Customer SolutionsABCO Integrates NI PACs with Allen Bradley PLCs for Automotive Sensor
Author(s):Kellie Hutchinson, ABCO Automation, Inc.
Industry:Automotive, Machines/Mechanics
Product:Data Acquisition, Industrial Communications, LabVIEW, PXI/CompactPCI
The Challenge:Developing a high-speed, accurate, and open assembly line tester for automotive sensor assemblies that will acquire and analyze waveform data and communicate with an existing PLC-based control system.
The Solution:Using National Instruments programmable automation controller (PAC) platforms based on PC- technology to deliver a full-line sensor assembly and test system solution to meet rigorous customer requirements.
The Need for Automation In the current competitive climate, demands for more productivity and efficiency with fewer resources are driving the need for more automation throughout the manufacturing process. It is difficult to deny automation is a key component in delivering value and ROI to customers. One method of meeting this demand in the current competitive automotive market is the ability for the more-traditional, workhorse PLC-based assembly lines to be augmented by more cost-effective, PC-based testing methods in order to produce a better product. ABCO Automation, a leader in manufacturing assembly and test automation and a National Instruments Alliance Partner, was asked to develop a full-line conveyer assembly and test machine for an automotive sensor manufacturer. The ability to manufacture and test each sensor throughout the assembly process is critical to the manufacturer no-defect standards. Using NI Products to Meet System Requirements The system requirements included that the sensor assembly throughput be increased to one part every six seconds and must be interoperable with the existing PLC-based systems from Allen Bradley. This project was a perfect example of current technological advances. Now, engineers can seamlessly combine the traditional PLC world with the more cost-efficient and data-critical capabilities afforded by PC technology. The project consisted of the following large, designated machine sections, both of which used precision link indexing conveyors:
In the first 14-station assembly and verification phase, the system over molded the part and loaded it into the conveyor system, at which point it was completely assembled, verified, visually inspected, and ultimately welded. With the use of multiple DENSO robots, the system loaded and unloaded the sensor assembly into the 10-station testing line for final testing. For the testing phase, we selected the NI PAC platform for speed, accuracy, and interoperability with any control system. Using an NI PXI-1042 chassis and an NI PXI-8186 controller along with several NI PXI-6070E data acquisition (DAQ) modules, we acquired waveforms from an encoder connected to a tone wheel operating at a specified RPM. The system analyzed the waveform data for duty cycle, high and low values, and other parameters that determined pass and fail grades. We sent acceptable parts to packaging and sent parts that failed to be isolated, marked, and added to a rejection pile. NI PACs and LabVIEW Increase Performance and Decrease Costs A key factor in the project success was the LabVIEW OPC capabilities and interoperability with PLCs. The customer required that the new system be interoperable with multiple third-party modules and power supplies. Using the NI LabVIEW DataSocket technology and RSLinx OPC server from Allen Bradley, we integrated NI PAC hardware with traditional PLCs and offered seamless control and monitoring of all data. The ease by which NI can speak to the Allen Bradley hardware saved us valuable programming and integration time on this delivery-critical job. As a result, our customer is the one who benefited in performance and cost savings. As automakers and subsequently auto component makers fight for market share, the traditional PLC-based automation is being combined with powerful, cost-effective, and open PC-based systems. PC-based technology and the powerful LabVIEW development environment offer speed, performance, more simple development, and most importantly, interoperability with existing systems. The result is faster, flexible, and more affordable solutions for system integrators and in this case, the automotive industry. In the end, it is the customer that wins. A National Instruments Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. For more information, contact: Kellie Hutchinson ABCO Automation, Inc. Brown Tel: (336) 375-6400 x 504 Fax: (336) 375-0090 E-mail: kellieh@goabco.com Web: www.goabco.com
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