Bosch Rexroth IndraDrive Mi Series Servo Drive System

So, you’ve just been given a nearly impossible mandate to incorporate significant improvements to the current design of your servo-operated machinery. Perhaps you need to increase throughput or product quality. Or maybe the requirement is for less overall complexity—a machine that is easier to commission, troubleshoot, and maintain. In either case, the requirement to deliver these improvements at a reduced cost has become the norm, rather than the exception. Unfortunately, mandates such as these come as no surprise, as they are typical expectations for machine upgrades or new equipment designs. In your particular situation, the equipment may include a single axis of servo motor control or a multiple-axis servo system, manufactured for a specific process or for machinery designed and built for internal use.

What can be done differently this time around? To meet expectations, you can no longer rely on the same old, tired servo solutions used to accomplish past goals. A conventional servo system design and configuration will prevent you from meeting expectations for increased efficiency, streamlined design, or reducing costs.

What option is available if a conventional servo system is out of the question? The IndraDrive Mi series servo product from Bosch Rexroth, which consists of a servo motor with an integrated driver and controller, is ideally suited to meet the requirements of your application. Essentially, two devices are incorporated into a single, compact design.

Because the Mi series servo driver/amplifiers, controllers, and related components are no longer housed in an electrical control enclosure, significant cost reductions can immediately be realized. The traditional control enclosure, as well as enclosure climate control devices, can be downsized or even eliminated. The expense and maintenance associated with the replacement of conventional servo motor cooling fans becomes an exercise of the past with the use of IndraDrive Mi series servo motors since they require no external cooling. The direct cost of assembly is also drastically reduced due to the elimination of labor hours associated with mounting and wiring each individual servo motor driver/amplifier.

Unlike conventional servo motors requiring a separate motor power and encoder feedback cable for each servo axis deployed, the IndraDrive Mi series is designed to be wired in a series, using a single cable incorporating the motor power, encoder feedback, and communication, up to a maximum of 30 axes. Imagine the cost savings, system simplicity, and ease of maintenance and troubleshooting that comes with the elimination of thirty servo motor cables of varying lengths, and the two connection points associated with each cable?

Additional advantages of the IndraDrive Mi series make it ideal for Industry 4.0 applications. An IP65 rating enables these motors to reliably operate in dusty or damp environments. The Mi series avoids the use of a proprietary programming language. Bosch Rexroth instead opted to incorporate the universally adopted IEC 61131-3 programming language. Product options include a holding brake, absolute encoder, energy-saver mode, and the incorporation of safe operation functions in compliance with ISO13849-1 and EN62061 standards.

Now that you know about the many benefits of cabinet-free automation offered by the IndraDrive Mi series, you can look at those mandates for efficient, simple, and cost-effective design improvements in a whole new light. Still need to be convinced? Check out Rexroth’s cost savings calculator to determine the ROI for your particular application.

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IndraDrive Mi Catalog