To master the balancing act between cost and functionality, there are two fundamentally different basic versions of the Smart Motor Control Platform from Dunkermotoren:

Designed for efficiency, dMove drives can control the speed, position with Hall sensors and functions can be assigned to the digital inputs and outputs. CANopen communication with profile CiA 402 is also possible. Communication via an RS-485 interface is also possible on request. Customers who want to outsource some or all of the PLC functions to the motor and require the full range of features will find a solution with dPro drives. A high-resolution encoder is integrated. Interpolation, communication via Industrial Ethernet, Safe Torque Off, jerk-optimized ramps, absolute encoders and high-end motion functions are also possible with dPro drives.

The triumphal march of Industrial Ethernet will continue, and Dunkermotoren offers solutions that can be implemented with little effort. The Profinet interface is designed for BLDC motors in the dPro version including Profidrive with application classes 1 to 4. This enables synchronous operation of several axes, for example. Profidrive itself is a drive profile that significantly simplifies commissioning. Drives are simply integrated into the project planning environment and are immediately ready for operation. The OPC UA capability of Profinet is practically the gateway to the IoT universe. Dunkermotoren also supplies the completely revised dPro EtherCAT variants with Distributed Clocks as standard, providing the associated option of real-time synchronization.

Simply set up motors

The Drive Assistant 5 (DA5) PC software can be used to set up dMove and dPro motors with a bus interface as well as stand-alone motors. In stand-alone mode, these are parameterized once and then react independently to digital and analogue input signals and provide digital information on operation and faults. The Quickstart Plus function can be used to freely assign functions to digital inputs. For example, a fixed speed can be assigned to one combination of digital inputs, a position to the next combination and a maximum current to another combination, which limits the torque of the motor. In this way, comprehensive functions are possible as standard with a simple and very cost-effective motor. The tool is also used for tuning, firmware updates and error analysis. An oscilloscope is also integrated into the intuitive software.

Modular control concepts

Even before Industry 4.0, Dunkermotoren was already playing a pioneering role in smart integrated BLDC motors and decentralization together with customers. With the smart motor control platform, this path is being pursued and expanded. Everything is possible, from individual, independently operating motors to completely decentralized software architectures. Machines and systems can be easily subdivided into individual modules and put together according to the customer's requirements. Sequence programs can be conveniently programmed in C and loaded onto the corresponding motors. The entire functionality and all parameters of the motor can be accessed via the programming environment. This allows the programmer to focus entirely on his application. For a quick and easy introduction to programming, a ready-made template is already included, which provides many useful structures such as interaction with external tools or other motors.

The integrated solution often saves machine builders the need for a safety relay and the associated cabling work. In addition, further safety functions such as SS1 (Safe Stop 1) or SLS (Safely limited speed) can be easily implemented based on the integrated STO functionality and the integrated motor feedback.

Dunkermotoren uses its many years of experience with smart drives and customer applications to offer suitable IIoT solutions. This enables customers to implement their own digitalization projects with the help of applications without having to worry about connecting and analysing motors. The focus here is on Docker software solutions that run on common edge gateways. The software takes on the function of connecting the motors to the cloud or providing data for customer applications. At the same time, a device cloud is created that acts as a location-independent remote platform. This enables analysis functions such as the prediction of failure probabilities or remote firmware downloads.

Dunkermotoren has been developing and producing integrated DC servomotors based on brushless DC motors for over 20 years. During this time, a large number of functions have been created, further developed and optimized. All these existing functions, which are now called "features", have been implemented in the new motor control platform. Mechanically, the changeover and backwards compatibility is simplified by flying adapter couplings. This enables service and replacement of components on machines in the field.

Tobias Pfendler, Head of Marketing and Product Strategy, Dunkermotoren