Tri-Flex User Manual

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6.0 Operating ProceduresSafety First

Do not operate the machine whilst any of the fixed guards are removed.

Always ensure that are no personnel in the vicinity of either the push bar or cross

conveyor before starting the machine. Stop and isolate the machine if it becomes necessary to remove trapped articles or

debris from the push bar.

Stop an isolate the machine before any inspection or maintenance is carried out.

Always wear suitable protective clothing when handling the push bar or cross conveyor

in order to prevent cuts and burns.

6.1 Starting a new job

Ensure that the machine has been stopped. If it is still running, then press the Cycle Stop

button, and wait for the machine to come to rest.

From the main screen, press the Job Library tab at the top of the screen to move to the job

Library page.

At the top of the Job library page you will see the name of the job which is currently running. To

select a new job, press on the small button to the right of the job name, and a list of available

jobs will appear. Select the job that you require by pressing on it. Details for the job that you

have selected will appear below.

To begin the job that you have selected, press the Download button. The download Process

may take up to a minute to complete. Once downloading is completed, press the green Cycle

Start button to begin the new job. All of the machine axes will now home and then move the

their start offset position, during which time the cycle start button will flash. The system will then

wait at its start offset position with cycle start flashing green until the cycle is ready to begin.

6.2 Making Online Adjustment

To make an online adjustment to the job that is currently running, press the Current Job tab on

the main screen.

To alter one of the online adjustment, press on the value that you wish to modify. A numerickeypad will appear at the bottom of the screen.

The numeric keypad may be moved to a convenient point on the screen by pressing one of the

arrow keys located on each corner.

Enter the value that you require, then press the enter key, followed by the x key. You should

now see that the value has changed.


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To apply the adjustments that you have made, press the Adjust button. The adjustment that you

have made will take effect after a couple of machine cycles.

6.3 Stopping the machine

6.3.a Cycle Stop.

In order to stop the machine press Cycle stop button. The machine will halt after a number of

cycles (set within the Commissioning screen), thus allowing it to clear any bottles remaining

after the ware reject mechanism.

6.3.b Emergency Stop

In an emergency situation, press the red emergency stop button. This will cut off power to the

machine and stop it immediately. In order to restart the machine after an emergency stop it will

be necessary to clear the emergency stop error from the alarms screen (see section 5.1.3)

6.4 Editing the characteristics of a job

From the main screen, press the Engineering button. Enter your password using the

alphanumeric keypad, then press the enter key. The engineering screen will now appear.

You may select a job that you wish to edit by pressing on the small button to the right of the job

name on the Profile Parameters page. The main details for the job will appear listed below the

job name.

6.5 Creating new jobs

From the main screen, press the Engineering button. Enter your password using the

alphanumeric keypad, then press enter key. The engineering screen will now appear.

On the Profile Parameters page, press on the name of the current job. An alphanumeric keypad

will appear, allowing you to edit or type the name of the new job. Job names should not be

longer than eight characters. When you have finished entering the name for the new job, press

the enter key, followed by the x key on the alphanumeric keypad.

Press the save button. You have created a new job, which at present has identical

characteristics to the current job. To edit the new job, follow the instructions in 6.6

6.6 Editing the profile parameters

Press the profile parameters tab at the top of the screen to move to the profile parameters page.

To edit a parameter, such as lift height, press on the value. A numeric keypad will appear at the

bottom of the screen.

The numeric keypad may be moved to a convenient point on the screen by pressing one of the

four arrow keys located on each corner.


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Enter the value that you require, then press the enter key, followed by the x key. You should

now see that the value has changed.

Press the save button to save the changes you have made. You may exit from the engineering

screen by pressing the close button.

6.7 Dealing with faults

If an error should occur during the machines operation, you will see at least one of the status

indicator lights turn to red. To determine the cause of the error, go to the errors page of the Main

screen (see section 5.1.3). The errors which have occurred will be shown here.

(For some examples of common errors, which might occur, together with their solutions, see the

troubleshooting section 7.0 of this manual)

Select the axis which has caused the error by pressing on the relevant status indicator. Its

border should appear highlighted in blue.

In order to acknowledge an individual error for an axis press on the Acknowledge button.

Alternatively, you wish to acknowledge errors on all axes then press the Acknowledge all

button.

If the cause of the original error has been removed, the status indicator should appear green.

The machine should now be ready to run.

if an error still persists, check the Machine Health indicator by pressing on it. Any machine

health warnings will appear, and may be acknowledged accordingly.

7.0 Networking

The machine may be connected to an ethernet LAN using the RJ45 socket on the computer.

The operations which may be carried out on a networked machine are as follows:


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Remote operation using VNC

Change the job (1)

Backup of jobs and commissioning settings computer on the network

Software upgrades may be carried out from a remote location (1)

(1) these operations can only be carried out when the machine is stoped

Please note that no firewall or antivirus software is installed on the machine. Connecting

machines to a local area network presents additional security risks which it is the customers

responsibility to manage.

For safety reasons if the machine to be remotely operated the customer must ensure that the

machine and the immediate vicinity around it are either directly within view, or can be viewed

using a suitable CCTV system. Making changes to a job settings without being able to observe

the machine is not recommended.

7.1 Network System Installation

To enable networking the following procedure should be used.

7.1.1 Open the cover to reveal the computer and insert a PS2 keyboard into the purple

keyboard socket. Press CTRL-ATL-DEL and end all tasks which are running.


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7.1.2 From the start menu select Control Panel - Network Connections. If the network cable hast

not been connected properly, or if it is disconnected from the network you will see a red cross

on the Local Area Connection icon appear normally. Double press on the Local Area

Connection icon, then select Properties.

7.1.3 Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) then select Properties. Enter the appropriate IP address,

Subnet Mask, Gateway and DNS server addresses then press Ok followed by Close. A static IP

address may be given, or an appropriate name for the machine may be set up on the DNS

server.

7.1.4 From the start menu select Control Panel - System - Computer Name. Enter a description

for the machine, typically including the line number (example Profile 4-1). Press the change

button and enter an appropriate computer name and workgroup. In most cases the computer

name entered on this screen will be the same as the full name entered previously. Press Ok and

if the network is functioning properly you will see a message saying welcome to the

workgroup. Select Ok and then press Yes to restart the computer.

If you only wish to use VNC to remotely operate the machine you need go to further. However, if

you also wish to backup jobs to a remote on network or carry out remote software upgrades the

following additional steps should be taken.

7.1.5 On the remote server computer where you wish to backup jobs create a directory structure

for each machine, and also create a directory where software upgrade files will be located.

For example:C:/Profiles/Profile4-1/

C:/Profiles/Profile4-2/

C:/Profiles/upgradeFile/

7.1.6 On the machine from the start menu select My Computer - My Network Places - View

Workgroup Computers. A list of computers on the local area network should then appear. Select

the computer which you wish to backup jobs and enter to appropriate username and password.

Make sure that Remember My Password is ticked. Select the appropriate directory for the job

backup and make a note of its address (example: //Mainserver/sys/Profiles/Profile4-1/). Also

take a note of the address of the directory used for software upgrades (example

//Mainserver/sys/Profiles/upgradeFile/).

7.1.7. From the start menu select My Computer, then select the file C:/Sheppee/Shep.ini and

open it. Under the section called [Paths] there is an entry called Backups. Change this backup

path as appropriate, for example:

Backups = //Mainserver/sys/Profiles/Profile4-1/


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Also change the path for the software update entry, for example:

Software Upgrade = //Mainserver/sys/Profiles/upgradeFile/

Save the changes to this file, then reboot the computer. Please note that shep.ini is a criticalfile. Do not make changes to any of the other entries within it. Remove the keyboard and

replace the cover of the machine. The network system is now ready for operation.

7.2 Using the network system

Please note that no firewall or antivirus software is installed on the machine. Connecting

machines to a local area network presents additional security risks which it is the customers

responsibility to manage.

7.2.1 Remote operation

If the machine is networked it may be remotely operated using RealVNC software which is

freely available fromwww.realvnc.com. The VNC client software runs ona variety of operating

systems including Windows and Linux.

To connect to a machine run the VNC Viewer program and enter its name or IP address, and

the appropriate password The screen of the machine will then be visible, and may be operated

in exactly the same way as if you were at the machine itself. The only functions which are not

available via the network are Cycle Start, Cycle Stop and Emergency Stop.

For safety reasons it is not recommended that changes to the current job be made whilst it isrunning, since it is not possible to remotely stop the machine using the software. If the machine

is to be operated in this manner the customer must ensure that the machine and the

immediately vicinity around it are either directly within view, or can be viewed using a suitable

CCTV system, and a remote emergency stop button should be fitted.

Creation of new jobs, editing of jobs other than the currently running one, or carrying out of

software upgrades are however quite safe and may be significantly more convenient to carry out

via the network system.

7.2.2 Job backups

Over time the accumulation of job file can represent a significant investment in terms of time

and experience. In the unlikely event of a failure of the flash disk within the computer this can

result in the loss of all the stored information. Backing up files using the network system is a

good way to ensure that your investment is protected, and allows files to be restored if the

computer is replaced with another.
http://www.realvnc.com/http://www.realvnc.com/http://www.realvnc.com/http://www.realvnc.com/


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Creation of backups of the job and commissioning file is an automatic function carried out once

every 24 hours and initiated al 12 a.m. The customer may then archive these file as necessary.

7.2.3 Remote Software Upgrades

If software upgrades are necessary these may be carried out remotely using the network. Thisis a quicker and more convenient method than the standalone method of opening the machine

and using an external floppy disk drive.

To carry out a software upgrade first download the upgrade.zip file and copy it into the upgrades

directory on the remote server computer. Run the VNC Viewer program and log into the

machine, then go to the Administrator screen and click on update software. You will then be

able to install the upgrade on the machine. Note that software upgrades may only be accepted

when the machine is stopped.

8.0 Troubleshooting

The most common problems and their solutions are given below:

8.1 Emergency stop

When the emergency stop button is pressed the Global Errors section will show faults on all

axes.


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In order to correct these faults, lift the emergency stop button. On the main screen, go to the

errors page (see section 5.1.3) and press the Acknowledge All button. If there are no further

errors, all axes will appear green. Pressing the Cycle Start button will restart the machine.

8.2 Maximum speed limit exceeded

Profile graph warning messages such as Maximum speed/acceleration limit exceeded or

Distance less than 1/10 mm appear. These messages are generated if the motion profile

exceeds acceptable limits, and will be more frequent with higher production speeds.

8.3 Trigger Pulse lost

This error occurs when no signal pulse is being received by the system. The system will check

for a pulse for sixty seconds and then shut down with this error if no pulse is received, Typical

occurrences of this error are when the pulse is received from the transfer gearbox or feeder cam

and stopping either of these will cause this error to occur. Another possibility is when the pulse

signal comes from an electronic timing system and the output is not turned on. This is a safety

feature.

8.4 Cycle Speed outside 20% message

Cycle Speed outside 20% message appears within the Machine Health indicator. This means

that the production speed for the job that you are running is not within 20% of the production

speed calculated using trigger pulses. There may be a problem with the trigger pulse or the

production speed for the job (as specified within the Engineering parameters) may be

inappropriate. If the production speed for the job is wrong, then this can be altered via the

Profile Parameters page on the Engineering screen (see 5.2)

If the machine displays a different production speed to the actual line speed, then there is likely

to be a set-up problem. Typical causes are:

Gobs per shear cut set incorrectly. This can be changed within the Commissioning

screen (see 5.3.1)

Articles across on Profile set incorrectly. This can be changed within the Engineering

screen (see section 5.2.1)

Articles across on electronic timing system set incorrectly.

8.5 Power Loss to control cabinet.

Loss of power will stop the machine. When power is restored the servo drives and computer will

reboot within a few seconds.

When the user interface P.C. has rebooted the controller errors can be acknowledged.

8.6 The axis is making contact with the bottles too fast


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The X axis may be contacting the bottles too fast, causing them to wobble slightly. To resolve

this, go to the XY profile page within the Engineering screen (see section 5.2) and move point

number 2 forwards until you can see that the X axis momentarily pauses just in front of the

bottles before beginning to push them over the corrs conveyor.

8.7 The end of the push bar is briefly making contact with the first bottle of the next row

as it begins its push, causing it to be out of line

In this situation, the Y axis is beginning to slow down too down too early as it pushes the bottles

across the cross conveyor. The Y axis should only begin to slow down once the X axis has

cleared the next row of bottles. On the Engineering Screen XY Profile page (see diagram below)

move the third point further towards the lehr using the up and across arrows.

The Transfer Unit is under control by the Lehr Loader, but the fingers are not

synchronised correctly with the bottles

Go to the commissioning screen and on the transfer page ensure that all the values specified

are correct. Adjust the Transfer Retard (you need to press the Download button for any changes

to take effect) until the fingers are correctly aligned. One the retard value has been set correctly

the fingers will synchronise automatically with the bottles.

8.9 As the Z axis drops it hits the oncoming row of bottles

Go to the commissioning screen and check that the cross conveyor width and deadplate width

are set correctly. If these figures appear to be ok, go to the Engineering screen and select the

velocity/time (VT) Profiles page. Select the last point on the X axis and use the move left arrowto move it further back along the time axis. This will cause the Z axis to begin its drop relatively

later than the X axis returns.

9.0 Frequently Asked Questions

9.1 Why can I not turn on staggered stacking on the engineering screen?

Check the XY profile page on the engineering screen. At the bottom of the profile diagram thereis a short vertical line indicating the minimum Y axis start position in order for the machine to

have sufficient space to carry out staggered stacking. Use the left and right arrows at the bottom

of the screen to move the Y axis start position past the vertical line. Staggered stacking may

then be enabled on the engineering parameters page.

9.2 How do I align the push bar correctly with the articles?


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It is possible to advance or retard the position of the push bar relative to the articles on the cross

conveyor in order to align them correctly into the pockets. Use the retard start parameter on the

current job screen in order to do this. Changes made to this parameter will take effect within two

machine cycles. The retard start applies a delay to the start of the push in the range between

zero and half the article spacing.

If you need a greater amount of adjustment use the bottle sort feature. The maximum number of

articles which may be sorted at one time is the same as the number of jobs per shear cut shown

on the commissioning screen.

9.3 Why can I not enter the article spacing or push bar length on the engineering screen?

When the machine is running the push bar length for the current job will appear with a blue

background on the engineering screen. This indicates that this parameter may not be edited.

The push bar length for the current job may only be changed when the machine is stopped.

9.4 The article spacing value can never be edited and always appears with a blue

background

Article spacing is calculated automatically by dividing the push bar length by the number of

articles across. This ensures that be calculated spacing value is as accurate as possible. If it

were possible to enter the spacing figure manually any error in this figure would be greatly

magnified by the number of articles, and poor stacking would result.

9.5 What sort of synchronising pulse should be supplied to the machine?

The machine requires a 24V signal to tell it what speed the line is running at and give the start

signal for when to begin the push.

The signal can be given in one of three forms; one pulse per shear cut, one pulse per bottle or

one pulse per cycle. The Trigger electrical connection is located at the bottom left hand corner

inside the electrical cabinet on the back of the machine can be used to feed the pulse in. If the

pulse is connected properly a green LED on the opto-isolator will illuminate for each pulse

received. The trigger pulse length should be 35 milliseconds or greater in order to be detected

by the machine.

9.6 The temperature ganges or alarm screen say that the machine is getting too hot, how

do I cool it down?


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If the integrated control cabinet on the machine begins to get too hot the temperature gauges

shown on the main screen will flash and you may receive over temperature warnings on the

alarms page.

The first thing to check is that the compressed air supply to the vortex cooling system is

operating correctly at a pressure of 3-5 bar. If this is not the problem then you may need tocheck the temperature control values on the commissioning screen. Recommended values for

the on and off temperatures may be found in the specifications section.

9.7 How do I create a new job?

Go the the engineering screen and select the parameters page. Using the drop down list select

job that you wish to base the new job upon. Press on the name of the current viewing job and

you may then alter its name to that for the new job. After the name has been changed press the

save button. You may then alter the parameters of the new job as required and download or

save it.

You may create new jobs, or alter existing ones, from the engineering screen whilst the machine

is running. The only limitation is that jobs other than the currently running one may only be

downloaded whilst the machine is stopped.

9.8 How do I change my password?

Passwords on the machine may only be changed by someone with administrator level access.Go to the administrator screen (which can be accessed from the commissioning screen) and

select the appropriate user, then enter the new password for that user. When the new password

has been entered press the save button.

9.9 How do I restart the machine after an emergency stop?

When an emergency stop button is pressed the Global Errors section will show faults on all

axes.

In order to correct these faults, lift the emergency stop button, then go to the alarms page and

press the Acknowledge All button. If there are no further errors after a few seconds all axes

will appear green. Pressing the Cycle Start button will then restart the machine.

If you wish to jog any the machine axes please note that after an emergency stop they will need

to be re-homed.

9.10 How do I stop the machine if it is running?


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Cycle Stop

In order to stop the machine press the Cycle Stop button. The machine will halt after a number

of cycles (set within the Commissioning screen), thus allowing it to clear any bottles remaining

after the wear reject mechanism.

Emergency stop

In an emergency situation, press the red Emergency Stop button. This will bring the machine to

a halt as quickly as possible then cut off power to the motors. In order to restart the machine

after an emergency stop see section 6.3.

9.11 How do I change the current job?

Ensure that the machine has been stopped. If it still running, then press the Cycle Stop button,

and wait for the machine to come to rest.

From the main screen, press the Job library tab at the top of the screen to move to the Job

Library page.

At the top of the Job library page you will see the name of the job which is currently running. to

select a new job, press on the button to the right of the job name, and list of available jobs will

appear. Select the job that you require by pressing on it. Details for the job that you have

selected will appear below.

To begin the job that you have selected, press the download button. the download Process may

take up to a minute to complete, Once downloading is completed, press the green Cycle Startbutton to begin the new job.

9.12 When running the machine does not synchronise properly with the articles.

First check the job parameters on the engineering screen and ensure that the push bar length

and articles across have been entered correctly. If these values are correct check the

commissioning screen to ensure that the settings for the trigger pulse and gobs per shear cut

commissioning screen the machine must first be stopped.

If all these values are correct then check the alarms page ay warnings messages. if there is a

warning message cycle speed outside 20% then this mean that the production speed specified

for the job on the engineering parameters page is more than 20% different from the production

speed as measured from the incoming trigger pulse on the main screen. If this situation occurs

the machine will still run, but will default to the design production speed set for the job and no

longer be synchronised with the pulse. This is a safety feature which prevents the machine from

damaging itself if a noisy pulse is detected, or if the wrong trigger pulse settings are specified on

the commissioning screen.


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If the none of the above situations apply you will need to check that the cross conveyor speed is

set correctly, and that the spacing between articles is consistent. If the cross conveyor is being

controlled from the stacker check the conveyor controls page and adjust the belt stretch

percentage up or down as needed. Alternatively the cross conveyor may have its own

independent controls via a separate user interface.

9.13 How to check that the cross conveyor is running at the right speed

Before checking the cross conveyor speed please check the parameters on the commissioning

and engineering screens are correct. If parameters on these screens are not entered correctly it

could be that the stacker is running at the wrong speed and not the cross conveyor.

Synchronisation problems commonly occur if either the articles across or push bar length are

specified incorrectly on the engineering screen.

To check the cross conveyor speed run the stacker and cross conveyor with the ware reject

enabled. Immediately prior to the stacker beginning its push place a single article onto the cross

conveyor just before the push bar. After one stacker cycle if the conveyor and stacker speeds

are correct the article should be picked up in the last pocket of the push bar. Over time the cross

conveyor belt may stretch, and if it is being controlled from the stacker use the belt stretch

parameter to compensate for this.

9.14 When adjusting points on the XY profile I get messages saying that speed or

acceleration limits have been exceeded

Warning messages may appear when adjusting points on the XY profile. These indicate that

maximum speed or acceleration values have been exceeded on one or more axes of the

machine.

A common problem is that the maximum acceleration for the Z axis has been exceeded due to

changes in the profile shape. If this is the case check the Velocity/Time diagram for the X axis.

You may need to move the first point (X1) on the axis V/T diagram further to the left in order to

give the machine enough time to return.

9.15 What to do if the machine stops unexpectedly

If the machine stops unexpectedly this either be because some fault condition has occurred, or

because some fault condition has occurred, or because there has been a problem the

generation or detection of the synchronising trigger pulse signal.


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Go to the alarms page to determine the reason for the stoppage. The most cause for the

machine to stop is a trigger pulse lost warning, indicating that the synchronising signal could not

be detected, or indicates a production speed significantly slower than the design speed for the

currently running job.

9.16 How do I remotely monitor a machine?

To remotely monitor a machine on the network use the VNC Viewer program. Enter the name or

IP address of the machine which you wish to monitor, then enter the password for the machine.

9.17 How can I remotely change the job on a machine?

Use the VNC Viewer program to gain access to the machine then go to the job library page,

select the required job and use the send button to download it. The job may only be changed

whilst the machine is stopped.

9.18 Using the network system how do I create backups of jobs?

Backups are generated automatically by the system once every 24 hours at 12am You do not

need to initiate the process manually.

If backups do not appear to be being created, check the following things:

Check that the paths names for backups have not been changed

Check that the username and password used by the machine to log onto the network

has not changed.

Check that the machine has sufficient network permissions to create, delete and modify

files within the network by running the VNC Viewer program, or by using the command

line program Ping.

9.19 Can Microsoft security fixes or service packs be installed onto machines?

In general, no. The embedded operating system is a substantially reduced version of Windows

XP and as such many components which would normally be found within a full installation are

missing. Security fixes from Microsoft usually will not install due to the additional cryptographic

components required. There is also very limited space available on the compactflash disk,

which does not permit sizeable additional programs to be installed.


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9.20 How do I perform a software upgrade over the network?

First ensure that the machines due to receive upgrades are stopped, otherwise the upgrade will

not be accepted. Download the upgrade.zip file and place it in the correct directory on the serverso that it may be accessed by the machines.

On each machine use the VNC Viewer program to gain access to each machine, then go to the

Administrator screen and select update software. The software will then be updated on that

machine and its computer will reboot.

9.21 What security measures should be taken when connecting a machine to the

network?

The computer within the machine does not have any antivirus or firewall software installed. If the

machine is connected to a local area network it is therefore important that adequate

10.0 Maintenance

10.1 Lubrication

Lincoln injector banks fitted to the machine supply lubricant to the linear rail bearings, the lift

frame pivot flanged bearing units and the lift frame cam roller followers. Connect the machine to

the factories centralised Lincoln supply system. Note: This is a pressurised system, ensure all

connections are tight before switching on the oil supply.

The idle pulleys of the X and Y toothed belt drives are fitted with a grease nipple. One per

month switch off and isolate the machine, regrease the pulley bearings.

The X and Y belt drive reduction gear units and the Z axis worm gear reduction unit are sealed

for life and should require no maintenance.

Once per week visually check that all injectors are operating correctly and that the flexiblesupply hoses are not damaged.

10.2 Mechanical Components

One per week listen and look for any indication of wear, bearing failure or loose parts.


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One per month switch off and isolate the machine, check that the securing screws for all of the

drive components and bearings are tight. Check the lift cam rollers for signs of wear or

seizure.Check the condition of the X and Y drive belts, look for damage or wear to the teeth and

for signs of cracking on the outer surface. Replace the belts after 18 months operation. Check

the linear rails for any signs of wear or damage.

10.3 Electrical Components

Once per week visually check that the electrical cables are not damaged.

Once per month switch off and isolate the machine , check for loose screws and connections.

Clear the operator display screen. Check contactor relays for possible wear. Any components

found to be suspect should be replaced. Replaced any wires that may be damaged on the

terminals. Check that the servo drive cooling fans are working correctly. These are mounted at

the bottom of the drive inside the heat sink. In order to inspect the drive fan, you will need to

remove the mounting screws at the top and bottom of each drive, then slide the drive forward.

Switch off and isolate the machine, remove the LH side guard and clean the three homing

sensors by gently wiping the surface.

10.4 Control Cabinet Cooling System

Once per day check the thermometers on the current job page (see 5.1.1) to ensure that the

system is operating within the recommended temperature limits, as specified in section 2.0. The

temperatures given on this screen indicate the temperatures of the electronics inside the servo

drives, and if these become overheated permanent damage may result.

The Filter / Regulator unit controlling the air supply for the cooling system is located behind thelower LH guard. The filter element should be checked every job change, it will require

replacement when the indicator on the unit turns completely red. Switch off isolate the machine

before removing the fixed guard.

10.5 Cleaning

Dust and debris will build up and collect inside the machine. At one monthly intervals switch off

and isolate the machine, remove the top cover and lower side guards. Clean out any dust and

debris that is present. Dust that has collected on electrical wiring or components can decrease

the insulation strength and cause a breakdown or flashover. Remove dust from these areas with

an industrial vacuum cleaner.

10.6 Maintenance Schedule Summary

Daily:

Check that the control cabinet cooling system is functioning correctly


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Weekly:

Check correct operation of Lincoln Injectors

Check condition of flexible lubrication hoses

Listen and look for indications of wear, failure or loose parts

Check condition of electrical cables

Monthly:

Re Grease belt drive idle pulley bearings

Check the condition of the X and Y drive belts

Check the condition of the linear rails

Check the cooling unit filter element

Check the drive component and bearing securing screws are tight

Check for loose electrical connections and screws

Check that the servo drive cooling fans are operating correctly

Clean and remove dust and debris from inside machine.

18 months

Replace the X and Y drive belts


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11.0 Spares Replacement Procedures11.1 Rules for all spares replacement

The machine must be isolated whilst carrying out maintenance work.

Do not remove any guards until the machine has been fully powered down.

Only trained electrical and mechanical technicians are authorised to work on the

machine.

Only trained electrical technicians are authorised to work in the control cabinet.

Safety data sheets for any of the materials used in this equipment are available on

request.

11.2 Changing the pushbarIt is recommended that mechanical maintenance engineers should carry out this operation. Two

people will be required in order to lift the bar during removal and refitting.

1. First, press the Cycle Stop button and wait for the machine to come to rest.

2. Isolate the machine.

3. Turn off and disconnect the cooling air supply to the pushbar

4. Slacken the tilt adjuster nuts

5. Slacken the push bar clamp screws

6. Slide the push bar out of the clamps and tilt adjuster slot7. Refitting is reversal of above

8. Ensure that all fastenings are tight

9. Measure the push bar length (see 10.2.1) and ensure that the figure for this length which

appears within the job parameters on the Engineering Screen is correct. Also check that

the articles across figure on this screen is correct.

11.2..1 Measuring the push bar length


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The push bar length is measured from one end of the insulation to the other. Precise

measurement of this length is critical for correct performance of the machine. The lehr loader

software automatically divides this figure by the number of pockets across the push bar to

determine a figure for the article spacing. This is the most accurate means of calculating the

article spacing, and avoids any problems resulting from small errors in measurement.

11.9 Lift Rollers

a) Electrically isolate machine

b) Remove the side guards and the top guard

c) Manually lift the frame off the rollers and securely support the frame with wooden chocs

d) Disconnect the lincoln feed to the roller pin

e) Remove the M20 nut that secures roller pin to lift arm

f) Withdraw pin and roller

g) Reassemble is reversal of above

11.10 Carriage rails

Carriage rails can be fitted to the machine as an optional extra, they allow it to be pulled away

from the lehr to provide easy access to the front of the machine or cross conveyor.

a) Stop and isolate the machine

b) Lift rail cover out of the way

c) Undo locking nut and slacken the two rear clamp screws

d) Remove the locking pins and lift off the clamping brackets

e) Pull machine back

f) Repositioning the machine is reversal of above

11.11 Servo drive

To replace a damaged or faulty servo drive the following procedure should be used. As part of

the spares pre-programmed solutions modules. labelled either x, y or z. Ensure that the correct

solutions module is used for each x, y or z. In circumstances where a blank solutions module or

a solutions module designated for a different axis procedure, 11.13 must be followed.

11.11.1. Power down, then open the control cabinet door on the front of the machine.

11.11.2. Identify the faulty drive and remove the screw retaining its front cover then remove the

cover by tilting it towards you.


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11.11.3 Remove the solutions module by pinching the tabs on either side, then remove the I/O

plugs. The centre plug for network communications is retained by two screws.

11.11.4 Remove the encoder plug, mains power and I/O plugs from the bottom of the drive.

11.11.5. The drive is fastened to the backplate using three retaining screws, two at the top and

one at the bottom. Remove these carefully slide the drive towards you. The whole drive may

then be removed not. You may need to disconnect the braking resistor prior to removing thedrive.

Early models of triflex had two holes in the back plate for the cables to the braking resistor. The

braking resistor is mounted on the outside of the cabinet within the heat sinks. Later models of

triflex have the cables travelling through the cut out for the drive thus removing the necessity to

disconnect the braking resistor when changing drive.

11.11.6. Fit the replacement drive must be loaded from smart card by following procedure 11.12

when the parameters have been loaded from smart card you may then reconnect the I/O plugs.

11.11.8. From the user interface download the current job before pressing cycle start. Note that

downloading is necessary because the current job parameters are stored on the servo drive, so

info a drive is changed these parameters will normally return default values.

11.12. Loading drive from smart card:

If one of the drives is replaced it will first need to be programed using a smart card. A smart card

and LED display unit are supplied with each machine, the smart card fits into a slot located

behind the LED display unit.

11.12.1. Insert the blank drive into the electrical cabinet the back of the machine, but ensure

that the I/O plug is removed. Fit the applications module, then apply power. Using the circuit

breakers at the bottom of the control panel power off all other axes of the machine.

******** Please note that powering on a blank drive with the I/O connected may cause

permanent damage to the digital I/O of the drive.11.12.2 Insert the card into the slot with the microchip first and to your right, then fit the LED

display unit.

11.12.3 Using the keypad on the LED display, move to parameter 0.00 press M, then enter a

value corresponding to the axis as follows:

x axis 6001

y axis 6002

z axis 6003.

Please note: It is important that you check on the smart card whether it is one card containing

the parameters for all three axis, or that it is an individual card containing the parameters for just

one axis. The card will be labelled up as x or y or z or all three. If the card is for an individual

axis you must check the programming code is also written on the card as it is possible to be

different to the above. In the picture below you can see multiple types of programmed smart

cards, showing what they are to be used on and in the top righthand corner, the appropriate

download parameter.

After entering the value press M again and then press the red reset button on the LED display. If

a trip code appears on the drive pressing the red reset button the smart card may not be


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correctly fitted into the slot. On the display you will briefly see a decimal point flashing for a few

seconds. Parameters will be transferred from the card and stored on the drive.

11.12.4 If a preprogrammed solutions module has been used the new drive: Using the circuit

breaker power off the drive, reconnect the I/O plug the power on all of the drives.

If the solutions module has also been replaced with a blank solutions module or one that wasdesignated for another axis, it will have to be reprogrammed before reconnecting the I/O plug.

To do this follow procedure 11.13.

11.13 Programming a blank Solutions Module or a solutions module designated for a different

axis.

For this procedure you will need a ps/2 keyboard plugged into the IPC located in the machine

cabinet.

11.13.1 The computer will need to be rebooted and all power should be on to the drives.

The I/O plug must remain disconnected during this procedure.

11.13.2 Press CTRL + ALT +DEL on the keyboard with will bring up the windows task manager.

Close all listed applications and the Triflex use interface will close. You will now be in the

standard windows xp environment.

11.13.3 Click on Start and open up the program called Winflasher, then select download

compiled program. You will be prompted to choose a file to download. Select:

CTNet_Node_21 for the X axis

CTNet_Node_22 for the Y axis

CTNet_Node_23 for the Z axis

Select CTNet as the type of communications and node number.

21 for the X axis

22 for the Y axis23 for the Z axis

Select download, wait 30 seconds, disconnect the keyboard, power down drives and computer,

reconnect the I/O ports, power on and the machine should be ready to use.

11.14 Industrial Computer

11.14.1 Power down the machine, the industrial computer is mounted in the main control

cabinet.

11.14.2 Disconnect all plugs from the computer, including the power supply.

11.14.3 Remove the CTNet PCMCIA card by pressing the small button to the right hand side of

it.

11.14.4 The industrial PC is retained to the backplate with screws. Remove these, then remove

de computer.

11.14.5 Carefully remove the compact flash card and insert it into the replacement computer

11.14.6 Fit the replacement computer, then re-connect all plugs and the PCMCIA card. Close

the door of the machine.

11.14.7 Power the machine. You should see the new computer boot and run the triflex software


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Documents

Tri-Flex User Manual