Brushless servos enable plasma cutting accuracy
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SysCom Motion Solutions product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Dec 7, 2007
System uses three or four SmartMotors, two precision gearboxes and an integrated arc voltage torch-height control system.
The use of brushless servomotors has allowed the engineers at SMS to create a plasma cutter with the capability of producing highly intricate designs in metal.
Servos can be geared up, running at high speeds and sitting on a lighter framework than any stepper motor with a comparable performance.
The servos used are the SM2315D SmartMotor from Animatics.
SmartMotors have the controller, amplifier, and encoder built into the motor itself.
Thus, gearing boosts the effective resolution of the built-in encoder.
The motor package, about 58mm long and 57.2mm wide, provides about 7000rev/min.
The system uses three or four SmartMotors, two precision gearboxes and an integrated arc voltage torch-height control system.
SMS says it designed the gantry system to be light but stiff.
The reason for this is that the cutting machine is often called on to create intricate features that involve rapid reversals and direction changes at speeds of up to 5m/min.
Thus a stiff frame and the acceleration/deceleration performance of the motors are both extremely important for making these moves accurately.
Moreover, there are no side forces on plasma cutters, so there was no need for a massive gantry structure to compensate.
The SmartMotors operate from a single onboard microcomputer that handles the PID loop, trajectory generation, I/O control, communication and runs the cutting program.
On the cutting machine, the motors run in host mode where they process motion commands in parallel to effect co-ordinated motion.
SmartMotors in the system are interchangeable.
For example, host controller software will sense a swap between the x-axis and torch-height motors.
Motors still get the correct instructions in this case.
Likewise, the host recognises when the system gets an additional x-axis motor for a dual-drive gantry.
Here it automatically sets itself up for an x-master/slave configuration.
For similar reasons, damaged motors can be swapped out without a special service call.
The JENCNC software performs CNC functions and controls the height of the torch on the fly so the system can more closely follow the contours of the plates.
Software optimises DXF files for plasma and oxy-fuel cut paths and implements other features such as re-sising objects.
The SMS SmartPlasma is available in standard sizes of 2 x 1 and 3 x 1.5m and custom sizes can also be accommodated.
A choice of plasma torch is also available on each machine to suit particular requirements.
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