LORD turning
center balancing systems will improve surface
finish and dimensional accuracy. Higher
vibration-free spindle speeds provide reduced
process cycle times. The balancer mounts between
the machine spindle and chuck where it makes
real time balance corrections on demand.
The Balancer
The electro-mechanical balancer consists of a
balance ring, which mounts directly onto the
spindle shaft. Inside the balance ring are two
symmetrical counterweighted rotor assemblies
which, when directed, move to create a net
correction vector that will offset the measured
unbalance. The counterweighted rotors are held
in place using permanent magnets that are fixed
to the rotors. These magnets create a holding
torque, which prevents the rotors from slipping
during normal operation, ramp-up, or coast down.
When a balance correction is required, actuator
coil power pulses are sent to magnetically step
the rotors to the desired position in a few
seconds.
Features of the Balancing System include:
-
Balances the chuck and workpiece at
turning speed in seconds
-
Monitors vibration continuously and
shuts down automatically when
vibration is excessive
-
Rugged construction withstands the
harshest environments
-
Balances at spindle speed up to
40,000 RPM
The Actuator Coil
The actuator coil typically mounts to the
spindle housing. The actuator coil contains
sensors for monitoring spindle RPM as well as
the angular location of each counterweighted
rotor. With no moving parts, the actuator coil
pulses power to the balancer assembly thus
moving the counterweighted rotors to the desired
counter-balance position.
The Controller
The controller continuously monitors
vibration levels. When a change occurs which
exceed a preset level, the controller determines
the optimum balance correction
required. Depending upon the mode of operation
selected the controller will send an advisory
message to the operator and the machines PLC
(via either PLC I/O or an RS232 serial port)
either of which can instruct the balancer to
make an automatic balance correction.
The Software
The full-featured graphical user interface
software provides the ability to view real-time
amplitude and phase information in both
numerical and graphical formats. Additionally
the software provides th ability to view the
balance correction vector, which provides
valuable information regarding the available
correction capacity.
The ability to remotely access the software
via Ethernet and configure the balancer while
initiating the balance correction, is a popular
feature of this software package.
