XL4s Linear Amplifier

January 09, 2019
XL4s Linear Amplifier

Aerotech’s XL4s linear amplifier is designed for closed-loop servo control of voice coil and single-phase motors, eliminating the non-linearities common with PWM amplifiers. The XL4s provides deterministic behavior, auto-identification, and easy software setup and features a multiple-core, double-precision, floating-point DSP that controls the digital PID.

All parameters are software-settable including control-loop gains and system safety functions. With the XL4s, you can achieve industry-leading settling times, long-term thermal stability, and sub-micron-level tracking accuracy with advanced features such as full state feed-forward, 192 kHz servo rates, and look-ahead-based velocity control.

The XL4s exceeds other single-phase motor controllers due to its industry-leading servo rate of 192 kHz. This directly correlates to better tracking errors and part quality at high-speeds in applications such as fast-tool servos, high-dynamic optical focusing axes, and high-speed pick-and-place machines. The XL4s has an encoder interpolation feature, dedicated analog and digital I/O, fiber-optic interface, and separate power connections for motor and control supply voltages.

Unlike other fast tool servo controllers, the XL4s packaging allows it to be panel-mounted in a machine enclosure, resulting in a smaller machine footprint and requiring less overall floor space.

Related Glossary Terms

  • interpolation

    interpolation

    Process of generating a sufficient number of positioning commands for the servomotors driving the machine tool so the path of the tool closely approximates the ideal path. See CNC, computer numerical control; NC, numerical control.