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Continually improving performance


Keeping the customer satisfied is a never-ending task. However productive a machine, your customers will always want it to be faster, smaller and more flexible.

Increasing speed without increasing the required floor space is made easier by maximising the electronic content of your machine. For example, it is possible to operate machine logic and motion, drive and process control, all through one platform.

Not only will this enhance performance, but also increase accuracy and reduce part count, with the knock-on effect of simplified design and maintenance.
Off-the-shelf components mean as much as 40% less time can be spent designing the control system, without compromising customisation or performance. However, sometimes your customers want you to go even further – not just utilising the same amount of floor space, but also reducing the space occupied. There are two ways to achieve this.
The first is on-machine technology, with automation devices and components mounted directly on the machine. These can be motor starters, drives, sensors, contactors and HMIs – as long as they are suitably environmentally rated, have internal intelligence and plug-and-play capabilities.

Spotting the potential for enhancements to your machines
Could your machines be improved to deliver the kind of increases in productivity and advances in flexibility customers are constantly demanding? If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions below, then you have an opportunity to make changes.
• Is the mechanical content of your machines higher than the electrical content?
• Have you maximised the use of on-machine controls?
• Does the control system take up a disproportionate amount of design time?
The second method of achieving smaller-footprint machines is to integrate multiple control disciplines. A single platform – such as Allen-Bradley Logix – can perform control regardless of the size or complexity of the application. An additional benefit of on-machine components integrated control systems is a reduction in installation time of up to 30%.

Recent developments
Recent technological developments from Rockwell Automation have helped Machine Builders to design machines with more speed, for greater volume, in smaller footprints and with improved flexibility. These kinds of advances redefine what can be achieved with a machine, and are what differentiate one machine builder from another.
Changeover times are another major factor in your customers’ costs. So if you can provide machines that are more flexible, you are giving them a real competitive advantage. Here electronic solutions can actually reduce changeover times significantly. Electronic machine control can reduce the parts count by 30-70% and therefore the assembly time too. Integrating multi-axis servo control and logic control provides speed with versatility, while with a simple graphical operator interface, changing machine parameters can be as quick and easy as pushing a button. As a result, staggering reductions in changeover times can be achieved.