Accurate position control of servo pneumatic actuator systems: an application to food packaging

An accurate position control strategy for servo pneumatic actuator systems is proposed in the paper. There are two key algorithms in the control strat egy: time-delay minimisation and target position compensation. This control strategy has been applied in combination with a modified PID controller to a pusher mechanism in the packaging of confectionery products. Both the po sitioning and the time accuracy required by the production task are achieve d using such a control strategy. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.