For most automation systems the time eventually comes for an upgrade. Such was the case at CBi Electric Aberdare ATC Telecom Cables’ factory in Brits, where a particular automation system was in dire need of refurbishment. One of the Optical Fibre SZ Stranderlines was controlled by a Siemens S5-135U system with InTouch version 5.6 software running on a PC equipped with Microsoft version 3.1. Siemens has discontinued the S5 equipment, so, because of the potentially critical impact this could have at CBI Cables, Iritron was contracted to upgrade the system to a Siemens S7 300 PLC and a PC running Windows XP. The company was tasked to do the removal of existing S5 equipment and then install and commission the new PLC hardware into the existing enclosures for the Stranderline. The new system runs on InTouch V9.5 software from Wonderware with a 1000 Runtime tag licence.
The conversion of the InTouch system needed to progress in stages. The existing software was so old that it was not possible to just replace it with the newer version. Due to some changes to the database, the old data had to first migrate from version 5 to 7, and finally could be upgraded to version 9.5. All the tags in the InTouch system needed to be remapped as initially the tags were to words, in later systems these data items refer to bytes. This whole process, approximately 400 analog and digital tags, needed to be managed. The multiplexing of the Kevlar server’s tension control cycle was another problem as it was too fast. Marius Swanepoel from Iritron had to insert a time delay to slow down the block call, as the Siemens system was sending the information at too high a speed. All analog I/Os needed to be rescaled due to the conversion to S7 technology.
The team who worked on the project was Marius Swanepoel, Johan Janse van Rensburg (senior), Zander Young and Reghardt Strydom. The client, Henry Viviers, systems integrator at CBi Cables, was delighted with the timely completion and the way the project was executed. The management of Iritron congratulates the team on a project well done.
Iritron team leader Frits Stoop (left) with CBI Cables’ Henry Viviers in the cable wrapping section of the Brits plant
Software-defined automation is overcoming hardware interoperability limits Schneider Electric South Africa
SCADA/HMI
Schneider Electric’s Kobus Vermeulen and Sydney Higgo explain how open communication standards and software-defined architectures are enabling industrial operators to integrate legacy equipment, new control systems, and cloud platforms without disrupting operations.
Read more...Siemens modernises WinCC Unified engineering
SCADA/HMI
Siemens has launched SIMATIC AX WinCC Unified Elements, an IT-style engineering application for the WinCC Unified system that lets automation engineers build and deploy visualisation projects using code-based workflows, Git integration and AI-generated configuration
Read more...The control room used to run one plant, now it runs the world
SCADA/HMI
Industrial control rooms are evolving from single-site interfaces into network-wide command centres. Modern SCADA and HMI platforms now deliver real-time visibility, dynamic forecasting and cross-facility coordination, fundamentally reshaping how industrial operations achieve resilience.
Read more...Effective alarm management for safer, more productive operations Adroit Technologies
SCADA/HMI
Adroit Technologies addresses alarm flooding and nuisance alarms with its Adroit Alarm Management solution.The platform combines performance dashboards, mobile escalation via Adroit AIR, and an integrated digital logbook to turn alarms into actionable operational intelligence.
Read more...What you need is a nerve centre for your building Schneider Electric South Africa
SCADA/HMI
Schneider Electric’s Anoop Hariparsad explains how a building management system acts as a single nerve centre, cutting energy use and improving safety and guest experience.
Read more...How a digital foundation can overcome the LNG trilemma Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing SCADA/HMI
The LNG sector is racing to add capacity, but without a digital backbone, growth creates complexity rather than capability. Christophe Begat of Schneider Electric explains how connecting data, systems and analytics across the LNG value chain can resolve the trilemma of secure supply, lower emissions and tighter costs.
Read more...Full HD industrial AI panel PC Vepac Electronics
SCADA/HMI
Powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX, the NIKY-2215-NX industrial AI panel PC provides up to 100 TOPS of AI performance through the module’s 1024-core NVIDIA Ampere architecture GPU.
Read more...When SCADA meets the cloud Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
SCADA/HMI
Engineers are faced with the challenge of unifying legacy SCADA systems with modern, IoT-based data platforms. The trouble is, when hardware from multiple manufacturers and generations are all used in the same system, compatibility becomes an issue
Read more...Iritron Achieves Level 1 B-BBEE Status Iritron
News
Iritron has achieved Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor status, up from Level 2 previously. This prestigious verification underscores Iritron’s unwavering commitment to transformation, inclusivity and sustainable empowerment in South Africa.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version