An example can be found in the offerings of MicroStep, a global manufacturer and supplier of CNC cutting machines, using cutting technologies such as plasma and oxyfuel, laser, and waterjet.
For more than 10 years, MicroStep has been relying on servo motors and drivers of the MINAS series from Panasonic Industry and witnessed the constant technical upgrading of the drives. These constant improvements helped MicroStep with their regular technology migration to maintain the quality of their systems. After the MINAS A5, the company integrated Panasonic’s MINAS A6 servo drives into their machines. They are part of a highly dynamic servo driver family with a wide power range from 50W to 15kW and are suitable for many different areas of applications beyond CNC machines. Characterized by a compact but also robust design, the servo drivers and motors of the MINAS A6 series have been equipped with essential functions for damping resonance frequencies while eliminating vibration tendencies.
“We chose Panasonic Industry’s MINAS servo motor and drive solutions due to their proven reliability and high quality. The zero vibration of the servo motor series was a key factor for choosing them, as any spurious motion can impact the machining process,” comments Pavol Varga, Technical Director from MicroStep. In addition to the servo motors and drives being extremely precise and fast, Panasonic is a globally operating company with a long heritage in manufacturing and can guarantee the quality of its products and also the on-time delivery. “Working with a vendor of that caliber enables us to fulfill customer expectations, aided by a reliable support team with a high level of technical expertise,” adds Varga.
Another important aspect of integrating the MINAS servo motor and drive solutions into their CNC machines was the availability of higher-output motors that enabled MicroStep to extend their product portfolio upwards to more powerful systems and solutions.
Heat-resistant seal
Since these systems are deployed in an industrial environment, it is also critical to ensure that the motors involved require little maintenance work and do not cause operational troubles. “Our servo motors of the MINAS family are protected by a dust-proof and heat-resistant oil seal made of a material with a high temperature resistance. Furthermore, the motors can be selected by type according to the operation environment. These features render our products ideal for production environments that are exposed to dust, heat and oil mist. Direct-mount connectors are used for the motor power supply and encoder input and output to improve the sealing performance so that the motor achieves an IP67 degree of protection”, remarks Stanislav Zaujec, Senior Sales Engineer from Panasonic Industry.
A constant process and a continued partnership
As MicroStep grew steadily and started delivering CNC cutting machines to customers all around the world, a reliable partner for motion solutions was needed. In 2013, Panasonic Industry started to provide MINAS A5 servo drives, which enabled MicroStep to meet their customers’ production demands. The high quality and especially zero-vibration of the servo drives convinced MicroStep to implement the Japanese technology into the CNC lineup. But not only the features and quality of the products convinced MicroStep to rely on Panasonic Industry. Thanks to a close contact with the local team, MicroStep also gets support with the design-in and implementation processes. Existing machines get regular updates, and the development of new solutions can be handled very effectively and quickly.
“We are very content with the personal support we have experienced over one decade with Panasonic Industry and we are looking forward for an even longer partnership with them”, Alexej Makuch, MicroStep’s Managing Director sums up.
Looking forward
Integrating advanced servo motor and driver solutions like the MINAS series from Panasonic Industry can help ensure that precision applications like CNC machines and other advanced industrial solutions fulfill all of the demands for quality, performance, and reliability. Paired with a dependable pre- and aftersales service that supports with design-in, implementation, updates and trainings, MicroStep and Panasonic Industry are looking forward to working on new developments and projects together.
