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The increasing digitization in many manufacturing companies means that the complexity of the measurement, control and automation equipment continues to increase. A control concept demanded by the customer can quickly break through the usual routine. The following example shows how, with good teamwork, a classic metals heat treatment furnace became a participant in the digital production network.
At the atomic level, metals form a fascinating cosmos. In a regular lattice structure, atomic planes glide smoothly back and forth, or else they block each other's way and almost become inseparably wedged together. With alloys and heat treatment, humans try to produce the desired behaviour in exactly the right amount. One work step is of central importance and has always remained the same since the first forging: mechanical processing and controlled and defined heating and cooling.
This transformation of the inner structure of metals and alloys produces a variety of properties: surface hardness, temperature resistance, strength or ductility. Rarely, the material scientist is satisfied with the achievement of a goal, usually he has to decide on a compromise. This has not fundamentally changed over many centuries and explains the importance of processes such as hardening, quenching, carburizing, nitriding or tempering for industrial applications today. Many experts have emerged in this area. One such company is Wilhelm Alte GmbH, founded directly after the Second World War.
While the focus was initially on the classic heat treatment of parts by mass, today's range of services has widened, most recently complemented by new processes such as laser beam hardening and laser deposition welding.
Normally an industrial furnace is not a highly complex measurement, control and automation system. Depending on the application, only a solid combination of temperature sensor, power controller and control panel is required. Nevertheless, the ever-increasing variance and complexity in the customer's manufacturing operations is gradually becoming a challenge for the 80-employee company in the Sauerland region.
"Switch cabinet construction and normal programming we do ourselves, because we value a high level of vertical integration," says the electrician Mr. Junior of Wilhelm Alte. However, having a good order book combined with more complex requirements may make external partners more involved.
"There were some tricky situations in a project at the end of last year," says Junior. Time pressure in combination with new technical territory: that was the moment when itsme Schultze & Erbse came into play. The requirement to make the ovens fit in different process control systems and with different bus systems led to the decision not to buy measurement, control and automation products "off the shelf", but to get together with a technical consulting professional. Due to former contacts Junior decided for itsme Schultz & Erbse.
Addressing of the thyristor controller
The first test case was a wire drawing furnace, at first glance a routine job. The know-how that the wire obtains its desired property is determined by the interaction of the winder and unwinder with the temperature profile of the furnace to be set. All parameters that are controlled by the user. "As usual, we did the creation of the circuit diagram and the control cabinet construction ourselves with this furnace. However, the customer expected that the oven should be controlled with a digital protocol using a Siemens touch panel and a special Siemens PLC. For us new territory in a phase where we had our hands full ", Junior describes the situation.
In order to save time and nerves, the programming of the regulation, the panel and the control of itsme Schultz & Erbse should be taken over. An S7-1500 was ordered for data transmission, which addresses the controllers on the furnace via Profibus. Mohammed Alj, Technical Consultant Industrial Automation at itsme Schultz & Erbse, took on the project. Also for him new territory, because the control of several Thyristors, which serve to control the power consumption of the ovens, is not trivial.
Background: A thyristor controller reduces the rms value of the mains AC voltage by cutting the sinusoidal profile of the mains voltage at the end of each half cycle, because it always ignites a certain time after the zero crossing of the AC voltage. Thyristor power controllers are operated with an alternating voltage single-phase or three-phase. The controlling controller varies the switch-on time of the mains voltage for the load.
Four ovens in one
First of all, Alj took care that the necessary programs were brought up to date via the Siemens TIA Portal and installed on a stable computer. The next step was to map the process in the oven and to install the communication with the thyristor controllers. "In principle, such a wire drawing furnace consists of four furnaces in one; two chambers with two temperature zones. These zones are controlled separately, "says Alj. To address the thyristor controllers via Profibus, we first had to work out the addressing. In the end we solved the communication of these two components over the installation special converters.
For the smooth definition and declaration of the variables, access control and rights assignment, a good cooperation was necessary within a tight schedule, which resulted in a detailed documentation. "The project was not without it, but we did it well together," laughs Junior, adding: "Mr. Aij was a great support in the project. The next time it gets more complicated, I'll assign itsme Schultz & Erbse again. "
Metal structures defined with Profibus
The increasing digitization in many manufacturing companies means that the complexity of the measurement, control and automation equipment continues to increase. A control concept demanded by the customer can quickly break through the usual routine. The following example shows how, with good teamwork, a classic metals heat treatment furnace became a participant in the digital production network.
At the atomic level, metals form a fascinating cosmos. In a regular lattice structure, atomic planes glide smoothly back and forth, or else they block each other's way and almost become inseparably wedged together. With alloys and heat treatment, humans try to produce the desired behaviour in exactly the right amount. One work step is of central importance and has always remained the same since the first forging: mechanical processing and controlled and defined heating and cooling.
This transformation of the inner structure of metals and alloys produces a variety of properties: surface hardness, temperature resistance, strength or ductility. Rarely, the material scientist is satisfied with the achievement of a goal, usually he has to decide on a compromise. This has not fundamentally changed over many centuries and explains the importance of processes such as hardening, quenching, carburizing, nitriding or tempering for industrial applications today. Many experts have emerged in this area. One such company is Wilhelm Alte GmbH, founded directly after the Second World War.
While the focus was initially on the classic heat treatment of parts by mass, today's range of services has widened, most recently complemented by new processes such as laser beam hardening and laser deposition welding.
With modern measurement, control and automation equipment
For more than 50 years, Wilhelm Alte has not only treated metals, but also passed on know-how in the construction of industrial furnaces and plants to its customers. The list of requested and produced products is also long. It ranges from belt conveyors to shaker hearth furnaces to chamber furnaces for tempering and annealing. The industrial furnaces are heated both gas and electrically and are always equipped with switching, measuring and control technology.Normally an industrial furnace is not a highly complex measurement, control and automation system. Depending on the application, only a solid combination of temperature sensor, power controller and control panel is required. Nevertheless, the ever-increasing variance and complexity in the customer's manufacturing operations is gradually becoming a challenge for the 80-employee company in the Sauerland region.
"Switch cabinet construction and normal programming we do ourselves, because we value a high level of vertical integration," says the electrician Mr. Junior of Wilhelm Alte. However, having a good order book combined with more complex requirements may make external partners more involved.
"There were some tricky situations in a project at the end of last year," says Junior. Time pressure in combination with new technical territory: that was the moment when itsme Schultze & Erbse came into play. The requirement to make the ovens fit in different process control systems and with different bus systems led to the decision not to buy measurement, control and automation products "off the shelf", but to get together with a technical consulting professional. Due to former contacts Junior decided for itsme Schultz & Erbse.
Addressing of the thyristor controller
The first test case was a wire drawing furnace, at first glance a routine job. The know-how that the wire obtains its desired property is determined by the interaction of the winder and unwinder with the temperature profile of the furnace to be set. All parameters that are controlled by the user. "As usual, we did the creation of the circuit diagram and the control cabinet construction ourselves with this furnace. However, the customer expected that the oven should be controlled with a digital protocol using a Siemens touch panel and a special Siemens PLC. For us new territory in a phase where we had our hands full ", Junior describes the situation.
In order to save time and nerves, the programming of the regulation, the panel and the control of itsme Schultz & Erbse should be taken over. An S7-1500 was ordered for data transmission, which addresses the controllers on the furnace via Profibus. Mohammed Alj, Technical Consultant Industrial Automation at itsme Schultz & Erbse, took on the project. Also for him new territory, because the control of several Thyristors, which serve to control the power consumption of the ovens, is not trivial.
Background: A thyristor controller reduces the rms value of the mains AC voltage by cutting the sinusoidal profile of the mains voltage at the end of each half cycle, because it always ignites a certain time after the zero crossing of the AC voltage. Thyristor power controllers are operated with an alternating voltage single-phase or three-phase. The controlling controller varies the switch-on time of the mains voltage for the load.
Four ovens in one
First of all, Alj took care that the necessary programs were brought up to date via the Siemens TIA Portal and installed on a stable computer. The next step was to map the process in the oven and to install the communication with the thyristor controllers. "In principle, such a wire drawing furnace consists of four furnaces in one; two chambers with two temperature zones. These zones are controlled separately, "says Alj. To address the thyristor controllers via Profibus, we first had to work out the addressing. In the end we solved the communication of these two components over the installation special converters.
For the smooth definition and declaration of the variables, access control and rights assignment, a good cooperation was necessary within a tight schedule, which resulted in a detailed documentation. "The project was not without it, but we did it well together," laughs Junior, adding: "Mr. Aij was a great support in the project. The next time it gets more complicated, I'll assign itsme Schultz & Erbse again. "
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