Galil Motion Control

Figure 1: DMC-2145 and DMC-2185 Motion Controllers

     Available for purchase now is Galil’s new DMC-21x5 controller. The DMC-21x5 is the latest addition to the Econo family and is an easy upgrade path from the long running DMC-21x3 series. The DMC-21x5 utilizes nearly all of the same peripherals as the DMC-21x3 controller, making the transition simple. The main difference between the DMC-21x5 and its predecessor is a state of the art ARM based processor that places its communication, command processing and memory capabilities on par with Galil’s line of current generation motion controllers, while still remaining at the Econo Series price of the DMC-21x3.

Figure 1: Artist's Rendering of the UEO Instant Lounge Exhibit

     The 2019-2020 Biennale (bi-annual exhibition) focused on how robotics, AI and automation can be utilized to develop the “smart city”. UEO was selected from hundreds of applicants to exhibit a project in the Biennale. Their exhibit, Instant Lounge, dynamically deploys temporary public furniture, with the help of Galil’s Econo Series DMC-4163 motion controller.

     Galil’s product workshop has been educating users on the ease of programming, setup, tuning and troubleshooting for decades. Now this same product workshop is available without boarding a flight, booking a hotel, or even shipping and receiving a demo box. Due to the current health crisis we have taken this class online. Now you can attend and participate in not only the interactive classroom lectures but the applications engineer proctored labs from your home or office.

     Galil is proud to introduce a new “all in one” multi-axis drive for the DMC-41x3 and DMC-40x0 product families. This all in one drive module is perfect for customers who want have the ability to use one configuration in multiple applications or mix and match motors on the same bank of drives. This drive is available in 2 and 4 axis configurations.

     Monitoring and troubleshooting real time motion control systems can be tricky in high performance applications where the majority of PC and controller resources are dedicated to running the application. Adding on an extra layer of monitoring software can have a non negligible effect on the overall system performance and can in some instances eliminate or worsen the behavior you're looking to monitor. The ability to remotely monitor communications and status in real time from a separate PC is invaluable in these situations. Enter gcaps Remote Connect!

   Introducing the latest addition to Galil's software suite, the MotorSizer tool. This powerful tool offers a straightforward method of selecting the proper motors for a particular application with the same ease of use GDK is known for. The tool asks for various application details such as load mass and top speed, then provides a list of motors carried by your local Galil distributor with the appropriate motors highlighted. You can use this list to narrow down your search for motors and contact your distributor for more details. 

     Stepper motors are employed in a variety of applications across the engineering spectrum because they are inexpensive, simple to operate, and offer high torque at low speeds. The primary drawbacks of stepper motors are lack of position feedback and stalls; the user assumes that the stepper 'got there.' The addition of an encoder to the system can mitigate these drawbacks but at the cost of increased move and settle time. Galil's new Closed Loop Stepper Firmware overcomes these drawbacks while keeping move and settle times low. The result is precise motion and positioning with the low speed/high torque benefits of a stepper motor.

     Our sold out May product workshop was the first ever to be held remotely. The classroom and lab portions of the class were conducted live via 8x8. Galil demo boxes were sent to attendees so the hands on aspect was not lost. Our next available class is scheduled for September 16th -17th, 2020.

     The Galil Design Kit (GDK) is Galil’s premier software environment that provides easy communication with Galil’s motion controllers and PLCs. The tools in this package continue to be enhanced and expanded. Here's what's new