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Background
Oriental Motor’s customer-facing teams regularly seek feedback to improve our products. In this case, several customers provided feedback about our AZ Series cable type motors, which are our popular closed-loop motors and drivers with AlphaStep hybrid open/closed-loop control technology and a patented built-in mechanical absolute encoder.
- A customer was using an AZ Series cable type motor in a test process to eliminate homing accuracy issues due to thermal expansion of an external photo sensor. To make cable routing easier, they suggested consolidating the cables between the motors and drivers.
- Another customer was using a 20 mm frame size AZ Series cable type motor to position a stage in a tight space and were using joining cables to extend the cable from the motor to the driver. However, the joining connectors were larger than the cable and couldn't fit. They also had electrical noise interference and washdown concerns due to the exposed connectors on the joining cables. To address these issues, a suggestion was made to eliminate the middle extension cable.
- A third customer was using an AZ Series cable type motor for an LED equipment and needed flexible cables for routing around internal components. In the cable type motor, there's a part of the cable that's not flexible, and a suggestion was made to make the whole cable flexible.
In response to this feedback, Oriental Motor has released a new line of AZ Series connector type motors featuring a new flat connector from Hirose Electric to improve usability and a consolidated cable to make it easier to connect to the drivers.
In the standard cable type motor, the motor will have several pigtail cables, including the motor, encoder, protective earth ground, and electromagnetic brake (brake motor type only). To connect to the driver, a middle extension cable is necessary.
In the new connector type motor, we've improved the design of the connector and consolidated all the cables into one cable to make these motors easier to use, simpler to maintain, and fit into tighter spaces.
Let's take a closer look and learn what advantages the new connector type motors can provide for you.
Benefits of One Cable Technology
Unification of Cables
- Reduce routing work and downsize cable holders
By consolidating all the cables into one, only one cable is required for each motor. For instance, we show how five cables for the Y and Z axes in a Cartesian system are changed to two cables. As a result, the cable holder can be downsized.
Direct Connection
- No more middle joining cables
For the cable type motor, a connection cable is required to extend the cable beyond the standard pigtail length of 300 mm. Sometimes, the electrical noise emitted from the exposed connectors between the cables can affect other machine components. The new connector type motor uses one cable technology and reduces electrical noise interference (EMI).
| Cable Type | [Image of AZ Series cable type connection example] |
|------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Connector Type | [Image of AZ Series connector type motor cable connection example] |
3 Cable Outlet Directions for Flexibility
- Select from three cable outlet directions
The connector and cable come in three configurations: shaft direction, vertical direction, or opposite to the output shaft direction. You must order the connection cable this way (use "F" = front, "B" = back, "V" = vertical in the cable part number). This increases the degree of cable outlet freedom around the motor.
Faster Maintenance
- Direct connection leads to quicker replacement of motors and cables
Perform speedy motor maintenance by dealing with fewer cables (and downsizing your cable track). Here's what the differences look like:
Reduced Material
- By consolidating the cable, the materials used to manufacture the cables are reduced.
Electrical cables are composed of a conductive metal wire core, such as copper or aluminum, surrounded by various layers of materials, such as insulation, tapes, screens, armor for mechanical protection, and sheathing. By consolidating three cables into one, we reduced the cross-sectional area by 44.3% and mass by 55.5%.
Easy Installation
- Lock lever connector for simple connection
Connecting the cable is easy due to the lock lever that does not require screws. Simply insert the connector and lock the lever.
Low Profile, Flat Connector
- A motor with a flat connector can fit into tighter spaces
The new low-profile flat connector is lower in height by 49 mm when compared to the cable type.
Maintains High Ingress Protection
- The new connector and cable maintain an IP66 ingress protection rating for dusty or washdown environments
Same as the cable type motor, the connector type motors maintain the IP66 rating; meaning that it's able to handle a sprayed water jet of 100 kPa at a rate of 100 l/min for 3 minutes from all directions at a distance of 3 meters.
âš¡ **One Cable Challenge**: Dealing with Electrical Noise
Stepper motors are driven by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control, so radiated noise is generated from the motor signals as it switches phases during rotation. Due to this problem, conventional cables have to separate the low signal encoder cable and the electromagnetic brake cable from the motor cable.
In order to combine all signals into one cable and prevent issues from electrical noise or magnetic interference inside the motor, we needed to redesign the motor internally and re-route the motor and electromagnetic brake wires inside the motor.
The built-in mechanical absolute encoder has a steel shield cup covering it since it's a type of magnetic sensor that uses a series of permanent magnets to track absolute position coordinates like clocks. To prevent the effects of external magnetic fields, the magnetic sensor is housed inside a steel shield cup. To protect against electrical noise interference, the shield cup and motor casing are now electrically grounded using a metal spring. The magnetic sensor opening has also been sealed.
By forcing an electrical ground using a metal spring, noise propagation to the ABZO sensor is eliminated by setting the shield cup and motor housing to the same potential and providing a way to absorb radiation noise.
Product Lineup
The AlphaStep AZ Series connector type motors are available in two frame sizes: 42 and 60 mm. More frame sizes will become available as we expand this series over time. The specifications and flange size are the same as the traditional cable type, so it's easy to upgrade AZ Series cable type motors to connector type motors without missing a beat.
The connector type motor can be ordered with various pre-assembled gearhead options, such as the TS spur gear, right-angle FC "face" gear, PS planetary gear, or harmonic gear. In the future, we also plan to expand the connector type motor to linear and rotary actuators.
The connector type motor is compatible with all of the drivers from the AZ Series: AC input, DC input, and mini Drivers. Common industrial communication protocols include EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, Profinet, and other popular networks.
Cable lengths for the connector type motors range from 1 to 10 meters for AC input drivers; 0.5 to 10 meters for DC input, and 0.2 to 10 meters for mini drivers.
The new AZ Series connector type motors are also compatible with our mini drivers. These are our smallest closed-loop drivers.
Choose the right connection cable or flexible connection cable for your AC input, DC input, or mini driver. One cable locking connector allows for a maximum of 10 meters (32.8 feet) between the motor and driver with the same motor performance specifications as our standard cable-type AZ Series. Current motor cable connections are not compatible with multi-axis drivers.
Summary
In summary, a consolidated cable has these eight benefits:
- Fewer cables to deal with
- Directly connect motor to driver without a middle extension
- Three cable outlet directions to choose from
- Reduced maintenance with fewer cables to route
- A consolidated cable helps reduce material used
- One cable makes installation easier and faster
- A low-profile, flat connector for a smaller motor footprint
- Maintains IP66 ingress protection rating
Until wireless motion control becomes possible, cables will be essential to any motion control system whether it uses motors, linear actuators, or rotary actuators. By consolidating the motor cables for the AZ Series connector type, Oriental Motor aims to make motor installation and maintenance easier and faster for all engineers involved.
The AZ Series connector type motors are part of the AlphaStep AZ Series product family, which also includes dedicated smart drivers, linear actuators, and rotary actuators.
Is there a product feature that you want in our products? Please let us know!
Update: March 18th, 2024
There's one more reason to upgrade to the AZ Series connector type motors.
Released in 2024, these "integrated motor" style driver mounting brackets can be used to mount a AZ Series mini driver to a connector type motor to save space and cabling.
These mounting brackets are currently available for 42 mm and 60 mm frame size connector type motors.
We're always looking for ways to enhance our products based on customer feedback. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please share them with us!
8 Reasons to Upgrade to the AZ Series Connector Type Motors
Facing a leaner engineering workforce and rising costs, machine designers need a way to build machines faster with fewer resources. Aligned with our ongoing commitment to simplify motion control, this article explores the innovative features of the new connector type motor for our flagship AZ Series and how it supports faster installation and maintenance.