SIEMENS
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Siemens NC 62 · 2016
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SINAMICS S120 drive system
Introduction
Modular system for demanding drive tasks
SINAMICS S120 solves demanding drive tasks for a very wide
range of industrial applications and is, therefore, designed as a
modular system. Users can choose from many different harmo-
nized components and functions to create a solution that best
meets their requirements. The powerful SIZER for Siemens
Drives engineering tool makes it easier to choose and determine
the optimum drive engineering. This is possible due to the con-
sistent subdivision of the drive in hardware and software function
objects, which ensures that the power unit and Control Unit are
isolated from each other.
The power units are selected in accordance with the require-
ments for energy consumption for the motion of the working
machine and for exchange of energy with the power supply net-
work. The Control Unit is selected in accordance with the number
of drives to be controlled and the performance required. Com-
munication between the Control Unit and power unit takes place
very simply via the digital system interface DRIVE-CLiQ.
SINAMICS S120 is enhanced by a wide range of motors.
Whether synchronous or asynchronous, all motor types are opti-
mally supported by SINAMICS S120.
Particularly suitable for multi-axis applications
Coordinated drives that carry out a drive and motion task
together are used in many mechanical and plant engineering
applications. Drives with coupled DC links are required for this
purpose, as they support economic energy exchange between
braking and driving axes.
SINAMICS S120 includes Line Modules (line infeed) and Motor
Modules (inverters) for a wide performance range. Their format
enables a contiguous installation for space-saving multi-axis
drive configurations.
System architecture with a central Control Unit
Electronically coordinated individual drives work together to
perform your drive tasks. Higher-level computerized numerical
controls such as SINUMERIK operate the drives to achieve the
required coordinated movement. This requires cyclic data ex-
change between the CNC and all the drives. This exchange
usually took place via a field bus, which required a great deal of
time and effort for installation and configuration. To solve this
task, the SINAMICS S120 uses a central Control Unit that is de-
signed as a higher-level drive controller for all connected axes.
Simple technological tasks can be carried out by the
SINAMICS S120 Control Unit itself. For more complex numerical
tasks, it is replaced by powerful modules from the SINUMERIK
product range.
As well as motion control, coordinate transformation and logic
functions, these products also integrate the SINAMICS drive
control. The NCUs of SINUMERIK can be positioned in or along-
side the SINAMICS S120 drive group and connected via
DRIVE-CLiQ. In case of tasks that require a greater number of
motion axes due to the machine kinematics, the system base
units can be expanded with the additional Numeric Control
Extensions NX10.3/NX15.3.
DRIVE-CLiQ – the digital interface between all components
All SINAMICS S120 drive system components, including the mo-
tors and encoders, are interconnected by a shared serial inter-
face called DRIVE-CLiQ. The standardized cables and connec-
tors reduce the variety of different parts and cut storage costs.
Sensor Modules (converter boards) for converting standard
encoder signals to DRIVE-CLiQ are available for motors and
encoders without a DRIVE-CLiQ interface or for retrofitting appli-
cations. DRIVE-CLiQ cables are designed to allow decentralized
system layouts extending up to 100 m (328 ft).
Swift and automatic: The electronic rating plate
All SINAMICS S120 components with a DRIVE-CLiQ interface
have an electronic rating plate. This rating plate contains all the
relevant data about that particular component. For motors, for
example, these data include the parameters of the electric
equivalent circuit diagram and characteristic values for the built-
in motor encoder. The Control Unit records this component-
specific data automatically via DRIVE-CLiQ so that it does not
need to be entered during commissioning or when the equip-
ment is replaced.
In addition to the technical data, the electronic rating plate in-
cludes logistical data (manufacturer ID, article number, and
globally unique ID). Since this data can be called up electroni-
cally on site or remotely, all the components used in a machine
can always be individually identified, which helps simplify ser-
vicing.
The following overviews feature the SINAMICS S120 compo-
nents that are primarily used for multi-axis drive tasks.
Control
Unit
SINAMICS S120
chassis format
G_D211_EN_00097b
SINAMICS S120
booksize format
3 AC
DRIVE-CLiQ
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Overview
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© Siemens AG 2016