Retrofit of a machine for superfinishing machined parts

Client expectation

Our client, a manufacturer of bearings for aeronautical engines and gear boxes, chose to invest in the retrofitting of their single FR3X automated micro-finishing machine for machined parts. Indeed, owing to the global obsolescence of the control hardware (robot, desk, variators and motors) and software, as well as several breakdowns encountered on the axes, our client decided to re-think the machine’s system with recent equipment.

The objectives to reach are:

• Safety: Detail of requirements and integration of safety elements according to current norms, in partnership with the inspection company Acanthe.
• Improvement of the machine’s global automation, as well as its operation.
• Preparation of a Man/Robot interface as close as possible to the functions requested by the operators, in particular a page gathering the process information such as the spindle rotation speed, the stone pressure on the product or the stone oscillation speed.
• Effort regulation function by means of a proportional valve controlled by a measuring loop.
• Automatic emptying of the hydrostatic controlled by a solenoid valve and monitored by a level detector.
• Creation of screen pages simplifying program input by operators.

DV GROUP solution

Satisfied with our previous collaboration on the repair of CN cards as well as various emergency interventions, our client chose to ask us to work on the retrofitting of their FR3X micro-finishing machine. Consequently, the experts in our design office were mobilised non-stop during this period in order to carry out this retrofitting operation and thus keep to the programmed immobilisation time for this machine, in other words 2 weeks.

Work carried out 

DV GROUP technical solution:

• Dismounting of the old electrical cupboard, the three old motors, the old pneumatic fitting and installation of the new equipment according to the norms currently in force.
• 1 SIEMENS CPU 1500 robot (with use of technological objects for the management of axes)
• 1 full management configuration of the 3 axes:
• 3 SINAMICS PM240-2 power modules
• 3 SINAMICS CUA31 control units
• 2 SIMOTICS synchronous 0.5kW; 6,000 rpm; 1.15Nm motors
• 1 1.5kW; 3,000 rpm asynchronous motor
• 1 SINAMICS CU320-2 PN control unit

• Bringing into conformity of the safety via a programmable PILZ safety robot and validation of the safety functions with the Acanthe company:
• Management of doors and speeds
• Rotation of axes at slow sure speed (SLS) with door open and use of a 3-position safety pedal with maintained support
• Emergency stoppage chain
• On-screen validation of receipts (input of point co-ordinates, +/- corrections etc.)
• Validation of the part quality
• Training of machine operators by our experts