A coordinate method applied to partitioned energy-saving control for grouped hydraulic presses

As applications of forming equipment become increasingly widespread, the demand for low cost and significant energy-saving schemes gets stronger and stronger. A partitioned energy-saving control for drive system was first proposed to match the installed power of hydraulic system with the demanded power of grouped hydraulic presses, in which the drive system is partitioned into several drive zones according to the load profiles of different operations. The configuration and strategy of the control for grouped hydraulic presses are constructed. Based on the control, a coordinate method is then proposed to coordinate this multi-press system and ensure the forming processes of each hydraulic press successive, in which the operations relating to the forming parameters are controlled by position of the slider, and the other operations are controlled by time. Meanwhile, the forming operation in a hydraulic press begins with the end of the forming operation in the former one. Coordinate time error between two successive presses is modified to improve the accuracy of each operation. The method is applied to a multi-actuator system, and result shows orderly coordinate performance even with interference. (C) 2016 The Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.