At Codan Steritex medical equipment is assembled with the help of JVL equipment

At Codan Steritex in the Danish town of Espergærde, the company has recently completed a new assembly machine for medical equipment.

Since the assembly process requires rapid linear movement, with several stops and very small tolerances, it was decided to use a 1.5 metre linear motor manufactured by Technotion, who are represented in Denmark by JVL.

To control the motor, JVL supplied an AC Servo Controller AMC20. Overall control of the assembly machine is carried out by a Mitsubishi PLC. Programming was done by Codan Steritex and the AMC20 is operated in register mode with 4 fixed positions selected by the PLC.

8 MAC800 Motors control dynamic Art in Rome

JVL Industri Elektronik A/S is proud of the fact that we have now also helped to bring a piece of art to life. The work came into being in Rome, where artist architect Silvana De Stefano was selected to decorate a plaza at the large Finmeccanica Palace, owned by the company Finmeccanica, in the centre of Rome.

The artwork consists of 2 internally illuminated spheres that move up and down and backwards and forwards as illustrated in the schematic below. Each sphere is suspended by a thin steel wire and is moved by 4 MAC800 motors.

Pump impellers assembled on JVL turntable controlled by JVL and Yaskawa controllers

Grundfos Tools & Machines, which is a division of the company's Technology Centre, is completing construction of a large turntable machine that assembles impellers for the Grundfos series of CR1, CR2 and CR3 pump chambers. The assembly machine will be used by the CR plant in the manufacture of centrifugal pumps.

The Turntable is driven by a Yaskawa SGDH-20 (2kW) servo driver and an SGMGH (2kW) servo motor via a Spinea TS240 gear with a ratio of 87:1. The driver is controlled from an SMI30 Indexer, which has the total of 3x6 positions stored in its registers. The Indexer operates in JVL's specially-developed turntable mode, which ensures that no follow errors occur, i.e. the turntable always achieves precise positioning. JVL undertook the programming of the Indexer in co-operation with the Grundfos Tools & Machine division.

9 machines in the manufacturing equipment used for producing motor rotors are equipped with drivers, motors and gears supplied by JVL.

At world-renowned Grundfos in Bjerringbro on the Danish mainland of Jutland, a very large number of pumps are manufactured for typical use in common central heating systems. Each of these pumps contains an electric motor and the rotors for the motors are produced by a large system of machinery that has been designed and constructed by Grundfos' own technology centre. The Technology Centre has both a machine group that designs and constructs the machinery and an electrical group that takes care of all the electrical control equipment built into the machines.

The machinery used to produce the motor rotors consists of several units, each of which carries out particular operations in the assembly of the rotors. Each rotor consists of 2 copper discs which are separated by an iron rotor casing. A number of copper rods connect the two copper discs through holes in the casing.

3 of the various types of production units utilise Zebotronics step motors equipped with planetary gears from Technoingranaggi Riduttori (TR), both manufacturers' products being supplied by JVL. The step motors are driven by JVL's Step Motor Drivers that are controlled by signals from Allen Bradley PLCs with step motor indexers.

2 x MAC800 motors position a parabolic antenna for Dutch television broadcasting.
For television recording of moving events such as cycling (Tour de France, etc.), the most common way of getting the images from the camera to the stationary control room is by relaying the signal via a helicopter or a small airplane.

The antenna mounted on the stationary control room has to follow this aircraft to prevent any loss of signal due to the movement of the plane. Until recently an operator was continuously occupied adjusting the antenna to the position of the aircraft.

The Dutch broadcasting company has developed a device with 2 x MAC800 motors and 2 Spinea backlash-free gears to automatically adjust the position of the antenna depending on the strength of the signal. The choice of JVL Mac motors was made because of the integrated electronics (which means very few cables to the motor) and the possibility to communicate directly via RS485. This made it easy to combine control of the motors with the PC that manages the variation of the antenna signal.

Moreover, JVL’s user-friendly MacTalk software made it very easy to tune the motor to environmental circumstances such as wind, etc.

Experimental set-up for thermal spray process controlled by JVL Servo Controllers in a z-x System

At MAN B&W in Copenhagen, hard-metal coating of various ship motor components is done using thermal spray processes. Components such as exhaust spindles, piston rods, housings and piston rings are treated in this way.

Until now, a chrome coating has been used on piston heads and the process carried out abroad. But to achieve a longer-lasting coating with lower friction, and to save on transporting the units, Man B&W is currently experimenting with a process in which the coating is applied by powder flame spraying. This process allows various materials, such as Wolfram carbides, to be used in powder form.
The experimental set-up consists of a turntable and a robot that controls a spray pistol in the z and x axes. Movement in each axis is performed by Yaskawa AC servo motors, each driven by a JVL AMC12B AC Servo Controller.

Each Servo Controller is programmed to control movement in accordance with a predetermined sequence. Control of the Controllers is carried out from a KDM10 Keyboard/Display Module, via which the required motion sequence can be keyed-in and direction and velocity determined. In spraying the piston heads, the spray pistol must be moved up and down a certain number of times in each piston ring groove while the piston head is rotated. The pistol then moves onto the next groove.

SFX, Motion Control Animation achieved using a specially constructed Danish camera-robot

For many years, the Danish company CMC has built up extensive know-how and expertise from Allan O. Lückow's numerous trips to the USA and UK in connection with the recording of animated films using specially constructed motor-controlled camera set-ups.

The principle of this film technique, which is widely used for puppet work and advertising films, involves using a computer to control the position of the camera in relation to the subject and taking individual shots in each position. In this way, the impression that the film has been recorded in real time is created. The camera is mounted on a robot and motors are used to control all movement. The motors themselves are controlled by drivers via a computer running special software.

In addition to moving the camera between each frame shot, the computer is used to control lighting, and objects on Model Movers can be animated, controlled by motors and drivers via the same computer.

Throughout the years, JVL Industri Elektronik A/S has contributed to the development of such camera-robots at CMC with our expertise in the field of motor control and by supplying step motors, gears and drivers.

Loudspeaker cabinets and driver units assembled with the help of an advanced, specially-designed robot.

As part of the continued development in production automation, the world-renowned Danish hi-fi manufacturer Bang & Olufsen introduced a new, specially designed robot screwdriver in the spring of 1997. The robot is currently being used for assembly of cabinets for B&O's popular mini-loudspeakers, BeoLab 4000, but has been configured for assembly of 3 different types of loudspeaker. The robot has been designed and constructed by B&O's own production engineering department, which has produced a very compact and extremely reliable unit that provides exactly the right solution to B&O's needs.

The robot moves an automatic screwdriver using x-y co-ordinates in the horizontal plane and z co-ordinates in the vertical plane. In addition, it can be angled to the vertical plane in the x-direction using a co-ordinate designated x2. All four directional movements are driven by JVL AMC11B Servo Controllers and associated Yaskawa AC servo motors. Rotation of the screwdriver head itself is driven by a JVL AMC Servo Controller AMC12B which is partly operated in torque mode to ensure the correct tightening of the individual screws. The robot can also turn the screwdriver unit 90° using a pneumatic cylinder, so that the unit can be angled in the y-axix (y2). It is additionally prepared for configuration with a further servo-controller so that the unit can be angled in any required direction.

Danish company Quickwood ApS uses 3 JVL MAC motors and 1 JVL step motor in its newest robot

The new LC1 robot produced by the Danish company of Quickwood ApS has been designed and constructed on the basis of increasing demand for operationally stable and robust industrial robots that offer low installation costs and short return on investment. The robot utilises the latest in robotics technology, and is for example equipped with a total of 3 JVL MAC141 AC-servo motors, with built-in controller, encoder, etc. JVL motors were chosen because of their compact design, facility to operate on the required bus system, their application versatility, well-proven technology, performance and competitive price.

The robot head itself utilises a JVL MST232 step motor, controlled by JVL driver SMD41B3.
The robot is controlled by Soft NC PLC and Motion software, which complies with the requirements of IEC 61131-3 as well as the ISO standard for G-code programming widely known in the field of CNC.
The robot is primarily manufactured in aluminium and all movable parts are made of a particularly durable and robust polymer that is maintenance-free and withstands most types of chemicals.

The low weight of the robot arms and the use of modern technology also give the additional benefit that the unit has a remarkably low power consumption of only 650 Watt at full load.

The load capacity of the robot is 15kg and its range is 1100mm. In addition, the robot can be rail-mounted to facilitate a larger working radius.

Poul Johansen Maskiner A/S is now also using JVL´s integrated AC servo motors

Danish company Poul Johansen Maskiner A/S has long used a wide range of JVL´s step motor controllers and drivers for a variety of solutions. Recently the company also adopted the new integrated AC-servo motors from JVL - the MAC motors.

TurnMaster Turntable, JVL Servo Controllers and Yaskawa Motors used in Assembly Units

Danfoss´s Automatic Controls Division manufactures the world-renowned RT Thermostats and Pressostats.

Assembly of the Thermostat and Pressostat adjustment spindle is carried out using JVL's TurnMaster Turntable, a Yaskawa AC servo-motor and a Harmonic Drive play-free gear. This process is controlled by a JVL AMC11B AC Servo Controller operating in register mode. Five balls and a disc are mounted in the spindle, which is then flanged at the end so that the disc and balls are fixed as a small ball bearing.

Plastic components assembled using a robot from the company G&E Maskinteknik

The step motor, which drives the turntable via a drive belt, is equipped with a planetary gear from Technoingranaggi Riduttori and is controlled by a JVL Step Motor Controller SMC26B. The overall control of the assembly machine is taken care of by a PLC.

Novo Nordisk Tribotester uses MAC motor and step motor equipment from JVL

A tribotester is a general term for a unique piece of equipment that is used to perform tests and simulations of friction and wear on material surfaces. A tribotester typically must be specially developed according to the specific materials to be tested. It is not a stock item that can simply be ordered off-the-shelf. To develop a tribotester to meet their needs, Novo Nordisk Research and Development (R&D) therefore decided to enter a collaboration with two final year project students, Torben Ruby and Torben J. Herslund at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Today, the resulting tribotester is in use at Novo Nordisk and has become an important tool for the development and optimisation of material combinations in new injection systems for treating diabetes.

At Novo in Værløse and Hillerød in the north of Zealand, JVL Step Motor Controllers are used for automatic assembly of insulin syringes.

The "NovoLet" insulin syringe is used by millions of diabetics throughout the world every day. It enables diabetics to easily and painlessly inject the life-giving dose of insulin, often up to several times daily. Novo was the first to introduce this type of syringe on the market and they have become one of the company's major successes.
At Novo Nordisk A/S (Medical Devices) in Værløse and Hillerød in the north of Zealand, JVL Step Motor Controllers are used in connection with the assembly of the insulin syringes. Step motors are very advantageous in this process as they are quicker and more precise than compressed air machinery and at the same time offer a relatively simple and economic system construction.

The company of G&E Maskinteknik in the town of Farum north of Copenhagen is using JVL step motor controllers in a compact machine to assemble filters for Danavox hearing aids.
 

Classic Flowers has built a machine for automatically repotting plants

Plant nursery, Classic Flowers in the town of Langager on the Danish island of Funen commissioned an automatic machine for repotting small plants to larger pots.
The machine functions by feeding the larger pots on a belt. Boxes with the small plants are fed on a separate belt and aligned with the large pots.

The grasping arms are controlled pneumatically, while the 2 transport belts are driven by electrical motors. The crossbar boom's vertical and horizontal movement is controlled by 2 Yaskawa 0.75kW AC servo motors type SGM-08, each of which is controlled by a JVL AC Servo Motor Controller AMC20. Overall control of the machine is performed by a PLC. The AC servo controllers operate in register mode thus ensuring the correct positioning of the boom in both directions.

Swedish company EBL Systems AB uses JVL Bluetooth control of MAC motors


Swedish company EBL Systems AB is a well-known supplier of ergonomic baggage- and industrial material handling systems. In the development of the company’s new baggage lifter, EBL Systems has chosen to use wireless control of the hoist via the lifter’s gripper handle. EBL Systems thus minimise staff costs for absence caused by injuries and heavy wear on employees. In addition, downtime caused by frequent maintenance of the cable drum is minimised. EBL’s new wireless system also provides much greater freedom of movement for the operator.

To raise and lower the lifter used by an operator to move baggage, a JVL MAC800 integrated servo motor is used. The MAC motor is equipped with JVL’s Bluetooth module MAC00-FB4.

The company Sorenco produces advanced machinery for grinding punches and dies

A Punch Grinder is specially constructed to grind punches and dies for revolving punch machines. Despite the Punch Grinder's apparently simple exterior and a relatively limited number of functions, it was necessary to use an advanced JVL controller.

The Punch Grinder incorporates a controller consisting of JVL Indexer SMI31 together with Step Motor Driver SMD41 and Step Motor MST232. The controller system enables the Punch Grinder to perform a smooth vertical displacement of 0.1mm/8min., in which the load is a turntable of approximately 70kg. This very slow vertical movement is necessary to grind HSS materials up to 150mm in diameter. Grinding of the tools occurs using an oil-cooled CBN grinding wheel. Mechanical movement of the turntable is achieved using hydraulics with a ratio of 1:25 between the step motor and the turntable spindle.

Drill and tapping machinery modernised using a step motor system from JVL. Additional I/O Module and Keyboard/Display Module provide independent selection of job pieces.

The Danish company Garre Transformer A/S manufactures specialised transformers. Cabling is achieved via a small brass terminal block (of various sizes) in which two holes are drilled and tapped. This brass terminal block was previously manufactured manually. First the blocks were cut to the required length. Holes were then manually drilled in each block and finally a thread tapped in each hole. Garre Transformer decided that this operation should be taken over by a machine.

The company of LLP maskiner ApS in the town of Vemmelev was contacted to undertake the job of automating the task, and LLP maskiner in turn contacted JVL who joined the project as supplier of motor controllers and the job transport table elements.

Scantech´s newest portable 3-D scanner utilises 2 JVL MAC motors

Laser scanning is used to measure an object by scanning it with a laser and digitalising the data. Using this information, it is possible to copy or modify the scanned object in various ways using Scantech´s CAD/CAM system CARSO. The scanner system is used for restoration work, scaling models, and creating industrial moulds. For example, it is possible to scan a marble figure that is deteriorating, and use the CAD/CAM system and a 3-D lathe to produce a true copy of the pristine original.
It is thus possible to save a lot of manual work.

The new St 400 scanner is a portable scanner that can be used anywhere. For motion control in the x- and y axes, Scantech chose JVL´s MAC motor MAC140-A1 with MAC00-B1 modules, owing to their compact design with motor, encoder, driver, and controller integrated in the same unit. The 2 MAC motors are connected to the same RS485 interface and are controlled via serial commands from a PC. JVL´s Active X (OCX) is used as the driver between Scantech´s C++ software and the MAC motors.

DHI delivers large scanner that utilises JVL equipment

Located in the town of Hørsholm north of Copenhagen, the DHI Group has recently completed development of a new large scanner for investigating the effects of the sea on installations such as harbours and ports.

To measure the effects of the waves on model installations, a large scanner is used. This scanner can be moved over the entire test basin. Using software developed by the University of Aalborg, 3-dimensional plots of the model installation can be made before and after the effects of waves. The scanner can also be used to map the contour of the model seabed.

The recently developed scanner moves on a carriage along a 12-metre long lattice girder which itself moves on rails to cover the entire 18 metre length of the test basin. The entire scanner installation weighs approximately 300 kg.

Movement of the scanner assembly on the lattice girder utilizes a JVL MAC141 integrated servo motor with RS232/485 and Pulse Direction module MAC00-B4. On the carriage itself, the scanner probe is moved up and down using a second MAC141 equipped with a Nano PLC module MAC00-R4. This motor is further equipped with brake MAB23 to maintain the probe in the required vertical position. Both motors use HTRG planetary gears, with gear ratios of 100:1 on the one and 40:1 on the other.

Successful application story from British company Amtech

A CNC company contacted Amtech after samples produced by their 3D-milling machine did not meet customers’ requirements. The company which specialises in the manufacture of small 3D CNC machines were asked to produce some samples for an engineering company working in the jewellery trade. The samples did not meet the demanding requirements; the edges of the parts were not smooth and the process took too long.

After looking at the process, it was identified that the stepper motors being used were to blame for the poor finish on the edge of the parts. The stepper controller being used did not give continuous motion, it had a slow serial interface and it stopped between each command. This contributed to the poor finish and the time taken to complete the process.

To smooth out the motion of the machine, the stepper motors were replaced with MAC95 motors. This was easy as the MAC motor and stepper motor being replaced were both NEMA23. The stepper control system was replaced with the Amtech PCI servo control card (AMT-PCI-MC4) and GNC for Windows software. The smooth continuous path motion speeded up the process by as much as 50% and gave a high quality finish.
The machine is now used in the jewellery trade for prototyping, master models, wax casting patterns and small-volume production runs.

The Danish company of Beyerholm & Moe ApS supplies complete control units for precise motion control of 3-4 axes precision milling machines using JVL Mini-step Drivers
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Beyerholm & Moe ApS in Gml. Holte north of Copenhagen and its UK subsidiary Beyerholm and Moe International in Milton-Keynes north of London have specialised in control units for precision milling and engraving machines. Annually the company supplies control systems for a very large number of engraving machines and also manufactures a number of specialised machines and develops customer-specific software.

The control unit produced by Beyerholm and Moe is based on a standard PC-board supplemented by a microprocessor-based control board equipped with Beyerholm & Moe's own software.

Both servo and step motor solutions were tested for the machines. Step motors were chosen because they clearly offered the greatest accuracy for control of both velocity and position. JVL's Mini-step Drivers SMD41 were selected as the driver for the motors. This was due to the SMD41's compact design and the fact that both step-resolution and curve form could be selected according to need, thus achieving optimum control at maximum velocity.

Step motor Controller, AC-Servo Controllers and Indexer in advanced glass processing machine

Innovative company Wave Glass Technology has just completed a model of a newly patented glass processing machine for which JVL has supplied Controllers and motors and has taken care of software development of the machine's control system.

The model is a so-called "cold" machine which processes copper plates. The final machine will be 5 times larger and will process heated glass plates.

The machine represents an entirely new and revolutionary method for processing plate glass so that it can be bent into a required form. The principle of the process is that the glass is fed through a series of double rollers. Using a template and pneumatic control, the rollers are vertically adjusted to provide the required form. In the final model, which will be five times larger than the prototype model, step motors and spindles on each roller will be used instead of a template and pneumatic control.

The advantage of the new machine is that it functions completely without the use of tools. And, without stoppages, it can be re-programmed to yield other forms - including s-forms.
In the prototype model, a step motor controls the feed of the glass plate. An AC servo motor controls horizontal movement, i.e. forward and backward control of the template. A second AC servo motor controls the vertical movement of the template. The Windows-based software that controls motion in the individual axes has been developed by JVL.
The machine has been developed by Wave Glass Technology and constructed by Maskinbygger Arne Steens Eftf. in Hillerød, north of Copenhagen. Development has been subsidised by Vækstfonden, Teknologisk Innovation A/S, Uni-Bank's innovation fund and Amagerbanken.

Ferroperm Optics A/S uses 3 MAC motors for drilling optical glass filters

Ferroperm Optics A/S in the town of Vedbæk north of Copenhagen produces, amongst other products, optical filters that are used primarily in the medical industry.

The filters are small coloured glass discs which are used to filter the unwanted harmonics that occur when illuminating an object at a specific frequency, and which themselves are inevitable in precision filters.

The chromatic filters are manufactured from 50x50m glass sheets up to 6mm thick, where large numbers are glued together and mounted on a metal sheet. After drilling, the individual filters are separated by heating.

The drilling machine used to manufacture the filters is a Fehlmann Picomax 20 equipped with a co-ordinately driven table. The mounted filters are held magnetically on the table which is moved in the X- and Z- axes using 2 JVL MAC800 motors. A total of 19 mounted filters can be attached to the table. The drill used is a cylindrical diamond drill which is controlled vertically by a JVL MAC140 motor via a 20:1 TR gear. All 3 MAC motors are equipped with an RS232/RS485 expansion module MAC00-B4 with M12 connector.