Smart Motors

A little input from one of the "lurkers" on the integrated
motor/drive concept. I recently designed & built several units for a
pharmaceutical company, using 13 size 23 units per system. (10
metering pumps, 3 non synchronised motion axes.) The advantages of
daisy chaining for the control interface and for power distribution
were enormous, in terms of simplifying internal wiring. $500 per unit
is cheap in this sort of application. Motor heating is negligible,
given that loading is small and intermittent. The whole system is
driven from a PC with a VB application. Control is entirely performed
via USB with an RS232 hub in the system housing. The device fits on a
bench top. The prototype (separate drives, stepper motors.)was the
bench!
A size 34 unit used in a packaging application in 1998 is giving good
service also.
Thanks to all for the great information published on the group.

Adrian Sanderson.
(Another Brit in the USA)