Servos, resolute linear encoders...questions

Hi all

We are building a small turning center for our own use, their is a budget and we would like to use resolute linear/rotary encoders and read heads from reinshaw, and a servo driven system. We do optics and need very high resolution.

Speed is not an issue (distance traveled 300-400mm)

Is EMC2 compatible with servo motion controllers from companies like parker or siemens?

Can we get .0001mm resolution (provided the engineering/hardware can deliver) through EMC2?

We have no problem with spending the time learning the sytem..we run Ubuntu on our shop computers and our collaborators think there may be something here durring the prototype phase and maybe even the final build.


If any experienced integrator, machine builder would care to comment I would really appreciate it.

Our company www.infraotica.com

Thanks

Roger

I'm not and experienced machine integrator (though I play one on IRC)
but I think EMC2 should already work with such a system if you can find a servo drive
with step+dir inputs and BISS encoder feedback (for the Resolute encoder).
With such a system you would want a hardware step generator for reasonable
performance (either ours or Pico systems). A disadvantage of such a system is that
the absolute nature of the Resolute encoder is "thrown away" so it would need to be
setup like a step motor based system with homing.

I expect to add a BISS firmware module to our HostMot2 firmware sometime next month
(though the driver support will take longer). This would allow EMC2 to read the
Resolute encoder position data. Once EMC2 can read the encoder, a servo drive
running in torque mode could be used to control the servo. This drive would not
require a BISS interface.

A velocity mode servo drive would need to read the Resolute encoder
as well as EMC2, and I'm not sure getting the BISS data to both places would be acomplished,
but I will look into it when writing the BISS interface firmware.
There may be a way for the firmware to "spy" on an existing BISS interface.