New Swiss machine for bar feeding

LNS, the Swiss bar feeder manufacturer, has developed yet another innovative machine for the lathe industry.

After the successful launch of its "Quick Load Servo" and "Express 226" devices, LNS, the Swiss bar feeder manufacturer, has developed yet another innovative machine for the lathe industry.

Once again, GE Fanuc has delivered a drive and control concept that is currently unrivalled.

LNS manufactures bar feeders that are primarily used in conjunction with lathes.

These handling systems feed unworked bars to lathes for further processing.

These lathes produce a wide range of products, such as screws and pistons.

LNS bar feeders are used across the globe, exports providing 90% of the Swiss company's business.

In order to survive the cut throat competition of this market, manufacturers of bar feeders are continually required to come up with new and innovative solutions.

With this newly developed machine, LNS has not only set a new milestone for the market, but once again does justice to its image as an innovative company offering high-quality, reliable and precise machines.

With the launch of its "Quick Load Servo" and "Express 226" bar feeders, LNS has written a whole new chapter on success.

Each year, more than 1000 of these machines are produced and distributed.

The comprehensive drive and control concept from GE Fanuc has contributed considerably to the success of these machines.

This concept is based on a PLC series 90-30, a á series servo amplifier and a á series servomotor.

The servo amplifier contains a digital motion control with RISC processor.

The amplifier is linked to the PLC via an I/O bus.

The PLC not only impresses with its flexible selection of I/O modules and communication interfaces, but also with its high capacity and a SFC (Sequential Function Chart) programming option.

The integration of all products supports close coordination between the PLC and the drive.

There is no further need for digital and analog I/Os.

The PLC directly controls all motion sequences, including the complex torque procedures that occur in loading devices.

The implemented servo motor technology is identical to the motors used in GE Fanuc CNC-controlled machine tools.

The á series servomotor has an absolute pulse encoder with a resolution of 32,768 pixels/revolution which helps achieve great repeat accuracy and position precision.

In the event of power failure, or if the device is switched off, the actual state is maintained, i.e the machine can be restarted immediately at any time without having to approach a zero point to resume operation.

The optimally tuned control and drive package ensures fulfilment of all demands with regard to acceleration, speed and precision, which, in conjunction with its sophisticated mechanics, enables vibration-free lathing and increased productivity.

LNS has developed its latest bar feeder on the basis of this technology.

This further development will not only result in greater user friendliness, but also enhance coordination between the lathe and the feeder.

With each new generation of lathes, the processing operation is further optimized.

The CNC development has enabled ever more complex processing operations to be implemented in increasingly shorter time intervals.

At the same time, the aim is to make operation of the lathes as simple as possible.

This was the starting point for development of the latest LNS bar feeder.

The objective was improved integration of the bar loading device into the lathe.

This integration is based on direct communication between the bar loading device and the lathe, i.e between the PLC and the GE Fanuc/FANUC CNC.

GE Fanuc was the ideal partner for LNS for the development of such a comprehensive control concept.

As the world market leader of CNC controls, as well one of the leading manufacturers of PLCs, GE Fanuc was able to offer an innovative solution.

An I/O link network enables direct communication between the controls of both machines.

In this instance, the PLC operates as the master for tooling the lathe and relays all commands to the CNC.

Thus, the operation of both machines is implemented via the control panel of the CNC.

The user can read and change the data of both the bar feeder and the lathe simultaneously.

It is no longer necessary to enter parameters at the bar feeder separately.

In addition, a considerably larger volume of data can be exchanged via the bus than was possible with a conventional I/O link.

Valuable information, such as settings, production data and diagnostics data make working on the machine more convenient and efficient.

When asked about his experiences, Rolf Schaerer, technical director at LNS, made the following comments on the new bar feeder, "This new development greatly improves the user friendliness of the bar feeder.

When buying one of our loading devices, our customers rely on the renowned LNS quality and reliability.

The name GE Fanuc with its products is a considerable contributory factor." LNS has also benefited from this control and drive concept: the fully digitized axis control has simplified production of the bar feeders, as all servo settings are now stored in the PLC as digits, thus foregoing the need for potentiometers or further adjustment of each individual bar feeder during production.

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