How We Retrofitted a Koike Plasma/Oxyfuel Machine with Modern CNC Control?
1. The Machine and Project Objective
KOIKE Plasma/oxyfuel retrofit was a comprehensive process designed to modernize the machine's brain without sacrificing its robust original structure. By maintaining the powerful original Yaskawa servomotors and the rest of the mechanical hardware, we achieved a high-performance upgrade that provides the intelligence of a modern CNC table.
Original Servo drives:
2. Key Components for the Retrofit
For this project, we selected a combination of hardware and software that guarantees industrial stability and precision:
Software: Mach4 Hobby was used with flexible interface capable of simultaneously managing complex plasma and oxy-cutting processes.
Movement Controller and Breakout Board: The core of the system is the C82 multifunction board with the Ethernet Smooth Stepper (ESS). This combination allows for high-speed communication via Ethernet, and Signal Management using the M26 12 Relay Expansion Board.
New motion controller installed:
Dual Height Control (THC):
CAP04: Responsible for height control for the oxy-cutting torch.
THC-2: Used for precision plasma, allowing for real-time millimeter adjustments.
- Specialized Servo Interfaces: To bridge the gap between the new controller and the original Yaskawa hardware, we utilized two types of C34 interface boards:
C34SGDV Connector Board: Compatible with the Yaskawa SGDH series.
3. Control Cabinet Architecture: Final Layout and Wiring
3. Customer reviews
"I'm sharing a plate cutting operation we're doing with plasma, which is 1-12 inches thick. It's part of a project involving almost 100 tons of plates in thicknesses of 1, 1-1/2, and 2 inches."
''We were surprised by the plasma because it's producing very good quality at that thickness."
4. Final Result and Performance Testing
Below, we present the results in operation:
