Acquire Control PLC Specialists » Case Studies

Recycling Company Calls Acquire Control

Andrew — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:11:06 +0000

A midlands based recycling company asked for the help of Acquire Control in assisting with a Logemann Lion Baler Control System following problems they’d began to encounter.

At the heart of the Control System was an Allen Bradley SLC 5/03 PLC and Allen Bradley PanelView 1000 HMI. The Logemann Lion Baler had recently undergone planned maintenance work and for some reason the operation of the baler had been affected. After establishing communications and uploading the PLC software we we’re able to locate the problem of a faulty encoder which needed replacing. Although an exact replacement could not be located (at least one with an acceptable delivery time) a new encoder was fitted. However the resolution of the new encoder was slightly different and therefore a PLC software update was needed to allow for this.

Once this had been done further testing and trials were carried out and the baler was soon back up and running as before, in time to clear the significant backlog that had been building up!

Following our assistance normal service was able to resume…

We advised on the general health of the Control System and provided backup copies of the software for safe keeping. Please remember to contact us should you have any plant, process or machine with a PLC that’s become problematic as we’ll always try and help wherever possible. Cheers.

Siemens OP17 HMI Replacement

Andrew — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:50:40 +0000

A customer recently approached us with a troublesome HMI display that was on it’s last legs.
The unit in question was a Siemens OP17 HMI and although it had done a sterling job controlling a wash plant for many years it had unfortunately seen better days and a replacement unit was ordered.

However a certain degree of care was needed as the original software could not be located. This meant that the software from the original, problematic unit had to be uploaded for safe keeping and then downloaded back into the new Siemens OP17 HMI.

We happily helped with this and the new HMI is now fully functional, with the original software back inside controlling the wash plant as required.

We often get called out to help with PLCs or HMIs who’s original software cannot be located and depending on the manufacturer and model it may be possible to upload the original software from the device. However circumstances may prevent this from being possible such as password protection, damaged communication ports or the original program being ‘lost’ altogether, which is usually a sign of battery issues, often when the machine is powered down for any period of time.

Another thing to bear in mind is that the majority of PLCs do not hold the descriptions and comments within the CPU, meaning only the raw ladder diagram (or statement list, FBD etc) can be uploaded. Sometimes on small systems this is not necessarily a big problem as the presence of a good set of electrical drawings will often show how the PLC I/O is used without the need to start tracing wires around the control panel or machine. From this it may then be possible to work out what’s going on within the program, however on larger systems or installations containing in depth process and sequence control it becomes a massive ask to work out what’s going on solely from a set of electrical schematics. That’s why due to the bespoke nature of many PLC installations, original commented copies of the software are vital for fault finding and ongoing maintenance.

My advice to anyone with a PLC Control System would be to firstly get a fully commented backup copy of all software (PLC and/or HMI), including any passwords which are applicable and secondly ensure you also have an up to date set of electrical drawings for the Control System as a whole. Having these in place will not only drastically reduce system downtime but also prevent the nightmare scenario of the original PLC / HMI failing altogether with no backup copy of the code in place – as ironically with automation and controls you sometimes never know what’s around the corner!

Please remember to let us know if you have any requirements to backup your existing PLC and/or HMI Software or are simply looking for general, friendly advice about any of the points raised above. Cheers.

CIP Clean in Place Process Control Modifications

Andrew — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 22:00:56 +0000

We’ve recently helped out with PLC Software modifications and commissioning on a CIP (Clean in Place) system used by a manufacturer and supplier to the food and drinks industry.

The PLC Software modifications were carried out on an Allen Bradley Compact Logix L32E PLC which was located within an existing PLC Controls Panel. These software modifications enabled new pumps and valves to operate correctly during the CIP routine of a mixer tank vessel, which is carried out each time the system requires cleaning.

Here are a few photos taken during the on site commissioning.

Please remember to contact us if you require any help with your existing Control System.

Machine Builder Delta DVP-12SA2 PLC / DOP-B HMI Bench Test

Andrew — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 10:24:49 +0000

Here’s a few pictures of some recent bench testing that we carried out for a machine builder on a Delta DVP-12SA2 PLC and Delta DOP-B HMI from Delta Electronics inc. We also setup and tested the Delta DVP-16SP (Digital) and DVP-04PT (PT100) I/O extension modules. These units are now with our customers ready for us to assist with the commissioning on site as part of their machine trials.

The customer who is a major machine builder, manufacturer and supplier to the food and drink industry approached Acquire Control to help with their latest machine. We were able to demonstrate our ability of working with a wide variety of different PLC / HMI types and were delighted to be awarded the project. We carried out the initial PLC Programming and HMI Software design and naturally look forward to getting the machine up and running in the coming weeks once the machine fabrication and build has been completed.

It’s the first time that we’ve used these particular PLC and HMI types by Delta Electronics inc, but we feel that one of our greatest strengths is that we are more than happy to work with, and design software for, new PLCs and HMIs as and when the need arises – it’s how we keep nimble as a company!

Also we much prefer to have the flexibility of supporting numerous PLC/HMI types rather than being solely Siemens or Allen-Bradley PLC specialists for example, and it’s this philosophy that we feel lends itself particularly well to machine builders and manufacturers whose requirements are often cost critical or hardware specific – hence why we have a good relationships with, and continue to help several machine builders!

We have so far been impressed from what we have seen of the Delta DVP-12SA2 PLC and Delta DOP-B HMI, despite originally testing a DVP-EH Series (also shown above with the separate I/O extension block connected), as this model did not have the I/O capability to connect with PT-100 temperature sensors. Delta Electronics inc are a Taiwanese company who have representation/distributors at various points across the globe and provide a range of products including PLCs (Programmable Logic controllers), HMIs (Human Machine Interfaces), Delta C2000 Series Inverters (High Performance Vector AC Motor Drives) and Delta VFD-E Series Inverters (High Performance, Flexible Extension, Micro Type AC Drives).

Although some of their hardware looks really familiar (Delta DVP-EH – Mitsubishi FX PLC anyone?) it does appear to be keenly priced. Also the PLC Software which we used is called Delta WPLSoft V2.20.11 and this also has a familiar look and feel to it, again we feel similarities could be drawn against Mitsubishi GX Developer (I have enclosed some screen shots above of this). However this friendly look and feel is really useful when you’re finding your way around the Delta DVP-12SA2 PLC for the first time and naturally allows for faster software development!

Please remember to let us know if you’re a machine builder who also requires help or advice on selecting the right PLC and HMI combination for your specific control requirements. As completely independent suppliers of PLCs, HMIs and Control Panels we genuinely feel that we’re best placed to help and advise on your particular requirements, whatever they may be. Thanks!

Telemecanique XY2-CH Emergency Stop Grab Wire Safety System

Andrew — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:56:39 +0000

We’ve recently installed a Telemecanique XY2-CH Emergency Stop Grab Wire (Trip Wire) Switch System. This was used as part of a larger PLC Control System that we designed, supplied and installed for a customer who works within the automotive parts industry. The PLC Control System is responsible for controlling the conveyor line which transfers the automotive parts through 3 x Robot Spray Paint Booths and ensures they are spray painted the correct colour as required. Multiple part types are possible and the operators load and unload these automotive parts in a designated area of the conveyor line. Following a safety review it was deemed that these load and unload areas of the conveyor system required additional Emergency Stop protection and it was decided that a Grab Wire or Trip Wire Switch System would be up to the task.

The components we used in the Grab Wire Safety System included the following items:

Telemecanique XY2CH13270 Grab Wire Booted Push Button by Schneider Electric
Telemecanique XY2CZ702 End Spring for XY2-CE by Schneider Electric
Telemecanique XY2CZ301 10m Cable for XY2-CH by Schneider Electric

The XY2CH13270 was electrically connected to the Emercency Stop Safety Circuit which was located within our Main Controls Panel and included:

Pilz PNOZ S3 Safety Relays x 2
Pilz PNOZ S11 Safety Relay x 2

Here’s a couple of related videos from our YouTube Channel…

Please ‘Subscribe’ to us if you get chance! Cheers!

RFID Tag System Supply & Installation

Andrew — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:01:58 +0000

Here’s a few images and a short video clip showing a Schneider Telemecanique Ositrack RFID system which we recently supplied and installed for a customer. The system uses the Modbus TCP/IP communication protocol to communicate with a Proface AGP375

HMI. The Proface HMI allows you to specify multiple drivers within the HMI software which allowed us to use the same Ethernet port as both a standard Ethernet UDP for communicating with the Mitsubishi Q Series PLC (QJ71E71-100 Ethernet Card) as well as communicating with the Telemecanique RFID Tag system via Modbus TCP.

The tag system was used to track parts around an automated Robot Spray Paint Line and hold information such as part type and part colour which was passed onto the ABB IRB 5400 and ABB IRB 580 Robots via direct I/O handshaking (1 x ABB IRB 580 Robot) and CC-Link (3 x ABB IRB 5400 Robots) communications from the PLC.

The RFID Tag System that we supplied included 3 main elements as well as the connecting cables and ‘T’ adaptors as required:

1. Telemecanique Ositrack Ethernet Box XGSZ33ETH

2. Telemecanique Ositrack Compact Control Station XGCS4901201

3. Telemecanique Ositrack Electronic Tag XGHB320345

I’ve just realised that some of you may not be familiar with the good old British fifty pence piece so here’s a picture showing the tag alongside a few more coins that you will hopefully recognise and get a better idea of the tag size. The tag has a 30mm diameter and has a nominal sensing distance of either 48mm or 65mm depending on the control station used.

Here’s a quick clip showing the control panel mounted Ethernet Box as well as an RFID read and write being carried out on one of the RFID tags as it passes by the Telemecanique Compact Control Station.

You may be able to notice that when it’s not in operation the ‘TAG’ LED on the Compact Control Station flashes 3 times before going off. This is because that particular control station has a station address of ‘3’, which you should be able to see around 36 seconds into the video.

Please let us know if you’re looking for any help installing an RFID system or require some friendly advice on part tracking solutions using RFID, PLCs etc.

Warning: call_user_func_array() [function.call-user-func-array]: First argument is expected to be a valid callback, ‘tdav_css’ was given in /var/www/vhosts/plcprogramming.co.uk/httpdocs/wp-includes/plugin.php on line 170

Palletiser Control System Fault Finding

Andrew — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:35:35 +0000

We have recently offered support for an existing palletiser control system that was used to palletise carpet tiles. The system had become problematic and it was discovered that the HMI unit itself had become faulty. We offered advice on sourcing a

replacement like for like unit and also the necessary software so that the palletiser system could run as before.

Do you have a troublesome control system? Please let us know as we’re always happy to offer some friendly advice and can even discuss with you the benefits of upgrading your existing controls system to a more modern and reliable one. This can not only save you precious down time but can also give you the tools to combat any problems when they do occur, such as through enhanced alarm diagnostics and process data logging.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us today.