Launched at SPS Nuremburg,
Control Techniques’ Unidrive
M family of drives is tailored
to the needs of manufacturing
automation customers. Each of the
seven drives has been designed to
meet the requirements of a specific
area of the market.

Top of the range, the Unidrive
M800 integrates a new breed of high
performance MCi machine
controller with the drive. This
solution is designed to enhance
machine throughput by providing
comprehensive control across
complete customer machines. Units
are configured using the CODESYS
programming environment with
standard IEC 61131-3 programming
languages and standard Ethernet for
communication across drives, I/O,
HMIs, PLCs and other industrial
devices. Control Techniques’
synchronised multi-tasking structure
and motion control expertise complete
the offering, fully using open and
industry standard technologies.

Onboard real-time Ethernet
(using IEEE 1588 V2) is reported to
provide improved machine control
with fast and flexible communications,
achieving synchronisation rates
across the network of less than 1µs,
update rates as low as 250µs and a
virtually unlimited node count.

The company’s new Real Time
Machine Control Protocol uses
standard Ethernet TCP/IP and UDP
to provide an efficient and compact
message structure that frees the
Ethernet network bandwidth and
minimises network loading.

Unidrive M models can talk directly
to each other instead of having to
route all communications through
the traditional machine controller.

Unidrive M Connect is Control
Techniques’ new drive configuration
and monitoring software. It is
designed to make it easy to access
the products’ full feature sets. The
tool allows users to optimise drive
tuning, back up the configuration set
and troubleshoot quickly.

The company’s motor control
algorithms, combined with the latest
microprocessor technology, ensure
Unidrive M offers high stability and
performance for all industrial motor
types. Users can maximise machine
throughput in every application and
with every motor – from standard
AC induction motors to high dynamic
linear motors and from energy saving
permanent magnet motors to high
performance servo motors.