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Motion: how to decide when to distribute control

Although automation vendors tend to urge users to consider decentralizing drives and distributing as much intelligence as possible throughout their machinery, most readily admit that it’s not for every application. The centralized approach is still valid for many applications.

The natural question to ask is, how does one go about making a decision? Here is some advice from Tom Jensen, technology evangelist at Lenze Americas Corp.

• Start with a white sheet of paper. “Don’t copy and paste code and concepts for new mechatronic machines,” advises Jensen. “Copying old concepts locks you into old hardware concepts.”

• Think functionality. Ask, what does the machine need to do? In general, complex motion tends to benefit the most from centralized control. “If the machine can be simplified, gains might be realized with remote motor-mounted frequency drives,” notes Jensen.

• Consider the machine’s footprint. Small machines with short cable runs normally have a cabinet.

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