New

RD1A positioning unitextends Lika's portfolio ofDRIVECOD series setting newstandards and offering manyvaluable features.

This versatile and compact positioningunit (only 59 x 125 x 112 mm, 14 mmhollow shaft) encompasses a 31 W BLDCbrushless motor fitted with planetarygears (T48, T24 and T12 gear ratios avai-lable) and capable of providing a nomi-nal torque of up to 5 Nm and a startingtorque of up to 12 Nm. The integrated real 20-bit multiturnencoder with a position accuracy of upto ±0,9° is installed in the output axisand therefore is not affected by thebacklash errors of the gears.The controller, fully developed by LikaElectronic, integrates many state-of-the-art operational functions. To give just a mere cross-section, con-trol operation is achieved through twocascade control loop cycles, the positionloop cycle performed at every 1 ms andthe current loop cycle performed atevery 200 µs. The internal trajectorygenerator (boasting a 64-bit doubleprecision) allows the operator to set a

new target position value even whilstthe unit is still reaching the previouslyset one. Finally the following internal controlfunctions are implemented: overtempe-rature, overcurrent, undervoltage andbus communication failure (because ofa broken or disconnected cable or afaulty wiring).RD1A positioning unit can be easilyintegrated into fieldbus networksthanks to the range of fieldbus proto-cols implemented: Profibus-DP,CANopen DS301 and Modbus RTU. In addition, Profibus and CANopenmodels are equipped with a RS-232 ser-vice serial port.RD1A positioning unit further boasts alarge number of key features offered at

no charge. Among the others: separate power sup-ply for motor and controller; Preset andJog buttons to manually move and cali-brate the unit; LEDs meant to showvisually the operating or fault status ofthe interface and the device; DIP swit-ches to set the node ID, the baud rateand the termination resistance; boot-loader feature to upgrade the DRIVE-COD unit firmware; software tool toconfigure and test manually the unit.New RD1A can be easily fitted intoequipment with constrained and tightmounting space and even for moderni-zing existing systems as the mountingassembly is exactly the same used fordigital position indicators and han-dwheels widely installed in manualadjustable shafts. It can be used in a wide range ofapplications in any industrial sectorand is suitable to drive positioning andauxiliary axes such as in mold changers,mobile stops, tools changers, fillingmachines, suction cups motion units,spindle positioning devices, conveyorsand packaging & woodworking machi-neries, among others. At any rate a single command can pro-vide multiple precise adjustments in justone cycle and very short time.

SFP draw wire unit comes toreplace the ageing SFMPmodel, improving its techni-cal features and addingincreased benefits still at thesame price.

SFP is a compact, reliable and rug-ged “cable pulling” measuringsystem designed for linear measuringand positioning needs in any industrialapplication. The principle behind its operation isvery simple yet dependable and baseson a stainless steel wire which is easilyattached to moving equipment. The wire is wound onto a drum.The typical back and forth travel of themoving equipment causes the wire tobe uncoiled and then wound again ontothe drum. An integrated rotary potentiometerdetects the rotation of the drum andthus generates a signal which is pro-portional to the movement of the drumand the moving equipment as well.

The SFP draw wire unit features someremarkable benefits. First of all it boasts a miniature,

lightweight yet robust aluminium con-struction, thus it is suited to be installed when space is limited (overall dimen-sions are 56 x 55 x 79 mm). Moreover its profitable and smartdesign allows the wire to provide safemeasurement even in inaccessible envi-ronments, keeping the sensing circuitryprotected from external influences. The cable in stainless steel is offeredin the range of 300, 500, 1000, 1500and 2000 mm and can operate at amaximum measuring speed of up to2500 mm/sec. The stroke per turn is 100 mm. The wire can be fastened easily andinexpensively to moving equipmentusing just the provided nuts and no fur-ther component is required. SFP wire-actuated transducer providesa potentiometric output proportional tothe movement of the drum and the wireas well having a maximum resistancevalue of 1, 5, 10 and 20 kO on request.It achieves an excellent ±0,15 mm repe-at accuracy.SFP cable-actuated units are suitablefor installation in a variety of industrialapplications for typical linear positionmeasurements and often as a cost-effective alternative to the linearpotentiometers; however precise linear

guidance is not required and the wireflexibility allows for almost linear and even curved position measurements.Thus they find use for short traveldistances in telescopic systems andhydraulic pistons (for instance in mobi-le equipment such as outriggers, stabili-zing slides, telescopic cranes, booms ...),forklifts, man-lifts and scissor lifts, prin-ting and measuring machines, medicaltechnology applications such as in exa-mination tables, dentist's chairs andlaboratory testing devices, amongothers.

30@30!30@30!

J A N U A R Y

New RD1A: intelligent and high-performance positioning unitNew RD1A: intelligent and high-performance positioning unit1 SFP reliable and economical solution for linear measurementSFP reliable and economical solution for linear measurement2

J A N U A R Y