April 2019

n NEWS 6 April 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC has announced 102 factory automation products that will be the first to support the next-generation CC-Link IE TSN industrial network that was announced at the end of 2018. The products – which include PLCs, servo amplifiers, robots, HMIs, inverters and CNCs – will start to reach the market in May. They will include 65 new-generation servodrives and seven motion controllers. CC-Link IE TSN is designed to ensure real-time control communications even when integrated with IT systems and mixed with other open networks. It will allow machine controls to be integrated with IT communications on the same Ethernet cable, and to provide deterministic messaging for real-time control. It will also allow systems to be configured flexibly using standard Ethernet devices. Mitsubishi says that the high-speed (up to 1Gbps) precision communications will improve machine performance and help to boost productivity and quality. With a link scan time of 31.25μs (sending master station data to local stations and receiving local station data at the same time), CC-Link IE TSN is 16 times faster than existing motion networks, such as CC-Link IE Field, reducing cycle times“drastically”for improved productivity. It also offers precise synchronous control (with variations in communication times of less than ±1μs when a maximum of 254 stations are connected), without communication delays, even in large- scale installations. It is suitable for data analysis in cloud and edge computing applications. CC-Link IE TSN will support high-speed synchronous communications between vision sensors and other connected devices to boost machine performance. Mitsubishi will offer an enhanced version of its Melsoft GXWorks3 engineering tool to manage connected CC-Link IE TSN devices, including third-party products.. It will display the status of entire networks graphically, simplifying network and fault device diagnostics and helping to reduce downtime due to errors. The tool supports PLCopen’s motion control function blocks. The bulk of the new CC-Link IE TSN products will be a new generation of servodrive systems, including 23 models of the general- purpose Melservo J5 AC servodrives, 46 compatible HK rotary servomotors, and eight versions of the iQ-R series motion controls. Mitsubishi says they will offer“industry-leading”performance, such as servo amplifiers with 3.5kHz responses that will help to reduce cycle times, and servomotors equipped with high-resolution encoders (67,108,864 pulses/rev) that will reduce torque fluctuations for accurate and stable positioning. The number of axes that one controller can handle has been quadrupled from 64 to 256 axes. Mitsubsihi is hoping to sell 500,000 of its new-generation servo products this year. The Melservo J5 servodrives will support features of the previous J4 series, which was released in 2012, such as one-touch tuning and three-axis controls. They will offer energy saving via a DC common bus system that can connect several servo amps and an optional converter. Energy regenerated during deceleration will be available to drive other motors. The new servodrives will incorporate AI (artificial intelligence) technology to performpredictive maintenance diagnostics of connected mechanical components, such as belts, ballscrews and gears. It will also monitor trends inmachine status, including amplifiers connected to motion controls, and send this data to higher-level systems. The new HK servomotors will connect to both 200V and 400V servo amps. Lower-capacity servomotors can be connected to higher-capacity servo amps to achieve higher speeds and torque. The servomotors will be equipped with“the industry's smallest”battery-less absolute encoder, powered by a“unique”self-power-generating structure. To save time and space during installation, the servomotors’power and encoder connections are combined in a single cable and connector. The new CC-Link IE TSN products also include Freqrol-A800 inverters in two voltage ratings: 200V (covering ratings from 0.4–90kW); and 400V (0.4–500kW). There is also an optional 1Gbps communications plug-in module for Mitsubishi’s A800/F800 inverters. http://gb3a.mitsubishielectric.com THE COVENTRY-BASED Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre has partnered with Lloyds Bank to offer financial support to recruit and train manufacturing apprentices. Lloyds already supports apprenticeship training at the AMTC with £10m of funding over 10 years. Now, it is partnering with the AMTC – based at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) at Ansty Park – to release millions more in funding through the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Scheme. The move will allow small and medium- sized businesses to take on apprentices, fully funded by the Apprenticeship Levy scheme and Lloyds’unspent levy, releasing funds to encourage SMEs to take on more apprentices. Lloyds has committed to providing £9m from its Apprenticeship Levy fund, initially in partnership with the AMTC and theWest Midlands Combined Authority. SMEs in high-value manufacturing can access the funds to expand their businesses through apprenticeships. The AMTC already offers employers the chance to use their Apprenticeship Levy to fund engineering apprentices who get training in product design, development and manufacturing. The AMTC's managing director Paul Rowlett says the new initiative will enable the AMTC“to fully support SME employers with access to funding, enabling them to source and train new apprentices in their businesses…We feel confident that we will see rising demand for new apprenticeship starts over the following months.” www.the-mtc.org AMTC-Lloyds partnership offers millions to support SME apprenticeships Mitsubishi reveals the first 102 products to support CC-Link IE TSN CC-Link IE TSN will allow machine controls to be integrated with IT communications on the same Ethernet cable, and to provide deterministic messaging for real-time control