Lockformer and Exceldee

Ultra high speed precision cutting

Glass cutting can be performed at high speeds and at high acceleration and deceleration rates because the glass scoring tool is light and the scoring process can be done rapidly when the scorer is lubricated. Lockformer’s glass cutters cut at speeds exceeding 4000 inches per minute.

Early Lockformer glass cutters used an AMC4 controller with integrated DC brushed servo drives. Current machines use the AMC4 and external brushless drives providing higher machine productivity.

Glass cutting is generally carried out on an XY table by a glass scoring wheel automatically oriented to point in the current cutting direction by the AMC. This is achieved by configuring a tool rotation axis to be tangential to XY movements. Automatic cutter lift at corners is controlled by separate parameters, specified in degrees.

Rectangular and complex shapes can be accurately cut; these are generally programmed on a remote computer using a CAD program. No special commands have to be embedded into the part programs; the AMC continually looks ahead through the part program data, to compute the optimum cutter speed.

Manual and automatic glass ‘load/unload’ machines are available. Automatic loading and unloading machines utilize PLC sequences that make use of built in AMC Programmable Logic Control ‘PLC’ inputs and outputs. These monitor and control associated machine status signals, actuators, and conveyors. Glass that is already cut is conveyed off the cutting table to a break out table. New glass sheets are then dropped on to the loading conveyor, then transported to the cutting table and precisely positioned prior to being cut.

PLC sequences are generated using the AMC Event Subroutine Editor available at no cost, with the purchase of the controller. PLC sequences generally comprise of; output commands, input monitoring commands, labels, conditional execution commands implementing conditional jumps to labels, machine movements, and messages for operators. Other commands are also supported.

PLC event subroutines are essentially macro programs that are automatically invoked by the AMC as the respective event occurs. Currently 24 different events are supported, some have associated conditions e.g. tool number. Supported events include: Execution Start, Execution End, Execution Stop, Tool Down, Tool Up, Pre Datum, Post Datum, Analog On, Analog Off, Key Press, and Input Level.