CNC / machine control
Andean Systems
Builds robots that disassemble electronic waste to recover valuable materials.
CNC motion and spindle control
Andean had already written the machine software. We built the CNC cabinet around it.
- Application
- CNC machine control
- Motion
- power and field connections for ten external servo motors
- Spindle
- Schneider ATV320, 15 HP
- I/O
- Beckhoff EtherCAT
- Compute
- OnLogic Helix HX511
Andean Systems builds robots that disassemble electronic waste. The team had already written software around LinuxCNC and was moving from a prototype setup to a purpose-built CNC cabinet. They wanted to keep the software they had developed.
We handled the electrical design, procurement, and build. Andean kept the machine software and integration, with an OnLogic Helix HX511 industrial PC inside the cabinet.
Building around LinuxCNC
Andean wanted to stay on x86, where they were already using LinuxCNC and EtherCAT. We built around their chosen PC and Beckhoff input/output (I/O) hardware.
For spindle control, we discussed an EtherCAT-native drive and an analog interface. The team chose analog on cost. A Beckhoff analog output sends the spindle command to a Schneider ATV320 drive.
Power for ten servos and the spindle
During scoping, Andean found a 240V spindle that removed the need for a step-up transformer. Its rating was 9kW, up from the earlier 5.5kW requirement, so the cabinet needed a 15HP spindle drive.
Incoming power is 240VAC three-phase, corner-grounded delta. Three 75VDC supplies feed ten ClearPath servo motors, and a separate 24VDC supply serves the controls. The motors and their integrated drives stay on the machine. Field emergency-stop and guard-interlock contacts connect to the cabinet's safety relay, with a monitored manual reset.
We brought the machine connections to labeled terminal strips and used a removable gland plate for cable entry. The finished cabinet brings the PC, Beckhoff I/O, spindle control, and motor power into one assembly, with as-built drawings identifying the circuits, terminals, and field wiring.
“We'd already put a lot of work into our LinuxCNC software from earlier prototypes of the robot. Blitzpanel worked around that and helped us sort out the power, wiring, and safety for the machine.”
