December, 2020
www.us-tech.com Rapid Improvement with Beckhoff EtherCAT Continued from previous page
that EtherCAT was the best technology to use in his high-speed vision machines, and this led to the decision to standardize on EtherCAT I/O hardware from Beckhoff. During a 2017 redesign of several systems,
VMek set out to further reduce costs and space re- quirements but wanted to continue using Ether- CAT hardware. This effort did not need to increase reliability, as the first machine that shipped in 2015 has operated continuously without major faults or failures. VMek wanted to enhance its of- ferings and decrease time to market by reducing the amount of hardware modules and point-to- point wiring.
Pluggable I/Os Reduce Footprint Through discussions with Beckhoff regional
sales engineer Chuck Padvorac, P.E., Lovvorn found a fitting solution: pluggable EJ series EtherCAT I/O terminals. These terminals mount di- rectly to custom-designed PCBs using predefined JST connectors. The en- tire board connects to the larger PC- based system with prefabricated ca- bles or coded plug connectors. Be- cause the boards come essentially prebuilt, this makes series produc- tion more efficient and cost effective, when compared with traditionally wired terminals. “When I first heard about the EJ
series, I knew it was the right direc- tion for us. The core benefits were logical and came down to the ease of use that enables us to build distribu- tion boards with the exact functional- ity, size, connectors, and labeling we need,” explains Lovvorn. “Because the board for each machine is cus- tomized for our designs and process- es, we can build machines prior to buying the EJ components, which de- livers benefits in terms of equipment costs and just-in-time assembly. The EJ series supports easier I/O assem- bly the first time, with no incorrect wiring, and simplified maintenance over the life of the machine.” EJ series terminals are roughly
half the size of standard EtherCAT terminals, but they provide the same functionality. Each module offers standard LED lights to display EtherCAT diagnostics on the hard- ware. Each VMek machine has a win- dow in front of the EJ board for easy access to this information. An EJ1100 EtherCAT Coupler
converts the incoming telegrams from Ethernet 100BASE-TX to E-bus signal representation in the EtherCAT sys- tem. VMek takes advantage of high- density I/O options with the EJ1809 16-channel digital input and the EJ2889 16-channel digital output. The EJ series can be used in the
same system as the EtherCAT termi- nal I/O family. For example, VMek connects EJ series I/O to a DIN rail- mounted EL7041 EtherCAT terminal that enables direct connection to a stepper motor that controls the feed rate for a product currently in devel- opment, the Profile 3D analytic size sorter. This demonstrates how Beck-
hoff continues to invest in research and development to provide innova- tive solutions that empower compa- nies to do more, according to Padvo- rac. “Kent is an exceptionally talent- ed engineer, but maybe more impor- tantly, he is driven to find the best technologies for each project,” he says. “Using the EJ series EtherCAT plug-in modules from Beckhoff, he was able to implement the perfect I/O
solution. We are committed to the constant ad- vancement of these technologies, just like Kent is
with the VMek vision sorting lineup.” Sorting Technology By implementing EJ series EtherCAT I/O
modules with standardized PCBs for each sorting machine, VMek was able to cut time to market sig- nificantly. “We estimate that we reduced our equipment assembly time by 50 percent,” Lovvorn says. “We have also minimized service time, if it’s ever needed.” Small adjustments at the hardware level helped VMek cut costs by roughly $700 per I/O segment, and the company reinvested these savings in research and development to continue to enhance its vision sorting machines and soft- ware.
The compact EJ boards reduce footprint on VMek hardware (image credit: Kevin Blackburn).
Lovvorn has two main goals: to make the best vision sorting software and hardware possible and
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