At SPS Italia, the leading event for smart, digital, and sustainable industries, Bonfiglioli presented its mechatronics ecosystem , integrating gearmotors, inverters, condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and advanced automation software tools. Highlights included the Axia drive family , solutions for shuttles, AGVs, and AMRs , the Bonfiglioli Automation Manager suite, and mechatronic systems for conveyors, palletizers, flow pack systems, compact warehouse lifts, and material handling applications.
The Axia family: intelligent drives for even smarter automation
The new Axia drive family , comprising AxiaVert and AxiaAgile , was officially presented at SPS Italia. The former is designed for complex, high-performance systems and features a modular architecture, numerous functional safety options, and advanced motion control capabilities. The latter represents a compact, cost-effective alternative for general-purpose applications. Developed on a variant concept, AxiaAgile is designed to meet diverse application needs thanks to dedicated configurations that simplify product selection and reduce design time. At SPS Italia, AxiaVert and AxiaAgile were presented in demo form, paired with three different gearmotors. Particular attention was paid to AxiaVert's integrated functional safety variants : Basic, Standard, and Motion Safety, which provide the flexibility needed to adapt to different application scenarios. This advantage allows for the optimization of safety architectures, reduced footprint, and elimination of the need for external safety components, while ensuring safe and controlled operation of various motions. Bonfiglioli offers all the key safety functions required by the market, including STO, SS1, SBC, SLS, SLP, and SOS. AxiaVert's safety functions enable increased uptime with continuous monitoring, in compliance with industry standards. Furthermore, AxiaVert supports FsoE communication integration, which significantly reduces labor and wiring costs by routing all safety communications between the inverter and the PLC via fieldbus.
High-precision motion solutions for mobile robotics
For mobile robotics applications, Bonfiglioli presented two customized versions of the BlueRoll platform , the solution developed specifically for shuttles, AGVs, and AMRs. BlueRoll is available in three configurations—Basic, Advanced, and Compact—and thanks to its modular structure and full customization options, it reduces complexity while ensuring accurate positioning, maximum power density, and energy efficiency. Each configuration is designed to perfectly adapt to the specific needs of the application and is available with a single component (servo motor or precision planetary gearmotor) or with an integrated gearmotor. At SPS Italia, BlueRoll presented a low-voltage precision planetary servomotor , compatible with 24- or 48-volt battery-powered electronic drives, making it the ideal solution for simplified installation and retrofitting.
Advanced mechatronic systems for intelligent intralogistics
At SPS Italia, Bonfiglioli dedicated a specific area to the logistics and intralogistics sector, presenting a series of mechatronic systems. For palletizers, flow pack processes, and compact warehouse lifts, the most suitable product is the BMD series synchronous servomotor . Presented here in three different solutions, it was combined with three different gear units—the TQ series precision planetary gear unit, the A series right-angle gearmotor, and the F series modular shaft-mounted gearmotor—and the AxiaVert inverter. For intralogistics processes, specifically conveyor belts, the solution presented at SPS combines the EVOX CP helical gear unit with a modular, reliable, and energy-efficient MXN motor and the AxiaVert drive. Finally, for smart conveyors, an A series right-angle gearmotor combined with a BSR synchronous reluctance motor and a sensor-equipped DGM decentralized inverter was present at the fair.
Selcom: advanced electronic and mechatronic solutions for industrial applications
Part of the Bonfiglioli Group, Selcom showcased its customized electronic solutions and a wide range of high-performance mechatronics and integrated systems, demonstrating its commitment to high standards and custom design. Among the featured products were PLCs, sensors, TFT displays with touch functionality, DC-DC converters for battery-powered applications, inverters, and an induction welding power source—all examples of Selcom's versatility and customer-focused approach. The spotlight was on the new industrial PC with seven GBIT Ethernet ports, capable of managing up to six different networks, as well as a dedicated commissioning port. With four USB ports and a display port, the system ensures excellent connectivity and flexibility, demonstrating Selcom's commitment to innovation and advanced integration.
An integrated IIoT platform for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance
Bonfiglioli addresses the key challenges facing industrial machinery, such as downtime and high maintenance costs, by providing an IIoT platform that includes Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance . The IoT platform uses dedicated sensors to monitor motors and gearboxes, collecting important data on performance and energy consumption. The sensors combine accelerometer, magnetometer, and temperature sensing functions, and transmit external data via wireless technology. Combined with an MXN asynchronous electric motor and a helical gearbox from the EVOX CP platform, these components guarantee high efficiency and flexibility.
A complete IT ecosystem for efficient automation
One of the key players at SPS was Bonfiglioli's Automation Manager , a software suite that integrates all digital tools into a single ecosystem, ensuring full integration across the product portfolio and throughout all phases of the machine's life cycle. Automation Manager comprises two macro-areas: Electronic Management Tools and Software Tools . The Electronic Management suite supports commissioning, monitoring, and diagnostics. It includes AxiaManager , dedicated to the configuration and management of Axia inverters, allowing users to simplify parameterization, monitor performance, and perform diagnostics during operation. Electronic Management also includes IoT Manager , which oversees the management of the company's IoT architecture and allows for the configuration of connected devices, firmware updates, monitoring field data, and managing system parameters. Completing the offering, the Software Tools are designed to support customers in selecting and optimizing Bonfiglioli components . These tools include the Smart Sizer, which helps companies identify the most suitable components for specific applications, starting from basic parameters such as load, speed, and operating cycle, and the e-shop that simplifies the customer's product configuration journey. Smart Sizer also incorporates the Efficiency Tool , which compares the energy performance of different motor-drive combinations, quantifying consumption, losses, and efficiency. Thanks to the Automation Manager, all Bonfiglioli products and software communicate with each other within a unified ecosystem, ensuring a simplified and optimized user experience, from initial sizing to ongoing monitoring.
The Bonfiglioli Group
Bonfiglioli designs, manufactures, and distributes a wide range of gearmotors, electric motors, planetary gearboxes, and inverters, capable of meeting the most demanding needs in the industrial automation, mobile machinery, and renewable energy sectors. The Group offers comprehensive solutions serving more industries and applications than any other gearmotor manufacturer and is a market leader in numerous sectors. Its three business areas—Industry & Automation Solutions, Mobility & Wind Industries, and Selcom Group—deliver the full breadth of experience and expertise acquired over the years in their respective fields. Founded in 1956, Bonfiglioli operates in 80 countries with 23 sales sites, 17 production facilities, an extensive distribution network of over 550 partners, and over 5,000 professionals worldwide. Excellence, innovation, and sustainability are the drivers behind Bonfiglioli's growth as a company and as a team, guaranteeing the quality of the products and services offered to its customers.
Transform an electrical tool into a laboratory instrument…and vice versa!
Adding a high-precision load cell to a Coretec servo press dramatically improves the performance of the CORETEC WPS “Work Explorer” feature. Coretec tools (for example the GS and MS servo press series) are highly sophisticated measuring instruments. They don't just push, they analyze: Work Explorer Function: Coretec controllers feature a Work Explorer mode. This allows the punch to move at a specific search speed until it detects a minimal change in force (contact). It then records the exact position, effectively acting as a contact probe. High sampling rate: Coretec is known for its ultra-high-speed data processing (over 1000 samples/sec), which is essential when using the servo press as a probe to ensure the trigger point is accurately detected. Improved features: 1. High sensitivity to contact (trigger point). The standard load cell integrated into a servo press is sized for the maximum capacity of the machine (for example, 5 kN). For this reason, it does not have the resolution necessary to detect very small contacts. Advantage: An external sensor can be specifically sized for the probing phase (for example, to detect a 0.5 N contact on a 5 kN machine). This ensures that the servo press stops when it touches the surface without deforming the part, providing a much more precise zero-point measurement. 2. Eliminate internal friction (noise). Internal sensors must account for the friction of the ball screw, motor bearings, and seals. This mechanical noise can mask the actual force at the tool tip. Advantage: An external sensor mounted directly on the tool measures only the force applied to the workpiece. This clean signal allows the Coretec Work Explorer function to activate with much greater repeatability, as it is unaffected by heat, wear, or the internal mechanics of the servo press. 3. Micron-level dimensional accuracy. When using a servo press as a probe, you often try to calculate a relative dimension (for example, measuring the height of a component to determine how much shim to insert). Advantage: Since the calculation is Force + Displacement, any error in the force detection results in an error in the recorded position. A more accurate sensor reduces this uncertainty, allowing for tighter assembly tolerances that are impossible to achieve with a standard internal sensor. 4. Direct traceability. In various industries, such as medical device manufacturing and the aerospace industry, servo presses are often considered measuring instruments. Advantage: It is significantly easier to calibrate and certify a high-precision external load cell to international standards than to calibrate the entire internal drive system of a servo press. Coretec with external sensors: The WPS controller is designed with high-speed analog inputs to specifically handle this external sensor, making it very easy to implement a high-precision secondary force feedback loop.
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