Baldor Electric Co. has launched a new plug-in motion/machine control module for its Ethernet Powerlink drives. The new controller module allows machine builders to eliminate the need for a separate external network controller, along with all of the cabling and panel space that would normally be required.The new Mint Machine Module plugs into a hardware expansion slot in any of Baldor's MotiFlex range of Powerlink-compatible three-phase AC motor drives. Two variations of the card are offered: a dual-axis version that will control the host Powerlink drive plus another external drive via a conventional analog interface, or a high-speed version that will also act as a Powerlink network controller to manage a complete multi-axis control system. Both options are compatible with Baldor's powerful Mint motion language, with its rich development support.Two further expansion card slots on MotiFlex drives also allow a system to be configured with any of a comprehensive range of fieldbus interfaces including Profibus DP, DeviceNet, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, and CC-Link - to act as a gateway to PLCs, plus further I/O including encoder or resolver interfaces for dual loop feedback. The encoder option can, alternatively, be employed as a line shaft encoder for electronic geared motion applications.Baldor's Powerlink hardware comes with a machine control development environment called Mint. Mint provides a high level control language that is similar in style to BASIC, but with advanced structured programming features, multitasking support, and a library of high-level 'keywords' that provide ready-to-use software for common motion control (and machine control) functions. The Mint language can be used to create a standalone system. Alternatively, developers have the option of developing motion control programs on a host PC and transferring movement and I/O commands to the motion subsystem. Windows support is provided using the ActiveX protocol.http://www.baldormotion.com/products/servodrives/motiflex.asp
