The Brainstorm: The Demands Of Motion Control Systems Are Changing

Monday, January 28, 2008

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The Brainstorm: The Demands Of Motion Control Systems Are ChangingThe Brainstorm is a section in PD&D where we talk with industry leaders to get their perspective on critical issues in the design engineering marketplace. In this issue, we ask: How are the needs and demands of motion control systems and components changing in relation to a desire for offerings with greater energy efficiency?

Scott Hewitt, President
SICK STEGMANN, INC.
www.stegmann.com
sales@stegmann.com

The use of encoders is an integral part of the ongoing effort to make industrial motors more energy efficient. Operating motors at reduced, application-specific speeds can save energy. Applications that require speed feedback to maintain tight speed control, such as continuous converting processes, benefit from incremental encoder feedback for closed-loop control.

Energy savings can also be achieved by eliminating gear reducers from drive systems, which translates to replacing motor/gear assemblies with direct-drive (torque) motors. This is becoming more common in servo systems today. In this case, motor position (commutation) and speed feedback may require the use of large-bore hollow-shaft encoders.

Another way to save energy is to reduce motor size by eliminating items in the drive train that consume energy. The design of the encoder can help in this effort, especially in smaller, lower-power systems.

In an encoder, energy can be lost through the seals and bearings. The use of low-friction seals, magnetically driven (seal-less) designs, or bearing-less designs can help to achieve this. Many encoder suppliers now offer bearing-less designs that can be installed as a single-unit.

A more subtle way to reduce energy consumption per unit of product is to reduce downtime or idle time, such as that required for set-up between production runs. Many applications with multiple axes that need to be adjusted between production runs are manually adjusted in a time-consuming process. New product offerings, such as our format adjustment drives, replace these manual hand-wheel systems with integrated motor/encoder/drive systems that can receive a command and reposition an axis more quickly.

Rob Rawlyk, Motion Systems Product Manager
Beckhoff Automation
www.beckhoffautomation.com
beckhoff.usa@beckhoff.com

In the field of motion control systems, many Beckhoff Automation customers in Europe have already adopted power saving methods during the past few years. It’s no secret that pressure is increasing for almost every business in North America to “be green” and, more immediately, drive down the costs of doing business.

Many motion control device vendors have amplifiers that utilize the power generated from motor braking to power other motors. Specifically, Beckhoff has developed drive units that share the regenerated power with other servo drives, store some of the regenerated power for use in the next acceleration phase, or feed energy back into the supply network.

Some Beckhoff customers have gone further than merely reducing the energy used by motion control systems. With the ability to monitor power consumption, there are applications where the customer can measure the power required to produce each part. As a result, parts that require more power consumption can be produced less expensively during off peak energy hours. As an added bonus, the user can forecast the power they will require and provide this forecast to their utility provider. This saves energy costs as utilities will often give price breaks to customers who schedule power consumption.

Mike Miclot, Low Voltage Drives Business Manager
Rockwell Automation
www.rockwellautomation.com

We see many end-users trying unsuccessfully to synchronize corporate sustainability goals and plant-floor uptime goals. Without the proper motor control systems and components, these goals remain mutually exclusive.

For example, sensors and a simple controller networked to AC drives or soft starters could detect product on a conveyor and only run when product is present. This saves energy as well as wear and tear on mechanical parts without obstructing uptime goals.

If machinery makes harsh noises when started, such as when full-voltage is applied with no motor controller, it might be a candidate for a soft starting solution, which saves energy and protects equipment. Although this sensory approach may seem obvious and unscientific, it’s surprisingly overlooked.

From a technology perspective, the industry’s breadth of motor control products provides virtually unlimited ways to both conserve energy and meet uptime goals. Soft starters offer basic motor control, while more sophisticated variable frequency drives can give users parameters to detect, measure and trend energy use for more efficient operation and savings. Sensors, noted above, can help make more intelligent decisions that use equipment more efficiently.

Energy-efficient motor control has traditionally been an end-user concern, but as energy prices rise, OEMs should take a more focused approach to helping their customers meet corporate sustainability objectives and plant floor uptime goals.

The technological tools are available. Finding a solution starts with taking an objective look around.

Simon Pata, Product Line Manager
Portescap, a Danaher Motion Company
www.portescap.com
sales.america@portescap.com

The need for more energy-efficient components is driven by the fact that there is an increasing demand for battery-powered portable equipment such as medical respirators, insulin pumps and surgical hand tools, among others. For such applications, battery life is critical to the success of the product. Additionally, there is a constant demand for performance increase within the same physical envelope (i.e. increase the performance of the surgical tool without increasing the tool dimension and the generated heat).

No one (manufacturer or end user) is ready to sacrifice performance for improved energy efficiency. This is why motion component suppliers face real challenges that force them to innovate and use new technologies - like Portescap’s rotational spring commutation - in order to create solutions that satisfy both performance and energy efficiency requirements.

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