More movement on the market

April 2024 Motion Control & Drives

If you want to move something, you have to be able to control the movement. When positioning in the nanometre range everything matters and requires high performance motion control. Six years ago, Aerotech therefore set itself the goal of revolutionising the market for precision motion and machine control systems. The Automation1 motion control platform, which was developed in-house and has been available since 2019, now offers far more capability than many users expect from a motion control system.

Nine functions you wouldn’t expect from a motion controller

• Control positioning systems and connected components such as servo and stepper motors, galvo scan heads, piezoelectric actuators and various other devices on one platform.

• Setup Assistant for the homing configuration of gantries.

• Camera module to display feed from a vision system that can be used to monitor the automation and production process in addition to motion control.

• Intuitive configuration wizard for complete machine setup and rapid implementation of projects.

• EasyTune servo tuning for optimising the servo loop like a control engineer would with access to third-party devices.

• HyperWire bus for drive connection, currently the most powerful communication bus in the motion control industry.

• MachineApps HMI development tool for customising user interfaces for drive systems and allowing support for custom module development for ultimate flexibility.

• EtherCAT compatibility for simple and seamless integration of PLC-based systems.

• Python API and Driver for LabVIEW that enable direct access to the motion control platform.

Further reading:

Smarter motor technology for high-performance industrial automation
Adroit Technologies Motion Control & Drives
Adroit Technologies is bringing Mitsubishi Electric’s EM-A series permanent magnet motors to Africa, offering servo-like speed and position control at a lower cost by combining patented sensorless control with the FR-E800 inverter to eliminate encoders while achieving IE5 efficiency.

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A smarter approach to simplifying motion architecture
Motion Control & Drives
n motion system design, the wiring and drive placement between motor and drive are often decided by default, yet they shape a machine’s cost, footprint and adaptability. Kollmorgen sets out how single-cable and decentralised architectures simplify the cabinet.

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Robotic case packer achieves 99% uptime
Rockwell Automation Motion Control & Drives
DCC Automation designed a new robotic case packer for a nutrition supplement manufacturer using delta robots and a unified Rockwell Automation control platform, cutting changeover time from 45 minutes to 5 minutes, and achieving 99 to 99,5% uptime against the previous 10% per-shift downtime.

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igus puts 3D-printed wear materials to the test
igus Motion Control & Drives
A new igus white paper compares its tribological iglidur 3D-printing materials directly with conventional POM, reporting lower wear, more stable friction and up to ten times longer service life in gear testing for customised, low-volume and replacement components.

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SEW-EURODRIVE’s expanded local engineering capability
SEW-EURODRIVE Editor's Choice Motion Control & Drives
At Electra Mining Africa, SEW-EURODRIVE demonstrated how its expanded local engineering capability, digital technologies and lifecycle support strategy help customers improve reliability, energy efficiency and total cost of ownership across the full life of their drive assets.

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Latest Danfoss automation drive
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG Motion Control & Drives
BMG has launched the Danfoss iC7-Automation enclosed variable speed drive range in South Africa, backed by significant local stockholding of 400 V models up to 710 kW, approved warranty workshops, and DrivePro digital asset management support.

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Severe-duty workhorses powering mining
Motion Control & Drives
Mining machines such as rock crushers, pumps and conveyors need motors that combine high torque with robust enclosures, seals and cooling. WEG Africa explains how severe-duty motors deliver more than a decade of reliable performance in harsh conditions while meeting modern energy-efficiency standards.

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Looking beyond the spec sheet when choosing motion architecture
Motion Control & Drives
When machine builders focus only on torque, speed and price, engineering time, integration effort and long-term maintainability get overlooked. Kollmorgen explains how thinking at the system level, not the component level, leads to better motion architecture choices.

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Economy drive system closes the drive gap in the entry-level segment
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Motion Control & Drives
Beckhoff has launched an economy drive system pairing its new AX1000 servo drive and AM1000 servomotor with the AF1000 dual-axis variable frequency drive on a shared EtherCAT platform, targeting series machines and price-sensitive markets without sacrificing TwinCAT integration or functional safety.

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SEW-EURODRIVE showcases modernisation and lifecycle support at Electra Mining Africa 2026
SEW-EURODRIVE Motion Control & Drives
At Electra Mining Africa 2026, SEW-EURODRIVE showed how it has expanded beyond equipment supply into integrated engineering solutions, plant modernisation and long-term lifecycle support for mining and industrial operators across Africa.

Read more...

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