The fiber laser system overcomes outdated issues through a PC based EtherCAT control platform

In order to maintain relevance and success, companies with a long history must respect their past while not ignoring the future. This is the method adopted by Cincinnati Corporation (CI), a metal processing machinery manufacturer based in Harrison, Ohio, since its establishment in the late 1890s.

The company is carefully considering technological changes. Incorrect selection of control hardware, network, or automation software may spread from new machines to traditional products. However, not keeping up with the times can also create traps.

"In the 1980s and 1990s, as one of the earliest manufacturers of laser cutting mechanisms in the United States, we led the market. However, the speed at which we had to add features, remove features, or change working methods usually took about three years. Today, it takes 6 to 18 months," said Troy Wilson, CI's dining table product manager. "The world of fiber lasers is developing so rapidly that the platforms we use cannot adapt to new technologies.".

Recently, The task of CI engineers is to build upon the company's traditional foundation while integrating future oriented automation for the new era of the industry. The challenge of supporting traditional equipment while building internal controls has plunged engineers into redesign work. They constantly search for substitutes for outdated chipsets or components.

In addition, customers often want to adapt their machines to higher power lasers or other functions, so future platforms need to flexibly connect and disconnect devices, and easily change parameters in software.

Therefore, when the CLX fiber laser system began development in 2018, the company knew that it needed to design more than just a dynamic laser cutting machine. For its customer base (approximately one-third of original equipment manufacturers and two-thirds of processing workshops), the most important thing is that lasers need to be fast, intuitive, and reliable.

"If the laser malfunctions, you must also send the bending machine operator home, and within a few hours, you must send the welder home," Wilson said. "This type of laser is crucial for overall operation."

When designing the fiber laser system, the engineering team determined that Beifu's EtherCAT and PC based automation systems met the requirements in terms of power, speed, and scalability.

"We need a ready-made platform that can meet our needs today, and more importantly, add features, advantages, and new features to future machines," Wilson said.

The CLX fiber laser system uses the Beifu C6030 ultra compact industrial PC to control the entire CNC machine tool. The scalable machine controller provides sufficient processing power and flexible interface options, and its design can be backward compatible and adapt to future technological developments.
"When we manufacture our own CPU, when chips and other components expire, it becomes paralyzed," said Matt Garbarino, head of the New Machinery Sales business unit. "Having suppliers handle all these issues for us will change the rules of the game."

TwinCAT 3 automation software is Beifu's universal engineering configuration and runtime platform, which also helps ensure future scalability. From the IEC 61131-3 language and its object-oriented extensions to custom and predefined feature blocks, and then to computer science standards, this software is integrated into Microsoft Visual Studio, allowing engineers to program in the most suitable language for their applications. This is a big step forward from the proprietary scripts of previous suppliers.

"Being able to use object-oriented programming in TwinCAT makes our next-generation code much easier," said Andrew Franxman, an electrical design engineer at CI. We also use PLC libraries "CNC package and ADS communication, this is our way of connecting with higher-level software."

Despite its more powerful programming capabilities, the user interface of CLX has become more intuitive, eliminating the need for troubleshooting or adjusting the machine through ladder logic. The dual screen CP3924 control panel is available in 24 inches.

"We are very satisfied with the durability, appearance, and functionality of the Beifu control panel. It provides a modern user experience through dual screen and physically connected keyboard installation," Wilson said.

In addition, Beifu's EtherCAT industrial Ethernet system and servo drive technology have also enhanced performance and scalability.
CI Electrical Engineering Manager Zackery Bischoff explained, "The hot connection function of EtherCAT equipment is very powerful, especially our automatic nozzle changer." When we integrate robots and even bending machines in integrated production lines, this flexibility will become even more important. "
"For our previous machines, the limitations were on controlling hardware and networks. This is no longer a limitation," Wilson said. "Now, our limit is physics.".

Source: Laser Net