Motion Control & Drives


High-performance modular servo drive

July 2011 Motion Control & Drives

Rockwell Automation servo drive improves production efficiency and machine availability.

Rockwell Automation has launched its first high-performance, modular servo drive that leverages embedded Ethernet/IP technology for integrated motion control. The Ethernet/IP drive support available with the Allen-Bradley Kinetix 6500 servo drive helps eliminate the need for a dedicated motion network and allows high-performance drives, I/O, smart actuators and any other Ethernet/IP-connected device to be supported on a common network.

Used in conjunction with the Allen-Bradley ControlLogix programmable automation controller (PAC), the Kinetix 6500 drive helps to provide increased machine design flexibility, improved system performance and reduced system cost.

Integrated motion on Ethernet/IP within the Kinetix 6500 servo drive uses CIP Motion, an extension of the common industrial protocol (CIP) from the open device vendors association (ODVA). CIP motion technology combines the requirements of deterministic, real-time, closed loop motion control, offering full compliance with Ethernet standards, including IEEE 802.3 and TCP/IP.

Position, speed and torque loops can be set within the new Kinetix 6500 servo drive, delivering an open, high bandwidth solution for motion control. Add the power of ODVA’s CIP Sync technology – the IEEE-1588 compliant precision clock synchronisation – and multiple axes can be coordinated for precise, synchronised motion control.

Leveraging the proven performance of the Kinetix 6000 family, the 6500 drive also offers advanced safety features, such as safe stop, zero speed monitoring, safe direction monitoring and safe maximum acceleration monitoring. Not only do these features help improve operator safety, they also enhance machine efficiency by allowing monitored access to guarded areas while a machine or process continues to operate, which help reduce downtime.

For applications such as CIP for food producers or roller cleaning on a printing machine, safe-speed technology can help avoid personnel injury while maximising machine uptime. Operators and maintenance workers can clean equipment while the machine is set to one of the safety modes, which reduces the need for complete power removal/machine shutdown, and thus helps to speed up the cleaning process and provides greater machine availability. The ability to access the machine to remove foreign objects or jams without an emergency shutdown also reduces scrap, extends machine life and limits the amount of energy needed to power the machine back to full operating speed.

The Kinetix 6500 servo drives feature an innovative modular structure that helps provide an adaptable platform for future machine enhancements, such as an increased power range. Using interchangeable control modules, an axis can easily transition to a different network or safety functionality, helping users more easily adapt to new market trends or technologies while reducing upgrade costs by up to 50%. With the release of the ControlLogix L73 and ControlLogix L75 PACs, the new drive will be able to accommodate up to 128 axes of motion control per controller.

The servo drive is ideal for motion control applications where high performance, efficiency and safety are crucial, such as food processing, packaging, printing and Web and other machine types requiring position control.

For more information contact Sean Homan, Rockwell Automation, +27 (0)11 654 9700, [email protected], www.rockwellautomation.co.za



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