Rockwell Automation has announced a strategic initiative to provide flexible, modular solutions to improve the flow of information throughout the manufacturing enterprise.
Rockwell Automation has announced a strategic initiative to provide flexible, modular solutions to improve the flow of information throughout the manufacturing enterprise. Manufacturing BusinessWare combines a tailored mix of value-added services, software integration tools and manufacturing software applications, to provide a complete solution for tightly integrating plant floor production facilities with the business systems that run the corporate enterprise. Manufacturing BusinessWare solutions are designed to address the top issues facing today's manufacturing enterprise - improved asset management, better equipment and line efficiency, more effective quality management and process improvements.

Initial target industries include automotive and consumer goods, and the company expects to expand its reach by teaming with Rockwell Automation Solution Providers.

'Today, many companies rely on manufacturing execution systems (MES) vendors or custom systems for software that integrate manufacturing with the rest of the enterprise.

Unlike component-based solutions, today's solutions are often monolithic in their design, and can be less flexible and more costly to implement and upgrade,' said Brandon Ekberg, Rockwell Software Information Automation Business Unit, Rockwell Automation.

'Companies are looking for a component-based solution from a vendor who can also offer both the application expertise and implementation services specifically for the manufacturing enterprise.' According to Roddy Martin, research director for manufacturing strategies at AMR Research, lower total cost of ownership is a driving factor in manufacturing.

'By working with a vendor who can deliver a complete solution with services, tools and applications, companies can decrease implementation costs and create an enterprise-wide information architecture which includes leveraging the Web as an information - exchange medium,' he said.

The foundation of Manufacturing BusinessWare solutions is an Information Enabled ArchitectureTM, a component in the transformation of plant floor data into information and process knowledge.

'Manufacturing BusinessWare is a natural for Rockwell Automation, because it draws on our legacy of providing superior value-added services,' said Richard Eshleman, vice president, Information and Automation Systems, Rockwell Automation.

'We are now positioned to help our customers realise significant business process improvements by combining their manufacturing automation investments and our manufacturing process and information systems experience,' he added.

Integration tools and manufacturing applications will be provided by both Rockwell Automation and its Encompass Partners.

Encompass Partners are a carefully selected group of manufacturers whose products complement Rockwell Automation's robust product and service offering.

The company recently launched the first two of a family of Manufacturing BusinessWare tools, Rockwell Software RSBizware Historian and Rockwell Software RSBizware ComplianceTrack.

RSBizware Historian is an extension of the Rockwell Software RSSql product that provides pre- designed data models and analysis tools for customers who require a complete solution for the collection and analysis of production data.

RSBizware ComplianceTrack is a product for managing compliance processes, creating compliance checklists, performing audits, and collecting, analysing and reporting audit results.

The LPC Linecheck system is a simple to install, accurate line count / production unit used to predict when a production process is nearing batch capacity.
LPC Linecheck Boosts Production The LPC Linecheck system is a simple to install, accurate line count / production prediction unit utilising the latest software and hardware techniques to predict when a production process is nearing batch capacity from each section - enabling increased production flexibility and allowing quicker retooling in preparation for the next batch.

The system incorporates a main control panel, with satellite panels displaying the order countdown, enabling rejected product at any stage to be taken into account.

On installation of the LPC Linecheck customers have observed and benefited from considerable time savings on production changeovers (typically in the region of 50%), increased production flexibility, greater counting accuracy, better production planning and overall cost savings.

Opto 22 controls supplied by System Devices are at the heart of a successful project to install a giant press and integrated robot manipulator at Sheffield Forgemasters Engineering.
Opto 22 controls supplied by System Devices are at the heart of a successful project to install a giant press and integrated robot manipulator at Sheffield Forgemasters Engineering. The new press exerts a load of 10 000 tonnes and is the only one of its kind in Europe. It is used to manufacture heavy forgings of up to 300 tonnes for use in applications such as turbine rotors, bridge supports and propeller shafts for ships.

The robot manipulator is used to pass ingots to the press for forging.

At 15 metres high, 10 metres wide and 20 metres long, it is the size of a typical house.

Using eight wheels, the manipulator travels up and down a 20-metre long set of rails carrying its ingots to the press.

The state-of-the-art computer system has been installed by Dronfield-based Forgex to provide size control on forged items to +/- 1mm and to control the integrated manipulator.

Opto 22 equipment handles the 700 points of I/O which are associated with the press, the manipulator and integration of the two.

The control, comprising a remote analogue and digital I/O station from the main PC, is fed over a high speed 115 kbaud serial link, each input and output being optically isolated.

Real-time control software running on a ruggedised PC system handles the 60 motors involved with the press and the manipulator, together with a hydraulic servo power pack and a set of proportional valves which control water pressure in the press to ensure that it can reach its peak pressure of 7000 psi.

The PC uses a Bus card for digital I/O while the manipulator uses remote Mistic I/O to give a mix of digital, analogue and quadrature signals, to feed back the direction of motion of the manipulator.

Six PLCs with isolated I/O modules are used to control motor starting and interlocking.

All computer I/O is optically isolated, interfacing plant inputs at 24 V dc and solenoid outputs at 110V dc.

'The biggest advantage on this project has been the use of the Mistic remote I/O system,' said Forgex MD Dr Mike Dickinson.

'Although the manipulator is a mobile vehicle with a run of 20 metres, it only needed four wires because the remote I/O eliminates the need for bringing large bundles of wiring back to a central controller.

Two new products have been introduced for the Rockwell Software RSView32TM human-machine interface software package: RSView32 GEMTool and RSView32 SECSHost.
Complete automation leader Rockwell Automation introduces two new products for the Rockwell Software RSView32TM human-machine interface software package: RSView32 GEMTool and RSView32 SECSHost. GEMTool is an off-the-shelf GEM/SECS-to-PLC driver that gives any PLC- based semiconductor equipment a fully GEM-capable interface. SECSHost is an ActiveX control that gives an application the ability to communicate with any SECS-compliant equipment.

The two products provide a complete solution for those in the semiconductor industry looking for a way to implement the SEMI standards.

'With RSView32 GEMTool, our semiconductor customers can now implement the GEM standard on any PLC-based equipment,' says Chris Haines, UK business manager, Rockwell Software.

'This will significantly decrease development time from months to weeks since developers no longer need to invent custom SECS interfaces for each type of equipment.

And with RSView32 SECSHost, they can easily write a single business application that communicates with any GEM- compliant equipment.' Both GEMTool and SECSHost support the SECS protocol and HSMS messaging service, allowing semiconductor equipment to communicate with any other computer via an RS-232 or TCP/IP connection.

GEMTool users do not need to write any custom code for their equipment to support SECS messaging.

Users simply need to configure their equipment data (such as streams and functions, alarms, events or status variables) to their corresponding data items in the SECS messages.

The remaining GEM-required functionality is handled automatically by GEMTooI.

'Since the software is configured rather than coded, users have the flexibility to implement GEM capabilities on an as-needed basis', says Haines.

'Users can quickly deploy their systems by setting up only the basic GEM requirements like event notification and alarm messages, then they can add the remaining capabilities when needed.' In addition, the GEMTool software produces a unique, custom-generated characterisation file that can be read by the Host, thus eliminating the need for manual and time-consuming communications configuration.

RSView32 SECSHost reduces the need for custom code.

It offers an easy- to-use object model that fully exposes all SECS-II messages and handles the transmission and reception of those messages to and from the users equipment.

Since SECSHost implements the complete SECS-I and HSMS standards, and manages all SECS-II messaging, developers can concentrate on creating a solid application rather than getting side-tracked by low- level details of message protocols and formats.

When installed, GEMTool works seamlessly within RSView32 as one of its many powerful Editors.

In addition, the RSView32 SECSHost ActiveX control can be used in RSView32, Visual Basic, Visual C++ or any other compatible ActiveX container serving as the Host system.

Such flexible and robust programming environments simplify interface design, speed development, and ease integration with third-party tools and applications.

Making GEM-compliant equipment and SECS-enabled applications has never been easier.

The data capturing qualities of Opto 22 is playing a key role in the success of a new state of the art data analysis tool developed by Cardiff-based Industrial Electronic Automation.
The data capturing qualities of Opto 22 is playing a key role in the success of a new state of the art data analysis tool developed by Cardiff-based Industrial Electronic Automation. Called ICEberg, the new tool is being hailed as the biggest improvement in efficiency since the introduction of finite scheduling and is a direct response to the need for a usable method of accurately analysing data specifically for the purpose of identifying and increasing business benefits. At the heart of ICEberg is Oracle's multi dimensional database.

Iceberg is configurable by the production user to link key business measures to the production plant.

To this end, IEA has developed a tool known as ICEcapture which effectively takes remote I/O and scans it into ICEberg.

'We've written drivers to map Opto 22 directly into ICEcapture allowing us to take in many different types of signals,' said IEA Systems Manager John Colbourne.

'Opto 22 gives us a lot of flexibility especially with the OptoDisplay runtime advanced HMI,' he added.

This type of analysis has traditionally been prohibitively complex due to the large number of variables produced on every production run.

The crucial effects that variations between raw materials, environmental conditions and operation staff have, in the majority of cases have not been fully considered in respect of their impact on production efficiency.

Up to now the basis for improving efficiency has often been mistakenly focused on just updating both plant and control system technology which often results in treating the process symptoms rather than the causes.

This approach does not increase understanding of the process and fails to identify potential business benefits.

So any small increases in production efficiency can be easily wiped out by the associated investment in capital equipment.

It is against this background that IEA developed ICEberg to assist production management make informed decisions.

The primary achievement has been to deliver a product that can not only display production information in a simple, meaningful way, but also empower production managers with the ability to manipulate the information they require to improve their processes.

Also, this information can be easily manipulated to show relationships between different process parameters that may have previously been prohibitively difficult to establish.

As ICEberg is based on relational database technology, every command, action and result is time and date stamped, enabling the relationship between data types to be absolutely precise.

A number of pilot projects using ICEberg and ICEcapture have been under way for 12 months the latest of which is currently being configured at Bromford Iron and Steel in West Bromwich to handle information such as yield and plant utilisation.

John Colbourne is confident that Opto 22 will find many other uses at IEA in the near future: 'We're even thinking of using Opto 22 display as a sophisticated HMI (Human Machine Interface),' he said.

'We could buy one from a dedicated HMI supplier, but from an engineering point of view I can buy a PC with a touch-sensitive screen, plug in Opto 22 and configure it to do whatever I want.

It's extremely adaptable.' Letchworth-based System Devices is sole UK supplier of Opto 22 devices.

WITNESS simulation software from Lanner Group has helped to bring substantial improvements in productivity and operational processes to Michelin's tyre manufacturing plant in Dundee
WITNESS simulation software from Lanner Group has helped to bring substantial improvements in productivity and operational processes to Michelin's tyre manufacturing plant in Dundee, one of the company's biggest production plants in Europe. With the help of WITNESS Michelin has been able to achieve a five per cent increase in product flow, streamline the tyre curing press lines, and reduce cycle times on the tyre-making process to reveal a potential production gain of more than 12 per cent. The three WITNESS simulations were undertaken by XM Services, Michelin's wholly-owned consultancy services division.

Set up five years ago and now employing more than 130 people XM Services has a separate department dedicated to productivity improvement and change engineering, an area in which Michelin is traditionally very strong.

Since Michelin's Dundee plant began operating in 1972 output has more than doubled (now at 24,000 tyres a day) and daily product diversity has increased more than tenfold - from four different tyre types to more than 50.

The production of a tyre involves numerous processes and the timely, co-ordinated and unimpeded flow of items between them is critical.

The plant's output has become determinant on the constraints imposed on product flow; WITNESS simulation has been used to help solve them.

To improve the flow of the increased volume and diversity of tyres between the make-up and curing processes Michelin proposed to install FSBT (the French acronym for Flexible Tyre Store Unit), a new fully automated storage, retrieval and conveyor system, at a cost of œ1.75m.

WITNESS was brought in at the feasibility study stage to simulate the proposed solution - and validate the capital expenditure.

WITNESS was used primarily to examine the stockholding between the two sections of the plant.

The simulation looked at the effect of a proposed expansion in the capacity and flexibility of the multi-tier storage matrix to cope with the increased production volumes and wider diversity of product type.

'We needed to see the effect of the increased stock capacity on product flow,' says Colin McIlraith, XM Services' Manufacturing Systems Consultant.

'We had to ensure a balance in the FSBT.

For every tyre type, for example, each of the tiers in the storage matrix goes through three modes - empty, tyre entering, full.

With WITNESS we could see the status of the tiers at a glance.' The on-screen image of the WITNESS model is designed for clarity and ease of use.

In the case of the FSBT system simple lines depicted the conveyors between the storage area and production, with clear graphic indication of the status - full, filling or empty - of the storage bins.

Running the WITNESS model through a variety of what-if scenarios XM Services determined that adjustments in the mix of product types going through storage would provide the improvement in product flow that had originally been predicted.

'WITNESS provided quantitative backup to the logical arguments for the new system,' Colin McIlraith reports.

'It gave a visual image to help convince the doubters of the implications of the proposals, and provided additional weight to the financial justification for the modification.' Since the FSBT system went live product flow has improved by five per cent - the equivalent of an extra 900 tyres a day.

More importantly it is able to cope with a wider diversity of tyre types than previously possible, with the capacity for even more.

The new system has given the Dundee plant one of the best flow rates of all Michelin's car tyre plants worldwide.

The increasing diversity of tyre types also seemed to be causing problems in the curing process.

The Dundee plant has 132 presses in which the tyres undergo curing.

Uncured tyres are fed onto the press lines (there are 12 lines each with 11 presses) by an automatically guided vehicle (AGV).

Different types of tyre require different curing times - between seven and 15 minutes.

With so many different tyre types going through the system Michelin suspected that the wide variations in curing time, with many presses remaining idle while others were operating flat out, was causing disruption to the throughput and preventing the plant from operating at full capacity.

XM Services turned to WITNESS to discover the truth.

'There was no general agreement as to whether varying curing times really did interfere with throughput,' says Colin McIlraith.

'Our aim was to reduce cycle times and increase throughput and we needed to know if the plant could cope.

But first we had to get a clear picture of the plant's current performance.

'It was impossible to depict the plant's operation graphically, through Gantt charts for example.

But WITNESS was the perfect tool.' A model was created with graphics showing the press lines, with the AGV feeding the lines and returning to collect uncured tyres, and the curing vessels in their open, closed or waiting status.

'WITNESS was brilliant in enabling us to run a whole range of 'what-if?' scenarios - we tested as many as 30 different options.

And it was quick, too; we could simulate a whole day's production in less than 20 minutes.

It was as close to reality as you could get.' The WITNESS model proved conclusively that interference was occurring.

It could clearly be seen - on screen - that the slower-cure vessels were delaying flow, with other presses waiting empty for unacceptably long periods.

The model revealed that this interference was reducing potential capacity by up to five per cent.

Michelin was able to make adjustments to the process, mainly in the location of presses where the curing times were similar, to minimise capacity-reduction to between one and two per cent.

This equated to a gain in production of up to 200 tyres a day.

'With WITNESS we were able to persuade the sceptics that there was real interference, and could identify the means to minimise its effect.' Colin McIlraith reports.

'More importantly, perhaps, with a clear understanding of all the constraints we were able to create accurate rules for planning the plant in the future to ensure minimum disruption.' This WITNESS simulation was used for Michelin's MAC - Machine Automatique de la Confection (Automatic Fabrication Machine) - the Dundee plant's main tyre-building process.

Michelin wanted to reduce cycle times on the MAC to boost production from six tyres per minute to more than seven tyres (7.4 tyres-per-minute was the actual target).

Two proposals were presented.

The first was to increase the physical speed of the process, the other was to change the operating sequence of the MAC.

WITNESS was used to make a comparative analysis of the two proposals.

Tyres are transported between the various make-up processes on the MAC by carriers called 'tambours'.

Full tambours travel along an overhead track, empty units return on a lower track, with elevator cages at either end of the machine.

There was a suspicion that the speed differential between the movement of the empty and full tambours, and the timing at which they arrived at the cages, was causing delays.

'If indeed this was the case increasing the speed of the operation would not help boost throughput,' Colin McIllraith explained.

'In fact it could have the opposite effect.

But because of the sheer size of the plant - the MACs are almost 50 metres long - it was virtually impossible to see where any interruption was occurring.' XM Services built a WITNESS model of the existing plant process, with details of the process stations, the tambour feed and return, and the interface with the cages.

The model was then run at increasing speed.

It showed that the process peaked at 6.8 tyres a minute - well short of the target.

Various alternative scenarios were simulated but, while marginally increasing throughput, they still fell short.

A second WITNESS model was then built to assess Michelin's second option - changing the operating sequence.

This mainly involved developing a new logic for the machine's return track and its interface with the elevator cages.

By testing various options by running the WITNESS simulation it was revealed that, with the addition of just one extra tambour, the MAC could achieve the goal of 7.4 tyres a minute.

This represented an increase in productivity of around 12 per cent, equivalent to 50 tyres an hour.

The WITNESS model also showed that the plant could be run at slightly lower speed, whilst still achieving the target figure, which in turn meant improved reliability.

The changes to the operation sequence have now been implemented on one of the MACs, and the system is currently under assessment.

'The key benefit of WITNESS is that it's probably the most effective and easily-understood way to evaluate complex systems where there is a lot of interdependent equipment,' says Colin McIllraith.

'WITNES is fast, it's quick to build and easy to use.

It has proved invaluable in optimising product-flow, reducing cycle times and increasing production, and for providing justification of capital expenditure.

And it's very useful in convincing sceptics that proposed solutions will work.

'Simulation is being requested more frequently to evaluate proposed equipment modifications; WITNESS is a powerful weapon in our armoury.' ENDS About Lanner Group Lanner Group specializes in helping organisations achieve rapid and effective business transformation.

Established in 1996 through a management buyout, Lanner is widely acknowledged as the world's pioneering leader in business simulation and optimization.

Today Lanner offers a unique added-value combination of these powerful predictive technology solutions with top-level specialist consultancy expertise.

Based in the United Kingdom with subsidiaries and partners in Europe, The Americas and the Far East, Lanner has a worldwide customer-base of more than 3000 top multinational companies.

WITNESS simulation software from Lanner Group has helped to bring substantial improvements in productivity and operational processes to Michelin's tyre manufacturing plant in Dundee.
WITNESS simulation software from Lanner Group has helped to bring substantial improvements in productivity and operational processes to Michelin's tyre manufacturing plant in Dundee, one of the company's biggest production plants in Europe. With the help of WITNESS Michelin has been able to achieve a five per cent increase in product flow, streamline the tyre curing press lines, and reduce cycle times on the tyre-making process to reveal a potential production gain of more than 12 per cent. The three WITNESS simulations were undertaken by XM Services, Michelin's wholly-owned consultancy services division.

Set up five years ago and now employing more than 130 people XM Services has a separate department dedicated to productivity improvement and change engineering, an area in which Michelin is traditionally very strong.

Since Michelin's Dundee plant began operating in 1972 output has more than doubled (now at 24,000 tyres a day) and daily product diversity has increased more than tenfold - from four different tyre types to more than 50.

The production of a tyre involves numerous processes and the timely, co-ordinated and unimpeded flow of items between them is critical.

The plant's output has become determinant on the constraints imposed on product flow; WITNESS simulation has been used to help solve them.

To improve the flow of the increased volume and diversity of tyres between the make-up and curing processes Michelin proposed to install FSBT (the French acronym for Flexible Tyre Store Unit), a new fully automated storage, retrieval and conveyor system, at a cost of œ1.75m.

WITNESS was brought in at the feasibility study stage to simulate the proposed solution - and validate the capital expenditure.

WITNESS was used primarily to examine the stockholding between the two sections of the plant.

The simulation looked at the effect of a proposed expansion in the capacity and flexibility of the multi-tier storage matrix to cope with the increased production volumes and wider diversity of product type.

'We needed to see the effect of the increased stock capacity on product flow,' says Colin McIlraith, XM Services' Manufacturing Systems Consultant.

'We had to ensure a balance in the FSBT.

For every tyre type, for example, each of the tiers in the storage matrix goes through three modes - empty, tyre entering, full.

With WITNESS we could see the status of the tiers at a glance.' The on-screen image of the WITNESS model is designed for clarity and ease of use.

In the case of the FSBT system simple lines depicted the conveyors between the storage area and production, with clear graphic indication of the status - full, filling or empty - of the storage bins.

Running the WITNESS model through a variety of what-if scenarios XM Services determined that adjustments in the mix of product types going through storage would provide the improvement in product flow that had originally been predicted.

'WITNESS provided quantitative backup to the logical arguments for the new system,' Colin McIlraith reports.

'It gave a visual image to help convince the doubters of the implications of the proposals, and provided additional weight to the financial justification for the modification.' Since the FSBT system went live product flow has improved by five per cent - the equivalent of an extra 900 tyres a day.

More importantly it is able to cope with a wider diversity of tyre types than previously possible, with the capacity for even more.

The new system has given the Dundee plant one of the best flow rates of all Michelin's car tyre plants worldwide.

The increasing diversity of tyre types also seemed to be causing problems in the curing process.

The Dundee plant has 132 presses in which the tyres undergo curing.

Uncured tyres are fed onto the press lines (there are 12 lines each with 11 presses) by an automatically guided vehicle (AGV).

Different types of tyre require different curing times - between seven and 15 minutes.

With so many different tyre types going through the system Michelin suspected that the wide variations in curing time, with many presses remaining idle while others were operating flat out, was causing disruption to the throughput and preventing the plant from operating at full capacity.

XM Services turned to WITNESS to discover the truth.

'There was no general agreement as to whether varying curing times really did interfere with throughput,' says Colin McIlraith.

'Our aim was to reduce cycle times and increase throughput and we needed to know if the plant could cope.

But first we had to get a clear picture of the plant's current performance.

'It was impossible to depict the plant's operation graphically, through Gantt charts for example.

But WITNESS was the perfect tool.' A model was created with graphics showing the press lines, with the AGV feeding the lines and returning to collect uncured tyres, and the curing vessels in their open, closed or waiting status.

'WITNESS was brilliant in enabling us to run a whole range of 'what-if?' scenarios - we tested as many as 30 different options.

And it was quick, too; we could simulate a whole day's production in less than 20 minutes.

It was as close to reality as you could get.' The WITNESS model proved conclusively that interference was occurring.

It could clearly be seen - on screen - that the slower-cure vessels were delaying flow, with other presses waiting empty for unacceptably long periods.

The model revealed that this interference was reducing potential capacity by up to five per cent.

Michelin was able to make adjustments to the process, mainly in the location of presses where the curing times were similar, to minimise capacity-reduction to between one and two per cent.

This equated to a gain in production of up to 200 tyres a day.

'With WITNESS we were able to persuade the sceptics that there was real interference, and could identify the means to minimise its effect.' Colin McIlraith reports.

'More importantly, perhaps, with a clear understanding of all the constraints we were able to create accurate rules for planning the plant in the future to ensure minimum disruption.' This WITNESS simulation was used for Michelin's MAC - Machine Automatique de la Confection (Automatic Fabrication Machine) - the Dundee plant's main tyre-building process.

Michelin wanted to reduce cycle times on the MAC to boost production from six tyres per minute to more than seven tyres (7.4 tyres-per-minute was the actual target).

Two proposals were presented.

The first was to increase the physical speed of the process, the other was to change the operating sequence of the MAC.

WITNESS was used to make a comparative analysis of the two proposals.

Tyres are transported between the various make-up processes on the MAC by carriers called 'tambours'.

Full tambours travel along an overhead track, empty units return on a lower track, with elevator cages at either end of the machine.

There was a suspicion that the speed differential between the movement of the empty and full tambours, and the timing at which they arrived at the cages, was causing delays.

'If indeed this was the case increasing the speed of the operation would not help boost throughput,' Colin McIllraith explained.

'In fact it could have the opposite effect.

But because of the sheer size of the plant - the MACs are almost 50 metres long - it was virtually impossible to see where any interruption was occurring.' XM Services built a WITNESS model of the existing plant process, with details of the process stations, the tambour feed and return, and the interface with the cages.

The model was then run at increasing speed.

It showed that the process peaked at 6.8 tyres a minute - well short of the target.

Various alternative scenarios were simulated but, while marginally increasing throughput, they still fell short.

A second WITNESS model was then built to assess Michelin's second option - changing the operating sequence.

This mainly involved developing a new logic for the machine's return track and its interface with the elevator cages.

By testing various options by running the WITNESS simulation it was revealed that, with the addition of just one extra tambour, the MAC could achieve the goal of 7.4 tyres a minute.

This represented an increase in productivity of around 12 per cent, equivalent to 50 tyres an hour.

The WITNESS model also showed that the plant could be run at slightly lower speed, whilst still achieving the target figure, which in turn meant improved reliability.

The changes to the operation sequence have now been implemented on one of the MACs, and the system is currently under assessment.

'The key benefit of WITNESS is that it's probably the most effective and easily-understood way to evaluate complex systems where there is a lot of interdependent equipment,' says Colin McIllraith.

'WITNES is fast, it's quick to build and easy to use.

It has proved invaluable in optimising product-flow, reducing cycle times and increasing production, and for providing justification of capital expenditure.

And it's very useful in convincing sceptics that proposed solutions will work.

'Simulation is being requested more frequently to evaluate proposed equipment modifications; WITNESS is a powerful weapon in our armoury.' ENDS About Lanner Group Lanner Group specializes in helping organisations achieve rapid and effective business transformation.

Established in 1996 through a management buyout, Lanner is widely acknowledged as the world's pioneering leader in business simulation and optimization.

A tube bending machinery manufacturer has reduced hardwiring, programming and the number of PLC units in machine build by using Hayes Control Systems' Beckhoff TwinCAT PC software.
Eurobend, the international manufacturer of automated tube bending machinery, has reduced hardwiring, programming and the number of PLC units in machine build by using Hayes Control Systems' Beckhoff TwinCAT PC software. TwinCAT provides PLC and NC motion control functions under Windows NT and, in a recent project, Eurobend has made use of this system to control the automation of a complete process line for one of its customers. The Eurobend line encompasses equipment and systems such as auto loading, camera checking, two robots, CNC bending, end forming, ultrasonic welding and product handling.

Traditionally, to achieve effective automation of a line of this type, Eurobend would have had to use numerous 'handshaked' PLC units and extensive hardwiring, as well as spending many hours on system programming.

'The benefits to our company in using TwinCAT, in terms of reduced build schedules and cost, as well as increased functionality, are easily quantifiable', comments Phil George, Managing Director of Eurobend.

'We chose TwinCAT primarily for its ease of use and its powerful capabilities and we have not been disappointed.

Other benefits to the company have been the ease of access by our licensee's, enabling them to make alterations for bespoke applications without the complex software modifications previously required; enabling our customers to maximise productivity, while minimising costs.' Eurobend's principal activity is the design and manufacture of CNC controlled tube and section manipulating machines, predominantly for the automotive, aircraft, marine, earthmoving, air-conditioning and refrigeration industries.

The Beckhoff TwinCAT solution supplied by Hayes Control Systems is a technically superior, lower cost alternative to conventional PLC's.

Eurobend are currently using the TwinCAT NC PTP package, that incorporates a virtual camshaft facility as part of an integrated process control system for industrial PCs running Windows NT.

In addition to supplying and supporting TwinCAT, Hayes Control Systems also supplies Eurobend with a cost effective 'all-in-one' IP65 rated panel PC.

This system enables Eurobend to eliminate the requirement for a costly, bespoke PC cabinet.

In essence, the single board IPC is attached to the reverse of a flat panel, 12' touch screen, via an IP65 housing with an integral air circulation system and cooling fins.

The result being a PC for control functions that is protected from the environment and that can be mounted on the machine, quickly and easily with just a pole and mounting bracket.

All cabling from the PC to the machine is fed internally through the mounting pole, ensuring full protection.

Phil George summarises, 'Eurobend is a successful international company and we are pleased to have found an equally successful and efficient supplier in Hayes Control Systems.

Hayes Control Systems has included a virtual camshaft facility in a new version of the existing Beckhoff TwinCAT PC software system for PLC and NC motion control for machine tools and systems.
Hayes Control Systems has introduced a version of its Beckhoff TwinCAT PC software system for PLC and NC motion control, which incorporates a new virtual camshaft facility. Designed to replace mechanical mainshafts or external drive regulators with a single software module, TwinCAT is suitable for a wide range of automation applications, such as the control of machining centres, transfer lines, presses and packing machines. TwinCAT NC PTP incorporates the virtual camshaft facility as part of an integrated process control package for industrial PCs running Windows NT.

The software provides significant cost and performance benefits by eliminating the need for external hardware, communication and data transfer components and simplifying project management and implementation.

In practice, the latest TwinCAT software allows up to 255 axes to be co-ordinated and synchronised via a computer using a single leading axis, whether this takes the form of a real axis, an extended position encoder or is represented virtually within the PC.

To ensure each application will reach optimal performance, each TwinCAT NC PTP system is supplied with freely scaleable tables, which have been designed specifically to meet the individual process requirements and provide the connecting link between the leading axis and all of the other performance parameters that are to be co-ordinated.

The values in these tables, together with the movement of the leading axis, describe the velocity, acceleration and deceleration of the drives to be controlled, which enables them to be synchronised with a high degree of precision.

For further flexibility, the new TwinCAT Camshaft Software also features a simulation facility, which enables operators to investigate the performance of each automated process using a highly realistic model and to modify system parameters online, where required.

A range of Beckhoff automation software and hardware is optimising the performance of a German production line for metal door frame manufacture.
A range of Beckhoff automation software and hardware, as supplied by Hayes Control Systems, is being used to optimise the performance of a production line in the factory of the specialist German door frame manufacturer, Hormann KG Werne. The open controller scheme incorporates Beckhoff Industrial PCs, Bus Terminals and Beckhoff TwinCAT software and Lightbus fibre optic fieldbus to produce a flexible, cost effective production control system. In order to meet increasing production levels, demands for shorter fabrication times and greater design variety, Hormann KG Werne invested in a range of additional bending, sawing and stamping machinery for its door frame manufacturing line.

To achieve even greater flexibility and throughput, the company also decided to incorporate PC automation control into the entire production circuit.

The Beckhoff software and hardware selected includes a series of industrial PCs, each utilising TwinCAT automation software, which allows each PC to function as an IEC 61131-3 software PLC.

The PCs also operate a Fieldbus networking scheme, which uses several hundred Bus Terminals to co-ordinate digital, handling sensor and actuator signals fed from locally situated terminal boxes and encoders.

In this way, the operation of the bending and sawing machines can be both monitored and controlled to maximise the efficiency of the production process.

In practice, the Beckhoff system controls nine servo-axes, and continuously interrogates more than 500 inputs and outputs for the precise positioning of production equipment, allowing users to access and control parameters such as material thickness and rebate depth, length, width, bending and stamping requirements.

Hayes Control Systems has released the latest version of Beckhoff's TwinCAT PC software system for PLC and NC motion control functions for use with Windows NT Embedded.
Hayes Control Systems has released details of the latest version of Beckhoff's TwinCAT PC software system for PLC and NC motion control functions. Designed specifically for use with Windows NT Embedded, the new version of TwinCAT improves system scalability, while maintaining the existing NT software solutions. Microsoft's Windows NT Embedded 4.0 operating system has quickly become established throughout industry since its introduction in August of last year.

In combination with the new TwinCAT software, operators are provided with an important control solution that occupies the middle ground between high-end NT PCs and Embedded Windows CE devices.

The use of TwinCAT under NT Embedded provides users with a number of operating benefits.

Firstly, the software reduces the resource requirements for PC hardware: a minimum of 12MB RAM user memory and only 40MB non-volatile memory are needed.

In addition, instead of a hard disk, it is possible to use a flash disk where resistance to vibration is needed (operation without hard disk).

The software also offers the possibility of 'headless' operation, ie controlling a system without monitor, keyboard or mouse.

The new TwinCAT software is integrated as a finished component in an NT Embedded system and, if desired, Hayes can supply the system as part of a fully pre-installed Beckoff industrial PC.

Alternatively, a customised NT Embedded system with its own user interface can be created using the two Microsoft tools, target Designer and Component Designer.

As a further user benefit, the basic code for Windows NT 4.0 and NT Embedded is the same, which means that all the TwinCAT components and all Win32-based application programs function identically under both systems to simplify operation for existing users of the Hayes Beckhoff range.

ILOG optimisation software created a 'virtual' production line for automaker Nissan and helped increase potential production by 30 percent at Europe's most efficient car plant.
ILOG optimisation software created a 'virtual' production line for automaker Nissan. ILOG Solver helped increase potential production by 30 percent at Europe's most efficient car plant. ILOG has announced that its ILOG Solver optimisation software helped automaker Nissan add a 'virtual' third production line at its factory in Sunderland.

Enabling three car models to be built on two lines, resulting in substantial savings from not having to build a new line.

In addition, the ILOG software, part of a scheduling system developed by PA Consulting, has increased potential production by around 30 percent without any significant investment, making Europe's most efficient car production facility even more productive.

The scheduling tool is believed to be the first tool of its kind, capable of producing end-to-end, parallel car sequencing tasks for a whole week¡s production, while accommodating plant crossovers.

Where, in this case, Micras¡ can go from one body shop to either paint lines, and from either paint lines to either trim and chassis lines.

ILOG Views, ILOG's graphical user interface tool, is also a part of the scheduling solution.

It powers the user-friendly and visually rich interface that allows the effect of sequence changes to be clearly viewed and monitored.

The Nissan Sunderland plant produces around 334,000 cars each year - 38 complete cars per hour, every hour - a production run rate that has earned the plant the reputation as Europe's most efficient automotive plant, and resulted in its selection to manufacture the company's new Almera model for the European market.

At the same time, the plant will continue to produce the Micra and Primera models.

The goal is to increase overall efficiency so that production of all three-car models can be accommodated on the two existing production lines without interruption.

The new scheduling system, incorporating ILOG's market-leading scheduling software, has enabled scheduling of the third vehicle model to be mixed among the existing two main production lines, while maintaining production of the two other models.

'Today, up to 70 percent of all Nissans sold in Europe originate at Sunderland,' said Frank Berkovits, production planning Manager, Nissan Sunderland plant.

'The new scheduling tool from PA Consulting and ILOG not only gives us better scheduling capabilities but has also reduced the order cycle time and given greater flexibility to our customers.

This leading-edge tool reinforces Nissan's position at the forefront of technology applications in car production.' Optimised scheduling delivers the business benefits The primary benefit of the system is that it enables three car models to be built with the existing facilities at Sunderland without major retooling or the addition of another production line.

Further benefits of the new scheduling system include: 1) Eliminates the need for resequencing vehicles while they are in storage buffers between major sections of the plant.

Storage buffers are used by many car manufacturers to help overcome scheduling problems 2) Supports strategic 'what if' investigation so that, for example, the impact of potential changes to operational rules or constraints within the plant can be fully investigated 3) Schedule adherence rose from 3 percent to 90 percent after the system's implementation 4) Schedule results can be produced in minutes instead of days.

'This Nissan application is the perfect example of optimisation, specifically, how companies can maximize the output of existing resources,' said Denis Sennechael, sales director for ILOG's Automotive Division, based in Detroit.

'The competitive advantages of ILOG Solver are drawn from the strengths of constraint programming technologies.

This provides production planners with the most accurate, up-to-date vehicle sequencing information.' Dually headquartered in Paris and Mountain View, Calif., ILOG is the world's leading supplier of C++ and Java software components.

ILOG recently opened a sales and technical support office in Southfield, Mich., to support the automotive market.

ILOG's embeddable optimisation, visualisation and business rules software components dramatically shorten the development time of enterprise software applications in the supply chain, telecommunications, transportation and financial services industries.

In addition to optimisation applications where the company enjoys a significant market share, ILOG is playing an active role in the emergence of the e-Business software components market.