ACS Motion Control: Modular system, robotic tuning, stand-alone controller

ACS Motion Control introduced MC4U control systems that integrate controllers, drives, power supplies and additional I/O and networking capabilities; ACS motion controllers have advanced tuning tools for general automation and robotics; and SPiiPlus-LF motion controller is fast and accurate with sampling rate of 20kHz.

By Control Engineering Staff September 22, 2008

Plymouth, MN – ACS Motion Control introduced MC4U control systems that integrate controllers, drives, power supplies and additional I/O and networking capabilities; SPiiPlus-LF motion controller is fast and accurate with sampling rate of 20kHz; and ACS motion controllers have advanced tuning tools for general automation and robotics. ACS Motion Control is an international manufacturer of advanced multi-axis motion controllers, machine control systems and integrated control modules.

ACS Motion Control introduced MC4U control systems that integrate controllers, drives, power supplies and additional I/O and networking capabilities.

ACS Motion Control SPiiPlus-LF motion controller is fast and accurate with sampling rate of 20kHz.

ACS Motion Control motion controllers have advanced tuning tools for general automation and robotics.

ACS motion controllers for general automation and robotics applications ACS Motion Control developed motion control modules that it says are ideal for robotic applications. Featuring advanced tuning tools, including FFT analysis as well as profile and variable monitoring that provides quick and easy system setup, the ACS SPiiPlus and MC4U control modules optimize motion and offer flexible application programming using the ACSPL+ multi-tasking language that features 64-bit floating point math, vast array handling capabilities, and the use of user units.The high-performance, digital SPiiPlus Series and MC4U Series motion control modules use a flexible Connect command to easily implement the most complex forward and inverse kinematic equations.SPiiPlus Series and MC4U Series feature a 20kHz servo update rate and a 2kHz profile update rate for tight position control and synchronization with external processes. The dual loop control enhances responsiveness in lead-screw and belt driven based systems. The motion controllers’ open architecture design offers a variety of communication options including PCI-bus, serial and Ethernet communications. Remote monitoring is available using a TCP/IP Ethernet link. The modules also offer up to eight axis of arbitrary path generation with cubic interpolation (PVT).Optimized for motion control applications, ACS software tools are said to provide easy setup, tuning and programming and application simulation. The software enables the implementation of highly complex motion-time-event sequences with accurate positioning and timing. A free motion simulator can be downloaded. SPiiPlus-LF motion controller: fast, accurate motion, high sampling rate of 20kHz ACS Motion Control has developed a cost-efficient, stand-alone motion controller that provides multi-axis control for simple and demanding applications. Designated SPiiPlus-LF, the four axes motion controller features on-board assembly options to provide up to eight axes of control and off-board extensions to provide up to 64 axes of control using a CANOpen network. Programmable in either ACSPL+ or IEC61131-3, the SPiiPlus-LF provides fast, accurate motion and a high sampling rate of 20kHz.The SPiiPlus-LF high-performance motion controller architecture uses the same distributed multi-processor architecture as the rest of the SPiiPlus Family. It can be board mounted or mounted on a DIN rail.The controller can be used with various motor and drive types, such as piezo ceramic, direct drive rotary, linear servos, voice coils and low EMI linear amplifiers in applications including bio-medical, life sciences, lab automation, semiconductor manufacturing, wafer inspection and electronic assembly.The SPiiPlus-LF motion controller supports many modes, including point-to-point, jog, segmented, master-slave and arbitrary path with PVT cubic interpolation. The SPiiPlus-LF features third-order profile generation with on-the-fly velocity, acceleration, jerk and target position changes. The position event generator (PEG) and position registration (MARK) capabilities, both with sub-microsecond delay, ensure accurate and precise control. In addition, optional on-board Sin-Cos encoder interpolation is available.The ACS advanced SPiiPlus software is said to be optimized for motion control applications and provides easy setup, tuning, programming and application simulation. ACS Motion integrated modular control system, 9-in., 11-in. modules In July, the company expanded its configurable machine and motion control product offering to include 9-in. and 11-in. enclosures for two-to-four axes. Designated the MC4U 9″ and MC4U 11″, the cost-effective, high performance control systems integrate controllers, drives, power supplies and additional I/O and networking capabilities to provide complete control of machine automation functions — motion, logic, power and data.The MC4U 9-in. rack interfaces with four encoder feedbacks, has one HSSI channel, one RS-232 communication port and two Ethernet ports. In addition, it provides +/-10V drive commands for two external drives.The MC4U 11-in. rack interfaces with four encoder feedbacks, has two HSSI channels, one RS-232 communication port and two Ethernet ports.Designed for panel or rack mounting, all connections are accessible from the front, making the MC4U configurable to meet customer specifications. The MC4U also features logic control with OpenPLC standard IEC 61131-3 PLC control and communications for data management with two Ethernet ports.PWM drive blocks feature digital current loop control for smooth constant velocity; linear drives that eliminate jitter; and three-phase motor filters that increase motor functionality by reducing the common mode and the differential mode noise; to provide a low-noise, low-position jitter and low-cost motion control solution.Developed for OEM production, test or inspection equipment, semiconductor, electronic assembly, general automation, medical and flat panel display applications, the MC4U is is said to be the first configurable solution built using standard components, resulting in shorter development cycles, reduced risk and lower costs.– Edited by  Mark T. Hoske , editor in chief Control Engineering News Desk Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free .