The agreement signed by European companies YASKAWA and Prima Electro is expected to be extended to other subsidiaries in the coming months on a global basis. With this partnership, Prima Electro has chosen SIGMA-5 SD drives and motors by YASKAWA to implement its new OSAI OPENcontrol CNC family. The products will be connected through Mechatrolink III fieldbus.
Prima Electro S.p.A. and YASKAWA Europe GmbH have, according to a recent company press release, signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement of major importance for the CNC market. Prima Electro chose SIGMA-5 SD drives and motors by YASKAWA to implement its new OSAI OPENcontrol CNC family, consisting of a unique platform combining the leading edge technologies of the two companies. The CNC and SIGMA-5 SD drives will be linked via the new Mechatrolink III fieldbus. Thanks to this partnership YASKAWA drives and motors are now part of the new OPENcontrol product line, whose extreme modularity and scalability allow customers to select hardware and software components according to their specific application needs.
The platform and cooperation cover all the OPENcontrol software (OPEN-10 for GMC – General Motion Control-, OPEN-20 and 30 for 2D and 3D applications respectively) and hardware (OPEN-XS/M/L/XL) components. The high scalability of OSAI numerical controls by Prima Electro with the new servo product line by YASKAWA will deliver a unique multi-drive system with power regeneration. OPENcontrol steps into the market to become a reference platform for machine tools, even more in the wood/stone/glass working, where OSAI and YASKAWA together represent a strong position worldwide. The new platform will also be properly positioned to enter the metalworking arena as well. Prima Electro’s OPEN Control will be available for milling machines and lathes.
Under this agreement YASKAWA will make its products available to Prima Electro for their integration and resale, while the two companies will join forces in the after-sales service thanks to their international networks of qualified engineers providing customized field services and support.
Federico De Sario, Prima Electro Executive VP Sales & Marketing, said: “This new platform represents a reference point in the tool machines market and thanks to the already known collaboration OSAI-YASKAWA, these brands confirm their leading role in the wood, glass and stone machinery, being one of the most used platform in the machines tool industry”.
Ralph Klein, YASKAWA Executive Officer Drives & Motion Division, said: “With the new OPENcontrol platform, YASKAWA and Prima Electro can offer an optimized package for CNC applications. Due to this cooperation customers will benefit by the synergies due to combining the knowledge of a strong, specialized CNC manufacturer and a market leader in the Drives and Motion area.”
Prima Electro S.p.A., founded in 1978, is 100% owned by Prima Industrie, a company listed in the STAR segment on the Italian Stock Exchange. Prima Electro designs, manufactures and sells industrial-grade electronics and is prominent in the market with three different brands: DOTS¨, OSAI¨ and CONVERGENT™ lasers.
DOTS Electronics (Dedicated Off-The-Shelf): is a pioneer in this sector; Prima Electro offers “dedicated” solutions for specific customer applications at the top industrial level, with highly competitive prices and fast time-to-market. Electronics DOTS solutions are installed in many principle Italian and international cities specialising in the motion-control, automation, energy and transport industries.
Thanks to its OSAI CNC product family, a leader in the field of wood, glass, stone and special metal working machines, Prima Electro SpA is today Italy’s main manufacturer of computerised numerical controls. The company’s product range is further enhanced by a network of technical support facilities providing maintenance and retrofit services for numerical controls and machine tools.
The acquisition of the CONVERGENT lasers brand has enabled Prima Electro to gain a leading role in the industrial lasers market with more than 4000 installations currently in use all over the world.