Baldor Electric Co. (Fort Smith, AR) launched its new NextStep intelligent three-axis drive for stepper motors, which incorporates a high-performance motion controller that runs the multi-tasking Mint motion language. The module is suitable for applications such as pick-and-place machinery and XYZ positioning tables, and includes both onboard I/O and a field-bus interface. Application versatility is further boosted by the ability to control a fourth external stepper motor.
The NextStep drive is provided in the form of a printed circuit board incorporating its own ac/dc power supply for simple integration by OEMs. Each of the three axes for stepper motors is capable of providing single- or half-stepping control, with a power stage capable of delivering 2A at 40V. If higher powers are required, stepper control signals can alternately be routed to external drives.
The motion control capability is based on a high-performance DSP core running the latest multi-tasking version of the Mint language - MintMT. An onboard I/O complement of 24 digital inputs, 16 digital outputs, two 12-bit differential analog inputs and an isolated output allows users to employ the module for machine control as well - eliminating the need for a separate I/O controller such as a PLC. The I/O may be expanded easily by means of the board's CANopen-compatible field-bus port.
