Verifying Arrow 500 Fourth-Axis License and Drive Guide

Once Option 20 - 1ST ADDITIONAL AXIS displays PERMANENT, the Arrow 500 has the software entitlement for an additional axis. Commissioning still depends on a separate axis drive and a complete motor, feedback, and power path; factory-installed connectors alone do not prove that the hardware is ready.

Where does the option-status request travel?

Follow the request from the operator panel. The operator opens the system menus, the control reads its purchased-options table, and the display returns the status assigned to the first additional axis. This path checks configuration data inside the control; it does not interrogate a rotary-axis drive or prove that one is installed.

Before moving to hardware inspection, verify that the displayed row is specifically Option 20 and that its status reads PERMANENT.

What hardware must be present beyond the connectors?

Arrow machines were wired to accept a fourth axis, so unused wiring and connectors can be present on a three-axis machine. That factory provision is only the transport path. Axis motion also requires a drive channel to convert the control command into motor power.

A standard cabinet contains a power supply, a spindle drive, and three axis drives for X, Y, and Z. A fourth controlled axis requires another axis drive. For this installation class, a Kollmorgen 6 amp drive is the probable requirement, but confirm the needed drive from the existing machine hardware and the rotary-axis electrical data before purchasing it.

Count and identify the cabinet devices before proceeding. The hardware check passes only when the power supply, spindle drive, three standard axis drives, and a distinct additional axis drive can each be accounted for.

How do you confirm the fourth-axis software option?

1. Power the control through its normal operating procedure and wait for the operator interface to become available.
2. Press MORE.
3. Select SYSTEM CONFIGURATION.
4. Select PURCHASED OPTIONS.
5. Page down until Option 20 - 1ST ADDITIONAL AXIS appears.
6. Read the status exactly as displayed. Treat PERMANENT as confirmation that the first additional axis is enabled.

Do not infer the option state from the presence of cables, connectors, an unused cabinet position, or a rotary-axis receptacle. Those are physical provisions and sit downstream of the software check.

If the row is absent or its status is not PERMANENT, stop the commissioning path at the control configuration. Record the displayed status and use the machine's official service channel to determine the licensing action; changing wiring cannot enable a purchased option. The check passes when the correct option number and the PERMANENT status are visible together.

How do you trace the fourth-axis hardware path?

Layer one first. Inspect the cabinet under the machine's prescribed electrical isolation procedure, because connector presence is not enough to establish continuity or drive availability. Start at the prepared machine connector and trace the conductors toward the cabinet. Separate motor-power conductors from feedback and control conductors by their terminations rather than by an assumed color code.

1. Inventory the power supply, spindle drive, and the three drives serving X, Y, and Z.
2. Look for a separate drive occupying the additional-axis channel.
3. Read its manufacturer and current rating directly from its nameplate. Compare those markings with the probable Kollmorgen 6 amp requirement.
4. Trace the prepared fourth-axis motor and feedback connections to their actual endpoints.
5. Check that no prepared connector terminates at an empty drive position or an unterminated cabinet harness.
6. Record any missing drive, disconnected harness, damaged pin, or unidentified termination before applying power to added equipment.

The path check passes only when the machine-side connector can be traced through the cabinet to a dedicated drive channel and its associated control connections.

What must match before connecting a rotary axis?

The entitlement and the power stage solve different parts of the path. The control may accept an additional-axis configuration while the installed drive remains absent or unsuitable. Conversely, an installed drive does not activate a disabled option.

Do not buy a drive solely because it occupies the available cabinet position. Complete the comparison with the installed-drive nameplate, machine electrical documentation, and rotary-axis data. This check passes when the license, drive identity, current rating, and connection path agree.

How do you verify the complete enablement path?

End-to-end verification follows the same order as the signal path. First prove that the control exposes the entitlement; then prove that a physical drive channel carries the command toward the rotary unit.

1. Reopen MORE > SYSTEM CONFIGURATION > PURCHASED OPTIONS and capture the status of Option 20 - 1ST ADDITIONAL AXIS.
2. Confirm that the status remains PERMANENT.
3. Reconcile the cabinet inventory against one power supply, one spindle drive, three standard axis drives, and the additional axis drive.
4. Verify the additional drive's nameplate and rating against the machine and rotary-unit documentation.
5. Confirm continuity of the intended connection path by tracing motor power, feedback, and drive-control terminations.
6. After the hardware has been installed and configured under the machine's service procedure, use the control diagnostics to confirm that the added axis is recognized and produces no axis or drive fault before commanding motion.
7. Perform the machine builder's controlled commissioning test and confirm that commanded direction agrees with actual rotary direction and displayed position feedback.

Any failure identifies the stopping point: the option table, missing drive, incompatible drive, open connection path, feedback loop, or final motion setup. Do not advance past the failed check.

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