AB Compact Logix and Parker Motion

Hi all. We are beginning on a new machine, and I will have a Trilogy linear motor between 2-3 meters long (we are JUST starting, LOL.) The primary machine controller and HMI I would like to be a CompactLogix PLC and PanelView+ of some kind.

Parker was in today, and although they'd like to sell me a controller too I would rather not run this machine on an ACR or a 6K with Interact Express. Our sales rep reluctantly allowed as to how an Aries controller/drive or a Compax3 controller/drive would work with a PLC. No details on that yet however.

I've been looking a bit at the Parker website. They claim that an Aries controller/drive combination unit comes with Ethernet/IP built in, and will communicate that way with an AB PLC with no problem. Anybody ever tried this? If so, how big of a no problem was it? The idea here of course is to run the motion out of the motion program written in the controller/drive, with the added ability to command it and communicate with it over Ethernet/IP rather than just 8 discrete IO lines.

Similarly, the Compax3 has a range of capabilities and might be used as a motion controller talking to the CompactLogix. I am a little less enamored of that one as I have not tried CoDeSys yet and I'm not thinking that this is the time. Also, it's not clear that a Compax3 talks Ethernet/IP to a PLC all that well if at all.

So, if anybody has ever integrated an Aries or Compax3 drive into a CompactLogix system please post up a bit about it. Thanks!

Rule out the Compax3 unless you want to do ASCII commands. Too bad, because it is an excellent drive. The Germans don't think there is a need for Ethernet/IP since they don't need it. You can get a positioning version(over comms) and not have to worry about CoDeSys. I have a customer that has used the Aries with a A-B controller(I think Compactlogix) and Trilogy motors. It works fine. Just keep in mind that the Aries is a light industrial drive, and not very robust. Be sure to mount the back against a fully bare metal panel.

Highland Controls said:

Rule out the Compax3 unless you want to do ASCII commands. Too bad, because it is an excellent drive. The Germans don't think there is a need for Ethernet/IP since they don't need it. You can get a positioning version(over comms) and not have to worry about CoDeSys. I have a customer that has used the Aries with a A-B controller(I think Compactlogix) and Trilogy motors. It works fine. Just keep in mind that the Aries is a light industrial drive, and not very robust. Be sure to mount the back against a fully bare metal panel.

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Hey, thanks very much! Yeah, we have several Compax3's around here. Most of them are run through 6K* controllers and they have been very good. One pair I have running from an ACR and that is a little weak since the Compax3/ACR link is not very sophisticated. And, Parker keeps correcting problems in the ACR firmware, LOL. I use C3ServoManager about once a year, or less, so I just work my way through it whenever I need to mess with the drives.

Positioning alone won't work for this app; I need velocity control for the working cycle. I have two Aries machines in the plant and they have been ok. The only quibble I have with Aries is that they are for small motors only, at least the ones that I've been using with the ACR 9040 and EPL. We also use the PIO CANBus on those machines, and although it all works well enough as I said for this machine I don't really want to use an ACR as the machine controller.

I am waiting for a quote from my vendor and I am hoping that we can in fact use an Aries drive/controller (ACRView) over Ethernet/IP to, yes, a CompactLogix. I would like to have the additional drive info that (supposedly!) I can get over the Ethernet/IP link, and at 100M not 10M. We could, I suppose, use the Compax3 with a 6K2 but we are trying to get away from that.

I have done several EPL jobs, and I don't want to do anymore. I have had problems with everyone(mostly runaways during homing). Yes, you can get a lot of info from the Aries over EPL, but almost nothing from the Compax3. For the most part I like the ACR 9000. If you want to use Compax3 analog drives with an ACR 9000, you can get a serial cable that allows you to communicate to the Compax3. You have to write your own code to send and receive messages from the ACR, but it works well. I have used it to read alarm codes and absolute position. The 6K is a "mature" controller, and I don't know how much longer it will be around.