Product category:
Mid-range and Large PLCs
News Release from: GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK | Subject: PLCs
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 11 August 2003
Automation in the bookbinding industry
The German company Kolbus produces more than 35 different machine types for the bookbinding industry and uses automation products from GE Fanuc.
The German company Kolbus produces more than 35 different machine types for the bookbinding industry Automation of the machines is implemented using GE Fanuc products
In recent years, progress in the fields of automation and electronics has been so meteoric that things are now possible in the machine tool building industry that even as little as 10 or 15 years ago would have been quite inconceivable.
The prevalence of PCs and the global networking of computers over the Internet have also inspired the development of ever more powerful control systems for machines and plants.
The possibilities are limitless.
However, automation is not an end in itself, it must have an economic objective.
It can only be justified when it helps to improve the final product, cut costs, secure shorter adaptation times and prevent errors.
Only then is a corresponding investment warranted because the necessary automation equipment costs money.
There are also purely logical and technological conditions that need to be considered first.
It must be possible to provide a unique technical description of the processes that are to be automated.
All variables and parameters of the technical process must be known.
Unfortunately, the "materials" from which a book is made are so complex that it is not possible to technically describe all aspects of its properties explicitly.
So there must also be manual override facilities with which the automatic settings can be "fine-tuned".
A classic example is the newly developed perfect binder of the Kolbus Publica series of machines.
As well as automating all technical processes as far as possible, there is direct manual access to all adjusting axes.
Using the "plus" and "minus" keys in ergonomic proximity to the actual adjusting axes enables manual fine-tuning in precise 0.1mm steps at full production speed.
This direct manual control has been successfully tried and tested in practice.
Fine adjustment devices that are located centrally, or possibly even hidden away on subordinate operating levels on a control panel, have proved to be completely impractical.
When developing innovative binding presses, Kolbus relies on cutting-edge automation technologies.
This approach has seen the integration of Ethernet technology with the TCP/IP protocol in their machines.
This well known technology, which is well proven in other sectors, supports the global networking of computers.
It forms the basis of a structure used to link elements of automation at the Kolbus company.
We are now seeing an ever-increasing number of automation components that have Ethernet interfaces.
This includes the PLC control technology, from the global manufacturer GE Fanuc, used by Kolbus in its latest developments.
The components of these intelligent, and often decentralised, automation devices communicate over an Ethernet network using the TCP/IP protocol.
This covers both communication between the PLC units and communication between the PLC and the industrial PC.
This forms the basis for the Copilot system.
It allows convenient transfer of large volumes of data.
Direct one-to-one connections and high-speed fieldbuses, such as CANbus or Profibus, are used for extremely time-critical (fast) signals.
The consistent use of the TCP/IP protocol offers another enormous advantage.
It is extremely suitable for localised usage as well as being globally standardised.
Worldwide connections can be established using conventional telephone routers.
These allow the execution of relatively simple teleservices without the need for special costly telecommunications facilities.
However, it goes without saying that even the best teleservice setup is no substitute for a qualified installation engineer - but it can be a very useful support. Request a free brochure from GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK ...
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