The new drives deliver a very high level of performance with a peak current capability that is up to twice that of many similar drives on the market.

Braunschweig, Germany, 10 June 2013 --- Metronix has added a low cost option

to its range of intelligent servomotor drives. The new drives - ARS
21xx/23xx SE - offer motion control system builders a platform to boost the
performance of machines and automation while substantially decreasing costs.

The new drives deliver a very high level of performance with a peak current
capability that is up to twice that of many similar drives on the market -
allowing faster acceleration - and offer great applications versatility
thanks to universal encoder interfacing. However, they also reduce costs by
a significant margin compared with other similar drives from Metronix by
stripping out the Safe Torque Off feature.

This provides system builders with a very cost effective drive for
applications that do not require advanced functional safety, and where a
simpler disabling mechanism based on electrical contactors is all that is
required. In numerous other applications, safety disabling features might
not be needed at all because the drive is inside a closed system that cannot
be accessed during operation. The approach might also be used when machine
manufacturers are asked to fit machines with a user's preferred brand of
PLC. Due to the complexity and costly commissioning required for some
fieldbus-based safety concepts, external safety devices might be preferred.
There are a number of machine building companies that have not adopted
drive-integrated safety and continue to use external safety devices for
various reasons. Or, a machine vendor might choose to offer a proprietary
safety concept.

The ARS 21xx/23xx SE family of compact panel/cabinet-mounting drives are
available in a choice of six single- or three-phase continuous output power
ratings from 0.5 to 6 kVA (with peak output powers from 1 to 12 kVA).

The new drives incorporate two advanced features that are proving very
popular with current Metronix customers. The first is an extremely compact
design with integrated line and motor filters plus an integrated brake
chopper and braking resistor. This is a typical characteristic of all
Metronix drives - which are provided ready to use - avoiding the additional
costs of external EMC filters and wiring.

The second feature is an increased overcurrent capability of four times the
continuous output rating. This compares with the approximately two times
overcurrent rating offered by many other servo drive manufacturers. The
feature typically allows the speed of moves and the overall throughput of
machines to be increased by factors from around 17 to 25 %. Metronix's tests
demonstrate that these drives provide overall increases in automation
productivity of around 5 to 7% in typical continuous processing
applications.

The new drives also feature a universal encoder interfacing capability that
allows connection to resolvers, analog/digital incremental encoders, and
single/multiturn absolute encoders such as HIPERFACE or EnDat. Standard
communications interfaces include the CAN fieldbus - compatible with the DS
402 CANopen device profile. One further feature is an SD Card interface,
which can be used to store firmware and operating parameters. This allows
the drives to be commissioned very easily, and facilitates an easy
change-out by maintenance workers - without any need for a sophisticated
software parameterization tool. The drives come in case sizes with widths of
54 or 69 mm (2.1 or 2.7 inches).

The drives' built-in intelligence provides enormous flexibility for system
builders. It allows engineers to create highly cost-effective drive-based
solutions easily for many common applications requiring one or a few axes,
or economic solutions for subsystems in processing equipment performing
functions such as labelling or handling. Other common applications include
functions such as synchronizing, sorting and a flying saw, and axes that
automate auxiliary machinery functions such as set up and guarding. The
drives can also be used in more complex multi-axis machinery and plant
automation - which can now be designed in a more flexible way thanks to
Metronix's expanded drive portfolio.

A powerful and easy to use Windows-based software tool for parameterizing
and analyzing the new drives is available. For more complex applications,
Metronix offers a motion controller which can be integrated easily.

Metronix has been producing drive technology for industrial machines and
automotive applications for over 30 years. Its product range includes smart
servo drives with integrated positioning capability, plus motion controllers
and accessories that provide cost-effective solutions for multi-axis motion
control and automation, and decentralized machine control requirements.
Metronix complements this capability with what is probably the most
sophisticated and capable custom drive engineering service on the market
today. Motion control products designed by Metronix are marketed under its
own brand, and in custom forms by a number of well known industrial OEMs.
Metronix additionally makes geophysical instruments and customer-specific
digital controls for measurement and control applications. The company's
design and manufacturing facility is located in Braunschweig, Germany.
Metronix is part of the Apex Tool Group, headquartered in Sparks, Maryland,
USA. Apex Tool Group has approximately 8,000 employees in over 30 countries.