The Control System Of Preheating Flash Butt Welding Machine Based On PLC

Designed for the industrial applications, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC for short) is widely applied in the modern industry. The Q Series PLC produced by Mitsubishi is one of the most advanced programmable controller in the world, it has powerful functions, in addition, we can construct a multi-CPU control system to meet the complex technical requirements of industrial applications, meanwhile, it has strong networking capabilities to adapt to the automotive production and management, providing a wide application prospect for the expanding industry control fields.A touch panel is a display device that enables the user to interact with it by touching the screen. The application of it with PLC together not only extends the capability of PLC and constructs vivid and alternative controlling interface, but also reduces the quantity of switches, buttons and meters and simplifies the control and makes a comfortable environment.Preheating flash butt welding(FBW) provides a preheating stage before flashing and upsetting, although it may seem to be a waste of time, it raises the temperature of the joint area, saves the total flash-off, and cuts down the power of the welding machine. For the incomparable advantages compared to other welding technologies, this welding method is generally applied in welding all kinds of circular parts, such as cable chain, wheels and so on.Hydraulic servo control system is a feedback control system which uses hydraulic components as drive unit, which is famous for its rapid response, high precision control, high power-weight ratio, and so on. While used to drive the transmission and implementing apparatus in the welding system, it can greatly enhance the quality of the welding machine.This paper mainly presents the design and implement of the welding machine monitoring system based on PLC, and the touch panel. The Q series PLC produced by Mitsubishi and the modularization design idea are used to develop the control system to improve the reliability, stability and efficiency. To adapt to the poor industrial environment, to improve the interface and to simplify the configuration of hardware, GT1595 is applied as the interface in stead of the traditional panel. This excellent interface enables the operator supervise the system easily. An information manage software is developed in computer to manage the product information and faults of the system.The system meets the scheduled requirements, and is likely to be put in use in industrial applications.