Automation & Controls

Automation tasks are becoming more challenging. However, using intelligent software in combination with the relevant automation solutions not only enables workpieces to be loaded and unloaded but also means that machine tools can be set up fully automatically through the automatic replacement of tools and clamping devices.

At the Teisnach plant of the Rohde & Schwarz technology group, the PHS 1500 Allround pallet handling system from Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH automates four HF 5500 5-axis machining centers from Heller.

The TD 110 tool breakage sensor can be placed in the work envelope so that it is fast and easy to reach during the tool change. The inductive sensor can detect tools as they pass by while they are spinning at their operational speed. Thanks to its rapid scanning technology, even very small tools made of HSS steel and carbide are detected.

Rollomatic SA Chief Product Officer Gert-Jan Hartog shows off the company's smart factory concept featuring a collaborative robot and a smart mobile manipulator, an automated guided vehicle equipped with a six-axis collaborative robot on top.

LMX linear motors comprise a metal track with multiple embedded rare earth magnets, and a coil assembly supported by a customer-supplied guideway. A key feature of the motors is that they are designed to operate with a comparatively large air gap of 1 mm, to reduce the impact of mounting tolerances on performance characteristics. For most machine tool applications, the track is held stationary and the coil assembly is free to move – but converse mounting arrangements are also practicable, with similar performance attributes.

In this video, users can see how to connect, automate and create with ANCA's Integrated Manufacturing System (AIMS).

The line of high-precision ball splines is ideal for high-speed operation in compact spaces such as laboratory automation or semiconductor pick-and-place assembly. They can automate functions that a human might otherwise perform, like opening the cover of a sample jar and pouring it in a test tube. And they are especially cost-effective in industrial robotic applications that require high-speed, precise integration of rotary and linear motion without the wide freedom of movement of robots.

While the previous FormControl version (without the "X") was based on a scenario in which a machine operator works at a machine with the laptop and processes the measurements at the same time, the trend today is moving toward automating such processes, meaning this 1:1 relationship is now fairly rare. Genuine automation of workpiece measurement also opens up completely new areas of application. That is why the goal with FormControl X was to enable real measurement automation on the basis of a modern client-server architecture – this means moving away from pure logging and towards process integration and automation with the help of the measurement data collected by the software.n

As a modular control cabinet replacement that can also be decentralized on the machine if required, the MX-System saves engineering, assembly, installation and maintenance efforts. This promotes highly efficient processes for the manufacturers and operators of machines and systems – from the planning, setup and installation of the MX-System through to the maintenance of MX-System-equipped machines.

MERLIC 5.2 is a logical continuation of the approach taken since MERLIC 5, namely to provide customers with the latest deep learning features that are also easy to use. Global Context Anomaly Detection is now being added to the proven deep learning functions Anomaly Detection and Classification (from MERLIC 5) and Deep OCR (from MERLIC 5.1).

Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc. exhibited innovative solutions for a resilient and sustainable future at IMTS. The company previewed its enhanced CNC controller, the M800V/M80V Series, which is currently slated for an early 2023 release in the Americas.

ECO suite plus builds upon the prior technology releases by providing management and control of specific machine operations and peripheral devices during the machining process and in idle mode. Both the Thermo-Friendly Concept and ECO technologies are powered by Okuma's proprietary OSP control, a Windows-based, open-architecture platform which offers maximum machining capabilities to users.