An OEM was the exclusive supplier of critical components to an automotive manufacturer. Machine downtime during the component assembly meant costly overtime in order to meet the strict delivery deadline. They were challenged with failure due to the wear on the wiring harnesses to I/O and motions controller on index table.
The assembly of these components required taking off pieces at 90 degrees from the assembly line and onto an index table where several axes of motion inspect and reposition the parts. Synchronization and coordination were necessary between each axis of motion and with the several points of I/O on the index table. This included sensors and thermocouples. Wear on wiring harnesses to I/O and motion controller on the index table caused unacceptable failure rates and a solution was needed.
The Solution With MOOG Animatics
The SmartMotor from MOOG Animatics was selected by the OEM to replace the conventional motion control system to eliminate wiring to any control cabinet. It also reduced overall risk of wiring wear. The machine’s tuning and performance parameters were saved and replicated. By doing so, a single programming environment was created for all axes with the single controller internal to the new motor. All I/O and internal status information was accessible through defined variables for program monitoring and conditioning. All I/O was controlled directly through Animatics’ SmartMotor. The OEM achieved a 30% cost savings by using a five-pole slip right and the SmartMotor. Now only requiring power and communications cables to the SmartMotor on the index table.
Download The Application Notes: Animatics Pick and Place onto Index with Multiple IO inputs