System and method for automated low-speed positioning of a can necking machine

A system for performing necking operations on a can body, the system comprising:

• a necker machine comprising:
• a frame,
• a processing arrangement having a plurality of components movable relative to the frame, the processing arrangement structured to perform the necking operations on the can body, and
• a drive motor having a shaft operatively coupled to the processing arrangement for moving the processing arrangement relative to the frame;
• and
• a positioning system comprising:
• an encoder associated with the drive motor for monitoring a rotational displacement of the shaft;
• and
• a controller in communication with the encoder and the drive motor, wherein the controller is structured and programmed to:
• receive an input from a user, the input being indicative of a desired movement of the processing arrangement relative to the frame, and
• operate the drive motor using feedback from the encoder such that the desired movement of the processing arrangement is achieved, wherein:
• the encoder comprises a first encoder,
• the positioning system further comprise a second encoder associated with a first component of the processing arrangement for monitoring a rotational position of the first component with respect to the frame,
• the second encoder is in communication with the controller for communicating the rotational position of the first component to the controller,
• the controller is structured and programmed to determine the rotational position of other components of the processing arraignment from the rotational position of the first component of the processing arrangement,
• the desired movement of the processing arrangement corresponds to a desired final rotational positioning of a particular component of the processing arrangement relative to the frame, and
• the controller is further programmed to:
• determine an initial rotational position of the particular component from the rotational position of the first component provided by the second encoder,
• determine a rotational displacement between the desired rotational positioning of the particular component and the initial rotational position of the particular component, and
• operate the drive motor using the feedback from the first encoder until the rotational displacement has been achieved according tot eh feedback from the first encoder.