Proplas have
implemented many machine control improvements, please see below a
few examples that demonstrate our
capabilities;
Project - Pneumatic proportional
control
Request; A paper/cardboard company
required to improve the control of a rolling process.
The system used a bank of pneumatic rollers to
compress the product, the pressure increasing during the
process, these increases were completed in 5 stages. Each
stage having its own pressure regulator. The improvement
requested was to install more stages and reduce the time taken
to adjust all the pressures at size changes.
Study; Proplas installed one proportional
valve that replaced all the regulators, this valve being
controlled via a small PLC.
Result; The rolling can now have infinite
number of rolling pressures and is size changed via the PLC's
operator interface.
Project - Installation of AC Drives with
u/son loop control
Request; A textile company wanted
to improve with the control of a multi motored winding
m/c, the m/c was modern but the control was crude. The
motors started/stopped using "dancing compensation arms", this
resulted in the speeds changing constantly that hindered positional
accuracy.
Study; Proplas modified the control of the
motors by installing variable speed drives, these being ramped
by u/son loop control.
Result; The machine as a whole was much
smoother as all the motor speeds balanced, this assisted the
accuracy of the process. This modification also allowed the line
speed to be increased by 130% ! This was a bonus, as it was not
the objective that justified the
project.
Project - Energy saving audit. Auto start of scrap
grinding machine and
the installation of VSD's.
Request; Proplas offered to complete a free
energy audit of the customers workshops, in order to identify
opportunities for saving energy, and hence reduce operational
costs.
Study; Proplas found two justifiable
projects with excellent payback
periods;
Several m/cs
with hydraulic pump applications that ran at full load
unnecessarily.
A grinding m/c
ran for 24 hours a day, but was only used for 2 to 3 hours per
day.
Result;
On the
hydraulic pumps we installed a variable speed drive to the
pump motor, and varied the speed as required by the
m/c.
Payback period 6 months
On the grinding
m/c we installed a new control system, that auto started when
the machine was loaded. The machine carried out a
cycle controlled by a small PLC, the three motors being
stopped on
completion.
Payback period 3 months.
