Introducing the New 4 mm Micromotor and Gearhead from Maxon Motor

maxon motor was challenged to deliver maximum power in the smallest possible space and the result is the EC 4 brushless motor

The general problem with micro drives is that the power output is too low for the application, due to the physical dimensions. maxon increased the performance of this tiny motor using the latest winding technology, the most powerful magnets and optimum use of the air gap.  Integrated encoders make it possible to fully utilise the motor potential, from a standstill.  This is unique for motors of this size. maxon also incorporated a high quality gearhead to ensure optimum continuous running.  High performance ceramics are used for the gearhead carrier to make the motor capable of high input speeds and drive torques.  It is the ideal partner for the miniature ESCO 36/3 brushless motor controller.

Maxon EC4 Micromotor with GP4 Gearhead

The speed/torque gradient of the EC 4 is an impressive 50,000 rpm mNm-1 with a continuous torque of 0.4 mNm.  There are options on the windings and encoders as well as different reduction ratios on the new 4 mm planetary gearhead.

The motor is also available in two lengths.

>Short version with 0.5 W nominal power

>Long version with 1.0 W nominal power

The 4 mm brushless DC motor is a great fit for applications in the fields of micropumps, analytic and diagnostic devices, opthalmic surgical devices, laboratory robots, endoscopes and anywhere where size is an issue.

The EC 4 platform sets new benchmarks with regards to technical possibilities and opens up future fields of application.  Watch this space!

Click on the link below for more information:

link:  product information

For more information, please contact:

EDITORIAL CONTACT:

Warren Osak
sales@electromate.com
Toll Free Phone:   877-737-8698
Toll Free Fax:       877-737-8699
www.electromate.com

maxon motors in implants and prosthetics

The new issue of “driven”, the maxon motor magazine, brings stories and applications from the field of medical technology to your tablet, interactive and easy to understand.  This issue is all about implants and prosthetics, ranging from a state-of-the-art motorized prosthetic hand to an implanted medication pump.  The tablet magazine is available for Apple iOS and Google Android.

In the new issue 1//2013 of “driven”, implants and prosthetics take center stage.  Learn about the fascinating possibilities of modern prosthetics and how maxon products are used in artificial limbs.  For example, did you know that the gripping movement and gripping force of modern hand prostheses are powered by maxon drives?  And even today, minimotors are pumping fluids and medications through human bodies.

Check out the Expertise section of the driven tablet magazine to enhance your knowledge in the selection of drive systems.  The current issue addresses the problem of synchronizing the control of multiple drives. In this section, readers can also try their hand at solving a difficult drive puzzle.  The main prize is a three coaxial helicopter waiting for a skilled pilot to operate the controls.

driven – the maxon motor magazine is published three times a year for iPad and Android tablet PCs.  At the end of each year, highlights from the three tablet issues will be compiled in a print edition.  The maxon magazine is available as a free download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Click here to order the 2012 print edition.

For more information about driven, please visit magazine.maxonmotor.com .

More information on the minimotors from Maxon Motor AG can be viewed at-

http://www.electromate.com/products/?partner=1072297493

For more information, please contact:

EDITORIAL CONTACT:

Warren Osak
sales@electromate.com
Toll Free Phone:   877-737-8698
Toll Free Fax:       877-737-8699
www.electromate.com

Choosing Between Servo and Stepper Motors

The choice between a servo and stepper motor is an important decision in any system design.  In general, the higher the performance requirement (high precision, variable load, high duty cycle, high torque vs. speed)  the more likely a servo will be the choice.   Where purchase cost is critical, performance is not crucial, and simple set-up is needed, a stepper solution is a cost-effective option.

The following chart compares the performance of brush/brushless servo and stepper motors:

With stepper motors, closing the position loop via an encoder is not an effective means of providing increased precision.  Whereas the encoder will provide  position  verification, the step motor is unable to “servo” to ensure high dynamic performance and repeatability.   Adding an encoder  and using  a microstep driver makes the relative costs of servo and stepper systems roughly  equivalent, yet the performance remains decidedly better with servos.

For more information, please contact:

EDITORIAL CONTACT:

Warren Osak
sales@electromate.com
Toll Free Phone:   877-737-8698
Toll Free Fax:       877-737-8699
www.electromate.com

Reduce Manufacturing Costs by Cycle Time Effects

The key to reducing production costs is found in Cycle Time effects.  You may be able to further reduce costs if you look closely at the CT effects.

So what exactly are CT effects?

Click on the link below to read the case study from IntelligentActuator.com on how production efficiency was significantly improved.

http://www.intelligentactuator.com/pdf/CT-Effects_CJ0196-2A-UST-1-1112.pdf

More information on the factory automation products from IAI can be viewed at-

http://www.electromate.com/products/?partner=1086624533

For more information, please contact:

EDITORIAL CONTACT:

Warren Osak
sales@electromate.com
Toll Free Phone:   877-737-8698
Toll Free Fax:       877-737-8699
www.electromate.com

Ethernet in Motion Control to More than Triple by 2016

World Market for Industrial Communication Technologies in Motor Control Equipment

Reprint of March 13, 2013 Automation.com Article

March 13, 2013 – The use of Ethernet with motor drives and motion controllers will more than triple to 2016 from 1.8 million new connected nodes in 2011. According to IMS Research, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for new motor control Ethernet nodes is projected to be the highest across the whole industrial space at nearly 30%.

IHS analyst, Tom Moore, commented “Ethernet, particularly certain industrial variants, is very well suited to drive and motion control applications. The growing number of Ethernet protocols, which are high-speed, deterministic, and low jitter, mean its application has never been easier. Some of the most suited protocols are forecast annual growth rates exceeding 30% to 2016”.

As Figure 1 shows, new Ethernet nodes are forecast to account for over 20% of the total new networked motor control products in 2016. This is a large increase from the estimated 12% in 2011, when fieldbus protocols dominated new node connections. Ethernet is quickly gaining ground in a market that is well known for being reserved and slow to adopt new technology.

Moore continued, “Part of the transition to Ethernet is due to the protocols available, such as PROFINET, Ethernet/IP, POWERLINK and EtherCAT, which are all very well suited to motor control applications. In particular, EtherCAT is well known for very high speed data transmission and low response times. Its adoption is forecast to grow very strongly to 2016, especially as its member count continues to increase.”

Networking, however, isn’t just about the technology or protocols on offer; it is about the equipment itself. Nodes, the connections to the higher network, are set to increase and part of this is being driven by an increasing number of ports per device. This has an added affect to the adoption growth of networking technologies. “The increase in node count has come about for several reasons,” indicated Moore. “More and more products are being released with the ability to daisy-chain, requiring at least 2 ports.”

Ethernet is certainly making headway in the industrial space and its projected adoption growth is set to outstrip that of fieldbus technologies in almost all applications. “It is forecast that in 10 to 15 years Ethernet will have replaced fieldbus as the mainstream networking technology for motor control products.” says Moore, “This can only be good for the unification and simplification of networking solutions; driving down costs and increasing up-time”.

“The World Market for Industrial Ethernet and Fieldbus Technologies – 2013 Edition” is now available. This includes extensive analysis of industrial Ethernet and fieldbus technologies used in motor control, process and control and discrete control.

IEC61131-3 Primer: Considerations for Using a 61131 Compliant Language

IEC 61131-3 is the third part (of 8) of the open international standard IEC 61131 for programmable logic controllers, and was first published in December 1993 by the IEC.  The current (second) edition was published in 2003.

Part 3 of IEC 61131 deals with programming languages and defines two graphical and two textual PLC programming language standards:

• Ladder diagram (LD), graphical
• Function block diagram (FBD), graphical
• Structured text (ST), textual
• Instruction list (IL), textual
• Sequential function chart (SFC), has  elements to organize programs for sequential and parallel control processing

Ladder Diagram

What are the advantages of using a 61131-compliant language?

There are several key advantages to using IEC61131-3 soft PLC languages, including:

>IEC61131-3 is a standard; program code written in one of its five languages (Ladder Logic, Function Block Diagram, Structured Text, Sequential Function Chart, and Instruction List) will be recognizable to a programmer regardless of the manufacturer’s product on which they learned the language. The code will also be largely transferrable between products even among different manufacturers.

>With five different languages that have varying pros and cons it is possible to code different sections of a program to take advantage of the language that best suits that program section.

>The majority of the IEC61131-3 languages are based on languages from the major hardware PLC vendors. Users with prior hardware PLC experience are likely to find that the programming language they are already familiar with is part of the IEC61131-3 package.

It is important to note that while the languages are standardized, the software itself will vary between manufacturers.  This means that code written in one manufacturer’s software can’t be directly loaded to another manufacturer’s software.  It may be possible to copy it from the original and paste it in and the code itself can generally be reused, but one would not be able to load and run a program from one manufacturer’s software in another’s.

Additionally, manufacturers often add enhancements to the basic IEC61131-3 capabilities within one or more of the languages.  These enhancements add capabilities a specific manufacturer sees as beneficial to its customer base.  Since these enhancements are outside the standard they will not be transferrable to other manufacturer’s implementations of IEC61131-3.  This is likely the reason that some programmers will indicate their languages don’t comply or were the “vendor’s version.”  It should be noted that the enhancements are typically additions (not changes) to the languages basic capability, so if the user does not use the enhancements and stays within the basic structure and commands of a given language it will be transferrable.

For more information, please contact:

EDITORIAL CONTACT:

Warren Osak
sales@electromate.com
Toll Free Phone:   877-737-8698
Toll Free Fax:       877-737-8699
www.electromate.com

Introducing the New 4 mm Micromotor and Gearhead from Maxon Motor AG

maxon motor was challenged to deliver maximum power in the smallest possible space and the result is the EC 4 motor.

Maxon EC4 Brushless Micromotor

The 4 mm brushless DC motor is a great fit for applications in the fields of micropumps, analytic and diagnostic devices, ophthalmic surgical devices, laboratory robots, endoscopes and anywhere where size is an issue.

The general problem with micro drives is that the power output is too low for the application, due to the physical dimensions.  maxon increased the performance of this tiny motor using the latest winding technology, the most powerful magnets and optimum use of the air gap.  Integrated encoders make it possible to fully utilise the motor potential, from a standstill.  This is unique for motors of this size. maxon also incorporated a high quality gearhead to ensure optimum continuous running.  High performance ceramics are used for the gearhead carrier to make the motor capable of high input speeds and drive torques.  It is the ideal partner for the miniature ESCON 36/3 brushless motor controller.

The speed/torque gradient of the EC 4 is an impressive 50,000 rpm mNm-1 with a continuous torque of 0.4 mNm.  There are options on the windings and encoders as well as different reduction ratios on the new 4 mm planetary gearhead.

The motor is also available in two lengths.

• Short version with 0.5 W nominal power

• Long version with 1.0 W nominal power.

The 4 mm brushless DC motor is a great fit for applications in the fields of micropumps, analytic and diagnostic devices, ophthalmic surgical devices, laboratory robots, endoscopes and anywhere where size is an issue.

The EC 4 platform sets new benchmarks with regards to technical possibilities and opens up future fields of application.  Watch this space!

More information on the EC4 Micromotor and Gearhead from Maxon Motor AG can be viewed at-

http://www.electromate.com/products/?keyword=EC+4+series&d=105651

For more information, please contact:

EDITORIAL CONTACT:

Warren Osak
sales@electromate.com
Toll Free Phone:   877-737-8698
Toll Free Fax:       877-737-8699
www.electromate.com