New inverter drive with built-in positioning

New inverter drive with built-in positioning

Achieving positioning in motor drive systems used to require a separate motion controller.   More recently servo drives have offered integrated positioning saving on purchase cost, installation time and panel space.  Now Lenze have brought to the market an inverter which has an integrated positioner as standard.  Whilst there are still some applications that need the precision and speed of servo technology, the majority of positioning demands can be achieved with a powerful inverter in combination with an asynchronous motor.  Therefore this new development offers machine builders a step reduction in cost from servo to inverter technology. 

The new 8400 HighLine frequency inverters, part of the Lenze L-force portfolio, feature point-to-point positioning as standard for up to 16 position destinations.  8400 HighLine offers all the cost savings expected from combining two drive elements – the motion controller and the frequency inverter – into one.  Purchase cost is reduced.  The machine is faster to build with less cabling and a smaller panel size.  Performance pushes into the area previously though of as servo with positioning accuracies possible of 0.1 to 0.2mm at 60 operations (120 movements) per second.  HighLine offers advanced features such as linear and S-shaped travel profiles, a touch probe function, homing selectable from 14 modes, and teaching of positions.

Both open and closed loop positioning are possible but a two track encoder is needed for the highest level of precision.  The signal is evaluated in the inverter at up to 100kHz and, with an ideal mechanical configuration can lead to an accuracy of 0.1mm.  This is aided by a selectable servo control mode, effectively giving enhanced closed loop vector operation.

Setting up the inverter drive in a positioning system is easy.  Lenze L-force engineer software accepts normal physical values, for example “millimetres”, and is intuitive.  There are many types of machinery needing positioning without the high performance and expense of servo drives.  Examples are cut to length machinery, goods hoists, positioning conveyors, turntables, gates and dosing pumps.  Where linear speeds are high, Lenze recommend toothed belts which offer advantages of low backlash and low inertia.  Where machines need a higher stiffness, typically where short travel paths and higher levels of accuracy are needed, ball screws are recommended.

A range of 8400 HighLine inverters is available for powers 0.25 to 15kW and will soon be extended to higher powers.  As well as the positioning functionality there are many other features such as the ability to deliver 200% rated torque, an integrated brake chopper, switching logic for spring applied brakes, and a plug-in memory module.  CANopen communications are standard and optional plug-in module for other fieldbuses such as PROFIBUS can be added.  These inverters can be supplied with a Safe Torque Off (STO) module that complies with IEC61508, SIL3.

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