SPONSORED FEATURE
Mills CNC uses Murrelektronik’s decentralised IO system Cube67+
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stablished in Norwich in 1974, Mills CNC has constantly reinvented itself and has undergone a remarkable
transformation in its size and structure, most notably its extensive range of services. Today Mills CNC’s core business is split between the supply and service of Doosan Machine Tools and its Automation Systems division, specialising in the design and delivery of industrial and collaborative robots systems and solutions.
As the Mills CNC Automation business
grew, so has the company’s requirements for innovative electrical components and systems. Chris Ingham, Controls & Systems Engineer at Mills CNC, says: “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 fl exible 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 enhance productivity, whilst also keeping to our core aim of making automation more assessable for our end customers,” he added. 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 and its clear vision to provide innovative electrical installation solutions tailor made to each application is a testament to its success over the years. The UK customer support team boasts a network of highly-qualifi ed regional sales engineers, supported by a back-offi ce team comprising technical helpdesk, sales support and applications engineer support. Ingham explains how the working
relationship between the two companies developed and the benefi ts 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 fi eld of electrical connectivity, but he also had a
32 May 2022 | Automation
clear understanding of our business, too. At the time we were using a range of diff erent electrical products from a range of suppliers inside the control panel, including IP20 IO. Our cabinet size was dictated largely by the requirement to house the IO. Paul 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 off er multiple options, so the system needed to be both fl exible 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,” said Hughes. “To be able to help our UK customers with this additional technical knowhow is a great advantage for Murrelektronik customers”.
“Our customers tell us that this extra support is a game-changer, giving them the confi dence and reassurance that the solution is the best fi t for their application and that our applications engineers can also help with any teething issues further down the line.” The switch to Cube67+ I/O system
was relatively simple, and with most of the IO now being in the fi eld, it meant the control panel size could be reduced, the wiring became more effi cient, and the commissioning would be streamlined when locating any issues because the input or output is now localised to the IO. Although it might sound expensive,
replacing the whole system is not as costly as it would appear. Due to the core of every machine being the same, repetitive simple tasks very easy to complete. Due to the backup and recovery options on the web server, 10-20% of the software work is only completed once, and due to the number of options available with Cube67+, there is no redesign needed when switching to diff erent customer specifi ed pneumatics manifold. There is even an optional upgrade for any system to make industry 4.0 easy to implement by the Cube67+ diagnostic gateway upgrade.
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
As most of Mills CNC’s customers require additional bespoke features and options, Cube67+ is fl exible enough to meet all requirements. Easily expandable, Cube67+ is an excellent addition to the Mills CNC SYNERGi system as it allows true fl exibility across the entire system. For example, expanders for additional IO, beacon stacks or IO-Link devices can be included to ensure that cross-system communication is not lost. A whole host of additional expanders can be easily integrated at a later stage, so should the end customer’s requirements change, then the system can be added to with modular add-ons. Cube67+ is characterised by its single-cable technology, carrying internal communications as well as input and output power, reducing the amount of cabling and containment required. With Cube67+’s integrated circuit protection and fault diagnostics contributing to the SYNERGi systems Industry 4.0 performance, Murrelektronik and Mills CNC can ensure maximum performance with excellent uptime and minimum downtime. Another advantage for Mills CNC was that with new pluggable connectivity, either M12 or M8 connections, the chances of wiring errors are reduced considerably, and should there ever be a problem with a cable, the Cube67+ system allows quick change out of the now shorter IO cables as the expander can be positioned close to the individual IO devices.
CONTACT:
Murrelektronik; Mills CNC
www.murrelektronik.co.uk;
www.millscnc.co.uk
automationmagazine.co.uk
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