Servos stretch to heavy-duty tasks

A new range of giant servomotors and amplifiers offer torques up to 3000Nm, making them suitable for new application areas in addition to their use as servomotors for machine tools.

A new range of giant servomotors and amplifiers offer torques up to 3000Nm, making them suitable for new application areas in addition to their use as servomotors for machine tools.

The largest motors and amplifiers are ideal, for example, for kilotonne injection moulding machines and for electric presses up to 50MN.

The motors offer easy high-speed connection to a GE Fanuc CNC, or to an MTB's existing controller.

This provides precise control, reduced running costs and repeatable operations.

The GE Fanuc Alpha Series of AC servomotors uses the latest developments in rare-earth magnets and ceramic bearings, and extends to models with maximum torques of 1050, 1900, 3800 and 5500Nm.

The top-of-the-range Alpha 3000HVis is the world's largest synchronous servomotor with a maximum power output of 450kW.

All models offer a maximum continuous speed of 2000rev/min.

For electric injection moulding applications, machines over 5MN can benefit from these latest high-end motors.

Compared with a conventional hydraulic toggle driven machine, the use of electric servomotors offers reduced duty cycles and lower build costs.

With a GE Fanuc CNC, several motors can be precisely synchronised to carry out injection, screw/extrusion, clamp and ejection, as well as other processes such as mixing.

Use of an electric motor also significantly reduces electrical running costs, as well as reducing particulate density and sound levels in the local environment.

Electric presses from 1 to 50MN and more will benefit significantly from the installation of the new GE Fanuc high torque motors and servo amplifiers under CNC control.

Greater accuracy and repeatability are key advantages to be gained.

Hydraulic presses will also benefit greatly by replacing the hydraulic systems with electric motors.

Forces can be applied by ball-screw or link-type mechanisms.

In addition to the accuracy gained by having the press under CNC control, users experience a cleaner working environment.

To achieve higher forces the user could work with two or four motors in tandem or synchronous mode.

Power to the motors is supplied via one, two or four high-efficiency GE Fanuc SVM1-360HVi servo amplifiers, depending on the motor size, with a single wire signal connection between the amplifiers.

The amplifiers are linked via a single high-speed optical cable to either a GE Fanuc CNC, or to a GE Fanuc digital servo adapter if they are used with an MTB's controller.

There are two types of compact digital servo adapter (DSA) available, both of which will control up to eight axes.

A GE Fanuc ISA or PCIbus interface board can be simply installed in the MTB's controller and connected to the DSA via a single high speed optical cable.

Alternatively, a pulse-input type DSA accepts position commands for motion control if a PLC is used as the controller.

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