Battery-Free Kollmorgen SFD-M Servo Motors Available

Kollmorgen servo motors are now available with our fourth-generation SFD-M smart feedback device.

Offered at no additional cost over Kollmorgen’s earlier SFD models, this encoder offers four times greater positioning accuracy and uses energy-harvesting technology to track absolute multi-turn positioning even when the system is powered off.

Revolutionizing motion feedback

SFD-M allows machine builders to achieve high-resolution multi-turn feedbackKollmorgen, a global pioneer in motion control and automation systems, introduced the new SFD-M (Smart Feedback Device, Multi-Turn). It allows machine builders to achieve high-resolution multi-turn feedback with absolute positioning information available at system startup.

Designed to work with AKDTM and AKD2G drives, the SFD-M absolute multi-turn encoder can be integrated into Kollmorgen housed servo motors at no additional charge compared to the SFD-3 single-turn absolute encoder, providing multi-turn performance, four times greater positioning accuracy and fifty times lower EMFnoise.

Comparable third-party encoders come with a premium price. With the SFD-M, customers can achieve substantial savings in machine designs that perform at the highest levels of precision, efficiency and effectiveness.

Absolute multi-turn positioning

The SFD-M measures the position of the rotor shaft throughout each 360º rotation without requiring reference to a home position, and it registers the total number of rotations the shaft has made in either direction.

This absolute multi-turn positioning capability is ideal when precise tracking of position is required over large rotational distances, such as in machine tool positioning, packaging machines, material handling, satellite tracking and many other applications.

Additionally, the SFD-M maintains absolute positioning information in real time even when the system is powered down, eliminating the need for time-consuming homing sequences upon startup.

Battery-free operation

Battery-free operation eliminates maintenance issues while also supporting efforts to reduce the consumptionAbsolute multi-turn encoders from other providers often require a battery to retain positioning information when the system is powered down or during a power failure. These external batteries require replacement and can be subject to failure. 

Other alternatives use mechanical gear trains, which are noisy, backlash-prone and add size to the motor. The new Kollmorgen SFD-M eliminates these issues, instead using energy-harvesting technology to reliably maintain positioning information with no need for batteries or gear trains. 

Battery-free operation eliminates maintenance issues while also supporting efforts to reduce the consumption of natural resources and minimize waste.

Exceptional performance at an exceptional value 

The SFD-M is highly accurate, offering these key specifications: 

Resolution 

• 24 bits per revolution 
• 16,777,216 counts per revolution
• 0.0772 arc-sec per count Multi-turn absolute range
• 16 bits = 65,536 motor revolutions

Multi-turn absolute range 

• 16 bits = 65,536 motor revolutions 

Accuracy 

• < +/– 1 arc-min typical at 25ºC 
• < +/– 3 arc-min worst case

Breakthrough in motion

“Our new SFD-M encoder provides multi-turn absolute functionality with exceptional position accuracy and resolution at zero additional cost over Kollmorgen motors with single-turn encoders,” said Chris Cooper, Kollmorgen’s Senior Director of Global Product Management.

“That’s a huge benefit for precision and productivity at a savings of hundreds of dollars per motor and potentially several thousand dollars in a complex, multi-axis machine. Single motor-to-drive cable technology with auto drive setup further lowers total costs. We are very proud to offer all of these benefits to our customers as an integral part of Kollmorgen’s industry-leading servo systems.”