The Beloit Beltronics winder control system in a paper mill had become difficult to maintain due to its age. This system was used for slitter positioning and roll structure curves. The Beltronics system was comprised of a VAX computer with an operator terminal, Allen-Bradley PLC5/12, IMC 120 motion controller, 1391 Drive, and 1771 I/O. An Allen-Bradley Remote I/O card was used for communication to the PLC and I/O racks. The Beltronics system was interlocked with the winder drive system through hardwired I/O points.
The paper mill contracted with Columbia Automation Systems (CAS) to meet the client's need to reduce its maintenance costs. CAS designed a new electrical system to use the original Beloit mechanical equipment and be integrated with the other winder control systems. The VAX based Beltronics was replaced with a twin PC-based WonderWare HMI system (hot-backup, automatic fail-over) complete with custom slitter positioning software. The HMI communicates over Ethernet to an existing ControlLogix that replaced the PLC5. A new 1756-MO8SE module in the ControlLogix chassis is used to communicate over a SERCOS network to an Allen-Bradley Ultra3000 servo drive. The original 1771 I/O is incorporated directly into the ControlLogix system to save hardware and wiring costs.
A new ControlNet interface was implemented between the ControlLogix and the Reliance AutoMax drive system using the 1756-CNB and MBCN cards. This removed the hardwired interlocks and made more information available to the operators. The AutoMax code was revised to incorporate new alarms, interlocks, and roll structure set points.
The new HMIs with roll structure and slitter positioning improved the operators' ability to run the winder and reduced their dependence on the maintenance personnel due to enhanced status and control features. The system is interfaced to the mill roll tracking system to eliminate the need for operators to manually enter roll width set points. Roll structure curves are now stored in recipes and stop-to-length and stop-to-diameter options are available. Quick troubleshooting is now possible with the inclusion of more status information and alarms.
Equipment and services supplied by CAS includes:
Contact Don Ruoff for more information.