Product category:
Process Control: SCADA, ERP, MES and networks
News Release from: IEA | Subject: Vesuvius
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 12 February 2003
IEA IT solution improves ceramic plant
efficiency
With WiP reduced by optimising productivity and workflow, and MES providing customers with faster deliveries, IES has also helped Vesuvius to meet new and tighter EU heath and safety directives
A very dramatic reduction in work-in-progress, by more than 50%, has been brought about at the ceramic refractory component manufacturer Vesuvius by implementation of a bespoke Manufacturing Execution System (MES) developed, configured and commissioned by one of the top-flight IT solutions provider IEA Apart from WiP being cut by optimising productivity and workflow, MES also plays a key role in providing customers with faster deliveries and has helped the company meet new and tighter EU heath and safety directives
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 12 Feb 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The Scottish based site of Vesuvius, part of the international Cookson Group who specialise in materials technology, is a world leader in the manufacture of ceramic refractory components, supplying consumable products for the fast-growing continuous cast sectors of the steel industry.
Typical of the products manufactured are, valve mechanisms, refractory plates, shrouds, stoppers, nozzles and temperature measuring systems that can withstand the molten steel at 1500 degrees C.
IEA was awarded a contract to implement MES following a competitive pitch owing to its ability to quickly grasp the Vesuvius requirements, appreciate the need to link automated functions with those of a more traditional plant, its considerable expertise in working across widely differing control technologies and the development of an Oracle database that would prove to be the hub of all control parameters.
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MES integrates the commercial to the manufacturing activity by synchronising the data at a plant control level, production control level and business level electronically.
This synchronisation gives on-line information to assist management identify trends and variances.
The database can be conceived as a data tube around which each of the operation levels transmit and receive data.
The interface between the tube and each sector is the 'glue' that provides the total integration solution.
All production machinery and processes which alter the geometry or characteristic of a finished part are monitored, time and date stamped to provide quality related information such as operator name, skill level, press profile, CNC measurements, etc Mould design is a business critical-aspect of production, therefore the MES is configured so that it will allow control throughout the complete life cycle of a pattern.
When a pattern is designed, the Design Department application will ensure that only one current version of the pattern can exist.
This unique version will be controlled through all stages of Design and Trials Approval, the system ensuring that all criteria are met before the pattern is released to manufacturing.
In developing a manufacturing evaluation system IEA had to consider the actions of seven separate basic operating functions, liasing with machine manufacturers where necessary in order to be able to structure a database for use in synchronising all automated process movements.
IEA was also required to take into account some elements of manual input to system, adding to the complexities of devising a fully structured MES and ERP (execution report protocol).
The basic manufacturing operations that had to be brought within MES/ERP are listed below.
Automatic mould filling of ceramics from four hoppers.
Controlled pressurisation of the mould to a pre-set limit, then automatic opening and unloading for transfer to the next machine function.
Automatic demoulding is not possible on all product types therefore a manual operation is required.
(The MES must automatically associate product type with processing actions and accommodate such manual requirements).
Kiln firing to stabilise components thus ensuring original-shape retention.
After firing, the components pass to a machining centre where an item will be picked from the kiln tray by a pick-and-place-robot and mounted on a machine mandrel for feeding into a vertical CNC machine for finishing.
The last stage in manufacturing is a final finishing stage in the company VISO plant where additional machining or glazing may be required to suit special requirements.
The components then pass to the packing station were they are made ready for shipment to the customer.
Since MES was to become a key component in the control of the Vesuvius business the database products that support MES had to be capable of growing to accommodate demands for increased information storage.
Other features required of the system were sufficient power to support ad-hoc management reporting, be resilient enough to support a dynamic production environment as well as offering a strong development program capability.
IEA specified Oracle products to support MES: Designer 2000 to structure the business model, Developer 2000 for database applications and OLAP to provide dynamic reporting and analysis.
These databases ensure that data can be stored not just in tabular/relation format but also textual, spatial, multidimensional and multimedia i.e capable of storing not only numeric and textual information but CAD drawing, CBC Code, Digital Images and Video footage.
Much of the component transfer between the various manufacturing stages is carried out by AGVs to give the company greater flexibility in routing control.
The idea was to create a system that allows for modifying the route through the process from cell-to-cell in order to permit changes and improvements to the process, to schedule individual jobs efficiently and to integrate the manufacturing process with the business process by amalgamating with other plant systems.
While the AGVs are well suited to delivering materials to different locations randomly, Vesuvius were advised by IEA to select a software solution suitable for co-ordinating and directing the route in concert with operational needs.
Plant floor systems such as PLC or SCADA were considered but did not offer the scope for routing decisions, a system called MESAD developed by ORSI was finally chosen since it has a powerful process/workflow modelling approach and would interface quite easily with other systems.
Movement of the AGVs is entirely managed by MESAD using plant status data from Oracle to determine priority rules for the actions and routes.
The rules optimise AGV routes and movement based on orders from an ERP system.
Once the routing cycle has been issued, MESAD uses a software solution called Cube TRACK to connect to the vehicles control system for instruction.
At the end of each AGV operation a returned signal updates Oracle in order to start a new procedure.
Introduction of MES has been fundamental in assisting Vesuvius implement a move towards a JiT or Kanban style of manufacture enabling it to respond more quickly to customer demands.
And the continuous updating of Oracle database enables plant performance to be analysed, eliminate bottlenecks and other inefficiencies.
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