Product category:
Control systems, panels, HMIs, interfaces, screens
News Release from: Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems | Subject: Supervisory control and data acquisition programme
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 19 October 2005
Compressor house automation expanded to
plant
A modest project to automate a compressor house and optimise energy usage has been expanded to embrace the whole of 'Yorkshire Fittings' factory.
The initial project was based on the installation of a Mitsubishi Electric MX32 SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) programme to monitor the performance of a bank of compressors The main idea was to optimise energy usage, but it also became possible to log detailed operational data for productivity analysis allowing a move to predictive maintenance
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 6 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Mitsubishi uses iQ for production integration
Mitsubishi Electric's iQ PAC (programmable automation controller) can now integrate all production processes, including robots in a single, interdisciplinary, automation platform.
PACs keep production moving
It is now possible to build a redundant network out of standard hardware and increase the operational availability of any production system, writes Jeremy Shinton.
The efficiency gains achieved with the compressors were almost immediate and, because of the data logging, full management reports were produced.
These impressed the directors so much that they were soon asking the electrical engineers if the control network could be extended into adjacent areas of the plant.
There was some scope for doing this and improved productivity was quickly noted.
Further reading
Low cost PLC usage diversifies widely
A low cost programmable controller has such features as analogue inputs, PID control loop, real time clock and GSM modem facilities, as well as simple function block programming.
Robots to assemble aircraft quicker
A UK university has gained a technical partner to develop robotic assembly systems for the aircraft industry and reduce the high level of manual work currently used by the industry.
Automation platform integrates manufacturing
An 'intelligent' automation platform achieves simple, effective integration of plant and business functions, from the shop floor to corporate commercial systems, and without IT specialists.
It was not long before the idea of running the network across the entire site was taking root and Mitsubishi's Tony Dean was asked to join a development team.
"Yorkshire Fittings Engineers had worked out several potential schemes for how best to proceed, bearing in mind that they would not want to disrupt production, knew what management information they wanted to produce and had some ideas on systems architecture," said Dean.
"I asked if there was likely to be further developments later and got the great answer that nothing was ruled out so long and it would improve productivity and/or quality.
I then suggested that to do real justice to the site and allow effectively infinite scope for future expansion that we upgrade the SCADA to our MX4 package".
MX4 is Mitsubishi's latest suite of production management software.
It is a process visualisation package which can be configured for just about any industrial automation application - from single machines to entire remote-controlled plants.
It offers the prospect of 'zero downtime' through duplex I/O and dual redundancy connections to ensure that no data is lost in the event of a computer failure.
Yorkshire Fittings saw this as critically important, as production downtime is something its market cannot tolerate.
Dean said that MX4 grows with the customers' applications.
"Its modularity means that installed systems can easily be adapted and extended as needs develop over time".
"MX4 is available in a variety of configurations, from the simple, stand-alone human-machine interface version MX4 HMI to the complete process control software package MX4 SCADA.
In addition to this MX4 also includes a powerful development environment, with simulation functions for no-risk development and testing." Dean, along with colleagues from Mitsubishi, undertook an audit of all the existing control systems running different parts of the plant and worked out an efficient way of knitting these all together into one coherent system with MX4 at its heart.
Many of the machines were already controlled by Mitsubishi PLCs (programmable logic controllers), small FX units for simple sequencing logic on individual machines and A- and Q- series controllers for more complex control of larger islands of automation.
Additionally Yorkshire Fittings had invested in Mitsubishi E900 HMIs (human machine interfaces) to provide local process visualisation and management.
With the hardware in place the next objective was to connect it all up into a single plant-wide network.
CC-Link was chosen as the shop floor protocol for communicating between field devices and production machinery.
This was relatively simple to implement because the A- and Q-series PLCs have an optional plug-in CC-Link card.
The local networks were then connected to the high level servers providing enterprise management capabilities via an Ethernet network.
In fact the decision was made to design-in two servers, a primary and a standby so that the system would be virtually bombproof against downtime.
Tony Lepecha, Yorkshire Fittings electrical engineer, explained the idea: "We are a 24x7 operation, supplying to a demanding Europe-wide industry with tight margins, no stockholding and fierce competition from other manufacturers.
If we lose production, the problem is magnified at each step along the logistics chain to the final customer.
Continuous production reliability is our number one objective, only after that is secured can we look at energy efficiency, increased productivity, etc".
Lepecha said that all the mass production lines at Yorkshire Fittings are now on the MX4 network.
The next project will be to bring the batch production products on-stream and he is also looking at switching to wireless Ethernet.
"On a site as big as ours, the potential savings in cable is enormous," he said. Request a free brochure from Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems ...
"The success of the MX4 installation has given us confidence in emerging technologies such as wireless communications and their ability to improve our overall productivity.".
• Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
