Product category:
Telemetry, data acquisition + loggers
News Release from: ABB Automation Tech (Instrumentation + Automation) | Subject: SM1000
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 19 May 2008
SM1000 eliminates Autowindscreens paper
mountain
RAC Autowindscreens can now gain easier access to vital production information following the installation of an ABB SM1000 videographic recorder with batch functionality
Replacing a previously installed twin-trace paper recorder, the SM1000 electronic recorder has eliminated the need for the company to sift through paper charts and has opened up new possibilities for interrogating and analysing recorded data The factory in Chesterfield manufactures laminated windscreens
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 2 Feb 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Part of the process involves placing some 270 units at a time into an autoclave and raising the temperature and pressure to 140C and 11.5bar.
The whole cycle lasts around four hours, effectively bonding the layers of glass together to maximise the toughness of the windscreens.
As well as a host of standard batch features, including local and remote control, ABB batch-enabled videographic data recorders also include a lifecycle analysis function which can be used to rapidly review records of every separate production process applied to a batch.
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With the lifecycle analysis function, users can now obtain records for every stage in the production process using the ABB DataManager data analysis software.
The batch recording function of the recorder enables the operator to enter essential batch information that is recorded alongside the process data.
The recorded data is then archived for subsequent retrieval, with each batch being tagged with its identification data.
This data is then used by the DataManager software to provide operators with a complete production history for each batch.
"For us, the main advantage of using the SM1000 is ease of use," says shift manager Mark Gascoigne.
"A BSI inspector visits us every three months and previously had to look through 120 paper charts every time.
Now we can just type in the batch number and the data comes up.
We only print out the chart for a batch if there's a potential problem with it.
We can also look at the data in a new way," he adds.
"We can pick out the temperature and pressure at any point in the cycle, which wasn't possible before.
It means we can check things like how long it took each batch to get up to the right pressure, for example".
For now, the data is stored on a memory card in the SM1000 before being transferred periodically to a PC.
Mr Gascoigne says that the company may opt to download data straight to a plant-wide network in future as the site becomes increasingly automated.
This would be easy to achieve using an Ethernet connection.
As with all recorders in the SM Series, the SM1000 is operated using Windows-style menus and dialogues that effortlessly guide the operator through the functions they need.
A channel-by-channel approach to the configuration layout ensures simple and fast setup.
Multiple display formats, including strip and circular charts, bar graph, digital indictor and process displays, provide a clear view of process information on the full-colour screen.
A host of security features also ensures data integrity by preventing unauthorized tampering with data.
For more information about this application or the full range of the ABB SM series videographic data recorders, please contact ABB.
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