Description

Design Features

• Complete motion capabilities include: point-to-point; linear, circular, helical and spherical interpolation; velocity profiling; electronic gearing; on-the-fly trajectory modification; high speed I/O; camming
• 1 to 32 axes of scalable, synchronized motion
• Utilizes the power of the PC to eliminate the motion control card
• Uses commercially available FireWire determinism for communications between drives and controller
• Programmable in native RS-274 G-code, AeroBasic command set, C, C++, .NET, VisualBASIC or LabVIEW for flexibility
• Runs brushless servo, brush, stepper or voice coil

Aerotech’s ground-breaking motion, vision, PLC, robotics and I/O platform, the Automation 3200, is used in many applications in semiconductor, data storage, medical laser processing, automotive and machine tool industries. The system features a high-performance, software-only motion controller (Nmotion^® SMC) that offers 32 axes of synchronized motion control. It is the successor to Aerotech’s performance-leading and widely utilized UNIDEX 500 and 600 PC-based motion controllers. The Nmotion^® SMC retains the best features of these previous motion controllers and combines them with an advanced, high-performance distributed control architecture to produce a truly state-of-the-art motion, vision, PLC, robotics and I/O platform.

The Automation 3200 digital automation platform represents a revolutionary advancement over traditional PC-bus-based motion controllers. The A3200 is software-based (no PC slots required) and marries a robust, high performance motion engine with vision, PLC, robotics and I/O in one unified programming environment. The A3200 utilizes the industry standard FireWire^® (IEEE-1394) network to provide from 1 to 32 axes of synchronized control with no degradation in performance as the axis count increases.

The integration of multiple common automation tools into a single platform provides users the ability to integrate, develop and maintain the system faster, with lower cost than ever before. For instance, coupling the vision module with the motion system that coordinates a cutting process (laser, drill, mill, etc.) provides the ability to identify the workpiece and its position, and to adjust the position and signal to the cutter all within one system. This integration dramatically reduces wiring and the necessary components, which not only lowers integration and setup cost but also increases reliability.

The Automation 3200 addresses a major shortcoming of today’s multi-axis controllers: as axes are added, performance markedly degrades as either the servo update time or program execution time increases. The Automation 3200 utilizes a distributed control architecture that enables it to maintain performance independent of the number of axes being controlled. It accomplishes this by avoiding the processing bottleneck caused by today’s common single processor control architecture. Position, velocity and current loop closure are handled by Aerotech’s Intelligent Network Drive (Ndrive). Trajectory generation is done on the PC using a real-time operating system that runs with higher priority than Windows^®. The PC executes programs and sends the position commands to the Ndrive via the FireWire^® high-speed serial bus.

All of the external signals including encoder and I/O are fed directly into the drive, allowing one cable to be used between the PC and the drive. Drives are networked together with a single cable.

In designing the Automation 3200, Aerotech decided that its next generation controller had to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional ±10 V network interface. While still viable for many applications, ±10 V has shortcomings, particularly when complex motion control is involved such as is common in many Aerotech applications. For example, noise coupling onto the analog signals can cause instability in the servo loop that prevents high system bandwidth. Also, with the ±10 V command, the controller doesn't have knowledge of how well the current loops are tracking. With these and other shortcomings, it was decided that the next generation controller had to utilize a high-speed serial interface.

Digital networks, such as Ethernet and RS-232, are widely used in many different industries. Other newer networks such as FireWire^® and USB are becoming increasingly popular. For example, nearly all new computers now have these interfaces as standard.

With a variety of digital networks available, Aerotech developed a list of criteria that the Automation 3200 network interface had to possess. The following list details the key criteria we used to ultimately select FireWire^® and why those criteria were considered important.

SynqNet™ is a registered trademark of Motion Engineering.
FireWire^® is a registered trademark of Apple Computer.

A3200-OEM/Nservo-OEM

A3200-OEM/Nservo-OEM packages Aerotech’s flagship Automation Machine Controller software with an OEM-style control card for a cost-effective solution in high-volume applications. Get more information including specifications, CADs and ordering information HERE.

A3200 Automation Controller

The A3200 Automation Controller provides a rugged, compact panel-mount computer, or rack-mount configuration (1U or 4U), designed for industrial environments. The A3200 Automation Controller offers easy front and top connections to simplify installation with panel-mount devices, while the compact enclosure offers a convenient space-saving package. Get more information including specifications, CADs and ordering information HERE.

Automation 3200 Applications

• Ion Beam Welding
• Fiber Bragg Gratings
• Fiber Optic Alignment
• Image Duplication
• Holographic Mastering
• Electronics Assembly and Inspection
• Mask & Memory Repair
• Mask Alignment
• Electron Microscopes
• Smart Vision Systems
• Inertial Sensor Testing
• Non-Destructive Testing
• Seismic Data Collection
• ABS Testing
• Head Gimbal Assembly (HGA) & Inspection
• Head Stack Assembly (HAS) & Inspection
• Motion Simulators
• Thin-Film Manufacturing
• Sensor Pointing

Specifications

Motion Composer Specifications

Automation 3200 uses Motion Composer to create motion trajectories. Below are the specifications for the software.

Standard Motion Composer Suite

Optional Motion Composer Modules

Optional Controller Modules

.NET Library Classes

Nmotion^® SMC Specifications

PC Requirements and Configuration

Recommended for Current Release

1. Intel Xeon processors based on the Intel Core 2 or Intel Core i3/i5/i7 architecture are supported. Intel Xeon processors based on older architectures are not supported.
2. Laptop computers are not supported. They can be used for offline debugging and simulation only. PCMCIA FireWire^® cards are not supported.
3. You must have a 64-bit operating system to take advantage of more than 4 GB of memory.
4. Because some systems cannot support integrated graphics processing in conjunction with the real-time demands of the A3200, we recommend using a dedicated graphics card with a minimum of 64 MB of RAM.
5. Internet Explorer is not included as part of the A3200 installation. If it is not installed on your computer, you must manually install it before you proceed with the A3200 installation.

Minimum PC Requirements

These are the minimum system requirements for the A3200 SMC. These requirements are not adequate for all user applications. Follow the Recommended PC Configuration for Current Release in the previous table or discuss your application with an Aerotech Customer Service representative.

1. Laptop computers are not supported. They can be used for offline debugging and simulation only. PCMCIA FireWire^® cards are not supported.
2. Because some systems cannot support integrated graphics processing in conjunction with the real-time demands of the A3200, we recommend using a dedicated graphics card with a minimum of 64 MB of RAM.
3. Internet Explorer is not included as part of the A3200 installation. If it is not installed on your computer, you must manually install it before you proceed with the A3200 installation.

General System Recommendations

• Windows Audio can cause timing related errors. To avoid potential problems, set the Control Panel Sound Scheme to No Sounds.
• Do not use Dell OMCI (Open Manage Client Instrumentation) software with the A3200. Remove any OMCI software using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.
• The A3200 requires regular access to the PCI bus for proper operation. Frame grabbers can use excessive amounts of PCI bus bandwidth and cause communication errors or motion dropouts. Use a dual PC (client/server) configuration in these cases.
• Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is supported in all configurations except multiprocessor with one processor dedicated to RTX.
• After installing the software, consult the help file to learn how to evaluate the performance of the real-time environment on your PC

Hardware

Intelligent Drive Model Comparison Table

1. Peak value of the sine wave; rms current for AC motors is 0.707 * A_pk.
2. Load dependent.
3. Output voltage is load dependent.
4. External transformer required.
5. DO = Digital Output; DI = Digital Input; AO = Analog Output; AI = Analog Input.
6. PSO not available on Ndrive CL/ML when using integral MXU

1. Peak value of the sine wave; rms current for AC motors is 0.707 * A_pk.
2. DO = Digital Output; DI = Digital Input; AO = Analog Output; AI = Analog Input.
3. PSO not available on Ndrive CP/MP when using integral MXU.

Software

Motion Composer

Aerotech’s latest motion controller release focuses on ease of use for the programmer, shortens development times compared with other tools and provides the flexibility to use the tools or controller most familiar to programmers. A complete Integrated Development Environment and a comprehensive .NET motion library provide classes for motion, I/O, status and diagnostic information. Program in Visual Studio and use the .NET library, or use the Motion Composer (IDE) to develop code with English-style commands or G code. A LabVIEW^® VI library is available for NI users, while a complete C library is available for those using VB6, C++ or C.

Motion Composer Suite
The Motion Composer Suite includes the Motion Composer IDE, Digital Scope, Configuration Manager, Console, Status Utility and Firmware Loader. Optional modules include the CNC Operator’s Interface, Motion Designer, Dynamic Controls Toolbox and Enhanced Throughput Module.

Key Function of Each Module
The Motion Composer is an environment for developing and debugging AeroBasic programs for controllers, and also functions as a simple operator's interface for the developer. The Motion Composer can be used to perform the following tasks:

• Write and debug programs – use breakpoint, step into, step over, colorized programming and standard program control (start, stop, pause, compile, etc.)

• Program flow control – If constructs, Looping constructs, Subroutines, Command basic motion

• Inspect diagnostic information

• Perform basic configuration

Learn more about Motion Composer Suite

Standard Motion Composer Suite Includes:

• Motion Composer
• Configuration Manager
• Digital Scope
• Console
• System Diagnostics (Status Utility)
• Firmware Loader

Optional Motion Composer Modules

• CNC Operator Interface
• Motion Designer
• MotionPAC
• Motion Simulator
• Dynamic Controls Toolbox
• Enhanced Throughput Module

Ordering Information

Ordering Example

Ordering Options

Automation 3200 Software

License

Axes

Note: Old part number – NMotion SMC-nn

Controller Options

Motion Composer (MC) Options

Maintenance

Version