Inductive rotary encoders Heidenhain for robot axesERT

The inductive rotary encoders KCI 1300 (singleturn) and KBI 1300 (multiturn) from Heidenhain are especially intended for compact motors in robotics and other applications.

Flat, lightweight and immune to both contamination and magnetic fields, these encoders feature a 25 mm hollow shaft and employ a scanning unit combined with either a screw-fastened circular scale or a press-fit disk/hub assembly. Wide mounting tolerances make installation easy. Mechanical fault exclusion ensures dependable mounting, and the EnDat 2.2 interface provides functionally safe data transmission. Because these encoders support an external temperature sensor, overload protection can be implemented for even greater reliability.

For two variants, Heidenhain wedded the electronics directly to a metal carrier that can act as a bearing cover for the motor. This fan-out technology (FOT) saves space, reduces the number of components and dissipates heat externally through the metal plate. The resulting KCI 1318 FOT and KBI 1335 FOT encoders come with a press-fit disk/hub assembly.

For larger 30 mm and 40 mm hollow shafts, Heidenhain offers the compact KCI 120 and KBI 136 inductive rotary encoders. Designed specifically for robotics applications, these encoders deliver the benefits of the smaller KBI 1300 series to robot axes that are significantly more heavy-duty.

The encoder offering of the company for advanced robotics applications also features the Heidenhain KCI 120 Dplus dual encoder, a single device that provides position feedback from both the motor shaft and gearbox output shaft of a robot joint. Using robust inductive scanning technology, the encoder’s scanning head reads two separate circular scales for dual feedback. By measuring the gearbox output shaft, the KCI 120 Dplus can counteract design-induced inaccuracy on highly articulated and dynamic robots.

To ensure compatibility with as many applications as possible, the dual encoder comes in three variants featuring different hollow-shaft sizes and mounting dimensions for the scanning unit and two disk/hub assemblies. All three versions of the KCI 120 Dplus are compact, easy to integrate and equal in functionality.

The innovative KCI 120 Dplus widens the horizon of robot applications, making even high-accuracy machining tasks possible. And thanks to its EnDat 2.2 serial data interface, which is designed for functional safety, this dual encoder also thrives in safety-critical applications such as cobots.