The Feed to Length application feeds material (steel, plastic, paper, and other types) through a system (draw, pinch, or nip roller) where it is processed (marked, cut, printed, and otherwise processed) at fixed distances.

 

The flying cutoff is a motion control application in which material or product must be cut while in motion. This application cuts a continuously moving strip of material into predetermined lengths by accelerating a die to make a cut and then returning the die to the home position to be ready for the next cutting cycle.

The flying shear is a motion control application in which material or product must be processed or cut while in motion. The flying shear controller tracks a point on the product by monitoring line speed through the auxiliary encoder input combined with high-speed inputs. Configure the software to accelerate the shear to match the speed and control the cutter or knife while maintaining line velocity and position synchronization for accurate cuts. When the process is complete, the flying shear decelerates to a stop and returns to the home position for the next cycle. The Soloist can be configured to use fixed or variable distances.

Advantages of Servo System

• Motion follows line speed so that accuracy is maintained even if line speed varies
• Electronics and software give maximum flexibility, and enable fast changeover to new lengths, speeds, and other process   parameters
• Digital control provides for high throughput and accurate cuts with minimal waste.

Use the Soloist for line bottle filling applications, including the following:

• Fill containers to variable volumes
• High-speed inputs regulate distance between bottles
• Synchronize the line speed, trigger fillers to open, and return to home position
•· Use auxiliary encoder inputs to measure line speed, or receive commands from a second Soloist over the Ethernet
• Optionally, operator can manually control line operation and filling process

When placing labels on products, the product travels to the label machine on a conveyor. The conveyor speeds up, slows down, or even stops. Despite this inconsistency, the labeling mechanism must remain synchronized with the product conveyor.

For accurate label placement, use the Soloist as a motion controller because it responds to changes in line speed and quickly initiates corrective motion.

The Soloist synchronizes the label motor speed to the conveyor speed, acting like an electronic gearbox based on the master encoder. To accurately place the label, conveyor motion is initiated at a preset distance between products by photocell input.

The Soloist can be used in package sorting applications by using input(s) from a sensor(s) to determine package type and quickly divert the package to its correct destination.

For package sorter applications, use digital inputs to detect product signals that indicate the manner in which products are to be sorted and routed to outgoing conveyors.

The Soloist can be used as a rotary indexer with a fixed or variable index distance. You can set the Soloist to index in the same direction all the time or set it to determine the shortest path to the target position and traverse that path in the appropriate direction to maximize throughput. The accuracy and resolution of the index are dependent on the feedback transducer. With a software multiplier, the Soloist increases resolution up to 512 times.

Use the Soloist™ for rotary knife applications, including the following:

• Cut variable length pieces
• High-speed inputs register mode for cutting
• Synchronize the cutting blade to motion of the line; accelerate out of cut to move pieces forward
• Use auxiliary encoder inputs to measure line speed, or receive commands from a second Soloist™ over Ethernet
• Operator can manually control line operation and cutting process