Until now, Synapticon has mainly focused on manufacturers of cobots, AGVs and AMRs. With the new integrated motion device 'Somanet Integro', the company is now making the features and benefits of its technology available to traditional machine manufacturers. The need for a corresponding solution is great there, especially in view of the trends that lie in electrification, the increasing use of DC power supplies, the reduction of supply voltage - also due to the mobility of (then battery-based) systems -, the expansion of functional safety, the standardization of communication and finally decentralization.

"Our entry into the machine builder sector is a huge step for us," emphasizes Nikolai Ensslen, founder and CEO of Synapticon. "While we have so far primarily addressed the robotics market with products such as Somanet Circulo, which has a volume of just under 3 billion euros in Germany, we are now targeting a market with Somanet Integro that is almost a hundred times as large in Germany and is expected to be worth almost 300 billion euros in 2025."

According to Nikolai Ensslen, there is an urgent need in mechanical engineering for safer, more efficient and cost-effective motion control solutions that can be mass-produced at an attractive cost. "We therefore present Somanet Integro as a fully integrated servo solution, including high-resolution multiturn position sensors, safe motion option and precise mechanical integration into standard industrial servo motors. The 'point of motion' is redefined by utilizing proprietary digital technology that allows the full potential of combining modern hardware and software for more efficient automation."

As an integrated motion device, Somanet Integro combines the servo drive, a high-resolution, battery-free multiturn encoder, sophisticated functional safety and a powerful solution for mechanical and thermal integration with servo motors. Somanet Integro offers a patented, optimized thermal output stage design and integration concept. In combination with Synapticon's proprietary, model-predictive current control technology, which according to the company reduces switching losses by more than 50 percent, integrated motors are possible for the first time that can permanently achieve the same performance level as cabinet-based, separate servo systems that require active cooling while remaining identical in size.

"Despite its compact design, Somanet Integro delivers many times the power density of existing integrated servo motors," explains Ensslen. "Initial tests show an increase of up to 500 percent." Development samples will be available for the broad market from Q2/2024, with the start of series production planned for Q4/2024.