Case Study

Machining times in a complex multi-station drilling unit have been reduced by more than 40 per cent after Optidrive E3 variable frequency drives (VFD) were introduced into the process.

Jafs Machines of Colombia produces a range of products for manufacturers of machined components. These include its Octo-Drilling Machine which has one main turret and then seven workstations that can be used simultaneously.

The machine allows simultaneous machining of components via seven individually controlled spindles within the turret. In addition to drilling, some of the spindles tools need to thread components meaning reversible movement is also required.

“The spindles rotate individually on the turret powered by 1.5HP three-phase motors at 220v. But they have to rotate at different speeds, with stop/start, depending on the station and tool being used. This included being reversible for the process of threading components,” said Juan Carlos Figueredo of Faunauto, a sales partner of Invertek Drives in Latin America.

“The difficulty with the process was that the indexable turret and its movement was not easy to connect to the control of the drives through individual wiring.”

Fanauto worked in partnership with Inginieria OL to develop a solution.

“We needed to use eight Optidrive VFDs to accurately control the speed of the spindles and the indexing rotation of the turret. These were connected through a Modbus RS-485 communications network in order to avoid the physical wiring of the drives individually, which would have been impossible through the movement of the turret.

“Using this type of connection means only two signals are sent to the eight drives (RS-485 + and RS-485 -) by means of slip rings. The E3 drives are configured to be controlled through Modbus communication, via a PLC.”

The Optidrive E3, 2HP at 220v, Frame Size 1, IP20 was used.

Juan said Jafs Machines were impressed at how the drives were able to not only control the multiple motors on the moving turret but helped increase machining times by 40 per cent.

“We managed to achieve excellent response speed which also allowed changes in the rotation of the threading stations without damaging the tapping tool. The response in speed, on and off, and change of rotation met all the requirements of the process,” he said.

The Optidrive E3 includes 14 default parameter settings that make it suitable for easy installation in most applications. It also has a total of 50 parameters available for bespoke settings. It can also be switched between industrial, pump and fan modes depending on the application.

The drive can also be commissioned rapidly using the Optistick Smart Bluetooth and NFC software on smartphones and PC. The E3 also comes with Modbus RTU and Can as standard.

The E3 is available in IP20, IP66/Nema4X outdoor and indoor enclosures, in single and three-phase. More technical details about the drive can be found here.

A spokesperson for Jafs Machines said: “The Octo-Unit Drilling Machine is a key product in our drive into the US market. BY ensuring reliability and increasing machining times by 40 per cent means we have a product that is much more favourable compared to our competitors.

“Our customers cannot only produce more products in a shorter time, but they know they also have a product that is reliable, cost-effective and, more importantly, providing greater opportunities for profit.”

More details of the Octo-Unit Drilling Machine can be found at www.jafs.com.co.

Details of the Optidrive E3 and the complete Optidrive VFD range and associated drives technology can be found at invertekdrives.com.