Title: Automated control of three axis CNC ball end magneto-rheological finishing machine using PLC

Authors: Zafar Alam; Faiz Iqbal; Sunil Jha

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110016, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110016, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110016, India

Abstract: Ball end magneto-rheological finishing (BEMRF) is one of the most recent methods developed for nanofinishing of 3D parts. Finishing workpiece of different shapes under varying conditions demands precise control of various parameters. To facilitate accuracy and repeatability of same finishing conditions along with control of motion path over complex geometries, the complete automation of three axis CNC BEMRF machine has been done. The ladder logic diagram for motion and process control is built in RSLogix 5000 while the user interface is developed in Visual C#. Communication between RSLogix 5000 and Visual C# is done using RSLinx open platform communication (OPC) server. The Visual C# code facilitates loading of part program in the user interface screen. It then parses G and M codes and executes them line by line for the desired motion to take place and at the same time it also provides controls for various process parameters. A sample part program was loaded into the interface and successfully tested on an experimental setup to verify and validate its functioning.

Keywords: ball end magnetorheological finishing; BEMRF; 3-axis CNC machining; RSLogix 5000; RSLinx OPC server; Visual C#; PLC; ladder logic diagram; motion control; process control; programmable logic controllers; PLC.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAAC.2015.070956

International Journal of Automation and Control, 2015 Vol.9 No.3, pp.201 - 210

Received: 05 Dec 2014
Accepted: 25 May 2015

Published online: 03 Aug 2015 *

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