Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

We have here All in One DC on a mill and Durapulse GS3 VFD and will also install an encoder on the spindle. We would like to add to the mill ATC. How the spindle positioning would work?

Thanks, Mark

hello. atc spindle tool change orientation is typically done with an add on board to the inverter that connects to the spindle encoder

The Durapulse/GS3 drives are not capable of closed-loop position control.

There is an encoder feedback option card (GS3-FB) available, but its only function is improved speed control.

If your tool changer requires oriented spindle stop, then you need one of:
1) A mechanical shot-pin-and-slot system
2) A vector drive such as Yaskawa A1000, Delta C2000, Mitsubishi A800, or Hitachi SJ700, with matching encoder feedback add-in card
3) Possibly, a combination of encoder feedback to the GS3, combined with fast-stage logic in the Centroid PLC that runs a PID loop for position control.

The third option takes a lot of work, and may never work very well, if the drive is not responsive enough. I have done it before with high-performance vector drives (Yaskawa 626-series) that happened to lack orient capability.