Industrial Controls Projects – 2023

industrial controlsHot Stamping Machine Upgrade (ongoing) – Summer 2023

We are currently working on an industrial controls project to automate a classic Hot Stamping Machine for a customer.

To make the project more economically feasible, we are using a microcontroller (Arduino Mega 2560 – this gives us 54 digital IO points and 16 analog IO points to work with. The Mega – like the Uno can produce a PWM wave to signal a stepper drive controller and can handle an interrupt input to run other functions), a Leadshine DM556E stepper motor controller and a SureStep stepper motor.

For an interface, we are using an op station with indicator LED’s, a machine enable / disable pushbutton, a machine manual move pb (leverages the Mega’s interrupt capabilities), a motor speed control potentiometer (0 – 100%), a motor on duration potentiometer (seconds) and a 4 line LCD display.  The display shows the current speed setpoint and the current motor on duration setting.

Phase II will add an Orange Pi running as an ignition gateway and reading and writing information to the Arduino via MQTT. There will be some network upgrades to existing plant network devices. This will allow us to bring the customer’s factory up to Industry 4.0 standards.

MolsonCoors – InTouch App for Automated Storage and Retrieval System (Feb / Mar 2023)

For this industrial controls project, we completed an InTouch Wonderware HMI application for MolsonCoors Trenton, OH plant.  The project utilized the latest 2022 version of InTouch.  We tested the app in InTouch 2023 as well, but decided that the lower risk / more stable route to go would be 2022 InTouch.

The application interfaces with 8 programmable logic controllers to read alarm information and send manual commands to 4 Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) cranes.

A feature we included in the application was a different audible alarm for each of the four infeed/outfeed conveyors that correspond to the four cranes. This allows maintenance personnel to know by sound which aisle has an issue.

Another feature included in the app is the display of the beer load license plate barcodes as they enter and exit the beer storage matrix.  There was some fun scripting involved to interpret data sent from the Motorola CPU based Modicon PLC’s (swapped end to end). 

The project was completed ontime. We also trained maintenance personnel on the details of the HMI and adjusted the design based on their feedback.

Post Cereal – Process Modifications for Lavendar flavoring in Granola – Battle Creek, MI Location

For this industrial controls project we added new logic to an existing Allen-Bradley PLC5 program and modifed an existing FactoryTalk View SE thin client HMI program.

The project involved repurposing an existing mix tank to add lavendar flavor to a process stream based on a recipe. The recipe had the ability to be adjusted from the HMI by process operators.  We added a loss in weight system to start and stop adding lavender.  The lavender flowed into the process through an airlock which we controlled. 

The project was fully checked out and verified. 

Post Cereal – High Speed Flaking Roll Upgrade – Battle Creek, MI Location

This industrial controls project involved writing logic in an existing Allen-Bradley Control Logix project to upgrade a high speed flaking roll – upgraded motors, upgraded electrical hardware, interface with existing hydraulics, HMI upgrades (FactoryTalk View SE – thin client). 

We wrote the PLC routine and interfaced it with the existing project.  Then we provided on site start-up support for the project. 

The project was completed ontime with no issues. We adjusted details of the process control based on operator feedback and made sure the HMI reflected information they needed to see to run the roll effectively.

Ubiquiti Projects

 Please see our Ubiquiti projects page for more information on Ubiquiti projects completed in 2022 / 2023.  LINK.