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Motion Control Programming using
the PC
Custom Software for… |
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At ClemSoft we specialize in software for the Motion Control Industry… Areas of interest include CNC Software, DXF to G-Code conversions, Total Motion control thru cards in the PC (Galil Motion Control), and Data collection with Analog/Digital PC Cards (Measurement Computing Cards and ICPDAS-usa.com). Typically, a machine is controlled by a PLC and a touch panel display (and it's a very viable solution). But today, with need for more data collection, reporting, and graphic intensive applications, replacing that touch panel display with a PC has allowed for more complex and “flexible” control. It is a little inefficient (not to mention difficult) to convert a dxf drawing to G-Code and then process that G-Code thru a PLC. What have we done? Animatics Corporation invented the “SmartMotor”, a brushless servo motor that contains the drive, control and encoder built right into the motor. What an ingenious design! Anyone who has ever wired up a servo motor is well aware of the Controller Card, Drive Amplifier, and Motor/Encoder with commuation feedback devices that all need to be wired together. What a pain, and with the SmartMotor, all that wiring is eliminated. But without a PC based controller card, controlling these motors for a CNC application requires intensive serial communications to the motors from the computer to process the motion path (remember there is NOTHING required from the PC other than a serial port, NO motion control cards plugged in the PCI slot, infact they can be best run from a laptop with a usb to serial converter). We wrote the CNC software to comunicate with 4 SmartMotors (JenCNC), then modified the design for Plasma Cutting with Automatic Torch height control. (DynaTorch). Currently, a similar CNC software in under development that will interface with Galil PCI, Ethernet, or USB controllers (sorry no RS232 controls) as well as the Yaskawa SMC-40x0 series of ethernet controllers. Email us if you would like to beta test this new design. Other projects involve data aquistion, gauging applications, embedded controls and machine controllers with statistics collection. Besides software, we also build complete mechanical solutions. Some of our products include a CNC controlled EPS Foam "Hot Wire Computer Cutter" and a "Feed to Length and Cut" Knife. We aslo build simple cartesian XYZ robots for measuring aquistion.
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