Basics for the efficient use of multiaxial interpolating servo drives in processing machines

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Steffen Ihlenfeldt; Professor Dr.-Ing. Jens-Peter Majschak
• Subject Area: Production Automation and Assembly Technology
• Term: from 2010 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 182157057

Processing machines are used for automated production of commodities in mass demand. From economic point of view a constantly increasing production output of individualized products is required. Modern servo drives are often used to realize the individualization by enabling the flexible modification of trajectory values, even during operation of the machine (electronic cam disk). The production output can be increased by raising the working rate of the process. In practice, problems occur if at higher working rates requirements are no longer to be met, i.e. process instability, impact of surroundings, raising energy consumption or declining product quality. This limits the reachable working rate.The project focusses on the realization of higher working rates and thereby larger production output by shifting the limitation of the working rate. Commonly unused potentials of modern servo drives are utilized for the use in the context of processing machines.In the first years of the project, the basics of a solution approach based on three key issues were developed. It consists of (1) an approach to optimize trajectory values, wherein the limiting effects can be simulated and taken into account. For selected working rates trajectory values are optimized. They are put together to (2) a set of working rate-dependent trajectory values. On this way, selected working rate dependent characteristics can be modified. To use the potentials of the approach on the real machine, a (3) control system was developed, that enables the execution of the working rate-dependent trajectory values with high accuracy.With the new solution approach it is possible to realize alternative process solutions. This offers new potentials to increase the working rate compared with conventional processes. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to increase the working rate by using working-rate dependent optimized trajectory values, more potentials for development were shown. The solution approach was validated at the example of the intra-machine transportation of small-sized goods (e.g. chocolate bars).The continuation of the project applied here focusses on how the solution approach is usable for other types of production processes. Thereby, the first working content is the increase of the model base, the model validation and necessary control implementation. A second working content contains researches on how the solution approach is usable for other types of production processes by improving both, the optimization and the control framework. Finally, an experimental proof and demonstration will be performed.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants