the company's most compact in the Dynaserv line. Each system contains a brushless servo motor with 10-ft motor and encoder cables, microprocessor-based drive, power supply, and an incremental encoder for feedback. The drive incorporates filtering to minimize the effects of resonance. Available in 4- and 6-in. diameters, the DM1004 offers speeds up to 2.5 rps and resolutions to 655,360 positions per revolution. The systems can be prepared to Class 10 clean room standards, making them ideal for precision factory automation applications such as scanning, semiconductor processing, and disk drive assembly.
Parker Hannifin Corp., Compumotor Div., FAX (800) 328-8087.

Intelligent drive eschews sensors

Compact, flexible, and smart are the three words that best describe Sumitomo Machinery Corporation of America's NTAC-2000 sensorless flux vector ac drive. Based on its intelligent drive module technology, it reportedly offers the smallest packaging available in the 5-hp range, and is equally impressive in the 7.5- to 20-hp range. The drive's constant torque speed is 80:1, and its speed regulation is ±0.5% of base speed without encoder feedback. An AutoExec mode can serve as a mini PLC, which, for some OEMs, could eliminate the need for a PLC altogether.
Sumitomo Machinery Corporation of America, FAX (757) 485-3355.

Drive sports first 8/16-bit processor

The RG600 full-wave, four-quadrant, regenerative dc motor speed control operates PM motors rated from 1/8 to 2 hp in either single- or bi-directional mode. It also employs an 8/16-bit microprocessor, claimed by manufacturer Dart Controls to be the industry's first. The drive provides smooth motoring and regenerative braking in both directions, and offers high-duty-cycle starts, stops, positioning, and reversals. Field programmable, the unit offers PID, electrically isolated control circuitry, and serial communication. Speed control is 1% with armature feedback or ±1/2 rpm with digital closed loop.
Dart Controls Inc., FAX (317) 873-1105.

Universal drive

Introduced this July, API Motion's Centennial digital drives are the company's most advanced. Said to be "universal," they can power ac brushless, dc brushless, induction (either variable frequency or vector), and even brush dc motors. Each model has 12 inputs, 14 outputs, plus dedicated I/O. Integrated power supplies and regenerative energy-dissipation circuits can be directly connected to the power line at 115 through 230V ac with no need for a transformer. Network ready, Centennials have an RS-232/RS-485 port, built-in CAN-bus support, and SERCOS network capability.
API Motion, FAX (716) 691-9181.

Universal drive, part 2

Not to be outdone in the universal drive department, Control Techniques Drives (a division of Emerson Electric) offers its Unidrive digital ac drive, which incorporates standard V/Hz, open-loop vector, closed-loop vector, and ac servo technology in one package. What's the advantage of such a drive? Minimized inventory and spares, easy upgrades, and reduced training. Users change Unidrive's mode with buttons on the front panel or via Unisoft, a Windows-based program that provides access to more than 750 drive parameters. Available in five sizes for motors from 1 to 1000 hp, Unidrives come with a five-year warranty.
Control Techniques Drives, FAX (716) 837-5434.

Step up to high performance

The new UPK Series 5-phase step motor system from Oriental Motor USA is a compact, high-performance motion control package featuring a high-torque PK 5-phase step motor (0.72 degrees per step) and a New Pentagon^TM driver. The compact driver measures just 9.45 × 1.77 × 5.12 inches and has its own internal power supply which accepts 115V, 60-Hz ac power. Built-in anti-vibration circuitry ensures smooth operation over the 1,000- to 5,000-pps full-step speed range. Unloaded motor shaft speeds of 15,000 to 80,000 pps (full step) can be reached with the driver, depending on the step motor model selected.
Oriental Motor USA, FAX (310) 325-4146.

related stories
resource center
by this author

View more articles by Mark Gottschalk

Technology Marketplace

Article tools sponsored by

Talkback

We would love your feedback!

» View All Talkback Threads

» Submit talk back

DN's Resource Center Get Free Information, Made Easy

Understanding a Modular Instrumentation System for Automated Test
National Instruments | White Paper
Request Item
Advanced Features of High Speed Digital I/O devices : White Paper Series
National Instruments | White Paper
Request Item

View all DN resources >>

Design News Partner Zones

CAD/CAE Model Clean-Up: Reduce Iterative Cycles
This webinar featured research and survey results related to problems associated with preparing CAD geometry for CAE applications. We discussed how Recipe-Based Automation can help create "just-in-time" CAE-ready geometry each time a cad model is updated. Watch the Presentation

Light Matters: Systems Level Approach to HBLED illumination applications
Its good practice to apply a systems-level approach to high-brightness LED (HBLED) illumination applications. Minimally, the system includes the optical, thermal and electrical characteristics of the of the HBLED, the lens (if any) which is built-in to its package, secondary optics such as external plastic lenses/reflectors to direct the light as your application requires and power driver electronics. Read More

Design Engineers' Portal for Sensing and Machine Safety
Whatever industry you're in, or whatever product you manufacture, the right sensors to automate your plant, and to improve your overall efficiency, quality and safety are a must. You'll find Banner Engineering to be an amazing resource of products, training and people with expertise.