Mitsubishi Electric launches next generation automation products that power smart manufacturing

By OEM Update Editorial October 19, 2019 12:12 pm IST

Mitsubishi Electric one of the global Leader in electric and electronic equipment for residential, commercial and industrial applications, launched the General-Purpose AC Servo MELSERVO-J5 series and will be showcasing three MELIPC Series industrial-use computer models for Factory Automation (FA) control applications and launched the FR-E800 Series Power Inverters, at the Automation Expo 2019. All the products are compatible with CC-Link IE TSN, which is a High-speed Industrial Ethernet Network that is Time-sensitive. These products will contribute to enhanced machine performance and accelerate the advancement of Smart Factory solutions.

The General-Purpose AC Servo MELSERVO-J5 series

1)      Industry-leading performance for higher machine speeds and greater accuracy

• Servo amplifiers with 3.5 kHz frequency response help to shorten cycle time of production equipment.
• Servo motors equipped with industry-leading high-resolution encoders (67,108,864 pulses/rev) decrease torque fluctuation for accurate and stable positioning.

2)      High-speed communication with CC-Link IE TSN for enhanced productivity

–     World’s first motion control unit supporting CC-Link IE TSN achieves operation cycle time of 31.25μs

–     High-speed synchronous communication with CC-Link IE TSN between vision sensors and other connected devices increase overall machine performance.

MELIPC series industrial-use computers

Mitsubishi Electric has come up with three MELIPC Series industrial-use computer models for Factory Automation (FA) Control Applications and Edge Computing sequentially. The flagship MI5000 combines real-time equipment control and information processing in one box, the midrange MI2000 is designed for wide-ranging system expansion, and the compact, low-cost MI1000 will enable companies to begin introducing IoT on their factory floors.

1)      MI5000

–     Edge computing that integrates real-time equipment control and information processing has High-speed collection, diagnosis and feedback of production floor data utilising a single machine; it is equipped with VxWorks® and Windows® operating system; it has CC-Link IE Field Network compatibility that enables high-speed data exchange at speeds of up to 1ms for highly accurate real-time equipment control

2)      MI2000

–     Wide-ranging system expansions to optimise IoT use on production floors; contributes to improved product quality by performing data diagnostics and operations monitoring at production sites, using a built-in high-performance processor and Windows® operating system; expands systems using PCI and PCI Express expansion ports; performs high-speed collection of production data using CC-Link IE Field Network boards (optional), and advanced equipment control via input/output boards (optional).

FR-E800 series power inverters

1)      Various networks supported, enabling smart factories and facilities

–     Ethernet models and safety communication models support various open industrial networks such as CC-Link IE TSN, Ethernet/IP, and MODBUS/TCP. This will contribute to productivity improvement and energy saving at facilities including infrastructure such as air conditioning units and water treatment facilities.

2)      Contributes to reducing equipment downtime with the world’s first and industry-first technologies

• Integrating the world’s first corrosive gas environment detection circuit makes it possible to identify signs of inverter damage caused by hydrogen sulfide or other corrosive gases, reducing equipment downtime.
• Maisart® (Mitsubishi Electric’s brand of Artificial Intelligence [AI] Technology) is integrated in the inverter setup software FR Configurator2. The causes of downtime such as over current caused by bursts of acceleration are analysed using the industry’s first AI-based diagnostic functions, helping to reduce such downtime.

3)  Safety functions to ensure safe operation of equipment (to be supported from April 2020).

• The safety of operators is ensured by the incorporation of safety functions conforming to international standards.
• The motor speed is calculated based on the current value or other data without using speed detectors when the safety-limited speed function is used. This will contribute to reductions in use of wiring and to cost savings.

On this occasion, Hisahiro Nishimoto, Director, Division Manager – Factory Automation & Industrial Division, Mitsubishi Electric India Pvt. Ltd, said, “We are proud to present the distinctive products having connectivity with various networks that will enable smart factories and infrastructures in different fields. The products launched will contribute to the environment by helping to reduce energy consumption through optimised manufacturing. Mitsubishi Electric will continue working to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and bring greater efficiencies and integration in manufacturing industry by promoting its Smart Manufacturing concept – e-Factory along with the Edgecross technology. We are here to deliver performance through our wide product line-up and solutions.”