DESIGN WORLD in
Vision for the future
Haim Monhait Chief Executive Officer and Founder Elmo Motion Control
Era of lean machinery is upon us Machine manufacturers around the globe use Elmo Motion Control products in industries that demand performance, precision and consistency of operation. Today, we design and produce network-based motion controllers, intelligent digital servo drives, and efficient servo amplifiers for both brush and brushless motors. Elmo drives offer power density in extremely compact packages. Consider the SimplIQ for general-purpose motion control. It’s at the heart of our digital servo drives—offering motor feedback options, programming capabilities, and communication protocols in the smallest footprints in the world. We’re seeing a trend towards machines that are leaner, slimmer, and more agile—especially for applications in AGVs and other unmanned setups, manufacturing, and robotics. Such designs cut costs by replacing manual labor with automation. Elmo doesn’t serve these applications, but another manifestation of lean design instead—those that demand more throughput than ever. Consider how Elmo recently helped one manufacturer increase production to 100,000,000 parts per year, with even higher output planned for next year. The whole manufacturing process must be human free for a truly lights-out shop floor. Here, dozens of automated machines run inline while executing complex tasks in full coordination. Boosting throughput are machines that are smaller to save space, cut energy waste, minimize EMI, and maximize quality. Thanks in part to Elmo controls, this customer makes the same products with the same processes as before its adoption of full automation, but now with double the throughput. How? In short, Elmo supplies motion hardware and software for lean designs that are small and light but mighty in both power and intelligence. Elmo drives make power conversions with the best efficiencies in the industry. They have maximum electromagnetic compatibility and are easy to integrate because they mount anywhere and leverage network-based functional safety. 148
DESIGN WORLD
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In fact, safety contributes to lean industrial designs with integrated protection. Case in point: Elmo’s four-in-one packages are certified for IEC 61800-5-2 for adjustablespeed electrical power drive systems. Consider how an Elmo Mandolin—say a MAN-5/400EE or a combination with a MAN7/400EE—has a face area of 112 cm2 while typical servo drives on the market need 750 cm2 or more. That’s because the Elmo four-in-one drives need fewer connectors. In fact, the four-in-one has only one connector for feedback. All the rest is done via the EtherCAT—so even start-stop, limit switch, and general safety tasks use Functional Safety over EtherCAT (FSOE) capabilities. That way, the machine builder can significantly reduce the number of hardware connections. Everything works off the network. Plus builders avoid designing the servo drive to incorporate certified Functional Safety, which is often a torturous and expensive process. Elmo products also support Industry 4.0 (IoT) capabilities by turning machines into high-level-network communication devices. They operate, control, monitor, and support bidirectional data transfer and help maintain machine and human-operator safety. Mount It Anywhere functionality makes motors, switches, and other mechanical subsystems work as intelligent components that communicate with upper-level masters.
October 2016
10/6/16 1:33 PM