Milling Machine

Milling Machine Automation.

This second hand milling machine did not have a controller and its only electronic equipment was a digital read out (DRO) and the linear encoders for X and Y axis.

Using our 2 axis motion controller, 2 servomotors, 2 DC drives and 2 encoders, electrical cabinet, toothed pulleys and belts and our own software (MAP) we upgraded the milling machine. This is an ideal solution for upgrading milling machines that need a quick set up time between jobs but still need faster and smoother production than manual operation. The machine is used for manufacturing different sizes of motor brackets and aluminum cases for electronic equipment.

The installation was quick and easy thanks to our pre-made wires and connectors. Once the toothed pulleys, servomotors and electrical cabinet were in place the job was almost done. After plugging all the cables into the electrical cabinet the machine was ready for the initial software parameters to be setup on our Motion Application Programme 'MAP'.

Parameters setup

MAP is very simple to install and few parameters have to be entered to ensure the accuracy of the system. Some of these parameters are the number of encoder pulses per revolution (PPR), gear ratio, maximum speed, assignable inputs and digital filters to tune the stability of the system. This normally does not take more that 30 minutes after which the machine was ready to start production.

MAP can store many different jobs in memory and as in any machine tool it takes some time to set up, but once it is done the machine executes the jobs much faster than manual operation, it meant that only a few weeks later the machine had recovered the investment and was able to manufacture more pieces and at a higher quality in a fixed period of time.

The next item on the list to upgrade on this machine is the leadscrews. As all lead screws have backlash, this application has to have the 'play' parameter programmed so that when moving in one direction the controller passes the set point and then returns to ensure the cutter is in the correct position. This leads to a slightly more complex program as this has to be thought about when creating the toolpath. Changing the leadscrews for ball screws will eliminate the need to use the play function and also dramatically increase the available speed.

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SOFTWARE

The controller was programmed using the Motion Application Programme ‘MAP’. ‘MAP’ has been used in a vast variety of machines and applications giving the user a greater control of costs, saving money and time on software development.

One of the great advantages of MAP is that it allows end users to create their own programs with no need for a skilled programmer. MAP has been used in different applications from Sash Windows Machines, Bowling Ball Machines, Tube Bending Machines, XYZ tables, Pallet Manufacturing Robots, rotary axes and milling machines to pharmaceutical mixers among other applications.

MOTION

Point to Point move:
Moves a single axis from point to point with no acceleration, or velocity parameters. This command is mainly used by the profile generator or for holding position.

Trapezoidal move:
Moves a single axis from point to point, using programmed acceleration and velocity parameters. If the velocity can not be reached the function will generate a triangular profile.

Linear Interpolation:
This function allows up to 4 axis to be linked together to produce a linear profile. Full use is made of the acceleration and velocity parameters.

Circular Interpolation
This function allows two axis to be linked together to produce a circular profile. Full use is made of the acceleration and velocity parameters.

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS

XY Positioning Tables
Conveyors
Dosing
Mixers
General Motion Control
Cutting Machines
Automatic Drills
Positioners
Robotics
Bending Machines
Woodworking Machines

Items Provided By TRM for this Application:

Professional Motion Controller

1 off 2 Axis stand alone motion controller with keypad and colour screen.

Electrical Cabinet

24 Volts for the motion controller and the power supply for the DC servo amplifiers to run the motors using an external transformer. Screw connectors are used for connecting the Inputs/Outputs for a fast connection, On-board filtering of power supplies and signals.

Servomotor

2 off Servomotor rated at 1.2 Nm and at 60 V

DC Servo-Amplifier

2 off compact current mode amplifier capable of driving brushed DC Servo motors continuously at up to 100 volts and up to 5, 10 or 20 amps depending on the model

Encoder

2 off Rotary Encoder with 1000 ppr

Switch

A remote run switch was provided so the operator did not lean across to start the cut.

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