Decentralized Drive Architecture For Industrial Automation Systems

The deployment of decentralized drive architectures addresses the spatial and financial constraints of traditional motion control systems in industrial automation. By integrating single-cable hybrid technologies and modular power supplies, machinery engineers can significantly reduce cable lengths and physical cabinet requirements.

Technical Solution and Responsibilities
Kollmorgen developed the AKD2G drive to utilize hybrid cable technology, which consolidates power, feedback, and brake control into a single connection. This structure eliminates the need for separate encoder cables typically required by standard brushless servo motors. For multi-axis applications, the company provides the MKD modular system, operating as a central power supply that establishes a shared DC bus. Rather than housing all standalone drives in a central control cabinet, AKD-N drives are distributed directly on the machine architecture near their corresponding motors.

Deployment or Implementation
The decentralized units connect to the central power supply through a single daisy-chained cable that transmits both DC bus power and fieldbus control signals. This network topology allows the control infrastructure to hop sequentially from one distributed drive to the next across the machine framework. When an industrial facility needs to expand a machine's capabilities, technicians can integrate an additional axis by establishing a single connection from the last drive in the existing chain. This implementation method prevents the need to physically open the central control cabinet, trace back to the power supply, or reconstruct primary wiring pathways, thereby minimizing production disruptions.

Applications and Use Cases
This distributed motion control infrastructure is deployed in industrial automation environments requiring multi-axis machinery where floor space, maintenance access, and expansion flexibility are critical parameters. The decentralized approach allows control cabinets to be scaled down to a size that can often be mounted directly onto the machine frame rather than consuming adjacent factory floor space. Standardizing on digital position sensors and single-connector architectures accelerates the commissioning process by minimizing the number of terminations, labels, and routing paths required during initial machine assembly.




Results or Expected Impact
Transitioning from a centralized, dual-cable configuration to a decentralized, daisy-chained topology yields measurable material reductions. In a standard ten-motor machine, a conventional layout typically requires approximately 200 meters of cabling, assuming 20-meter runs per individual axis. Implementing the distributed drive architecture reduces the total cable requirement to approximately 30 meters. This reduction directly lowers material costs associated with copper cabling, limits potential mechanical points of failure along complex cable routes, and provides a scalable framework for future machine adaptations.

Edited by Maria Brueva, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

www.kollmorgen.com