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NORD DRIVESYSTEMS recently expanded functional safety features for its NORDAC ON decentralized variable-frequency drive (VFD) product line for safer, more efficient automation systems.
Functional safety protects people, machines, and the environment in the event of technical malfunctions, minimizing risks and ensuring systems react in a controlled, safe manner.
New offerings include integrated failsafe controls, PROFIsafe or functional safety over EtherCAT (FSoE) connectivity, and reduced wiring for modern automated production.
In automated production, drive electronics with integrated safety functions enable safe control and monitoring of all motion sequences, making them increasingly important in drive systems.
NORD integrates many safety functions directly into the variable-frequency drive, often eliminating the need for an additional encoder.
NORD said its NORDAC ON variable-frequency drives combined with NORD gear motors can create a powerful, efficient, and consistently-safe drive system configured for your application.
In addition to Safe Torque Off (STO) and Safe Stop 1 (SS1), additional safe motion functions also available for failsafe control of rotary movement include:
The VFDs now not only feature safe standstill functions, but also enable safe control of drive speeds for demanding safety applications.
The safe digital inputs and outputs of the NORDAC ON can additionally be used to incorporate failsafe peripheral components or functions, enabling the connection of options such as emergency stop buttons, safety door switches, and photoelectric sensors.
Two safe one-channel digital inputs can be combined into one safe two-channel digital input, and two safe outputs can be combined into one safe two-channel output.
NORD’s products can additionally be easily incorporated into failsafe applications within an existing Industrial Ethernet network via PROFIsafe or FSoE, creating a future-proof system while reducing installation effort and cabling.
Decentralized NORDAC ON variable-frequency drives are characterized by a compact design and full plug-and-play functionality that can significantly reduce wiring efforts and provide a maintenance-friendly, cost-effective system for modern automated production environments.
These drives include an on-board PLC for drive-related functions and can process data from connected sensors and actuators, initiate control sequences, and communicate drive and application data to the control center, networked components, or to cloud storage.
NORDAC ON variable-frequency drives are available for a power range of 0.5 to 5.0 horsepower.
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