Creating a fast bottle labeling (or cupping) machine requires the design and execution of complex and dynamic ECAM movements. There are many challenges involved in operating more than 60 integrated motor/drives on a fast rotating platform and transferring high-power and high-speed EtherCAT communications through slip rings.
This type of design would require manipulators using the rapid and complex control of rotating mechanics that operate in a vibrating, humid and extreme temperature environment. In addition, there is the requirement of transmitting deterministic and “signal integrity” sensitive communication through the slip ring media. This could involve substantial time and many weeks of intensive work, requiring high-level expertise with considerable experience.
Creating a fast bottle labeling (or cupping)
machine requires the design and execution of complex and dynamic ECAM movements.
Advanced motion control by Elmo simplifies and eases the implementation process to the level of ordinary engineering, and shortens the motion control design and operation to less than three days.
The Smart Software toolbox simplifies the process of motion development. It contains two groups of tools, the first group is an integral part of the EASII advanced tools used in the configuration stage of the development. The second group is a set of “motion blocks” (EMBL, Elmo Advanced Motion Blocks), Libraries and Machine Templates that simplify programming requirements. These are usually used in the process development stage of the machine. The two groups complement each other for simple implementation in the fastest timing. “Intelligence by simplicity” not only eliminates the need for multi-disciplinary engineers, but also improves the motion control performance and significantly shortens the time to market while saving engineering resources.
Integrated motors
Small gold whistle servodrives are integrated inside the motors. This simplifies the rotating carousel, saves appreciable space and weight, restricts the cabling to only dc bus plus EtherCAT communication cables, and “shrinks” the electrical cabinet. This “no-cabling” reduces the induced EMI and improves the noise immunity.
Gold whistle servodrives are integrated inside the motors. This simplifies the rotating carousel, saves space and weight, and restricts the cabling to only dc bus plus EtherCAT communication cables.
Gold Servodrives
The G-WHI servodrive is tuned for wide bandwidth and fast response by overcoming the non-linearity of the mechanical load. This allows stable operation, high throughput and error-free operation.
The Maestro
The whole orchestra of 60 servodrives is conducted by the Maestro, controlling and supervising the entire bottling process. This multi axis controller handles the complex motion scenario by operating in conjunction with the GOLD Servodrives.
The DUETs must be rugged enough to withstand the mechanical vibrations of the rotating platform. The minimum cabling used here results in minimal external noise
and low EMI and RFI.
A rotating platform is used for high-speed bottle labeling and cupping. Bottles are auto-matically fed into the machine and transferred to the rotating platform. The rotating platform consists of 60 small footprint DUETs, an integrated Drive/Motor. The DUETs are essential components in this machine due to the limited size of the rotating platform. The DUETs are positioned on the rotating platform, and use direct coupling to ensure the precision of rotation during camera image capturing.
Engineers designed the compact motor/high power drive for limited machine space. It uses high resolution absolute feedback for precision and servo control performance. The DUETs must be rugged enough to withstand the mechanical vibrations of the rotating platform. The minimum cabling used here results in minimal external noise and low EMI and RFI.
ECAM builder tool
Four high-speed cameras are located at the stationary section of the machine. When bottles pass through a camera, a snapshot is taken and transferred to a host computer. The host computer processes the picture data and calculates the exact label position using an image processing algorithm. The bottle rotation is controlled by the Maestro, which sets the initial target labeling position and waits for the ECAM execute operation to start. The ECAM function running on the Maestro is one of the key functionalities used to operation this machine. All slaves operate in DS-402 standardized cyclic synchronized position mode of operation. The Maestro and EASII allow high interpolation levels for smooth motion trajectories with a minimum number of ECAM points. It enables fast dynamic table calculations, execution, table switching, multi-hierarchy topology building and virtual axis synchronization.
The advanced EASII, Elmo Application Studio ECAM tool combined with Elmo’s EMBL (Elmo’s Motion Block Libraries), allow fast design and testing of the ECAM trajectories to raise the machine level to operational within a matter of days.
Elmo Motion Control
www.elmomc.com
Filed Under: TECHNOLOGIES + PRODUCTS, Drives (dc), Mechanical, Motors • dc, Software, Slip rings + rotary unions
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