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NI expands motion controls tie-up with Kollmorgen
Published:  05 July, 2013

National Instruments is expanding its motion control collaboration with Kollmorgen to offer products including drives, motors, linear positioners, gearheads, cables and accessories. It says that the collaboration will simplify the design of sophisticated machinery and equipment.

NI already provides motion hardware that is programmed via its LabView SoftMotion module, and uses LabView’s reconfigurable I/O architecture, to create configurable motion systems that are integrated with its measurement and control I/O portfolio. The tie-up with Kollmorgen extends the offering to include servo and stepper technologies across various drive and motor product families.

For example, Kollmorgen’s EtherCat-supporting AKD brushless servo drives can be integrated with SoftMotion, allowing machine-builders to create high-axis-count servo systems without needing to do any EtherCat programming. These servo systems can synchronise with modules from NI’s PXI or CompactRIO systems.

NI will also be selling Kollmorgen’s new AKM motor, which combines power and feedback signals in one cable, cutting wiring costs and complexity.

Kollmorgen's AKD servo system integrates directly with NI's SoftMotion

“NI offers a new global channel and unrivalled customer support for our products,” says Kollmorgen’s vice-president and general manager, Ray Butler.