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Introduction to
NC systems
T. L. Nguyen
November 2, 2014
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Outline
Introduction
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Introduction
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Introduction
Offline tasks are the tasks that are needed to generate a part program for
control- ling an NC machine. In the offline stage, after the shape of a
part has been decided, a geometry model of this part is created by 2D or
3D CAD.
After finishing geometric modeling, Computer Aided Process Planning,
CAPP, is carried out where necessary information for machining is generated. In this stage, the selection of machine tools, tools, jig and fixture,
decisions about cutting conditions, scheduling and machining sequences
are created.
CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) is executed in the final stage for
generating a part program. In this stage, tool paths are generated based on
geometry information from CAD and machining information from CAPP.
During tool path generation, interferences between tool and workpiece,
minimization of machining time and tool change, and machine performance are considered. In particular, CAM is an essential tool to generate
2.5D or 3D toolpaths for machine tools with more than three axes.
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Online tasks are those that are needed to machine parts using NC machines.
In this stage, the NC system reads and interprets part programs from memory
and controls the movement of axes. The NC system generates instructions for
position and velocity control based on the part program and servo motors are
controlled based on the instructions generated.
The construction of the machine and the machine components should also
be designed to be insensitive to vibration and temperature. In addition, the
performance of the encoder and sensors that are included in the NC system
and the control mechanism influences the machining accuracy.
The status of the machine and machining process may be monitored during machining. Actually, tool-breakage detection, compensation of thermal
deformation, adaptive control, and compensation of tool deflection based on
monitoring of cutting force, heat, and electric current are applied during machining.
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The post-line task is to carry out CAI (Computer Aided Inspection), inspecting the finished part. In this stage, inspection using a CMM (Coordinate
Measurement Machine) is used to make a comparison between the result and
the geometry model in order to perform compensation.
The compensation is executed by modifying tool compensation or by doing
post-operations such as re-machining and grinding.
Reverse engineering, meaning that the shape of the part is measured and a
geometric model based on the measured data is generated, is included in this
stage.
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Introduction
The servo, the word originates from servue in Latin, is the device that carries
out faithfully the given command.
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Encoder
The device that detects the current position for position control is called an
encoder and, generally, is built into the end of the power-transmission shaft.
In order to control velocity, the velocity is detected by a sensor or is calculated
by position control data detected from the encoder.
The method for detecting velocity uses the encoder, a way of counting pulses
generated in unit time and a means of detecting the interval between pulses
together. An encoder can be classified as an optical type or a magnetic type.
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Coupling
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In general, the position-control loop is located in the NC and the others are
located in a servo driving device. However, there is no absolute standard
about the location of control loops and the locations can be varied based on
the intention of the designer.
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The semi-closed loop is the most popular control mechanism. In this type,
a position detector is attached to the shaft of a servo motor and detects the
rotation angle. The position accuracy of the axis has a great influence on the
accuracy of the ball screw.
If necessary, pitch-error compensation and backlash compensation can be used
in NC in order to increase the positional accuracy.
The pitch-error compensation method is that, at the specific pitch, the
instructions to the servo driver system are modified in order to remove the
accumulation of positional error. The backlash compensation method is that,
whenever the moving direction is changed, additional pulses corresponding to
the amount of backlash are sent to the servo driver system.
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Closed Loop
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In the closed loop, the position detector is attached to the machine table and
the actual position error is fed back to the control system.
Closed loop and semi-closed loop are very similar except in the location of
the position detector, and the position accuracy of closed loop is very high.
However, the resonance frequency of the machine body, stick slip, and lost
motion have an influence on the servo characteristics because the machine
body is included in the position control loop.
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Hybrid Loop
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In closed loop, it is necessary to lower the gain in the case when it is difficult
to increase the rigidity in proportion to the weight of the moving element or
decrease lost motion as in a heavy machine. If the gain is very low, though,
the performance becomes poor with respect to positioning time and accuracy.
In this case, the hybrid loop is used.
In the hybrid loop, there are two kinds of control loop; semi-closed loop, where
the position is detected from the shaft of a motor, and closed loop, which is
based on a linear scale. In the semi-closed loop, it is possible to control with
high gain because the machine is not included in the control system. The
closed loop increases accuracy by compensating the error that the semi-closed
loop cannot control. Because the closed loop is used for compensating only
positional error, it is well behaved in spite of low gain.
By combining the closed loop and the semi-closed loop, it is possible to
obtain high accuracy with high gain in an ill- conditioned machine.
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Open Loop
Unlike the above-mentioned control loops, open loop has no feedback. Open
loop can be applied in the case where the accuracy of control is not high and
a stepping motor is used. Because open loop does not need a detector and a
feedback circuit, the structure is very simple. Also, the accuracy of the
driving system is directly influenced by the accuracy of the stepping motor,
ball screw, and transmission.
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Introduction
The MMI (Man Machine Interface) unit offers the interface between NC and
the user, executes the machine operation command, displays machine status,
and offers functions for editing the part program and communication.
The NCK (Numerical Control Kernel) unit, being the core of the CNC system,
interprets the part program and executes interpolation, position control, and
error compensation based on the interpreted part program. Finally, this controls
the servo system and causes the workpiece to be machined.
The PLC (Programmable Logic Control) sequentially controls tool change,
spindle speed, workpiece change, and in/out signal processing and plays the
role of controlling the machines behavior with the exception of servo control.
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MMI Function
1 Operation functions: These functions are used very frequently and support
oper- ation of the machine and the display that shows the machine status, the
position, distance-to-go, and feed of each axis, spindle speed, the block that
is being executed, and override status are examples. In addition, functions to
help machine operation such as jog, program search, program editor, and tool
management are provided.
2 Parameter-setting functions: In the CNC system there are various parameters
for internal use and these are categorized into three kinds: Machine parameters
that are used for setting machine regulation, servo/spindle driving system, tool
offset, work coordinate, and safety boundary; program parameters that should
be set during editing of the part program; and customization parameters that
are used to adapt the machine to user requirements. These functions provide
the interface for setting, storing, and searching parameters.
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3 Program-editing functions: These functions are able to edit and modify the
part program, which is G-code based on the EIA/ISO standard.
4 Monitoring and alarm functions: the CNC system always informs a user of
the machine status by monitoring and, if need be, these functions execute the
neces- sary tasks and inform the user of the result.
5 Service/utility functions: Besides the other four essential functions, many
useful functions are provided to assist users
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NCK Function
Introduction
1 An interpreter plays the role of reading a part program, interpreting the ASCII
blocks in the part program, and storing interpreted data in internal memory
for the interpolator.
2 An interpolator plays the role of sequentially reading the data from the internal
data buffer, calculating the position and velocity per unit time of each axis, and
storing the result in a FIFO buffer for the acceleration/deceleration controller.
3 If position control is executed by using the data generated from the interpolator, large mechanical vibration and shock occur whenever part movement starts
and stops. In order to prevent mechanical vibration and shock, the filtering for
acceleration/deceleration control is executed before interpolated data is sent
to the position controller.
4 The data from an acceleration/deceleration controller is sent to a position
controller and position control is carried out based on the transmitted data in
a constant time interval. A position control typically means a PID controller.
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PLC Function
The PLC unit of a CNC system is similar to the general PLC system but
there is an auxiliary controller that assists with part of the functions of the
NCK unit. Therefore, the following functions are necessary:
Circuit dedicated to communicating with NCK.
Dual-port RAM for supporting high-speed communication.
Memory for the exchanged data during high-speed communication with NCK.
High-speed input module for high-speed control such as turret control.
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In an NC system, the NCK unit, the PLC unit, and the MMI unit should be
executed in constant time intervals. Because of this property, the NC system
is a complex real-time system.For the NC system design, the modularization
of tasks and the system design such as the allocation of priority for each task,
the selection of scheduling method and the synchronization and
communication mechanism among tasks are required.
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