Rohnert Park, CA, March 10, 2008 – Compax3 digital servo drives have been enabled with ETHERNET Powerlink (EPL) motionbus technology. With all 12 power levels of the Compax3 drives now EPL enabled, system performance is increased while overall system cost and installation time have been decreased.ETHERNET Powerlink is a high-speed, digital motionbus solution connecting a motion controller to multiple drives and I/O points using standard Ethernet networking hardware. This centralized, real-time communication system for automation and motion control makes Ethernet deterministic for real-time industrial applications. ETHERNET Powerlink systems combine the high performance of centralized motion control with the lower costs of decentralized machine architectures.
System design and machine installation times are greatly reduced due to the simplified, inexpensive and readily available Ethernet cables that replace traditional, expensive analog control and feedback cables. The Compax3 family joins three power levels of the Aries EPL servo drives as well as the ACR9030 and ACR9040 multi-axis EPL controllers in Parker’s expanding line of EPL products.Jay Schultz, a product manager for Parker’s Electromechanical Automation Division, said that the industrial packaging markets will especially benefit from this drive expansion. He noted that because the Compax3 EPL-enabled servo drives come in 12 power levels, ranging from .5kW to 100kW, the family gives packagers more options for high-axis-count machines.
The Compax3 servo drives also includes Category 3 Safety – another feature of interest for industrial markets.The unique benefits of an EPL system appeal to a broad range of market segments. The Ethernet connections result in higher reliability and decreased installation times for all machine builders. These benefits directly translate into greater machine up time and faster time to market – both critical success factors for OEMs.
About Parker Electromechanical Automation
A division of Parker Hannifin Corporation's Automation Group since 1987, Electromechanical Automation is a pioneer, developer and manufacturer of full-spectrum computer-based motion controllers, servo/step motor drives, servo motors and human-machine interfaces, positioning systems, gear heads and gear motors. These products automate the manufacturing of a significant fraction of the world’s goods and services. Electromechanical Automation products are sold via independent authorized Automation Technology Centers- a group of nearly 100 professional, highly trained organizations with more than 135 points- of-presence throughout the world—or buy directly from Electromechanical Automation.
About Parker Hannifin
With annual sales exceeding $10 billion, Parker Hannifin is the world's leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of commercial, mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs more than 57,000 people in 43 countries around the world. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 51 consecutive years, among the top five longest-running dividend-increase records in the S&P 500 index.
