This gallery contains 4 photos.
Siemens S5 PLC’s are the workhorses of industry which is why Optima still come across them on a weekly basis. Fortunately, our talented team of engineers can apply their engineering skills to a wide variety of machines. This provides a … Continue reading
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:
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.
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:
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.
The internal upgrade projects are part of Optima’s sustained effort to bring customer downtimes to a minimum and to improve customer support activities.
Optima Control Solutions, a team of independent automation experts, prides itself for being up to date with modern computing technologies such as cloud computing and virtualization. The company has recently initiated a very pronounced change in its I.T. infrastructure. Alastair Fay, Optima’s IT manager facilitating this change, talks to Hristina Stefanova about the upgrades that he has undertaken since 2011. Continue reading
This innovative manufacturer of ground reinforcing fabrics was founded in the1980s and ever since its name has become synonymous with high quality mechanical ground stabilisation and soil reinforcement products. The company is a world leader thanks to its innovative solutions and technology-driven vision. This company invented and patented the first polymer geogrids – their Biaxal geogrids are widely used around the globe. Optima Control Solutions, an independent automation expert, was approached by them and charged with the task of completely upgrading one of their production line control systems.
After years in production, the specialist line located at their plant in Blackburn became progressively obsolete and inefficient. It required not only a complete mechanical upgrade but also a total control system upgrade and a complete machine rewire. They needed an expert control system company flexible enough to complete the whole upgrade in a very tight time window – a total of 4 weeks. Moreover, the customer needed work to be carried out during an extended shutdown period at Christmas. Optima Control Solutions, headquartered just a few miles away from the plant, accepted the challenge and teamed up with the companies mechanical engineers to complete the task competently, on time and within budget.
Optima designed the new control system in accordance with the customers process requirements. Optima’s solution included some smart design features that gave greater machine reliability characteristics. PLC remote I/O units were fitted in the control cubicles, control desks and junction boxes located on the machine. The majority of the existing control cables could be removed which gave improved reliability and would simplify future maintenance on the machine. A redundant Siemens WinCC SCADA package was installed for controlling the machine and allowed production data to be easily collected and analysed. Optima’s team utilised Siemens Scada both on the input and output control desks. This control design allowed the machine to be controlled by either SCADA if one of them failed.
Joe Crane, plant engineering manager at the company in Blackburn, had nothing but praises for the job Optima had completed. “First of all, I am very pleased that they agreed to work over the Christmas period – it would have been impossible to complete the project at different times as we had to change the mechanics in parallel with the control system.” He stated that Optima’s upgrade contributed to an improved line efficiency of at least 20%. “We now have better control and accuracy in production – speed and tension loops are great. Also, Optima managed to raise the machine safety levels to a higher standard.” Regarding the data colleciion package employed into the upgraded Biax line, Mr. Crane said it was a great diagnostic and data management tool that made predictive maintenance part of the plant’s production strategy. “At present, we make decisions quicker and establish changes faster. We are now able to make informed decisions and optimize production based on data we have confidence in.”
When Imperial Tobacco decided their Lambert and Butler product was to be rebranded, Alcan Packaging and API Foils had a two-part challenge.
The first part being the product’s design and security demands. These meant that highly accurate register control was essential because tolerances of +/-0.15mm in 70mm were required in the final product. The second part of the challenge was that three discrete production processes were needed to manufacture the product on three different sites by two different companies and with each process the material structure altered.
API Foils at Poynton had previously worked closely with Optima on a number of projects and, being aware of our experience and expertise, API contacted Optima to explore possible solutions. Continue reading
A leading film and packaging supplier has made energy savings and been given a new lease to plant equipment following a drive and controls upgrade by Optima Control Solutions Ltd (OCS). Continue reading
Drives and controls are fundamental to keeping the wheels of the food industry turning. Obsolete systems can have a negative impact on productivity levels and processing operations even at the most profitable of companies. Continue reading
With money in short supply an option to improve the presses manufacturing efficiency at a fraction of the price of a new machine was immediately attractive to the management team at our customer’s site in Somerset.
When presented with poor print and fold quality, coupled with sleep depriving reliability for three ageing gravure printing presses, Optima Control Solutions Ltd. provided a remarkably successful answer for the customer. Continue reading