Your Products
What You'll Need to Order
| Qty | Item | SKU | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 V DC Input Power Cable for SCU6x or 1DC - 5m | 21218x-5m |
power.output → controller.Z2 |
| 1 | Actuator cordset (M12 4-pin) — 21224 A-coded (LHS-005/020, BLA); 21225 T-coded (LHS-030) | 21224 |
controller.drive → actuator.power |
| 1 | Servo Center Sensor with M8 QD cable | 7-140004 |
controller.servo → servo.in |
Select cable length based on your installation distance
What You'll Achieve
After completing this guide, your web traverses steadily back and forth on a programmed oscillation, with no edge feedback.
Estimated time: ~30–60 minutes
What You Need
Prerequisites
Install the Web Guide
Install the Roll-2-Roll® Web Guide in two stages: first mount and align the web-guide frame on your machine, then mount the sensor for your guiding mode.
Install and Align the Web Guide Frame
- Bolt the frame to the machine through its base-plate holes.
- Mount it so the web travels in the direction of the arrows on the frame — the guide corrects in one direction only, so a backwards frame fights the web instead of steering it.
- Level the frame: set its rollers parallel to the machine idlers and square to web travel, with no tilt to either side. Check it with a machine square, a tram rod, or by measuring from each entry and exit roller to the web-guide roller — whichever you have.
Set the Correction Geometry
Set the geometry for the web guide type you received (your Roll-2-Roll application engineer chose it at purchase).
Displacement guide
- Wrap the web 90 degrees at the entry and exit rollers.
- Make the entry and exit spans each about one-half to one web width (two to three web widths for metal webs).
- Correction happens in the exit span.
Steering guide
- Make the entry span about three to five web widths (ten to twenty for metal webs).
- Wrap the guide roller 45 to 135 degrees.
- Keep the exit span perpendicular to the direction of roller motion.
- Correction happens in the entry span.
Choose the Sensor Location and Mount the Sensor
- Mount the sensor in the exit span, just after the guide roller — as close to the roller as your machine allows. The sensor must see the corrected web; mounted anywhere else, guiding becomes unstable.
- Clamp the sensor bracket to your extrusion rail in the exit span, but don't fully tighten it yet.
- Set the working distance from the sensor face to the web to 15-25 mm (0.6-1.0 in); aim for 25 mm.
- Keep everything at least 150 mm (6 in) behind the web clear in the sensor's view — the camera-style sensor can otherwise pick up background objects.
- Guiding a shiny, metallic, or clear web? Tilt the sensor a few degrees toward the web so its angled light returns to the lens, then re-check the working distance.
- Tighten the bracket.
- If the web plane visibly lifts or drops in the exit span when the guide corrects hard (you'll confirm this during commissioning), add a backup roller with minimal wrap just before the sensor to steady the web — then keep the sensor close. Don't move the sensor farther downstream to escape the problem; distance costs you guiding response.
Pre-Power Mechanical Checks
- Do these with the power off, before commissioning. Don't move the web guide by hand at any point.
- Confirm the web travels in the direction of the arrows on the guide.
- Confirm the guide rollers sit parallel in their neutral position.
- Confirm the guide is level, with no tilt.
- Confirm the wrap angle and the entry and exit span lengths match your guide geometry.
- Install the servo-center inductive proximity sensor (SKU 7-140004) per the Servo Center installation document — the controller uses it to find the actuator's home position during commissioning.
Reference Documents
Install the Sensor
Install the Sensor — Open-Loop Oscillation
- Open-loop oscillation uses no ODC sensor — there's no web feedback, so there's nothing to mount here. Homing uses the servo-center proximity sensor you installed in the pre-power checks.
Wire the System
Configure & Verify
Power up the controller and commission the guide, one checked step at a time.
Open-Loop Oscillation — Power Up and Commission
Commission open-loop oscillation — home the actuator, set the profile, and run the reciprocating motion (no web sensor).
- Power on the controller. If it wakes in Automatic, switch to Manual — every step below runs from Manual.
- Check the jog direction. Tap Jog Left, then Jog Right, and watch the guide move through its travel. If it moves the opposite way to the button, reverse Motor Polarity under Power User → Actuator → Motor Polarity, then jog again to confirm.
- Servo-center the actuator. Tap Servo Center and let the guide travel to its home position — this is the center the oscillation runs about. If it heads away from home, reverse Servo Center Polarity under Power User → Actuator → Servo Center Polarity, then servo-center again.
- Set the oscillation. Turn Oscillation ON and set the type to open-loop. Set Amplitude as a percent of the actuator stroke, Speed as a percent of the actuator's top speed, and Dwell as a number of samples (the pause at each turnaround).
- Press Auto from the home screen. The actuator now ramps back and forth about its home — linearly out to the amplitude limit, a dwell, linearly back, a dwell, repeating.
- Watch a few full cycles. Confirm the travel stays inside the mechanical limits and the period matches your speed and dwell. If it reaches a stop, lower the amplitude; if the timing is off, adjust speed or dwell. Your oscillation is commissioned when it runs full cycles without hitting a limit.
PLC Integration
Web guiding controllers support remote command via two routes: Industrial Ethernet PLC remote control, and the DIO option (discrete dry-contact inputs). Both allow a PLC or supervisory system to command guide mode and position without manual touchscreen interaction.
- Route 1 — PLC remote control (C(x) models): send auto mode on/off, jog, servo center, and guide-point commands over Industrial Ethernet (EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, EtherCAT)
- Route 2 — DIO option: discrete dry-contact 24 V NPN inputs for hard-wired remote on/off and mode switching — no Industrial Ethernet required; wired directly from PLC digital outputs or relay contacts
- Both routes can coexist — Ethernet for data and fine control, DIO for hard-wired safety/interlock inputs
- Lock on Lost Edge: when the web edge exits the sensor field of view during edge guiding, actuator motion is inhibited — prevents runaway
- Loss of Contrast Inhibit: for line/contrast guiding, actuator motion is inhibited if contrast is lost until the target feature is re-acquired
📄 The register map, EDS file (EtherNet/IP), and Add-on Instruction (AOI) for Studio 5000 are in the Your Products section above — grouped on the product card with everything else you need to download.
Go Further
Related Quick Start Guides
- Unwind/Rewind Web Guiding — High-thrust web guiding for shifting roll stands
- Retrofit an Existing Web Guide — Upgrade a legacy or competitor web guide system with Roll-2-Roll sensors and controllers
- Web Width Measurement — Measure web width alongside or independently of guiding
- Position Measurement — Measure edge, centerline, or contrast/line position
- Splice Detection — Add splice detection to your web processing line
Learn More
- Unwind and Rewind Guides — Design and Installation Considerations
- How to Size an Actuator for Unwind/Rewind Web Guides
Need Help?
Email: experts@r2r.tech
Phone: +1-888-290-3215