Igus Develops Two New Motor Control Systems

Igus has developed two new cost-effective and easy-to-operate control systems so that users from all areas of industry can quickly start up their motorized drylin E drive axes.

The D3 dryve controls simple linear or rotations axes with DC motors without any software or a PC. For more complex travels, such as with multi-axis robots or delta robots, Igus offers the D1 drive, which is a control system for stepper motors, DC motors of EC/BLDC motors. The motor control system can be modified live or simply operated via a web browser.

Industry 4.0, IoT and M2M are fields calling for real products and solutions that promote factory digitalization and automation. With its low-cost automation range, Igus offers multiple solutions for a variety of applications. In its drylin product range, the motion plastics specialist has been offering self-lubricating linear axes with matching stepper and DC motors for several years. From low-cost solutions, for very simple movements, to rails made of stainless steel, Igus offers a wide variety of options to suit many application requirements. 

Depending on the process, the customer is supplied with the axis or linear robot that will best meet their requirements. With “drylin E," users can deploy the already-configured self-lubricated linear or rotational axes, which are ready-to-install and can be motorized in different installation sizes as a single axis, or a linear robot structure in the case of format and height adjustment systems or pick-and-place applications.

For easy control and operation of the axes, Igus' D3 dryve offers users a motor control system for simple movement and the D1 dryve, a motor control system for more complex tasks. This allows a variety of tasks to be automated without the need for advanced programming.

The D3 control system was developed to perform simple tasks quickly and cost-effectively. The control system is designed for all standard DC motors. 

"When developing the D3 dryve, we mainly focused on enabling a simple, user-friendly start-up for anyone,’’ said Rene Erdmann, head of business unit drylin e-drive technology. 

No licenses or software are needed for installation of the control system as all functions have been integrated into the device directly. An 8-page manual ensures that the control system is set up very quickly. Simply connect the control system to a 24V power supply and set the operating mode, end-position switch-off, and the motor current via DiP switches. The speed can be adjusted with an integrated rotary controller. Current-limiting is done by means of a screwdriver with another controller. Once made, the settings are permanently stored. An LED display indicates the current status of the control system to the user via various colors.