What are the current technical trends in servo drives for machines?

Alexander Melkus: The trend is moving more and more towards compact 'all-rounders', and one-cable solutions are increasingly being used. Control cabinets are increasingly being integrated into the machine bed, and this requires different cooling concepts. Integrated safe motion functions are becoming increasingly important. In general, applications are becoming more and more complex, making easy-to-handle commissioning with self-optimization an important factor in servo drive concepts.

What requirements do machine builders place on servo drives today and in the foreseeable future?

The drives should be increasingly multifunctional - from operation as frequency inverters to the control of linear axes. In addition, all common feedback systems should be supported and extended safety functions should be available.

How is the drive or motion data recorded in servo drive systems processed and analyzed? How is it merged with other process data from the machine?

On the one hand, the data is used to optimize the control behaviour during operation. In addition, all drive and controller data is merged and analyzed in the cloud. There they can be used for predictive maintenance or machine learning, for example.

To what extent do today's servo drives require cybersecurity functions in addition to safety functions?

Dedicated controllers without an operating system are used in Sigmatek drives. These are not accessible from the outside via USB or Ethernet. This means that our drives are safe from cyber attacks.

Where do you see the unique selling points of the new MDD-2000 servo drives?

The high power density in an extremely compact installation space is currently unbeaten on the market. The simple connection of the DC link and bus communication between the individual drive modules of a system with the 'DC Connection Block' (DCB) and 'Bus Connection Block' (BCB) simplifies and speeds up wiring considerably. The new servo drives have the Hiperface DSL digital motor feedback interface as standard, but also offer the machine manufacturer a universal interface for a wide variety of encoder types.

Simplified wiring

The servo drives in the MDD 2000 series from Sigmatek are characterized by their versatility.

© Sigmatek

The 'DIAS-Drive MDD 2000' series is designed as a modular multi-axis servo system with one, two and three-axis modules in two sizes and different performance classes. The servo system can be operated in single-phase or three-phase with 230 to 480 V(AC). In addition to one to three axes, the supply, mains filter, braking resistor and DC link are also integrated in a space measuring just 75 mm x 240 mm x 219 mm in size 1.

The combined MDP 2000 supply and axis module with up to three integrated axes can be used standalone or in combination with any number of MDD 2000 axis modules of both sizes. All modules can be
All modules can be connected quickly and without tools to the 'DC Connection Block' (DCB) and 'Bus Connection Block' (BCB) using baying technology. This eliminates the need for individual wiring for power, DC link coupling and real-time Ethernet communication with Varan bus.
An integrated auto-tuning function and ready-made motion software modules in the extensive library of the 'LASAL' engineering platform shorten the application creation process.

You can also read the big story about the 'DIAS-Drive MDD 2000' here.