Metronix has added a low cost option to its range of intelligent servomotor drives.
Metronix, a part of the Apex Tool Group, has added a low cost option to its range of intelligent servomotor drives. According to the company, the drives - ARS 21xx/23xx SE - offer motion control system builders a platform to boost the performance of machines and automation while substantially decreasing costs.
"The drives deliver a high level of performance with a peak current capability that is up to twice that of many similar drives on the market - allowing faster acceleration - and offer application versatility due to universal encoder interfacing," said a company spokesperson. "They also reduce costs by a significant margin compared with other similar drives from Metronix by stripping out the Safe Torque Off feature.
"This provides system builders with a cost effective drive for applications that do not require advanced functional safety, and where a simpler disabling mechanism based on electrical contactors is all that is required. In other applications, safety disabling features might not be needed at all because the drive is inside a closed system that cannot be accessed during operation. The approach might also be used when machine manufacturers are asked to fit machines with a user's preferred brand of PLC. Due to the complexity and costly commissioning required for some fieldbus-based safety concepts, external safety devices might be preferred. There are a number of machine building companies that have not adopted drive-integrated safety and continue to use external safety devices for various reasons. Or, a machine vendor might choose to offer a proprietary safety concept."
The ARS 21xx/23xx SE family of compact panel/cabinet-mounting drives is available in a choice of six single- or three-phase continuous output power ratings from 0.5 to 6 kVA (with peak output powers from 1 to 12 kVA).
"The drives incorporate two advanced features," said the spokesperson. "The first is an extremely compact design with integrated line and motor filters plus an integrated brake chopper and braking resistor. This is a typical characteristic of all Metronix drives - which are provided ready to use - avoiding the additional costs of external EMC filters and wiring.
"The second feature is an increased overcurrent capability of four times the continuous output rating. This compares with the approximately two times overcurrent rating offered by many other servo drive manufacturers. The feature typically allows the speed of moves and the overall throughput of machines to be increased by factors from around 17 to 25%. Metronix's tests demonstrate that these drives provide overall increases in automation productivity of around 5 to 7% in typical continuous processing applications."
The drives also feature a universal encoder interfacing capability that allows connection to resolvers, analog/digital incremental encoders and single/multiturn absolute encoders such as HIPERFACE or EnDat. Standard communications interfaces include the CAN fieldbus, which is compatible with the DS 402 CANopen device profile. One further feature is an SD Card interface, which can be used to store firmware and operating parameters. This allows the drives to be easily commissioned and facilitates an easy change-out by maintenance workers without the need for a sophisticated software parameterization tool. The drives come in case sizes with widths of 54 or 69 mm (2.1 or 2.7 inches).
"The drives' built-in intelligence provides flexibility for system builders," said the spokesperson. "It allows engineers to create cost-effective drive-based solutions easily for many common applications requiring one or a few axes, or economic solutions for subsystems in processing equipment performing functions such as labeling or handling. Other common applications include functions such as synchronizing, sorting and a flying saw, and axes that automate auxiliary machinery functions such as set-up and guarding. The drives can also be used in more complex multi-axis machinery and plant automation - which can now be designed in a more flexible way."
A Windows-based software tool for parameterizing and analyzing the drives is available. For more complex applications, Metronix offers a motion controller that can be easily integrated.
For more information contact:
Apex Tool Group
14600 York Rd. Suite A
Sparks, MD 21152
410-773-7800
www.apextoolgroup.com