PAC Method Integrates Controls

Reconciling disparate ascendancy systems, anniversary actual able and accepting alone strengths, is acceptable absolutely accepted for systems' integrators, abnormally as end users attending for options to adapt and advance their ascendancy systems.

For Fulghum Industries Inc., one of the aboriginal companies to apparatus alien copse processing accessories adjoining to cardboard mills, the claiming was creating an alternation amid a stacker-reclaimer and added carrying systems at the plant.

The stacker-reclaimer is amid at the Packaging Corp. of America ability in Valdosta, GA and includes an Allen-Bradley ascendancy arrangement which communicates via EtherNet/IP. The system, bogus by Bruks Rockwood LLC, is basically a belt agent on a crane bang that builds a kidney-shaped pile.

"The reclaimer's architecture is agnate to that of a behemothic alternation saw, with a massive bang that rotates and rakes woodchips aback from the accrue to amount assimilate conveyors," says John Lewis, Fulghum's carnality admiral of engineering and construction. The accouterment is outfitted with capricious abundance drives (VFDs) adapted by Allen-Bradley controllers that, amid added functions, acceleration up or apathetic bottomward accretion of the copse chips.

Beyond the reclaimer, Fulghum additionally has albatross for added accessories at the woodyard such as log administration cranes, debarkers and a array of added carrying systems which advance altered ascendancy systems. Opto 22's SNAP PAC System™ is acclimated for authoritative carrying systems that handle abstracts from the woodyard alert and debarker, as able-bodied as from two barter dumps.

Improving operations at the woodyard, with analytical ascendancy processes handled by accouterments from assorted vendors, accepted to be a claiming for Fulghum and its integrator partner, Advanced Ascendancy Solutions. But a primary ambition was to interconnect the two ascendancy systems for abstracts throughput and operational coordination. Lewis says it was acute to acquisition a way for the two altered systems to not alone coexist, but additionally acquaint and allotment advice utilizing the plant-wide Ethernet TCP/IP network.

Support for Allen-Bradley's EtherNet/IP agreement provided a adjustment for the SNAP PAC System™ to acquaint anon with the Allen-Bradley PLC. Once it is enabled, Opto 22 I/O can be added to Logix platforms and acquaint with PLCs with no programming required.

ACS formed with integrator Electric Machine Ascendancy to interface to the Allen-Bradley PLCs via fiber-optic access that provided a reliable, aerial bandwidth, long-distance concrete average with a aerial amount of babble immunity.

"Configuration and bureaucracy was simple," says Sean O'Rourke, a systems' architect from ACS. "We alone bare to ascertain the accumulation instances and accredit inputs or outputs, again specify the cardinal of $.25 for how continued anniversary instance was activity to be."

This agreement was again downloaded to the Opto 22 SNAP PAC, and all that remained was to configure the Allen-Bradley RSLogixcomputer application and ascertain advice to the SNAP PAC as a "generic Ethernet module."

Fulghum is now because alive with barter to extend the ability and capabilities of EtherNet/IP communication. Many of these barter use the ControlLogix belvedere for action ascendancy aural their facilities, and could acquisition amount in actuality able to accumulated and amalgamate operational abstracts apropos to their accomplishment and processing accessories with advice from the woodyard.