There are many machines operating today – many specially built for a particular application – which have years of good service left in them but which are unreliable, inflexible, slow, and isolated from modern factory automation systems because their control systems are outdated and the motors and drives are worn out whilst the mechanics still have plenty of life left in them.
Sounds familiar? This is where Gefran comes in, because we can give machines a new lease of life by upgrading the control system. In some cases, we have also increased functionality and flexibility by replacing fixed mechanical linkages with high performance servo drives linked via multi-axis motion controllers.
Our experience shows that many upgrades arise as a result of breakdown call-outs. Although we are usually able to get a machine up and running, if we think it would benefit from upgrading or a major overhaul is necessary to avoid a potentially catastrophic failure in future, we’ll tell you so.
Read about some of the machinery upgrades undertaken by MCS
Giving an old machine a new lease of life
Replacing worn out stepper motors with high performance, brushless servo motors on a 3-axis machine for grinding stress relief slots in the back of toothed timing belts, and replacing an obsolete controller with the latest model from the same manufacturer, allowing the existing applications programmes to be used. The upgrade was done on our recommendation after we had been called out a number of times to repair the machine. It was completed in a works shutdown before production resumed.
◘ Click to download a .pdf file of the case study
Servos revolutionise packaging machinery
Replacing mechanical linkages with three servomotors linked by a multi-axis motion coordinator on a flow wrapping machine used for packaging chocolate bars. Tim Oxtoby, Managing Director of MCS, came up with a novel control strategy which has subsequently been adopted by some of the leading packaging machinery manufacturers. Servo control allows rapid changeover and flexibility in operation which is not possible with mechanically linked machines.
◘ Click to download a .pdf file of the case study
Automating production of savoury pancakes
Replacing mechanical linkages with 12 servomotors linked by a multi-axis motion coordinator on machines used for making Findus Crispy Pancakes. Servo control allows fine adjustments, to compensate for changes in the process or ingredients, resulting in reject rates of less than 0.1%.
◘ Click to download a .pdf file of the case study