B&R PRODUCT OF THE MONTH ACOPOS Repetitive Control
A
s predicted, the Drives & Controls exhibition that took place last
month at the Birmingham NEC, proved to be a busy, vibrant and well attended event. Just some of the key products and solutions on show included
B&R continues to expand the functionality of its ACOPOS line of servo drives. Repetitive control considerably improves the accuracy of production processes with stationary disturbances by using predictive following error compensation. The performance of the machine or system is
increased without a great deal of additional effort. Repetitive control is available for all ACOPOS models simply by installing a firmware update. When using position controlled drives with constant speed, mechanical
Schneider Electric’s new Modicon M580 - the next generation PAC (Programmable Automation Controller) with open Ethernet technology at its core, (full details on page 34), plus WEG’s updated portfolio of standard industrial motors to incorporate advanced technology, resulting in the W40, W50 and W60 motor series. In addition, Danfoss created a stir around its stand as visitors had the opportunity to see the VLT OneGearDrive and the VLT Decentral Drive FCD302 in action (see below right), and B&R showed how new dimensions can be opened up for machine builders with its Scalability+ philosophy (see our cover story feature on page 8). Other features in our May issue include an industry focus on packaging, plus
conditions can cause stationary disturbing torque fluctuations, which often results in following error localised to a certain area. Optimising the drive controller configuration can minimise these lag errors but will not be able to completely prevent the disturbance. Embedded in the standard speed control loop for the ACOPOS
further coverage on energy management, manufacturing software and robotics & motion control.
Joe Bush - Editor THE KEY TO REACHING UNTAPPED ASIAN MARKETS
the region. Additionally, ARC last year published a report, which predicted that by 2016 Asia will become the largest market for PLCs. So what are the reasons behind Asia’s sudden automation rush? The common perception is that
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ccording to two major international reports, almost half
of automation sales are now in the Asia and Pacific markets. IHS research showed that in 2012, 46% of global expenditure was spent in
manufacturing growth in Asia is all about the traditional markets of China, Taiwan and Japan. However, that’s not the whole story. For example, Singapore’s manufacturing output rose by 12.8% last year, according to the Economic Development Board report published this February. This shows that Asian
manufacturing is a vibrant and
growing industry across the continent. So the real question is not whether your company should seek to tap into this key economic region, but how you should go about doing it. It’s for exactly this reason that at
the SPS/IPC/Drives fair the CLPA’s Gateway to Asia (G2A) programme was launched. Building on the Gateway to China (G2C) initiative, the new scheme will help European companies reach into Asian markets much more effectively than ever before. Read the full story at
www.connectingindustry.com/asia.
www.clpa-europe.com
MULTIHEAD WEIGHER IS THE BIG CHEESE
Prima Cheese is installing a third Ishida multihead weigher to handle its range of cheese products supplied to wholesale food and catering businesses worldwide. The new CCW-RS-214 features Ishida’s latest
innovation for handling sticky products, with special electro-static polished surfaces that enable the cheese to move quickly and easily through the weigher to maximise throughput. The 14 head model will join two existing ten head
versions, handling a variety of bag sizes including 1kg, 1.8kg, 2kg and 5kg as well as smaller sample packs, enabling Prima Cheese to pack around 30,000 boxes of product each week. Prima Cheese operations director, Nima Beni,
commented, “The Ishida weighers are very reliable - typically the only down-time we experience is when we need to change the film and this only takes around three minutes. Their hygienic design is very easy to clean and that is a vital consideration for a dairy product. The weighers are also simple to operate with changeovers between pack sizes undertaken at literally the touch of a button.”
www.ishidaeurope.com
/AUTOMATION
VLT ATTRACTS ATTENTION
drive family, repetitive control adjusts the torque set-point of the drive in a way that drastically reduces the periodic portions in the speed or following error. The algorithm undergoes a constant learning process so that changes to the load profile - caused by wear, for example - have no effect whatsoever on the drive due to predictive compensation for disturbances. B&R Industrial Automation
www.br-automation.com T: 01733 371 320
The working conveyor that Danfoss Drives had on display at the recent Drives & Controls exhibition at the Birmingham NEC generated a great deal of interest. Visitors to the Danfoss stand
had the opportunity to see the VLT OneGearDrive and the VLT Decentral Drive FCD302 in action - combined with the VLT AutomationDrive. These products make up the VLT FlexConcept - a solution specifically designed for a variety of applications in the material handling and food and beverage industries. Also on display was the new
VLT DriveMotor, a complete space saving solution for standard induction or permanent magnet motors - available in the power range 0.55-7.5kW.
www.danfoss.com
AUTOMATION | MAY 2014 5
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