'World`s fastest' servo system can be set up in under two hours. Yaskawa has unveiled a new generation of servo drives which, it claims, have the fastest response of any servo system on the market, as well as offering a positioning accuracy of 10nm. A new auto-tuning algorithm is said to allow perfect set-ups to be achieved in less than two hours, compared to eight hours or longer for some rival products..

Yaskawa has also developed a 20-bit incremental serial encoder for the new family which provides more than a million information points per revolution. There is also a new coupling to link the encoder to the motor that doubles its vibration resistance (to 5G) compared to previous versions. The encoder has a five-year battery life – claimed to be twice as long as its rivals.

Yaskawa has developed a dedicated servo chip for the Sigma-5 amplifiers, which have a 1.6kHz speed loop bandwidth – claimed to be the world’s fastest. Cogging torque and torque ripple have been halved compared to the previous generation, and the settling time is less than 4ms, compared to around 50ms for some rival systems.

Other characteristics of the Sigma-5 include:
º an operating temperature range of 0-55°C without de-rating;
º  the ability to handle 350% torque overloads for 3–5s;
º  a processor that is three times faster than its predecessor;
º  an increase in surface cutting accuracy in machining applications to 1 micron, compared to 2 microns for the Sigma-III; and
º  a maximum amplifier width of 40mm, compared to 45mm for the previous generation.