DC drives for aerospace wire manufacturing
August 2005
Motion Control & Drives
Temco, a precision manufacturer of aircraft specification wire has installed over 200 Sprint Electric DC drives. Temco was finding that custom designed tension control systems for feeding wire into a stranding machine were progressively more difficult to repair and maintain.
The wire producer needed to find a replacement for the old controllers, to use in a completely re-designed pay-off stand, which would incorporate current technology and fit into the small space available in the wire pay-off stand. Accurate tension control is essential because the equipment is employed to feed wire into high speed, double twist stranding machines that produce cable for the aerospace industry. In order to keep weight to a minimum, the cable and insulation is kept as thin as possible.
The high specification wire strands need to be produced to a consistently high quality and so the replacement controllers would have to be capable of meeting 'tight' tolerances. Among the solutions considered by Temco were servo drives and several manufacturers' regenerative DC drives. The only controller found to meet the performance and physical constraints was the Sprint 36OOXRi four-quadrant drive.
The solution devised by Temco, using Sprint drives was to pass the wire over a weighted 'dancing arm' which pivots around a central point. The output from a non-contact position sensor is used as a demand signal for the Sprint drive. The drive's small footprint allowed it to fit into the existing space. All the other alternatives required separate cubicles. As the pay-off stand is moved from strander to strander, this would have been impractical.
The system is operating very successfully at Temco, providing the required tension characteristics and giving a repeatable, reliable and predictable performance for the stranding machines.
For more information contact Elquip Solutions, 011 827 7117.
Further reading:
Cutting-edge robotics and smart manufacturing solutions
Yaskawa Southern Africa
Motion Control & Drives
Yaskawa Southern Africa made a compelling impact at this year’s Africa Automation and Technology Fair
Read more...
Medium voltage drive for enhanced energy efficiency and process optimisation
Schneider Electric South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
Schneider Electric South Africa has unveiled its cutting-edge Altivar Process ATV6100 medium voltage (MV) drive range, designed to enhance energy efficiency and operational reliability across various industries.
Read more...
Powerful high-precision hexapod
Motion Control & Drives
With the HEX150-125HL, Aerotech is launching the latest generation of its hexapod technology. The compact six-axis positioner combines precise movements with high load capacity and simple integration.
Read more...
Servicing the electric motor sector
Motion Control & Drives
Hexagon Electrical has expanded its manufacturing and service capabilities to meet the growing demand for customised, high-performance specialised electric motors in heavy engineering, and hazardous industrial and mining applications.
Read more...
Control system for deep antenna
Rockwell Automation
Motion Control & Drives
When a major university in South Korea set out to build a 21-metre deep space antenna, the researchers needed a control system that could track celestial objects with pinpoint accuracy, a level of precision they thought was out of reach. By partnering with Rockwell Automation, they discovered that the right technology and support could turn their vision into reality.
Read more...
Manufacturers should go PFAS-Free
igus
Motion Control & Drives
igus continues to develop engineered plastics that are free of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS-free) in response to mounting evidence of severe environmental and health hazards caused by the chemicals.
Read more...
South African paper producer partners with ABB
Motion Control & Drives
Neopak, a leading manufacturer of containerboard and paper products, has renewed its partnership with global technology company, ABB to upgrade the existing automation system at its Rosslyn Paper Mill in Pretoria.
Read more...
ABB supplies electromagnetic stirrer to world’s largest electric arc furnace
Motion Control & Drives
ABB has secured an order from Çolakoglu Metalurji. for an ArcSave electromagnetic stirrer to be installed on one of the world’s largest electric arc furnaces (EAF)
Read more...
Compact, powerful and green mini-picker
Motion Control & Drives
SkyJacks has introduced Jekko’s Mini Picker to the southern African market. This is a compact, highly versatile and environmentally friendly electric mini-picker that is set to redefine lifting capabilities across multiple industries.
Read more...
Redefining industrial lifting
Motion Control & Drives
The Konecranes S-series hoist redefines industrial lifting through its integration of a ground-breaking synthetic rope with smart features, a lifting capacity of 20 tons, and the ability to adapt to diverse girder configurations.
Read more...
printer friendly version