Welding lathe control system

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For a project I am designing and building a welding lathe. I am a mechanical engineering student and therefore I have almost zero knowledge about electrical controlling systems (except for Arduino).

The welding lathe needs to be powered by a motor (stepping motor, ac, dc?) and controlled by a system.
The following point are important:

  • Motor will drive a shaft by gears with a yet to determine ratio
  • Maximum moment on the shaft is 10 Nm
  • Turning speed of the shaft must be controllable between 1 - 30 t/min
  • The shaft must turn with a precise constant speed if set on the right turning speed (otherwise the weld will be ruined)
  • Turning speed or voltage used (any data for adjusting the speed to the same value used another time) displayed on a display

Can someone help me with achieving these point and come up with a list to buy/how to do it?

Thank you!

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I think @4lloyd can help you with this

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@4lloyd is it possible for you to help me with the problem?

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Of course I can help :slight_smile:. I was abroad this weekend, so unfortunately I could not answer your question earlier.

If I understand your question correctly then next to a constant speed, you also need to be able to exactly position the lathe.

For the prototype/demonstration I would suggest to use a stepper motor or a DC motor with encoder. Both can be controlled by an Arduino. The stepper motor is the easiest option because there are a lot examples available on the internet and the feedback of the encoder can be hard to manage properly. The downside of a stepper motor is that there are small vibrations. These can partially be smoothed with something called “micro stepping”. Most 3D printers use stepper motors and I far as I know the vibrations are not a big problem there.

For industrial use a servo which is controlled by a drive would be the best solution. These servos are basically a motor with an encoder. Industrial servos are not the same as hobby servos. Hobby servos can only move about 180 degrees, while industrial servos can move as far as needed.

If you have any further questions let me know. I can also help making a list with the components which are needed. Just ask me about it when I’m in school.

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@4lloyd
Thank you for the answer.

The only thing the lathe needs to do, is turn at a constant speed (adjustable between 1-30 turns/minute).

Maybe it is usefull to meet up in school (easier to communicate)? So we can make up a to-do-list/list to buy. Let me know when you’re available.

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@rosephius
This week I’m not very often in school. From next week I will be in school on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.