BALDOR Electric supplied Ethernet-compatible motion control components for a custom woodworking machine which has automated the precision finishing of fret boards for
Martin Guitar.
Previously, the acoustic guitar maker had a manually-actuated sanding process. This has been replaced by the machine which uses dual sanding belts and a swinging work holder controlled by a combination of linear and rotary servo motor axes.
Machining the fret board is a critical operation in guitar manufacturing. The board's straightness, and accuracy of the radius, makes a major contribution to the instrument's quality and playability.
Martin Guitar wanted to upgrade its manual process, and started by planning and investigating improvements. It found a more controlled sanding process which removed material in small increments through a combination of rough and smooth sanding belts could enhance the quality of finishing.
While Baldor advised the company on the use of vector motors to drive both sanding belts, it also recommended implementing the other required movement via servo motors, and integrating the whole system into a real-time Ethernet-compatible network called Powerlink.
The final motion control architecture uses six axes of motion to automate the sanding process. The developers then created a control algorithm to remove material in small increments using both rough and smooth steps. A touch-screen human-machine interface allows operators to change algorithms according to different wood types.
The electrical architecture of the machine is based on a NextMove e100 machine controller, which is Powerlink-compatible. The unit controls all six axes of movement, interfacing with various drives and motors. One network cable links the four precision motion axes while the other two are connected directly to the controller.
According to the machine developers, the Powerlink architecture was powerful and easy to use, and allows for future expansion.
A video of the completed solution:
