Ethernet-enabled communication controllers
August 2009
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
EtherCAT drive series expanded to 120 kW.
The AX5000 servo drive series from Beckhoff is being expanded to include drives with higher rated currents. A total of six new servo drives enhance the universally designed family for highly dynamic positioning tasks. Beckhoff is responding to the increasing demand for drives with greater power to replace pneumatic or hydraulic drives with more maintenance-friendly electrical axes, or to better cope with high dynamic demands under increased load conditions.
The drive series from Beckhoff integrates high-end control technology while supporting fast and highly dynamic positioning tasks. The drives utilise EtherCAT for high-performance system communication that is ideal to interface with PC-based control technology. The single-channel servo drives from the AX51xx series (rated up to 25 A) and the dual-channel AX52xx series (rated up to two x 6 A) are available and already in use.
The AX51xx will be supplemented with servo drives rated from 60 to 170 A for higher power. The drives are designed in three sizes with rated currents of 60, 72, 90, 110, 143 and 170 A. Motors of different sizes and types can be connected without additional measures. Examples include synchronous, linear, torque and asynchronous motors. The multifeedback interface supports all common standards.
A highlight of the series is the amount of power built into a small device. The advantage of full EtherCAT integration means that no additional interface cards are required and no internal conversion in the controller is necessary. EtherCAT permits the design of simple drives with no local parameter storage, resulting in greatly simplified commissioning and service in the event of maintenance. All motion control functions are intelligently handled by the centralised PC-based controller.
The 120 kW power packs are ideally suited for the replacement of hydraulic drives or for use as the main drive in machines with many small drives. Preferred applications for these high-powered drives include plastics processing, metal working, milling and boring machines and extruders.
Further reading:
Loop signature Part 2-6
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
This instalment of the Loop Signature series introduces frequency plot theory as a foundation for understanding process dynamics, explaining Bode plots, dynamic gain, phase lag and their relationship to control loop tuning.
Read more...
The rise of software-defined brownfield automation
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert is enabling brownfield operators to modernise incrementally, decoupling control logic from hardware to bridge legacy equipment and future-ready operations without disrupting production.
Read more...
Upgrading alarm systems for critical industries
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Omniflex’s OMNI16R alarm annunciator platform provides a direct replacement for legacy CSA systems such as MPAS 90 and SA9100, enabling operators in oil and gas, nuclear and power generation to modernise alarm infrastructure without sacrificing the clarity required for safe operations.
Read more...
How DCS can step off the hardware obsolescence treadmill
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Schneider Electric argues that virtualising DCS environments breaks the cycle of hardware obsolescence, giving plant operators a smarter path to lifecycle modernisation without production disruption.
Read more...
Loop signature Part 2-6
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
The Loop Signature series turns to frequency plot theory, explaining Bode open-loop plots and how dynamic gain, phase lag and crossover frequency can be extracted from test data to inform more accurate control loop tuning.
Read more...
PC-based control in surgery
Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Researchers at the University of Basel are using Beckhoff PC-based control technology to develop a miniature laser robot for minimally invasive bone surgery.
Read more...
IIoT controller for the field and control cabinet
ifm - South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
The IIoT controller from ifm is a powerful, communicative and flexible PLC solution in machine and plant digitalisation.
Read more...
How the DCS can step off the hardware obsolescence treadmill
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Ageing servers and unsupported operating systems are quietly eroding the stability of process plants that rely on distributed control systems. Kobus Vermeulen of Schneider Electric explains how virtualising the DCS environment can break the hardware obsolescence cycle without disrupting operations.
Read more...
Centralised control rooms where growth is elastic, not physical
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Modernised control rooms feature distributed control system architecture consolidated into centralised compute environments. replacing traditional PCs with thin clients.
Read more...
Advanced DCSs preserve what must not change while enabling
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Next-generation DCSs, such as Schneider Electric’s Foxboro, are preserving the best of the old while introducing the new in a less disruptive manner.
Read more...
printer friendly version