Same day gearbox assy!

Baldor (now part of ABB) has enhanced its fast turnaround gearbox assembly operation, which now has access to a large extensively-equipped machine shop, to the point where it can provide European customers with a same-day build service.

Capable of building custom-configured power transmission products within hours of order placement, the new British-based assembly line can produce high efficiency gearboxes and gearmotors in a wide range of models and sizes from the renowned Dodge Quantis family. The Quantis product line is also directly interchangeable with most other leading gearmotor products for ease of replacement.

According to Tristin Hurst, Product Manager for Baldor UK, "Custom gearbox assembly is a popular service with OEMs, end users, system integrators and system maintainers, but we have now raised the bar significantly. Any single-product order placed before 1pm will be available for collection or shipment that day - and the same applies to orders for multiple products placed before midday."

Hurst adds: "We are also now able to offer a wider range of gearbox input and output options, helping customers configure the optimal solution, and to apply special paint finishes such as corrosion-resistant epoxy. Baldor's renowned high-efficiency motors also make the service ideal for customers who need to comply with forthcoming EU energy efficiency legislation stipulating IE2-rated gearmotors after June 2011 as well as NEMA Premium gearmotors for export to American markets."

Dodge Quantis gearboxes and gearmotors are based on a modular design concept to facilitate the implementation of custom configurations. Baldor stocks all the components needed to assemble Dodge Quantis in-line helical (ILH) and right-angle helical bevel (RHB) speed reducers and gearmotors, in any case size from 38 to 108. The range includes the Quantis Gold gearmotor, which is based on an IE3 Premium Efficiency motor and is the most energy efficient package available in the industry.

Quantis ILH series speed reducers offer a choice of foot or output flange mountings, are available in double or triple ratios, and have an efficiency of up to 98.5 percent per stage. The RHB series right-angle speed reducers offer shaft-mount, foot or output flange mounting, triple ratios, and have an efficiency of 98.5 percent per stage. They also offer two output options on the RHB units of the straight hollow bore, as well as patented twin-tapered bushings kits, which facilitate fast disassembly and reassembly by ensuring that the reducer will not seize onto the customer's driven shaft.

Both the ILH and the RHB series are suitable for B5 flange mounted separate reducers which feature a universal clamp-collar design that enables users to employ the motor of their choice - when replacing a unit, they are not limited to any one manufacturer's products; they also offer integral gearmotors. The Quantis range employs spring-loaded nitrile rubber oil seals for better sealing - any gear reducer is only as good as the seal.

Baldor's gearbox assembly service covers a wide range of IEC metric and NEMA models, to accommodate customers serving both the European and American markets. The company also offers a wide choice of DC and AC motors for its gearmotors; for the three-phase AC models it is also offering its latest IEC IE3-rated (former CEMEP 'EFF1+') motors, which provide unprecedented energy efficiency and are ideal counterparts to the high-efficiency Quantis product line.

The use of IE2 rated (former CEMEP 'EFF1') motors becomes mandatory in the EU in June 2011 for a very wide range of common motor sizes. Baldor is actively encouraging OEMs to start considering early migration straight to the higher IE3 efficiency level, to help provide them with a competitive edge. Although IE3 is not due to come into effect in the EU until 2015, its USA equivalent, NEMA Premium, has been mandated since December 2010 by the USA's Energy Independence Security Act (EISA), which stipulates that virtually ALL 3-phase motors imported into the USA must exhibit this level of efficiency.

Baldor's new build-to-order gearbox service operates on a 7 days a week basis. Customers can either collect their order direct from the assembly plant, or Baldor will arrange for shipment anywhere in Europe.

Cost-effective HMI for machine builders

Baldor Electric has added a compact IP65-rated operator panel with a CANopen interface to its range of motion control products. The operator panel provides machine designers and builders with a very cost-effective means of implementing simple human-machine interfaces. It is also a scalable control solution - an optional plug-in digital I/O module facilitates simple system expansion.

The new KPD202-501 operator panel from Baldor Electric - now part of the ABB group - features a backlit 4-line x 20-character LCD surrounded by six programmable function keys, enabling unambiguous, and actionable, multiple-choice menus to be presented to the machine operator. A further 15 keys are provided for the input of numeric values, together with four pairs of keys which can be used for functions such as jogging individual machine axes.

The KPD202-501 operator panel is exceptionally easy to fit and set up. The panel can be accommodated with minimal impact on layout and merely requires a rectangular cut-out in the facia; built-in mounting clamps secure the unit by compressing its bezel gasket against the surrounding facia. Once mounted, the panel has an IP65 protection rating. The only connections that are needed are a 24 Vdc power feed and the desired communications link. As standard, the panel is equipped with a CANopen port, which offers a choice of D-type and RJ45 plug-in connectors, and a user-selectable RS232/485 serial port.

No special programming software or tools are required - the KPD202-501 can be programmed direct from the motion controller to which it is connected, using Baldor's versatile Mint programming language. This is one of the industry's most popular motion control languages and it is installed on more than 100,000 systems worldwide. The operator panel is compatible with all of Baldor's NextMove multi-axis controllers and Mint programmable drives, including the new Mint Lite versions of the MotiFlex e100 and MicroFlex e100. Where CANopen is not available, the panel can be operated as a standard VT100 terminal over its RS232/485 serial port - it is fully supported within the Mint programming language.

An optional plug-in I/O expansion module is available. The module provides four optically-isolated digital inputs and four optically-isolated digital outputs, each of which can be operated over the CANopen bus as standard DS401 remote I/O, for use with ancillary devices such as push button interfaces and indicator lamps. The inputs can be configured as PNP or NPN, whilst the outputs are PNP only. The I/O can be directly controlled from within the Mint language.

Motion control system helps coating machine

Baldor Ethernet-compatible Powerlink servos simplify machine build

An advanced real-time Ethernet motion control system has helped Advanced Coating Robotics (ACR) to create a new conformal coating machine that combines exceptional three-dimensional spraying accuracy with very high throughput.

ACR's new MACCS 400 conformal coating machine
makes extensive use of Baldor Electric
Ethernet-compatible PowerLink servo drives.

The multi-axis system is based entirely on Baldor Electric motion control products, with three axes making use of the company's Ethernet-compatible PowerLink servo drives. Key reasons behind the choice of this motion control technology were the flexibility of Baldor's motion control software, the ease with which real-time interpolated control could be applied across the machine's five-axis servo and stepper driven motion, and the simple plug-together system building approach offered by the Ethernet-based modules.

ACR's new MACCS 400 machine provides a fast and highly flexible means of selectively applying protective conformal coatings to printed circuit board (PCB) mounted components, and can accommodate both inline and batch processing operations. Capable of coating PCBs as large as 500 x 480 mm - with on-board components as high as 90 mm - the programmable machine uses an advanced five-axis motion control system to combine high-speed throughput capabilities with ultra-precise spray head positioning to an accuracy of 25 microns.

Formed in 2009, with the specific intention of developing highly automated solutions for applying conformal coatings to electronic components, ACR is a collaboration between SCH Technologies - a leading conformal coating company - and specialist automation designers SMS Machines & Automation Ltd. ACR launched the MACCS 400 just three months ago and has already sold five of the machines.

MACCS 400 is a self-contained, free-standing machine with a small 1.4 m2 footprint. It is capable of completely autonomous operation, or can be equipped with chain conveyors and form part of an integrated PCB production line; the machine is fully compliant with the SMEMA (surface mount equipment manufacturers association) mechanical and electrical interface standards.

The X and Y axes of the machine's motion control system are based on a novel 'H-belt' actuator, driven by two Baldor BSM servomotors linked to Baldor MicroFlex e100 drives. The two motors are static - they occupy fixed positions at the bottom of the 'H' - and jointly act on a single belt. The advantage of this approach is that the motors do not contribute to the load inertia, and therefore permit very fast and accurate movement - the machine can accommodate X-Y velocities as high as 800 mm/second. The Z axis controls the above-board height of the spray head, and is driven by a third BSM servomotor and MicroFlex e100 drive. All three drives are very tightly synchronised to facilitate high speed Cartesian movement of the spray head, the angle and orientation of which are controlled by two rotary axes, driven by Baldor stepper motors.

All five electrical axes on the MACCS 400 are controlled by a Baldor NextMove e100 controller, using full interpolation to allow smooth high speed tangential moves. Overall control of the machine is handled by ACR's proprietary coating software, which runs under Windows XP on a built-in host PC, equipped with a large HMI (human-machine interface). The coating software provides a highly intuitive graphical user interface and is written in the VB.NET object-oriented programming language.

According to ACR's Managing Director, Gordon Watson, "Our choice of motion control technology was heavily influenced by the flexibility of Baldor's NextMove controller, which interfaces seamlessly with our software. Baldor's software development environment, which comes as part of the package, includes comprehensive support for ActiveX, which fits well with VB.NET. Creating the complex real-time motion control sequences was also relatively easy, since Baldor's Mint language employs high level keywords for many of these moves. And since taking the decision to adopt Baldor as our supplier of choice, we have been extremely pleased with the excellent level of application support that the company provides."

The MACCS 400 can apply a wide range of conformal coatings, including Parylene and many HumiSeal products, and offers a choice of cartridge or pressure vessel feed. Standard features include an integral camera for manual alignment, a remote teach pendant, and built-in purge and solvent cups for flushing. The machine also offers numerous optional facilities, such as multiple spray heads, fluid viscosity control, a bar code reader and a laser pointer.

Acquisition cleared

ABB and Baldor Electric Company have announced that the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice has cleared ABB’s proposed acquisition of Baldor pursuant to a cash tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Baldor at a price of $63.50 per share net to the holder in cash, without interest and less any required withholding taxes.

This antitrust clearance satisfies the last remaining regulatory condition to the tender offer (originally reported by us in November, "Motor, drives and power transmission company acquired!" ). As announced on January 20, 2011, the tender offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 25, 2011.

The closing of the tender offer remains subject to other customary terms and conditions, including the condition that there shall have been validly tendered and not validly withdrawn a number of shares that represents more than 66-2/3% of the sum of the number of Baldor shares issued and outstanding on the expiration date of the offer and the number of Baldor shares issuable under stock options, stock units and other derivative securities then exercisable.

Subject to the satisfaction of these other conditions, ABB expects to close the acquisition of Baldor soon after the expiration of the tender offer.

Legislation on both sides of Atlantic effects machinery OEMs

Motor efficiency upgrades - is it Win-Win or Win-Lose?

A seminal piece of legislation mandating minimum electric motor efficiency levels is scheduled to come into force across the EU in June 2011. It has enormous implications for machinery OEMs, with potentially serious consequences to sales and market share if attention is not paid immediately, says Baldor. The situation is made even more problematic by the USA's EISA minimum efficiency regulations, which came into force in December 2010.

From feedback at exhibitions and from calls and visits Baldor believes that as much as a third of the EU's OEMs are still either wholly or partially unaware that new general-purpose AC motors installed from June must meet a minimum efficiency of IE2. IE2 is equivalent to the previous CEMEP 'EFF1' standard.

Most OEMs currently use lower-efficiency EFF3- or EFF2- grade AC motors. Transitioning equipment designs with higher efficiency motors can involve physical and mechanical interface changes, changes to rotational speeds, and changes to thermal issues and starting behaviour. These issues can have a big impact for equipment OEMs, and they might need weeks or even three months or more to make the upgrade.

Robin Cowley

"We're sending an SOS message to European OEMs that if they do not start considering the impact of motor efficiency regulations immediately, then there could be negative implications for their sales and market share," says Robin Cowley, Industrial Marketing Manager for Baldor in the EU. "And when OEMs think about the upgrade to IE2 efficiency levels, we are also suggesting that they consider their strategy for the IE3 efficiency level that's coming down the track because if they don't, their competitors might - and steal a march."

Most end users of automation are becoming seriously worried about their energy costs. Many are also currently putting strong environmental care plans into place. Given this market situation, Robin Cowley thinks that OEMs who start to offer the best efficiency levels available - IE3 - could see their market share grow at the expense of those who merely offer the minimum required.

This situation is complicated by the USA's recent Energy Independence Security Act (EISA) which came into force in December 2010. EISA mandates a minimum efficiency level of 'NEMA Premium' for motors imported into the USA.

NEMA Premium is equivalent to IE3, which is not due to come into force in the EU until 2015. Robin Cowley expects that some USA OEMs could be adopting NEMA Premium as their standard offering for international sales as well. This means that much imported equipment could offer end users a significantly faster payback in terms of reduced energy consumption than equipment sourced from the EU.


"For some simple items of equipment such as pumps or fans, the motor is a significant proportion of the bill of materials and US competitors might offer a lower-spec IE2 alternative in the EU," adds Baldor's Robin Cowley. "However, where a motor is only a small proportion of some larger equipment - on a conveyor system for example - US competitors have the opportunity to offer premium efficiency as standard. This potentially puts them in a position to gain market share here in Europe."

Linear motion control system powers ultra-fast action of biotech lab automation breakthrough

An advanced linear motion system is behind the groundbreaking performance of Singer Instruments' innovative biotech laboratory robot for pinning arrays of cells - the RoToR.

RoToR is managed by a compact
real-time controller from Baldor called
NextMove ESB-2.

This benchtop automation is revolutionising genetic, genome and cancer research by being able to manipulate over 200,000 yeast or bacteria cell samples per hour. This unprecedented speed - up to an order of magnitude faster than previous lab automation - is changing the way that many biotech labs work. One of Singer's robots often now typically services several laboratories, with users just booking short time slots on it for replicating, mating, re-arraying or backing up yeast or bacteria libraries.

RoToR is managed by a compact real-time controller from Baldor called NextMove ESB-2. This module controls the three axes of motion that perform RoToR's point-to-point pinning action, as well as a sample handling axis, interfacing to the machine's Windows-based graphical user interface, and all the I/O channels required.

Singer Instruments chose NextMove ESB-2 because it incorporated all the real-time stepper and servo motion and machine control facilities they needed, and more - giving them flexibility to expand and evolve the RoToR design in the future.

Baldor provided Singer Instruments with the complete machine control package, comprising the NextMove controller with its built-in I/O - plus some expansion I/O to handle the large number of sensors and pneumatic actuators on this sophisticated robot - a linear servo motor and drive, and three integrated stepper motor and drive modules. The controller takes care of all the machine and motion control tasks, under the direction of a Windows user interface, which is interfaced via ActiveX commands.

The major movements that the machine makes are point-to-point transfers from source to destination plates along a linear servo motor axis that spans the width of the machine. This axis carries a two-axis stepper motor head that controls the pinning action. The combined X-Y-Z movement can also stir the samples using a sophisticated helical motion - an action used particularly when manipulating samples to or from liquid wells. There is also another stepper motor axis that controls the loading mechanism for the pin pads. Other movements, such as the pick up and disposal of pinheads at the start and end of operations, are controlled by simple pneumatic grippers and rotators. A key to the machine's throughput is the use of Singer's unique high-density sample plates and matching plastic pinhead arrays, which allow manipulation of as many as 6144 cell samples in a single stage.

Singer's original intention was to use a closed-loop pneumatic drive for the main transverse axis, but this did not have either the positioning resolution or the speed desired, and was relatively noisy as well - a significant disadvantage in a lab environment. They started looking at linear motors instead. Baldor made this design choice easy by agreeing to produce a special version of a brushless linear servo motor with some mechanical modifications to the linear track that allows it to be supported at the ends alone - rather than along its length. This allows the linear motor's forcer to become an X-axis gantry that carries the additional Y and Z axes. The Y and Z axes are based on Baldor's DSMS family of ultra-compact micro-stepping motors with onboard drive electronics. The linear motor - from Baldor's LMCF series - is another novel product with a special magnet design that minimises the cogging effect to ensure extremely smooth operation.

After the key hardware decisions had been taken, developing the motion control software was made very easy by Baldor's Mint language and its development environment. This language provided ready-to-use high-level commands for the required movements, making it very simple to get the machine running in the development lab - a task that was achieved in just a few days. Commands that saved valuable time for Singer Instruments ranged from basic movements such as S-ramp profiles - which are used extensively on the linear motion axis to optimise movement speeds between source and destination plates - to one called HELIX which provides the developers with the helical stirring action that is employed when manipulating samples in liquid wells. As the machine has a Windows user interface developed using Visual C# and Windows Presentation Foundation, Singer Instruments also made use of Baldor's ActiveX interface library, which is provided without cost as part of the development tool suite.

"NextMove has given us a platform for controlling our machine that is both economic and easy to apply," says Trevor Clarke, Singer Instruments' Technical Director. "The simplicity of development is very helpful for us, as RoToR has been the most sophisticated instrument that we have ever produced."

"The NextMove controller provides a very economic control platform for small machines such as these," adds Neil Moss of Baldor. "It provides all the control features required for the major motion axes - four in this case - plus the capability of handling several more axes for system expansion, and built-in I/O - keeping the bill-of-material costs very low. NextMove ESB-2 operates standalone, or in conjunction with a PC host, providing great versatility of application for the laboratory and small machines sector."

Motor stock in US & Europe catalogued!

Baldor has published a new edition of its renowned 501 catalogue, detailing all the electric motor products that are held in stock by the company in the USA - all of which are also available on quick turnaround in Europe. The list - and the catalogue - are exceptionally comprehensive. Running to more than 600 pages, the latest edition covers literally thousands of Baldor Reliance motors and virtually every application area for rotary motion.

The single- and three-phase motors that are stocked by Baldor span a very wide power range of 0.18 to 1,200 kW and cover an exceptionally broad spectrum of application types - including general purpose, premium efficiency, severe duty and explosion proof, washdown, DC, vector and brake - together with a large number of application-specific types such as pump, HVAC and farm duty.

Given Baldor's American heritage, it is hardly surprising that as well as motors with IEC frames, the catalogue details a vast number of motors with NEMA type frames. Many of the company's three-phase NEMA motors are already available - in both Europe and the USA - in versions that comply with the USA's Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), which became mandatory on December 19, 2010. This legislation enforces higher energy standards for virtually every three-phase motor with a power rating from 0.75 to 375 kW; Baldor is consequently making EISA-compliant motors available to all automation builders serving the North American market.

Direct-drive solution for cooling tower fans

Approach eliminates gearbox and delivers optimised variable fan speed control

Baldor has extended the range of its novel direct drive technology for controlling cooling tower fans to higher power ratings that can handle very large applications in power generating plants and heavy processing industries.

Air cooling towers are commonly
used as part of HVAC systems.

First introduced in 2009, Baldor's direct drive solution for cooling tower fans has delivered a radically more efficient solution to cooling tower fan applications. It eliminates the gearbox and right-angled coupling of conventional drive solutions to save energy, improve reliability, and run much quieter. The elimination of gearbox losses is aided by the use of a novel permanent magnet based motor that increases energy efficiency dramatically. This construction reduces the size of the motor substantially, allowing it to sit underneath the fan in the space currently required for the gearbox element of a conventional power transmission system.

The new technology is already changing the way that cooling tower fans for commercial buildings are constructed. The latest product additions now extend the power rating of the motors to delivers maximum torques of up to 13,500 Nm. In total there are now 26 choices of ratings available, spanning a drive power range from 7.5 kW at 500 RPM base speed to 187 kW at 130 RPM base speed, allowing optimum choices to be made for a very wide range of cooling applications from building HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) systems to the large sizes of cooling tower fans used in many heavy-duty processing plants and power generating stations.

Air cooling towers are commonly used as part of HVAC systems. In these systems, large fans pull air over a water soaked media to cool the water before it is returned to the chiller unit.

The most common technique for driving such fans has been a standard AC induction motor, connected to the fan via a drive shaft and disc coupling arrangement into a right angle gearbox - which reduces the motor's speed to the range required for fan circulation. Such arrangements are prone to a number of drawbacks: the gearbox runs at high speed and requires regular inspection and maintenance of the lubrication and seals; misalignments in the power transmission system can cause vibration, wear and noise; and the complex power transmission system introduces significant energy losses.

Baldor's unique new solution, the VS1 Cooling Tower Drive, provides a direct slow-speed drive for the fans combined with variable speed control that is optimised for the building cooling application. By eliminating the drive shaft and gearbox the solution minimises moving parts, greatly improving reliability and power efficiency - as well as reducing system bill-of-materials.

The unique interior permanent magnet synchronous motor design uses energy efficient technology that, in combination with the elimination of the gearbox and drive train transmission losses, results in a more efficient system compared to conventional fixed speed designs. Additional significant energy savings can be gained by being able to operate the fan at reduced speeds during non-peak load conditions. The direct drive also greatly reduces noise and eliminates the issue of cooling tower water becoming contaminated from leaky gearboxes.

The direct drive fan motor is controlled by a Baldor VS1 drive with a specially developed speed control algorithm. Variable speed control of fans can save an enormous amount of energy compared with older fixed speed solutions. Baldor's algorithm provides sensor-less control of the permanent magnet motor that is optimised to manage the large inertia of the fan, with a low starting current requirement.

The motor is a synchronous type from Baldor's RPM family, based on permanent magnets. Thanks to dramatic improvements in the magnetic and thermal properties of permanent magnet materials in recent years this technology now represents a viable alternative to conventional AC induction motors and delivers a significant energy efficiency advantages - even compared with the latest premium-efficiency types of motor. Laminated frame technology is used in the design, eliminating the conventional cast iron outer frame of large AC motors and allowing more room for active (torque producing) magnetic material. This produces a highly torque-dense motor, allowing Baldor to also offer the technology to the cooling tower retrofit market, for installation in the same space currently used for the gearbox. The motor will provide continuous constant torque over its entire range from zero up to base speed, and employs optimum pole construction to maximise both efficiency and power factor.

A high degree of protection is an important factor for this application, as the operating environment is extremely humid. An epoxy compound insulation applied via vacuum pressure impregnation - a technique derived from a system originally developed for Navy applications - is used for the stator windings. The drive end of the motor is also protected by a metallic, non-contacting, no-wearing, Inpro labyrinth shaft seal in combination with a slinger cover to prevent the ingress of moisture and contamination into the motor.

Before launch, Baldor's new product was trialled and compared with a conventional cooling tower fan drive system, at a university building with identical twin cooling towers housing 5.5 metre (18 feet) fans. One tower was left as originally constructed. The other was retrofitted with the new Baldor permanent magnet motor and variable speed drive. Independently verified power measurements showed a decrease in input power of approximately 13% for the direct drive arrangement when running at full load - yielding very significant electricity cost savings.

The drive system is now available in nominal power ratings from 7.5 to 187 kW (10 - 250 HP), 500 to 130 RPM base speed, to drive cooling fans from typically 2.1 to 8 metres (7 - 26 feet) in diameter.

The motor flange footprint is designed to interchange with gear reducers that are widely used in today's global cooling tower market. Adding a foot mounting adapter plate is a simple means of fitting the motor in other gearbox footprints.

Motor, drives and power transmission company acquired

ABB and Baldor Electric Company  have agreed that ABB will acquire Baldor in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $4.2 billion, including $1.1 billion of net debt.

 Under the terms of the definitive agreement, which has been unanimously approved by both companies’ Boards of Directors, ABB will commence a tender offer to purchase all of Baldor’s outstanding shares for $63.50 per share in cash. The transaction represents a 41 percent premium to Baldor’s closing stock price on Nov. 29, 2010. The Board of Directors of Baldor will recommend that Baldor shareholders tender their shares in the tender offer. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.

 The transaction closes a gap in ABB’s automation portfolio in North America by adding Baldor’s strong NEMA motors product line and positions the company as a market leader for industrial motors, including high-efficiency motors. Baldor also adds a growing and profitable mechanical power transmission business to ABB’s portfolio.

 The transaction will substantially improve ABB’s access to the industrial customer base in North America, opening opportunities for ABB’s wider portfolio including energy efficient drives and complementary motors. This move comes at a time when regulatory changes in the US and other parts of the world will accelerate demand for energy efficient industrial motion products. The acquisition will strengthen ABB’s position as a leading supplier of industrial motion solutions, and will also enable ABB to tap the huge potential in North America for rail and wind investments, both of which are expected to grow rapidly in coming years.

 “Baldor is a great company with an extremely strong brand in the world’s largest industrial market,” said Joe Hogan, ABB’s CEO. “Baldor’s product range and regional scope are highly complementary to ours and give both companies significant opportunities to deliver greater value to our customers.”

 John McFarland, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Baldor, commented: “Our Board of Directors believes this transaction is in the best interest of our shareholders, our employees and our customers. It demonstrates the value our employees have created and the strength of our brand and products in the global motors industry. We are excited about the opportunity to join ABB’s worldwide family as we have always respected ABB. We are very pleased that ABB will locate its motor and generator business headquarters for North America in Fort Smith and we are confident that the combined global platform will be well positioned to capitalize on meaningful growth opportunities in the future.” John McFarland will stay with the combined business to support a successful integration.

 “ABB is well known in the marketplace for premium, innovative and advanced products. We have respected them as both a market participant and a value-added supplier for many years,” said Ron Tucker, Baldor’s current President and COO, and CEO designate. Ron Tucker will run Baldor including the mechanical power transmission products business and ABB’s motor and generator business in North America after the transaction is completed.

 Baldor is based in Arkansas (US), and is a leading supplier in the large North American industrial motors industry. In addition, Baldor offers a broad range of mechanical power transmission products such as mounted bearings, enclosed gearing and couplings – used primarily in process industries – as well as drives and generators. The Baldor drives business will be combined with the larger ABB drives business to achieve even further penetration of this important product line.

 Baldor employs approximately 7,000 people and reported an operating profit of $184 million on revenue of $1.29 billion in first nine months of 2010. This represents an increase of 30% in operating profit and 11% in revenue over the comparable period in 2009.

 The US market for high-efficiency motors is expected to grow 10 to15 percent in 2011on the back of new regulations, effective in December this year. Similar regulations in Canada, Mexico and in the European Union are expected in 2011.

 “ABB and Baldor will be able to offer our North American and global customers an unparalleled range of high-efficiency industrial products and services to help them meet their new demands,” said Ulrich Spiesshofer, Executive Committee member responsible for ABB’s Discrete Automation and Motion division, into which Baldor’s business will be integrated alongside the existing Motors and Generators business. "We expect to achieve over $200 million in annual synergies by 2015, consisting of more than $100 million annual cost synergies and at least the same global revenue synergies. We estimate two-thirds of these synergies will be realized by 2013. We intend to build on Baldor’s excellent North American position to sell energy efficient drives, larger motors and generators. Together, we will accelerate the expansion of Baldor’s mechanical power transmission product portfolio into the global process automation market using ABB’s strong channels in this sector.”

 “We are deeply impressed by the skill and passion of the Baldor team and their excellent customer relationships,” Spiesshofer said. “The strength of Baldor’s people and executive team, which will continue under the new ownership, will play a key role in our mutual success.”

 Under the terms of the merger agreement, the transaction is structured as a cash tender offer to be followed as soon as possible by a merger. The tender offer is expected to commence in December and is subject to customary terms and conditions, including the tender of at least two-thirds (2/3) of Baldor's shares on a fully diluted basis, and regulatory clearance.

Smart drive upgrade

Baldor Motors & Drives has upgraded its range of smart drives with HMS. This range is now able to communicate with a PLC, it is much more open to communication standards and its communication interfaces are consistent throughout the entire range.

"We wanted to develop enhanced versions of our MotiFlex e100 three-phase drive ranges, able to communicate with any PLC and to comply more easily with industry Fieldbus systems. To do this, our strategy was to use a standardised solution rather than develop these interfaces in-house We decided to do this because time to market was critical and because it is not our core competence to do that. But, we found a higher added value than expected in the HMS solutions," explains David Greensmith, Product manager at Baldor Motors & Drives UK Ltd.

Baldor's e100 AC drives, suitable for use in standalone motion control systems or networked systems, are now compatible with the Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP and Powerlink industrial standards. Offering economic and space-saving solutions for many common single-axis automation requirements, the drives also feature an Ethernet interface compatible with the deterministic Ethernet-compatible motion control standard, Powerlink. The versatile drives may be used to control rotary and linear servo motors, linear motors, closed-loop vector motors, and in V/Hz control modes.

"This system is one of the very first of its kind: it integrates CANopen, it offers Real time Ethernet and it is highly adaptable to communication standards. Now, our new range provides system builders with a universal drive platform that can be used in many different ways to suit different customers and applications, from standalone motion control systems to networked systems hosted by PLCs or other devices. This solution simplifies automation for food, labelling, packaging, electronics, printing wood/metalworking and more," he added.

The embedded Mint Lite capability is now being fitted without charge on all of Baldor's MicroFlex e100 and MotiFlex e100s. It supports a range of basic motion programming requirements including performing relative and absolute moves, S-ramp profiles, jog and homing movements, changing target positions on the fly, registration moves, and reacting to real-time trigger events. The programming facility allows standalone drives to provide solutions for many common automation and machinery tasks such as cutting or feeding to length, indexing axes, simple pick and place motion, and machine adjustments such as changing guides or backstops to reconfigure machinery for new batches. This capability is especially useful in Fieldbus interfacing, creating adaptability for the user to choose to use a standard drive control interface or optimise the process data and behaviour for the application.

Flexible, consistent and open communication modules
"The HMS Anybus advantage is that it provides a unified interface. The consistency of their range of product is unique. Thus, our engineering costs are reduced. We have the same kind of product for all different fieldbuses," explains David Greensmith.
"We have studied the offers of 2 or 3 vendors, but in the end, the HMS solution was more consistent and more standardized. The HMS solutions were also very compact. It was a key issue for the smallest sizes of our drive range. Anybus-CC, the solution we have implemented, is also very simple to install."

Anybus CompactCom (Anybus-CC) module is intended for OEM. It provides instant connectivity to all leading fieldbus, industrial Ethernet protocols, serial, USB and wireless networks without the need for any hardware and software changes to your automation device. Automation devices with an integrated Anybus-CC slot can use any Anybus-CC module. One module for a given network can simply be exchanged with another dedicated Anybus-CC module and be instantly connected to that network without the need for hardware and software changes in the automation device. Anybus-CC enables savings of up to 70% on development costs compared with in-house development. Standardized hardware and software interface independent of the network.

Another key issue was to allow for much more flexible communication with PLCs. Thanks to HMS our drives could be controlled with a PLC, using industry standards. With HMS we can interface with all major fieldbuses. As well as their own local input/output (I/O) and Canopen expansion, our drives also have option-card slots, providing configurability for specific applications including using Anybus-CC.

"HMS is undoubtedly a partner for the future, because it offers flexibility to existing range and new generations of drives" concludes David Greensmith.

Nuclear motor brochure

Baldor has published a highly informative brochure detailing the extensive range of motors that it produces for nuclear applications. The product line is the largest available from a single source and encompasses over 250,000 ratings, types, styles and sizes, from 200 W to 11,000 kW. The brochure is a key information resource for anyone seeking to install or replace a motor in a nuclear power plant, or in a nuclear fuel reprocessing or radioactive waste management facility. Typical uses include driving fans, pumps, compressors and motorized valve actuators.

The brochure details all the motors that Baldor produces for use in Class 1E (safety related) Mild and Harsh Environments, as well as radiation-resistant motors for operation in non-Class 1E commercial or industrial environments. Every Baldor nuclear motor component – from the motor hardware to the rotor and stator – fully complies with the appropriate IEEE and NUREG standards governing nuclear power plants.

Baldor Class 1E nuclear motors are available in a wide range of NEMA and IEC frame sizes, and are designed, manufactured and tested under a nuclear quality assurance program in compliance with the NRC (United States’ Nuclear Regulatory Commission) 10CFR50 Appendix B standard. Class 1E motors for use in a harsh environment are qualified for a total radiation dosage of 2 x 106 Gy over a 40-year life; those intended for use in a mild environment are qualified for a total radiation dose of 1 x 102 Gy over the same period.

Drives with Ethernet

Ultra-versatile servo drives are compatible with multiple Ethernet standards
Baldor has announced even greater flexibility for one of the most versatile servomotor drive ranges in the world. The e100 drive family has been re-engineered to become compatible with no less than three industrial Ethernet standards - EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP and Powerlink - as well as standard TCP/IP networks and their own highly popular Mint system building environment. The drives offer system builders a choice of servomotor, closed-loop vector or V/Hz motor control modes, combined with an array of features and configuration options that provide exceptional versatility of use.

The new drives are versions of Baldor's e100 single- and three-phase drives. Up to now, these drives have been compatible with the real-time Powerlink Ethernet standard, TCP/IP and Baldor's Mint system building environment. With this release, the company upgrades the capability of the drives to additionally be configured for EtherNet/IP or Modbus TCP networks. These two communications protocols greatly extend the applications potential of the drives in PLC-controlled applications.

Baldor's MicroFlex e100 and MotiFlex drives have earned a reputation for being extremely easy to configure and use - through features such as wizard application software which removes the traditional complexity of drive set up.

The drives also offer many novel hardware capabilities that PLC users can benefit from. The three-phase drives are energy efficient, offering a DC bus system that can share regenerated power with other axes. As well as their own local I/O and CANopen expansion, many drives also have option card slots, providing a high degree of configurability for specific applications including almost all fieldbuses. Other features include universal encoder feedback input, and programmable notch filters to eliminate mechanical resonance effects, as well as the ability to be used with servomotors, closed loop vector motors or in V/Hz motor speed control modes.

"Our new drives support multiple standards - out-of-the-box - at no extra cost and without any need for plug-in cards," says Baldor's product manager David Greensmith. "They provide system builders with a universal drive platform that can be used in many different ways to suit different customers and applications - from standalone motion control systems to networked systems hosted by PLCs or other devices."

In addition to the new drive functionality, Baldor now supports all of the Ethernet networks on its NextMove e100 motion system and machine controller. This combines network control capability with control facilities for up to seven analogue or stepper drives, and may be used standalone or in conjunction with PLC or PC hosts.

Motors, drives, power transmission and controls catalogue

Baldor has released a major new catalogue overviewing the extensive range of industrial motors, drives, power transmission and motion control products it stocks in Europe. The 120-page guide is a valuable resource for automation builders and maintainers alike. It details hundreds of the most commonly required DC and AC motors, drives, gearmotors, Baldor-Dodge gearboxes - supported by a European assembly centre - and Baldor-Dodge bearings. The catalogue also details the company's comprehensive range of servomotors, drives and controllers for precision motion control applications.

The motor selection is very broad, and includes Baldor's renowned energy-efficient motors, available in both IEC frame and NEMA frame variants for companies who build for international markets or maintain equipment manufactured overseas. Also included are details of special-purpose motors for severe-, hazardous and washdown-duty operating environments, as well as inverter-duty and commercial-duty motors.

The catalogue concludes with useful reference material including quick reference sections on IEC and NEMA frame sizes, and imperial/metric conversions.

Drives provide flexibility to advanced motion control

Simplifies automation for food, chemical, pharmaceutical, electronics, printing, wood/metalworking and other manufacturing sectors

Baldor Electric has just launched a new generation of smart drives. Offering economic and space-saving solutions for many common single-axis automation requirements, the drives also feature an Ethernet interface compatible with the deterministic Ethernet-compatible motion control standard, Powerlink.

The new programming capability - Mint Lite - is now being fitted without charge on all of Baldor's MicroFlex e100 and MotiFlex e100 single- and three-phase drive ranges. These drives are available in a broad choice of power ratings up to 33.5 A - with higher ratings coming soon. The versatile drives may be used to control rotary and linear servo motors, linear motors, closed-loop vector motors, and in V/Hz control modes.

The embedded Mint Lite capability supports a range of basic motion programming requirements including performing relative and absolute moves, S-ramp profiles, jog and homing movements, changing target positions on the fly, registration moves, and reacting to real-time trigger events. The programming facility allows standalone drives to provide solutions for many common automation and machinery tasks such as cutting or feeding to length, indexing axes, simple pick and place motion, and machine adjustments such as changing guides or backstops to reconfigure machinery for new batches. Such capabilities are widely required in a large number of manufacturing and processing sectors including food and beverage, packaging, pharmaceutical, electrical and electronics equipment, printing, and wood/metalworking.

More flexible PLC interfacing is another notable application for the new drives. Every drive manufacturer offers a defined process data exchange interface with PLCs, or a ‘drive profile’ utility. The ability to program Baldor's drives means that the standard drive profile may be adapted, perhaps to simplify the communications process or perhaps to optimise drive behaviour for a specific application. The drives' TCP/IP-compatible Ethernet interface also makes it simple to link into Ethernet factory networks for changing product recipes, reporting production metrics, etc.

All of Baldor's MicroFlex e100 and MotiFlex e100 drives come with built-in I/O as standard - including fast latch inputs for registration applications - plus CANopen manager capability to support distributed I/O expansion and HMI interfacing. MotiFlex e100 drives offer card slots for further local I/O expansion and fieldbus connectivity. The fieldbus modules extend connectivity options to external PLCs, supporting interfaces such as Ethernet/IP, Profinet-IO, Profibus and DeviceNet. This configuration versatility allows drives to be configured very cost effectively to provide single-box solutions for automation applications.

If used in a Powerlink system, the local intelligence adds versatile new system building capabilities. Critical events can be acted on directly, eliminating the impact of network and controller scan time latencies; the faster response of critical axes can be translated directly into higher throughput. Another fundamental difference a smart drive can make is by using the local intelligence to offload a centralised Powerlink network controller. For machine builders configuring systems with large numbers of motion axes, this can save hundreds of dollars as Baldor fits Mint Lite programming capability as standard.

Development and configuration tools for the drives are included in Baldor's development environment, Mint WorkBench, which is provided without charge to users.

The new smart drives complement Baldor's existing Powerlink network control possibilities: a traditional central controller available for varying numbers of motion axes - NextMove e100 - and a plug-in controller for drives called Mint Machine Module that can control either two or five axes. The plug-in control card provides access to the full capabilities of the rich Mint language, and is capable of being programmed to perform very sophisticated motion functions such as gearing and cams.

Here is more information on Baldor's Servo-Drive Solutions Overview

Innovative motorised torque arm improves reliability and compactness in speed reduction applications

A brand new motorised version of the Dodge torque-arm shaft-mounted speed reducer from Baldor Electric Company will make its European debut at Hillhead 2010. (22/24 June 2010 GB) The product provides a breakthrough in compact and robust speed reduction, and complements Dodge's renowned belt-driven speed reducers.

The Dodge Motorized Torque-Arm II shaft mounted speed reducer is a right-angle gearbox with an IEC flanged motor interface, specified for use with two-pole or four-pole motors. A choice of 12 helical gear reduction ratios and three case sizes allows the unit to deliver a wide range of speed reductions from 18:1 to 75:1 for class 2 applications from 1.5 to 55 kW, with very high efficiencies up to around 95%.

The new Motorized Torque-Arm II (MTA) has been optimised for robustness, offering considerable advantages over comparable gearboxes designed in accordance with European design practices. The reducer is rated to meet the 6010 AGMA (American Gear Manufacturers Association) standard. This specifies a 5000 hour bearing life, approximately twice as long as comparable DIN design specifications.

Numerous other reliability-enhancing features include the use of heavy-duty tapered roller bearings instead of ball bearings, and a novel input pinion shaft with straddle-mounted bearings on both the motor and gearing sides. This latter construction combats any overhang stress resulting from a poorly mounted motor, and additionally allows the gearbox to be offered in a sealed form that protects the gears against any contaminants during any installation or maintenance operations at the motor input.

Premium HNBR (hydrogenated butadene nitrile rubber) seals are fitted as standard for extra protection, and the MTA is designed to be used with Dodge twin tapered bushings - a patented design that provides a sturdy, concentric grip of the driven shaft on both sides of the reducer. This eliminates the wobble and fretting corrosion normally associated with single-bushed shaft mounted reducers.

"This is the first AGMA rated right-angle motorised torque arm reducer on the market we believe, and it provides an interesting alternative to conventional gearboxes wherever space is at a premium, and robustness is critical," says Charles Gubser of Baldor Electric Company. "We expect it to be of considerable interest to OEMs in machinery sectors including conveyors, and mixing and milling equipment dealing with harsh materials and in heavy-duty bulk handling applications."

Advanced crane simulation

A three-axis motion platform based on Baldor’s Ethernet-compatible drives is helping to further increase the realism of crane training experience by physically moving a simulator system’s replica operator cabin in synchronism with computer-generated images.

A view inside the simulator's control cabinet, showing the three Baldor MicroFlex e100 servo drives.

The specialist machine manufacturer Electropneumatics & Hydraulics developed the motion platform for the leading training solutions and services supplier Applied Research International (ARI).

Based in New Delhi (IND), ARI produces a comprehensive range of simulators for marine and allied applications. Its products include a wide variety of offshore, quay-side and gantry crane simulators to provide safe, cost-effective operational training for container movement and bulk handling operations. Their simulators emulate the visual, behavioural and operational characteristics of their real-world counterparts to create a fully immersive environment in which the trainee can gain true hands-on experience. A typical crane simulator comprises a modular PC-based control system, a replica operator cabin and seat, a high fidelity audio-visual system, and an instructor station equipped with CCTV for monitoring the actions of the trainee.

When they decided to add an optional motion platform to its line of crane simulators, it approached Electropneumatics & Hydraulics for assistance. This company – whose headquarters and manufacturing facility at Chakan, near Pune (IND) – was founded in 1972, and has acquired an enviable reputation for its electromechanical machine design and manufacturing capabilities. They specialise in the production of metalforming equipment, such as hydraulic presses and tube bending machines, and also designs and builds special-purpose machinery including different levels of automation with total indigenous content and capability.

Electropneumatics & Hydraulics chose to base the motion platform for the crane simulator on Baldor's Powerlink- and Ethernet-compatible drives and servomotors. According to the company’s Technical Director, Ashley Rasquinha, “Baldor’s MicroFlex e100 AC servo drives are very cost-effective for this type of application, because they can be controlled via TCP/IP direct from the simulator’s host PC, without the need for additional hardware.”

The three-axis motion platform provides X, Y and Z movement of the replica operator cabin, synchronised to the computer-generated images being presented to the trainee. Since it is designed to emulate the movement of a real-life gantry crane very accurately, the platform’s drive axes are only required to handle relatively simple motion control tasks such as point-to-point moves and homing sequences, and do not require interpolation. As a consequence, the MicroFlex e100 servo drives can be used in their basic Ethernet mode, without any additional complexity of real-time control.

Each axis is driven by a Baldor BSM 3-phase servomotor equipped with an incremental encoder for position and velocity feedback, controlled by a dedicated MicroFlex e100 servo drive. All three drives are housed in a separate floor-standing control cabinet, and are connected via a D-Link 10/100 Mbps Ethernet switch to the simulator’s host PC.

Ashley Rasquinha also points out that Baldor’s ActiveX development tools for its Mint motion control language helped to minimise programming effort. “The tools hide the complexity of Ethernet messages and provide a simple interface to all the Mint programming commands and functions; in conjunction with the excellent libraries of routines that Baldor provides, these made it very easy for us to create and validate all the motion control sequences. During the development of the motion platform, we also received excellent support from Baldor Electric India, which happens to be based near our manufacturing facility.”

ARI’s crane simulators are proving to be extremely popular with maritime organisations worldwide, and Electropneumatics & Hydraulics has already delivered 15 motion platforms to the company, for real customers wishing to embrace the virtual world.