Advanced safety module for compact servo drives

Yaskawa is adding an extra safety card to its Sigma-7 servo systems series. This card provides up to 16 safety functions (including functions for the highest level, SIL3/PLe), up to ten of which can be activated simultaneously. The new addition makes it possible to implement even the most demanding safety applications, as required by an automated production landscape that is becoming ever more flexible.

A new safety data sheet has been added to the portfolio of the Sigma-7 series produced by Yaskawa. The option module is available in two versions to ensure a particularly high degree of flexibility: alongside the version with FSoE communication and 14 safety functions, the module also comes in a version with 16 safety functions and extra inputs and outputs, which allows the safety functions to be activated and deactivated directly without any safety controller. This results in cost benefits, especially for smaller facilities. Of course, this version also includes an FSoE interface.

Precise positioning, reliable operation and simple start-up

High-resolution encoders with a resolution of 24 bits guarantee precise control and short settling times within a range of a few milliseconds, making the servo drives from the Sigma-7 series suitable for even the most demanding positioning tasks. Operating vibrations can be automatically suppressed, thereby significantly improving production processes and product quality while also increasing machine output. The Sigma-7 servo systems are designed for a long service life and operate at ambient temperatures between 0 and +55 °C without additional cooling. Sophisticated algorithms in the amplifier software simplify start-up: the “tuningless” function, for example, automatically adjusts the controller parameters to changing load cases and therefore lets you use the drive immediately “out of the box”. Alternatively, in the case of constant requirements, the “autotuning” function enables rapid adaptation to the machine without special knowledge of control equipment. The new safety modules make it simple and easy to utilize the full performance capabilities of the Sigma-7 series drives in a huge variety of applications.