Exploration of CNC System for Polyurethane Sponge Cutting Device

Abstract

Polyurethane sponge has been widely used in various industries such as automotive, medical, and furniture due to its excellent properties. With the continuous development of society, consumers' demand for the quantity and quality of polyurethane sponge continues to grow. At the same time, the demand for diversified and personalized sponge products is becoming increasingly prominent, which puts higher demands on the production technology of polyurethane sponge. Cutting, as a crucial process in sponge production, has a decisive impact on the quality and production efficiency of sponge products. However, the current level of automation in the CNC system of polyurethane sponge cutting machines in China is relatively low, mainly relying on a combination of manual and mechanical methods to complete cutting work, which cannot meet the growing demand for sponge products in the current market. This article is based on the architecture of "industrial computer+motion controller", combined with the characteristics of polyurethane sponge cutting process and the requirements of automation control, and conducts in-depth research on the CNC system of sponge cutting machine. Based on the mechanical structure characteristics of sponge cutting machine tools, a CNC system hardware platform with industrial computer and MC1004 motion controller as the core was constructed. In terms of software development, a hierarchical modular design concept is adopted to propose the upper computer software for the CNC system of sponge cutting machine, which can achieve communication function with MC1004, support the parsing, display and editing of graphic files, generate machining programs, perform machining simulation and tracking, etc. In response to the problem of excessive empty stroke in sponge processing paths, ant colony algorithm was introduced to optimize the processing path, significantly improving processing efficiency. The ultimate goal is to achieve stable operation and high-precision machining of the CNC system for sponge cutting machines, which is beneficial for improving the efficiency of the machine and enhancing the competitive advantage of polyurethane sponge cutting machines in the market. This provides a theoretical basis for the innovative research and development of polyurethane sponge cutting machines in the future.