Fori Automation (Shelby, MI) manufactures assembly equipment for automakers throughout the world. To get its new tire assembly machines to market that much quicker, the company uses a control system incorporating the SM-EZMotion servo programming module and Unidrive SP from Emerson Control Techniques (Eden Prairie, MN). This combination cuts application development times to just a few hours. The Unidrive SP's universal feedback device support system also facilitates the use of absolute encoders, which increase the machines' productivity once they are in place on the shop floor.
Tire assembly machines put tires on rims, inflate the tires to correct pressure, and palletize them for shipment to auto and truck assembly lines. Servomotors are used because of their accurate speed and torque control, as well as their small footprint. Servos also make the machines flexible because of their programmability, giving them the capacity for rapid product changeover.