Canton, MA, January 30, 2008 — StepNet™AC microstepping drives run directly on 115/230 AC enabling high speed performance and eliminating the DC power supply. StepNet™AC can operate stepper motors as brushless servo motors taking full advantage of the step motor's high torque density while delivering quiet, smooth operation without stalling or lost steps. Sophisticated control modes are available including indexing, point-to-point, cam operation and gearing. Measuring 146 x 119 x 55 mm, Stepnet AC drives deliver 7A peak current.
StepNet™AC drives control two-phase stepper motors in networked multi axis systems. The drives operate as nodes on a CANopen bus under the DSP402 CANopen motion control protocol. Embedded intelligence enables each drive to execute point-to-point moves with S-curve profiling. More complex profiles, defined by a series of position•velocity•time points, are executed using polynomial interpolation for best fit contouring. The CANopen DSP402 protocol enables multiple steppers to be synchronized for coordinated multi-axis control.
StepNet™ modules also function as stand-alone step motors drives, in addition to their CANopen multi axis networking role. When used with a dedicated motion controller, the drives accept step & direction inputs, ±10V commands and A/B quadrature encoder signals for electronic gearing. DeviceNet and an ASCII interface are also provided for seamless integration into PLC systems.
The flexible connectivity and operating modes of StepNet™ drives enable stepper motors to be mixed with servo motors in multi axis automation. Designers of packaging, assembly, laboratory, medical and manufacturing automation equipment can now select the best motor for each task.