EuroWire January 2016

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News
Technology
January 2016 58
Whitelegg Machines has shipped a
machine that will be used to wind body
scanner coils for a Korean multinational
company. This is the first machine of its
type on which Whitelegg has installed
state-of-the-art servo-controlled axes and
a touchscreen HMI.
Whitelegg Machines has over 80 years’
experience in designing, manufacturing
and supplying equipment to the wire
processing and electrical industries,
exporting machines to customers
worldwide. In general terms, the
company’s products fall into four groups:
wire forming machinery; electric motor
repair, rewinding and testing equipment;
electrical safety test instruments; and coil
winding machines.
Always striving to provide customers
with the best product at a cost-effective
price, the company continues to develop
its standard machines and also supplies
one-offs and special-purpose machines
when requested.
Recently the company shipped the latest
of its large coil winding machine, which
will be used to wind body scanner coils
for a Korean multinational company.
Unlike previous large coil winders from
Whitelegg, this latest version benefits
from servo-controlled axes, together with
an intuitive touchscreen graphical user
interface and a PLC with custom software
for controlling the overall process.
For the end user, these features translate
into the following benefits:
• monitor and maintain a constant
tension in the material being wound
• layer wind the material very accurately
• layer control for spooling and
de-spooling
• programmable winding with an
onboard memory for storing winding
programs
• data logging for each winding so
that the number of turns, pitch and
winding tension can all be recorded
Whitelegg developed and manufactured
the first MRI (body scanner) winding
machines in the world in 1982. This
then-new technology was developed at
Oxford University, which led to locally
formed companies producing the first full
body scanners. Eventually half a dozen
companies were spawned from the initial
manufacturer in and around Oxford, all of
which were supplied byWhitelegg.
Oxford Magnet Technology became
the first volume manufacturer and was
supplied with over a dozen machines
by Whitelegg. Oxford Magnet agreed to
license this technology to other medical
equipment manufacturers, resulting in
Whitelegg receiving machine orders from
GE of the USA, Siemens in Germany and
Furakaiwa in Japan.
The first body scanner was built in a
concrete bunker outside Oxford, as it was
feared that the magnetic fields could have
been harmful to humans. In the event, the
results have only been beneficial.
Oxford Magnet Technology was purchased
by Siemens some years ago, since when
Whitelegg has designed and manufactured
a special-purpose machine for winding
small coils from special materials, with
sophisticated tension control. All of
Whitelegg’s large coil winding machines
are built to customers’ specifications
and the latest machine, pictured here,
is capable of winding coils of 2,000mm
maximum diameter, with lengths of up to
2,000mm, and with a maximum coil weight
of 4,000kg.
An integral de-spooler is servo-controlled
and operates in conjunction with the
servo-driven main rotation axis and the
tensioning pulley, with a load meter
providing the necessary feedback for
the tension control system. All of the
servo motors and servo drives are Lenze
products, and FMS Force Measuring
Systems provided the tension control
load meter (comprising a load cell and
amplifier). A further servo motor controls
the axial movement of the de-spooler as
each turn of wire is laid down adjacent to
the previous turn.
The HMI for this machine is entirely new
and has been developed by Whitelegg
specifically for the manufacture of body
scanner coils. The graphical touchscreen
interface prompts the user to enter
parameters such as the number of layers,
the number of turns, the traverse position
and, of course, the wire tension. The HMI
is mounted on an arm that traverses
the length of the machine as winding
progresses in order that the operator
always has the best possible view of the
winding process.
Additional push buttons are installed on
the HMI housing to control the de-spooler,
and a joystick provides for manual fine
control of the de-spooler traverse. Another
set of push buttons on the reverse of
the machine, where the de-spooler is
mounted, allow for easier set-ups.
The use of state-of-the-art servos and
a specially developed HMI and control
program offers clear benefits for end users.
Whitelegg Machines says it can upgrade
existing large coil winding machines
– whether from Whitelegg or another
manufacturer – so that the benefits can be
enjoyed more widely by end users seeking
better process control for coil winding. In
some cases this work would be carried out
at Whitelegg’s factory in Surrey, UK, but
other machines may be suitable for the
upgrade to be retrofitted at the customer’s
premises.
Whitelegg Machines Ltd – UK
Website :
State-of-the-art control systems
▲ ▲ Clear benefits for the end users