Hardwired lines outnumber networked ones in most plants, and the drives on them still need a home. The 2.2 kW SINAMICS G115D Local I/O variant is built for exactly that situation: it lives on the machine frame instead of in the cabinet, so the enclosure stays the size it is today.

Why move a 2.2 kW drive out of the cabinet?

Every kilowatt in the panel is heat that the enclosure cooling must remove. Mounted on the machine, this G115D sits in a fanless FSB frame (425 x 180 x 134 mm) sealed to IP65/IP66, so there is no drive heat in the cabinet, no filter to clean, and no derating when the panel is full. The 200% overload for 3 s covers starts and jams that would stall a contactor-fed motor.

What does the Local I/O variant give up?

Nothing that a hardwired line needs. The AB0 suffix removes the fieldbus interface — no PROFINET, no EtherNet/IP — and leaves 4 digital inputs and 2 DIO driven directly by existing PLC outputs, powered through a single hybrid cable. The trade is deliberate: no bus hardware, no network commissioning, and no extra fault point between the PLC and the motor.