Success Stories

1. ALMAG Aluminium

ALMAG Aluminium requested us to modify Rigid Tap feature in our EtherCAT Motion Controller EC01 to meet their specific mechanical and electrical requirements.


Initial Assessment and Quotation

Upon receiving the request from ALMAG Aluminium, we conducted a preliminary assessment based on the available information and our past experiences with similar customizations. Our initial evaluation suggested that the customization of the Rigid Tap feature on EtherCAT could be accomplished within a day or two. Consequently, we provided ALMAG Aluminium with an initial estimate of $1795 USD to remotely work on this project. This quote reflected our estimation of engineering work required, assuming a straightforward integration process.


Development Challenges

As we progressed with the project, we realized the customer needed not only support on Rigid-Tap, but they also needed to get the rest of the machine in proper order to achieve production level. Also the Rigid Tap feature necessitated a deeper integration with the EtherCAT servo drives than initially anticipated. This involved significant modifications to the software components to ensure seamless and reliable operation. Extensive testing was necessary to ensure the newly integrated feature functioned correctly and met all operational requirements, requiring additional work for the project.


Revised Cost Estimation

Given these complexities, we recognized that the initial quotation did not cover the additional time and resources needed to successfully implement the Rigid Tap feature. After a thorough reassessment, we concluded that an additional $2500 USD was required to cover the additional engineering time and extensive testing procedures. The revised total cost for the project was therefore adjusted to $4295 USD. This adjustment was necessary to ensure that ALMAG Aluminium received a high-quality working solution that met their specific requirements and industry standards.


Conclusion

Despite the unforeseen challenges, we successfuly delivered robust and cost effective solution to ALMAG Aluminium. If they had brought someone to their factory to get their machine operational and implement a customized solution on EtherCAT, they would be easily spending well over $25000 USD. Not only that, there would be no guarantee they could pull it thru, and ALMAG would incur a big loss with no solution in hand. In comparison, our solution gave ALMAG the best working solution that was a win-win for both ALMAG and our company. By customizing our EtherCAT and other Motion Controllers and PLCs in our product portfolio, we are providing best customer experience, reinforcing our dedication to providing tailored solutions that exceed client expectations.

2. All Tools

When All Tools told us they needed to use a Mitsubishi VFD with our EtherCAT EC01 controller, our system didn't support it. Knowing how important this was, we started a project to make it work.

First, our engineers researched how the Mitsubishi VFD communicated so we could understand what changes were needed. Then, our development team got to work, writing new code and adjusting existing protocols to allow the VFD and our controller to talk to each other. It wasn't easy, but after thorough testing, we made sure everything worked perfectly. We also created clear instructions and training materials so our customers and support teams would know how to use the new setup. Like this project, we are always open to new ideas and ready to take challange to meet our customer's insdustry requirement.

Next »