Half motor half logic controller

A DC motor with a built-in logic controller has been developed that has fewer parts, is easy to program and provides fast installation and commissioning. Dean Palmer reports Design engineers responsible for motion control applications normally use a combination of individual components such as an electric motor, logic controller, gearbox, limit switches and timers to solve the overall problem. The tricky bit is getting all the different assemblies and components integrated and synchronised correctly for optimum performance and reliability. But a recent development could help solve this headache. Crouzet has developed a DC brushless motor with a built-in, fully featured logic controller (Crouzet's Millenium II intelligent programmer) that is available with or without an integrated reduction gearbox. Dubbed 'Motomate', the unit was officially launched at the end of April and provides a motor solution that has fewer parts, requires less space and, according to the company, "significantly reduces installation time." Motomate's low maintenance DC motor gives a life of more than 20,000 hours and its brushless design reduces mechanical and electrical noise. The optional gearbox can be specified with an in-line or right angled output shaft to suit a range of applications. The integrated programmable motor control provides simple positioning and enables precise power delivery from the motor, including ramp up to overcome the inertia of the load, close control of running speed and ramping down of the motor power for smooth operation of doors or barriers. Installation is easy and as there is no interconnecting wiring to other devices, commissioning is quick and straightforward. Control and sequencing programs can be downloaded quickly into the built-in controller using a laptop and program changes can be made from a remote location and then e-mailed to site saving travel and time expenses. Motomate requires minimal maintenance and, in the event of a replacement unit being required, there is just one unit to install with the logic program being quickly downloaded into the new device. The new units come in 30 or 80W and are ideal for applications such as automatic doors, moving billboards, robotics, conveyor systems, machine subassemblies, security barriers and lift doors. The inputs and outputs on the controller allow additional sensors or actuators to be connected making the unit suitable for a wide range of more complex systems. Crouzet's manager who demonstrated the unit at Eureka's offices commented: "We have a low cost, non-programmable version of Motomate in the pipeline and an optional 48V version for larger industrial machines." He also said that currently Motomate, with an 80W motor, will cost customers around £200-£215, plus an extra £90 for the logic controller. If a gearbox is required, he estimated the total package price to be around £600. When you compare this price with an alternative solution, Motomate looks like it should compete very well with the competition. He gave an example of using an asynchronous motor and frequency inverter as an alternative solution, which he claimed might cost anything from £1,500 to £3,000. Pointers * The combination of integrated parts, ease of programming and simple fitting means Motomate is quick to install and service * The unit has fewer components for a motion control application and so is able to deliver start-up torque more efficiently and takes up less space * The built-in logic controller enables the configuration to be done with the software in one place, at one time