Motors & Drives Information

A versatile solution requires only one moving part.

The term "linear motor" is often used to describe "flat" linear motors, where essentially one flat plate is moved across the face of another. It is also used to describe motors that provide linear motion using some form of internal rotary-to-linear conversion. But now California Linear Devices has developed a tubular linear motor that provides the required axial force in a simple device with one moving part. This unit has many applications, ranging from motion control to welding, riveting, vibrating and driving compressors. With only one moving part the inherent reliability is high.

The motor is also suited to positioning applications. Through the use of a precision, high-resolution encoder, one can rely on detailed position information to a motion controller.

The basic principle on which this motor operates is as follows. The linear motor has a stator very similar to that of an induction motor. Windings are placed in slots throughout the periphery. Their purpose is to produce a moving magnetic field. The armature has a series of permanent magnets that attempt to align themselves with this moving magnetic field. The force level is set by the length and diameter of the stator, and the stroke is set by selecting the length of the armature.

Recently California Linear Devices undertook a program to show that, in relatively low-force material-testing applications, such a simple direct-drive linear motor can do a better, simpler, and cleaner job than a hydraulic system. It was considered that in the region under 2,000 lb. of force the use of a simple one-moving-part linear motor might be more controllable and easier to operate and maintain than a hydraulic control system. The program intended to demonstrate this with a goal of under 1% accuracy at 340 lb. force, with the ability to vary the load as demanded by an operator or through a PLC system input.

Curiosity drives Harris to success

Entrepreneur develops businesses to fill national markets

As a curious young accountant at a venture capital firm in Racine, Mike Harris would ask to sit in when entrepreneurs came asking for funding. And so he learned what it took to finance a start-up.

Later, as chief financial officer of a technology company in Illinois, Harris would attend meetings for the sales force and for branch managers. It wasn't part of his job. He was just curious. That's where he learned about selling a company's services and managing offices.

Curiosity has led Harris to success, and that success has made the 44-year-old Racine native a prototype for Wisconsin entrepreneurs.

Last month, Manpower Inc. reported that Jefferson Wells -- a Harris brainchild that is now a prized internal audit and accounting subsidiary of the staffing company -- generated nearly $238 million in revenue through the first nine months of the year, triple the 2003 level. It has 2,550 employees in 37 offices worldwide.

In 2000, five years after he hatched the firm from his kitchen table, Harris had built Jefferson Wells into a 1,600-employee, 25- office firm with about $131 million in yearly sales. In 2001, Harris and his investors sold the company to Glendale-based Manpower for $174 million. Within weeks, Harris was starting another business.

Since Jefferson Wells, Harris has launched five other companies, including a little consulting business in which he advises other entrepreneurs, a role he suggests he would like to build on eventually.

"I think he's driven, and he has been for some time. But it's not ambition over everything else," said Bob Carlson, president, chief executive officer and co-founder with Harris of SilverTrain Inc., a Milwaukee-based technology and staffing specialist.

"Mike is high energy and high intelligence," said Carlson, who also worked with Harris at Alternative Resources Corp. in Barrington, Ill. "It's not just winning; he enjoys the process."

A compulsive curiosity -- honed by his training as an accountant - - drives Harris to see a business, break it down and figure out how to make it better, much as a tinkerer is compelled to dismantle a gadget to try to improve it.

Electric motors and electronic motor controls are coming together, to the benefit of the end user.

Industrial electric motors and electronic industrial controls are in the process of merging into one industry, largely due to the urging of many customers for both. Many motor manufacturers now market adjustable speed controls and motion controllers. Others work from the ground up from original designs. Significantly, the leading controls manufacturer has entered the motor field.

The consolidation continues rapidly in North America, and globally as well. We at Baldor Electric and many others believe this is a healthy trend, because it benefits users of both motors and controls. Also, it is definitely to the benefit of designers of systems incorporating motors and controls. One important reason is compatibility: though using components from one manufacturer does not guarantee compatibility, it certainly improves the odds for success.

There is also the important subject of responsibility. A look at the history of these industries will illustrate this.

Electric motors have been important to industry for more than one hundred years, and have become a medium-sized industry of approximately $10 billion dollars per year in North America, and two or three times this large globally.

A second industry, known by many names but which we'll refer to as industrial controls, was born soon after. A large percentage of these controls were designed and used originally to start and stop motors. Then later, in some cases, there were many different ways to adjust the speed of motors, usually direct-current motors. In fact, one of Thomas Edison's reasons for supporting the use of DC motors rather than AC motors was their controllability.

These old controls were mostly electromechanical. Power electronics, including the old thyratrons and other devices, gradually took over some of these applications, sometimes improved their performance, and often lowered costs.

Until 1960, most industrial-motor speed controls were large, heavy, and expensive. An exception was the military use of servos. With the invention of the silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) in the late 1950s at Bell Labs, the ability to control industrial motors rapidly increased (Figure 1).

Workscape, Inc., the nation's leading provider of Internet-based Human Capital Management (HCM) software and services, announced that it's flagship technology, Employee.com is being used by General Motors Corp (GM) to power the largest employee portal in the world. The phased rollout of GM's mySocrates Internet site is to be completed by mid-December and will enable 180,000 U.S. hourly and salaried GM employees to instantaneously and securely view personal benefits information, use applications that affect their work and lives, access company resources and content, and utilize links with dozens of GM's internal and external vendors.

"GM's application of Workscape's Employee.com technology represents a major shift in the way corporate America is addressing the needs of its employees." said Tim Clifford, Workscape President and CEO, "The GM workforce will have access to a platform that includes a "my site" that will help them balance the demands of work and life, anytime, anywhere. This will have positive effects on both the quality and quantity of the work GM employees perform, and the information they receive and share. Using our Employee.com platform, employees can navigate quickly and seamlessly through work processes, and can manage life events confidentially, accurately and conveniently."

"This site allows employees to utilize the tools and information they need, when they need them," said Troy Clarke, GM vice president of labor relations. The GM workforce will be now able to perform self-service work applications in a few seconds-from work or home-rather than the many minutes usually required using a call center or manually filling out forms and searching for policies. This is especially significant in a large organization like GM, where vast amounts of important information is maintained in many different systems, databases and applications. The workforce will be given role-specific information that is uniquely personalized to each employee.

Utilizing StallGuard(TM) technology for stall detection, TMC246 and TMC249 predict overload for applications where reference point is needed but switch cannot be used. Model TMC246 acts as dual full bridge driver IC for bipolar step motor control. User can choose to operate at temperatures to 105*C or currents to 1.5 A/phase. Model TMC249 is high-current version of TMC246, supporting up to 75 Vdc/10 A set by external MOSFETs.

Santa Clara , CA -September 2004-Lin Engineering, the step motor specialists, in conjunction with the German based Trinamic Microchips GmbH, is proud to introduce the StallGuard(TM). This revolutionary new technology capable of sensorless stall detection without the need for an encoder, is available in the TMC246 and TMC249 driver chips.

The TMC246 is a dual full bridge driver IC for bipolar step motor control. The user is given the choice to operate at high temperatures of up to 105 * C or at high currents of up to 1.5 Amps/phase. Its low current consumption and high efficiency together with the Internal DACs allow for microstepping as well as smart current control that allows for cool motor and driver operation. The device can be controlled via serial interface (SPI(TM)) or via analog/digital input signals. Shortcircuit, temperature, under-voltage and over-voltage protection are all integrated.

The TMC249 is the high current version of the TMC246. It is able to support up to 75VDC/10A set by external MOSFETs.

This drive chip can also be used for unipolar step motors. Only 4 external PMOS transistors are required for unipolar operation.

The TMC246 and TMC249's ability to predict an overload makes these chips an optimum choice for drives where high reliability is desired. The integrated unique sensorless stall detection, StallGuard(TM), makes them a great choice for applications where a reference point is needed, but where a switch cannot be used.

An innovative electronic motor drive for single-phase motors reduces energy consumption.

Anacon Systems, Mountain View, California

Energy efficiency is a continuing focus of the power electronics industry. Motors consume the most electricity in commercial and industrial applications (followed at a distant second by lighting). More than 85 percent of electric motors are single-phase motors that are installed in numerous applicationsfans, pumps, compressors-that would benefit from variable speed control. Traditional approaches have been to complicate the motor design by tapping the motor windings and using electromechanical switches to change the number of windings, thus changing speed.

Electronic approaches have focused on using triac bridges that are phasecontrolled. These systems generate significant power losses and conducted noise, making them limited in application. The drive industry has therefore been pushing for conversion of new systems to full three-phase motors with sophisticated three-phase drives. Such drives require not only a more expensive motor but also an electronic drive that is both complex and expensive. As these drives need to be set up by professionals, many users shy away from them.

Anacon Systems has taken the underlying technology of three-phase motor drives and applied it to single-phase motors. Using the latest IC technology-RISC-based processors-Anacon has developed a controller IC that meets the stringent performance requirements along with the lowered cost target. The ASIC uses an 8-bit RISC microcontroller with 128,000 SRAM, an 8-x-8-bit multiplier, analog-to-digital converter, four 10-bit pulse width modulators (PWMs), a 12-bit timer and a comparator to monitor faults and perform system shutdown. Design innovations also provide customization through programmability. The ASIC also includes an 8-kbyte EPROM and an SPI or PC serial port to allow for external programmability. The ASIC has digital outputs that can be used to signal operating or fault conditions using LEDs.

Based on NEMA size 23 motor matched to integrated drive circuitry, SMD23 package eliminates need to research, specify, purchase, and install 2 separate components. Design facilitates field servicing and simplifies installation through elimination of stepper drive to motor cabling. PC programmable unit reduces potential for problems due to electrical noise, and self-regulating current flow eliminates risk of driver to motor overload.

AMCI expands their extensive family of stepper motor control products to include the SMD23, an integrated stepper motor and drive package. The compact design is approximately half the cost of a conventional stepper motor and driver configuration, and performance is optimized through integrated drive to motor circuitry. Ideal for a variety of applications, the SMD23 simplifies installation through the elimination of stepper drive to motor cabling.

Terryville, CT November 4, 2004 - AMCI, a Connecticut based industrial controls company, has released the SMD23 integrated stepper motor and drive package. The compact design is based on a NEMA size 23 motor and was engineered to save customers time, money, and frustration. "Boasting several advantages over a conventional stepper driver and motor configuration, the SMD23 reveals it strength in four key areas - pricing, performance, installation, and application" explained Leo Brennan, sales manager.

The SMD23 is approximately half the cost of a conventional stepper motor and driver configuration. Unlike separate stepper motors and stepper drives that are built independent of each other, using parts and labor unique to each assembly process, the SMD23 utilizes powerful processors and superior engineering to reduce manufacturing time. Purchasing an SMD23 also saves customers time by eliminating the need to research, specify, purchase, and install two separate components.

Leveraging over ten years of stepper motor control experience, AMCI engineered the SMD23 for optimum stepper performance by dynamically matching the NEMA size 23 stepper motor to powerful integrated drive circuitry. Besides achieving maximum torque, speed, and range variables, the SMD23's self-regulating current flow eliminates the risk of driver to motor overload.

Over the last several years, snowmobiles have been a source of environmental controversy and have even been banned in some wilderness areas. But interestingly enough, a hybrid sled, using a new electric motor technology, may quiet that controversy.

Raser Technologies Inc., Provo, Utah, has demonstrated a prototype hybridelectric snowmobile that could potentially address many of the noise and emissions concerns of environmentalists while providing the speed and capability snowmobile enthusiasts crave. The Polaris prototype snowmobile features a low-cost, industrial electric motor enhanced with Raser's Symetron technology replacing the Polaris' normal two-stroke engine.

Thanks to the Symetron technology, the small, lightweight (80 lb.) motor delivers up to 80 hp--as much power as many popular two-stroke engine snowmobiles. In this series hybrid, the electric motor powers the snowmobile. A 6 hp Polaris gasoline engine drives a generator that recharges onboard batteries for range extension. The advanced lithium battery, supplied by Compact Power Inc., is normally charged from the electric grid in this "plug-in" hybrid.

Hybrid-electric snowmobiles like this prototype could help quell the controversy over the use of-snowmobiles in national parks such as Yellowstone as well as other popular snow-mobiling locations around the country. "We think the horsepower is finally equivalent to what you would expect in a combustion machine, but we can run quietly and cleanly," said David West, vice president, marketing for Raser Technologies. He cited measurements that indicated the hybrid electric snowmobile was over 600 times quieter than the combustion engine version.

The hybrid-electric snowmobile is just one application of Raser's Symetron advanced motor technology. "Our technology is scaleable and works just as well at a fractional size motor as it will work on a very large, high horsepower motor," said Kraig Higginson, CEO of Raser. Indeed, Raser has developed a compact, 500 hp Symetron-enhanced electric motor using a low-cost industrial motor. Raser is proposing its use in heavy-duty trucks and buses.

TotalStorage[R] 3580 Model L33 incorporates Linear Tape-Open Ultrium 3 Tape Drive, which delivers maximum throughput data rate up to 80 Mb/sec and 128 Mb internal buffer. Dual stage, 16-channel head actuator provides precision head alignment to help support high track density. Drive includes positive pin retention, independent tape loader and threader motors, as well as dynamic braking, which helps prevent stretching or breaking of tape.

Overview

The new IBM TotalStorage[R] 3580 Tape Drive Model L33 is designed to offer high capacity, performance, and technology designed for the midrange open systems environment. This model incorporates the new Linear Tape-Open (LTO) IBM TotalStorage

Drive (Ultrium 2), up to 80 MB/sec native data transfer rate. In addition, with the use of the new IBM TotalStorage LTO Ultrium 400 GB Data Cartridge, the Ultrium 3 Tape Drive doubles the tape cartridge capacity up to 400 GB native physical

capacity (800 GB with 2:1 compression). IBM Ultrium 3 Tape

Drives can read and write LTO Ultrium 2 Data Cartridges and read

LTO Ultrium 1 Data Cartridges. The Model L33 comes with a SCSI

Ultra160 LVD attachment, for connection to a wide spectrum of

open system servers.

Other Ultrium 3 Tape Drive enhancements:

o New dual stage 16 channel head actuator - designed to provide

precision head alignment to help support higher track density and improved data integrity and backwards compatibility with

previous LTO generations.

o New independent tape loader and threader motors and positive pin retention - designed to help improve drive reliability.

o Graceful dynamic braking - designed to maintain tension to

help prevent stretching or breaking the tape and loose tape

wraps.

o Larger internal buffer - the internal buffer size has been

doubled over the Ultrium 2 to 128 MB.

o Highly integrated electronics using IBM engineered copper

technology - designed to provide for a more reliable drive.

The 3580 Tape Drive is an external stand-alone or rack-mountable unit and is the entry point for the family of IBM Ultrium tape products. The 3580 Tape Drive provides an excellent migration path from digital linear tape (DLT or SDLT), 1/4-inch, 4mm, or 8mm tape drives.

Electric Motor Drive, Installation and Troubleshooting By Glen A. Mazur and William J. Weindorf, American Technical Publishers, Inc., 2003, 473 pages, $52.00

This book is a comprehensive reference for use in the electrical industry, the maintenance industry, specialized electrical training programs, and closely related fields. The book takes a very systematic approach to both installation and troubleshooting electric motor drives. Electric motor drives are defined as electronic devices that control the direction, speed, torque, and other operating functions of an electric motor in addition to providing motor protection and monitoring functions.

Topics covered include: electric motor drive component theory and operation, application and selection of electric motors and motor drives, electric motor drive installation and programming fundamentals, electron and conventional theory, electric motor drive safety, and troubleshooting tasks and techniques. Many large, detailed, high quality visuals are included throughout. Diagrams, schematics, and photographs are well selected and well placed in the book. Practical applications and safety are stressed throughout the book. The book also includes information on motor load requirements, motor control, electric motor drive operation fundamentals, drive startup procedures, and drive test tools primarily directed a industrial or manufacturing type applications. Common test instruments are pictured in realistic working settings.

A CD-ROM with the book includes: quick quizzes that reinforce fundamental concepts in each text chapter; an illustrated Glossary of industry terms with links to key text illustrations, animated graphics, and video clips; interactive access to common test tool connections; and reference material that provides internet links to related industry and standards organizations.

Although this a high quality book and would make an excellent reference for instructors in agricultural electrical courses, it is likely too focused in just motors and motor drives for use by general as a text for college-level agricultural students.

Uhing Model RGK3-20-0 rolling ring, traverse winding drive uses injection-molded plastic parts for housing and rolling ring carriers. It offers 110-130 Newtons axial thrust due to bearing assembly design where all 3 thrust rings pivot instead of one. Release lever enables user to slide drive freely on shaft without turning on motor. Linear pitch control mechanism is continuously adjustable from 1.0-12 mm, eliminating restrictions of stepped pitch control design.

Aston, PA, January 2005 - Uhing has introduced the new Model RGK3-20-0 rolling ring traverse winding drive for general spooling applications. Manufacturing economies in the Uhing RGK3-20 include fewer parts than standard Uhing drives and the use of injection molded plastic parts for the housing and rolling ring carriers. These economies permit competitive pricing, yet do not impair the drive's ability to meet application requirements for most basic level winding operations thereby providing an economical alternative to other traversing devices.

The RGK3-20 drive offers 110-130 Newtons axial thrust which is higher than comparable general purpose rolling ring traverse drives typically providing about 70 Newtons of thrust. The higher thrust in the RGK3-20 is due to a bearing assembly design where all three of the thrust rings within the unit pivot instead of one.

Standard on the RGK3-20 drive is the Uhing F option which is a release lever enabling the user to slide the drive freely on the shaft without turning on the motor. This feature is useful in reducing wear and tear on traverse system motors. Because the RGK3-20 center ring carrier is not connected directly to the mechanical reversal lever, as it is on standard Uhing drives, the new drive may not be configured with the usual Uhing mechanical motion control options such as ramp down, dwell and ramp up.

The linear pitch control mechanism on the new Uhing drive is continuously adjustable from 1.0 mm through 12 mm. This removes the restrictions of a "stepped" pitch control design where users are limited to adjusting pitch in a limited number of fixed settings. Tested for more than 50 million switch cycles, the RGK3-20 rolling ring drive requires only minimal maintenance -- occasional shaft lubrication (four times a year).

HOMEWOOD, Ill. -- ADS Logistics, LLC (ADS), the leading North American provider of integrated logistics and supply chain solutions for the metals industry, today announced their selection by Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) to manage a Resale Program for this major manufacturer of automobiles.

As program manager, ADS provides a neutral, single point of management and services coordination for MMNA. Utilizing ADS' expertise and knowledge as a metals industry consultant, ADS provided analysis and data in a variety of functional areas. This data was used by MMNA to reach decisions in processor, carrier, and warehousing selections. The resale program involves logistics from mill, through the processor and ultimate delivery to parts manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada with ADS providing coordination of trucking, warehousing, inventory control, processing, and documentation preparation, with a single invoice to MMNA covering all aspects of the program.

"ADS has provided MMNA with cost savings, better control of our supply chain and cost transparency," states Greg Neville, Senior Buyer, Materials & Services Procurement & Supply of Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. "By managing MMNA's steel resale supply chain, ADS facilitates MMNA in transitioning the steel resale program from a steel distributor-directed program to a MMNA-directed program, whereby MMNA controls the purchase of the steel from the mill, the processing of that steel to the stamping supplier's specification, and the sale of the steel to the stamper."

LoMaS(R), ADS' supply chain management application, will be utilized to manage and provide total supply chain visibility. By utilizing LoMaS(R), MMNA will be able to pull parts from OEMs, driving the replenishment of processed coil to the part manufacturer, which in turn drives reorder of master coil from the mill for delivery direct to the processor.

"Our focus as a resale program manager and integrated solutions provider is to help customers improve their supply chain performance and lower costs," states Gordon Gustafson, Chief Commercial Officer for ADS and Vice President of their Integrated Solutions Group. "We can do this by offering LoMaS(R) to manufacturers to either self-manage their resale program, or they may choose to outsource the management of the physical, informational and financial flows to ADS."

Model AGK uses ball screw in rigid aluminum housing to drive motion at speeds up to 96 m/min, even in extreme environments. Available in ball screw accuracy classes 5, 7, and 9, and in sizes 20, 32, and 40 x, unit is suited for high-speed machines where clearance or environmental conditions require compact, protected drive system. Model AGK comes as ready-to-install unit in lengths up to 6,000 mm, with optional integrated motor mounts for end- or side-mounted motors.

Company to display its AGK Ball Screw Drive at the National Design Engineering Show and Conference, March 7-10, 2005, at the McCormick Place in Chicago, IL, Booth #2016

Ball Screw Drive Unit AGK adds precision and speed to extended length applications, even in tough environments

CHARLOTTE, NC - The new Ball Screw Drive Unit AGK from Rexroth uses a high-performance ball screw in a rigid aluminum housing to drive motion at speeds up to 96 m/min, even in extreme environments. Specially designed screw supports and optimized bearing configurations reduce screw whip, allowing the AGK to achieve speed improvements up to 5x traditional technologies when used in extended length applications. Available in ball screw accuracy classes 5, 7 and 9, and in sizes 20x, 32x and 40x, the AGK is ideal for high-speed, high-precision machines where clearance or environmental conditions require a compact, protected ball screw drive system. Typical applications include laser- or plasma-cutting, waterjet or woodworking.

Variable-speed Model GV6000 comes in 7 frame sizes ranging from 0.5-200 hp at 480 V. Removable Operator Interface Module provides metering, programming, and operator control, and contains CopyCat functionality for transferring parameter sets between drives. Model GV6000 incorporates general-purpose control, sensorless vector control, and flux vector control with or without encoder feedback. Closed-loop vector control ensures precise operation over 1,000:1 range.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (April 27, 2005) The Reliance Electric GV6000 multipurpose industrial AC drive is the newest and most innovative member of the Reliance Electric AC drive family. From simple to complex, the drive will meet virtually all application needs in a platform that is expandable and easiest to use in its class. The GV6000 package provides simplicity and flexibility with superior performance in an ultra compact zero-stacking design. The drive is ideal for stand-alone, retro-fit, or new equipment where high power density is required.

Every Reliance Electric GV6000 comes standard with an easy to use Operator Interface Module (OIM) to provide metering, programming and operator control. The drive's OIM is removable and contains CopyCat functionality for transferring parameter sets between drives. This user-friendly, yet powerful keypad is combined with a large easy to read backlit LCD display. The GV6000 follows the same intuitive and easy to navigate TAB programming style as the popular general purpose Reliance Electric MD65 V*S drive. Start-up routines direct the user through self-prompting screens to quickly set up the drive without in-depth knowledge of the drive's parameters. This logically organized structure makes the GV6000 the easiest drive in its class to set-up and operate.

Designed to minimize panel space, the GV6000 is zero-stacking so that multiple drives can be mounted adjacent to each other with no space between drives. The cover of the GV6000 opens fully, even in the zero-stacking configuration, for easy access to wires during installation. Separate power terminal and control terminal wiring keeps control signals away from incoming power and motor leads. In addition, the removable control and encoder terminal strips assure easy installation and easy maintenance.