Automation of a measuring machine with motion control

CTE was mandated with the automation of a multi-axis measuring machine with motion control. This is used for the quality assurance of surfaces. In addition to a safety controller and the associated HMI, a central task was the handling of all drives via motion control. On the one hand for the high-precision (in the µm range) positioning of the measuring head on the measurement object using 4-axes, on the other hand for the insertion of the object to be tested and the automatic change of the measuring tip with three additional axes. This involved the following work:

• Development of the electrical diagram for the control cabinet 

• Development of a software architecture and programming of the S7-1518-F safety PLC 

• Parameterisation of the SINAMICS S120 drive controller from Siemens for the various motor types (linear motor, torque motor, synchronous motor) 

• Parameterisation of a Phytron module for controlling a stepper motor 

• Programming the jog mode (single-axis operation via mobile panel) 

• Control of the air bearings 

• Implementation of the required safety functions such as safety gate monitoring, safe reduced speed, open guard procedure with pressed enabling switch and brake test 

• Establishing communication with the measuring system via OPC UA 

• Programming the HMI for Panel PC and Mobile Panel with TIA V16 

• Programming of a flexible editor for the creation of automatic measurement sequences 

During the analysis, it was defined that not only personal safety has top priority, but also preventing a collision between the measuring head and the measuring object, worth several million euros. It also became clear that the parameterisation of the drives would be complex due to the variance of the motors. Intensive training and support from Siemens Support as part of the Solution Partner Program enabled to build the necessary knowledge.

During the concept phase, CTE acted as a competent partner in the creation of the functional specification and the visualisation concept.

The implementation was carried out by a team of several programmers. The basic function of a drive was tested and optimised on a test setup. We were also able to test the sequences in the simulation before the machine was built. With the help of the editor we developed in LabView, the end customer also has the option of configuring different measurement sequences very flexibly. The measurement sequences are saved in XML format and can be loaded into the PLC via OPC UA using a loader.

Thanks to CTE's expertise, the measuring machine runs successfully in multi-shift operation around the clock. Several copies of the machine have now also been made and handed over to the customer.

With the help of CTE "OT_access", the remote access solution for industrial system landscapes, all companies involved in the project can access the system remotely at any time.This means that, if necessary, CTE can continue to carry out program adaptations that can be tested directly on the system.