halstrup-walcher positioning systems are available as intelligent drives with an integrated motor, gearbox and absolute encoder. The systems come with torques of up to 25 Nm and are particularly robust, as they satisfy IP protection classes up to IP 68. They are perfectly placed to take the world by storm, thanks to the extremely wide range of on-board bus communication interfaces (CANopen, PROFIBUS DP, DeviceNet, Modbus RTU, Sercos, EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, POWERLINK, IO-Link), which support easy integration into the machine control system. However, they first need a U.S. visa - in other words, the appropriate certification. This has now been obtained, as halstrup-walcher GmbH is announcing at HANNOVER MESSE 2017.

The electrical drives have been certified for the U.S. and Canadian markets as complying with the UL, CSA and ANSI test standards. Certification has been granted by TÜV Süd Product Service GmbH, an accredited NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory) testing organization, in accordance with the guidelines of the U.S. and Canadian authorities. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and SCC (Standards Council of Canada) are responsible for health and safety standards in the workplace and have defined precise fire and worker safety regulations. Testing and certification requirements are especially important for electrical products and machines, which must carry a test seal. However, the complex approval process for machine modules or entire production lines in the U.S. is easier if relevant individual system components have already been tested for compliance with UL/CSA/ANSI standards and have NRTL certification. European EN or IEC testing is not sufficient on its own and is not recognized. On the other hand, NRTL certification is recognized by both OSHA (U.S.) and SCC (Canada).

Beginning in May 2017, series 3 positioning systems will all be labeled with the NRTL test seal, which means that the small drives will also be able to provide professional format adjustments in machines in the U.S. and Canada.

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