MOTION SYSTEM TRENDS
SIKO’s MSA213C magnetic sensor features absolute resolution of 1 μm with repeat accuracy of ±1 μm.
New uses drive
encoder design trends ENCODERS ARE CENTRAL TO motion
control applications. They can provide position, speed, and direction feedback to a controller or drive to increase the accuracy and reliability of a drive system. As technology evolves, so too do encoders, incorporating the latest advancements in communications and networking and offering engineers tools to solve challenges they face across a diverse array of motion control applications. For example, Heidenhain has seen an increase in collaborative robotics and AGV robots driving the market, thanks to the focus on robotic Functional Safety. But also, new uses are coming into sight.
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DESIGN WORLD — MOTION
Farming and agricultural applications are becoming more automated and as automation increases here, so too does the demand for reliable feedback of the kind offered by encoders. Likewise, SIKO sees many of the same application demands from their customers as well, including robotics and farming but also the more established factory automation uses as well as offhighway applications. The company sees requests for direct integration of sensors with high position accuracy that facilitates cost and space savings. One driver of encoder trends is the IoT and the related industrial IoT. “The core of IIoT communication is to provide more insight into the machine by supporting communication from 3 • 2020
many different sensors,” notes Jonathan Dougherty, Business Development Manager of Automation Markets for Heidenhain. “We help to enable this functionality by taking in all the sensor functionality in and around motors (temperature sensors, accelerometers, magnetic field sensors, etc.) and transmitting that information back over a streamlined pre-established communication channel using the encoder communication,” adds Dougherty. The company’s EnDat interface handles these tasks all while cutting wiring costs and simplifying design. Wireless connectivity is another part of communications equation. In Heidenhain’s case, the value they’ve seen in wireless connectivity is in providing motioncontroltips.com
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