drive&control local - Bosch Rexroth

01 | 2011
local
USA
Rexroth drives and controls
power first all-servo
paper cup-forming machine
16
Rig with
Rexroth hydraulics
frees miners
08
Panama Canal:
new locks use
Rexroth hydraulics
12

EDITORIAL
2
drive & control local
Dear Readers:
The economic recovery in manufacturing
appears to be holding strong, and it seems
to be characterized by the need to do
everything faster. It’s not enough,
however, to simply deliver products
faster. Manufacturers in virtually every
industry are asking for ever higher levels
of integration. Whether building
equipment or buying it, our customers
have realized that the old saying “make
hay while the sun shines” is more relevant
than ever in today’s rapidly
shifting economy.
To help our customers accomplish those
goals, we have re-shaped Rexroth
worldwide to meet the needs of the
industry sectors and market segments
characteristic of each region, with global
teams acting locally to create the right
solution for each customer. In this issue of
drive&control local, you’ll see our
concentrated customer focus at work in
applications large and small: New locks
for the Panama Canal’s 100-year
anniversary; the technology behind last
year’s rescue of the Chilean miners;
innovative approaches in hard disk
manufacturing and in paper cup
manufacturing; and in the production of
thin film solar panel technology.
You’ll also read about outstanding new
products, the latest additions to our
GoTo focused delivery program, and our
unique series of lean manufacturing
podcasts. I hope that you enjoy reading
this issue of drive&control local, and that
you gain insights that help you add the
necessary speed to your operations.
Sincerely,
Berend Bracht
Regional President,
Bosch Rexroth Americas

01 | 2011 USA
CONTENTS
3
8
18
10 16
12
FEATURE
16 First all-servo-driven paper cup-forming machine
features Rexroth drives and controls
TECHNOLOGY
08 Drilling rig with Rexroth hydraulics frees Chilean miners
10 Linear motion system boosts hard disk transport speed
by 25 percent
12 New locks on Panama Canal use Rexroth hydraulics
14 IndraMotion MLC increases accuracy and efficiency
while reducing costs for solar cell production
18 Custom pneumatic and directional control valve provides
reliability for oxygen concentrators
NEWS
04 Rexroth anticipates gains for 2011 fiscal year
04 IndraDrive Cs wins Engineer’s Choice Award
05 IndraLogic XLC receives 2011 “Golden Mousetrap” honor
for Best Product in automation and control
06 GoTo fast delivery program expands to include hundreds
of drive and control products
07 New mechatronics platform automates handling tasks,
simplifying the entire automation process
23 Podcast series helps manufacturers get lean; experts
deliver insight and practical advice
23 Rexroth expands into social media:
Connect on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
20 Plastics power welder features Rexroth motion, drive
and control technology
22 Modular conveyors add quality to battery assembly
CREDITS
drive&control local is the magazine for Rexroth U.S. customers.
Published by: Bosch Rexroth Corporation
Corporate Communications, Hoffman Estates, IL
Kevin Gingerich (responsible for content)
Editor-in-Chief: Susan Strauss 610-694-8352
susan.strauss@boschrexroth-us.com
Editing and design: Godfrey, www.godfrey.com
All rights reserved. Any reproduction or copying, either in part or whole,
requires prior permission of the publisher. drive&control local is mailed
using automated data processing.

NEWS
4
drive & control local
Rexroth back on course for growth
Company anticipates double-digit gains for the 2011 fiscal year
Bosch Rexroth announced that the number
of incoming orders doubled last year to
approximately $7.9 billion, and sales
increased by 22 percent to $6.8 billion.
The company was able to gain global
market shares during the first half of 2010 in markets still
suffering from the effects of the economic crisis. The company
achieved the strongest growth in Asia, where it increased sales
by 38 percent, to $1.9 billion. Business volumes in North and
South America increased by 36 percent, to $1.1 million. Overall
business increased by 9 percent, to $2.1 billion, in Europe
(without Germany). Sales in Germany were significantly
stronger, where 2010 sales were 18 percent above the previous
year’s value, at $1.7 billion.
In 2010, Bosch Rexroth invested more than $345 million in
Compact servo drive
wins Engineers’ Choice Award
research and development. Last year’s R&D share was
5.3 percent, a figure well above the industry average. Despite
the difficult worldwide financial crisis, Bosch Rexroth was able
to retain its core workforce at its 67 global production sites, and
increased capacities by 13 percent in the Asia region, where
5,100 associates now work for the company.
Mobile applications activities experienced particularly
positive developments, as Rexroth supports manufacturers of
mobile machines in adhering to stringent exhaust emissions
regulations. In addition, the plant engineering, factory
automation and early-cycle industries made a particularly
positive recovery. For wind energy, the market continued to
expand in China, where half of the world’s wind turbines were
put into operation in 2010.
www.boschrexroth-us.com
Control Engineering magazine readers recognize IndraDrive Cs
Bosch Rexroth’s compact IndraDrive Cs low-power servo drive
won Control Engineering magazine’s 2011 Engineers’ Choice
Award in the “Machine and Motion Control Servo
Drives” category.
Control Engineering subscribers chose from more than
100 products and voted for those they felt were the most
exceptional based on technological advancement, service
to the industry, and market impact.
“Innovative solutions such as the Rexroth IndraDrive Cs
economy servo drive make manufacturing and other control
engineering applications more efficient through smart
applications of new technologies,” commented Control
Engineering content manager Mark T. Hoske.
The IndraDrive Cs low-power servo drive also supports
SERCOS III, ProfiNet, EtherNet/IP and EtherCat
communications, and has a universal encoder interface port
supporting Hiperface ® , EnDat 2.1 and 2.2, 1Vss, 5 V TTL and
Resolvers. The IndraDrive Cs comes with digital inputs and
outputs plus an on-board analog input, integrated brake resistor
and intelligent operation panel with programming module
function. IndraDrive Cs is available in two compact designs and
is capable of operating low-power motors rated up to 3.5 kW
with drive peak current ranging from 3A up to 28A.
www.boschrexroth-us.com/brc
The IndraDrive Cs compact drive system gives machine builders
more flexibility when selecting a compact servo drive that delivers
the right amount of functionality for their low-power-range
applications.

01 | 2011 USA
NEWS
5
Rexroth’s IndraLogic XLC
offers new functions, fast
real-time communication via
SERCOS III, and is ideal for a
variety of applications.
IndraLogic XLC receives
2011 “Golden Mousetrap” honor
Product family receives Best Product Award in Automation and Control category
Design News magazine named Rexroth’s IndraLogic XLC family
as a 2011 “Golden Mousetrap Best Product Winner” in the
Automation and Control category.
For more than 20 years the Design News awards program has
recognized engineering innovation and creativity in product
design with its Golden Mousetrap awards. The magazine’s
editors recognized Rexroth’s controllers for their breadth of
new functions seamlessly integrated with flexible motion
control functions, standardized in one single
engineering environment.
“The products highlighted in this year’s Golden Mousetrap
winners and finalists clearly demonstrate both cutting-edge
design ideas and the practical evolution of technologies for
systems and product design engineers,” according to
Design News.
The IndraLogic XLC family enables scalable, controller-based
and embedded PC solutions in conjunction with the company’s
latest IndraControl device platform. Rexroth advanced the PLC
programming using the state-of-the-art PLC kernel, IndraLogic
2G, integrated homogeneously into the company’s IndraWorks
software tool and the multitasking runtime system.
With its motion control functionality, the XLC handles machine
applications ranging from simple point-to-point motion to the
synchronization of multiple axes that use Rexroth’s FlexProfile
to integrate complex motion sequences.
Functions include convenient editor tools, object orientation
as an extension to IEC 61131-3, and comprehensive function
libraries as well as fast compilers for efficient generation of
machine codes. The modular GAT compact (Generic Application
Template) simplifies the process of designing new machines
with enhanced software quality.
Contact: Joaquin Ocampo
Email: joaquin.ocampo@boschrexroth-us.com

NEWS
6
drive & control local
GoTo fast delivery program expands
More than 3,000 Drive & Control products now included
Rexroth’s GoTo program helps customers build
machinery faster, with quick delivery of drive and
control products.
Originally launched in April 2009, Rexroth’s popular GoTo
focused delivery program has expanded to include 3,047
products from a broad range of Rexroth’s electric drives and
controls, hydraulics, pneumatics, linear motion and aluminum
framing products. Key new additions to the program include
tightening systems, hydraulics filtration products, the EcoShape
tubular framing system and a broad range of additional
pneumatic products.
With the GoTo program, Rexroth provides quick access to
product information and reliable delivery lead times that meet
or exceed the expectations of the market. Delivery times vary
according to specific products selected, but in many cases
products are shipped as quickly as 24 hours after ordering.
Designed to offer industry-leading delivery times for Rexroth’s
most requested drive and control products, the GoTo program
now incorporates GoTo products in a new eBusiness portal,
https://www.boschrexroth-us.com/ebusiness, which features an
online shopping environment for registered customers. Online
resources such as data sheets, dimensions, part numbers, CAD
drawings and 3D Solid Models greatly streamline the product
selection process.
All GoTo catalogs have been completely updated and can be
downloaded from the GoTo website at www.boschrexroth-us.
com/goto
www.boschrexroth-us.com/goto

01 | 2011 USA
NEWS
7
New mechatronics platform
automates handling tasks
Seamless integration of technology simplifies the automation process
Rexroth’s EasyHandling solution
platform reduces the total time required
to assemble, configure and commission
mechatronic systems by up to 80 percent,
depending on the application. Rexroth’s
EasyHandling platform integrates all
drive and control technologies with
linear systems and standardized
mechanical and electrical interfaces.
Rexroth is the only manufacturer to offer
an engineering tool in which electrical
and mechanical data is already defined
for each axis. The solution also features
commissioning assistants that simplify
the fundamental automation process.
EasyHandling is available in basic,
comfort and advanced versions.
The EasyHandling basic version
encompasses ready-to-install mechanical
single- and multiple-axis systems, with
motors and pneumatics. Pneumatic
actuators such as grippers and rotary
modules, as well as sensors, are also
available. A solution-oriented software
selection tool shortens configuration and
planning time.
The comfort version includes
preconfigured Rexroth servo drives that
expand the entire range of basic axes.
Using newly developed hardware that
supports several Ethernet protocols,
servo drives realize communication with
Rexroth IndraDrive Cs controllers via
SERCOS III Ethernet, PROFINET IO,
EtherNet/IP and EtherCat.
In its highest level of integration,
EasyHandling advanced, Rexroth
integrates a scalable, preconfigured
motion-logic controller compliant with
IEC 61131-3 and PLC open standards in
the handling systems. The drivecontroller
software provides the operator
with maintenance instructions that
correspond to the specific run times and
travel paths based on the axis-specific
mechanical data defined. The result is a
much longer service life and reduced risk
for mechanical failure.
www.easy-handling.com

MINING
8
drive & control local
Mining a miracle:
Schramm drilling rig with Rexroth
hydraulics frees Chilean miners
The whole world watched as a Schramm T130XD mobile rig rescued trapped miners
On August 5, 2010, a cave-in occurred at the San Jose gold and
copper mine near the northern city of Copiapó, Chile, trapping
33 miners in a chamber about 2,300 feet below the surface. After
waiting 17 days, an exploratory drill broke through to where
they were, and they attached a message telling the world they
were still alive.
That began one of the most dramatic and technologically
challenging mine rescues ever attempted. At first, due to the
depth where they were located and the dense granite of its
geography, it was estimated that drilling a rescue hole would
take four months —“around Christmas” was the best guess.
At the time of the San Jose cave-in, a Schramm T130XD drilling
rig was being operated about 600 miles away, drilling largediameter
bore holes at another mine site. Key technology in the
hydraulic system that powers the drill are the Rexroth
AA11VLO130 Variable Displacement Pumps. Schramm selected
the Rexroth pumps when designing the T130XD because of their
proven performance, particularly in deep drilling applications
requiring high-pressure capacity and up to 130,000 pounds of
pullback pressure.
“The Schramm T130XD used for the
rescue had zero downtime directly
attributable to the rig throughout
the rescue process. The Rexroth
pumps did their part.”
—Brian Brookover, Schramm
The Rexroth AA11VLO130 Variable Displacement Pump is
designed for hydrostatic drives in open circuits. It offers highpower
capacity and displacement in a compact design, with
nominal pressure of 5100 psi (350 bar) and maximum pressure
of 5800 psi (400 bar).
Schramm’s rig uses four Rexroth AA11VLO130 pumps, which
supply hydraulic pressure to the top mast head and master

01 | 2011 USA
MINING
9
Schramm’s T13OXD mobile
drilling rig, equipped with
Rexroth AA11VLO pumps.
The reliability of the Rexroth
AA11VLO pumps is especially
critical in deep drilling
applications requiring high
pressure capacity and
pullback force delivered by
the drill rig.
cylinders. The top mast head is the mechanism at the top of the
drill mast that provides the pullback force for the thousands
of feet of pipe down the hole; the master cylinders support
this function.
Within a few days, the T130XD was on site at the San Jose mine,
working as one of several efforts to bore a hole wide enough to
lower a rescue capsule down into the mine and bring the men
back to the surface.
Although Chilean mining authorities designated the work being
done by the Schramm rig as a backup “Plan B,” in a little more
than two weeks the T130XD quickly outpaced the Plan A hole
being dug by a larger vertical-bore hole rig, widening its pilot
hole from 5.5 inches to 12 inches along the entire 2,260-ft. length
from the surface to where the miners were gathered.
According to Schramm officials, the reliable performance of the
Rexroth AA11VLO130 pumps was crucial to the speed of the
drilling: “The pumps are mission-critical to the T130XD — if the
pumps are out of commission, there is no hoist or rotation,” said
Brian Brookover, Schramm Control Systems Team Leader.
On October 9, just 33 days after the T130XD began work, the final
28-inch wide rescue hole was completed; four days later, as a
worldwide audience watched, all 33 miners were reunited with
their families and communities, and Chile celebrated a miracle
under and above the earth.
Contact: Tom Frankenfield
Email: tom.frankenfield@boschrexroth-us.com

SEMICONDUCTOR
10
drive & control local
Hard disk transport speed
gets a big boost from
Rexroth linear motion system
Intevac’s new system increased throughput by 25 percent using a unique
linear motion system (LMS) with NYCe 4000 motion control
The Intevac 200 Lean ® Gen II
system uses a Rexroth linear
motion system to increase
throughput by 25 percent to
1,000 disks per hour.

01 | 2011 USA
SEMICONDUCTOR
11
Today’s growth in digital data has created a huge demand for
hard disk storage media. At the same time, hard disk
manufacturers are facing strong price and competitive
pressures. That makes it critical for hard disk manufacturers
to maximize throughput and return on investment.
Intevac, Inc., of Santa Clara, CA, produces one of the leading
perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) hard disk
manufacturing tools: the 200 Lean ® system. One of Intevac’s
main goals for its second-generation 200 Lean system was to
develop an improved transport method that would enable
significantly faster throughput.
For the 200 Lean Gen II, the Intevac engineering team wanted
to see if the Rexroth Linear Motion System (LMS) with
NYCe 4000 motion-control technology could be configured
to increase throughput to the level required for its second
generation system.
To create the Gen II transport mechanism, the Bosch Rexroth
Tech Center West in Pleasanton, CA, worked with the Intevac
team through all phases of the project, from developing initial
control technology and hardware to implementing the testing
and system optimization.
“We were pleased that Rexroth
wanted to work with us to design
a transport system that met our
requirements to dramatically
boost throughput in our 200 Lean
Gen II system.”
—Chuck Liu, Intevac
The Rexroth LMS uses inverted linear motors with coils
embedded in the track and a magnetic plate embedded in each
disk carrier. The plate on the carrier is magnetically coupled
to the coils, which are located outside of the vacuum chamber
where production occurs. The carrier moves when the
electromagnetic coils are activated in a controlled sequence,
passing control of the carrier’s magnetic plate from one coil to
the next without losing position or control of motion. Perfect
carrier hand-offs between stations are enabled by hall sensors
tied into Rexroth’s NYCe 4000 motion controller.
The NYCe 4000 system is a compact, multi-axis control system
One benefit of the LMS is that there are no rollers or other
mechanical drive elements to generate debris— eliminating a
possible source of contaminants that could cause defects.
with integrated drive technology. Thanks to its integrated
drives, user-friendly tunable software and multi-functional
capabilities, the NYCe 4000 system complemented Intevac’s
200 Lean modular design. In the Gen II design, Rexroth was able
to move the disk carriers independently from one process to
another at high speed and with the high precision necessary
for the disk fabrication processes in each chamber.
“Given our process chamber geometry, we wanted to see if a
linear motion system could meet the needs of the process, plus
provide flexibility for other hard disk media,” explains Chuck
Liu, Intevac’s general manager for hard disk drive products.
“The Rexroth team came through — not just as a component
vendor, but as a solutions provider.”
The dedicated high-tech applications group provided face-toface
support at critical phases of the project, with Rexroth
application engineers writing control code and tuning motors.
In addition, when the first 200 Lean Gen II system shipped,
Rexroth’s Tech Center West provided a custom control enclosure
to meet SEMI standards.
Today, Bosch Rexroth expedites production of 200 Lean Gen II
systems by delivering the LMS assembly fully wired and tested.
After Intevac sells a system, a Rexroth support team is available
as needed to support Intevac’s customers.
Contact: Thomas Christmann
Email: thomas.christmann@boschrexroth-us.com

CIVIL ENGINEERING
12
drive & control local
Panama Canal:
New locks use Rexroth hydraulics
New lock technology for canal’s 100th anniversary reduces fresh water consumption
For its 100-year anniversary in 2014, the Panama Canal
Authority is modernizing and expanding the canal between the
Atlantic and Pacific. The construction also includes installation
of new locks to the two oceans, each with three lock chambers,
which will allow much bigger ships than before to pass through
the Panama Canal. The automation expert Bosch Rexroth is
contributing hydraulic system solutions to the modernization
process that will guarantee a smooth flow of traffic on one of the
world’s busiest waterways. Although the new locks are much
bigger, they use less fresh water than the current technology,
meaning they conserve the region’s
water supply.
When the Panama Canal began
operating in 1914, steamships and
sailing ships still ruled the seas.
Modern drive systems have also seen
the size of ships increase and 60
percent of the world’s merchant fleet
now no longer fits through the Panama
Canal. Once the locks are expanded,
ships up to 1,200 feet long and
160 feet wide will also be able to
save on travel time, costs and
CO 2
emissions.
New locks conserve regional water supply
As the supplier of the steel construction for the wheel gates,
South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries
(HSHI) contracted with Bosch Rexroth in late 2010 to plan,
construct and commission 158 customer-specific hydraulic
units and drive cylinders to operate the water-regulating wheel
gates. In this regard, the lock design is aimed at conserving
resources. Each lock chamber is connected to three watersaving
basins via communicating pipes. To lift

01 | 2011 USA
CIVIL ENGINEERING
13
The lock design of the
expanded Panama Canal is
aimed at conserving resources.
the ships, the Rexroth drives open the corresponding inlets and
the water from the water-saving basins fills the lock chambers
using gravity. Unlike the previous technology, the water flows
back into the basins once the lock operation is complete. Only
40 percent of the water required
for one lock operation comes
from the man-made
Gatun Lake. By
contrast, the existing
locks take the entire amount of water required from the lake and
then empty all of it into the sea. Despite the considerably larger
lock chambers, this means the expansion reduces consumption
of fresh water by seven percent compared with the existing
locks, ensuring the regional water supply is conserved in a
sustainable way.
Global capacities pooled
During the international bidding process, Rexroth was able to
highlight the experience it has gained in a whole host of major
civil engineering projects, as well as how it pools its global
production network. In this project, experts from the drive and
control specialist are coordinating skills and production
capacities from Germany, the Netherlands, China,
South Korea and the United States. The
application places particularly high demands on
the availability of the automation solution: Over
the course of 100,000 operating hours —which
equates to more than 11.5 years of round-theclock
operation — the total downtime must be
less than only four hours.
After a construction period lasting three years,
the official opening is scheduled to take place in
its anniversary year of 2014.
Contact: Antonio Osio
Email: antonio.osio@boschrexroth-us.com
Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/Mark Wragg

PHOTOVOLTAICS
14
drive & control local
With the IndraMotion MLC system, all the
machines’ axes are electronically synchronized
to maintain precise web position.
Rexroth servomotors can adjust
speed and tension by one-percent
increments as needed.

01 | 2011 USA
PHOTOVOLTAICS
15
IndraMotion MLC
reduces cost, increases
efficiency for solar cell
production machinery
Servomotor and motion control system drive accuracy for critical application
Although using solar-cell panels to generate electricity is a clean
alternative to burning fossil fuels, the costs are high. Innovative
machinery developed by Northfield Automation Systems for a
solar-cell panel manufacturer using a Bosch Rexroth shaftless
motion control system helps to dramatically reduce those costs.
Manufacturing typical silicon-wafer solar cells is expensive
because the cells are built in layers. The silicon semiconductor
layer that turns light into electric current is typically applied
in a complex process known as vacuum deposition. However,
the solar cell manufacturer created a process that applied
semiconductor material onto a web of thin foil in an open-air
environment, creating copper indium gallium (di) selenide
(CIGS) solar cells that are less expensive than traditional silicon
wafer cells and eliminating the complexity of
vacuum deposition.
“The IndraMotion MLC is an
excellent solution that allowed us
to work more efficiently, which
helped cut development time
by 20 percent.”
–Darin Stotz, sales manager, Northfield Automation
The solar cell manufacturer needed a drive and motion control
system that could tightly synchronize multiple axes of the rolls
of foil in one long production line. Motion Tech Automation, a
local Rexroth distributor, assisted Northfield Automation
Systems with the final solution — the IndraMotion MLC Control,
previously known as Rexroth SYNAX 200 shaftless drive system.
With this system, tightly
synchronized digital servo
drives and dynamic servo
motors run off a
standardized control
platform to create virtual
drives, an approach known
as Electronic Line Shafting.
For this application, the
MLC platform included a
Machine Vision camera
The modularity of IndraMotion
that focuses on registration
MLC made it possible to easily
marks on the web. Position configure the line to meet
inputs are translated by a various requirements.
PLC that sends instructions
to a rack mounted PPC
multiaxis controller. The controller communicates with the
Rexroth Indradrive C Converters powering Rexroth MSK
Synchronous Servo Motors, which make the appropriate
position and speed adjustments as required. Data is transmitted
between the motion controller and drives in real time over
SERCOS III industrial Ethernet.
The MLC controller automatically recognized the servomotors,
thanks to electronic nameplates that identified the motor, its
maximum current and RPM. Then the controller automatically
sets up the drive based on those parameters without having to
individually input values. Thanks to the MLC system, the solar
manufacturer is producing solar panels 100 times thinner than
typical panels and depositing semiconductors 100 times faster.
Contact: Thomas Christmann
Email: thomas.christmann@boschrexroth-us.com

FEATURE
16
drive & control local
Industry’s first all-servo
paper cup−forming machine
uses Rexroth drives and controls
Industry leader Paper Machinery Corporation builds new machine engineered for faster
changeovers and more cost-effective system design
The machine is engineered for faster
changeovers and higher output in paper
container production.
Paper Machinery Corporation (PMC)
of Milwaukee, WI, is the world’s
leading source of high-performance
forming machines for paper cups,
paperboard canisters and custom
paperboard packages.
In response to customers seeking
machines that were more economical
and provided faster changeovers, the
company created the PMC 2000S, the
industry’s first fully servo-driven
forming machine, engineered for faster,
easier tooling changeovers and able to
support a wider range of container sizes
and dimensions.
“For a growing segment of customers you
need to run multiple sets of tooling on one
machine,” said John Baumgartner,
president of PMC. “Our servo-driven
machine is going to be a significantly
better machine for customers with that
kind of tooling changeover requirement.”
PMC chose a complete Rexroth drive and
control platform, the IndraMotion MLC
(motion, logic and controller), combined
with advanced Rexroth IndraDyn T
direct drive motors and compact
IndraDrive Cs servo drives.
The new PMC 2000S is an 18-axis
machine capable of producing up to
200 cups per minute with three main
sections: 1) a feed turret that inserts the

01 | 2011 USA
FEATURE
17
“One of the reasons we chose Rexroth …
is because of their flexibility and excellent
engineering support. We worked very well
together to design this package.”
—Liz Lind, PMC Controls Manager
Rexroth’s IndraDyn T direct
drive motor rotates the
mandrel turret through
multiple stages to create the
paper cup.
blank container sidewalls into the machine; 2) a large mandrel
turret that indexes the sidewalls through multiple wrapping,
gluing, seaming and bottom application stations; and 3) a
rimming turret for curling the top rim of the container.
The Rexroth IndraMotion MLC platform replaces mechanical
cams with digital electronic cams for each of the 18 machine
axes. It creates an operating framework that will enable
changeover from one complete tool set to another in a single
shift, much faster than cam-driven machines would allow.
IndraMotion MLC also provides a sophisticated array of
programming tools, such as Rexroth’s CamBuilder program,
to build and fine-tune electronic cams and motion sequences —
tools that gave Rexroth a critical advantage as PMC assessed
which platform to use to control its 2000S model.
Along with programming the servo controls and motion-logic,
another engineering challenge presented by the PMC 2000S
was the selection and sizing of the motors for each axis, in
particular the direct drive motors to turn the mandrel, transfer
and gripper turrets.
Rexroth’s IndraDyn T torque direct drive motors are optimized
for high torques of up to 13,800 Nm. This enables PMC to satisfy
another key requirement: stopping the machine motion within
one index when needed (e.g., if a container fails to be ejected on
the cup diverter) without harming either the machine’s
mechanical systems or the drive itself.
PMC launched its 2000S at the PackExpo 2010 conference and
tradeshow, and the machine has been undergoing successful
pilot operation at a customer operation since the launch.
Contact: Dan Throne
Email: daniel.throne@boschrexroth-us.com

PNEUMATICS
18
drive & control local
Custom pneumatics help Nidek
medical oxygen concentrators
deliver unmatched reliability
Custom pneumatic directional control valve provides the perfect solution for the unique
demands of a medical oxygen concentrator
Medical device specialist Nidek Medical of
Birmingham, AL manufactures the Nuvo series of
oxygen concentrators, which have become a global
standard of excellence in the delivery of oxygen to
patients who are prescribed medical oxygen. For
the company’s new Nuvo Lite oxygen concentrator,
Nidek needed a reliable, lightweight directional
control valve — and they needed it in a very short,
demanding timeframe.
Nidek Medical’s Nuvo oxygen concentrators are
used in patients’ homes or in small clinics —
situations where on-site medical resources are
limited, making reliability a key issue. Nidek
planned to roll out a smaller, lighter version of Nuvo
— Nuvo Lite — that offered precise oxygen delivery
and resistance to contamination by air particles of
almost microscopic size.
One of the most challenging Nuvo Lite components
to develop was the solenoid operated, pneumatic
directional control valve that helps turn ordinary
air into 95 percent pure oxygen for respiration.
And time was of the essence.
The product rollout had to take place following a
detailed schedule for creating a prototype, testing
the device and beginning production in
conjunction with FDA medical device listing. Any
delay submitting the oxygen concentrator for FDA
The Rexroth air valve solution in Nidek’s
Nuvo Lite oxygen concentrator resists
contaminants, continues operating.

01 | 2011 USA
PNEUMATICS
19
listing would mean a delay in market introduction. That
meant a narrow window for designing and engineering
the custom valve.
Available off-the-shelf valves were quickly eliminated
from consideration due to budgetary reasons (excessive
per-unit cost) and Nidek’s specialized engineering and
production demands. That meant exploring a customized
valve option — and that’s where Bosch Rexroth came in.
Bosch Rexroth Pneumatics created a custom-designed and
manufactured valve that outperformed several other
candidates in three key requirements: precision oxygen
delivery to patients, rapid cycling (ordinary air in, oxygen
out, approximately every 13 seconds) and resistance to
contamination. Rexroth engineers developed a fully
integrated, electronics-driven, compact design that was
based upon proven technology, yet also unique to the
Nuvo Lite concept.
“Rexroth was head and shoulders above everybody else
in engineering,” said Gary McGaha, New Product
Development Engineer for Nidek. “Their technicians
made several trips to consult with us and get the exact
specifications needed to design a valve that was driven by
our needs — instead of our having to adjust the product and
our production schedule to the capabilities of the valve.”
Once the valve had been fabricated, it had to pass Nidek’s
application testing. That meant functioning flawlessly
under actual operating conditions — and outperforming
a wide range of valves from competing suppliers all over
the world.
Rexroth engineers developed a fully integrated, electronicsdriven
compact design based on proven technology.
During the application test, when particles of sieve material
eventually entered the Nuvo Lite directional control valve,
the Rexroth valve continued to operate — and so did the
Nuvo Lite. No other valve performed as well.
This specially engineered valve gave Nidek critical
marketing and production advantages: superior reliability,
logistics and technical support, cost-effectiveness and
reduced size and weight.
Contact: John Bridges
Email: john.bridges@boschrexroth-us.com

AUTOMATION
20
drive & control local
A new spin on
welding plastic parts
Plastics power welder uses Rexroth drive, control and linear motion technology
The traditional image of welding involves large pieces of metal
and sparks flying as the welder applies the torch. However,
welding small plastic parts involves joining them by pressure
and friction in a precisely controlled automated process. One of
the most challenging of these welding tasks is the production of
fluid-filled plastic balance rings, used in balancing the wash load
in a washing machine.
Most balance rings begin life as two donut-shaped plastic pieces
(about two feet in diameter), one of which is held in place while
the other half is spun and pressed downward onto it. The
compression force and friction melts the plastic to exactly the
right extent, forming a leak-proof weld.
When one major appliance part fabricator recently found itself
experiencing an unacceptably high level of wasted materials
and scrapped parts it called upon machine builder Eagle
Technologies. With guidance from local Rexroth automation
distributor Morrell Inc., Eagle Technologies chose a total
solution from Rexroth including drive, control and linear motion
packages, including IndraDyn servo motors and IndraMotion
MLD integrated motion logic control, as the most flexible and
cost-effective solution for dealing with the unique challenges.
The drive-based Rexroth IndraMotion MLD integrated motion
logic control platform is a SERCOS III Ethernet-based system
used in the Eagle Technologies plastics spin welding machine
(which welds parts together by using high-speed friction). This
eliminates the need for a separate PLC and combines motion and
PLC functions in a single automation platform. The motion logic
controller works with Rexroth’s IndraDrive digital intelligent
servo drives and IndraDyn S motors to drive the spin welder,
and allows precise control of low-speed, high-torque spin
motion. Using the Rexroth HMI, operators can apply a full menu
of parameters for each welding operation: motion, positioning,
force, power usage and more. Changes to parts configurations
and welding parameters can be accomplished through the
touchscreen, instead of reconfiguring the entire machine.
“Usually a weld machine design starts with a PLC and then the
designer builds out from there,” says Earle Cooper, project
manager for Eagle Technologies. “Rexroth’s IndraMotion MLD
lets us start with control of two axes already built into the servo
drive, so we could focus on a wide range of options for creating
different types of welds and parts.”
The end-user realized an immediate
improvement in the efficiency and
productivity of their balance
ring production.
Scrap material dropped from 15 percent to less than one
percent. The machine’s HMI repeats the parameters of a perfect
weld and spin profile, time after time. These improvements have
been incorporated without compromising productivity or
operator safety. Rexroth’s Safety on Board drive-based machine
safety system uses Safe Motion technology to maximize operator
safety in cases where the operator must reach into the weld area.
(The safety system conforms to EN954-1 Category 3 safe and
supports new ISO 13849 standards).
Contact: Kevin Gingerich
Email: kevin.gingerich@boschrexroth-us.com

01 | 2011 USA
AUTOMATION
21
Rexroth aluminum
structural framing
Rexroth IndraDyn
synchronous servo motor
Rexroth VCP touchscreen HMI
Rexroth precision Ball
Screws and Ball Rails ®
Rexroth IndraMotion MLD
integrated motion logic
platform and IndraDrive
digital intelligent servo drives
Rexroth Safety on Board with
Safe Motion functionality
SERCOS III industrial
Ethernet communication
With the Rexroth drive and control package operators can control every motion, speed and dimension parameter
with a high degree of precision and consistency, resulting in precise welds for washing machine balance rings.

ASSEMBLY
22
drive & control local
Modular conveyors add
quality to battery assembly
Rexroth conveyors reduce product damage, increase productivity
In almost every facet of today’s world, from
telecommunications to transportation, from tiny
cell phones to construction vehicles, batteries are
included. Advances in battery technology,
particularly lithium ion and multi-cell prismatic
designs, create new, unique challenges in
automating battery assembly.
Battery production can truly be described as an
industry in which the only constant is constant
change: new designs, new production techniques,
new automation approaches and radical changes
in demand.
Edgewater Automation, an assembly and automation
system designer, creates specialized approaches to
the battery production process, including varying
methods of stacking cells, connecting tabs, module
packaging (gluing, banding, heat sealing) and much
more —while keeping in mind that the needs of today
will not necessarily be the needs of tomorrow.
Many of the opportunities that Edgewater encounters today
are the result of a dramatic need for changes in modern
transportation methods. Cars, trucks and buses all require
large, heavy batteries that are assembled step by step from a
wide range of components, some of which may be sensitive and
require gentle handling. One of the best responses to this everchanging
environment has proven to be the use of conveyor
technologies that make it easier to both create and alter
assembly lines. This allows manufacturers to expand
production, add more automation, create more balanced work
flow to manage demand, and blend manual and automated
assembly techniques as needed. To handle the diversity of
assembly processes, Edgewater uses modular pallet-based
assembly conveyors, such as Rexroth’s TSplus conveyors.
With its wide range of options for routing, handling and stopping
parts, the modular conveyor approach allows for the design of
an overall system that maximizes throughput and
production flexibility.
In some assembly areas, delicate components, such as lithium
ion wafers, may benefit from automated parts supply. In these
circumstances, Edgewater combines a modular chain conveyor
system, such as Rexroth’s VarioFlow, to transfer components
Modular conveyor components, such as Rexroth’s TSplus conveyors, are at the
heart of many battery assembly systems, increasing line productivity while
reducing the potential for damage to the product.
smoothly and consistently into automated assembly equipment
(SCARA or 6-axis robots perform most assembly tasks). The
conveyor and the all-robotic assembly processes are both
controlled by dedicated hardware and software. VarioFlow
capabilities are compatible with most standard motion-control
software systems and with Rexroth’s own proprietary electric
drive and control products as well as its HMI line.
With these capabilities, battery manufacturers using modular
technologies know that they can re-configure, add to or expand
their system to handle whatever advances they can dream
up —without having to scrap the entire system and start over.
When changes in technology or the marketplace occur, the
ability to reconfigure or expand quickly can reduce time to
market, cut costs and give battery producers a competitive edge.
The modular approach helps manufacturers respond to change
with nimbler, leaner manufacturing processes. This reduces the
cost of ownership by minimizing the cost of change, and
provides a solid foundation for growth.
Contact: Kevin Gingerich
Email: kevin.gingerich@boschrexroth-us.com

01 | 2011 USA
NEWS
23
Podcast series helps manufacturers get lean
Experts on lean transformation and case histories deliver insight and practical advice
The Rexroth Lean Manufacturing podcast series provides
real-world insight and guidance on ways manufacturers can
make operations more lean and productive. Experts from the
world of lean transformation discuss programs and techniques
businesses in every segment can use to:
• Reduce waste and improve workflow
• Integrate automation technology and lean
• Apply lean across their enterprise
Along with podcasts featuring lean experts, there are multiple
case history podcasts. Leading-edge manufacturers, OEMs and
even world-class architects discuss how they combined lean
practices and Rexroth technology to enhance their workspace,
improve employee productivity and encourage innovation.
Launched in 2008, the podcasts cover lean manufacturing
systems and technology, lean manufacturing and people,
and lean case histories. The most recent podcast posted,
Episode #16, is titled “Lean in Assembly Operations.” Featuring
lean manufacturing expert
Dan Fleming, it examines how
to use automation as part of a
lean assembly system.
Each podcast has its own
page where website visitors
listen, download or read the
transcript. Visitors can also
learn about each featured
expert and even send that
expert a question about
Lean Manufacturing Podcast
lean manufacturing.
Episode 16: “Lean in
Assembly Operations”
Convenient links to other lean
manufacturing resources from Bosch Rexroth, including
training resources, whitepapers and guidebooks, accompany
each podcast.
www.boschrexroth-us.com/leanpodcast
Rexroth expands into social media
Connect with Rexroth on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
Last Spring, Rexroth in the U.S. entered the
vibrant engineering social media
landscape with the simultaneous launch of
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels.
These channels provide new ways to
interact with Rexroth, offering rich access
to the latest videos, news and
product announcements.
Each Thursday, for example, the company’s
Video of the Week is posted at the same
time on YouTube and Facebook, and
engineers interested in drive, motion and
control technologies can see various
applications of Rexroth products in action,
including wind turbine gearboxes,
hydrostatic regenerative braking systems
and hydraulic technology for solar thermal
power plants. Since Rexroth began the Video of the Week
program, the company’s YouTube channel has received
more than 30,000 views of those videos.
Rexroth uses Twitter to announce the Video of the Week,
as well as company news, upcoming trade show activity,
new technical references on its website, and news from other
sources relevant to the engineering, manufacturing, mobile
hydraulics and renewable energy communities.
By accessing Rexroth’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
pages, engineers can receive and share the information
that is most useful to them in a way that is convenient and
accessible for quick updates on products, trends and
innovations that stimulate new ideas.
www.facebook.com/boschrexrothus
www.twitter.com/boschrexrothus
www.youtube.com/boschrexrothus

Bosch Rexroth Corporation
Corporate Communications
5150 Prairie Stone Parkway
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192-3707
Telephone (847) 645-3600
Facsimile (847) 645-0804
E-Mail: info@boschrexroth-us.com
www.boschrexroth-us.com