Ratingen, 12 May 2011 – With Kollmorgen Automation Suite™, the enhanced automation and motion control solution platform from Kollmorgen, OEMS (Original Equipment Manufacturers) can develop better packaging machines more quickly and more easily than with any other system available on the market. This is made possible through specialization in high-performance, multi-axis applications that make automation solutions less complex. With its intuitive, time-saving Pipe Network™ programming concept, Kollmorgen Automation Suite allows machine builders and end-users to achieve key competitive advantages – machines can be developed significantly faster and later adapted to new products and formats in just a few seconds. Kollmorgen Automation Suite also provides the added benefit of considerably higher throughput due to greater precision and far less waste.
Examples from real customer applications demonstrate the powerful advantages that can be achieved with Kollmorgen Automation Suite. On a packaging machine for medical products in which performance hinges on a key rotary knife, it was possible to increase throughput by 20% to 2,200 products per minute. Motion development time was reduced by one fifth which enabled a faster market launch. Due to the higher performance and precise drive control, the level of waste was also reduced, which in turn led to a 20% reduction in material costs. Overall, the higher throughput and the reduced waste contributed to a significant overall increase in productivity, meaning that an increase in profit of up to 50% is expected within five years.
Another example: A printing manufacturer entrusts his lower-pressure machines with eight printing units using a combination of the Kollmorgen Automation Suite with Kollmorgen AKD™ servo drives. Measurements showed that the spoilage during a cylinder exchange was reduced by at least 11%. Furthermore, the throughput during the printing process was increased by at least 13%, even when running the machine back and forth. In order to make programming easier for the staff on site, the terms used on the menu of the user interface were modified to fit their specific needs.
Perfect Synchronisation of Several Axles
The Kollmorgen Automation Suite development platform is specifically tailored to high-performance applications on packaging, printing and converting machines that require perfect synchronization of multiple axes. Highly complex sequences with up to 128 axes can be fully developed and simulated using the system solution. The integrated, uniform development environment contains the major features of a control system – Motion Control, PLC and HMI – as well as the software and hardware components to be incorporated. The industry standard PLCopen and Pipe Network, Kollmorgen's proprietary graphic programming environment, are available for programming the drive controller.
Alongside highly developed controllers and control loops that permit operation at higher bandwidths and greater throughput, the Pipe Network environment within the Kollmorgen Automation Suite also contributes to exceptional increases in machine performance. The otherwise very complex programming is replaced by a graphic description that employs drag-and-drop functionality. Starting from a virtual master, all functions and relationships between components, as well as all movements and settings can be defined with graphic description blocks. As such, the architecture and relations between the axes of a system can be depicted precisely, quickly and in a clearly comprehensible manner.
Once the system has been set up, Kollmorgen Automation Suite then allows a virtual simulation to be performed. The motion profiles, axis statuses, synchronizations, etc. can all be optimized in real- time without having to connect a single device. This avoids many costly and time-consuming test runs with the machine, packaging materials and products. Commissioning time is significantly reduced and any potential risks detected are eliminated early on.
About KOLLMORGEN
Kollmorgen is a leading provider of motion systems and components for machine builders around the globe, with over 70 years of motion control design and application expertise. Through world-class knowledge in motion, industry-leading quality and deep expertise in linking and integrating standard and custom products, Kollmorgen delivers breakthrough solutions unmatched in performance, reliability and ease-of-use, giving machine builders an irrefutable marketplace advantage.
For more information visit www.kollmorgen.com, email [email protected], phone +49 (0)2102 9394 0