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INSIGHT Alpharetta, GA, and Southington, Conn., USA Machine tools & automation technology Tying automation and drive systems together with common hardware and software gets results for machine builder Siemens 6SE70 master drive. are used for tension control. Traditional automation systems can incorporate products from many different suppliers, all linked by complicated programming, multiple software programs, different user interfaces, and the list goes on. Siemens Energy & Automation aims to change all that with Totally Integrated Automation (TIA). The idea is to tie together automation and drives systems using common hardware and software platforms. The payoff? Lower engineering costs and more satisfied customers. The TIA strategy is built around the company's line of Simatic products, systems, and software including hard and soft PLC platforms, the Step 7 project-management package, both hard and soft HMIs (text displays through SCADA systems), and open industrial networks, explains Siemens' Egon Hillermann, manager, product marketing. "TIA helps significantly cut design, engineering, installation, and operation and maintenance costs through common hardware, database, networks, software, and diagnostics across the enterprise, from raw-material feed through process and finished goods," he explains. "It also lets OEMs build optimized machines and end users easily integrate these into their plants." And, due to the open standards of networks and software structures, third-party systems can be easily integrated into the TIA approach. Standardization improves service One company knows firsthand the benefits of TIA. Coil Pro Machinery Inc., Southington, Conn., designs and builds custom coil- processing machines. Among its products are slitters for processing ferrous and nonferrous materials in various gauges and widths, and rewinders for conventional or traverse-- wound spools, single strand and multistrand, and other specialty equipment. According to Coil Pro President Jeffrey Gagnon, standardizing the design and overall quality of machine controls was critical to improving customer service. Coil Pro, with help from supplier Automated Industrial Controls (AIC), Plainville, Conn., settled on the Siemens TIA approach. TIA not only offered the design consistency, training, and support Coil Pro was looking for, but the added ability to better adapt to customer requirements. "Siemens listened to what we needed and invested a lot of time learning our business; the same approach we have always had with our customers and their businesses," says Gagnon. Coil Pro, AIC, and Siemens work together tailoring each machine to suit customers' needs. Inevitably, says Gagnon, those include boosting productivity by winding tighter coils and processing bigger packages. By offering machine controls with sophisticated software, Coil Pro can give machine operators the automation they need to produce consistent, quality coils. Faster wiring One machine offering such automation technology is Coil Pro's new CP 30 slitting line. It processes coils as heavy as 6,000 lb and as wide as 28 in., at speeds to 600 fpm. "The CP 30 is the only one of its kind in the industry to offer automated core slipping and strip manipulation through a variable tension stand," explains Gagnon. "Fifty-six tension zones monitor slippage rate on each coil. This is handled quickly over a Profibus network that works in conjunction with Coil Pro's air drum." The new line eliminates inconsistencies common to manually operated machines by reducing the risk of loose coils that need manual tightening. The CP 30 senses strip tension and makes adjustments accordingly. When building the CP 30 with Profibus, AIC was able to cut wiring time by 40% compared to hardwired machines, says Tony Pizzitola, AIC president. "We would have had to run more than 100 wires from the tension stand to the cabinet," he explains. "With the Siemens architecture and Profibus, however, we were able to cut the run to a single connection." Additionally, a Siemens ET200 Profibus I/O enables quick-disconnect cabling or traditional potted cables to be used with the sensors. No mistakes The brain of the CP 30 is Siemens' Simatic S7 315 DP PLC programmed with Step 7 Program Management software. The PLC communicates at 12 Mbaud over the Profibus network. Three Siemens SE70 Master Series vector-control drives, connected by a common dc bus, control a 10-hp bridal station motor, a 25-hp motor for the slitter, and a 45-hp motor on the rewind. The Step 7 Program controls all machine functions. In one case, says Pizzitola, it assigns exact pressure to the hydraulic payoff with respect to coil size. "Core slipping has been a manual process requiring years of experience to produce consistent coils," he explains. "In the past, manufacturers used regulators to make air- pressure adjustments. Imagine the potential for human error, as the operator had to make adjustments throughout the run based on sheer instinct. The automation system on this machine takes the guesswork out of the equation." An added touch Operators control the entire process using a Siemens MP 370 touchscreen. Pizzitola made sure he kept end-user operators in mind when programming the software and designing the automation system. "I made the machine as userfriendly as possible," he says. "I had to think like an operator and not a programmer. The display needed to be simple and require little input." With different coil sizes, operators must still enter some data, says Pizzitola, but anything that could be predetermined is included in the program. In fact, simplicity was key to the entire CP 30 design. After only six parameter inputs, for example, the machine automatically makes adjustments. However, operators can manipulate the setrings and alter scaling inputs anytime during a run. "Our machines do not look intimidating," says Pizzitola. "Though there is a tremendous amount of automation built in, we don't want to scare people. Imagine an operator who has been running a machine for 30 years. He may not adjust well to computers. However, once he tries it, he will see there are only one or two pages on the touch screen to learn." According to Gagnon, standardizing on the TIA approach has helped Coil Pro increase revenues, expand its product line, and satisfy its customers. "The mechanical part of the machine is only as good as the electrical components and engineering that goes into it," he says. "Wherever our machines go we know we can fall back on our relationships with AIC and Siemens. This not only helps us market our products, but gives our customers a great deal of comfort." Information for this article provided by Siemens Energy and Automation, Alpharetta, GA, and Coil Pro Machinery Inc, Southington, Conn. For more information, visit www.sea.siemens.com Copyright
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