The new PMCprimo and PMCtendo motion control products from Pilz Automation Safety supply a complete motion control safety automation system by providing and extending the programmability of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and servo motors in machines and systems for packaging, printing, material handling, and numerous other industrial applications to include Pilz's safety technology.

Included in the family of products is the PMCprimo 16+ for controller-based automation of machines designed for many axes of motion. Control of more than 100 synchronic axes of motion is possible. The PMCprimo Drive, by comparison, provides complete automated control of drive-based machines designed for one through nine axes of motion. The PMCtendo DD is a programmable servo drive for electric commutated motors, and the PMCtendo AC is a highly dynamic brushless electric servomotor.

As a result, this product family stands ready to provide complete safety automation that can be integrated and networked for a growing number of multi-axis industrial applications. In short, complex multi-axis applications such as packaging lines, printing and paper machines, and many other pieces of complex production equipment can be safely controlled easily and quickly.

Pilz-Mayr Acquisition
The primo and tendo line of products formerly belonged to the Mayr Systems division of Mayr GmbH & Co. (Mauerstetten, Germany) before Mayr transferred the Mayr Systems division to Pilz GmbH (Ostfildern, Germany) in an agreement effective August 1. "Both parties benefit by integrating this division into our organization," says Renate Pilz, managing partner. "On the one hand, it guarantees the continuity and ongoing development of proven product ranges such as primo, and on the other hand we can provide users with automation solutions that include motion control."

The primo line of motion control systems was developed specifically for the type of complex, multi-axis motion systems typically found in packaging applications. Modular control systems that include the tendo DD digital servocontroller and tendo AC servomotors synchronize axes as part of each cycle. This makes a wide range of packaging tasks including filling, wrapping, labeling, and even such non-packaging applications as flying shears, accessible to automation and Pilz's expertise in safety systems. "In this way we can offer our customers even more tailor-made solutions for safety and control technology," Pilz adds.