Motors & Drives Information

Baldor has upgraded its intelligent servo motor drive for industrial positioning applications, Flex+Drive II. Now featuring an integrated motion controller compatible with the Mint language, the 'one-box' control solution has the real-time performance to execute much more complex movements like software gearing, sequenced moves and on-the-fly adjustments - as well as PLC-style machine control functions. Among the upgraded features of Flex+Drive II's motion control electronics are expansion interfaces which accept low-cost modular plugins to configure it for users' preferred fieldbus communications and position feedback technology.

This effectively provides machinery OEMs with a customised automation solution at an off-the-shelf price.

At the heart of the single-axis brushless servo drive is a new fast DSP-based controller providing users with a high degree of motion programmability.

Compatible with Baldor's renowned Mint motion software, which provides high-level Basic-style keywords for motion tasks - as well as PLC-style I/O handling - control programs can be written and tested in minutes.

Flex+Drive II servo drives will run these programs autonomously, providing a complete standalone solution for machinery and automation - optionally controlling further I/O including man machine interfaces using fieldbus communications.

Alternatively, the drive will function as a slave to a PC, for users who want to build automation equipment with sophisticated windows-based operator interfaces, using Baldor's free Mint ActiveX controls.
Users can choose from a comprehensive range of Flex+Drive II drives, in single- or three-phase versions for power ratings up to 20kW.

All may be software configured to drive linear or rotary motors.

Each drive includes a 14bit analog input and 11 digital I/O lines - enough to handle the associated I/O requirements for many simple automation applications.

Two of the digital inputs can capture data within a microsecond.

This provides the performance required for high-speed adjustments such as those required in registration applications.

This upgrade is designed to give automation engineers and OEMs great flexibility, via three forms of plugin module configurability.

Onboard I/O may be expanded with a further 15 digital I/Os.

Feedback technology is user-selectable from resolver, encoder or 'Endat' options - the latter providing state of the art absolute encoder data which eliminates the need to perform homing routines at power-up.

The drive additionally accepts a plug-on fieldbus interface, with a choice of CANopen, devicenet or Profibus-DP communications.

This option provides the means to expand the system very economically - linking to further I/O or drives distributed around the machine for example - as well as providing a communications mechanism to connect with factory equipment such as supervisory computers.

Baldor's new intelligent drive has a wide range of uses in packaging, conveying, loading, assembly and other areas of manufacturing.

For some applications - labelling for instance - its single axis capability is enough and the product can provide a compact and economic solution.

For larger automation requirements, the drive may be used an element of a distributed multi-axis motion system - communicating using industry-standard protocols.

Drives may be used with brushless AC servo motors or linear motors.

'Matched performance' speed-torque curves are available for Baldor's own motor brands, minimising the need to undertake detailed evaluations - or to incorporate costly performance margins in the design.

A wide range of other controllers sharing the same Mint motion language API are additionally available - providing automation engineers and OEMs with the means to select optimised solutions for every axis in the machine, and safeguard their development investment.