NEWS

‍Synapticonsets new standards for motion control in mechanical engineering - Premiere of SOMANET Integro at SPS 2023

‍
‍Nuremberg/Böblingen, November 14, 2023 - Synapticon GmbH is kicking off this year's SPS in Nuremberg with a bang by premiering a completely new product line and entering a new market segment for the company.

On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, the integrated motion specialist will lift the curtain on its stand (Hall 4, No. 4.261) at 12:00 noon sharp and present its new in-house development SOMANET Integro to the public for the first time.

To date, Synapticon's technology has primarily supported manufacturers of cobots, AGVs and AMRs, enabling them to design their products to be more compact, easier to maintain, equipped with more safety functions, more productive and energy-efficient, and faster and cheaper to produce.

Experience from robotics benefits mechanical engineering

With its new SOMANET Integro integrated motion device, Synapticon is now making all of these advantages available to traditional mechanical engineering. The company sees a great need for a corresponding solution there, as the trends here are electrification, the increasing use of DC power supplies, the reduction of supply voltage, also through the mobilization of (then battery-based) systems, the expansion of functional safety, the standardization of communication and finally decentralization.

"Last year, almost 60 percent of mechanical engineering companies in Germany increased their expenditure on research and development in order to remain successful. In the future, more than 50 percent expect R&D spending to continue to rise. With SOMANET Integro, we are now delivering a product that provides answers to many of the transformative trends. We have proven the impact of our technology approach in the robotics industry over the past few years," says Nikolai Ensslen, founder and CEO of Synapticon. "Our entry into the machine building industry is a huge step for us. While we have so far mainly addressed the robotics market with products such as SOMANET Circulo, which has a volume of just under 3 billion euros in Germany, we are now targeting a market with SOMANET Integro that is almost 100 times as large in Germany and is expected to reach almost 300 billion euros in 2025."

‍
‍Replacing decades-oldparadigms - the control cabinet becomes a moth box

For decades, the control cabinet has been considered indispensable in classic mechanical engineering when it comes to motion control. Automation with sophisticated motion control has always consisted of discrete components that have remained basically unchanged over a long period of time, which makes fundamental improvements very difficult and expensive, and in some cases impossible.

‍

On the way to more efficient and competitive products, machine manufacturers today must contend with the following challenges, among others:

• The large number of required, discrete and bulky automation components with low power density waste space and more energy than necessary
• Time-consuming integration, control cabinet planning and construction as well as the coordination of components increase costs and slows down innovation
• Low efficiency and inadequate thermal management limit the performance and therefore, the possible applications of existing decentralized motion solutions
• The poor maintainability of decentralized drive solutions also means that they are not a viable option for many machine manufacturers
• Precision and quality are dependent on complex production processes for motors and gearboxes, while the possibilities of digitalization are not fully exploited by traditional components
• Functional safety can usually only be realized with additional hardware, which complicates the design and increases costs further
• Very few automation components are suitable for use in mobile systems such as AGVs or mobile manipulators, which are increasingly becoming an integral part of future production plants and therefore of mechanical engineering

‍

"It is clear that there is an urgent need in mechanical engineering for safer, more efficient and cost-effective motion control solutions that can be mass-produced at an attractive cost," concludes Nikolai Ensslen. "With SOMANET Integro, we present a fully integrated servo solution, including high-resolution multiturn position sensors, safe motion option and perfect mechanical integration into standard industrial servo motors. The "point of motion" is now redefined by utilizing proprietary digital technology that enables the full potential of combining modern hardware and software for significantly more efficient automation."

‍

Synapticon's new solution combines a servo drive, high-resolution, battery-free multiturn encoder, sophisticated functional safety, and a very powerful solution for mechanical and thermal integration with servo motors in the typical way of integrated motion devices that the company has come to represent.

‍

The solution, also known as the Integrated Servo Solution, offers some revolutionary advantages:

• Enables between 90-500% higher power density than existing integrated motors
• No derating - The integrated motor delivers the same power as the same motor with an external servo drive
• No additional space required - The servo drive is housed within the space normally occupied by the cabling or position feedback unit
• 10 seconds Screw assembly and replacement of the electronics without connectors
• Integrated, high-precision, battery-free multiturn encoder
• Advanced functional safety including safe motion functions and safe field bus
• Universal fieldbus interface (EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, CAN and ready for future extensions)
• Fits any industrial servo motor with 50-100 mm flange size

‍

Up to 500% higher power density than existing solutions

The SOMANET Integro series implements a patented, highly optimized thermal power stage design and integration concept. In combination with Synapticon's proprietary, model-predictive current control technology - which reduces switching losses by more than 50% - for the first time, integrated motors can realize the same performance level at the same size as cabinet-based, separate servo systems that require active cooling.

"Despite its extremely compact design, SOMANET Integro delivers many times the power density of existing integrated servomotors. Initial tests show an increase of up to 500%. This level of efficiency and thermal management is unmatched," explains Ensslen. "This new Integrated Motion Device provides the necessary conditions for needed advances in automation, more modern machines and more cost-efficient robotics. For the first time, decentralized drive technology is ready to replace its classically separated counterpart without compromise. This can certainly be described as a revolution."

‍

Technical facts summarized:

• Suitable for servo motors up to 2kW continuous power
• Maximum current: 60 and 120 Aeff
• Voltage range: 24 to 60 VDC
• Bus interfaces: EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, CAN
• Integrated encoder: 12-21 bit absolute multiturn
• Safety standards: STO, SBC, Safe Motion (option) with FSoE, SS1, SS2, SOS, 4 x SLS, safe process data for position, speed and torque, all to SIL3
• Protection class: up to IP69
• Connector options: M12+M8 and Y-Tec/I-Tec Single CablePle Cat.3

‍

Development samples will be available for the broad market from Q2/2024, with the start of series production planned for Q4/2024.

‍