Electric discharge texturing machine with control of the speed and power of electrodes

摘要

A method and apparatus for controlling the position and power of electrodes in an electric-discharge texturing (EDT) machine for texturing a roll includes an actuator for moving an electrode away from and towards a roll to be textured to maintain a desired spacing between the electrode and the roll. The actuator is controlled with a different gain depending upon whether the electrode is to be moved towards or away from the roll. A power source applies a voltage to the electrode for promoting a spark between the electrode and the roll to remove particles from the roll. The power source is controlled to apply the voltage to the electrode until a spark is initiated and then maintains the voltage for a selected time duration after spark initiation to provide a spark having the selected time duration. The power source is further controlled such that voltages applied to a plurality of electrodes are sequenced in a selected fashion.