Hardware and software cooperative control system for die-cutting machine tool

Abstract

In accordance with the current trend of Industry 4.0, we propose in this paper a newly designed hardware (HW) and software (SW) cooperative control system for a die-cutting machine tool with flexible punching functionality. Different from conventional PCL-based die-cutting machine tools where most cutting functionalities are pre-programmed in the hardware circuits, the proposed PC-based system integrates HW and SW modules with bi-directional signal communications through a motion controller to provide more flexible and accurate timing control of the cutting process. Specifically, as a closed-loop control, punch depth signals from the HW sensors are fed into the SW computational module for real-time analysis of punch depth. Then, the punch actuation commands generated by the SW module are sent to the HW actuators for variable control of the time during the cutting process. With respect to different punch depths, such a flexible regulation of time enables easy adjustment of punching controls for various types of fabrics and leathers in the production line. In addition, the proposed system also features a double safety protection, both in the HW and SW levels, for simultaneous cooperative reset of cutting operations to safe positions.