Gantry control

A gantry is a positioning system that is used in material handling applications to move objects from point to point. Application sizes can vary considerably, from small applications requiring movement of light materials with high speed repetition, to much larger applications requiring movement of heavier loads.

The system involves MR-J4W3-B servo's to bridge the electromechanical link and provide controlled movement to the system. The simple motion controller LD77MS and the L-series PLC are connected to the system to synchronize control of the axis and sequences events within the system. An example program and information sheet focusing on gantry applications for three axis control is available from Mitsubishi Electric.

Through effective positioning control of the production material the gantry can be used to smoothly pick items up and transfer them to user defined positions. To reduce transfer time of the item, the gantry is able to complete linear interpolation along all three axis simultaneously, reducing point to point distances. Through high resolution encoders that monitor the position of each axis, the item can be placed accurately in any position within the gantry’s xyz grid.