XL4s Linear Amplifier

XL4s Linear Amplifier

Aerotech's XL4s linear amplifier is designed for closed-loop servo control of voice coil and single-phase motors, eliminating the non-linearities common with PWM amplifiers. The XL4s provides deterministic behavior, auto-identification, and easy software setup and features a multiple-core, double-precision, floating-point DSP that controls the digital PID.

January 9, 2019

Aerotech's XL4s linear amplifier is designed for closed-loop servo control of voice coil and single-phase motors, eliminating the non-linearities common with PWM amplifiers. The XL4s provides deterministic behavior, auto-identification, and easy software setup and features a multiple-core, double-precision, floating-point DSP that controls the digital PID.

All parameters are software-settable including control-loop gains and system safety functions. With the XL4s, you can achieve industry-leading settling times, long-term thermal stability, and sub-micron-level tracking accuracy with advanced features such as full state feed-forward, 192 kHz servo rates, and look-ahead-based velocity control.

The XL4s exceeds other single-phase motor controllers due to its industry-leading servo rate of 192 kHz. This directly correlates to better tracking errors and part quality at high-speeds in applications such as fast-tool servos, high-dynamic optical focusing axes, and high-speed pick-and-place machines. The XL4s has an encoder interpolation feature, dedicated analog and digital I/O, fiber-optic interface, and separate power connections for motor and control supply voltages.

Unlike other fast tool servo controllers, the XL4s packaging allows it to be panel-mounted in a machine enclosure, resulting in a smaller machine footprint and requiring less overall floor space.

Glossary terms in this article

  • interpolation
    Process of generating a sufficient number of positioning commands for the servomotors driving the machine tool so the path of the tool closely approximates the ideal path. See CNC…
  • look-ahead
    CNC feature that evaluates many data blocks ahead of the cutting tool’s location to adjust the machining parameters to prevent gouges. This occurs when the feed rate is too high to…