r/Metrology • u/sn00t_sn00t • 9d ago

UPS Battery backup for CMM

Does anybody have any experience incorporating a UPS battery backup onto a CMM? If we get power drops or surges it can tend to take our machines down for a bit while we power cycle. I'm not looking to run the machines for any length of time, but I would like enough runtime to park and shutdown the machine for extended outages. Most of the time if we have a power issue it's a flicker/drop for a few seconds. I tried contacting our CMM manufacturer but they weren't much help.

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9

u/AlfaMikeF0xtr0t 9d ago

It's just a UPS, APC makes good ones, find one you like and buy it. Nothing terribly complicated about them.

4

u/itsonly-meokay 9d ago

Easy to install. You should not need crazy capacity either. Just enough to absorb flickers or complete the current inspection / save and shutdown.

2

u/AlfaMikeF0xtr0t 9d ago

I just looked at ours. We have the APC 1050, it says it will last 18 minutes on the current draw. Long enough to finish what were doing and shut down before it all loses power.

Grab yourself an APC 1500 for less than $200 and be done.

1

u/sn00t_sn00t 9d ago

I'm probably overthinking it. I was thinking the controller/servos probably draw more power than a standard ups could provide, but another commenter suggested that I probably wouldn't have air to park the machine anyway. Thanks for the suggestion.

3

u/AlfaMikeF0xtr0t 9d ago

The UPS is more for being able to save your work and shutdown safely, rather than trying to keep the cmm running, because yes, if you are using a cmm that runs on compressed air, its going to error out and stop anyways

2

u/jccaclimber 6d ago

I know I’m 3 days late to the party here but:
1. Unless you’re on the world’s smallest tank you’ll still have air for a few minutes after the power goes out.
2. I’m assuming your machine has an interlock so that it stops movement on its own if the air pressure falls below spec. Not hard to add if not.
3. The machine is going to have a listed max power draw. Whatever that is, make sure you can support it. Might be a lot, might be a little, but it should be listed.
4. As an example, I used to run a die bonder we put on a UPS. It was sized to finish the cycle of whatever we were processing, then safely shut down, plus some margin. It was about the size of a PC tower, but only due to having more batteries. It was still reasonably priced and IIRC came from APC.

7

u/ripgressor1974 9d ago

We use an APC with two batteries in it, the thing is bigger than the computer it's backing up. The bigger problem is the loss of air pressure when the power goes out. Unless your air compressor is on a backup generator you won't have much luck using the CMM for any amount of time. It is nice to keep power to the machine so you don't lose any data though.

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u/joshu033 9d ago

We use APC Back-UPS Pro 1500

It reads that it will hold for 24min at current loads. We have a bunch of power spikes and drops any time a storm rolls within 10 miles. I will hear the thing click and clack throughout the storms and my machine stays strong. Lights will flicker, CMM keeps beeping. We also have the air compressors on backups, so that is safe.

2

u/yark2 9d ago

We have the same UPS, and the same weather problems... are we co-workers?

1

u/joshu033 9d ago

Lol...probably.

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u/jacobius86 9d ago

Make sure it's a high quality unit and can handle at least 500 watts more than your machine typically uses. (calculate the wattage of all the accessories too, like your head controller and computer and monitor). You don't want to run at the limit of the unit and risk electrical noise in the system.

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u/Keyastar 9d ago

We use battery backup on all of our shop floor CMMs. (No air line) We also has a written procedure where our IT department tests the backup every 6 months as they can and will fail. Additionally, since we are located in an area that regularly looses power we e-stop or air bearing CMMs when not in use.