FEATURE PLCS, INDUSTRIAL PCS & HMIS
Vacuum brazing control technology transfers to electron beam welding
A SCADA/HMI control system, originally intended only for vacuum brazing furnaces, has found much broader application. Developed by Specnow of Huntingdon, the company quickly realised that it could also control furnaces used in many sectors and that it was suitable for equipment such as electron beam welding systems
S
pecnow has built a pair of identical, vacuum furnaces for an aerospace
client, one of which will be installed in the UK, the other being destined for a sister plant in Mexico. They are used for brazing stainless steel assemblies that form the main bodies of linear sensors, used in aircraft for monitoring undercarriages. Knowing that the user operates to NADCAP (the National Aerospace and Defence Contractors Accreditation Program) standards, Specnow has used Movicon, a high functioning, but cost effective, SCADA/HMI control system. Produced by independent industry
experts, Progea, and available in the UK through Products4Automation (P4A), Movicon is said to be a visualisation and automation software package that is designed to improve productivity, reduce integration times and manage operating costs by optimising asset utilisation. The technologies incorporated into
Movicon are based on a modern coding platform offering users a SCADA/HMI platform that is reliable, powerful, easy to use and proven through applications around the world. Combining power with simplicity, Movicon offers features such
as an intelligent editor, vector-based graphics and touch screen operation. It has an all-in-one software platform from Windows CE to Windows 10, meaning that it can be used on small applications, yet is equally at home running entire manufacturing plants. It has a high-functioning database and connectivity capabilities, making it ideal for automatically compiling traceability records. It also offers alarm management, report writing and high levels of security. Furnaces fitted with a Movicon
SCADA/HMI control system can log operating data whilst also recording batch information and generating a number of detailed reports. The Movicon system logs all data directly to an SQL database for quick access without the requirement for an intermediate historian system. In fact Specnow was so impressed with the performance of Movicon that the team is using it in over 25 systems, on both new build and re- engineering projects. Specnow supplies equipment and
services to high technology industries around the world with major markets including aerospace, instrumentation,
RUGGEDISED TABLET FOR THE PLANT FLOOR
The ability to run Movicon SCADA/HMI software on tablets has opened up the use of smart devices on the plant floor. These devices now offer visualisation and control of any Movicon HMI or SCADA supervision station using a simple browser. However, they must be suitably protected for the production environment. Products4Automation (P4A) meets this need with a range of ruggedised tablets and keyboards. Available in 6in, 8in, 10in, and 12in screen sizes and running either Windows 10 or Android operating systems, the tablets
offer IP67 protection as standard and are designed in accordance with the demanding MIL-STD-810G standard for environmental ruggedness. This includes resistance to shock and vibration, operating temperatures from -20°C to +80°C, and humidity from 5-95 per cent. Each tablet features a toughened case combined with a water-rejecting Gorilla Glass screen. This ruggedisation does not come at the expense of usability - screens offer multi-touch capability with support for glove touch. The HST-012 is the range’s largest tablet, yet weighs only 1.3kg, and the 6in HST06 just 360g. Complementing these tablets, P4A also offers a complete portfolio of ruggedised keyboards.
Constructed from rigid silicone, these washable industrial keyboards are sealed to IP68 and provide a rubberised surface for comfortable typing. The material is also anti-microbial, making the keyboards suitable for use in the pharmaceutical and food sectors, as well as harsh industrial environments.
Specnow has fitted Movicon, a high
functioning but cost
effective SCADA/HMI control system, to a wide variety of furnaces
medical equipment, contract heat treatment, 3D print and R&D. “These industries all have a very high
regard for safety and reliability and have developed systems and standards to ensure these,” says Paul Hurst, founder and MD of Products4Automation (P4A). “Of course this attention to detail has cost implications, but Movicon is helping redefine production costs while also making record keeping and data analysis easier. The user experience, in concert with the integration process is proving extremely successful in the UK due to its ease of use, openness and connectivity, compliance with multiple standards, reliability, security and reusability.” Movicon SCADA is based on XML and
Web Services technologies, so provides rich graphical content that displays quickly and works extremely well with today’s hardware, mobile and network communication platforms. It is modular, so bespoke systems can easily be built for each application and altering the system at a later date is straightforward.
Products4Automation T: 08450 773858
www.products4automation.co.uk
24 SEPTEMBER 2016 | AUTOMATION /AUTOMATION
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60