Universal Drives Compatible with Countless Motion Control Applications

Small frame, fractional horsepower motors are used in several applications that require precise speed, torque and positioning, such as medical and lab equipment, mobile robotics, semiconductor processing, industrial and agricultural automation. Among the challenges that design and control engineers must address are the pairing of motors with compatible drive electronics. Although these challenges can be daunting, there are solutions available to provide an affordable and easy-to-use platform that minimizes potential compatibility issues.

Motor compatibility issues

Motors and drives must be properly matched and configured to ensure compatibility and optimal performance in regard to current, voltage, power and control requirements. Incompatibilities can lead to several problems such as motor overheating, excessive noise, inaccurate positioning, poor torque capability or fluctuating speed. While these problems may compromise the performance of the motion control system, they can also eventually lead to premature failure of the motor, drive electronics or the mechanical system that is being controlled. It is therefore incumbent for design and control engineers to carefully perform simulations, develop prototypes and test motor and drive combinations to ensure optimal and reliable performance.

The universal drive for the job

ElectroCraft, a global developer and provider of motor and motion control products, has developed the CompletePower Plus Series, Universal Drive family of DC motor drives (Figure 1). Together with the ElectroCraft CompleteArchitect configuration software, design and control engineers can take performance, efficiency and flexibility to the next level by utilizing state-of-the-art digital drive technology coupled with an intuitive and highly configurable user interface. This universal drive offers a variety of control methods, including velocity, torque or position control using built-in I/O signals or by sending commands over CAN bus communications. The drive is fully compatible with a wide range of motor architectures, including brushless DC (BLDC) motors, permanent magnet DC (PMDC) brush motors and open- and closed-loop stepper motors. The ElectroCraft CompletePower Plus Universal Drive is available in five standard configurations that support from 12 V DC up to 80 V DC motor windings and can provide up to 40 A (continuous) and 100 A (peak) output current. Customized versions are also available to meet large volume OEM requirements. The flexibility of this line of drives, together with the ElectroCraft CompleteArchitect configuration software, provides customers with a technologically advanced and powerful motor drive that can be used with numerous motors. Combined with an extensive product line of motors, gear boxes linear actuators and sensors, ElectroCraft can offer complete motion control solutions for an array of applications in countless different industries. Customers can save valuable time and resources by sourcing motors and drives from ElectroCraft that are designed to work together flawlessly, with minimal effort to configure and optimize.