Machined part measurement and surface inspection

In recent years, with strong support from the state, the "Made in China 2025" strategy has been implemented with notable success, and China's intelligent manufacturing has developed rapidly. Machinery manufacturing has used automation technology to upgrade equipment, enabling devices to continuously perform automatic production, processing, optimization and other processes on their own, and the digital transformation achievements across all industries are highly encouraging.

Empowered by automation technology, traditional industry has achieved a qualitative leap in high quality, high volume, and improved work efficiency. Taking two practical cases of 2D camera and 3D inspection profilometer applications in industrial inspection as a starting point, this article presents in detail the high-quality solutions provided by SDGSMART's remote I/O, also showcasing SDGSMART's trend-setting style under the banner of intelligent manufacturing.

Application of SDGSMART's remote I/O in 2D camera systems

1. Diagram of precision inspection equipment controlled by Omron NX1P2 PLC

The precision small parts inspection equipment uses a Hikvision industrial 2D camera. For different fields of view and sizes of products, a servo drives the camera up and down for positioning, enabling it to match the inspection requirements of different products.

▲ Diagram of precision parts inspection equipment

2. Description of control principle and system block diagram

The inspection equipment uses an Omron NX1P2 PLC as the EtherCAT master, controlling the servo to move the Hikvision 2D camera up and down. Meanwhile, peripheral Digital Signals, such as the product detection photoelectric signal, the servo's upper and lower limit signals and Home Signal, as well as peripheral button and Indicator signals, are acquired through two SDGSMART EC4-1616A remote I/O modules.

Communication with the Hikvision 2D camera is carried out via Omron's Fins Protocol to trigger the camera to take a photo. The generated image is then processed by the camera's algorithm, and the final OK or NG signal is sent to the PLC. If the PLC receives an NG signal, it drives an alarm lamp via the Output Signal of the SDGSMART EC4-1616A remote I/O module to issue an alarm alert.

▲ PLC and remote EC4-1616A

▲ Electrical control system block diagram

Application of SDGSMART's remote I/O in 3D profilometers

1. Diagram of 3D profilometer equipment controlled by Keyence KV-8000 PLC

The inspection equipment uses a KUKA robot to pick up material from the incoming logistics line, place it on the selection table for inspection, and after inspection, the robot picks it up again and moves it to the rotary indexer for further inspection. Finally, the robot picks up the material and places it onto the outgoing logistics line.

▲ KUKA robot automatic loading and unloading

2. Description of control principle

The inspection equipment uses a Keyence KV-8000 PLC as the EtherCAT master, controlling the servo to move the Keyence 3D profilometer back and forth as well as up and down. Meanwhile, peripheral Digital Signals, such as the product detection photoelectric signal, the servo's upper and lower limit signals and Home Signal, as well as peripheral button and Indicator signals, are acquired through SDGSMART's EtherCAT Protocol Slice I/O modules XB6-EC2002ST, XB6-3200A, and XB6-0032A.

The PLC communicates with the KUKA robot via the EtherNet/IP protocol to exchange the robot's material pick-up request and material placement request signals. The Keyence 3D profilometer communicates with the industrial computer via the TCP/IP protocol, and the PLC also communicates with the host computer via this protocol. After the host computer receives the Scan signal sent by the PLC, it drives the 3D profilometer to scan through command control. The scanned data from the 3D profilometer is then fed back to the industrial computer in real time, followed by image data processing to obtain the actual product measurement data and generate a point cloud image.

▲ Slice XB6-EC2002ST

3. Configuration of Keyence KV STUDIO programming software and system block diagram

In the system, the Keyence KV-8000 PLC itself has a built-in network interface integrating TCP/IP and EtherNet/IP protocols, while EtherCAT Protocol motion control and remote I/O are implemented through the KV-XH16EC module.

▲ System block diagram

Introduction to Shidian Technology's EC4 and XB6 Series products

Shidian Technology's Integrated I/O module EC4-1616A and Slice I/O modules XB6-EC2002ST , XB6-3200A , XB6-0032A all performed impressively in the above two cases. They are also representative products of the EC4 Series and XB6 Series, widely used across various industries.

▲ Integrated EC4-1616A

▲ Wiring diagram of XB6-3200A and XB6-0032A

Shidian Technology's EC4 Series Integrated I/O modules, based on the EtherCAT Industrial Ethernet Fieldbus, feature a compact product structure with a small footprint of only 102 x 72 x 25 mm, making them the flexible champion in configuration; the XB6 Series Slice I/O modules, with a scientifically practical design combining a Coupler and I/O modules, use X-bus for the Communication Backplane, with a maximum scan cycle of 1 ms, making them versatile performers that combine extensibility and Transmission rate.

Whether Integrated or Slice, Shidian Technology's I/O modules offer advantages such as high real-time performance, a rich variety of module types, and easy Configuration and Diagnostics, providing customers with a wide range of options and solid support for high-speed data acquisition, optimised system configuration, simplified field wiring, and improved system reliability, continuing to write one success story after another of "professionalism creates value" across various industries.