Servo type drive

Hi, Does anyone know of a drive (VFD) (approx 4 kw) that has the ability to take an encoder input and do basic motion commands, ie move an item to a position on 1 axis using a standard motor.
SEW Eurodrive make one, the Movidrive where you can pass parameters to the drive via a field bus then the drive takes over and accels and decels to the required position.
Regards Alan Case

Then Siemens Masterdrive MC will do this with the appropriate technology modules enabled.

The Control Techniques Unidrive will do this with the coprocessor module installed and some additional programming.

The Indramat Indradrive will do this withthe appropriate ooption card installed.

I ahve never used the Movidrive so I don't know how any of these compare.

Keith

Alan

Omron's V7 range (old 3G3MV) will take a pulse input, and you can slot a plc option board in (a CPM) which controls the inverter. The F7 range will take an encoder card too, aswell as the plc board.

Pp

paraffin power said:

Alan

Omron's V7 range (old 3G3MV) will take a pulse input, and you can slot a plc option board in (a CPM) which controls the inverter. The F7 range will take an encoder card too, aswell as the plc board.

Pp

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Omron's V7 or 3G3MV, is also known as the Yaskawa GPD 315/V7 today.

The F7 has greater programming capabilities and more I/O options too.

Leadfoot said:

Omron's V7 or 3G3MV, is also known as the Yaskawa GPD 315/V7 today.

The F7 has greater programming capabilities and more I/O options too.

Click to expand...

The Magnetek drives?? At one time I used those things everywhere....lot of features at a good price, then Yaskawa bought them and the price went WAY UP.

I think you want the drive to act standalone with out a plc etc and perform a routine...this correct?

I guess it depends on the drive but most have some I/O capability and PID so can do some standalone operations without a plc/contorller.

Just had an Emerson rep stop by the other day and they have a VFD that can turn into a servo controller by plugging in a module. Looks pretty interesting. Go to this site and look for "Unidrive SP".

http://www.controltechniques.com/

(I hate web sites that don't give you direct links.)

If you have RSL5K, then you can consider DriveLogix. It is PF700S with integrated CompactLogix. All CLX motion instructions included. As I remember the bottom-range drives costed as much as same rating PF700S without PLC.

you can add SEW drives to the list...

I was going to mentino the Unidrive but dougrb beat me to it.

Ron. I need to pass a position to the drive via a field bus connection from a PLC. ie tell the drive to move the load to position X.
The drive will calc its motion profile (1 axis) then using the connected encoder move the load to the position. When positioned the drive will report back to the PLC via field bus.
To any one in the timber industry, this is for a stick/slat placer in an automated timber stacker.
I have just finished commisioning a prototype (in full use in a pine mill) 2 module automatic stacking system with automatic stick placing.
If you can imagine a drop sorter, but instead of dropping into a bin the timber is stacked as it arrives at the bin, sticks inserted at the rows required, then when the stack is complete, it is automatically moved out to the strapping system.
There is always a better way to do things, so I am looking at farming the stick placer move calcs and control into the drive and out of the PLC.
Regards Alan Case

rsdoran said:

The Magnetek drives?? At one time I used those things everywhere....lot of features at a good price, then Yaskawa bought them and the price went WAY UP.

I think you want the drive to act standalone with out a plc etc and perform a routine...this correct?

I guess it depends on the drive but most have some I/O capability and PID so can do some standalone operations without a plc/contorller.

Click to expand...

Yeah Magnetek drives, EMS crane drives and OMRON IDM drives. Yaskawa bought back all Brand Labels. Supprising that your prices went up, most are slightly lower for the *7 versions versus the *5 versions.

I have a similar application to you that I am developing right now with a SEW movidrive B (MDX61B), so here's a bit of information you may find useful if you go that way.

My company has used these drives in indexing applications before, where they performed very well indeed. I believe you preset 16 motion profiles for the drive to follow, and you just send a drive profile index number to the drive via fieldbus (Profibus in our case, although the B supports a range of different fieldbus cards).

However, you can see for yourself what the software can do by downloading the free programming software Movitools 4.2 from www.sew-eurodrive.com and having a look at the capabilities of "flat table indexing" application (you may have to spend $100 on a USB programming cable to use it). I have not yet programmed a B, but the movitrac 07 drives are a pleasure to program compared to (for example) a Rockwell Powerflex.

The best guy to talk to is Jason Norris in Australia - really knows his stuff inside out. In the past SEW have visited my office to demostrate the capabilities of their drives to our engineers, so maybe you could arrange something as well. I've found the support from SEW is very good even when you are O/S.

Total cost in AUD is about 900 for the 1.5kW drive and 220 each for a profibus card and a resolver/encoder card, plus another 100 if you want a front panel programming unit.

One more interesting thing - Movidrive B's have a category three rated safety relay input. In other words, you can make the drive perform a controlled ramp stop (category 1 stop) when the safety circuit pops out. This means you don't have to cut power to the drive, which in turn means you don't have to perform a home routine after the safety circuit kicks back in. Very useful in simplifying your sequence logic.

Alan, I believe that Lenze (German) makes a VFD with a positioning front end. ABB does too but it is not marketed in the US. If you've got connections in Europe, ask for info on their ACP models.

Ron. I need to pass a position to the drive via a field bus connection from a PLC. ie tell the drive to move the load to position X.
The drive will calc its motion profile (1 axis) then using the connected encoder move the load to the position. When positioned the drive will report back to the PLC via field bus.

Click to expand...

I did something similar using Toshiba G7 drives with DeviceNet on a bar straightener system. The operator used the interface to state what size bar was going through the system. The PLC used DNET to communicate to the drive, the drive didnt have an encoder but it did have a linear potentiometer which worked basically the same as an absolute encoder...even after a power down etc the drive knew its present position so all I had to do was tell it what position I needed. In my case the drive only had a few inches of travel to deal with so it did not have to do much.

Using fieldbus like DNET you can connect the encoder directly to the drive and obtain the data in the PLC and have it do the speed and positioning if you want to use a cheaper drive and need to use a PLC anyway. Fieldbus communication options can allow you to pretty much ANY data that the drive has plus full operational control of the drive.

Since you are using fieldbus system I would look at the drive you are most familiar with then check on the fieldbus options and capabilities for it. Worse case scenario would be use a micro-plc beside the drive as a controller and message between that PLC and main PLC. Depending on the application this could be the easiest and least expensive method.

Thanks Ron. That was an option I never thought of.
Alan