Tech Briefs Magazine - December 2022 - 7

shooting for a 5 or 10 to 1 reflected inertia
ratio, with today's more advanced
drives, we can get closer to 25 or 30 to 1.
This is thanks to the high speed of the
drives and feedback devices which make
fine adjustments quicker than previous
drives could do. We can now get more
work done with a smaller, more compact
motor, which is worth keeping in
mind when replacing motors. Many
people still replace same with same
without looking into the benefits that
new technology can deliver.
Some modern actuators, for example,
come integrated with pre-mounted
and pre-tested servo motors. These
have a drive built into the rear housing
or otherwise attached to the motor itself.
They offer most of the performance
of a full servo system, although
restricted bus voltages may limit speed
a little. Integrated servo motors eliminate
some cabling and simplify setup,
making it much easier for technicians
new to servos to get a system up and
running sooner.
Recent advancements in drive and
motor technology are bringing brushless
motor performance to linear actuators
at a significantly lower price than was
previously possible. These new actuators
offer higher speeds, longer life, and less
maintenance as well as the ability to recover
energy from helping loads to recharge
system batteries. While these actuators
may not have the same closed
loop positional accuracy as traditional
servo motor actuators, they do offer better
control than comparable hydraulic
systems - and with fewer parts and overall
lower system costs. (Figure 4)
Pairing the motor selection and the
actuator selection also simplifies the
ordering process; reduces the need for
additional after-installation validation;
increases reliability; and simplifies
maintenance, reducing the total cost of
owning and operating an actuator system.
Because pre-mounted servo motors
must be limited in size, they may
not be appropriate for applications requiring
larger systems. Although precision
linear actuators with integrated
servo motors do tend to be on the
smaller side, large actuators with integrated
large servo motors are available.
The Next Wave
As motor system technology advances,
it will play an increasingly imMotion
Design, December 2022
portant role in manufacturing strategies.
Modern drives will likely have internet
connectivity and communicate
with popular communications interfaces
and protocols such as Ethernet,
ProfiBus, and CAN bus. Motors will be
more accessible and configurable across
plant networks, making it easier to control
and configure existing applications,
while delivering visualization that
could suggest new productivity and
cost-saving applications.
This article was written by Andrew
Skidmore, Senior Project Engineer at
Thomson Industries,
Inc.
(Radford,
VA). For more information, visit www.
thomsonlinear.com.
Precision
Motion Control
for Your Toughest Automation Challenges
FIND YOUR
SOLUTION
7
http://www.thomsonlinear.com http://info.hotims.com/82328-737
Tech Briefs Magazine - December 2022

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