Technical team effort

When it comes to successfully designing, engineering and delivering end-to-end solutions in any industry, it inevitably requires the combined knowledge and expertise of various companies to achieve a desired result. When the brief is to think outside the box to not only improve productivity and performance, but to increase flexibility and make significant savings on time and money, this is even truer. So when Technical Plant Services (TPS), based in Melbourne, Victoria, was given such a task by a client in the aluminium extrusion industry, it did just that and enlisted the support of NHP, KUKA Robotics, Lemarc Engineering, Bromar and Delcam to deliver.

Specialising in tailored plant solutions, TPS provides process control, electrical/automation engineering and technical support from start to finish. In 2015, TPS was contracted to provide and design an optimal solution for its client, who required a new long length Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining system.

After extensive brainstorming, TPS advocated a Robotic CNC system as the most effective and accurate machining solution to ensure all application-specific components could be delivered and quality was not compromised.

While this machining solution is not traditionally common, research proved it to be cost-effective, have an additional machining reach, a larger envelope, faster idle movements and 3D capabilities. As an integrator, TPS provided value add to the complex Robotic CNC system, teaming with other leading companies to ensure all aspects of this project worked seamlessly and the design was dependable and future-proof.

The robot, base software and spindle were primarily supplied by KUKA Robotics, while higher order custom software was developed in-house in conjunction with Delcam. NHP was commissioned to provide not only products, but technical support, selection assistance and tailored designs.

NHP automation application engineers assisted TPS Senior Systems Engineer Daniel Orchard to select the appropriate hardware as well as ensuring they aligned with safety standards, the correct IP ratings and received the necessary support.

This particular project presented specialised velocity control and positional requirements, which set the parameters for the brief given to NHP motion experts.

“NHP’s calculation software for correct gear ratio, servo and drive gave us exactly what we wanted and the end result is very good,” Orchard said.

Based on this, the Allen-Bradley Kinetix 5500 Servo Drive with the suitable accessories was implemented to optimise space. A CompactLogix L18 was also specified as an integrating standard and motion controller for the robot, acting as a gateway and supervisory control system for all components; robot, spindle, safety and SCADA passing through this one central point.

For blade rotation, NHP engineered a braking cabinet that enabled the installed VSD, Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 753, to react quickly to stop requests and allow quicker entry into the workcell. To enhance equipment maintenance, NHP also helped prototype finger-safe enclosures for inside the control door area to keep products at the correct IP rating, with accessibility to some items while blocking out others.

“Support for multiple communication protocols and the successful implementation of translation gateways was a big part of this project’s success and one of the primary reasons we will continue to use NHP in the future. This project had just about every protocol under the sun: EtherNet/IP, ModbusTCP, EtherCAT, ProfiNET and eventually DeviceNET,” said Orchard.

“It was a mixed bag that unfortunately we could not simplify during our design phase, even though a lot of effort was put in to it. NHP assisted us through every step providing us with a solution to trial, and the experience to help us configure some of the more complex devices properly,” he said.

The advanced technology and engineering of the project was not only an effective solution, but also improved manufacturing flexibility and has the potential to reduce both cycle times and costs for the client. By partnering with other local providers like NHP, who each brought their expertise to the table, TPS was able to successfully deliver the fully functional and operating Robotic CNC Machining system to the customer within the space of only 11 months.

One of the biggest challenges in a project is the communication/integration of the various products used. Since TPS was familiar with NHP’s VSD and Motion offering, the team was able to keep the time to integrate the sawing part to the minimum and provide more time to focus on software development for the CNC part of the application.