trends in automation

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What are the biggest
challenges currently facing
machine builders?
For special purpose machine
builders, being able to specify a solution
quickly and easily with total confidence in
the performance is key to winning
business in an efficient manner. For the
replicating machine builder, the challenge
is to find a way to build a standard
solution that can be re-configured easily
and cost effectively to meet customer
standards in terms of fieldbus and
connectivity protocols. In both cases it’s a
highly competitive environment. Cost is
critical but it’s often the first to respond
with a quote that gains the advantage.
However, there is an inherent conflict
between reducing time and reducing cost.
Shopping around multiple suppliers can
identify lower cost components; but the
all-important final price often masks the
associated engineering sourcing,
procurement, design and compatibility
costs. Building a solution using multiple
components from different suppliers is
actually complex, time consuming and
risky. There is always the potential that a
mistake has been made – particularly
when trying to ‘marry up’ different
manufacturers’ data, which is frequently
presented in different formats, units etc.
The potential for issues to arise around
compatibility and connectivity is high and,
with multiple suppliers involved, it is
often unclear where ownership of that
risk lies.
How does this affect the end users?
Time pressures and a desire to avoid risks
can lead to disadvantages for end users.
It reduces the opportunities for machine
builders to consider all the options and
add real value at the design stage.
Instead, the tendency is to stay with a
proven specification and often to adopt a
‘belt and braces’ approach. This can mean
that the recommended solution is not
optimised, may be over-engineered to
provide a safety factor, and is more
expensive than it needs to be.
As a result, the end user can get a less
efficient, more complex solution than
necessary – creating potential service,
maintenance and life time cost issues.
Can you give an example?
Electrical positioning systems are a good
example. They are commonly used in
almost any machine that needs to
position and move objects. Typically
consisting of a positional controller,
motor, gearbox and mechanical axis,
cables and connections, their overall
system performance is a result of the
combined performance of the individual
components. Machine builders frequently
source these different elements from two,
three or more suppliers; introducing
questions around performance,
compatibility and connectivity. Because of
this it is often easier, quicker and safer to
stick to previously used solutions, rather
than look for new ones.
The effort and risk involved in deviating
from a known solution is a real barrier to
cost and performance optimisation. As a
result, a machine builder may choose to
stick to a known servo electric system
that provides top end performance even
when the application doesn’t require it –
and when there are other, more cost-
effective technologies that can be used.
For example, if dynamic movement
requirements are not onerous, closed
loop stepper motor technology offers the
same control capability and can manage
similar loads to servo systems, at a lower
cost.
What can be done to improve this
situation?
Suppliers need to make it easy for
machine builders to match components in
order to deliver the required performance:
easy to select, easy to connect, easy to
configure. Manufacturers of electric drive
components can play an important role by
providing the tools and products to make
it easier for designers and machine
builders to make the right choices. There
needs to be more understanding of
designers’ needs by the component
manufacturer so that they can provide
fast, knowledgeable support through the
specification, buying and machine-
building process.
What does Festo have to offer the
electric drives market?
Festo offers a wide range of motion
solutions, from simple positioning to high
-end servo electrics. Our overall approach
is to focus on the needs of the machine
builder. We want to make it quick and
easy for designers to select the various
components and understand their
combined performance and overall costs.
We do this by supplying all the elements
in the control chain that are needed to
make the solution work, both mechanical
and electrical. The result is an integrated
and joined up solution – easy
connectivity, guaranteed system
performance and compatibility, plus
technical and customer support – all from
one source. And because we offer all the
elements, machine builders and
designers can take advantage of a free
simulation tool that provides a range of
technical solutions based on the
application requirements. The results
provide guaranteed performance, known
costs and, critically, the opportunity to
make fast, optimised risk-free decisions.
A good example of our ability to offer
performance oriented solutions is our
Optimised Motion Series (OMS). We used
our expertise to develop a total package
that offers one cost effective solution for
many positioning applications. Based on
closed loop stepper motor technology,
the Optimised Motion Series of electric
drives has been developed to provide
easy to use, multi-position control at a
highly focused price point. So, OEMs and
machine builders can order a complete
Issue 32 trends in automation
Compass 6 – 7