Authors:
Patrick Girard
1
and
Vincent Thomson
2
Affiliations:
1
Industrial Materials Institute, National Research Council, Canada
;
2
Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, Canada
Keyword(s):
Model based control, forming energy, simulation, real time identification, intelligent agents, on-line diagnostics.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics
;
Intelligent Control Systems and Optimization
;
Software Agents for Intelligent Control Systems
Abstract:
Thermoforming consists of shaping a plastic material by deforming it at an adequate deformation rate and temperature. It often exhibits abrupt switches between stable and unstable material behaviour that have neither been identified nor controlled up to now. PID control, although adequate for simple parts, has not been able to control very well the forming of complex parts and parts made of newer materials. In this paper, the state parameters that allow the development of predictive models for the forming process and the construction of control systems are identified. A robust, model based control system capable of in-cycle control is presented. It is based on a simulator continuously tuned and supported in real time by intelligent agents that incorporate diagnostic capabilities.