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Leveraging Data Collection for Plant Floor Automation

by: Jason Biwer, Market Development Manager 

 

Our society is becoming increasingly reliant on the massive amounts of data that surround us every day.  The ability to collect, analyze, and display this data on a personal level is one of the highlights of current consumer electronics product offerings.  The widespread adoption of these tools has highlighted the shortcomings of historically common methods of collecting and analyzing data in the industrial marketplace.

Simply implementing a more direct connection between business layers in an organization can lead to reduced downtime, increased productivity, and greater profitability. Some benefits to data collection are:

1. Prevention of production issues
Since data is collected in real time, you have the ability to quickly identify production issues. This is one of the largest benefits to a good data collection system as it reduces the cost of waste in the production process.

2. Increased visibility
The cost of slow-moving inventory is one of the largest problems within any production organization. Increased visibility from the plant floor can assist with streamlining the purchasing cycle and optimizing the flow of materials through an organization.

3. Targeted maintenance
Preventative maintenance is one of  the key ways to reduce machine downtime. Collecting and visualizing data from machine components and operations can help proactively identify problems without the pain and high cost of downtime.

4. Increased business insights
Increased plant floor visibility can help drive business decisions and assisting management with improving profitability.

Before the introduction of plant floor controllers, data was collected by hand.  Although the most straightforward method, misinterpretation and mishandling of data resulted in frequent corruption. As PCs became more prevalent, Microsoft introduced Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), which allowed Windows programs to communicate with each other. DDE was often used to connect an Excel workbook to a controller on the plant floor to collect data. However, this is not an efficient option for real-time data collection.

Many data collection products will store data to a Comma Separated Variable (CSV) file, which typically has low implementation costs, but it requires users to mine the data from the file and organize it into a readable format. Unfortunately, maintaining the large quantity of CSV files generated with these systems often becomes cumbersome, thereby compromising the integrity of the data itself.

The backbone of many modern Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are relational databases such as SQL or Oracle. These databases not only organize data, but they also offer the ability to retrieve application specific data using queries.

Connecting manufacturing and enterprise layers within a facility requires a custom application running on a PC on the plant floor. However, the inherent instability of plant floor PCs make this solution costly and unreliable. Most PCs are simply not designed for the harsh manufacturing environments and are susceptible to viruses and constant OS updates, making the maintenance of these applications quite challenging.

Connecting the plant floor directly to the business layer of an organization can seem daunting; however, manufacturers of plant floor controllers are beginning to create solutions that enable users to leverage the benefits of a relational database. Updating your company’s data collection methods can lead to improvements in your processes without incurring the vast capital expenses of installing new equipment resulting in an attractive ROI.

Interested in learning more about how data collection can help you? 

 

How To Keep Costs Low When Using Water Glycol

by: Ron Durante, Director – MRO Services

 

Water-based hydraulic fluids, such as water glycol, are frequently used for the fire resistant capabilities.  Since they tend to be more expensive, proper use and maintenance of the hydraulic fluid is critical to keep costs low. Here are some quick tips for using water glycol in your hydraulic system –

1. Oversize your filters
Water glycol fluids often create higher pressure drops through filters than would be expected from their viscosities. Filters should be oversized by 50-100%.

2. Use distilled water
Water glycol has a thinner lubrication film and higher specific gravity than mineral oil. As a result, particles that would settle or sink in oil may float in the fluid, allowing them to remain mobile and hazardous to components. Therefore, water used for mixing should be neither hard nor soft. Instead, use deionized or distilled water. 

3. Control your operating temperatures
To reduce evaporation, keep system operating temperatures under 120 degrees F.

4. Use Teflon seals
Water glycol fluids are compatible with Buna seals, but not items made from polyurethane, leather or cork. Teflon shaft seals work best. 

5. Remove sludge regularly 
Since materials float in water glycol fluid and don’t sink, they often accumulate tramp oil or sludge on the surface. Skim the surface regularly to remove excess build-up.

6. Sample fluid quarterly
To assure the correct ratio of water to solution is running within the machine, sample your fluid on a quarterly basis. We recommend refract meter or strip testing.

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Want to learn more about hydraulic technology? Sign up for our Basic Hydraulics training course!

Modlink: New features and frames = more options

The Modlink MSDD interface system makes it easy to access controls in the cabinet when the time comes for in-plant or machinery diagnostics and servicing. With Modlink the cabinet can remain closed and the components inside can continue to operate with their required level of protection. This helps you maintain compliance with all necessary safety regulations. Simply snap the appropriate GFCI circuit breaker into the frame. Then, if the switch trips, it can be reset without having to open the cabinet.

Available in both a single and double frame size with a choice of cover (transparent, silver or fiberglass-reinforced gray), Modlink MSDD is suitable for applications in a wide variety of environments. The covers come with a choice of locking mechanism, either a 3mm double-bit key or a knob. Both help the cover and frame meet IP65 requirements thus making the insert resistant to dirt, dust and humidity. The newly redesigned cover has a spring mechanism that lifts an open lid 30°. This allows you to see at a glance that it is open and reminds you to close it when finished.

The modular system is based on a two parts: frames and inserts. With over 4000 combinations of frames and inserts, Modlink allows manufacturers to react to country specific requirements without having to rework the size of the housing each time. The cutout dimensions, which have remained the same even though the frame has a new look, are standard across the product line no matter which insert you choose for your application. This makes it easy for both designers and installers to work with Modlink MSDD.

Murrelektronik, Inc. is the North American arm of Murrelektronik GmbH, a worldwide leader in the manufacture of state-of-the-art technology and made-to-measure solutions for complex automated industrial systems, network protocols and machine connectivity.

For more information on Modlink MSDD or Murr Electronik, please contact bherman@priceeng.com or sales@priceeng.com.

Tips for Practical Contamination Control

By: Ron Durante from Price On-Site.

Perhaps you have heard it before – the biggest issue associated with hydraulic failures is contamination. 

Experts say that 75% of hydraulic problems are related to contamination.

Price On-Site has found this to be true countless times as its service technicians make service calls and solve customers’ problems with a quick solution in the field.

As a service company, we have found that 90% of the systems we work on
do not meet ISO cleanliness targets set forth by the systems’ manufacturer.  

Here are some simple tips for controlling contamination in your hydraulic system:

1. Meet your manufacturer’s ISO standards
Your company depends on its equipment to last a long time.  With good cleanliness targets reached, you can expect component life to be three times longer, and oil life five times longer. The biggest payoff is that you will experience a significant drop in machine downtime.

If your system operates intermittently, you are probably not experiencing problems if your prime mover operates at RPMs less that 1800 and the pressures are less than 2500 PSI. But if you are running at higher RPMs, higher pressures, operate over multiple work shifts, then it is crucial that you meet your cleanliness targets.

2. Use a particle counter
One of the first simple steps is to use a particle counter to get a baseline of current contamination levels. Get the right people involved so that all can understand and address the filtration needs. Training is key.

3. Train your maintenance staff
Maintenance team members need to understand fluid handling procedures and what ISO code 16/14/12 means.  They also must understand that despite extra careful measures, any service performed will introduce contamination in the system.

4. Use proper filtration methods
Using the particle count baseline as your guide, you will need to install the correct filters, breathers and possibly a conditioning loop. After 24 hours, conduct a repeat particle count and confirm that that cleanliness target has been reached and most likely exceeded to better levels. This is how a practical contamination control plan will result in keeping your system clean so that contamination will not be a cause of a component failure.

Practical contamination control is the least expensive way to improve and extend the life of your hydraulic systems. Your costs will be less and costs associated with downtime and repairs will be greatly reduced.

For more information on how to set up a contamination control plan for your hydraulic systems, contact Ron Durante, at Price On-Site. (262) 369-2147 or rdurante@priceeng.com.

Schematics: The Key To Troubleshooting

By: Ron Durante from Price On-Site

Troubleshooting a complicated hydraulic system without a schematic is like trying to locate your destination without an address – you waste valuable time driving around. This is particularly true if there are manifolds within a given system.

A machine schematic is by far the best tool for troubleshooting complex equipment. In addition, a thorough description of the problem will assist in locating the source of the issue. With these 2 tools, you can effectively pick each problem off one-at-a-time.

If you use schematics for troubleshooting, make sure they are up to date. Organizing your schematics by asset name in electronic folders is a good way to keep files complete and accurate.

Taking photos of the equipment in question is also an essential (and often overlooked) step in troubleshooting. Not only do you document the problem, it will also help if you have to troubleshoot over the phone with a colleague, or customer, at a later date.

If you’re ever in a situation where the equipment is too old or no schematic is available, it’s best to simply sit down and sketch your own schematic. Although tedious, this extra step will save you a big headache later on.

Overall, the use of a schematic can quickly address possible causes of equipment failure and will undoubtedly save many hours of otherwise frustrating work.

Want to learn more about schematics and hydraulic system troubleshooting?
Sign up for Price On-Site’s Basic Hydraulics course!

20 Christmas Fun Facts

Merry Christmas to all of our customers out there! In keeping with the holiday spirit, we’ve posted these 20 fun facts about the Christmas. We hope you find them entertaining and informative. Enjoy!

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1. The Greeks celebrated Christmas on January 7. Until in A.D. 350, Pope Julius I proclaimed December 25 the official date for Christmas.

2. In Greek, ‘X’ stands for Christ. This is from where the word ‘Xmas’ originated.

3. If you wait for Santa to bring you a gift on every Christmas Eve, then keep these facts in mind. According to US scientists, if Santa is to deliver all the world’s gifts on Christmas eve, then he would have to visit 822 homes a second, while travelling at no less than 650 miles per second. That has to be fast…

4. The legend of Santa Claus comes from a real saint, St. Nikolas of Myra, who lived in today’s Turkey around the fourth century. The term ‘Santa Claus’ is itself derived from Sankt Niklaus, German name for Saint Nicholas.

5. According to a story, the tradition of Christmas stockings have been originated from three sisters who could not afford a marriage dowry. They were helped by Saint Nicholas, who crept down their chimney and filled their stockings with gold coins.

6. Apples were the first known Christmas tree decorations. Until they were replaced by lights, a trend first started by protestant reformer, Martin Luther (1483-1546). According to a story, he got the idea after watching stars shining between the branches of a fir tree.

7. In Britain, people wear paper crowns on Christmas. The origins of this tradition can be traced back to the Roman Saturnalia Celebrations.

8. The term ‘Christmas’ has been derived from the Old English word “Cristes maesse” which means “Christ’s Mass“.

9. Christmas was first celebrated in Britain in 521 in York.

10. An average Christmas tree takes 15 years to grow.

11. An average household in America mails out 28 cards on Christmas and see 28 Christmas cards return to their place.

12. In Canada, Santa Claus has his own postal zip code, H0H 0H0.

13. In 1647, Christmas was made illegal by the English Parliament. The Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell, who considered feasting on a holy day to be immoral, banned the Christmas festivities. The ban was lifted only when Cromwell lost power in 1660.

14. The song “Jingle Bells” was originally written for Thanksgiving in the year 1857.

15. The Norwegians believed that witches come out on Christmas eve to look for brooms to ride. Thus, all the brooms in the house were hidden and men went outside and fired a shotgun to frighten the evil spirits away.

16. 56 percent Americans say that they always sing Christmas carols to their pets.

17. During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards are swiped an average of 5340 times every minute in the United States.

18. There are two islands in the world named ‘Christmas’. One in the Pacific ocean and the other in the Indian ocean.

19. According to a study, two weeks before Christmas is the most popular time for couples to break up.

20. The Germans made the first artificial Christmas tree out of dyed goose feathers.

Read more at http://www.oddityjournal.com/2012/12/20-christmas-fun-facts-you-never-knew.html#pFlWo1P6JxsfpfBP.99

6 Steps to Increase Efficiency for Food Manufacturers

Food and beverage manufacturers are presented with several challenges. Organizations strive to minimize production and supply chain costs, realize a perfect delivery efficiency and meet a multitude of regulatory needs merely to stay reasonably competitive.

This post features six key focus things food producers should be investigating to enhance their productivity.

1. Improved Operational Productivity

• Productive inventory control. The subject of the spoiling nature of fresh food materials and ingredients presents numerous manufacturing, planning and stock managing complications. Furthermore, a number of materials introduce the intricacies of catch weight measurement.

• Boost supply chain cooperation. In its simplest form, this is the moving of data between a organization and its business partners, usually involving EDI. Modern tech permits online services to be deployed to streamline this procedure, which in turn permits online collaboration with smaller business partners that would have found the cost of traditional EDI to be excessive.

2. Access To Company Information

• Offer real time insights into manufacturing procedures and costs. Firms need understanding of production activities, capacity loadings, shop floor activity, and production expenses. Seeing real-time client contracts and project administration specifics to have a precise accounting of productivity. By keeping track of products throughout the entire process, your organization can put into practice efficient recall methods with complete forward and backward traceability of all your materials.

• Self service business intelligence. Business intelligence tools have typically been difficult to use, requiring an in-depth comprehension of the structure of the underlying information, necessitating costly consultancy training and exclusively offered to senior managers. The actual importance of business intelligence can be found when every users are provided with access to pre-defined procedures and indicators.

3. Integration into Current Platforms

• Integrated into factory floor devices. Programmed equipment on the shop floor has totally changed numerous manufacturing methods. But in most factories they continue to be individual sections of machinery and remain cut off from the manufacturing, scheduling and stock management platforms. However, significant time can be saved by moving production schedules and control programs to processing machinery and improved visibility can be obtained by instantly updating business systems with supply chain info, material weights, bagging counts, etc.

4. Enhanced Customer Support

• Traceability. Being able to trace raw products the field to the distribution warehouse and vice-versa is critical for food and beverage manufacturers.

5. Increasing The Competitive Advantage

• Maximizing efficiency in brand new product development. New Product Development (NPD) and New Product Introduction (NPI) processes call for management to make sure that timeframes are met to produce products within customer specs and achieve the ideal degree of profit.

• Reduce production costs and satisfy customer care responsibilities. Slender profit margins tend to be the standard for food and beverage manufacturers, and savings of 1 hundredth of a penny for every unit may have a huge impact on profitability.

• Respond swiftly to industry circumstances or current business opportunities. Companies need to tailor their creation management system to meet the altering needs of process functions. Simply by modeling production abilities and providing accurate capacity planning and production pricing, businesses can capitalize on new opportunities, while complying with legal, regulation, and marketplace requirements.

6. Lowering the Cost of Compliance

• Control quality throughout the organization. Quality is the #1 characteristic that sets apart one business from another, but managing quality is an expensive cost to the business enterprise and commonly demands mindful administration and auditing.
More Information:
Source: http://www.PopularArticles.com/article366546.html
photo credit: JamesCalder via photopin cc

Hydraulic Cylinder Repair and Maintenance

by Peter Mathew

Hydraulic cylinder repair needs to be done if the performance of the machine is degrading day by day. With the use of updated technology, repairing such heavy machines is no longer a problem. In most cases, repairs do not take place due to 1. unavailability of tools, and 2. lack of proper knowledge. These two aspects are very important – one small mistake can cause a huge loss, potentially causing the machine permanent damage.

Checking for bent rods should be done as it is the most vital device inside the machine and are common problems for stoppage of work. A slight degree change in the design of the hydraulic cylinder can stop an entire machine. A bent rod problem usually arises due to rod seal failure. It happens when the pressure increases and the required oil is absent, which can take the entire weight and load. Curing such a problem can be time consuming and [may mean] you are shelling out more cash on its repair. At times, the damage can be so severe that … the entire load might collapse resulting in dropping the picked up load.

Bearing area needs to be sufficient to carry the tensional load. Placing of seals should be appropriate and of the exact size and shape. It should also cover the main points where leakage can take place. Sealing should be checked and performed under strict supervision; any leak in sealing should be repaired or replaced. It is also one of the major tasks under on hydraulic cylinder repair.

Rod finish is another loop hole in the main procedure. Rod finish should be smooth and easy to ward of excessive hydraulic fluid. If there is any roughness, it should be cleared and ensured there are no harsh edges. Most failures of cylinders are due to rough surface of rods. It literally rubs and garnishes the cylinder. Such repeated damage can cause the cylinder to break when pressure is applied.

In all of these problems, the symptom is the same – stoppage of work. Cylinder repair should be done to avoid such problems.

For more information on cylinder repair, contact Price On-Site at (262) 369-2147.

More Information:

About the Author
Peter Mathew writes articles for business branding and industrial engineering.

Source: http://www.PopularArticles.com/article370091.html

Is Your Filter Cart Doing More Harm Than Good?

By: Ron Durante – General Manager of Price On-Site

I recently visited a customer of mine that had purchased multiple filter carts from us and was surprised to see upon arriving that they only had one cart for all multiple fluids. Not only that, it utilized an outlet wand and had two coarse nominal filters with non-differential indicators. This might be an extreme case of misuse, lack of maintenance, and very poor storage procedures, but there are other pitfalls to be aware of.

Another customer explained that they did indeed have a filter cart and proudly explained they used it throughout the plant to fill, top off, and drain various hydraulic, lube systems, and sumps. In both of these instances there are several recurring problems:

Never compromise the current system cleanliness by inserting an oily wand.
It has collected contaminates since its last use. Use quick disconnects with dust caps to make system connections. It is best that quick disconnect is tee’ed in before return line filter.

Price On-Site makes a great little breather eliminator that incorporates the quick disconnect and a 3 micron Beta 200 breather, with moisture prevention, and indicator. The use of wands on inlet is fine, but avoid contaminating your system by opening it to atmosphere and inserting foreign objects.

Use different filter carts for use with multiple types of fluids.
Using one cart for different fluids will contaminate your systems with incompatible fluid particles. Color-coding them will help you identify which cart it to be used with each type of fluid. The cost associated with multiple carts is much lower than the cost of fixing fluid contamination.

The goal of filling a reservoir is to provide clean fluid, so don’t mess around with cascading elements i.e. 25 micron to a 10 micron, to a 3 micron. Go with multiple 3 micron beta 1000 elements in series. This will give the best possible results in single pass operation.

Use two or three, 3 micron Beta 1000 filter elements in series for single pass filter transfer systems.
New oil generally has an ISO code of 22 to 24 for 4 micron and above. The range code 23 equates to 80K particles in a milliliter of oil. There’s 3785 ml in a gallon so, 302,800,000 particles times 55 gallons equals 16,654,000,000 particles. If you run this through a 3 micron beta 1000 element at 99.9% efficient you end up pumping 16 million particles into you system. Divide this out and you’re at an ISO 19 range code in a perfect scenario.

If you drop one ISO code with each pass taking in inefficiencies, stem and bypass leakage, etc. so more like ISO 22 range code. You cut contaminates in half, but you’re also pumping dirty oil in reservoir.

The same scenario with two or three filters in series will significantly drop your particle quantities and possibly hit your ISO Cleanliness target with single pass through your filter cart. This gives you the best possibility of clean oil. Use one indicator on last filter inline and change all three when this one indicates. This also gives you the best filter life overall.

The first filter and possible the second will be in particle bypass by the time last one indicates, but remember they are still filtering some oil and no oil is bypassing last filter. Incorporate a 50 psi bypass in last housing inline to again give yourself the best life and cleanest oil.

Stock only one filter element – 3 micron beta 1000.
Avoid purchasing the cheapest filter cart on the market. Do some investigation, look for multiple filters on pump outlet with 3 micron Beta 1000 elements, quick disconnect for system connection and get one for each fluid you transfer to avoid cross-contamination.

For more information on system filtration, contact Price On-Site at (262) 369-2147 OR visit www.priceonsite.com

 

Donate Your Gently-Used Coats At Price Hose Center

Parents in and around the Milwaukee are being encouraged to go through their closets and pull out any unused or unwanted winter coats to donate to the Condella’s Coats for Kids campaign.

The slightly used children’s coats will be cleaned by ITU and distributed by The Salvation Army to other children who need them. Children’s coats in good working order can be donated now through October 13 at the Price Hose Center at 6925 S. 6th Street, Suite 500 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The 2012 Condella’s Coats for Kids campaign is organized by WITI FOX 6 in Wisconsin and is the 27th year of the campaign that has helped thousands of area children.

“Providing a coat can make a difference for a family living in poverty…as daily living costs rise, every dollar counts and a free coat allows for dollars to be spent in other areas such as food, rent or heat.”

– Major Deborah Sjögren, Milwaukee Salvation Army.

Vince Condella, WITI FOX 6 Chief Meteorologist, has been leading the campaign since the beginning. “I am counting on the generosity of everyone again this year,” said Condella. “This entire effort is completely dependent on one person helping another by donating a coat.”

Partners with WITI FOX 6 in Condella’s Coats for Kids includes ITU who donates the washing of the coats and Bonded Transportation Solutions, who pick up coats at the donation sites. Steinhafels and Caterpillar Global Mining are drop off sites and the Salvation Army works with area schools to distribute coats to school children who need them.

Donations will be accepted at the Price Hose Center until the end of October 2012.

Directions to the Oak Creek drop-off location:

 

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