PLC-based system expansion in automobile assemply plant
July 2000
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
When vehicle engines arrive at an automobile assembly plant, production engineers test a statistical sample of their delivery as part of the quality control process. Engineers make many measurements on the sample, including oil temperature, water temperature, oil pressure, fuel pressure, engine revolutions per minute, etc. By carrying out exhaustive testing of a representative sample of their engines, production engineers can learn much about the quality of their products and the competency of their suppliers.
Until recently, most of the test systems within automobile plants used programmable logic controllers (PLCs). However, a Korean automobile manufacturer recently started exploring the possibility of using the PC-based architecture to create a scalable, inexpensive automobile testing system. The system would be used to monitor and test engine firing. The desired functions were realtime data acquisition and control, automatic decision-making based on test data, automatic measurement and transmission of production data.
Eighteen stations were installed in an engine-firing testing area and each station performs the identical function. The stations consists of Advantech's IPC-6806P industrial computer, an ADAM-4520 converter and an ADAM-5000/485 distributed DA&C system. Advantech's IPC-622 industrial computer is used as a network server to connect the 18 testing stations through an Ethernet-based computer network. This serves data to the company-wide network making testing information accessible to management throughout the company.
The main functions of this testing system are automatic decision-making based on the testing results, test planning, measurement, data analysis and reporting. A human-machine interface was developed for the operators. ADAM-5000 input and output modules are connected to the sensor hardware to provide signal conditioning and control of data acquisition. The ADAM-4520 module converts the RS485 signals it receives from the ADAM-5000 system to RS232 signals before transmitting them to the control station computer.
The testing system has been installed and is successfully performing the same functions as the expensive proprietary PLC-based system that it replaced. The company is so satisfied that they are considering installing the system in their other domestic and overseas production facilities. Their switch to an open-systems PC-based testing architecture will enhance their competitiveness and simplify their global logistics.
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