“Plug and Play” has become a term almost
synonymous with the consumer electronics market — and especially the
computing market. These days, if a device requires more configuration
than connecting it via USB and a brief walk through of a couple of
point-and-click screens then most people will decide it’s not worth the
effort.
That
same kind of convenience is gradually coming to the vastly more complex
environment of the industrial automation world.HMI SCADA systems have
long tried to simplify the operation and control of the production line
at the MES level but now Siemens Energy & Automation is bringing
that kind of simplicity all the way down to the individual drive level.
The company has released a new single-axis AC servo drive, the Sinamics S110, that promises easy commissioning, high flexibility and convenient connection to higher-level controllers.
“The
S110 drive uses servo motors with the Drive CLiQ interface to
automatically parameterize the servo system so it’s ready to run on
initial power-up,” says Craig Nelson, a spokesperson for Siemens. “It’s
literally plug and play.”
The S110 accomplishes this by
automatically reading the electronic nameplate of the motor via Drive
CLiQ. The encoder feedback and motor temperature are also read back
over the Drive CLiQ interface.
Aimed broadly at the general motion
control market, the new device is intended to meet the expanding
application needs for a simple positioning servo. “Application scope
ranges from simple material handling like pick and place to rotary
indexing tables and tool magazines. It is also suitable for robotic and
automatic assembly machines, feeders in printing and paper machines,
and for ejectors in injection molding machines. Other applications
include medical equipment and positioning task in the wind and solar
industry,” adds Nelson.
The new servo also boasts an extensive set
of integrated safety functions that support the straightforward
implementation of innovative safety concepts in compliance with the
appropriate standards.
The S110 servo drive has seven
standards-compliant on-board safety functions which meet category 3
requirements as defined in EN 954-1 and Safety Integrated Level 2
requirements as defined in EN 61508. The safety functions are
controlled via three safe inputs and one safe output (terminals)
on-board the S110. When integrated into a total automation system, it
can be controlled via the Profisafe profile.
Says Nelson, “We wanted
to design and release the simplest drive in the world to specify,
commission and maintain – raising everyone's expectations for truly
simple, yet advanced motion control. And I think we’ve accomplished
that.”
::Design World::
Filed Under: Factory automation, Drives (servo) + amplifiers, Motion control • motor controls
Tell Us What You Think!