美国DELTA 控制器用于板簧冲孔成型设备改造北京市思路盛自动化系统集成有限公司 孙涛 slsheng@Joining workcells together and streamlining output from one stage to the next, if done correctly, is a surefire way to boost metalforming productivity. One company proving this out, Dayton Parts, Harrisburg, PA, manufactures for the vehicle aftermarket. Part of a manufacturing operation that dates to the 1920s, the company’s leaf-spring production process was upgraded this past year to automate and connect the leaf punching and forming processes into a smooth flow (Fig. 1).将不同加工单元重新组合形成一条连续生产的设备一定会大大提高生产效率。
美国Dayton Parts ，Harrisburg ，PA 一家做车辆配件设备的公司对此进行了成功的实践。
这台设备1920年就投入使用了。
最近这家公司将生产板簧的冲压和成型工序组合在一起形成了协调地连续作业。
Dayton Parts’ leaf springs,made from 1⁄2- to 1-5⁄8-in.-thick 6150-grade high-carbon bar stock, must beheated to 1800 F in bothpunching and formingproduction steps. Beforethe streamlining upgrade,this meant heating thesprings twice. Now, withthe new closely coupledarrangement, the leafsprings need only oneheating prior to punchingand forming, saving energyand time, and as much asdoubling processthroughput. Dayton 配件生产的板簧规格从1/2英寸（26.2 mm ）到1-5/8英寸厚（41.275mm ） 6150级高碳棒料材料，有冲孔和成型工序。
在冲孔和成型工序前分别需要将零件加热到982摄氏温度。
在改造前加工板簧需要两次加热。
改造后重新组合加工工序，只要加热一次就可以完成冲孔和成型，既节能省时还能成倍提高产量。
The integrated Dayton Parts workcell has proven the advantage of close coupling and networking of processing stages. The updated line has reduced reheat and changeover downtime to a minimum, while achieving cycle times as short as 17 sec. per part. Fig. 1—This CAD rendering shows the forming station (right) and the punch press (left), with the furnace in the middle. Leaf-spring material moves right-to-left from the furnace to the punch press, and then left-to-right to the forming station. 这个CAD 图形中右边边是成型设备左边是冲孔设备加热炉在中间。
板簧片由加热炉出来后移至左边完成冲孔再移至右边成型。
“We’re seeing 95 percent combined uptime for the machines,” says Joseph Garcia,project manager for Dayton Parts, “and the material handling and energy savings for the company were sufficiently large to pay for this project in one year.”组合在一起的加工工序充分展示了工序衔接距离短，每个工序衔接及时的好处。
经过改造后的生产线避免了重复加热，衔接时间短到17秒。
Dayton 配件的项目经理Joseph Garica 总结说：“改造后设备提升了95%的生产效率。
材料消耗和能源的节省是如此大，我们一年就可以收回这个项目的投资。
Motion Controllers Ke y to Combined Processes运动控制器是实现组合工序的关键 Achieving rapid cycle times forthe combined machine requiresprecise control and closecommunication between the motion operations performed inthe process stages. Supervisorycontrol is performed by aprogrammable logic controller(PLC), but to control theindividual motion axes, PLCswith special capabilities formultiaxis coordination arerequired. At therecommendation of localdistributor Penn-Air & Hydraulics of York, PA, Dayton Parts’engineers chose the RMC150and RMC75 motion controllers from Delta Computer Systems, Inc., Battle Ground, WA. 实现组合工序的高速生产要求在生产的每个环节都有精密控制和快速通讯交换数据。
整个设备的整体控制可以通过PLC 来完成，但是各个定位轴的控制需要有多轴控制能力的PLC 来完成。
在当地分销商 Penn-Air & Hydraulics 的推荐下Dayton 配件的工程师选择了美国DELTA 计算机系统有限公司的RMC150和RMC75运动控制器。
The hot punch for the leaf-spring process is powered by six motion axes (Fig. 2) under control of the RMC150—no problem, as a single RMC150 can control and coordinate the motion of as many as eight axes simultaneously. A pusher axis advances the part against an end gauge, which is positioned by another motion actuator to oppose the pusher in order to set the length between the end of the plate and the center hole to be punched. Two centering jaws along the width of the plate activate to center the hole accurately along that width. The pusher and end-gauge axes travel via position control, Fig. 2—A detailed rendering of the hot punch shows the six motion-control axes used in its operation.详细结构图展示冲孔设备六个轴的作用while the centering jaws use position and force control. One jaw moves to a target position and the other jaw uses force control to clamp the part.板簧热冲孔工序由六个运动轴通过RMC150来控制。
RMC150最多可以同时控制8个轴。
一个推动机构将零件推到末端调整机构，这个机构由另外一个轴定位以保证两个定位板的中心点正好是中心冲孔的位置。
推动机构轴和端部调整机构轴都是位置控制。
还有两个轴用来定位零件两侧，使零件在横向也在中间位置。
两侧轴一个是位置控制另外一个是力控制来夹紧零件。
“The ability tocombine differenttypes of axis controlin one system wasvery helpful,” saysGreg Shortridge,Dayton Partselectrical engineer.“Using position andforce control, wecan ensure that theparts are securelyheld, at the sametime avoiding therisk of damage dueto clamping themtoo tightly. Dayton 配件的工程师 Greg Shortridge 说：“在一个控制系统中有位控和力控的轴对我们很有帮助，这样能准确定位，又能稳稳的保持在定位位置上，还不会因为力过大而夹坏零件。
“And we had never used force control before,” he adds. “But performing pressure/force control was simple using the Delta controllers.”他还说：我们是第一次用力控制方式，没想到的是用DELTA 控制器做力控制很方便。