The application of reconfigurable logic to high speed CNC milling machines controllers

Abstract

Reconfigurable logic has gained relevance in high-speed computer numerical control (CNC) digital controllers where high processing speed at the servo loop update time is critical. Reconfigurable devices like field programmable gate array (FPGA) have advantages over microprocessors and DSP with similar logic complexity because their open architecture makes them suitable for system on-a-chip applications. The contribution of this work is the development of an FPGA-based proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller applied to a high-speed CNC milling machines in order to achieve the servo loop update time requirements. Results show PID system functionality, which has been synthesized into a low-cost FPGA platform, successfully applied to a high-speed CNC milling machine.