FAST Machine Programming

A B Graphic International (ABG), a global manufacturer of label converting and finishing equipment, has set a new standard with the latest generation of their machines. At the same time, by using FAST Application Software from Lenze, the company has significantly sped up the software design of their machines. The resulting faster delivery times and lower engineering costs not only provide the company with an edge over the competition, but thanks to an integrated standardization process, it now forms the backbone of ABG's machine programming.

"We always use the latest technology available," says Mark Norman, controls manager at ABG. "We have been using Lenze's 9300 servo drives for over 13 years and had every reason to embrace Lenze's latest products to speed up machine development." Like all machine builders, he needs to stay ahead of the game. "The label printing industry is rapidly changing due to the digital revolution. Production runs get smaller with a growing demand for custom and localized labeling.

Digital printing machines are replacing conventional flexographic presses and there is a growing need for PC-based systems. But our customers also expect improved winding quality, faster changeover times, and more reliability. This means that we look to servo technology and software for support. And although I realize that full servo is somewhat of a buzzword, in our case it offers unrivaled mechanical flexibility and precise tension control. We are therefore replacing more and more mechanical systems with the latest i700 servo inverter from Lenze. To further assist us with software development, we recently adopted their Application Template and FAST function blocks."

The initial impetus for taking a good look at their machine design and developing a new generation of label converting systems based on the latest technology available was a specific request from the printing industry to be 'JDF compatible'. Norman explains, "In the printing industry, the JDF (Job Definition Format) is used to describe the entire job content. For instance, a JDF message can hold prepress parameters, label size, slit width, slit quality, and roll size. This is all information that we can use to automatically set up our machines without operator intervention, which enables our customers to run smaller batches with faster changeover times." For the rewinding machines to be able to read JDF files, a PC based approach was needed requiring ABG Ethernet and server capabilities. These needs were met by Lenze's VisiWinNET visualization software platform that, besides SCADA, also includes server/client technology. But why stop improving here, when there are greater gains to be achieved?

At about the same time that ABG was working on their fully automated and JDF compatible design, Lenze introduced their i700 servo inverter. For ABG, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to upgrade their hardware to a more consistent platform with a much more straight-forward topology. "One of the obvious hardware upgrades that we were enthusiastic about was replacing our old 9300 servo drives with the new i700 inverters. This proved to be a wise choice, as the installation time is now reduced by at least 25%. The main reason for the reduction is that the wiring takes far less time, as we can easily interlink the DC power supply bus and the EtherCAT connections. No circuit breakers or individual mains supplies are needed, providing additional time savings. The introduction of the i700s also substantially reduces the cabinet footprint. The i700 has both doubleand single-axis drives and is more compact than its predecessor. This means our required cabinet size is reduced by 15 to 20%," explains Norman.

Norman adds, "There have also been improvements on the HMI side. We have replaced our previous HMI with the p500 model from Lenze and are using their smaller EL103eco for localized controls. The biggest benefit of using a more integrated hardware platform from one supplier is that all the tags for VisiWinNET visualization have already been generated in the PLC Designer software via a symbol file, providing additional time savings."

One of the greatest time savers is, however, still to come. A more straightforward machine structure paved the way for a modular approach that enabled ABG to program different hardware elements (modules) just once and reconfigure them for later projects. Some of the modules have been further simplified by using Lenze's FAST Application Software, which already has a variety of application specific, ready-to-use templates designed to tackle common elements in targeted industries. "One of the key aspects when revising your automation hardware as drastically as we did is getting the software right. One of the tools that Lenze suggested for this task was their Application Template software. It offers a modular structured approach that saves a great deal of time and reduces errors by a consistent methodology which involves more configuration than programming, Norman explains."

"To get started, we made a functional breakdown of our machine specification into modules. We identified common modules as the basic building blocks through which we could configure most of our machines. After they were programmed, we configured all the axes related to the module. We subsequently linked all modules to a machine master, which sets the modules into the required mode or state through the Application Template." The project also included a virtual master axis that all the other axes within the Application Template followed. Norman adds that the approach makes their software truly modular, as the individual modules are effectively programs that run autonomously in their own right, and can easily be exchanged and independently tested, enabling parallel engineering. When asked about the main difference between copying and pasting proven lines of code from old projects compared to the reusability of the Application Template methodology, Norman explains, "The big difference is the fact that all the variables including I/O and HMI data are declared as structures within the module. This is not the case when you copy/paste."

At this stage, it is hard to quantify all the gains of the FAST modules and Application Template approach for ABG engineers. The first machine is running smoothly in France, further installations are working well and more machines are in production. There are nevertheless plenty of aspects to qualify and Norman is convinced that using the FAST modules and Application Template is the right way moving forward. "Despite some challenges, which were resolved by Lenze listening well and responding thoroughly to us, I am positive that the new Lenze FAST approach will live up to its name when it comes to speeding up machine programming. We have already experienced this success with some of the modules. The quality of the performance has also improved. Instead of a web encoder, using a virtual master combined with the FAST 'Winding' module has resulted in the control of web tension being even better than the high standards previously achieved." It is this quality aspect that might be the true advantage of using the standard software modules. Norman ads, "It's been a pleasure using pre-tested FAST modules that have been developed by Lenze so that the end user only has to configure the functionality rather than writing and testing complex code. We also see a large benefit using standard function blocks in terms of getting worldwide support from Lenze."

PositionServo Benefits:

• Electronic Shaft Following
• Easy to Use System
• Inverter & Servo Drive Compatibility
• Intuitive Setup & Programming
• Precise Positioning Capability
• Servo Automation at a Highly Competitive Price