TRINAMIC Motion Control GmbH & Co. KG today introduced the TMCM-1321, which it claimed is the smallest and lowest-power single-axis servo controller and driver module with integrated motion control. The module enables two-phase bipolar stepper motors in robotics and automation equipment to optimize speed and synchronization of axes for quicker throughput while also reducing power loss by 75%, said the company.
The TMCM-1321 features an on-board magnetic encoder and digital inputs for an optical encoder to simplify servo control for advanced feedback and diagnostics, improving productivity, TRINAMIC said.
“When selecting an energy-efficient drive, engineers tend to look at servo drives,” said Jonas Proeger, director of business management at Trinamic. “However, stepper motors have a considerably higher torque than servo motors of comparable size at low speeds.”
“This makes stepper motors well-suited to get rid of a costly and inefficient gearbox without losing positioning accuracy when you combine them with closed-loop control,” he said. “You get the efficiency of a servo motor at the cost of a stepper motor.”
TMCM-1321 offers simpler designs
The TMCM-1321 module features linear ramping, Trinamic SixPoint ramping, and advanced S-shaped ramping to speed effective transfer time, said TRINAMIC. This allows robotics developers to implement a ramping profile that matches an application's needs, it claimed.
The Hamburg, Germany-based company added that its closed-loop technology uses direct feedback to automatically reduce power loss by up to 75%. It said this provides best-in-class power savings when compared with similar stepper motors.
Together with an RS-485 interface and TRINAMIC's integrated development environment (IDE), the TMCM-1321 module can simplify design and reduce stepper motor size by more than three times, said the company. The TMCM-1321 module, together with magnetic encoder and digital ABN inputs, has a size of 784 mm2 (30.8 sq. in.).
The TMCM-1321 module is available now for $119.40 each through TRINAMIC-authorized distributors.
About TRINAMIC
TRINAMIC Motion Control is part of San Jose, Calif.-based Maxim Integrated Products Inc. The company said that the combination of its motion-control expertise with Maxim Integrated's analog power process and communications technology empowers intelligent motion.
TRINAMIC said its integrated controllers, modules, mechatronic systems, and developer toolkits can help software engineers accelerate their products' time to market by using precision drives that enable efficient, smooth, and quiet motion.