Parker Compumotor AXL-Drive Microstep Drive AX Series Stepper Motor Indexer

Parker Compumotor AXL-Drive Microstep Drive AX Series Stepper Motor Indexer

The Parker Compumotor AXL-Drive is a self-contained microstepping drive from the Compumotor AX Series, featuring a built-in indexer for stand-alone or host-commanded stepper motor control. Manufactured by Parker Hannifin's Compumotor Division, it accepts AC power directly and drives 2-phase stepper motors with microstepping resolution for smooth, precise motion. The built-in indexer allows the unit to accept CW/CCW step and direction commands or execute stored motion profiles without a separate controller.

Specifications & What's Included

• Brand: Parker Hannifin — Compumotor Division
• Model: AXL-Drive (AX Series)
• Drive type: Microstepping (2-phase stepper motor drive)
• Built-in indexer: Yes — Indexer terminal block with opto-isolated I/O, CW/CCW inputs, MONO output
• Encoder input: Yes — dedicated Encoder terminal block (differential A/B/Common/Shield)
• AC power input: Terminal block on front panel (LINE, GND, N.C., NERT)
• Motor output: Terminal block on front panel (B+/B-)
• Status indicators: TR (trip), POWER, FAULT LEDs on front face
• Cooling: Passive — integral aluminum heat sink fins along left side
• Form factor: Enclosed panel-mount / chassis-mount unit
• Manufacture date code: 8928 (Week 28, 1989) — made in USA
• Included: Drive unit only — no cables, no mounting hardware

Applications

The Compumotor AX Series drives were widely used in factory automation, semiconductor handling, laboratory instrumentation, and precision motion control systems throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. The AXL variant combines the drive amplifier with a built-in indexer, making it suitable for applications where a dedicated motion controller was not available or where a compact single-unit solution was preferred — such as X-Y positioning tables, lead screw actuators, rotary indexing fixtures, and pick-and-place equipment. Parker Compumotor products of this era were a standard choice in OEM automation equipment and remain in use today as replacement drives for legacy systems that were built around the AX Series platform. The microstepping capability reduces motor resonance and improves positional smoothness compared to full- or half-step drives, which made them particularly well suited to precision positioning in lab automation and semiconductor fabrication support equipment.