Drives cut the cost of automation technology

Machinery manufacturers demand products and systems from drive and automation suppliers with which they can improve the productivity, reliability and accuracy of their machinery.

Machinery manufacturers demand products and systems from drive and automation suppliers with which they can improve the productivity, reliability and accuracy of their machinery.

For many of these machinery and plant constructors, their survival in the face of serious competition depends on a reduction in the costs of drive and automation technology.

In recent years it has become increasingly clear that there is considerable potential to reduce costs of the engineering, control cabinet construction and the system architecture.

New possibilities to achieve these goals are now available from Lenze with the new 9400 servo system within the L-force concept.

With L-force, Lenze developed a drive and automation system combined with a comprehensive scope of service available on a worldwide scale.

It represents a complete system solution.

In terms of products, the integrated L-force concept embraces motors, geared motors, servo drives and field devices such as I/O and remote maintenance modules.

Software is an important part of L-force for logic and motion control, with drive-based and PC based solutions.

Here Lenze has made a big step forward in usability, with customer friendly programs for parameter setting, commissioning and diagnosis and pre-figured technology functions that reduce programming time.

Completing the L-force package are solutions and services covering paperwork and electronic information systems, a variety of fieldbus communication options, safety technology and field service.

Lenze presents the 9400 servo system as the leading product in the L-force family.

The drive range is a universal concept for use with single and multi-axis applications and with a large range of operational voltages.

This results in drives that are ready to work with applications worldwide.

Scalability is a fundamental characteristic of the 9400 servo.

This means that services, functions, software and communications can be combined in a precise format required by the customer.

The 9400 StateLine models are tailored to PC based architectures where the logic and motion control functions are handled by a central PC.

The 9400 TopLine models are designed for a drive based automation architecture.

Built-in to these models are functions such as computing capacity, program storage and a real time clock that can completely take over control of machine modules with the help of IEC61131-3 programmability.

One area where the 9400 stands apart from other drives is the unique backplane installation concept.

The backplane handles all the high voltage connections and is separate from the drive.

Installers will mount the backplane into the control panel, connecting the power supply, the DC bus if required and connections to the motor.

Setup is made even easier by having an integrated RFI filter and optional plug-in braking module.

Once all the high voltage connections are made, the drive itself can be manually plugged onto the backplane and locked into position, a process that takes only seconds.

The backplane concept leads to further time saving advantages for maintenance, and the assurance of less down time should there be a failure.

Drive based safety is a concept built in to the 9400 system that truly offers machine builders design simplifications and cost savings.

The drive is the critical point for considerations of machine safety, as only the drive can cause unwanted powered rotation of the motors.

Ever increasing safety requirements have led to an array of sensors and isolators external to the drive.

Now the 9400 servo offers plug-in modules, which allow the higher standards of safety to be met without external controls.

This concept will place machinery and plant constructors in a position where they are able to dispense with external evaluation and isolation devices, because the sensors can interact directly with the integrated safety functions in the drive.

Increased safety from extremely short disconnect and fault reaction times are a direct result of this.

The scope of functions ranges from standstill functions such as safe stop and safe standstill, through motion monitoring including safe speed reduction and safe push button control, to safe inputs and outputs.

Safety bus systems such as Profisafe can be used.

Increased communication ability and greater flexibility are a feature of the 9400 servo system.

In addition to the recognised CANopen system bus, a Lenze standard, the 9400 TopLine models can also accept two additional communication modules.

All the relevant bus systems currently on the market are supported.

The user has a total of four serial, simultaneously functioning interfaces in addition to the standard onboard diagnostics interface.

The new drive becomes a true talent in terms of communication.

A particular feature of the system worth mentioning is the Ethernet in the drive.

The Ethernet Powerlink module (along with a standard Ethernet module for non-real-time applications) provides an ideal product or motion control applications with their real time requirement.

The open Ethernet Powerlink protocol V2.0 came into being through the independent association EPSG (Ethernet Powerlink Standardisation Group).

The EPSG is an open group in which leading manufacturers of automation systems, users and research institutes work together to define the future of real time Ethernet.

Ethernet Powerlink is a communications protocol for the expansion of the standard IEEE802.3 (fast Ethernet) for automation tasks, which have a requirement for hard real time.

Due to a concept of clean expansion, standard Ethernet controllers, infrastructure components and network analysers can be used.

The new Lenze 9400 servo system is available initially in a power range from 0.37 to 11kW but will shortly extend up to 400kW.

Highly dynamic synchronous servomotors or asynchronous models with a wide speed range are also available from the Lenze factories to match the drives.

The new servo system offers unique features such as plug in modules and the backplane installation which increase the productivity of the machine builder.

Drive based safety offers further savings in external controls whilst achieving higher performance.

The L-force concept adds usability with communications, services and advanced run time software.

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