Looking back on 2004 in motion control

With your busy schedules, you might have missed some of our coverage in the past year. Here are items from 2004 Control Engineering relating to motors, drives, and motion control that you might want to catch up on or revisit. Topics include field-oriented (vector) control for servos, historic perspective of ac drives, high-voltage motors, intelligent motion, etc.—in our print editions and accompanying Online Extra materials. Much more information is available and searchable at top of the home page of Control Engineering Online .

” Got Field-Ortiented Control for Servos ?” (Feb. 2004) If so, flaunt it. Many servo manufacturers offer field-oriented or vector control for brushless servo motors, but with much less publicity than for induction motors.

” AC Drives Stay Vital for the 21st Century ” (Sept. 2004) looks at the heritage of smaller, smarter, more efficient, and cost-effective variable-frequency drives (VFDs) spanning more than 50 years. Coupled with ever-higher drive performance, the evolution is still going strong.

” ‘Real’ High-Voltage Motors Are Here ” (Nov. 2004). Operating from input voltages up to 70 kV, recently introduced ac synchronous motors cut power losses and realize other benefits by direct connection to an electric utility distribution line.

Also watch for the December cover story, “Intelligent Motion Unites Diverse Worlds,” that’s just mailing to readers and soon to be posted online. It discusses developments that bring together logic control, power control, advanced diagnostics, machine safety, and a common set of software tools for all functions, adding a new level of intelligence to motion-control systems.

Finally, here are a couple of items from Discrete Control Monthly E-Newsletter earlier in 2004.

In ” NMW 2004: Motion and motor control highlights ,” Enfield Technologies’ servo-pneumatic motion control offering and Ethernet Powerlink real-time communication protocol from B&R Industrial Automation were notable developments.

” IMTS 2004: Baldor all stainless-steel servo motor “

Best wishes for the New Year; and I look forward to your continued readership in 2005.

—Frank J. Bartos, executive editor, Control Engineering, fbartos@reedbusiness.com

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