Category Archives: Case Studies

Safety Scanner Issues and EN999

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Optima were recently asked to advise on a safety guarding application for one of our customers. 

There had been a number of false trips of the laser scanner causing the machine to stop. As a result of this, a plastic chain ‘barrier’ had been fitted as a temporary measure with instructions to operators to not breach the barrier whilst the machine was running. 

The customer naturally wanted this rectifying as soon as possible, so Optima performed a short-notice service visit to site.

On the site visit, our engineer noted that the scanner was showing a code which indicated that the front screen required cleaning.

Once the screen was cleaned thoroughly the scanner did not show any faults or errors and was in normal run mode.

However, we performed further checks on the original software to ensure that the scanner configuration still met the requirements of the safety guarding application. 

The diagrams to the left show the Warning Field configuration (Yellow) and the Protective Field (Red). Both of these were confirmed to be operational. 

The warning field causes the klaxon to operate and the protective field caused an emergency stop of the machine.

We did, however find a few concerns that needed to be addressed.

1. None of the scanner safety circuit had been documented on any drawings.

2. Non-compliance with EN999 ‘Safety of machinery – the positioning of protective equipment in respect of approach speeds of parts of the human body’ includes a formula to be used to calculate the distance from a hazard that a safety zone must be triggered. Based on the stopping times of the machine, the scanner was placed too close to the machine to be effective in an emergency.

We are working closedly with our customer to assist them with this application and help them achieve a safe and effective solution to this.

If you need any support with safety applications or other upgrades, please get in touch.

Parker SSD Microtach Replacements

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Microtach encoders, manufactured by SSD Drives for many years offered reliable transmission of sensitive high-frequency information in an electrically noisy environment.

The technology used a combination of an incremental encoder disk combined with micro-electronics to facilitate the use of single fibre optic transmission of the encoder pulses.

This gave a huge advantage of being able to transmit a noise-free signal over considerable distances.

However, time moves on and the Microtach is no longer available. The fibre optic cable, sending and receiving optics also degrade over time, affecting system integrity and reliability.

 

Link Rack

Fortunately, Optima can upgrade your ageing Microtach units with a modern equivalent that has exactly the same mounting arrangement. We also supply a new coupling with every encoder.

We use our own proven high-quality multi-sheathed cable to give the same reliable signal quality for the wired encoder equivalent. Distances up to 100 metres have been achieved with no signal degradation.

For this, or any other LINK hardware or software support, just get in touch. With over 100 years of combined experience engineering (and for some, designing!) the Link hardware, we have a solution for your obsolete hardware.

Parker SSD Link Upgrades
Link Programming Services

Cloud-based data dashboards

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If you want to see how your machine or process is operating day in day out from anywhere in the world, where do you start? With the increased risk of hacking of industrial devices becoming ever more prevalent Security Week – New Vulnerabilities Can Allow Hackers to Remotely Crash Siemens PLCs it’s not as simple as just hooking your PLC onto your local network.

An increasing number of companies are turning to remote cloud-based solutions for machine monitoring. Optima are pleased to offer the Cloud-based solution which keeps your automation hardware safely behind a secure firewall. Most of our clients prefer a SIM-card based system. The benefits of this system are that the equipment is always live whenever there is cellular reception available. Our range of antenna options mean that reception is possible even in the most remote locations.

The video below shows a basic demonstration dashboard. If you would like to know more then please get in touch – we like to talk!

This video gives a very brief demonstration on how our Remote Access and Cloud Logging System can help you keep track of how your machine is performing. See when the machine is started, stopped, realise production metric data straight to your mobile, desktop or tablet.

We have been trialling our remote machine data dashboards #iot #industry4. These allow real-time data to be visualised from any PLC anywhere in the world to a PC, tablet or mobile ‘phone anywhere in the world! The system can communicate over 4G, Wi-Fi, or a direct Ethernet connection. From Kazakhstan (yes, we do have two units out there!) to Kendal (we haven’t got one there yet…), we have you covered for a very low monthly cost.
Our remote reporting dashboards which can send #production #reports by #email will shortly be ready for release.

For more information, please contact info@optimacs.com

Mark Lane.

Siemens Transform Event

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Join Optima at the Siemens #Transform2022 Conference being held at the Manchester Central Convention Complex on 12th and 13th of July to explore how digitalisation of industry is being accelerated. For more information and to register for a complimentary space, see #Transform2022. Some of the key areas are:

  • Edge and Cloud Data computing for machine diagnostics
  • Improving plant operational efficiency and reducing energy consumption
  • Use of resilient forms of energyJoin Optima, your trusted Siemens Automation and Drives partner at this event. It is the largest event that Siemens have ever organised in the UK so it set to be an event that shouldn’t be missed!

Rockwell Extended Warranties

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If you have recently upgraded your machine or purchased Rockwell Automation hardware from Optima, a simple registration process can protect your investment.

The benefits for your business include:

Registration is easy. Simply scan the QR Code on your product packaging to get started or use our registration portal to add your products manually. Once your registration is processed, you may enjoy an extended warranty, easy access to your products’ documentation and updates on the product lifecycle status.

Just one way that Optima can help you get the most from our upgrade.

S88 Solution Solves Obsolescence Issue

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Addressing obsolescence is an issue facing many companies and failure to create a robust action plan can often lead to problems that not only affect the operation of a line or machine, but can also result in unfavourable issues that could have detrimental effects on quality levels and brands.

The dangers of obsolescence were identified early on at a leading British biscuit manufacturer in its mixing plant, where older hardware was not only showing its age in terms of performance and failures, but was also no longer part of a supported spares package. More information can be found here: Rockwell Automation Case Study

More information here:

Allen‑Bradley ControlLogix programmable automation controllers

EtherNet/IP device-level ring network topology

Batch servers

Rockwell Automation integrated-display computer running FactoryTalk View Site Edition (SE)

Rockwell Software FactoryTalk Batch software solution

Up to 5 Years Warranty as Standard on our Motor and Drive Upgrades with Siemens

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As a trusted Siemens Drive and Motion Partner, any machine upgrade that Optima engineer that uses Siemens Drives and Motors, Siemens will provide a 5 year warranty on the drive and 3 years on the motor/ motor gearbox Free of Charge. Optima can also extend this standard warranty further for you at preferential rates as a trusted partner of Siemens. See the below link for more information:

https://new.siemens.com/uk/en/products/drives/extended-warranty-packages.html

To be accepted as a Solution Partner of the “Drives & Motion” arm of Siemens, Optima must fulfill the following qualification criteria:

  • A proven track record of many years of experience in implementing projects in drive systems engineering using Siemens components
  • Qualified management our own projects, configuration and quality
  • Regular auditing of partner performance by Siemens Automation and Drives

Optima’s Robot Programming Services in Demand

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Optima don’t just supply our own turnkey Robot cell systems, we are also able to provide programming, consultancy and support. We are able to work with the following major robot manufacturers and have extensive experience on: ABB, Kuka, and Fanuc.

All of our previous robot projects are available on our dedicated YouTube channel. Here’s a few samples below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTSaR84XyfA width=”186″ height=”105″

Optima achieve accreditation by Avetta for supplier competency

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Optima have been certified as an approved supplier to Schneider Electric and become part of the Avetta Consortium. Membership of Avetta is your guarantee of our quality, procedures and most important of all, safe working standards.

We look forward to working closely with Schneider Electric on upcoming major projects. This enhances our product and engineering services and complements our existing Siemens Automation and Motion Partner services.

Registration Certificate Avetta

 

Re-commencement of commissioning on major projects

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Critical process industry can’t stop, so Optima have been back commissioning on-site for some time now to support our customers.

For this major project, we have written the PLC and SCADA platform to control the whole process from start to finish. The application is written entirely in TIA Portal with a total of three WinCC SCADA platforms. We have used the latest cloud-based remote access technology so that most of the plant can now be commissioned remotely. Remote access using a combination of local Wi-Fi and High-Gain 4G antennas gives us a reliable and secure access to the PLC and SCADA system when it is required.

This project is just one of many that Optima play a key role in. Whether your application is large or small, we have a capable engineering team that are able to provide you with as much engineering resource as you require.

March 2021