Maxon’s compact drives feature controllers, sensors and motors in an aluminum casing, which, when combined with existing maxon products, produce robust, space-saving and high power density drive solutions. The new MCD EPOS is a highly dynamic, maintenance-free positioning drive with a fieldbus connection and a maximum 60 watt output. maxon’s compact drives are ideal, in that they take up very little space yet provide excellent functionality. They are also extremely flexible and can be used in automation, robotics or laboratory applications. The MCD EPOS combines a brushless maxon EC motor, a digital encoder and a digital EPOS positioning controller at a very competitive price. The MCD EPOS’s output goes up to 60 watts. Wiring is kept to a minimum through direct connection to the CANopen bus or an SPS controller. The drive is controlled, configured and diagnosed via the CANbus or serial interface (RS232). Several optically coupled inputs and outputs mean that sensors and events can be evaluated directly in the drive. The MCD EPOS P programmable variation has a processor and memory for standalone operation, allowing control of a further 127 CANopen components. Planetary gearheads can be selected from the maxon gear program as an option for greater torque. Drive programming complies with IEC 61131-3 standard through the powerful EPOS Studio tool. The integration of the Motion Control Library under the widely used PLCopen standard has dramatically reduced program complexity and development costs.