Posted to News on 2nd Jul 2009, 13:57
LAM micro-stepping drives and motors from Motor Technology
Motor Technology has added Italian firm LAM Technologies' wide range of micro-stepping drives and stepper motors to its product portfolio. LAM's low-cost, high-quality products are well suited for simpler automation tasks and have been designed with features that allow system users to eliminate other costly components in order to cut costs further and simplify automation systems.
The DS10 compact micro-stepping drives are rated from 0.8-10A at 20-240V DC and are available in a variety of formats including DIN rail-mounted units, open-frame cards and block modules for integration on printed circuit boards.
In addition, the DS10 drives benefit from features that enable system designs to be simplified and costs reduced. A gate function enables users to create a low-cost control system, with numerous stepper drives controlled from a single stepper output on a PLC or motion controller. Using an input on the drives they can be individually switched to either active or inactive modes. The active drives carry out the motion commanded by the controller but the inactive drives will ignore it.
Another cost-cutting feature of the DS10 range is an oscillator function that can be configured for up to two independent motor speeds. The required speed can then be selected using an input on the drive; for simple applications this could remove the need for a stepper interface board on the PLC or motion controller.
Programmable stepper drives
A fully programmable family of drives with built-in motion controllers is also part of the new range; these are known as the DS30 and DS50 series.
Programming is carried out using the UDP Commander software tool, which is said to be simple to use. A number of screens guide the user through the construction of the application program and the setting of parameters. The programming is carried out using a variety of function blocks to command movement, assign variables, set delays, process conditional jumps and also run calculations. Mathematical functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division give the user the tools to program the units for complex applications.
The DS30 and DS50 drives also feature digital and analogue input/outputs (I/O) that can be used to create complete control solutions. Digital I/O can be configured to start and stop a cycle, run the homing routine, select the next block to be executed, indicate position reached and notify faults. The analogue inputs can be set up to alter the motor speed dynamically, provide a position demand and adjust timers. The analogue output can be used as a speed reference for an inverter, command proportional actuators and provide indication via an analogue display if required.
The LAM M-series compact, two-phase, 1.8-degree step angle, hybrid, low-inertia stepper motors complements the micro-stepping drive range. The available torque ranges from 0.28Nm up to 21Nm with phase current between 0.6A and 12A. All models in the range have a NEMA standard square frame.
Follow the links for more information about the LAM DS10, LAM DS30 and M-series products.
