CABINET-FREE DRIVE TECHNOLOGY IS A MODERN REALITY
CABINET-FREE DRIVE TECHNOLOGY IS A MODERN REALITY
By Bosch Rexroth
Plant space is valuable. To keep up with the competition, end-users need more compact machines in order to optimize their production capacities within their existing space. In addition, separate control cabinets can be bulky and take up useful space. For this reason, manufacturers are dedicating time and resources to make cabinet-free technology a reality with cabinet-free drive technology. This technology includes decentralized supply and mains modules, allowing machine manufacturers to integrate all drive components directly into the machine without the need for a control cabinet. Cabinet-free drive technology is designed with a cabinet-free supply and mains modules to protect against dust and water stream protection for robust use directly in the machine.
The mains module includes a mains filter, mains regulator and the mains protection in one device. The energy recovering power supply, control electronics, brake resistor and brake transistors are located in the supply module. The machines and modules are connected to the power supply directly without deviation via the cabinet. This reduces machine assembly wiring by 90 percent.
With the decentralized modules, machine manufacturers can also connect up to 30 cabinet-free drive units in series in a cable harness. This capability means significantly more drives can be switched in series, depending on power consumption, cable length and selected options. In adjacent near-motor drives, a newly developed hybrid plug further reduces assembly work. These protected connector pieces, used for communication and power supply, are simply plugged into an adjacent cabinet-free drive unit by assembly technicians.
Flexible Control Connectivity
Some cabinet-free drive technology offers the following multi-Ethernet protocols: Sercos, PROFINET IO, EtherNet / IP, EtherCAT, and POWERLINK allowing the user to connect to essentially any control. the space-saving technology supports all of the common Ethernet-based protocols, such as ProfiNet, EtherNet / IP and EtherCAT, and Sercos the automation bus all on one piece of hardware The hardware remains identical and selection occurs purely via software.
To achieve consistent modularization, machine manufacturers can increasingly re-allocate control functions to the individual machine modules. With a drive-integrated control unit, drive functions, motion control and motion logic merge into a single, open automation platform. Using a drive-based control allows coordination between up to nine cabinet-free drive units as slaves in real time.
Energy-Saving Technology
Cabinet-free power supply is a regenerative power supply, which means it returns excess energy to the power grid therefore reducing energy consumption. Additionally, some cabinet-free drive technology has smart energy-saving modes, which prevents peak loads and greatly reduces average energy consumption. The result of this feature is increased grid compatibility, and the same machine performance with smaller components to reduce cost.
For more information about IndraDrive Mi cabinet-free technology, order the free Advancing Factory Automation Resource Kit at:
www. boschrexroth-us. com / factoryautokit
Modular Design
Cabinet-free drive technology extends the possibilities of modularized machine concepts. Machine manufacturers can pre-assemble modules and then connect them to one another at the cabinet without any further work. In addition,
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