Drives and Controls Product News

Compact drives be controlled from your mobile

At the recent Drives & Controls show in the UK, Schneider Electric unveiled a range of compact variable speed drives that can be programmed and controlled wirelessly via Bluetooth. There was also a new range of easy-to-use soft-starts.

PM motors can pay for themselves `in months`

The recent Drives & Controls show marked the UK debut of Yaskawa’s EcoiPM range of high-efficiency permanent magnet motors, first seen at the SPS/IPC/Drives show in Germany late last year. When used with the matching V1000 inverters (shown below), the motors will meet the new IE3 efficiency classification.

Ring track carries heavier loads and offers more choices

HepcoMotion has launched a precision ring track system with load capacities at least 50% higher than its previous generation, as well as offering more sizes, extending customer choice by 45%. The PRT2 system (shown below) includes a wide range of ring slides and segments, bearings and ancillary components.

Servodrive Ethernet support is widened

Baldor has re-engineered its e100 family of single- and three-phase servomotor drives to make them compatible with three industrial Ethernet standards – EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP and Powerlink – as well as standard TCP/IP networks and Baldor`s own Mint environment. The drives offer a choice of servomotor, closed-loop vector or V/Hz motor control modes.

Online gear monitor combines oil and vibration analysis

Schaeffler has developed an integrated oil and vibration monitoring system that allows early detection of damage to oil-lubricated gears, thus helping to avoid downtime and cutting MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) costs.

Pneumatic modules offer a simple alternative to PLCs

Parker Hannifin is offering a pneumatic system that, it says, can be used as an alternative to PLCs for managing small or simple pneumatic circuits. The air logic system can also be used in areas where there is no electrical supply or where ATEX compliance is required.

Active front-end supplies add regen to vector inverters

At the recent Drives & Controls Show in the UK, Gefran launched a range of regenerative power supplies with active front-ends for its ADV200 vector inverters. The modular AFE200 supplies can return current to the mains power network and provide improved Cos Φ with a near-unity power factor for increased efficiency and cost savings.

Dual-core PAC handles 100-axis motion applications

Rockwell Automation has announced a range of programmable automation controllers (PACs) based on dual-core processors, which can handle motion applications over EtherNet/IP. The company contends that the Allen-Bradley L7x PACs will set new benchmarks for speed and performance.

Handheld industrial Ethernet tester is `the first`

US-based Ideal Industries claims to be offering the first handheld tester specifically designed to troubleshoot industrial Ethernet cables. The IENet Pro tester can verify the integrity of two- and four-pair industrial Ethernet cables, and detect open-circuits, short-circuits, mis-wires, reversals and split pairs, in fractions of a second. The instruments have integrated RJ-45 and shielded M12 interfaces and can produce Profinet formatted results.

Universal motor technology `sets new standards`

The Hong Kong based motor manufacturer Johnson Electric has announced a range of universal motors based on a patented technology that, it asserts, sets new standards for energy efficiency, power density and eco performance.