Waldkirch / Donaueschingen, June 2017 – SICK has announced that it is opening up its HIPERFACE DSL® (Digital-Servo-Link) interface to all users. When launched six years ago, the interface made a single cable servomotor a reliable proposition for the very first time. Following the rapid adoption of the revolutionary One Cable Technology, SICK has decided that the interface it invented will now be available as an open protocol.
Already, over 40 major manufacturers of servo drive technology have discovered the advantages of integrating the HIPERFACE DSL® motor feedback technology into their products. Now tried, tested and field proven across the world, HIPERFACE DSL® has become recognised as the industry standard in One Cable Technology and the leading standard protocol for digital feedback systems in servo drive technology.
Darren Pratt, SICK’s Product Manager for Encoders, in the UK said: “Creating an open interface is the logical next step in the phenomenal success story of Hiperface DSL®, especially as manufacturers move towards Industry 4.0-enabled production environments.
“By opening up the proprietary interface, SICK will make HIPERFACE DSL® an open market standard. Already major manufacturers have accelerated integration of HIPERFACE DSL® digital feedback capability into their product development. In turn, OEM machine builders have been able to optimise costs and space utilisation in their machines. Machine users have benefitted from an improvement in plant availability due to the reduction in failure points and the extensive condition monitoring capabilities of systems using HIPERFACE DSL®.
“As even more motor and motor/drive manufacturers adopt the technology, SICK offers the security of an open and field-proven interface. The industry is surely set to see yet more extensive machine development and innovation and, in future, the interfaces needed to support servo drives will be minimised.”
HIPERFACE DSL®
The HIPERFACE DSL® open interface brings together all the advantages of a digital real-time interface: One Cable Technology, continuous condition monitoring and – as a result – enormous potential for improved economic efficiency.
HIPERFACE DSL® offers every market partner – motor and drive suppliers, mechanical engineers, and end customers – both technical and economic advantages. The digital interface meets all the requirements for the condition-oriented maintenance of machines in the Industry 4.0 environment.
Data transmission in the motor cable
HIPERFACE DSL® complies with the RS485 standard and enables reliable data transfer between drive and motor in servo drive systems via two wires which are directly integrated into the motor cable of up to 100 m in length. Electric drives featuring motor feedback systems and an integrated HIPERFACE DSL® interface have a distinctive outward appearance with just one motor connector.
Hybrid cables that combine both servo and encoder elements are becoming increasingly popular. Signals coming from other sensors that are integrated into the digital motor feedback protocol are also transferred. Special processes and the application of pulse transformers ensure that the encoder signal is decoupled from disturbances created by the motor power cable cores.
HIPERFACE DSL® supports the functionality of the electronic type label for automatic drive configuration. Motor specifications, serial numbers and part numbers, and other data are stored here and used to adjust the drive to the motor parameters automatically and when servicing is required.
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SICK is opening up the HIPERFACE DSL® interface and making the tried-and-tested technology available to all users.
About SICK
SICK is one of the world’s leading producers of sensors and sensor solutions for industrial applications. The company, which was founded in 1946 by Dr Erwin Sick and has its headquarters in Waldkirch im Breisgau near Freiburg in Germany, is among the technology market leaders. With more than 50 subsidiaries and equity investments as well as many agencies, SICK has a presence all over the world. In the fiscal year 2016, SICK had more than 8,000 employees worldwide and a group revenue of just under EUR 1.4 billion.
For more information please contact Andrea Hornby on 01727 831121 or email [email protected].
