Original article date: June 2000
A new multiaxis distributed controller has adopted the FireWire comms link, bringing faster data transfer rates that traditional buses
Motion controllers often have to operate in less than ideal industrial environments. The production or manufacturing floor can be tough on the controller, both physically and in terms of the demands on its [...]
Original article date: April 2000
An encoder with millions of variants from a single disc is on offer from Stegmann. Alan Quinn considers the implications for encoder users
Perhaps the greatest problem with the development of encoders has been that all manufacturers have needed a large number of etched discs – one for each number of incremental [...]
Original article date: October 1999
An innovative positioning unit has the motor and drive close-coupled. WAYNE BROWN finds out the implications
On the face of it the Icla positioning drives look like a motor of some sort, having a shaft, a body and a cable entry. But take a closer look and you will see that SIG [...]
Original article date: April 2000
A new drive server has been launched promising to save programming and commissioning time for drive systems. Tommy Miller reports
Imagine a situation where there is an inverter drive, a machine interface and a PC linked to the drive so that data can be collected for analysis in, say, Microsoft Excel. The [...]
Original article date: October 1999
By only having to control one axis at a time, this new controller benefits from exceptional performance, as David Norris has been finding out
Some clever technology has gone into the new PM600 digiloop motion controller which Mclennan Servo Supplies is launching. In particular, a new development of Mclennan’s control algorithm enables [...]
Original article date: October 1999
We heard about an intriguing terminal box inverter that does not have to be mounted on the motor. Tommy Miller investigated further
Simplatroll believes that a typical application of the Lenze 8200 Motec terminal box inverter will have a payback period of under two years. There are several compelling reasons why this [...]
Original article date: February 1999
The stepper and servo options provided on modern PLCs make networkable motion control a possibility without ever leaving the PLC rack. Robert Brooks from Omron explains.
While most of the servo applications that catch the headlines tend to be demanding tasks with extremely stringent dynamic requirements at the same time motion control [...]
Original article date: September 1999
What is the best way to connect up that motor? Tommy Miller dips into the new wiring manual from Klockner-Moeller
Anybody who works with low-voltage switchgear is likely to find Klockner-Moeller’s new book extremely useful, whether they’re a trainee or an experienced electrical engineer. And because it’s free, there’s no reason not [...]
Original article date: June 2000
Drives are now more sophisticated than ever before, but what is the best way to program them? Tommy Miller reports on a new toolset based on function blocks
For run-of-the-mill drives applications (no pun intended), engineers are now almost spoilt for choice in terms of the number of frequency converters available. Even [...]
Original article date: October 1999
Is it possible to have an efficient drive that provides multiple control modes? It seems so, as Tommy Miller has been finding out
System developers often want one unit that will do many tasks. This can reduce the time it takes to get up the learning curve as well as reducing stock [...]