Author(s):
Machado, Carlos
; Mendes, José A.
; Fonseca, Jaime C.
Date: 2003
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/1733
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Subject(s): Intelligent cutting-off pipes
Description
Traditionally, automatic cutting-off machines, of
metallic pipes or bars, use a constant cutting velocity mode.
This mode of operation, constant cutting velocity combined
with different profiles of materials to be cut, exposes the cutting
saw to variable cutting forces. Therefore, the cutting off
machine is usually set for the worst expected conditions, otherwise
excessive wear of the saw and machine will occur. Further,
traditional cutting-off machines require the adjustment of
the position of a limit switch in order to automatically detect
when the cut of a piece has been completed. The aim of this
paper is to study the application of control algorithms to the
process of cutting-off metallic pipes or bars, with variable profiles,
implemented in an industrial cutting-off machine, commercially
available. The presented algorithms concern realtime
cutting control and automatic detection of the cutting end.
The algorithms are implemented in a low cost Programmable
Logic Controller (PLC), allowing its use in industrial applications
without significant increase on machine cost. All algorithms
were developed having in mind safety issues relative to
the operation of the cutting machine in order to prevent catastrophic
failure. Also, all process related relevant parameters
are monitored on a Personal Computer using OPC (Object
Linking and Embedding – for Process Control).