New Danfoss VLT® Decentral Drive E cient, reliable and powerful

TECHNOLOGY
Motion system can cut moulding
energy costs by 30%
MOOG HAS unveiled a variable-speed
hydraulic pump system for injection and
blow moulding machines which, it claims,
can cut energy consumption by 30% or
more.
The speed-controlled pump system is
based on three technologies: fixeddisplacement
radial piston pumps;
brushless servomotors; and modular, multiaxis
servodrives. The drive controls the
pump motor’s torque and speed,
depending on pressure and flow demand. It
also stores the pump and servomotor
characteristics, creating an “intelligent”
system that can communicate with external
systems via a fieldbus.
Moulding machines experience different
loads at different parts of their operating
cycles. When a machine is in the pressureholding
phase of the injection-moulding
process, it needs low flow rates but high
pressures, and the new system can cut
energy consumption by 90% during this
phase. Under full load, its performance is
similar to that of a
traditional system.
“Our calculations
and tests show that the
total cost of ownership
will be lower than
traditional hydraulic
technologies and the
payback period for the
initial investment is also
shorter for operators due to
the impressive energy savings,” says
Sheriff El Henaoui, Moog’s marketing
manager for Europe.
As well as saving energy, the compact
system allows the footprint of the machine
to be reduced. It is also said to be quieter,
with sound levels up to 9 dB(A) lower in
partial-load conditions.
The speed-controlled pump system not
only has advantages over the traditional
hydraulic systems, but is also said to cost
less to install and maintain than all-electric
systems. These systems usually need to be
« Cost-cutter: Moog’s
moulding control
system
built into the
framework of the
moulding machine
and require complete disassembly
and re-assembly for routine maintenance.
The modular hydraulic system is said to be
much easier and cheaper to maintain.
If required, the motor and pump can be
submerged inside a hydraulic tank, thus
saving space and taking advantage of the
heat-dissipating fluid in tank.
www.moog.com
High-res integrated stepper
motor is ‘world’s shortest’
THE DANISH integrated motor specialist JVL
has launched an integrated
stepper motor which, it claims,
is the world’s shortest motor
with a built-in controller. A 3Nm
version of motor is just 95mm
long, yet incorporates all of the
stepper control electronics,
including IP67-protected RS-485
and CANopen interfaces and a
programmable motion controller.
The motors offer a resolution of 819,200
steps per revolution, for smooth, quiet
operation. They contain everything needed
for stand-alone operation, or control from a
PLC or PC. There are eight I/O points that
can be configured individually as digital
inputs or outputs, or analogue inputs. As
well as the 95mm-long version, there is a
126mm version that delivers 6.1Nm, and a
156mm version that delivers 9Nm.
The motors are said to offer a velocity
precision of 0.01 rpm and an acceleration
precision of 1 rpm/s. They operate from 12–
80V DC supplies and can deliver high torque
levels at high speeds.
An ActiveX/OCX driver is available to
simplify interfacing with LabView, Excel, VB
or other Windows-based programs. Use of
Shortest: JVL’s
integrated stepper motor
JVL’s MAC protocol allows MAC and
QuickStep motors and SMC85 controllers to
be connected on the same RS-485 bus,
supporting point-to-point or multi-axis
operation of up to 254 axes.
Options include: RS-422 and RS-485
interfaces for encoder I/O and connection to
external HMIs or PLCs; planetary gears; a
pulse/direction mode for electronic gearing;
and double-shaft and single- or multi-turn
encoders. The motor can be supplied with
wireless Bluetooth, ZigBee or WLAN
functions, and is ready for future options
such as Profibus, industrial Ethernet, and
absolute multi-turn encoders without
external batteries.
www.jvl.dk
This image of a toggle clamp was
produced using a digital technique
that creates photorealistic images of
products in software, without
needing a camera or photographer.
The technology is the result of a
collaboration between the German
company Cadenas, which produces
electronic product catalogues, and
a Spanish company called Next Limit
Technologies, which specialises in
simulation technologies. A newly
developed interface links Cadenas’
eCatalogSolutions system to Next
Limit’s Maxwell Render 3D rendering
technology, which is based on the
physical equations that govern the
behaviour of light and is said to
allow users to create convincing
real-world images without resorting
to the “tricks and approximations”
used by other renderers.
12 November/December www.drives.co.uk