Gap measurement and control in Conform~(TM) extrusion

摘要

Conform~(TM) extrusion is a very versatile manufacturing process, permitting the production of a wide variety of high quality nonferrous metal products in continuous lengths. During the process, it is important to maintain an appropriate gap between the wheel and tooling in order to achieve product quality. The extreme temperature environment makes the measurement of the gap using a commercial sensor a challenging task. An active gap sensing and control system for improving product quality using mechatron-ics solutions is investigated. The gap is measured using an air gauge system and controlled using a hydraulic actuation system.