Triple Threat

The technology for motor-drive-controllers is on the move. Standing on the shoulders of technologies like stepper motors with integral drivers and effective fieldbus technologies, these 'triple-integrated' solutions are making inroads in automation around the world. The strength of this approach is that every time suppliers can eliminate a troublesome interface, they invariably simplify application integration and lower the installed cost of the control system.

While this level of integration is not for every application just yet, it certainly meets the needs of a range of applications in the most effective manner. New offerings provide solutions for specialized needs like those posed by highly explosive environments and showcase some of the strengths of this approach, in comparison with traditional ways of accomplishing the same goals.

Note also that it's a small step, already taken by some, to raise the level of integration from “triple” to “quadruple” with the addition of a mechanical actuator.

BLDC MOTORS COMBINE WITH DRIVE ELECTRONICS

DURA-TEK® brushless dc motors available from AMETEK® Rotron Technical & Industrial Products feature integrated drive electronics enabling enhanced motor controllability in a small, lightweight package. A 3.0-inch outside motor diameter and standard 2-wire electrical hookup allows them to replace similarly sized brush-commutated DC motors while delivering higher performance and extended service life. These motors are targeted for transportation-related applications such as motors and blowers for A/C evaporators, condensers, heaters, and defrosters, coolant pumps, radiator cooling fans and other applications that can benefit from the rugged motor construction. They have been designed to resist hot-water spray, rain, humidity, salt, fog, shock and vibration. “Smart” onboard motor controls and advanced electronic design offer multi-speed operation, over-current control, locked-rotor protection, reverse polarity protection, transient over-voltage protection and over-temperature shutoff. These 12V/24V BLDC motors can achieve continuous torque from 19.7 to 55 oz.-inch and speeds from 2,927 to 4,400 rpm.

INTEGRATED MOTOR AND POSITIONING CONTROLLER

The new MCD EPOS from Maxon is a servo motor with integral positioning drive that features a fieldbus connection and a maximum 60W output. The MCD EPOS combines a brushless Maxon EC servo motor, a digital encoder and a digital EPOS positioning controller. Wiring is kept to a minimum through direct connection to the CANopen bus or an SPS controller. The drive is controlled, configured and diagnosed via the CANbus or serial interface (RS232). Several optically coupled inputs and outputs mean that sensors and events can be evaluated directly in the drive. The MCD EPOS P programmable variation has a processor and memory for standalone operation, allowing control of a further 127 CANopen components. Planetary gearheads are available for greater output torque. Drive programming complies with IEC 61131-3 standard through the EPOS Studio tool. The Motion Control Library is integrated with the widely used PLCopen standard to reduce program complexity and development costs.

STEP MOTOR-DRIVER-CONTROLLER FROM LIN ENGINEERING

Lin Engineering's SilverPak 17T integrated step motor/driver/controller is a bipolar, 1.8 degree, NEMA 17 step motor integrated with a microstepping driver and intelligent controller all in one, compact unit. By eliminating external equipment, the design offers easy integration for new designed applications. The motor provides smooth motion capabilities, and RoHS compliant versions are available upon request. It is available in body lengths of 2.76, 2.99 and 3.31 inch and is capable of producing up to 85 oz-inch of holding torque depending on the stack size of the motor. Custom windings are available at no extra cost to maximize the torque at your application's desired speed. The SilverPak 17T features output currents of 0.1 to 1.5 Amps peak, input voltage of 7V dc to 28V dc and 16 kBytes of on-board memory. Two digital limit switches and one general purpose input allows for manual positioning of the motor and one open collector output capable of outputting 100 mA.

INTEGRATED SERVO MOTOR/ACTUATOR/AMPLIFIER/POSITIONER

The Tritex™ Series of electric actuators from Exlar combine three technologies in a single housing to deliver an electric alternative for fluid power actuators. The combination of a brushless servo motor, servo amplifier and position controller eliminate the external servo amplifier and the cables associated with a typical servo system. The actuators offer built-in mechanical converters that replace electric drive systems employing ball screw or gear reducer mechanisms for a complete actuation solution. Since no external amplifier is involved, system design and installation of the wiring layout, panel space for a separately mounted servo amplifier and the wiring and installation of that amplifier are completely eliminated. Up to 500W of continuous power can be applied to the actuator's brushless servo motor to achieve the applied forces and velocity of motion required for your applications. The standard product is rated IP54 with optional IP65 rating for applications requiring wash down or contact with fluids.

EXPLOSION-PROTECTED MOTOR-DRIVE-POSITIONER

Berger Lahr's IclA® compact drives integrate everything required to move and control a brushless motor. This includes power and positioning electronics, encoder feedback, fieldbus communications and an optional gearbox. Berger Lahr has extended this line of drives with a unit based on a stepper motor that meets the ATEX directives. It is approved for zone 1 (gas atmospheres) and meets the requirements of the ATEX product directive 94/9/EC as well as the ATEX operation directive 99/92/EC. The drive is equipped with an integrated temperature monitoring and shutdown facility. World-wide applications are enabled by two connection technologies. Exchangeable connection covers allow ATEX-compliant PG for Europe and a conduit system for the USA. These explosion-protected compact drives also integrate all functions and interfaces just like the standard product line. The ATEX-IclA units can be equipped with an optional multi-turn absolute encoder or with a holding brake.

INTEGRATED MOTOR, DRIVE AND CONTROLLER

The Faulhaber 3564K024B CC from MicroMo combines an electronically commutated dc servomotor, a high-resolution actual value sensor and a programmable position and speed controller with a CAN interface based on a high-capacity DSP. The system is available for the first time with the CAN interface and CANopen protocol which means up to 127 can be linked and controlled. The rare-earth magnet (NdFeB) of the non-ferrous rotor and a self-supporting oblique coil give the electronically commutated dc servo motor maximum power and dynamism despite its small size. Using brushless commutation, service life of the 90W complete system is only limited by the bearing and electronic components. The motion controller, together with the valuator, provides flexibility for positioning tasks and speed regulations. Other advantages of the 3564K include exact torque regulation through improved power metering, configurable digital inputs for TTL and PLC and support for CANopen's CiA DS301 V4 / DSP402 V2 standard protocols.