Client Goal

Technical Goals
• Collect information from twenty-four curing presses
• Automatically record & archive process data
• Log critical plant data for regulatory requirements
• Provide access to historical and real-time information
• Use commercial off-the-shelf technology

Project Overview

The curing department for a Fortune 500 manufacturer maintained process records using circular chart recorders. The existing system data collection could not account for process spikes or low-magnitude fluctuations in the process due to very low resolution data storage.
The analysis of process parameters in the existing system was accomplished by time-consuming
manual measurements and calculations. The challenge of this project was to analyze and structure curing parameters; replace the circular chart recording system, and provide a tool that would make the data available in real-time and historically with production context.
Tegron was enlisted to meet the challenge. The solution was built around Rockwell Software’s PlantMetrics™ application and its RSHistorian process data historian. This architecture utilized a MSSQL Server database. The local curing press logic was updated to include provisions to collect time series data and production events. The local curing press logic also summarized this process data. The RSView SE HMI provided a mechanism for user inputted information to give the process data context. This context included information such as operator ID, setup equipment data, and product recipe ID stored with the process data records. The chart recorder data was mapped to a PLC and stored in the MSSQL Server database. This architecture provided information at consistent intervals with higher resolution for absolute tracking. The process parameters previously measured by hand are now tracked automatically
by the PLC, and a “process log” is stored in the database.
Data is now archived and made available via summary reports accessed through Internet Explorer. The PlantMetrics™ reports are imbedded
as ActiveX objects in the website. System reports include process charts, production summary
reports (by operator, product type, press type, shift, and time period), process logs, fault history, and fault Pareto charts.
Automated database maintenance and archiving services run on this system serving to reduce ongoing system maintenance.
The project included a comprehensive electrical documentation package, documented PLC and HMI configuration files, and a user’s manual on CD to ensure proper maintenance and service
of the system. The project also included comprehensive training for system operators and maintenance personnel to better familiarize them with the installed system.

Scope of Supply

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The Outcome

Production Benefits
• Centralized quality reporting
• Improved measurement precision
• Consistent press setup
• Linking of process events to historical data
• Higher quality engineering data for improved decision making