Platform consistency is an industry-wide challenge as OEMs and customers evaluate the cost-performance advantages of emerging motion control solutions versus traditional hydraulic, mechanical, and electro-mechanical machine system designs. When Sunnen identified a potential new market for its precision bore sizing and finishing systems, it faced several dilemmas. Would it require product redesign to capture new market share, and would it be able to maintain costs?
Here is a new basic servo positioning package, Sunnen’s HTA tube- bore sizing and finishing system for tube manufacturing.
When the company began the development of a basic large bore horizontal honing system called the HTA, it partnered with Siemens for the control system design. Carl Mik, product design engineer said the biggest issue was spindle response time due to delays in signals between the display, PLC, and a servo and general purpose drive. “We had 300 msecs altogether which may be acceptable from the standpoint of introducing a basic system at a basic system cost. But it was unacceptable for our application so we involved Siemens.”
The Drive-Cliq connection automatically configures the motor, drive, and encoder during start-up, which provides a plug-and-play servo system.
Siemens offered a Sinamics S110 basic performance servo drive with their MP177 six-in touch display, which allows soft PLC capability with the WinAC MP software. The direct connection between Sinamics S110 servo drive and the display through Profibus made the system cost effective and responsive. This approach reduced components and made it possible for Sunnen to migrate to a single platform on the Sinamics family of drives.
End-users including engine builders rely on Sunnen for a customized system that may include automated parts loading, in-process or post-processing gauging, and prescribed abrasives.
The new HTA machine’s cycling accuracy was increased using Siemens new Sinamics S110 servo drive.
Key components of the new system are an easily programmable soft PLC and a low-cost distributed motion control. This configuration simplified the original design because the Drive-Cliq cable between the Sinamics S110 drive and motor provides automatic operation and the feedback of the servo system.
Sunnen
www.sunnen.com
Siemens
www.siemens.com
::Design World::
Filed Under: Factory automation, Hydraulic equipment + components, Displays • HMIs • operator interfaces • monitors, Motion control • motor controls, Motors • servo, PLCs + PACs