Extending Design Life and Performance

Challenge

A major producer of food-slicing equipment needed a new servo system solution when the CAN fieldbus module used by its existing controller reached end of life and was no longer available. Exploring the latest fieldbus options, the engineering team chose an EtherCAT solution, which would require a new servo drive. The manufacturer engaged Kollmorgen to provide the technology and co-engineering expertise needed to deliver the required motion control.

The application is extremely complex, requiring the controller to communicate with the slicing machine’s 53 axes to control the feed rate, slicing operation, and positioning of the cut meat or cheese into a “shingle” arrangement ready for final packaging. To deliver the updated machine to market quickly and at the lowest possible cost, the customer wanted to minimize any design changes and to continue using Kollmorgen AKM family motors.

Solution

Already familiar with Kollmorgen’s motion-centric product and support capabilities, the customer opted to incorporate Kollmorgen’s next-generation 2G Motion System choosing the dual-axis AKD2G servo amplifier with EtherCAT connectivity from the many available fieldbus options.

As an early adopter of the AKD2G drive, the customer worked closely with a team of Kollmorgen application specialists to optimize the overall performance of the slicing machine. Given the large number of axes on this machine, the ability to set up each axis efficiently and to diagnose the system quickly was critical to success.

The customer found that the AKD2G’s integrated, front-mounted digital display, unique in the industry, made diagnosing fieldbus connections effortless. The AKD2G WorkBench user interface also significantly simplified setup and commissioning of the system compared to a competitor’s drive that the customer evaluated previously.

Results

The feature set of the Kollmorgen 2G Motion System provides several benefits in an upgraded food-slicing machine that will extend the performance and productivity of the original design over many years.

• The single-cable design reduces labor and material costs for building the machine
• The compact dual-axis AKD2G design reduces cabinet space requirements
• The AKD2G integrated digital display reduces installation costs and simplifies setup and commissioning
• Compatibility to operate the AKM family of servo motors at its full performance capacity eliminates the need for machine design revisions
• Functional safety options are integrated in the drive, with no need to add additional components

“Our customer was thrilled with the innovative graphical display which simplified machine fieldbus commissioning.” - Arne Linder, Kollmorgen 2G Product Manager