Experimental Paperboard Manufacturing Equipment for SWT Development AB.

Equipment:  

SIEMENS SIMOTION, TIA Portal, WinCC Proffessional, SINAMICS S120 & G120 drives, ifm ASi Bus, PILZ Multi Safety, PROFIBUS, PROFINET, PROFISAFE

Description:  

Three experimental production lines for making fibreboard for the funriture and packaging industries. Full system design and ongoing multiple changes as the processes are refined and developed. These are now amongst the most complex systems we have produced but the systematic design approach we have followed has made scaling up the systems from their original limited scope quite straightforward. In particular changes of operating requirement have been helped by the modular nature of the software.

Wallpaper Winder and Wrapper for Emerson & Renwick

Equipment:  

B&R Automation Acopos Multi, X20 PLC, x20 SAFELOGIC, PPC2100 HMI

Description:  

Full control system design including electrical, system, software & HMI design, then PLC & HMI coding. The equimpment was commisionned successfully at the customer premises. Detailed functional documentation in EPLAN was directly mapped to the code. This made handover to the customer engineers much easier as they could follow the design and operation without having to search through code. The similarities between SIMOTION and B&R systems combined with our systematic design approach made the development easier as only the device interface software was novel.

Silicon Wafer Wiresaws with iTech

Equipment:  

SIEMENS TIA Portal, SIMOTION and WinCC, SINAMICS S120, G120

Description:  

Initially engaged to assist a customer of HMK Technical Services, I improved the SIMOTION control system for a Wiresaw after a difficult upgrade process. As a result the end user gained confidence in the product and the customer has now sold the same upgrade in the UK and the USA with more orders pending. Over a dozen systems have been upgraded.

Progressively Refining a system design method

Description:  

Starting from examples at Molins, an ITE course on SysML and experience with other coding methods I am continually refining a systematic approach to software. It is built on the concepts of Sys_ML and illustrated on the EPLAN platform to create solidly documented and reliable systems without the overhead of expensive formal design tools.
The method generates quite a lot of predictable code so I now make code generators to do the core code, allowing me to focus on the function of the system.
The method has helped create software on multiple platforms: Step 7 PLCs, TIA PLCs, SIMOTION and B&R. It is currently in its 3rd major iteration, building on the successes and failures we have experienced.

Paperboard Laminating Equipment for SWT Paper AB Sweden, Oppboga Bruk AB, Sweden and Planopack Belgium.

Equipment:  

SIEMENS SIMOTION and WinCC Flexible with Micromasters, ifm ASi Bus System, PILZ Multi Safety System

Description:  

Production lines manufacturing laminated boards typically with multi layer card core and high quality paper or foil surfaces. The machines comprise unwinders, dryers, applicators, press rolls, slitters, cut to length, outfeed conveyors, board reject, final rolls and an automated pallet stacker plus additional conveyors and ancillary scrap and dust extract systems.

Automotive paint line automated production scheduling with TEW Engineering Ltd.

Equipment:  

Schneider M340 PLC, Magelis HMI and Vijeo Citect SCADA system with MS SQL Server 2012.

Description:  

Provide automated production scheduling for an automotive paint line processing the production schedule through a SQL database and SCADA system. It worked with RFID pallet tracking, product bar code identification & HMI operator interfaces for loading, unloading and paint mixing to match production to the set schedules.

Automated medical weighing and packaging equipment for Molins ITCM Ltd, Coventry, England 

Equipment:  

Rockwell Control Logix with Panelview and Kinetix 6000 drives

Description:  

Machines to provide high speed automated filling and weighing of powder dose packages with challenging motion profiles requiring high precision control and multi drive synchronisation.

Medical Leaflet Manufacture for Vacuumatic Ltd, Colchester, England

Equipment:  

SIEMENS SIMOTION and WinCC Flexible  with Micromasters

Description:  

Highly flexible machine for short production run medical leaflet manufacture with short changeover times.

Coating Line for Doel Engineering Ltd, Witham, England

Equipment:

SIEMENS Step 7, Pro Tool & Masterdrives (Vector and Servo), PILZ Multi Safety System

Partners:  

Electro Projects UK Ltd

Description:  

A line coating films with fine adhesive coatings and applying an interlace layer. Comprising three turreted winders, splicing units (flying and static), accumulators, coating equipment, dryer (Rostron) and fume extraction (DURR).

High speed mould extraction and product storage for GMat Ltd, Coventry, England

Equipment:

Step 7, WinCC Flexible & Masterdrives (Vector and Servo)
B&R Industrial Automation ACOPOS
Rockwell Control Logix5000 & RSView32

Description:  

Many machines carrying out high speed mould extraction for the plastics industry then a selection of post moulding tasks including hinge forming, timed storage and feed out to cold production processes. These machines pushed the technical limits of speed and timing but maintaining stable performance making them among the best available worldwide, running reliably in locations with limited technical and maintenance capabilities.

Heavy Mesh Line for Doel Engineering, Witham, England

Equipment:  

SIEMENS Step 7, WinCC Flexible & Masterdrives (Vector and Servo)

Description:  

Automated materials handling for a line producing a variety of extruded meshes from scrap plastic for purposes from landfill fluid retention & buried pipe protection to vehicle load spreading on soft ground. Comprising Accumulator, Turreted centre winders with auto splice, Surface winder with auto roll change and sheeter and palletizer for flat sheet.

Plasterboard line process integration for ECS Ltd, Loughborough, England

Equipment:
Partners:  

SIEMENS SIMOTION and WinCC Flexible
HMK Technical Services Ltd

Description:  

Integration of a stand-alone plasterboard cutter by ECS and HMK into the factory systems of two British Gypsum factories. Comprising factory interfaces and batch control systems working with equipment upstream and downstream of the cutter.

Tube Straightening Equipment for Reika GmBH, Hagen, Germany

Equipment:
Partners:  

SIEMENS SINAMICS Vector drive system, High power LV
Electro Projects UK Ltd & Reika GmBH

Description:  

Electrical design work to supplement the capabilities of the customer and improve the quality of the equipment. Software design work on the SIMOTION SINAMICS drive system.

Sachet Filling Machines for Stick Pack UK and Quadra Foods Ltd, Plympton, England

Equipment:
Partners:  

SIEMENS Step 7, Pro Tool, Micromasters & Masterdrives (Servo)
HMK Technical Services Ltd

Description:  

‘Stick’ type sachet machines for powders and liquids. Further developments to create machines which are fully aseptic for the packaging of fresh and UHT milk. Factory integration including CIP & SIP processes for a suite of machines operating off single or multiple product and cleaning systems.