Ever Motion Solutions Launches Field-Mounted Stepper Motor Drives

Ever Motion Solutions has released its Palladio line of stepper motor drives that promise reliability, long service life, and the ability to be mounted directly on the machine rather than in a faraway control box. These “nearby” stepper motor drives simplify wiring, reduce electrical noise, and maintain signal integrity, making them suitable for environments where precise position control is essential.

Ever Motion Solutions’ Palladio line of stepper motor drives features a “nearby” configuration for on‑machine mounting. Image used courtesy of Ever Motion Solutions

Palladio Stepper Motor Drives

Ever Motion Solutions designed its Palladio line of stepper motor drives to give machine builders a drive that produces repeatable positioning while reducing wiring and placement headaches. The drives are field-mountable for installation on or near the machine and support all standard protocols one would expect for a motor drive, such as EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, ProfiNet, and others. The open-circuit board models are controlled via CANbus and CANopen.

The Palladio line includes several configurations. Some configurations are installed in IP65-rated packages, making them ready to mount and connect. These are protected from dust, occasional water spray, and other environmental contaminants. Other Palladio line drives are available in an open-circuit board configuration, ready to be installed in a custom hardware package developed by the machine builder to meet their needs.

Besides the form factor, specific models support Power over Ethernet (PoE), further simplifying wiring. Other power options include 12-36 V DC, 24-48 V DC, and 18-56 V AC. There are also options for port connections, including digital I/O (not isolated), optocoupled I/O (up to 100 mA, 24 V DC), and NPN/PNP line drivers (up to 2 MHz).

The open-circuit board configuration enables machine designers to integrate the drive into a larger, more customized control system. Image used courtesy of Ever Motion Solutions

Field-Mounted Integration

The Palladio stepper drives feature “Nearby” configuration, meaning they can be mounted directly on the machine rather than in a control box at some distance. By moving the driver to the machine, the wiring is shorter and less complicated. This configuration also reduces the amount of emitted electromagnetic interference and is less likely to absorb an interfering signal, as the wiring (and thus the unintentional antenna) is shorter. Latency is also reduced, which is essential for high-speed operations.

Accurate Position Control

The ability to mount the motor drive directly on the machine is useful for machine builders who want a low-noise, high-speed, yet simplified solution. In particular, these stepper motor drives will find use in machining cells, with CNC systems, robotics, printing equipment, and other such devices. Drives guarantee a smooth speed profile, without jerky starting and stopping, making it useful for the positioning of delicate items.

Furthermore, the line will likely be used in a key secondary market, as precision scientific equipment, such as X-ray diffractometers and laser positioning control, requires repeatable stepper motor positioning. The reduced electrical interference is also a key feature that will be appreciated by designers of laboratory equipment.