Category Archives: News

Safety Scanner Issues and EN999

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

Accelerate your digital and sustainability transformation at Siemens Transform 2024

Posted on
Transform 2024: Transform the everyday

We are delighted to invite you to join us for
Transform 2024 – the technology showcase from Siemens.

Join thousands of participants and accelerate
your digital and sustainability transformation to transform the everyday, for
everyone, on 17-18 July at Manchester Central.

·     Hear from, engage with, and collaborate with industry experts on key industry topics – from AI to the
industrial metaverse and decarbonisation.

·     Experience where the real world meets the digital in an extensive technology marketplace and discover
Siemens Xcelerator – the open digital business platform.

·     Work with an expert community to solve real-world challenges and co-create solutions to make your
organisation more competitive, resilient and sustainable.

As a proud partner of Siemens, we hope you will join us at Transform and become part of a community solving today’s most pressing challenges, together.

Click below to register your interest and to receive updates from Siemens on their unmissable schedule of talks and experiences.

https://www.siemens.com/uk/en/company/transform.html?stc=ukcg200474

 

Optima’s Solution Partner Accreditation for 2024

Posted on

Optima are proud to maintain both our Siemens Drives and Motion and Factory Automation accreditations for 2024. Our Solution Partner status as Automation Drives verifies our status of application and system expertise, industry knowledge and project experience.

We implement tailor-made solutions with exceptional quality. Our partner accreditation forms part of Siemens’ commitment to their principle of “Ingenuity for life”. We use ingenuity and engineering skill to work on sustainable solutions for your automation tasks.

S88 Solution Solves Obsolescence Issue

Posted on

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

Posted on

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 achieve accreditation by Avetta for supplier competency

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

All the support you need… when you need it

Posted on

Here at Optima we are always looking at ways at which we can better support our customers. If the problem can be identified remotely and and fixed without requiring a visit to site, then there are cost savings to be made, both in terms of engineering time saved and production downtime losses.
Of course, not every problem can be fixed remotely, but if a more detailed prognosis can be made in the first instance, then preparations for any site visit will be more focused on the problem area. Read our Remote Access Brochure for more information.

Cloud Remote Access

With this remote access system:

  • Our engineers use the same software they would use if they had travelled to the remote site. The customer does not need to purchase the specialist programming tools or laptop
  • The system uses the existing, broadband Internet connection on site, whether wired or wireless
  • If this is not available (for example at a remote operating plant or location) our 4G Mobile Data Sim configuration provides the communication link required. 
  • Depending on network coverage, the most appropriate mobile telephone network provider can be selected. Our range of high-gain antennas ensure that a reliable data link is always available
  • The system can be configured to send e-mail notifications, when machine faults / alerts occur

We would be pleased to provide you with a custom quotation for your remote access requirements.

Supply of Motor Generator Test Rigs to Blackpool & The Fylde College

Posted on
AC and DC Motor Test Rig 1

If you want to learn about Asynchronous and Synchronous AC machines, DC Motors, Generator and Motor principles it’s useful to be able to carry out practical work on them.

Step forward Optima who helped Blackpool & The Fylde College fulfil their requirements to have two new state-of-the art installed at their brand new training facility near Fleetwood

Challenges

There were a number of key challenges in the design. On Test Rig 1, the AC Motor would operate in two modes:

  • Prime mover, with the load being applied by the DC motor.
  • Generator mode with the DC motor driving the AC motor.
Synchronisation Meter

When acting as a generator, the AC motor would have to be synchronised to the mains supply before being “switched-in”. This is to simulate a real-world situation on-board ships where back-up generators may have to be manually switched-in.

Design

The panel design incorporated banana type sockets to facilitate the ease of connection of external measuring instruments such as power meters.

The panels incorporated a host of instrumentation to afford total visibility. These included:

  • Machine torque
  • DC Armature Current
  • DC Armature Voltage
  • Single Phase Mains Voltage L-N
  • Single Phase Alternator Current
  • Single Phase Alternator Voltage L-N
  • Alternator Excitation Current

Test Rig 2

Test Rig 2 incorporated the very latest Siemens PM250 Regenerative Power Module and a Soft Starter to the test rig AC Motor. The user has the option to switch between the two. A DC Motor acts either as a prime mover or generator giving ultimate flexibility in operation.

The incorporation of a regenerative AC solution brings the very latest in cutting-edge drive architecture to an educational establishment. There aren’t many drive manufacturers who can supply lower-power regenerative modules.

Overall, the test rig projects were a great success combining the College’s and Optima’s knowledge to product test rigs that will serve students well for many years to come.

Technology:

Videos:

See our Test Rigs in action here: