DRIVES
Drive trends propel robotics,
IoT applications
Commander C200 and C300 general purpose drives from Control Techniques recently extended the warranty from two to five years. The drives feature an on-board PLC, removing the need for an external controller. Designed for easy setup and installation, a broad power range from 0.25 to 132 kW makes them suitable for a range of low- and highpower applications. THE OVERALL TREND IN DRIVES is for more
powerful, capable, and feature-rich products to handle the challenges of automation and control over a range of industries and applications. We asked some top drive manufacturers what they’re seeing and here’s what they told us. In what industries or application areas has your company seen increased activity or demand?
Control Techniques, Mike Wolfe, Business Development Manager Robotics – We’ve seen a significant increase of activity in the automated guided vehicle (AGV) segment of robotics. Precision motion, fieldbus control options and distributed onboard motion control are some of the key needs in this market space. motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com
Factory automation – Here we’ve seen continued strong demand in general factory automation for drives and motors above 150 hp. Our Drive Free Standing (DFS) offering has expanded our reach and support for short lead time needs of ready to use drive and switch gear packages up to 1,250 hp. Farming – We have seen significant investment and customer activity in the automation of field harvesting equipment. These machines require precise motion control, vision systems and powerful control systems to automate activities historically performed by hand. Electromate, Warren Osak, President In the past five years we’ve seen a big increase in demand for our products in the robotics and eMobility markets. The cobot (collaborative robots) industry has also been a hotbed of activity. I believe the uptick in activity is directly related to the development of embedded 3 • 2020
robotics and the ideal function they serve in these growth markets. ABM DRIVES INC. North America, Gabriel Venzin, President We’re seeing new activity in AGV OEMs as well as some for auxiliary components on e-buses. At the same time we’re seeing increased requests for more efficient options for auxiliary functions on trains and subways. What kinds of capabilities do your components incorporate to suppor t functions related to the Internet of Things (IoT) or the Industrial IoT ?
Yaskawa America, Inc., Edward Tom, Low Voltage Drives Product Manager When it comes to IoT/IIoT, connectivity and data are the two most crucial components. Our drives offer a variety of communication options (EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, Modbus
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