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Automation Newsletter
Issue No. 1
Welcome to PCT's Automation newsletter. We've put together this newsletter to help our customers understand the broad range of services and experience of PCT Engineered Systems. We hope you will find this newsletter a valuable tool to help your business. This issue focuses on our drives system capabilities.
Just "Finishing" Up:
As part of a project to engineer and manufacture a strip cleaning brush box, PCT was contracted to review the tensioning components and processes and make recommendations to increase rewind tensions. During our field survey, PCT consulted with plant personnel regarding machine improvement and process improvement objectives. It was determined the existing line tension control produced undesirable strip and finished coil quality. The primary process tension deficiencies were found to be associated with inaccurate unwind tension control, poor tension isolation from the rewind section, and inadequate tension in the rewind coil.
PCT’s primary goals were to determine the feasibility of adding a tension bridle directly upstream of the line rewind and of replacing the existing unwind tension brake system with an AC motor and drive. After careful analysis, PCT recommended replacing the existing controls with AC motors and drives. In addition to the controls, a bridle roll assembly was implemented ahead of the rewind to amplify tension and provide isolation from the rest of the line.
The new controls and mechanical upgrades achieved all the customer requirements for improved quality.
Looking to enhance your wind/unwind process? An engineering evaluation by PCT is a cost effective way to get started. Our process experts have the experience and know-how to help you improve your systems.
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After comparing several vendors of DC drives, SSAB made the decision to purchase Siemens 6RA70 DC drives. The major benefits the customer perceived prior to making the decision were related to uptime and ongoing costs. The new Siemens DC Drive hardware would be easier to troubleshoot. There would also be more ways to troubleshoot via the drives software and front panel. It was believed the drives would be able to recover quickly from short power interruptions with a minimum of disruption to the process. Because of production demands, a short 9 day outage was all that would be allowed to install, power-up, tune, and test the drives before resumption of production activities. The new Siemens drives offered straightforward and fast commissioning.
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For all you engineering history buffs, Thomas Edison advocated Direct Current for industrial applications and power transmission. Nikola Tesla believed AC was the way.
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We are independent drive experts with many years of mechanical and electrical process experience. Let PCT show you how to save money with a drive assessment. To get started, contact us at PCT – the LOCAL drive system experts.
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When Dave isn’t chasing his large contingent of offspring, he’s busy as PCT’s Chief Electrical Engineer. Dave has amassed a wealth of application knowledge. Here are a few tips from someone who’s been through most of the wringers a drive system can put you through.
Seven Effective Habits of Drive System Purchasers
I know, taking advice from a Systems Integrator on “how to buy a drive system” is akin to asking the fox how to guard a chicken coop, but stick with me here. I’m a reasonably honest fox:
Issue No. 1
March 2009
Welcome to PCT's Automation newsletter. We've put together this newsletter to help our customers understand the broad range of services and experience of PCT Engineered Systems. We hope you will find this newsletter a valuable tool to help your business. This issue focuses on our drives system capabilities.
Just "Finishing" Up:
Tension Line upgrades for a copper/brass manufacturer.
As part of a project to engineer and manufacture a strip cleaning brush box, PCT was contracted to review the tensioning components and processes and make recommendations to increase rewind tensions. During our field survey, PCT consulted with plant personnel regarding machine improvement and process improvement objectives. It was determined the existing line tension control produced undesirable strip and finished coil quality. The primary process tension deficiencies were found to be associated with inaccurate unwind tension control, poor tension isolation from the rewind section, and inadequate tension in the rewind coil.
PCT’s primary goals were to determine the feasibility of adding a tension bridle directly upstream of the line rewind and of replacing the existing unwind tension brake system with an AC motor and drive. After careful analysis, PCT recommended replacing the existing controls with AC motors and drives. In addition to the controls, a bridle roll assembly was implemented ahead of the rewind to amplify tension and provide isolation from the rest of the line.
The new controls and mechanical upgrades achieved all the customer requirements for improved quality.
Looking to enhance your wind/unwind process? An engineering evaluation by PCT is a cost effective way to get started. Our process experts have the experience and know-how to help you improve your systems.
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DC Drive Retrofit for Continuous Caster
Benefits to customer
PCT performed a DC drive retrofit to replace obsolete DC drives on a slab caster at the SSAB facility in Montpelier, Iowa. The older drives had issues with field supply failure and restrictive diagnostics. Furthermore, the drives were sensitive to power fluctuations and would reset during the frequent power interruptions experienced by the plant. This would stop the process causing the partially hardened slab to freeze in the caster resulting in several days of downtime to cut the steel out.After comparing several vendors of DC drives, SSAB made the decision to purchase Siemens 6RA70 DC drives. The major benefits the customer perceived prior to making the decision were related to uptime and ongoing costs. The new Siemens DC Drive hardware would be easier to troubleshoot. There would also be more ways to troubleshoot via the drives software and front panel. It was believed the drives would be able to recover quickly from short power interruptions with a minimum of disruption to the process. Because of production demands, a short 9 day outage was all that would be allowed to install, power-up, tune, and test the drives before resumption of production activities. The new Siemens drives offered straightforward and fast commissioning.
PLC – ControlLogix w/ Profibus
The customer called on PCT’s expertise with communication networks to integrate the drive system and PLC. The ControlLogix PLC was connected to the drives on a Profibus network through an SSD communication card.Panel Fabrication
Because the customer’s installation required custom enclosure configurations, PCT provided the DC Drives in enclosures to fit the tight space requirements. Special attention was given to electrical protection for the drives.
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Edison or Tesla?
DC or AC? Which is better for your application? AC drives have many advantages, however DC drives are still a great choice for certain applications. In fact, PCT just performed a large drive retrofit that utilized modern DC drives. Skip back to the previous article for more information.For all you engineering history buffs, Thomas Edison advocated Direct Current for industrial applications and power transmission. Nikola Tesla believed AC was the way.
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Drive Line Assessments
Interested in optimizing your production line? Need to run faster with less downtime due to drive issues?We are independent drive experts with many years of mechanical and electrical process experience. Let PCT show you how to save money with a drive assessment. To get started, contact us at PCT – the LOCAL drive system experts.
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Drive Systems Purchasing Tips from– Dave Stephan.
When Dave isn’t chasing his large contingent of offspring, he’s busy as PCT’s Chief Electrical Engineer. Dave has amassed a wealth of application knowledge. Here are a few tips from someone who’s been through most of the wringers a drive system can put you through.
Seven Effective Habits of Drive System Purchasers
I know, taking advice from a Systems Integrator on “how to buy a drive system” is akin to asking the fox how to guard a chicken coop, but stick with me here. I’m a reasonably honest fox:
- Call us
If you ignore this first habit I can not guarantee the results. Actually, even if you do act on this, I’m still not sure I’ll guarantee anything… but read on, you might be surprised. - Read the Functional Spec
If PCT writes the spec, we actually make an effort to explain how we think your system is going to work. Most likely, you’ve already explained to us how it’s going to work, several times over to different people. But things get lost in translation and this is the feedback loop that makes sure we have it correct. Please read the spec and then tell us how we can improve. - Buy hardware you understand and can troubleshoot
We will have hardware in mind that we’d use on your project, but make sure it is that hardware you are comfortable with. We’ll use whatever you want. You, however, are going to live with this system for a long, long time (hopefully) and years from now you want your grandkids to be happy with the hardware you have. - Attend the Project Meetings at PCT
Come see the equipment when it’s on our shop floor. We’ll buy you some lunch, maybe even supper, and you will see things that go unnoticed on paper. - Train your maintenance people
Sure, we’ll have a training class. You can also send your people off to the manufacture’s classes. Manufacturer’s classes aren’t bad things; however you’ll get more out of a training session with your own system. What is very effective is having your maintenance people working side by side with our startup folks. - Tell us when it ain’t right
The day we leave something will break. Murphy lives in your plant and everyone else’s plant too. Let us know. Sometimes it’s infant mortality and sometimes it’s something we missed in startup. Our Project Managers will arrange a trip back to your site 30 days after the last day of startup to fix things. We always want the chance to make it right. - Pay
Preferably in small unmarked bills.
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