A milestone for Yaskawa’s 300S+/300V system: the manufacturer has just supplied the 1.5 millionth component from its tried and tested control system range.
Developed by VIPA GmbH (now owned by Yaskawa), in the 1990s, the 300 series control system soon became a market leader. The next generations, the 300S and 300S+, were able to build on the impressive sales figures generated in the early years. 1.5 million of this high-speed control system’s components are now installed and working in innumerable machines world-wide.
A proven model for success
Since taking over VIPA GmbH, based in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in 2012, Yaskawa has continued developing this highly successful model and integrating it in the i3-Mechatronics solution concept as part of its Industry 4.0 strategy. The latest version is around ten times faster than comparable systems. The PLC CPUs have far more memory (up to 8 MB, fully remanent) and more additional uses than previous models, and all that at a lower price. Up to 32 expansion modules can be added to a single station.
Retrofitting is the latest trend
The control system has recently become even more in demand than ever before. This is because it offers a compatible alternative that can handle the on-going changes in the automation industry and is also readily available, off the shelf. With this system, Yaskawa is opening up a host of interesting opportunities for replacing existing solutions. This is thanks to the fact that the system’s IOs and accessories are fully compatible with the previous market-leading system. Every hardware component can be replaced 1:1 and also run in parallel in mixed operation. The CPUs can also continue being used with almost unchanged functionality, so there’s no need to replace existing software. Yaskawa provides specialist support to help modify the CPUs accordingly.
Long-term investment security
The 300S+ control system also gives its users, mechanical engineers and service teams the additional benefit of long-term investment security. Yaskawa provides a 36-month guarantee for the entire upgraded control system, not just for the new components. And yet another benefit is that every single component can be supplied directly from stock and will be available until 2030, at the least. This exceptional supply capability is also partly thanks to the fact that the integrated microchips are based on Yaskawa’s proprietary technologies.