November/December 2020

ROCKWELL AUTOMATION has announced a family of servodrives designed to simplify machine design and optimise performance. The Allen-Bradley Kinetix 5300 drives are aimed at global machine-builders wanting to adopt a single environment – Rockwell’s Studio 5000 software – for control and motion programming of all of their drives. They will able to re-use code, and to streamline the design and commissioning process. When paired with Rockwell’s new TLP motors, the drives offer a coordinated platform machine for applications such as electronics assembly, packaging and converting, printing and web operations. The CIP Motion drives integrate with Rockwell’s Logix controllers, supporting smart tuning capabilities that adjust automatically for changes in inertia and resonance. “Our expanded portfolio provides machine- builders with a complete family of scalable servodrives for diverse applications,” says Bill Kegley, Rockwell’s director of motion control product management. “Now with the addition of the Kinetix 5300 to our family of servodrives, we are in a position to deliver truly scalable and intelligent motion solutions that help our customers achieve productivity and sustainability for a wider range of applications.” Rockwell hopes that the new drives will boost growth in emerging markets in Asia, as well as in mature markets in Europe. www.rockwellautomation.co.uk n TECHNOLOGY Servodrives simplify machine design and optimise performance The Austrian automationmanufacturer Sigmatek has announced a new generation of compact multi-axis servodrives said to combine good performance with flexibility. The modular Dias MDD 2000 drives are available in one-, two- and three-axis versions in two frame sizes and power classes. The drives can operate from single- or three-phase 230-480V AC supplies. A power supply, filter, brake resistor and DC-link circuit are contained within the smaller (75 x 240 x 219mm) size 1 frame, which can deliver 4kW (3 x 5A rated or 15A peak). The larger size 2 frame (150 x 240 x 219mm) covers ratings up to 9kW (3 x 10A rated or 30A peak). Overload factors are up to 300%, and 62.5μs control cycle times are said to deliver good servo performance. In addition to the STO and SS1 safety functions, the servodrives include SOS, SBC, as well as SLS, and support applications up to SIL 3, PL e, Cat 4. A built-in Hiperface DSL digital motor feedback interface reduces wiring and start-up times. Numerous other encoder types are also supported. www.sigmatek-automation.com Rockwell's new servodrives are aimed at global machine-builders New-generation servodrives control up to three axes