Decentralised drive solution package

Comprising a PLC/motion controller or gateway, frequency inverter, optional I/O module, geared-motor and interconnection cables, the SEW-Eurodrive decentralised package can be customised to match the specific requirements of the end-user applications.

Decentralised architectures bring drive control and execution closer to the application, delivering increased flexibility and productivity. Here, frequency inverters are field-mounted alongside the geared motors and controlled by a decentralised PLC or gateway acting as an interface to a fieldbus-connected supervisory PLC.

They also permit a dramatic reduction in installation, material and maintenance costs associated with wiring inverters back to the central control cabinet. Individual cable runs are shortened in a decentralised control system, as high-voltage field wiring is daisy-chained between devices while sensor and actuator connections are localised to the local I/O blocks. Traditional control cabling is eliminated because the communication between machine-based PLC or gateway and the supervisory PLC is achieved through a single fieldbus connection.

SEW-Eurodrive’s decentralised solutions incorporate the company’s PLC/gateway, Movi-PLC, its Movitrac LTE version B frequency inverter and its geared motor range. The Movi-PLC/gateway supports a wide array of external fieldbus communication protocols, allowing it to be incorporated into a broad range of vendor-specific system architectures.

Cost savings can be further realised through a reduction in size of the main control cabinet, which no longer has to house the frequency inverters that are now field-mounted close to the gear motors. This also simplifies fault-finding and troubleshooting activities.