JVL Industri Elektronik A/S, the Danish motion control designer and manufacturer, has recently added a Wireless Industrial Ethernet communication option to its ServoStep™ integrated stepper motor series. Available with full support from Mclennan, JVL’s UK distribution partner, the new wireless option supports Profinet, EtherNet/IP and ModbusTCP/UDP protocols and is available across its MIS and MIL series integrated motors in NEMA sizes 17 and 43, offering output torques from 0.3 to 25 Nm.
Image Credit: JVL Industri Elektronik A/S
Industrial Ethernet brings added application flexibility for machine builders and OEMs and this option is particularly useful where wireless control is preferred or necessary for autonomous motion tasks. Application areas include battery powered AGVs , remotely operated machinery, theatre & stage automation systems etc, or where motion control from a tablet or mobile phone is required.
JVL’s ServoStep integrated stepper motors combine a microstepping motor and drive with motion controls and a variety of interfacing and comms’ modules in a single compact unit. The single package integrated motor solution makes wiring straightforward and significantly reduces installation costs, and furthermore provides much better electrical noise protection compared to cabinet housed drives with long noise-prone, motor power and control cable runs. The same ‘built-in technology is applied to JVL’s wide range of integrated servo motors – also available from Mclennan.
ServoStep’s feature a Hall-sensor and an encoder in a proprietary control technology that produces higher torque and precision compared to open loop stepper motors. Options are available with rare-earth rotor magnets that produce up to 40% more torque in same housing size. Motor power through the range spans from 50 to 400 W with speeds up to 3000 rpm and a step resolution of 0.01 revs.
An absolute multiturn encoder option boosts positioning resolution up to 409,600 counts per rev. Automatic current-control reduces heating and the quiet motor performance suits noise sensitive applications. The ServoStep MIS series is already available with wired Industrial Ethernet, which is compatible with all major Ethernet protocols - meeting the requirements for IIoT and Industry 4.0 with further options including STO SIL3 for machine safety. A built-in e-PLC™ with eight digital I/O points, or analogue inputs, adds additional application functionality.
Configuration, programming, and communication diagnostics is made straightforward with JVL’s MacTalk® PC application software which includes a graphical programming environment and a wide selection of motion control commands and machine I/O interaction functions.
JVL’s new Wireless Industrial Ethernet option can equally accommodate use with an antenna equipped PLC or a wireless access point for long range communications. MacTalk takes care of set-up with a range of commands including SSID, encryption and credentials as well as signal strength.
Two selectable operation modes are available: Station Client, which establishes wireless point to point control of individual antenna equipped integrated motors, and Access Point that allows a number of wirelessly-controlled motors to each be hard-wired to other ServoStep motors through a secondary Ethernet connection. Station Client mode is used where multi-axis synchronisation is not an issue, and Access Point mode should include a managed Ethernet switch of industrial grade in the wireless network topology for best axis and machine I/O synchronisation.
With its own UK-based design and build service Mclennan is a distribution partner for JVL and other selected motion control component and systems manufacturers, providing stepper and servo motor-based automation solutions from single components to complete systems including software, training and comprehensive after saes support.