General Motors – In Motion Engine Block Laser Marking System Design
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Brief
ControlSoft Canada, was selected by General Motors as lead Systems Integrator to lead design and implementation work on General Motors In-Motion Engine Block laser marking system in collaboration North American Laser system in Mississauga Ontario.
As shown above, GM vehicles Engine Blocks are transported in RFID marked buckets over rail transport, bucket carrier RFID tag is read by RFID reader and processed by laser marking system IPC computer, RFID tag number is used to query vehicle VIN number and Engine block serialize ID over private GM Ethernet network, A custom application software running on IPC computer processes VIN number and block serialize ID to a data packet format and sent to Laser Head controller. Custom Windows desktop application on IPC computer interface with Allen Bradley Compact Logix PLC CPU controller over EtherNet/IP protocol, and coordinates following functionalities.
- START Chiller system and keep it in ready state, to prepare for laser marking.
- Clear any alarms or warning condition/s on Laser Marking controller and confirm its ready state to prepare for laser marking.
- Track block bucket carriage movement as it approaches laser marking station RFID reader.
- Track block bucket carriage movement as it approaches laser marking station RFID reader.
- Clear any alarms or warning condition/s on 6 AXIS control FANUC Robot M10 and confirm Robot is ready to accept move commands from PLC controller.
- Next stage of processing is initiated when RFID reader at laser station is read,
- Fanuc robot is commanded to pick up Engine block and prepare it for presentation for laser marking, to align with laser head.
- Prepare laser marking system and load marking content on to laser head controller.
- PLC controller logic co-ordinates this action and initiates laser start marking control.
- PLC controller logic waits for laser marking complete bit to turn ON.
- Not shown here is Cognex Vision System to validate laser marking on engine block, data from vision system is sent to PLC controller which validates a vision check success to move to next stage of control.
- Once a vision check OK bit is turned ON, Fanuc robot return engine block to carriage routine is commanded by PLC controller.
- When the engine block is returned to carriage is complete and confirmed by Fanuc robot, all subsystems are commanded to return to steady state.
- This completes full cycle for a engine block in-motion laser marking process.
General Motors had successfully implemented this solution to all GM production facilities in Canada, the USA, Mexico, and China.
ControlSoft Canada in collaboration with North American Laser system in Mississauga Ontario as lead contractor, takes pride in an Automation Integrator / SCADA Integrator and system integrator role on this project. Our team of PLC programmers / SCADA programmers, and electrical design team played an important role in our success on this project.
ControlSoft Canada, is open to doing business within the automotive industry, pharmaceutical industry, meat processing plants, and food processing plants.
