Reduce idle time and improve machine availability - these requirements are right at the top of the users' wish list where automation is concerned. And integrated diagnosis concepts for Fieldbus valve terminals and controllers from Festo make it possible.
A practical solution from the leading manufacturer of automation technology with pneumatics: a modular system by means of which valve terminals can be ideally adapted to the machine. Open linking to various automation systems via Fieldbus is thus no problem. And the use of different connector technologies for sensors and actuators is trouble-free as well.
Integrated diagnosis functions reduce machine idle time by pinpointing and eliminating causes of error. Quality control systems acquire causes of error for purposes of continuous improvement. Communication via Ethernet serves as a basis to this end. IT technology assures consistent communications, thus reducing engineering expenses for diagnosis and visualisation through the use of Web browsers and e-mail alarms. This allows for transparent access to data at all levels, as well as the use of, for example, management data and remote diagnosis or messaging systems.
The FEC controller and the electrical CPX terminal from Festo are a suitable combination for mounting directly to the machine. The CPX is compatible with all common Fieldbus protocols, and the FEC controller provides an ideal link to the Ethernet. The plug connectors are practical as well. SAG sensor-actuator connectors replace the terminal strip for 110 connections to a great extent, freeing up valuable space inside the control cabinet.
Wiring costs are thus reduced by 40%, and installation time by 50%. CPX is suitable for direct mounting to the machine itself - and that translates into even more space in the control cabinet. Above all applications with distributed intelligence necessitate rapid transmission of large volumes of data, in which case the Fieldbus must be laid out correctly. Industrial Ethernet installations are a convincing solution thanks to easy handling during installation and commissioning, as well as transparent availability. The Ethernet interface furnished with the Festo FEC controller allows for unrestricted linking of devices amongst each other, and also provides for convenient remote maintenance, online access and downloading of new applications and features, as well as troubleshooting and evaluation of process data via TCP/IP. Every FEC controller with Ethernet can transmit and retrieve data to and from all other controllers within the network - regardless of whether the data relate to inputs, outputs, flags or registers.
Ethernet makes it possible to control many machines at various locations all over the world, as Festo is doing for Wartsila, Finnish manufacturer of maritime diesel engines, via 'Machine Track' software from Arrow Engineering. The software improves execution time, productivity and the degree of utilisation. It indicates errors and generates production machinery performance reports. This facilitates maintenance work and increases reliability.
FEC controllers feed machine signals to the Ethernet in the form of meter data or operating states. This makes it possible to troubleshoot production machine problems in realtime. Thanks to the Ethernet link to manufacturing equipment, production management is provided with realtime online information regarding machine statuses and manufacturing progress. "Now we are able to respond quickly to malfunctions in the manufacturing process, and elapsed time between detection of the error and elimination is reduced to a minimum," stresses Tapio Ruotsala, manager of the maintenance department for factory automation at Wartsila's location in Vaasa, Finland. But that is not all. The equipment fleets at all of Wartsila's European plants are linked up by means of a Web server. Company management is thus able to review the status of processing machinery at all of its plants in Finland, as well as in Italy and France. "This promotes transparency, and allows us to exchange information regarding experience and improvements more quickly," comments Ruotsala.
"We have been saving roughly 10% thanks to increased machine availability since we implemented the machinery monitoring software in combination with Festo's controllers," says Ruotsala. And this adds up to a considerable sum if one considers the fact that the operating costs for a single processing machine amount to roughly 100 to 350 Euro per hour. And the system is easy to use as well. "The Festo controllers can be easily connected to the LAN without any complicated wiring, and take up little space in the control cabinet," comments Ruotsala on the smart all-rounder, which boasts a 20% reduction in required space and up to 30% less installation time.
For more information contact Richard Teagle, MD, Festo, 011 971 5500, [email protected], www.festo.com
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