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SPS IPC Drives 2013 exclusive show report
Published:  06 January, 2014

Yaskawa used SPS to launch a regenerative converter suitable for either individual drives or systems of drives, servo axes or robots. The D1000 feeds excess braking energy back into the grid instead of converting it into heat. A sinusoidal input current reduces stresses in power supply components such as transformers. The three-phase D1000 will be available in 200V versions from 5–­130kW and 400V versions from 5­–630kW.

Yaskawa was also previewing a new version of its energy-saving Matrix Converter drive, which feeds regenerative braking energy back into the power grid. It says that the converter is much smaller than conventional regenerative systems. The device will be available in 200V versions with ratings from 5.5–75kW and 400V versions from 2.2–500kW.

CONTROLS AND HMIs

ABB has released a new version of its Freelance distributed control system for the process sector. At is heart is the AC 900F controller, which supports up to 1,500 I/O and 10 direct I/O modules, and offers faster connections, more data storage, and a faster processor.

New from Beckhoff is a family of IP65-protected all-in-one Panel PCs, designed to be installed on mounting arms. The CP23xx PCs have multitouch displays from 12–24”, in widescreen or 4:3 formats, and landscape or portrait orientations. There is a choice of processors from two-core Celeron to four-core i7 devices. Efficient cooling allows the PCs to be used up to 45°C.

Beckhoff also has a new range of DIN-rail-mountable embedded PCs which use the latest multicore Atom CPUs for improved performance. The fanless CX5100 PCs (above) have a low power consumption.

Beijer Electronics is offering two ranges of HMI-based soft controllers which combine its iX HMIs with Codesys programming software. For small-to-medium applications there is the iX TxA SoftControl which uses 400MHz ARM9 CPUs, while for medium-to-large applications there is the TxB version using 1.1GHz Atom CPUs and offering more memory. Both include touchscreens from 4–15 inches and offer a choice of remote I/Os and fieldbuses.

Bonfiglioli was demonstrating a new range of touchscreen 800 x 480 pixel HMIs in three sizes (3.5, 7 and 10”). The LED-backlit BMI displays include Ethernet, RS-232/485, and USB ports, and have IP65-protected front sides. 

B&R Automation has expanded its X20 control system to include two new controllers with integrated I/O and a choice of 200 or 400MHz x86 CPUs. The systems come with 30 digital I/O and two analogue input channels and integrated Powerlink. Ethernet, RS-232 and USB ports are available. B&R is also offering Hart input and output modules for its X20 communication modules.

In addition, B&R has added new controllers and terminals to its Power Panel touchscreen HMI family. The C70 controller has a 333MHz Atom CPU and can achieve cycle times as low as 1ms. It comes in three display sizes from 5.7–10.1”. The T30 terminal has two Ethernet interfaces and offers four displays from 4.3–10.1”.

Eaton has new range of touchscreen Panel PCs with dual-core 1.65Ghz CPUs and integrated graphics cards. The fanless XP500 PCs (above) run on Windows 7 and offer a choice of 10.1, 15.6 or 21.5” widescreen displays.

Following its acquisition of Crouse Hinds in 2012, Eaton has also launched a modular remote PC terminal for use in hazardous areas. The GeCma Pathfinder terminal is available in three versions: remote (RT); thin client (TC) and PC, with Ex zone 1/2 (gas) and 22 (dust) variants. There is a choice between copper transmission for distances up to 500m and fibre optic for up to 10km.

Sweden’s HMS Industrial Networks has come up with an extension module that allows users of Siemens’ Simatic S7-1200 PLCs to integrate CANopen devices into their automation systems. Up to three of the CM modules can be plugged into a S7-1200 and 16 CANopen slave modules connected to each module. The modules, which act as masters or slaves, translate between CANopen nodes and the PLC.

New from ifm electronic is a 32-bit controller for mobile applications with 64 multifunctional