Motors & Drives Information

Baldor has launched a new version of its Mint system development environment to support the evolving needs of machinery and automation OEMs. Already one of the most popular motion control programming tools worldwide, the latest Mint-mt version incorporates new multi-tasking capability, a virtual machine environment, and high level commands for common applications to speed time to market. Multi-tasking addresses the general pressure to reduce time to market, and manage escalating equipment complexity in the form of demand for more features such as graphical user interfaces, fieldbus and factory networking, and sophisticated safety mechanisms.

The multi-tasking kernel embedded in Mint-mt allows developers to split control software into modules, reducing complexity and allowing several programmers to work on the system simultaneously if required.

It also offers a means to reduce equipment costs in some applications by allowing one Mint controller to manage multiple stations for example.

The multi-tasking kernel is pre-emptive in operation, with a priority scheme to ensure that key tasks are performed deterministically.

Advanced software principles have been employed in Mint-mt to give OEMs further advantages.

A key introduction is the rewriting of the language in the form of a virtual machine environment.