ABB Flexible Automation

The Intelligent Paint SolutionABB Integrated Process System

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ABB Flexible Automation has developed the Integrated

Process System (IPS) which will provide the world of

modern manufacturing with a high finish quality,

optimum use of paint material, low cycle times, accurate

and fast process control, easy collection of production

statistics, and ease of use.

ABB's unique IPS system features closed loop regulation

and high-speed control for paint and air flow adjustment.

This minimizes overspray and secures a uniform paint

thickness. Combining this with high system flexibility and

process logging/reporting, IPS will increase your cost

effectiveness as well as finish quality.

The IPS design is based on an open, flexible and

adaptable architecture philosophy. Various devices such

as spray guns, bells, gear pumps and sensors are

supported by the system. New devices can be easily

employed by configuring the system with the correct device

parameters, and typically without system programming.

The system can be set-up with a practically unlimited

number of devices. This flexibility has been achieved by

utilising modern object-oriented software and hardware

development methodologies. As a result, your IPS

system will have a long life and be adaptable to new

materials and equipment requirements.

In today's competitive climate

manufactures are constantly looking

for more cost-effective, high-quality

paint application solutions. Thanks

to the accuracy, process control and

flexibility of IPS you will now finish

best in class.

F i n ish ing best Your desire for high finish quality - our commitment

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Robots and Motion -Paint Process Control.Integrating this was our challenge - IPS theSolution.

Be ing one w i th

Integrating the paint control into the

robot controller was the first step only.

Our goal was to achieve total control of

the paint process. Once devices such

as I/P transducers, gear pumps, etc.

are applied, physical delay problems

are introduced into the system. These

delays can be mechanical, electrical,

physical or a combination of these.

To obtain a high accuracy of synchroni-

sation between the arm movement

and the process flow changes, a smart

delay compensation algorithm has

been developed. IPS devices are

compensated for proportional to the

commanded flow. This gives a higher

accuracy than traditional systems

available in the market.

The Motion Path Synchronisation

mechanism is an important part of our

efforts to continuously increase the

transfer efficiency. By means of high

precision gun needle and paint

flow triggering synchronised with the

robot arm movement the system

is able to decrease overspray to an

absolute minimum.

All this makes the system highly

flexible and adaptable to current and

future demands for process control.

Accurate trigging, typically better than +/-2ms (equals 2mm@1000mm/sec tcp speed). This shows the accurate repeatability of the IPS with 12 gun«on» and «off» plotted on the same piece of paper.

t he sys tem

The IPS system is distributed onto different hardware boards communicating with the motion controller by means of

a distributed I/O Bus (field-bus). This ensures that the computing power needed for the control of the process

equipment is located close to the process itself. Whenever more computing power or I/O is needed for the process

control an additional hardware board can be easily added to the system.

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When it comes to high transfer ef ficiency, IPS is a shining system.

Uniforbuild q

The IPS system is based on closed loop

regulation and high-speed control for paint

and air flow regulation.

The system's dynamic feed forward mechanisms allow the IPS to respond very

quickly and accurately. The dynamic part of this mechanism updates the feed

forward data with correct values whenever physical changes in the environment

or the equipment so require. Thanks to the precision provided by the feed forward

mechanism overspray is reduced, which increases the transfer efficiency.

Fine tuned and responsive PID regulators make sure that the variations are

compensated for, always keeping the commanded flow rate within strict tolerances.

As a result the system applies a uniform film build with specified thickness all

over the object, adding to the transfer efficiency.

Different colours of paint have different characteristics. The IPS system has a built in

function which takes care of a number of different colours. The Dynamic Feed Forward

system also takes into consideration the characteristics of the colour being used.

This contributes strongly to the application of the correct film build and quality.

Actual pressure build up for Atomizing and Fan air.From a Brush 0 (zero) to 95% in less than 90 ms.

m filmquality

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Changes in viscosity, temperature and wear and tear are quickly registered and remembered,

and used to obtain a constant, optimal paint result. This "state of the art" process control

system ensures high quality manufacturing and cost savings.

PaintWare is designed to support dedicated RAPID data types and instructions for efficient

IPS control. Parameter values for the spray gun are organized into Brush Tables. This allows

the programmer to select the correct brush size for the object to be painted. Different

paint material characteristics are taken into consideration. This helps apply the correct film

build and quality.

In order for the operator to give set value

commands to the IPS system, dedicated

Paintware RAPID instructions are being

used as shown in the example to the right.

The "PaintL" move instruction has process

events turning on/off the gun or selecting

different brush sizes. This provides for

accurate and fast trigging of brushes on

various types of objects.

A process event is defined as a plane in space. When the robot crosses this invisible border,

the brush is activated. These process events are independent of the robot positions, so you

can move your robot program positions without having to edit the process events!

I t s go t b ra ins

The "intelligent" andadaptable IPS softwarecontinuously monitorsthe equipment and environment.

User-friendly software tools help you set up and operatethe IPS system quickly and efficiently. A virtual IPS systemcan be run on your PC, useful for training and simulation.

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Take a bIPS will keep watch

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The Regulator Compensation Limit Supervision is a very

powerful mechanism that will enable you to identify

problem areas before a breakdown occurs. This contri-

butes to a higher uptime of the system and ensures that

the system performs within specified operation limits.

Pre-programmed limits may be set up for all input signals

of the IPS system.

If the limits are reached, automatic shutdown may be

activated by the IPS system itself, or a signal may be sent

to a trap routine in the motion controller for more

dedicated failure handling tailored to the actual installation.

The IPS system will automatically compensate for any

equipment wear, ensuring that the correct flow rate is

produced. If the input pressure changes, the system will

compensate and produce the correct flow rate.

The system is also designed to monitor wear over time.

A warning will be issued, allowing the operator to take

corrective actions.

If, however, the error limit is exceeded, an error message

will be issued and the system will either automatically

stop, or a signal may be sent to a trap handler in the

motion controller for error handling.

In connection with the control of color change valves,

the IPS system has the possibility to define a group

of digital outputs that comprise a color changer.

The outputs of this group can be interlocked so that

only one output is active at any given time. Also the

system will make sure that there is a safe zone between

the closing of one valve until another is opened to

compensate for physical delays in the valves.

This function is a very useful safety feature to ensure

that different colors are not mixed.

The IPS system has a built in feature that makes it

possible to detect a broken cable or defective

sensor. Whenever this happens the system will issue

an error message and automatically enter open loop

operation mode if so configured, using data stored

by the dynamic feed forward mechanism.

In the case of a Bell Rotation speed feedback failure a

specially designed algorithm will take care of the set

value differences necessary to keep a close to constant

speed between no paint flow and different paint flows.

The system may now operate in open loop operation

mode until it is possible to enter the booth and perform

repair. This will drastically increase uptime in the

case of sensor or cable failure.

The IPS system features a powerful Process Logging function that allows you to monitor system performance. All kind of signals, including paint, air volume and pressure, may be logged into files for later inspection or sent via communication networks to a supervisory system.The IPS system will keep accumulated values and mean values of the items updated in real time.This highly flexible logging system allows you to configure any data for performance monitoring and quality assurance. Based on these data the necessary adjustments can be made to further improve your performance and cost effectiveness, and help you finish best in class.

r ea ther

©ABB Flexible Automation CentresArgentina Asea Brown Boveri S.A., Buenos Aires 11 4 229 5500 Australia ABB Industrial Systems PTY Ltd., Lilydale 3 9735 7222 Austria ABB Industrie GmbH, Wien 1601093894 BeNeLux Asea Brown Boveri S.A. - NV, Zaventem Belgium 2 718 6311 Brazil Asea Brown Boveri Ltda., Osasco - SP 11 7088 9111 Canada Asea Brown BoveriInc.,Burlington, ONT 90568 10565 China ABB Flexible Automation Ltd., Shanghai 21 6485 5648 Czech Republic Asea Brown Boveri s.r.o, Praha 2 2283 2111 DenmarkABB Energi & Industri, Odense 66 147008 Finland ABB Service OY, Helsinki 10 222 000 France ABB Flexible Automation s.n.c.,Saint Ouen L’Aumone 1 3440 2525Germany ABB Flexible Automation GmbH, Friedberg 6031850 Dietzenbach 60748390 Butzbach 6033800 Hungary Asea Brown Boveri Ltd., Budapest 1 3399 399 IndiaAsea Brown Boveri Ltd., Calcutta 33 470 1811, Bangalore 80 839 5181 Italy ABB Flexible Automation SpA, Milano 2 458 731 Torino 1 1717 9200 Toscanella di Dozza542 674 261 Japan ABB Industry KK, Tokyo 3 54822160 Korea Asea Brown Boveri Ltd., Seoul 2 5283070 Malaysia ABB Industrial and Building Systems Sdn Bhd, KualaLumpur 3 972 1888 Mexico ABB Sistemas S.A. de C.V., Mexico City 5 3281400 Norway ABB Flexible Automation AS, Bryne 51 489000 Polen ABB Zamech Ltd, Katowice32 204 2250 ext. 1571 Warszawa 22 6080 785 Portugal ABB Electrica Lde, Alfragide 1 4169200 South Africa ABB Flexible Automation, Sunninghill 11 236 7000 SpainABB Flexible Automation S.A., Barcelona 93 728 8700 Sweden ABB Flexible Automation AB, Västerås 21 344500 Switzerland ABB Flexible Automation AG, Zürich 14356555 Taiwan Asea Brown Boveri Ltd., Taipei 2 2577 6090 Thailand ABB Industry LTD., Bangkok 2 249 7272, Samutprakarn 2 709 3346 Turkey ABB Elektrik SanayiA.S., Istanbul 216 365 29 00 United Kingdom ABB Flexible Automation Ltd., Milton Keynes 1908 350300 USA ABB Flexible Automation Inc., New Berlin, WI 414 7853400Auburn Hills, MI 248 391 9000, Indianapolis, IN 317 8769090

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