Case Studies

Allen-Bradley to Mitsubishi Motion Control Conversion

Mitsubishi PLC Conversion
Posted in Manufacturing Automation and Intelligence, PLC Programming, Specialty Machinery

Summary

DMC programmed a high precision six-axis honing machine for a Mitsubishi Q series PLC and QD77MS motion controller. The program was converted from an existing machine that used an Allen-Bradley CompactLogix PLC and Kinetix 6500 drives.

Solution

DMC converted an automated six-axis honing machine from an Allen-Bradley platform to a Mitsubishi PLC and motion controller. DMC was given an existing six-axis Allen-Bradley program and an outdated three-axis Mitsubishi program utilizing CCLink communications for motion control. Aspects of both of these programs were merged and converted, then updated to use SSCNet III. An Allen-Bradley state machine from DMC’s library was converted to Mitsubishi, allowing for quick creation of a robust program. This automation allowed the customer to create finished parts with minimal operator interference, including a step-by-step setup process and a database of recipes to allow many different parts to be created with minimal change-over time.

Learn more about DMC's Mitsubishi PLC programming and automation services.

Customer Benefits

  • Program operation is consistent with old machine eliminating need for additional training
  • Updated converted logic to follow Mitsubishi best practices
  • Minimal operator interaction through automatic cycles
  • Modular code improves robustness and saves time on future modifications
  • Straightforward recipe handling reduces change-over time

Technologies

  • Mitsubishi Q03UDE PLC
  • Mitsubishi QD77MS16 Simple Motion Module
  • Mitsubishi MR-J3-BS Servo Amplifiers
  • Mitsubishi GOT1000 GT12 HMI
  • Mitsubishi GX Works2
  • Mitsubishi MR Configurator2
  • Mitsubishi GT Designer3
  • SSCNet III
  • Exlar Roller Screw Linear Actuator