COMMISSIONING OF A SERVO-PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR TIMING AND PROFILE CONTROL IN A HIGH-SPEED FOOD-PACKAGING APPLICATION

Servo-pneumatic systems can provide an alternative to the use of conve ntional binary pneumatic drives and servo-electric systems. However, a migration path needs to be identified for this to become a practical reality in industry. In this paper, methods for employing pneumatic dr ives in applications with timing and profile control requirements are investigated. This study is based on a high speed food packaging machi ne used in industry which currently employs on/off pneumatic actuation . The paper illustrates how advanced features of modern motion control lers can be utilized and what control functions are required to exploi t the potential of servo-pneumatic actuation. It also serves to illust rate how pneumatic servos may provide an effective alternative to the use of electric servo mechanisms in some applications. The contributio n of this paper is significant in the sense that it illustrates the pr ocess of applying servo-pneumatic systems which are currently not well established in industry. The paper should be useful for machine desig ners who wish to gain an insight into the use of pneumatic servo drive s.