Baumer presents open motor feedback interface together with leading rotary encoder manufacturers

Baumer presents together with the leading encoder manufacturers Hengstler and Kübler the open, standardized motor feedback interface SCS open link to the public for the first time at a joint press conference. The new interface enables the high-performance exchange of bi-directional data between the motor and the drive, such as position data of the encoder.

The three market leaders are the initiators of a growing community, in order to establish an open interface standard and to enable drive manufacturers to be more flexible when selecting the appropriate encoder for their application. A neutral certification ensures the compatibility of devices from different manufacturers.

Karsten Just, Chief Marketing Officer, Executive Board member at Baumer Group, also underlined the special character of SCS open link interface and its related community. "The cooperation of three well-known makers of rotary encoders is an absolute novelty, and the importance of the term "community" is at the center. On a common website (www.scs-open-link.org) all relevant information about the interface will be provided. The website serves as a contact point for interested users as well as for other potential licensees. The supply of SCS open link sensors and the market approach are driven separately by each individual member. At the upcoming SPS IPC Drives in Nuremberg, there will be individual products and solutions from all three founding members. "Mr. Just announces a small house trade fair after the press conference. Here, numerous plug and cable manufacturers, already part of the SCS open link community network, were introduced. Participating companies were HELUKABEL, IGUS, LAPP cables, Phoenix Contact, SAB Bröckskes, Tecni cables and TE connectivity.

SCS open link is an interface developed with a special focus on motor feedback applications. It enables a high-performance exchange of bi-directional data between the motor and the drive, such as position data of the encoder.

SCS open link is designed as a one-cable solution and supports 2- and 4-wire applications. The new interface allows cable lengths up to 100 m, transmission rates up to 10 MBaud and controller cycles up to 32 KHz. For functional safety, the protocol is certified to SIL3 and Category 3. The compatibility of devices among each other is ensured by a neutral certification authority.

The one-cable solution allows a reduction of connection costs and cable variability by up to 50%. The absence of the second motor feedback cable and connector results in significant savings on the motor side as well as significantly increased design freedom. This is extremely important particularly for small servomotors.

Thanks to its extremely fast data transfer, SCS open link provides a high resolution and accuracy for drive systems as well as a high running stability and good running characteristics.

By means of the possibilities to transfer further data from secondary sensors, for example for temperature monitoring or condition monitoring, SCS open link also fulfills the present and future requirements of Industry 4.0 and IIoT.