Page 32 - trends in automation

M ecmesin, a leading designer
and supplier of force and
torque measurement
solutions, was tasked to
design a cost-effective, yet leading edge
automated tennis ball testing machine
for the ITF and was looking for a partner
to advise on the most appropriate
automation equipment. It turned to
Festo, who supplied Mecmesin with
pneumatic components comprising
linear axes and pneumatic grippers,
together with a PLC based control
system which Mecmesin programmed.
Versatility and remote monitoring
The ITF required a versatile test system
that can accommodate a range of tennis
ball sizes including the larger sized,
slower foam balls which are designed
for use by beginners. The system
needed to reliably automatically load
and unload the tennis balls on to the
tester, and grip and rotate the balls
while being tested. Many parameters
are tested over three axes to ensure the
uniformity and consistency of results
necessary for the international standard
required.
There were two additional requirements
of the machine. First, the tester had to
be monitored remotely, allowing staff to
carry on with other tasks, and secondly,
it had to be built in such a way that it
could accept new tests in the future,
without the system having to be
re-designed.
Mecmesin has worked with Festo on
previous projects and were keen to
explore how Festo equipment could be
used for this application.
“We worked closely with Mecmesin to
fully understand the requirements of
the testing machine and recommended
our CPX integrated automation platform
which includes a PLC,” says Bill Evans,
Business Development Consultant
at Festo. “This system enables the
machine to be monitored remotely,
which means staff do not need to be in
attendance during the hour long test.”
“By using an automated sample
handling system, testing is more
reproducible and does not require
constant attendance from technicians
who are free to perform other duties,”
says Simon Garland, Automation
Engineer at Mecmesin. “The automated
system can safely be left unattended to
perform all the required tests, and on
completion, a comprehensive test report
is available with graphical display of the
test results.”
Time-saving solution
On the previous system, balls were
automatically loaded on to the machine,
and the test set to run. However, if a
ball became misaligned during the test,
the testing process would stop until
the technician came back later in the
day. The test would need to be started
again and a technician would need to
stay with the machine to manually load
the balls. Now, the testing is more rapid
and by alerting the technicians to any
problems in real-time, the system is
more efficient.
“A CPX automation platform with CP
string remote I/O capabilities was
chosen as it allows Mecmesin to add
further modules easily in the future
without re-designing the entire control
structure,” continues Bill.
Tennis balls being tested to ITF standard using Mecmesin’s automated testing system.