Co-operation leads to smallest intelligent motor!

The two companies, Dr. Fritz Faulhaber GmbH & Co. KG from Schönaich, (D), and Technosoft SA from Neuchâtel (CH), have combined their skills and knowledge to produce one of the world’s smallest intelligent motors for speed and position control with EtherCAT com-munication, which complies with CoE (CAN application protocol over EtherCAT).

The motor is based on the highly successful 32....BX Brushless DC 4-pole technology Servomotors using the FAULHABER® ironless stator system and a dynamically balanced rotor, resulting in a no-cogging output, which is ideal for low inertia loads.

The controller is of modular design and compact construction, for high reliability, and incorporates the iPOS4808 controller which utilises Technosoft’s MotionChip™ technology and offers 7 I/Os. The configuration, tuning and local programming of the iPOS drive can easily be done using Technosoft’s powerful graphical platform EasyMotion Studio. The position sensor is absolute single-turn providing 4096 counts per revolution for accurate speed and position control, down to 5 arc minutes.

Alongside the EtherCAT version, there are two CAN versions: the standard CANopen protocol, in accordance to the CiA 301, 305 and 402 profiles, and the TMLCAN protocol. The Technosoft Motion Language (TML) opens the possibility to use the powerful motion controller, allowing it to operate as an independent intelligent device (e.g., customise any homing routine to match the application needs). Stand-alone single or multi-axis applications with communication between drives (without the need of a CAN master) are possible, while various types of CAN masters are also supported with an extended set of Technosoft Motion Control Libraries.

This intelligent motor has a maximum speed of 6000 rpm and a stall torque of 97 mNM, which is achieved from a motor with a diameter of 32 mm and the maximum length of the integrated unit is a mere 92.8 mm. The controller is housed in an oblong, which is 46.5 mm x 67 mm, with a depth of 26 mm. There are six families of Faulhaber gearheads that are available for fitting to the motor, depending on the requirements of the application.

An intelligent motor can be used in many applications, but it has been developed for medical analysis and dosing machines, pick and place and welding robots, instrumentation and optical equipment, unmanned military vehicles, packaging bottling and labelling machines.