With Tool Drives’ modern high-speed drilling units, it takes just 17 seconds to drill 100 holes 6mm in diameter and depth in a coated composite wood panel, with the greatest precision. During this operation, the drill reaches speeds of up to 18,000 revolutions per minute, even though it has to adapt its power to the different layers and characteristics of the panel.
With finished quality of the drilled holes what really counts, the company examined the drilling process very closely. So, they developed a special feed screw, and used motors and motion controllers with enough power to apply maximum forces, while still allowing a high degree of fine control. To achieve the desired result, the inverter drive for the high-power drill drive needed to be able to supply an output frequency of 1,000Hz but, at the same time, fine control of the PM motor used for the drill unit’s drive was essential.
Turning to YASKAWA, the company selected the A1000 inverter drive which supplies the required output frequency of 1,000Hz, provides 1.5kW of power with open-loop vector control and delivers up to 150% of its rated output for short bursts.
Of benefit to Tool Drives, the company offers worldwide support and an extensive product range, enabling it to be used as a one-stop shop. The MP series’ all-in-one machine controller, for example, is a single platform that combines all the functions required for the machine’s processes, including motion and PLC functionality, inputs/outputs, sequential logic and process algorithms. The controller integration saves on system costs, reduces the amount of space the unit takes up in the control cabinet and standardises the programming. The scalable hardware for motion applications is suitable for use in complex applications with up to 64 axes.
With the high-speed drilling unit, the drilled hole specifications were achieved using Yaskawa’s tried-and-tested G-code. The MotionWorks IEC software and the Yaskawa toolbox feature make programming the machine controller easier, combining the five programming options ladder diagram (LD), function block diagram (FBD), structured text, instruction list (IL) and sequential function chart in one developer package. In addition, these controllers also have a built-in web server and are compatible with international network protocols such as Profibus and Ethernet.
