FEATURE MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY MAKING THE SWITCH TO
With Mills CNC’s Automation division – which specialises in designing and delivering industrial and collaborative robots systems and solutions – growing, so did its requirements for innovative electrical components and systems. So the company turned to Murrelektronik and its decentralised IO system Cube 67+
E
stablished in Norwich in 1974, Mills CNC has undergone a remarkable transformation in its size and structure,
most notably its extensive range of services. Today, its core business is split between the supply and service of Doosan Machine Tools and its Automation Systems division, which specialises in the design and delivery of industrial and collaborative robots systems and solutions to manufacturers. However, as Mills CNC’s Automation business
grew, so did the company’s requirements for innovative electrical components and systems. Chris Ingham, controls & systems engineer, explained: “The addition of the Automation Systems division presented us with a wealth of new opportunities. Our aim was to make automation more accessible. Our systems are flexible and powerful, but what sets us apart is that our automation solutions are simple to understand, program and operate. “We needed a partner that understood the
advantages of our automation solutions and could provide the electrical systems and components for these cells that enhanced productivity – while also keeping to our core aim of making automation more assessable for our end customers.”
THE RIGHT SOLuTION
Murrelektronik is a global leader in the development, manufacture, and distribution of automation solutions. Its four core lines can be divided into: Power Supplies and Control, Interfaces, Cables/Connectors and IO Systems. The UK branch was founded in 1983, with a clear vision to provide innovative electrical installation solutions, tailor-made to each application. Ingham explains how the working relationship between the two companies developed and the
Craig Cookson, a UK applications engineer at Murrelektronik, demonstrated the simplicity of Cube 67+ set up and configuration, using the built-in webserver
benefits of Murrelektronik technology: “When Paul Hughes, Murrelektronik sales engineer, initially came to see our SYNERGi Automated Manufacturing Cells, it was obvious he was an expert in his field of electrical connectivity, but he also had a clear understanding of our business too. At the time we were using a range of different electrical products from a range of suppliers inside the control panel, including IP20 I/O. Our cabinet size was dictated largely by the requirement to house the IO. Hughes helped us rationalise this, simplify the wiring and thus reduce the wiring time.”
Murrelektronik’s solution was to use
Cube67+ to decentralise the IO points out of the cabinet and abolish all the complex wiring issues. A more bespoke installation was needed as Mills CNC SYNERGi systems offer multiple options for their customers, so the system needed to be both flexible, and compatible with a Fanuc Robot Controller. “At this point in the system design, it is a
huge advantage to have the expertise of the Murrelektronik applications engineers,” explained Hughes. “To be able to help our UK customers with this additional technical knowhow is a great
The control panel was reduced in size; and for its SYNERGi Automation systems, Mills CNC started with the basic system and one node with two expansion modules – one for discrete IO and the other to control a pneumatic valve bank – and expanded from there
26 DESIGN SOLUTIONS JULY/AUGUST 2021
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