New techniques take control beyond rigidity in high-precision systems
At Precisiebeurs 2011, Philips Innovation Services unveiled promising improvements on motion control techniques that could enable a big step forward in the performance of high-precision systems (HPS).
The world of high-precision systems is undergoing a fundamental change. System owners are demanding ever higher productivities and accuracy. To make that possible while keeping power consumption and heat dissipation at acceptable levels, system designers are moving away from the traditional paradigm of rigid moving parts and learning to factor in flexibility. But controlling the high-speed motion of flexible bodies to fractions of a micron is a huge challenge.
As a leader in high-precision systems expertise, Philips Innovation Services continues to push back the boundaries of control technology. It has recently developed a number of novel control strategies for advanced mechatronic systems that gives designers more freedom to incorporate flexibility into their systems while maintaining or even improving performance.
Two such approaches were presented at the recent Precisiebeurs (Precision Fair) 2011 in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. The first technique is an advanced feedforward control technique that can compensate for arbitrary system flexibilities, significantly improving tracking - the component’s ability to follow a defined trajectory. The second technique is a model-based feedback control technique that compensates for quasi-static deformations induced by exogenous disturbances. This increases accuracy at a specified point on the component where the actual process is happening.
These techniques could be implemented across the HPS industry, in applications such as semiconductor manufacturing, printing, and robotics. In simulations and laboratory tests, they have shown the potential to significantly improve control performance. Further testing and development is still ongoing, keeping pace with the industry’s roadmap for HPS control.
Precisiebeurs (www.precisiebeurs.nl) is the Netherlands’ leading trade fair and technical conference for the precision engineering industry. Under the theme “Fast and accurate”, this year’s event attracted 225 exhibitors and 3200 visitors from across the Netherlands, Belgium and northern Germany. In addition to presenting new control techniques, Philips Innovation Services chaired the conference session on haptic systems. Philips also presented conference talks on monitoring processes with high-speed cameras and using lasers for micron-accuracy in mass production.
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