Performance test of EtherCAT servo driver for real-time synchronous control

摘要

To achieve machining of high-level precision, it is essential to improve the mechanical structure of the machining tool. However, the performance of the controller and network synchronization also significantly affects the machining quality. Especially, for a machining tool consists of multiple axes, network-based synchronization between axes is required to achieve a good machining quality. As it is often difficult to evaluate the network synchronization performance, several solutions have been proposed. One of the solutions is to use an established mathematical model to evaluate the performance through simulations. On the other hand, a testbed can be set up, so that the synchronization performance can be experimentally evaluated. In this study, an EtherCAT-based multi-axis testbed is established to verify the synchronization performance of the controller.