Preventative maintenance measures and condition monitoring is becoming non-negotiable in factory automation. With the controller module CPX-FEC from Festo, early fault detection and preventative maintenance using live diagnostic data is now possible. A valve, for example, can be enabled to send an SMS to the plant manager when an error is picked up, stating its location, as well as the nature of maintenance required. By identifying faults early on, operators can prevent problem escalation.
The individual automation components in a system need to be intelligent in order to ensure productivity, system availability and process reliability. Diagnostic capability is the key here, a facility that has long been associated with pneumatic valve terminals. In order to overcome high maintenance and repair costs, quick diagnostic data, from the factory to wherever the plant manager/operator may be, is the answer to preventing downtime. Being able to choose between Ethernet, Internet or e-mail communication with devices adds greatly to this flexibility.
A short circuit in the system and system breakdown is a real 'horror scenario'. However, with the Festo controller module CPX-FEC, the error is quickly located. The electrical peripherals for pneumatic valve terminals link the factory to cellphones and render machines accessible from all quarters. By counting cycles, it is possible to determine whether maintenance is required. In the event of a breakdown, the module relays the error location. If all critical values are known, downtime can be eliminated by means of timely maintenance, production sequences are optimally controlled and error causes are quickly eliminated. Valve terminals which combine controls and pneumatics are the ideal situation for machine-oriented diagnosis. In the CPX concept, basic diagnostic functions are already integrated.
The CPX-FEC establishes the direct link between automation and information technology for the remote monitoring of machines from the office, and configuration and diagnosis via the Internet. The integrated Ethernet Interface not only facilitates the networking of automation components but also provides system users with access to all standard IT services. This enables machines to be monitored from any location, remote maintenance to be carried out and, if necessary, changes in configurations and device parameters to be made via e-mail or Internet access.
New applications and features can also be conveniently downloaded via the Internet. Diagnostic information and device status is visualised via the built-in web server. Analysis via TCP/IP ensures transparency in matters of process data. E-mail or SMS alarms keep the plant manager, operators and maintenance personnel continually up-to-date with regard to exceeded limit values and other malfunction. In other words, errors can be diagnosed more quickly, downtimes reduced and costs due to downtime lowered.
Support is provided in the form of volumetric flow and pressure sensors, which quickly detect the status of a pneumatic system and output the basic information for diagnosis. Controllers and software interpret and evaluate the results, deduce maintenance-relevant information from these, and communicate the results to master control systems. In addition, displays on the machine visualise the information.
For more information contact Joanne Dix, Festo, +27 (0) 11 971 5560, [email protected]
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