Good news ... There are three topics we want to deal with this month, but where to begin? I suppose nobody likes bad news, so let's start with good news! We are very pleased to announce that the new ENCODER CATALOGUE is ready! The document is complete and we are making the last corrections to the final draft now. In the next weeks it will arrive hot off the press from the printers and be out for you. Find out everything you need to know about Lika Electronic's encoders in the
new catalogue. It is expressly designed to set out the comprehensive range of incremental & absolute rotary encoders from Lika: a little less than 300 pages, more than 150 items with complete technical specifications, pictures, mechanical drawings, connection schemes, the full list of dedicated accessories (cables, cordsets, connectors, flexible couplings, adapting flanges, reducing sleeves, …). It is further enriched with an exhaustive preliminary technical overview: it is intended to provide the basics required to understand the encoders, their operation and
the main features. In the coming weeks the catalogue will be available for download in pdf format: a user-friendly and interactive version that allows an easy-to-use search experience, rich in external links and internet surfing features to help you easily find all information, documents and software you need. Please contact us if you are interested in a hard copy instead.
MS36 TT: the absolute encoder optimized for tool turret systems MS36 TT is the absolute encoder expressly designed for integration in tool turret systems of CNC lathes. It has been optimized both mechanically and electronically to suit the position feedback requirements in the indexing operations of the fastest tool turrets. Even more it has been developed to meet the spare parts demand especially in the most dynamic and high-precision tool turret systems such as Duplomatic Automation and Baruffaldi. Besides its full compatibility with the most popular tool turret encoders, yet MS36 TT provides some additional advantages over competitors at an attractive price. First of all the absolute encoder gains in flexibility thanks to the extended position range: it is available in fact in four ranges for indexing up to 24 tools in 8-, 10-, 12and 24-station turrets.
The indexing position is output in either 4-bit or 5-bit binary code; while a LOW logic level zone having an amplitude ranging from 3° to 7° is set between subsequent positions for increased signal safety. The Strobe signal for Slave – Master transmission synchronization has an amplitude of 12°. In addition, it boasts a precision of 1° 24' and a maximum operational frequency of 128 MHz. MS36 TT is more durable and better suited for installation in industrial environments. It affords a resistant plastic enclosure and a high IP66 protection rate to withstand harsh installations. Furthermore it is user-friendly and easy to install thanks to the very compact design (40 mm flange diameter, 34 mm depth) with both axial and radial cable outputs. It is further equipped with a built-in LED intended to indicate the posi-
tion 1 dedicated to the first tool in the sequence (the LED is on in position 1 with active Strobe). This make it easier and faster to install and phase the encoder and the turret stations.
‌ and what about RD6 actuator? Unfortunately it is time for breaking less good news: RD6 rotary actuator is not ready yet! Anyway, the project is quite far ahead. So let's get a a first look at it. The new positioning unit is well on the way but in the meanwhile the deadline on a big project prevailed over it and came out on top. Now we are finalizing the first prototypes, technical specifications are set down thus here follows a summary description of the new product characteristics. RD6 is the first intelligent positioning drive without gears in the range of Lika Electronic. The Standard NEMA 23 size flange and the 8-mm shaft in fact are designed to be coupled with 1-, 2and 3-stage planetary gearboxes available in the market, to be mounted between the motor and the user's installation. So it can be easily integrated in customized applications to meet specific torque, speed and precision requirements. It can be even coupled with angular gears. RD6 features a space-saving design with rugged anodized aluminium housing for high IP54 protection rate and installation in demanding industrial environments.
The compact frame fully integrates the BLDC motor, the absolute multiturn encoder, the position closedloop controller and the fieldbus interface. The 24VDC brushless motor has 100 W rated power, 0.426 Nm rated torque and 3000 RPM; while the measuring system provides an overall 28-bit resolution (4096 counts / turn per 65536 revolutions of the motor shaft). The well-proven position controller brings many valuable benefits. It boasts two cascade control loop cycles, i.e. a 1 ms position loop cycle and a 200 Âľs current loop cycle. Furthermore the internal trajectory generator (boasting a 64-bit double precision) allows the operator to set a new target position even on-thefly. In addition controls include overtemperature, overcurrent, undervoltage and bus communication failure. In order to improve and even add new functionalities it implements the bootloader feature, so the user can easily upgrade the firmware when a new release is available.
RD6 is versatile and open thanks to the integration of the most common fieldbus interfaces: ProfibusDP, CANopen and Modbus RTU (RS-485). It is also equipped with a service serial interface for simplified configuration and set-up of the unit through the free software tool. RD6 rotary actuator is specifically designed to drive positioning and auxiliary axes and allows to dramatically cut machine set-up times and reduce downtimes, in particular in multi-axis systems. It is ideally suited for installation in mould changers, mobile stops, tool changers, filling and bottling machines, packaging lines, wood & metalworking machinery, paper machinery, printing & labelling machines, conveyors, suction cups motion units, spindle positioning devices.