Controller tuning of an industrial servo drive under variable conditions

Abstract

This thesis presents the controller tuning and experimental evaluation of an industrial servo drive system under variable load conditions. The work is based on a Beckhoff AX5000 servo drive, an AM8022 servo motor, EtherCAT communication, and the TwinCAT 3 environment. The study investigates how tuning parameters such as proportional gain, integral time constant, and position gain affect velocity response, position tracking, stability, overshoot, oscillation, and tracking error. Experimental data were recorded with TwinCAT Scope View and evaluated using graphical comparison, RMS error, and peak-to-peak error. The results show that improper tuning causes vibration, oscillation, and larger tracking errors, while improved tuning leads to smoother motion and better accuracy. Overall, the thesis highlights the importance of systematic controller tuning and experimental validation in industrial motion control applications.