"There's no way."
"You're pulling my leg."
"How is that possible?"
"I’m sorry, you said six-TEEN right?”
These are the things people say when we tell them our little 1.5 x 1 inch FlexPro® servo drive has a 60-amp continuous current rating at 10-55 VDC.
While the disbelief is understandable, there’s no deception here; we’ve really done it.
How did we engineer a servo drive with such high power-density?
FE060-60C-EM EtherCAT, PCB-mount, 60-amp continuous FlexPro Servo Drive
In the mid 2010’s, we set out on a mission to engineer a high-current servo drive platform with the smallest possible footprint. Thousands of man-hours and just as many cups of coffee later, we figured out how to do it.
While we can’t give away all our secrets, we can tell you the stacked board layout, the baseplate configuration and material, even the copper pins are all modeled and optimized to achieve superior heat transfer and cooling.
The power devices and switching technology are designed to balance high power, high efficiency, low thermal losses and high reliability.
We scratched the surface of this technology with the first FlexPro drives released in the spring of 2019, featuring a maximum continuous output current of true 25 amps rms at full operational duty.
However, by the fall of 2021, we’d refined it and created new servo drives with 240% of that current output without increasing the physical size.
Finally, in 2022, the 60-amp FlexPro drives won the gold in Design World's LEAP Awards in the category of motion control.
“Getting the footprint so small is a game-changer; the space saving is really incredible.”
- 2022 LEAP Award Judges
We couldn't agree more.
The Benefits of FlexPro
FlexPro servo drives are well-suited for a variety of applications. These include mobile robots, fixed robots, cobots, aeronautics, portable devices, and just about any application where space or weight might be of concern.
The small size of FlexPro servo drives allows them to be installed in a distributed fashion where they can be positioned next to the motor, or in some cases within the motor. This reduces the noise issues and costs that come with long cable runs.
In any battery-powered application, lighter components mean more efficient operation and a longer duty cycle between charges, saving time and money.
But there’s more to these servo drives than their small size and incredible power-density. As the "Flex" in the name implies, FlexPro servo drives provide engineers with flexibility in their designs with many possible system configurations.
FlexPro is compatible with…
Networks
FM060-60C-EM EtherCAT, Machine Embedded, 60-amp continuous FlexPro Servo Drive
Not a fan of the PCB mount integration? No problem. We have the “machine embedded” variations that feature an interface board to integrate using Molex connectors and flying leads while maintaining the compact size.
In addition, for customers with specific needs, we can create modified or full custom servo drive solutions using the FlexPro technology as a base.
By Engineers, For Engineers
With compactness, power, and versatility, the 60-amp FlexPro servo drives are ADVANCED Motion Controls' answer to the expanding motion control needs in various fields. Engineers in robotics, automation, aerospace, medical, and other industries deserve a compact drive solution that makes their jobs easier.
Whether it's an AGV that needs to cut back on weight or a cobot arm with limited space in the joints FlexPro allows engineers to meet mechanical design constraints without compromising on power and performance.
- by Jackson McKay, Marketing Engineer
