A solution which removed the need for its engineers to work in two programming environments significantly reduced engineering costs and time to market for automation specialist KAT. By Paul Streatfield, product manager for drives and controls at Rexroth.
Many companies employ rigorous testing and measurement processes to ensure consistency, repeatability, quality and compliance with regulations, Kraus Automation Technology (KAT) specialises in working with industrial, mechanical and automotive engineering companies to offer measurement control and regulation testing using drive and control technology.
KAT works in numerous sectors, providing tailored testing systems for lifespan, fatigue and material tests. With a diverse customer base comes a requirement for different types of testing – from force measurement or speed regulation to tests for ductility or loading capacity – making it necessary for KAT to create custom interfaces and programme drive technology to meet precise customer specifications.
The company previously used National Instruments’ LabVIEW software to record test and measurement data, along with PLC programming to control the drive technology used to operate the testing machinery.
LabVIEW offers the benefit of a graphical approach to programming which visualises hardware configuration, measurement data, and debugging. However, the testing machine, drive technology and applications had to be engineered separately using PLC programming. The result was a time-consuming process which required specific expertise.
KAT wanted to reduce the number of interfaces, minimise the need for consultation between programmers and operate their systems using one common programming language, and they turned to Bosch Rexroth.
Reduced engineering costs
Bosch Rexroth provided a solution which removed the need for its engineers to work in two programming environments, a move that significantly reduced engineering costs. Rexroth’s Open Core Engineering solution makes it possible to seamlessly integrate, model and automate all drive and control functionalities in the LabVIEW environment, providing full programming control without creating separate PLC code.
Using Open Core Engineering, OEMs and users can employ commonly used high-level languages in all standard operating systems (including standard PC packages such as Excel) to develop bespoke solutions to a range of complex machining requirements, significantly reducing programming and commissioning time compared with PLC programming.
A library of pre-programmed commands which were imported into LabVIEW enabled KAT engineers to access directly the control functions of Rexroth’s IndraMotion MLC and ILC systems. This provides the programmer with more than 550 virtual instruments and controls within a single, familiar software environment.
KAT now handles the entire engineering function for the jog mode, speed tests, positioning, sensors and actuators in LabVIEW, with no time-consuming PLC programming required.
Faster time to market
Before working with the Rexroth team, KAT engineers had to program input/output queries and axis motions separately and transfer them into a joint machine programme through all their development phases. As well as being time-consuming, the additional programming and commissioning gave rise to the additional possibility of errors. Using LabVIEW and the Open Core Interface technology, combined with Bosch Rexroth’s modern automation solutions and drive technology, precise movements can now be carried out on KAT’s measuring and testing machines even without any PLC programming.
As well as improving the speed of development, the full machine workflow can now be mapped in LabVIEW, which further speeds up the commissioning phase. For KAT, this has resulted in huge time savings, especially since troubleshooting can concentrate on one instead of two programming environments. Reliance on fewer people streamlines the process for the customer by reducing the number of customer contact points, which further minimises the risk of error.
This considerable time saving and improvement in process efficiency has enabled KAT to bring innovative and complex products to market much more quickly and inexpensively than before – without compromising on quality.
To discover more, visit: https://www.boschrexroth.com/en/gb/products/product-groups/electric-drives-and-controls/index