Machine builders get just enough control
1 min read
A newly designed AC drive will provide an economical yet flexible solution for the assembly system business.
Engineers at Rockwell Automation have designed an economical AC drive with stand-alone machine builders in mind. The PowerFlex 523 AC drive has flexible features that help users be more competitive and balance their needs for 'just enough' control. The concept is claimed to lower the total cost of design, development and delivery of machines.
"When we designed the PowerFlex 520-Series drives, we travelled to hundreds of drive users around the world to learn first hand which features they value most today and would want five years from now," said Jimmy Koh, global marketing manager, Rockwell Automation. "Stand-alone machine builders wanted 'just enough' motor control and emphatically shared the need for features that ease configuration and speed installation. This is where their profitability was most affected, and we designed the PowerFlex 523 drive to meet those needs."
To make configuration easier, machine builders can use a standard USB connection for uploading and downloading drive-configuration files. They also can program the drive through its built-in human interface module (HIM), which displays data on the drive's LCD with scrolling QuickView text and detailed explanations of parameters and other codes. The HIM also has multiple language options to address global needs. Unique to the PowerFlex 520-Series AC drives, AppView and CustomView tools help speed up configuration by providing groups of parameters for common applications and by allowing users to save their settings to new parameter groups. These tools can be easily accessible via the HIM, as well as configuration software tools.
Connected Components Workbench software from Rockwell Automation also helps speed up drive configuration and further reduces development time with online and offline configuration, AppView and CustomView groups, and startup wizards. Machine builders gain more time to focus on design and improve a machine's competitiveness.
For more sophisticated networked machines, builders can take advantage of an optional dual-port EtherNet/IP adapter for the PowerFlex 523 AC drive. This module supports ring topologies and provides device level ring (DLR) functionality, which can help provide network resiliency and drive machine availability. When a DLR network detects a break in the ring, it quickly provides alternate routing of the data to help recover. The dual-port adapter supports linear topologies in addition to ring configurations. Ring topologies can remove the need for an external switch and reduce necessary cabling. Adding a dual-port EtherNet/IP adapter to a PowerFlex 523 AC drive provides automatic device configuration, which saves time by automatically downloading configuration files when a drive is replaced.
