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Industry 4.0: Control units for Motion Control and IoT

The new control technology will be a highlight on the Baumüller exhibition stand. The b maXX PLC combines the properties of industrial PCs and PLC control units, thereby covering the area between these existing solutions optimally. b maXX PLC is available in two versions: The b maXX PLC mc controls motion-control applications and, used in combination with the extensive Baumüller technology libraries, it enables fast implementation of high-performance automation tasks. With the b maXX PLC IoT Industry 4.0 version, data can be collected directly at the machine, preprocessed, and output to other terminal devices or the cloud. They make extensive and complex data analyses, in order to enable Industry 4.0 applications, such as predictive maintenance and predictive quality as well as connectivity to AI. At the same time, new business models such as “pay per x” can be implemented.

The Node-RED software is also implemented on the b maXX PLC IoT. This allows users to set individual parameters to analyze data or even create their own dashboards. The available MQTT module allows data to be sent to different clouds, regardless of the respective cloud provider. It also includes an OPC-UA module, which ensures interoperability at machine level.

Data from different manufacturers’ devices can be processed. Data from Baumüller products, e.g. a b maXX converter, can be output parallel to the field bus through the internal protocol and thus through the service interface. Due to the enhanced functions, the connectivity of Baumüller devices, such as b maXX PLC IoT, with other automation components can be established via OPC UA.

Thanks to the HMI certified according to IEC 62443 and secure routers, which meet the requirements of the BSI (German Federal Office for Information Security), the requirements of industrial security are also met.

New in the portfolio: Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR)

In addition, Baumüller Anlagen-Systemtechnik GmbH is also announcing its partnership with SESTO Robotics in Singapore in time for the Hannover Messe Digital Edition 2021. With this move, Baumüller adds innovative AMR solutions to its portfolio. The AMRs can be equipped flexibly with different payloads up to 300 kg and increase productivity in production and logistics through shortened walkways, faster transportation times and flexibility in the use of materials and tools.

Connectivity: Full-scale flexibility in system architecture

Baumüller enables its systems and components to be flexibly combinable with all types of machine controls. The automation specialist in Nuremberg achieves this with an unusually broad offer of fieldbuses. The Baumüller servo drives thus cover all commonly used bus systems such as CANopen, VARAN, Modbus TCP, ProfiNet IRT, EtherNET/IP, EtherCAT, Sercos, Profibus or Powerlink. With the certification of its b maXX 5000 and b maXX 3000 servo drives to the latest standard for PROFINET IRT last year, Baumüller enables clock-synchronous data exchange with cycle times under 1 ms for high-precision motion control tasks. The start of a bus cycle can therefore be met with top precision, the requirement for highly dynamic processes with many axes to be controlled in the machine.

Motion Performance: Higher Speed and even more dynamics

Baumüller will be presenting several updates of successful motor series. The DS2+ synchronous motors expand the existing series of high-performance main drives to include a higher speed range. Maximum speeds up to 5000 min-1 and nominal speeds up to 4500 min-1 are now possible in sizes 100 and 132. The new models are of interest for injection casting machines or for printing, forming and textile machines, for example.

Another highlight is the option of oil cooling for all synchronous servo motors and synchronous main drives of the sizes 45-200. With this expansion, mechanical engineers can now cool motors efficiently with hydraulic oil. This is of special interest e.g. for servo hydraulic applications. Compared with air-cooled motors, the power density of the oil-cooled motors is considerably higher, so that the motors can be designed with smaller dimensions. Higher economic efficiency is also possible, since a recooling unit is no longer needed. A higher dynamic in the process is also possible. 

As a third innovation in motor technology, Baumüller is showing an expansion of the DSD2-100 servo motor series, which has been extended by an additional length for considerable improved dynamics. This significantly expands the torque and power spectrum. Therefore, if high torque requirements exist, it is no longer necessary to choose a larger size, which would have a negative effect on the dynamics. With the DSD2-100 servo motors and their new overall length, Baumüller now offers peak torques of up to 400 Nm with excellent acceleration properties in a package, for example, for textile and injection casting machines.  

Powerful drive systems from one single source

Baumüller offers drive systems with nominal torques of up to 60,000 Nm and brings along years of experience in equipping metal-forming machines, plastics machines and shredders. The high-pole high-torque DST2 motors from Baumüller are in use as direct drives in numerous sectors, in industrial mechanical engineering and mobile drive technology. To match these, Baumüller offers its b maXX 5000 servo drives as stackable axes or as efficient mono units, which can be used individually or in a group, with outputs up to 315 kW. With up to 2.8 times the overload, the new b maXX 5370 axis units that can be aligned are specially designed for top-level applications. The compact units are also available as a system with torque motors with multiple winding. This means that several converters in parallel can operate a motor, so that motors within the megawatt power range can be controlled with Baumüller converters. Baumüller implements systems for particularly high peak loads with the DC link system, which absorb the process-related peaks and so the connected load and therefor the energy costs of the operator can be kept low. The DC link system also enables the feedback of energy in generator mode, for example, for test benches. 

Current events

At the digital Hannover Messe from April 12 thru 16, Baumüller will participate in various events and will inform about trends and solutions in drive and automation technology. In the presentations, Baumüller experts will provide information on the topics of predictive maintenance, predictive quality and IoT solutions using servohydraulic applications as an example. Details on the events and registration are available at www.baumueller.com/de/hmi-digital.