TRINAMIC’s new servo controller/driver module advances automation

TRINAMIC Motion Control GmbH & Co. KG, now part of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., recently introduced the smallest and lowest-power, single-axis servo controller/driver module with integrated motion control.

The new TMCM-1321 servo controller/driver 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 percent.

It features an on-board magnetic encoder and digital inputs for an optical encoder to simplify servo control for advanced feedback and diagnostics and is more than three times smaller when compared with similar stepper-motor solutions.

The TMCM-1321 module features linear ramping, Trinamic SixPoint ramping, as well as advanced S-shaped ramping to speed effective transfer time. Trinamic’s closed-loop technology uses direct feedback to automatically reduce power loss by 75 percent.

Together, with an RS-485 interface and Trinamic’s integrated development environment, the TMCM-1321 module simplifies design and reduces stepper-motor size by more than three times.

Advantages

Reduced power: Trinamic closed-loop technology provides best-in-class power savings when compared to similar stepper-motor solutions.
Increase productivity: Improve effective transfer time by implementing the ramping profile that matches the application’s demands.
Shrink solution size: The TMCM-1321 module, together with magnetic encoder and digital ABN inputs, provides the smallest single-axis servo controller/driver solution size of 784 mm.

“When selecting an energy efficient drive, engineers tend to look at servo drives. However, stepper motors have a considerably higher torque than servo motors of comparable size at low speeds,” said Jonas Proeger, director of Business Management at Trinamic. “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: you get the efficiency of a servo motor at the cost of a stepper motor.”