ASC, System Controller ARGNET Series

The ASC controller and InScript software solution for our ARGES scan heads features powerful synchronization tools to enhance laser system performance. Featuring real-time control signals, remote diagnostics and administration, and high accuracy and throughput for demanding applications, this laser controller solution empowers users with more control and flexibility to optimize their laser system.

ASC, System Controller ARGNET Series
Description

Compatible with our ARGES scan heads, ASC is the central device in a laser system, controlling scan heads, lasers, sensors, actuators, and other peripherals. Our newest ASC series, ARGNET features a powerful Quadcore 64bit-CPU with 215k logic cell FPGA, enabling high-power performance, changeable multi-functional interface boards for added flexibility, and open platform with embedded Linux OS. The combination of ARGES System Controller and its intuitive software, InScript® results in a highly configurable interfaces and processing units which responds in real-time to external signals.

 

This next generation controller solution, the ARGNET series guarantees an optimized synchronization of all devices and signals, which is important in laser systems. The ASC is an autonomously functioning device that does not require a host to carry out its processing tasks and can be remotely diagnosed, administered, and parameterized via TCP/IP. This controller solution is compatible with all ARGES scan heads, lasers, and sub-systems.

 

The ARGES control environment includes the InScript® software, which is supplied with the ASC, as well as other software-based connectivity solutions, for example the ARGES ControllerLib (C-API). These alternative control options provide a high degree of flexibility for precisely configuring the system to your requirements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights External Link Pop Up
Enhanced features
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Enhanced features

  • Timestamp based infrastructure for precise scanner and laser real-time control
  • High throughput thanks to timestamp based data processing at 200K sample rate
  • High accuracy enabling micromachining jobs
  • Easy combination/alignment of several signal streams with TSS technology
  • Modular SW-architecture enables a quick extension of the scope of functionality
  • Short response time of the system (<10 ms) via C API enables quick process handling
Compatible with InScript software
Inscript

Compatible with InScript software

This control environment includes the InScript® software, which is supplied with the ASC, as well as other software-based connectivity solutions. This complete solution enables a high degree of flexibility for precisely configuring the system to your requirements.

 

Learn more about our InScript software here.

Calibration wizard for scan field calibration
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Calibration wizard for scan field calibration

This release introduces a new and improved procedure for the 2-D and 3-D Scan Field Calibration (SFC). The SFC features a calibration of the system with high accuracy. The new 3D-SFC engine and the new calibration wizard enable a customer-friendly and accurate calibration. Additionally, this feature also enables an improved 2D method. With this method an improvement of an existing 2D-SFC can be carried out via a GUI wizard or over our ControllerLib (C-API).

 

Time signal streams
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Time signal streams

Time Signal Streams (TSS) is a mechanism for synchronizing data passing through the process data pipeline and enabling the managing and sharing of this data. TSS enables quality control, troubleshooting and diagnostics, display of signals with time resolution of 5 microseconds as well as display of multiple signals as layers in our InScript software.

Currently, the following signals and data channels are available as Timed Signal Stream and can be displayed as layers:

 

3D vector editor
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3D vector editor

Our proprietary feature, Vector Editor is a powerful tool for displaying and creating complex jobs and processes. The InScript 3 Vector Editor view is a true 3D editing tool as it uses 3D coordinates (x,y,z) throughout the course of a job. The Vector Editor view provides two different view modes, the 2D and 3D view mode, which can be switched.

The Vector Editor editing functions can only be used in the 2D mode of the Vector Editor. The 3D mode of the Vector Editor is a 3D view only mode in which 3D objects can be viewed from different perspectives, just like a CAD program.

 

 

Overview of Vector Editor:

  • Select vertices, lines or paths
    • Move, scale or rotate the selection
    • Edit the selection numerically
    • Cut, copy or paste the selection
    • Delete single vertices or the complete selection
    • Add dots, vertices or lines
    • Split, join, open and connect paths
    • Change the order of paths
    • Reverse paths
    • Close paths and modify the start point of closed paths
  • Optimize data
    • Remove duplicated subpaths
    • Remove reversed duplicated subpaths
    • Autojoin subpaths
    • Autojoin reversed subpaths
    • Remove degenerated (null length) lines
    • Close subpaths
    • Minimize jump distances


Object mode of the Vector Editor
In the object mode (part of the 2D mode) the User can move, scale or rotate single objects or groups of objects.

 

File formats for input
Currently the Vector Editor supports the following vector graphics file formats:

  • ARL – ARGES RawLines (Read/Write)
  • SVG – Scalable Vector Graphics (Read/Write)
  • DXF – Autodesk Drawing Interchange File Format (Read only)
  • HPGL (PLT) – Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language (Plotter) files (Read only)
  • IGES – Initial Graphics Exchange Specification files (Read only)
On-the-fly
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On-the-fly

On-the-fly refers to a mechanism for fly cutting in applications requiring 24/7 performance. This new release features the implementation of a Position Encoder Matrix Generator (PEMG) in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) which offers high flexibility for several on-the-fly tasks like tab-cutting for battery production or conveyor belt applications in general.

Upcoming
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Upcoming

Our next release will feature the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) hardware component with its complimentary software, Wave Field Imaging (WFI), a high-resolution wave field imaging technology that can be employed in a variety of ways for laser material processing and process.

Specifications
Model ASC, ARGnet Series
Max. Number of Scan Heads

1

Communication Protocol

ARGnet interface (4×)
1000 Mbit/s; Precision Time Protocol (PTP); Power over Ethernet (PoE++); Sync over Ethernet (SyncE)

Laser Interface (1x)

HSSI IOs: 5 Vdc
UART IOs: 5 Vdc
LVDS IOs: 1,2 Vdc
DAC: +/-10Vdc, 10mA max.
Power Output: 5 Vdc; 0,5A max

System Communication

Gigabit Ethernet (2x) : 100Mbit/s; 1000 Mbit/s

Application Programming Interface

ARGES ControllerLib C-API (Win32 and Win64 DLL)
ARGES InScript® (Optional)

Dimensions (L × W × H)

268 mm × 482 mm × 44.4 mm