CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - February 22, 2006 - GE Fanuc Automation, a unit of GE Industrial, today announced the availability of an enhancement to the company’s servo system, Machining Point Control, to detect and control machine vibration at the machining point. Machining Point Control’s Acceleration Rate Sensor Unit simultaneously detects the acceleration rate at the machine of three axes. Output of the unit is rapidly taken into account by the CNC servo loop through the standard separate detector interface unit. The servo system software then uses the detected acceleration rate to control the motor’s motion to reduce vibration, stabilizing the machine at the tool tip and enabling precision machining and quick positioning.
“Machining Point Control most effectively improves machining precision and reduces the cycle time of large machine tools and lasers,” said Paul Webster, Servo Product Manager for GE Fanuc Automation’s CNC division. “Stabilizing the machine at the tool tip in real-time by reducing the vibrations effectively improves the machining precision of large machines where instability lowers the overall performance.”The acceleration sensor detects vibration in real-time and updates the servo system at a very fast rate to effectively suppress the actual resonance seen by the machine, Webster explained. “This is the first time that machine vibration is suppressed dynamically by use of acceleration sensors fed back into the CNC servo loop.
It is also the first time the output of the sensor has been directly incorporated into the servo loops.” Machine Tip Control is an add-on to the servo system and is used in addition to the servo and separate feedback systems. The unit is connected to the machine through the existing servo system and simple parameter setup and tuning is accomplished using FANUC Servo Guide software.
About GE Fanuc Automation
GE Fanuc Automation, a joint venture between GE and FANUC LTD of Japan, delivers automation hardware and software designed to help users reduce costs, increase efficiency and enhance profitability. With solutions and services catering to virtually every industrial segment, GE Fanuc Automation provides a diverse array of capabilities and products, including controllers, embedded systems, advanced software, motion control, CNCs, operator interfaces, industrial computers, and lasers. Headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, GE Fanuc Automation is a part of GE Industrial and combines the diverse global strengths of the GE family with the local presence customers need to design, develop and maintain their automation investments.
