CNC offers predictive, preventive maintenance

Fanuc 30i/31i/32i-Model B CNC offers CNC predictive and preventive maintenance tools for motors and fans.

February 19, 2013

Fanuc FA America’s Series 30i/31i/32i-Model B CNCs offer new predictive and preventive maintenance tools for motors and fans. This allows maintenance staff to pre-plan servicing of a machine during scheduled downtime rather than when a machine has failed.

Fanuc amplifiers address predictive motor failures by checking the resistance of the windings. The greatest cause of servo motor failure is coolant infiltration into the motor. Coolant works its way into the machining process and deteriorates motor windings until a short circuit occurs. The latest Fanuc amplifiers now can record the winding resistance and predict when the motor will fail. This allows maintenance personnel to order a motor in advance and change the motor when it is convenient for them, not at an inconvenient time when the machine is down.

The ability to monitor the speed of each fan in the amplifier and the computer numerical control (CNC) can prevent a failure. For the CNC and servo amplifiers that are contained within the magnetics cabinet, heat is the largest cause of failure. Fanuc uses cooling fans to cool electronic components. A cooling fan failure can cause a CNC failure. By monitoring the speed of each fan that is in the CNC and amplifier, Fanuc can judge when the fan will fail, enabling maintenance personnel to do maintenance at their convenience.

Fanuc said its CNC systems are known for high reliability, high precision, high speed, and simple operation. Fanuc Corp., headquartered at the foot of Mt. Fuji, Japan, manufactures Factory Automation (FA) solutions, robots, and robomachines. Since its inception in 1956, Fanuc has contributed to the automation of machine tools as a pioneer in the development of CNC equipment.

Fanuc FA America provides Fanuc CNC systems and solutions in the Americas, including control systems, drives and motors, and CO2 laser solutions, as well as engineering support, parts, repairs, factory automation solutions, and training programs for machine tool builders, dealers, and users.

– Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, CFE Media, Control Engineering and Plant Engineering, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

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