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As a long time advocate and user of multi-axis motion control solutions from NEE Controls on his machines,
iCAM's managing director Troy Cundy naturally receives regular product updates. One in particular got him
thinking.
"NEE Controls have always been adept at integrating third-party equipment as part of their control package,
and I received an email update from the company saying they had now added a part marking inkjet printer interface
to their control systems," he explains.
"By coincidence, I had received an enquiry from a distributor of laminate material about producing a
machine to cut credit card sized sample tags of laminate out of large sheets. I knew that, along with the cutting of
the tags, one of the problems the company was having was with the printing of data onto the tags, and I began to wonder
if we could develop a machine that would kill two birds with one stone."
The laminate sample tags, supplied to the likes of DIY stores and builders' merchants, provide prospective customers
with ideas of the range of colours and styles available. Each tag is printed with name, colour and branding code data to
give customers an easy order reference. But the printing of the data on the tags was something of a problem. The distributor
had tried using stick-on labels, but they tended not to be noticed when stuck on the back of the tag, and spoilt the effect
of the tag when stuck on the front.
Part Marking Interface
In addition, whilst it had the advantage of being a low cost solution, it was really
only suited to short runs and tied up manpower. The distributor had also screen-printed the data onto the laminate prior
to cutting the tags. Whilst this looked more professional, it did require whole sheets - or even multiple sheets - of
laminate to be processed every time, even if only a few tags were needed, raising costs whilst compromising flexibility.
"The distributor came to us initially because it was having problems accurately cutting the tags from the laminate sheets,"
says Cundy. "But when NEE Controls told us they had developed a control interface for a part marking print head, it occurred to
us that we could enhance the tag cutting machine with the ability to print the required data onto the tags at the same time."
The part marking interface machine developed by iCAM is built around NEE Controls' AMC-B3 3 axis motion controller , programmed
with the company's WinAMC® software. WinAMC® also provides a flexible
PC-based operator interface, and NEE Controls provided the required graphics panel as part of the overall solution, along with the servo
motors, servo drives, gearboxes and even the wiring harness.
"NEE Controls have always been very helpful in developing applications with us - tweaking standard controllers and integrating
third party equipment to meet our requirements," says Cundy. "The printer interface in this application is a good example; the
standard interface wasn't compatible with our preferred print head, but NEE Controls were quickly able to modify the firmware of the
interface to provide full compatibility. How many other control companies would be able to offer that level of customised functionality
cost-effectively?"
iCAM Mechatronics Part Marking Interface
The part marking interface machine is designed to work with laminate sheets measuring 3660x1530mm, and approximately 1.0mm thick, from which a maximum of
600 tags can be produced. The printing and cutting data is all held in a single CNC file in the AMC software, and the appropriate file
is called up for a given laminate sheet, with the user selecting the number of tags required and the size of the tags. The sheet is
held on the machine bed using vacuum, activated by the AMC-B3.
The controller first initiates the printing cycle, printing the data for tags. With the printing complete, the controller switches the
machine into cutting mode for the routing of the tags. The vacuum holds the tags firmly onto the machine bed for accurate cutting, and is
reversed at the end of the process for easy tag removal.
"A complete cycle to process a full sheet of 600 tags takes about two hours, but the big advantage of the system is that the
company can print and cut exactly the number of tags required," says Cundy. "Sometimes only a few tags are needed, usually on a
fast turnaround. Our machine makes it possible to throw in a part-sheet, and produce exactly what's needed. So the machine has not only
reduced the cost per tag, it has also delivered vastly improved flexibility."
The CNC market in New Zealand may be relatively small, but the machine requirements are none-the-less challenging - perhaps more so
than in larger markets where OEMs can afford to specialise in particular areas. "Our business depends on being able to find innovative
solutions to a raft of different application requirements," says Cundy. "NEE Controls have always proved a valuable design
resource for us. In this particular case, the printing aspect was a learning curve, but NEE Controls helped us through each stage of the
development. As a result, we've added another string to our bow which will stand us in good stead as we address the machine design challenges
of the future."
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