Application of Xindashida Motion Control System in Wood and Stone Bridge Cutting Machines in the Machine Tool Industry
2025-07-17
Application of Xindashida Motion Control System in Wood and Stone Bridge Cutting Machines in the Machine Tool Industry
Project Background
A stone bridge cutting machine is a piece of equipment used in stone processing, primarily for cutting stones such as marble and granite. It typically features a bridge-type structure and relies on a CNC system to achieve precise stone cutting. Modern stone bridge cutting machines usually come equipped with a variety of functions, including cutting, chamfering, edge grinding, drilling, slotting, and shaping operations like rounding.
Traditional stone bridge cutting machines typically can only perform horizontal and vertical cuts, lacking flexibility in processing irregular and contour-shaped stones. Moreover, tool adjustments are cumbersome, and any mistakes significantly increase production costs... The motion control system specially designed by Xinshidada for stone bridge cutting machines effectively addresses these pain points of conventional machining.
Customer needs
The pain points of traditional processing with stone bridge cutting machines are as follows:
1. Limitations of Traditional Infrared Three-Axis Machining
In the field of stone processing, traditional infrared three-axis machines have long held a prominent position; however, their functional limitations have become increasingly apparent. Most conventional infrared-axis machines can only perform horizontal and vertical cuts, a limitation that severely restricts the creativity in stone processing. In modern architecture and artistic design, the demand for non-standard stone products is growing steadily—such as decorative stones with unique curves and irregular shapes, as well as various artistically inspired sculptural stones. Consequently, traditional infrared three-axis bridge cutting machines can no longer meet the market’s diverse design concepts and aesthetic requirements.
2. Troubles with tool setting on traditional three-axis infrared machines
A key challenge in the operational process of traditional three-axis infrared machines is the complexity of the tool-setting procedure. Tool setting is a critical step in stone processing, requiring extremely high precision and expert operational skills. In the tool-setting process of conventional three-axis infrared machines, operators must perform a series of intricate operations. This not only demands that operators possess extensive experience and specialized knowledge but also consumes considerable time as they adjust the positional relationship between the cutting tool and the stone material. Even minor errors can be magnified during this process, leading to processing mistakes. Such mistakes may manifest as deviations in cutting dimensions or inaccuracies in cutting positions, seriously affecting both the quality and efficiency of stone processing. Consequently, the complex tool-setting procedure has become a major bottleneck in the stone-processing workflow.
Xinshida Solution
Scheme advantages
The five-axis stone bridge cutting machine equipped with the newly upgraded Shinda all-new motion control system provides a solution to the aforementioned challenges in stone processing.
1. CAM interface + CAD compatibility—easily handle complex-shaped machining.
The library built into the CAM interface is a rich treasure trove of creative resources. Operators can easily select the desired shapes from the library—such as rectangles, sectors, stove tops, and freeform designs—and, more importantly, can edit these shapes at any time to meet specific design requirements. This feature provides powerful design support for processing irregularly shaped stone materials, making the machining process more flexible.
In addition, this system demonstrates exceptional compatibility with CAD software, supporting seamless CAD import—whether through direct import via DXF files or via an AutoCAD plugin—ensuring a perfect integration.
This close integration with CAD provides tremendous convenience for irregular-shaped machining. Whether it’s complex geometric forms or artistically inspired free curves, they can all be accurately and reliably converted into actual machining paths. The new Shishida bridge cutting machine’s advanced motion control solution frees stone processing from the traditional constraints of horizontal and vertical cutting, making irregular-shaped machining effortless and enabling us to meet the market’s demand for diversified and personalized stone products.
2. Visual Technology: A Revolutionary Technique That Puts an End to “Tool Setting”
In the preceding discussion, we mentioned that in traditional machining processes, “tool alignment” is a challenging step characterized by complex operations and high trial-and-error costs. The application of visual technology has completely eliminated the cumbersome tool-alignment procedures typically associated with conventional three-axis infrared machines. By installing high-precision industrial cameras, we’ve achieved real-time visual monitoring of the stone-processing workflow. Operators simply need to place the design graphic in the desired position, and the stone bridge-cutting machine’s vision system will precisely capture this information, ensuring that the actual machining location perfectly matches the designed position. This is a “what you see is what you get” operational mode that reduces reliance on operators’ skill levels, minimizes human errors during processing, and prevents material waste caused by misaligned tools.
3. The visual texture feature—a key to enhancing the artistic value of stone materials
In the fields of high-end architectural decoration and artistic stone materials, the texture of stone is a key indicator of its value. Whether it’s large-format decorative stone that seeks continuous natural textures or artistic sculptural stone with stringent requirements for textural patterns, every piece of stone must, after cutting, precisely reveal its unique textural appeal and faithfully embody the designer’s intent.
So, what exactly is the visual pattern-matching function? After the stone-image acquisition process is complete, the operator begins arranging the graphic shapes, at which point the visual pattern-matching function kicks in. Utilizing advanced image-processing algorithms and visual recognition technology, the system can generate a real-time preview of the pattern that will result from the stone’s final cut. This preview dynamically updates as the stone’s position changes, accurately reflecting the texture effect after cutting.
Fashionable irregular-shaped countertop
Contour Cutting
Built-in image library in the CAM interface
Scheme advantages
• 1 set of ADT-6320E-B08 EtherCAT bus motion control card
• 5 sets of EtherCAT bus-type servo drives
• 1 set of industrial cameras
• Accuracy: ±0.2 mm
Associated products
ADT-6320E EherCat Bus Control Card
Singlina Ω6-A Servo Drive
Project Results
The stone bridge cutting machine is equipped with the Xindasheng motion control system, meeting users’ demands for efficient processing. Its key features include: non-orthogonal cutting without tool alignment required; camera-based positioning and simultaneous cutting of multiple shapes; support for DXF file import and CAD plugins; pattern-matching functionality; and real-time camera imaging for editing cutting paths—all of which comprehensively enhance users’ processing efficiency and product quality.
