If it’s true that those who stop moving will be left behind, Mini Motor and its constant forward motion are solidly on a path leading to the future. This is borne out not only by Mini Motor’s numbers, but also – and above all – by the company’s ability to apply vision, ideas and resources to the creation of excellent products.
The DBS 80 and the new DR series are the concrete results of this ability. Let’s take a close look at both, starting with the DBS 80.
By now, the DBS Series by Mini Motor needs no introduction.
Ever since it entered the market, the family of brushless servomotors with an integrated drive from Mini Motor has set a new standard of productive excellence in terms of rationalization, integration, and performance, and has distinguished itself in the world of automation and motion control for its superlative build quality and unparalleled reliability over time.
And today, the DBS range is ready to grow. It boasts a new format called the DBS 80: a brushless servo motor with integrated drive, 80 mm switching panel and 48 VDC voltage requirement. It’s capable of unleashing up to 660 W of power with 2.1 Nm of nominal torque.
The product also offers the full set of features that have positioned the DBSrange by Mini Motor at the very top of the market. These include:
• the ability to daisy chain a number of motors using the major communication protocols employed for industrial purposes: EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP, Powerlink, Modbus, PROFINET I/O and CANOpen;
• the inclusion of an SSI multi-turn absolute encoder at 4096- PPR, which provides maximum freedom to adjust speed and position while maintaining distance – even when powered down;
• compact, seamless integration of all elements motor, drive, and gear (if installed) – combined into a single product of indisputable excellence.
The new DBS 80 is available in two power sizes (stator pack length: 50 mm and 100 mm). Like its predecessors, it’s designed for precision automation and motion control, and is capable of performing highly precise, dynamic movements in any application.
It is therefore perfectly suitable for use in all those sectors that require especially precise and controlled motions, such as the ceramics, packaging, and bottling industry. However, thanks to the implementation of the principle field busses, the DBSrange is the perfect solution for meeting automation requirements in all production situations.
Its many benefits include:
• ease of installation
• reduced amount of wiring
• lower costs
Underlying what we have said thus far is the core concept of the Mini Motor philosophy: motor and gear unit are completely integrated right from the design phase, an approach that has enabled the company to diversify on the market and provides higher performance than most competitors.
Inaugurating the marketing of the new DBS 80 are the words of mechanical engineer Alessandro Cicolella, the director of the Mini Motor technical department, who describes the circumstances in which the new product was developed and outlines the path that is still being followed: “With the expansion of the DBS range, Mini Motor has once again remained faithful to its concept of motor gear-drive integration, thus strengthening its position as a cutting-edge company in the field of mechatronics. Our partners and customers believe in our work. Like us, they are convinced that the future of automation will be firmly grounded in high-quality design, compactness, integration, and connectivity”.
But the DBS 80 is not the only great new idea that distinguishes the activity of Mini Motor in this new year of 2019. Another creation has finally seen the light of day and is ready to revolutionize the company’s market in a remarkable way.
It’s called the DR SERIES and it is the new range of devices which Mini Motor has created to bring all its classic single- and three-phase gear motors in line with the company’s highly-advanced project guidelines: INTEGRATION, COMPACTNESS, CONNECTIVITY, AND DESIGN.
The DR range is composed of sensorless integrated drives, which can
therefore be directly applied to the motors without the need for an encoder, and which elevates the classic gear motors on the market to a smart all in- one model: a perfectly integrated combination of MOTOR, GEAR UNIT, AND DRIVE.
The technology used is the same as for the DBS Series, and they also feature the same extensive functionality and advantages that the new generation of Mini Motor products offers.
In fact, DR series drives provide daisy chain control – through input and output – of large groups of motors, which minimizes complexity and reduces the amount of wiring required. The final result are systems that are more neatly ordered and more compact.
However, the guiding principle of total integration is not only applied to the hardware. It’s also reflected in the software applications designed by Mini Motor to interface with the motors. This combination offers possibilities previously unimaginable for classic gear motors, such as realtime torque and speed control, a gathering of data and diagnostic information, and the prevention of machine errors.
The control systems communicate with the drive via a Micro USB interface, while the operator can manage motor settings and parameters via an app installed on any device connected via WiFi.
Some of the key advantages offered by the application of DR devices include:
• Constant speed can be maintained even as the load on the motors changes
• A reduction in overall space of up to 50%
• A reduction in the length of wiring used of up to 50%
• Significant reductions in energy consumption due to integration between the motor, gear unit and drive
Sectors such as logistics, packaging, and food&beverage will enjoy the greatest advantages from the introduction of the DR Series.
Series motor applications in systems with large numbers of format changes, for example, can be controlled simultaneously via a single PLC, instead of requiring intervention on each individual element; this principle also applies to the power supply for conveyor belts, trolleys and all systems which require adjustment on the basis of the product being processed.
For Mini Motor, the introduction of this new range of devices means virtually updating its entire classic range of gear motors up to a 240-watt power output, with the prospect – already being analyzed – of extending the range up to 740-watt applications.
Aside from the obvious strategic value of this operation for the company, the deeper meaning behind the launch of the DR Series is summed up as follows by mechanical engineer Alessandro Cicolella: “In Mini Motor, innovation is the bread and butter of dozens of people who are researching and developing tomorrow’s automation and motion control systems every day.
But our view of progress would be too narrow if we did not take into consideration the present as a founding element of the future.
In other words, the principle of total integration between the motor, gear unit, and drive must apply, and be applied, also to products developed according to other models. Continuing to experiment and obtain success in this direction will tell us how effective our approach to the future is, and therefore how valid our strategic choices are.”
www.minimotor.com