EC: Allen-Bradley Kinetix 5500 servo drive with integrated safety

Motion Control — Servo Drives: The Kinetix 5500 drive controls servo and induction motors using EtherNet/IP to send safety, control, and motion signals over a single wire—eliminating needs for hardwired safety systems and vastly reducing development time. This is a Control Engineering 2015 Engineers’ Choice award winner.

By Control Engineering October 20, 2014

The Allen-Bradley Kinetix 5500 servo drive with integrated safety helps machine builders reduce development and installation time while increasing machine flexibility by using the EtherNet/IP network to streamline machine safety functions. This is an important capability for machine builders because production and safety requirements are constantly changing for end users in the packaging, converting, and material-handling industries.

The EtherNet/IP-enabled servo drive allows safety signals to travel via the same wires and IP addresses used for control and motion. This eliminates the need for a hardwired safety system and a dedicated motion network, reducing cabling by up to 60%. It also removes the need to create gateways to get information to or from secluded networks. Reducing overall system wiring saves time and money in installation and removes potential points of failure, resulting in less troubleshooting and downtime.

The Kinetix 5500 servo drive provides best-in-class power density that reduces the size of the drive and cabinet space required by up to 50%, and simplifies machine maintenance by minimizing the need to fuse or use contactors. Additionally, the system can be optimized to balance power use and lower energy needs because of its unique ability to share power across multiple drives.

The Kinetix 5500 drive also stands apart as it is the first Kinetix drive designed with an external common ac/dc bus connection system. This reduces hardware requirements and allows for seamless scalability, using a single platform for either single-axis or multiaxis systems.

Rockwell Automation

www.rockwellautomation.com