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Technical Help FAQ
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SMAC
prides itself upon its technical expertise
and customer support. Listed below
are a few commonly asked questions, but if you have any specific application
that you would like to discuss please feel free to speak to any of
our applications engineers on the CONTACTS
page.
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| Q: What
extra software do I need to run and program my controller? |
| A: None. All controllers
can be programmed with nothing more sophisticated than a 486PC and
an RS232 cable. Programming is done with a simple form of machine
code using 2 letter mnemonics in a text editor such as note pad
and then "cut and pasted" into Hyperterminal. |
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| Q: What
kind of power supply do I need? |
| A: All actuators
run on either 24v or 48v DC and our coils draw no more than 3
Amps. Check with your distributor to discuss which voltage is
best suited to your application. |
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| Q: How
many points along the stroke length can it move to? |
| A: Infinite. The actuator
can be taught to move or home to any position or number of positions
along the stroke length. |
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| Q: Can
I change speed mid-stroke? |
| A: Yes, not only is
it possible to change velocity mid-stroke, you can also move instantaneously
between the three operating modes......Position, Velocity &
Force |
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| Q: What
is the maximum force I can exert and how fast can it move? |
| A: We insist that
our actuators operate within a 40% duty cycle. Speed is naturally
dependant upon the actuator in question, but speeds are typically
in excess of 1m/s |
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| Q: What
is a "soft land"? |
| A: The soft land is
a routine which allows the actuator rod or gripper jaw to land on
the surface of a component with a low programmable force. This is
particularly useful wherever delicate or high value components are
being handled. The routine consists of a controlled low force approach
in velocity mode, while the position error is constantly monitored.
Once contact is made the position error builds up until a pre-programmed
figure is reached resulting in the rod maintaining position on the
surface of the component. |
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Frequently
Asked Questions |
Click
on Text relative to your question ! all answers open in a new window
for your convenience
( You may have to disable your Pop-up blocker
if new window does not launch ) |
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On
the LAC-1 or LAC-25, what are some of the ballpark PID's for my
actuator? CLICK HERE New Window |
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| How
do I wire the I/O for the LAC-1 or LAC-25? CLICK
HERE Opens New Window |
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| What
are the PIN OUTS for the LAC-25? CLICK
HERE Opens New Window |
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| What
are the PIN OUTS for the LAC-1? CLICK
HERE Opens New Window |
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| What
are the PIN-OUTS for the LAA-5? CLICK
HERE Opens New Window |
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| I
can't communicate with the controller? CLICK
HERE Opens New Window |
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| How
do I download a program? CLICK HERE
Opens New Window |
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| I'm
commanding the actuator to move but it will not go (Using SMAC controller)?
CLICK HERE Opens New Window |
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| What
is 40% duty cycle? CLICK HERE Opens
New Window |
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| What
size power supply should I get? CLICK
HERE Opens New Window |
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| What
type of safety's are recommended? CLICK
HERE Opens New Window |
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| Sizing
actuator for application? CLICK HERE
Opens New Window |
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| How
do I set up my computer? CLICK HERE
Opens New Window |
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| What
type of software do I need? CLICK HERE
Opens New Window |
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| SMAC
Sample Test Program CLICK
HERE Opens New Window |
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Additional
Information For Set-Up |
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| POSITION
MODE ! Position Mode will allow the
actuating rod to be moved to chosen positions along the stroke using acceleration,
velocity and force. It is possible to make absolute, relative and "learnt
position" moves. |
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| VELOCITY
MODE ! Velocity Mode allows
the actuating rod to be moved with a given velocity, acceleration, force
and direction. Typically used for "soft land" routines. |
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| FORCE
MODE ! Force mode is open loop,
using no feedback from the controller. Actual position can still monitored,
but has no effect upon the output. |
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DUTY
CYCLE ! SMAC insist
that all units must be operated with a 40% duty cycle, this can be calculated
as follows:
% of max force applied x % of cycle time it is applied
= % duty cycle
eg.
100% force x 40% of cycle time = 40% duty
60% force x 50% of cycle time = 30% duty
40% force x 100% of cycle time = 40% duty
NOTE: Failure to observe this duty cycle recommendation will usually
result in the actuator sustaining damage through overloading.
Overloading will overheat the coil and may cause it to deform and touch
on the magnet housing |
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| RUNOUT
! Shaft run out is typically
<50 micron. |
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RESOLUTION
& REPEATABILITY ! Resolution
when applied to SMAC products is defined as as the smallest position increment
produced by the encoder. Our standard encoder
resolution is 5 micron, although most actuators also have the option to
be fitted with a 1 micron or 1/2 micron encoder. Repeatability,
sometimes referred to as reproducibility, is the ability to of a system
to return to a given position with little or no deviation. One of SMAC's
principle advantages is the absence of any mechanical backlash which
is inherent in so many stepper and ballscrew systems. In addition our
encoder reads the true linear position rather than converting the stepper
motors rotary encoder signal to the linear ballscrew movement.
With correct PID tuning our actuators are repeatable to 2 encoder counts.
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| CONTROLLER
REPORTING AND QA FUNCTIONS ! The
controllers can output pass/fail and product performance figures, which
can then be used in statistical QA and production analysis.
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The
SMAC Rebuild Program |
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Actuators no longer covered
by the SMAC Guarantee can be rebuilt under the SMAC Rebuild program.
Our continued research and development program extends the life of
our actuators making them even more reliable under adverse operating
conditions. Actuators returned under this program are completely disassembled,
inspected and rebuilt to current operating standards wherever possible,
tested and returned within a few days for a reasonable charge (typically
35% of standard list price). All rebuilt actuators carry for 90 days
from date of shipment from our factory the same Guarantee as provided
for new actuators. SMAC products have been tested and found to be
fully compliant with EN 50082-2 & EN 55011 Group 1, Class A
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(c)
copyright smac Inc. 2006 |
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