The iC9226 controller works with Yaskawa's TRITON industrial chip and can address up to 64 servo axes synchronously. The iC9226 controller can be programmed using the "‘iCube Engineer"‘ software tool and optionally equipped with an integrated FSoE Safety Master.

"iCube Engineer" is based on Linux and operates on the Phoenix Contact PLCnext platform.

The new feature is that you can now use EtherCAT to control not only servo drives and frequency converters, but also Delta and Scara robots, customer-specific kinematics and other third-party devices. Thanks to its modular design, the iC9226's has features that can be activated to configure it to suit specific applications, reducing layout and implementation costs. For ease of implementation, the controller can be programmed in a wide range of programming languages. These not only include the international standards as defined in IEC 61131 but also languages such as C#, C++, Python or Mathlab Simulink.

iCube Control automation platform

Yaskawa's iCube Control automation platform has technically complementary elements and provides a holistic solution for industry-specific control applications, ranging from engineering software through controller hardware to integrated chip technology. Looking into the future: iCube Control, whose design makes it a modern motion concept, is also being extended, step-by-step, to create a comprehensive movement control and automation system that complies with the international IEC62443-4-1 safety standard from its product development to its implementation.

The aim is to create a universal platform which mechanical engineers can use to access a complete range of functions, from controlling frequency converters to motion control and safety, up to programming and controlling robots, all in the same environment. The openness, flexibility and scalability provided by the Linux-based iCube Engineer software results in an operating system which encompasses all the other products.

Technology partnership with Phoenix Contact

Yaskawa has been basing the development if its own products on Phoenix Contact's open PLCnext Technology ecosystem, in the context of a technology partnership that has been running since 2020. This has led to the creation of a community and actual iCube products, and also

a Store which is used to share expertise.

Phoenix Contact and Yaskawa have the common aim of moving from proprietary solutions to a future-proof open ecosystem for industrial automation. Yaskawa is currently launching the iC9226M world-wide, in its Motion and Robotics division.

The latest evolution of Yaskawa servo technology

Yaskawa's high-end Sigma series AC servo systems have proven themselves for decades in such diverse applications as packaging machines, semiconductor manufacturing, timber processing or digital printing machines. And with Sigma-X as the latest evolution in the series, Yaskawa is once again setting new standards in performance and ease of use.

Our aim is to enable users to further expand the competitiveness of their machines in order to maintain a technical advantage over their competitors. The very compact servo motors allows for the design of ever smaller machines. At the same time, the versatile tuning functions can be learned and applied very easily. Mechanically induced vibrations and resonances in the machine body are automatically detected and counteracted by the system. The acceleration sensors integrated in the new servo motors can now detect unwanted machine conditions at an early stage. In addition, the servo amplifier provides users with a variety of helpful information, such as electrical consumption, current power and temperature reserves, maintenance cycle indicators, vibrations, etc. This means that the performance of the machine is continuously monitored, analyzed and optimized in order to ensure maximum availability.

The system is currently available for 200 V with a power output of 50 W to 15 kW. Models for 400 V will follow in the near future. Servo amplifiers for the simultaneous connection of up to three servo motors are also now available, as well as models with special firmware for use in gantry systems. The available interfaces are Analog/Pulse and EtherCAT. All servo amplifiers are fitted with Safe Torque Off (STO) as a functional safety feature. An option card for additional safety functions plus FSoE (Safety over EtherCAT) will be available in early 2025.

Frequency converters for heating, ventilation, air conditioning as well as fan and pump applications

The new heating, ventilation and air conditioning inverter drive in the HV600 range provide exceptionally reliable motor control. They consequently meet the stringent requirements for flexibility, performance, availability and user-friendliness demanded by building automation applications. Each HV600 is supplied with application-specific software settings, a hands-off auto-LCD operator unit, a high-visibility status ring so that the drive status can be seen quickly and a real time clock for system accuracy. Communication protocols commonly used in building automation, such as BACnet, Siemens APOGEE, Johnson Controls Metasys and MEMOBUS/Modbus, are integrated in the drive. The HV600 can be installed at up to 160 kW in insulation category IP20 and provides IP55 protection up to 75 kW.

The FP605 is a highly efficient, sustainable solution for rectifier-controlled drives in industrial pump, fan and compressor installations. Flexible in its use and easy to install, the product range is compact: another reason why it is so impressive. Its housings are either in insulation category IP20 (up to 355 kW) or IP55 (up to 75 kW), as standard. The FP605's pump-specific features make commissioning quick and easy. Integrated protective functions also ensure that the drive and pump have the maximum possible service life.

With its new HMI Designer screen development software, Yaskawa is integrating the latest generation of smartPanel and Panel PC models in its iCube Control automation platform. The hardware in the HMIs has also been optimized even more.

The new HMI Designer screen development software has a library of 10,000 variables, making Yaskawa's smartPanels and Panel PCs much more future-proof. This also makes it ideal for handling complex applications, such as in robotics. This new development runs on Yaskawa's smartPanels and Panel PCs as well as on third-party devices. The touch panels in the HMI portfolio remain unaffected by this change.

The new software for smartPanels and Panel PCs has been introduced as part of the implementation of Yaskawa's technically comprehensive iCube Control automation platform, which offers a global solution for control systems that are tailored to meet the needs of specific industry sectors. The openness, flexibility and scalability provided by the Linux-based iCube Engineer software results in an ecosystem which encompasses all the other products.

The new screen development software makes it possible to display data from the iCube Engineer in a browser, for the iCube Control controllers, and to view data on Yaskawa's own smartPanels and Panel PCs, or third-party devices running a Windows operating system, at runtime. As the iCube Engineer software is based on the OPC UA standard, it can be integrated seamlessly into any suitable automation environment. It can be installed as a background program on any Windows-based industrial PC (Windows 7, 8 or 10).

New hardware

As part of this latest software changeover, Yaskawa is also extending its existing HMI portfolio and fitting a total of six models with this latest generation of its runtime software. In detail, they are three new Linux-based smartPanels (size: 4", 7" or 10") and three Panel PCs (10", 15.6" or 21.5") that run on the Windows 10 operating system. A stand-out feature are the new DNV EU MR-compliant smartPanels, which can also be used in marine applications and are certified for use in deep-sea vessels.

Yaskawa is using a highly dynamic packaging cell to highlight the potential of its latest generation of iCube Control systems: the complex system, including its robots, is controlled and programmed from a single central iC9226M-FSoE controller. The demo cell is also equipped with the new Sigma-X high-end AC servo system.

By its very nature, the automation of packaging processes presents a set of complex challenges. Extremely precise processes, that are ever more complicated, and run at speed, must be controlled whilst, at the same time, a variety of different components, including those supplied by third parties, need to be integrated. For example, when chocolate bars are packed into tubular sleeves, the robots, conveyor belts, camera systems and roll cutters all have to work together to feed the products in, separate them, package them and then transport them to the next processing steps.

Yaskawa's demo cell

In Yaskawa's demo cell, which demonstrates this type of process, a SCARA robot works together with a Delta robot and a number of different servo drives. An iC9226-series controller with an integrated safety function is used as a central control unit. This operates as an FSoE Master and is linked to the servo drives and additional SLIO IOs via EtherCAT. The controller is also connected to the HMI via OPC UA and to the camera system via EthernetIP.

As the drives in the robot are controlled directly via the Sigma-X servo pack amplifier, there is no need for an additional robot control unit. With this latest evolution in the Sigma series, Yaskawa is once again setting new standards in performance and ease of use.

New controller

The Linux-based iC9226 controller, based on the Phoenix PLCnext platform, works with Yaskawa's TRITON profichip®, which is an industrial processor chip. The new feature is that you can now use EtherCAT not just to control servo drives and frequency converters, but also Delta and SCARA robots, customer-specific kinematics and other third-party devices. Thanks to its modular design, the iC9226's features can be activated to configure it to suit specific applications, reducing layout and implementation costs. For ease of implementation, the controller can be programmed in a wide range of programming languages. These not only include the international standards as defined in IEC 61131 but also languages such as C#, C++, Python or Mathlab Simulink.

iCube Control automation platform

A single iC9226 controller can be used to control up to 64 servo axes and eight robots at the same time. On request, it can also be fitted with an integrated FSoE Master. The iC9226 – and therefore the entire system – is programmed using iCube Engineer software, which is based on the PLCnext Software supplied by Phoenix. This also includes the PackML standard, on which the entire demo system runs, as an integrated library.

The iCube Engineer software tool is also a central element of Yaskawa's iCube Control automation platform. This platform has been designed as a comprehensive technical solution, tailored to suit industry-specific control requirements, ranging from engineering software through controller hardware to the HMI. Thanks to its pioneering design as a modern motion concept, the iCube Control can be extended, step-by-step, to form an all-embracing motion control and automation system.