Manufacturers have long been a major driver of private research and development (R&D), with the National Science Foundation reporting that 69% of all R&D spending originated in the manufacturing sector, despite the sector only accounting for 12% of GDP. With end-to-end automation projects becoming more common in manufacturing, conveyors, robots, and other automated devices will increasingly be required to operate in harmony with one another, placing more stringent demands on motion control capabilities.
In response to this industry trend, Omron has opened its Omron Advanced Motion Research and Development Center in Chatsworth, Calif. The center features a production area and an in-house engineering team of 40 experts who are available to collaborate with regional customers.
Led by Curt Wilson, senior director of engineering for advanced motion at Omron, the center will focus on advancing motion control systems technology initially developed by Delta Tau Data Systems. Delta Tau was acquired by Omron in 2015 with the goal of merging its motion control technology with Omron’s design technology to enable nanoscale, precision control for applications including high-speed, synchronous control of 3D additive manufacturing, such as laser modulation and numerical control type trajectory processing.
The merger resulted in the release of the CK3E programmable multi-axis motion controller (PMAC), which is at the center of the research efforts to be carried out at the Advanced Motion Research and Development Center. The CK3E PMAC can control up to 32 axes of motion by incorporating customized control algorithms. According to Omron, expanding these capabilities will allow the company to better serve the needs of customers throughout the semiconductor, medical, packaging, and scientific research industries.
“For decades, Delta Tau has been a world leader in high-performance motion and machine control, combining high precision to the sub-nanometer level, high speeds that allow thousands of programmed moves per second, and exceptional flexibility in a variety of cost-effective configurations,” said Wilson. “We’re excited to continue this work developing elite motion control systems that control some of the world’s most complex and demanding applications.”
