Like the cereal aisle in the grocery store, the number of Controller vendors and individual controller models available can present a daunting choice. Faced with so many options, many engineers simply go with what they or their predecessor have used before. But that may not be the best choice for your application. So Control Engineering asked application engineers and other experts from a dozen controller vendors to offer some of their expertise r

egarding what application-specific controller features to look for. Here's a taste of what they had to sayCONTROL ENGINEERING China版权所有, arranged by application type. Online控制工程网版权所有, you'll find expanded essays and links to customer case histories and whitepapers that provide more detailed instruction. You also can respond online and tell us about your applicationwww.cechina.cn, or post a question to our application experts. Scroll down the home-page at www.controleng.com this month to find the link to the current issue, or visit the magazine archives there anytime.

        Packaging Machine

        Packaging machine

        Packaging machines range from all mechanical (GEN I) to hybrid servo and mechanical (GEN II) to all-electric driven machines with full servo designs (GEN III). GEN III machines are designed from the ground up around what servos and controls can do to electronically synchronize the entire machine控制工程网版权所有, without the need for a line shaft and complex fixed mechanical cams. GEN III machines are virtually all electrical控制工程网版权所有, with significantly fewer mechanical parts and greater functionality, such as running multiple products and supporting automated changeover. The all-electric system typically runs at higher speeds and is responsible for electronic synchronization, complex camming, and high speed registration along with advanced high speed robotics capabilities. Therefore, it will require a faster c