Efficient Motion Control ATEX Coating

The upgrade has resulted in the Coating Line being significantly more efficient and notably easier to operate

A coating machine installed in 1988 was facing increasing reliability and operational challenges due to its age. Key issues included:

  • Unpredictable Start-ups: The machine suffered from erratic start-ups, impacting the consistency of production
  • Frequent Recalibrations: Maintenance required regular recalibration of controls to maintain system reliability
  • Obsolete Motor Components: The DC ATEX-certified motors were no longer available on the market, and existing units were becoming increasingly unserviceable.
  • High Energy Losses in Transmission: High energy losses occurred due to inefficient PIV transmissions and aging gearboxes
Coating Machine Drive and Motion Upgrade

Solution: 

The customer needed a comprehensive solution to address the following:

  • Motor Obsolescence: Replace outdated motors to improve operational reliability and reduce unpredictable start-ups.
  • Improved Product Quality: Frequent poor coating quality, wrap-ups, and web breaks needed to be minimized.
  • Flexibility in Production: The upgraded system should be versatile enough to accommodate various products without requiring extensive reconfiguration.
  • Full PROFISAFE Integration: The machine was eqipped with a full PROFISAFE solution that incorporated safe speed monitoring. This improved operational safety and reducing risks during maintenance and production changes.
Siemens Sinamics S120 Drives in a Coating Application

Benefits: Following the upgrade, the machine achieved several substantial improvements, making it one of the most energy-efficient unit in the factory, even outperforming newer equipment. 

 
Key benefits included:
 
  1. Enhanced Energy Efficiency: The new servo motors and optimized drive system minimized energy waste, eliminating the need for ventilation or purging, which reduced fan energy consumption.
  2. Increased Production Speed: The upgraded machine operates at a higher production speed without compromising product quality, resulting in improved throughput.
  3. Reduced Mainternance Requirements: The new configuration eliminated the need for regular recalibration, easing the workload on maintenance staff.
  4. Improved Operator Satisfaction: Operators appreciated the simplified “one-touch” start functionality, which made operation straightforward and reduced the likelihood of errors.
  5. Minimized Product Losses: By eliminating web breaks and improving coating consistency, the machine reduced material waste and product rework.
This comprehensive machine upgrade resulted in a safer, more energy-efficient, and flexible production process, meeting the customer’s needs for reliability, flexibility, and operational efficiency. With improved equipment uptime, increased production speed, and lower energy costs, the customer has a future-proofed machine that supports long-term productivity and cost savings.
 
Optima are now in place to provide ongoing support and uprgades using our Remote Access system

First Batch of UL-Control Panels Finished and ready for shipping to the USA

Not content with supplying our UK and European customers with quality control panels from our workshop, we thought to look further afield. Far across the Atlantic Ocean in fact. Optima turned our engineering skills to designing a full process control system for a customer in the USA. Here are some of the panels we built for this project.

This is our first batch of UL-Rated control panels completed and ready for storage prior to shipping to the United States. This is part of a fully integrated Rockwell Automation control system featuring ControlLogix PLC’s with Guard Logix Safety and PowerFlex Drives.

Automax and PLC 5 to PowerFlex Drives and Control Logix Upgrade on Metalliser

In this upgrade, carried out during a planned shutdown, an Automax controller and obsolete DC drives were removed and replaced by new AC Powerflex 753 drives and AC vector motors. The SLC500 rack was replaced by a new Control Logix rack and remote IO on Ethernet. The now redundant PanelMax HMI was replaced by a new InTouch system from Wonderware.

The full scope of work, carried out by our own engineers in-house included:

  • Hardware calculations/rating for drives
  • Customer project specifications for upgrade
  • Project design specification
  • Full Circuit diagrams for the upgraded equipment
  • Test documents to validate the new equipment operation
  • Software specifications and sequence diagrams

Details of a typical metalliser drive control system are shown below. Optima know the metalliser drives process intricately. We have upgraded over 10 metalliser drive systems from various manufacturers and can offer a comprehensive upgrade to bring control of your machine drive system up to the standards of a new metalliser.

Optima will be pleased to provide a no obligation site visit to discuss how we implemented this upgrade and how we can help upgrade your machine to new supportable equipment.

Please telephone: Andy Coverdale, Mark Lane, Michael Hill on 01254 272829 to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively e-mail us at  E-Mail Sales.

Automax and PLC5 to PowerFlex Drives and Control Logix Upgrade

Obsolete AutoMax Rack

Optima recently carried out an upgrade on a complex Automax-based drive system running on an obsolete PLC5 controller. The customer requirement was that the old Automax controller rack, PLC5 and obsolete DC drives were  removed in one complete shutdown and replaced with the latest state-of-the-art technology.

Optima achieved this by replacing the DC drives and motors were by  new AC Powerflex 753 drives and AC vector motors. Additionally, the PLC rack was replaced by a new Control Logix rack and remote IO on Ethernet. The now redundant PanelMax HMI was replaced by a new InTouch system from Wonderware.

The full scope of work included:

  • Hardware calculations/rating for drives
  • Customer project specifications
  • Project design specification
  • Circuit diagrams
  • Special test documents
  • Software specifications and sequence diagrams
  • Installation of new panels and motors on-site

    New Control Logix PLC and PowerFlex Drives Panel

Optima will be pleased to provide a no-obligation site visit to discuss how we implemented this upgrade and how we can help upgrade your machine to new supportable equipment.

Please telephone: 01254 272829 to discuss your requirements in more detail.

Optima Control Solutions sees its overseas market expand

A recent article by Lancashire Telegraph highlights Optima Control Solutions securing of a multi-Million pound contract to supply a lithographic coating line to Jeil C&P Ltd., a printing plate manufacturer based in Daegu, South Korea.

With the assistance of NatWest Bank and UKTI, Optima managed to win the highest value contract ever secured by the company in 20 years of successful trading.

Individually, the contract value equals Optima’s par turn-over figure for recent years. It’s successful acquisition and delivery demonstrates Optima’s continued evolution as a key player in the manufacturing sector.

Michael Hill MD of Optima, Simon Watson, of NatWest, Ian Harrison, of NatWest and Steve Cowles

Michael Hill MD of Optima, Simon Watson, of NatWest, Ian Harrison, of NatWest and Steve Cowles

 

Amidst stiff competition from China, where the labour cost base is significantly lower than in the UK, Optima’s track record of supplying high quality engineered solutions won out.

Michael Hill said “My hope is that further UK and overseas opportunities will arise and we can continue to broaden Optima’s project portfolio and contribute further to the UK manufacturing sector”.

Click here to read the full article on the Lancashire Telegraph website.