Panasonic
Panasonic’s industrial product group has a wide range of use in automation applications. Servo motor and drive systems, compact PLCs, industrial sensors and relays are the main products of this group. Servo systems are used in particular in machines that require packaging, labeling, electronic assembly and precise positioning. The compact housing structure and high-resolution feedback are reasons for preference in machines with limited volume.
Servo Drives and Motors
Panasonic AC servo products are for closed-loop axis control in which the drive and motor are commissioned together; the MINAS family includes motor options in low, medium, and high inertia classes. Being able to select the motor according to the load inertia is one of the factors that determine the cycle time in machines where acceleration and deceleration are repeated frequently. On the drive side there are pulse-input and network-based series; models with EtherCAT communication connect to a central control in multi-axis systems.
PLC Systems
The FP series programmable control units run the machine logic; they control field devices with counter, timer, and positioning functions. The series includes different body sizes, from compact control units that fit into narrow panel spaces to models whose input/output count can be increased with expansion modules. Thanks to Ethernet-based industrial protocol support, connections can be established with higher-level systems and other control units.
Relay Groups (Slim Relay)
Slim relays form an intermediate layer between the low-current signal of a PLC output and loads such as contactor coils, solenoid valves, or signal lamps, and isolate the control circuit from the field circuit. Thanks to their thin body structure, a large number of relays can be placed side by side on the rail, saving space inside the panel. In socketed use, since only the relay is replaced when the contacts wear out, maintenance time is shortened.