Chris Stergiou - Manufacturing Consulting
“It is not enough to do your best;
you must know what to do, and then do your best.”
W. Edwards Deming
P.O. Box 302
Chelmsford, MA 01824
ph: 978-866-4030
chris
Controls
Often a point of controversy in machine design is the tradeoff between complexity and ease of use/maintainability. When it comes to controls, the simpler the better both from an implementation and a maintenance perspective, with proper functionality/reliability ofcourse being the main driver.
If a couple of timer relays and a push button switch will reliably do the job, this is a preferable option to a low cost PLC which may cost less to purchase but requires specialized skills to program and maintain.
As machine feedback and I/O count increases we quickly reverse this proposition and go to a Programmable Sequencer, a PLC, a Distributed I/O system and an HMI - in that order.
Where practical, pneumatic valves and other instrumentation are integrated into the control box enclosure for ease of service and minimized cable runs.
Representative examples can be viewed below by clicking and enlaging the images.
P.O. Box 302
Chelmsford, MA 01824
ph: 978-866-4030
chris