Achieving Operational Excellence - WONDERWARE - #11

BAKING UP BENEFITS

system.When the trending screen is displayed, it shows the values over the past hour, and is updated in real time.

As the data is logged to the computer hard drive, it is possible to retrieve historical data to display the trending over the complete archive period total. The historical trending display is similar to the real-time trending display, except that it has controls for pan­ning and zooming the time display period.With the use of the pan/zoom controls, it is possible to alter the start and end time of the chart, and the chart length from 1 second to 30 days to display data over any period of interest.

The introduction of multiple language support was the driving factor to moving toward Wonderware InTouch 9.5 software. Auto-Bake markets its product worldwide, and needs to support numerous local lan-guages.The ability to develop a project in a single language and then export all text via extensible Mark-up Language (XML) has reduced the time and cost to translate. Now, the exported XML files can be sent to a translator and later imported to the application, minimizing the workload of the software developer. Minor additions or grammatical correc­tions can be easily implemented on site by the cus­tomer and updated into the application.

In previous situations, either no English language existed after translation, or two separate develop­ments of the same application were required. This was very difficult to manage, and inevitably, revisions were not kept up to date in both applications.

Auto-Bake's Serpentine baking systems, with Wonderware's bundled InTouch HMI software and Touch Panel Computer solution, provide a multitude of benefits:

■ Remote troubleshooting with view and control of HMI

■ Fewer on-site visits and lower travel costs

■ Increased plant uptime through improved diagnostics

■ Less staff required to operate the baking line

■ Reduced overall testing and commissioning times

■ Rugged industrial panel PC with stainless steel bezel

■ Global language support

■ IP cameras to monitor and control production line from a single location.

During training sessions, product development stages and support situations, the local operators and Auto­Bake staff (speaking English only) can work alongside each other by quickly toggling between languages. Since the release of InTouch 9.5 software, Auto-Bake has shipped two baking machines with foreign lan­guage support in Spanish and Norwegian, and is planning a third with a Japanese interface.

The Auto-Bake Serpentine line is fitted with sever­al Internet protocol (IP) cameras that are connected to the dedicated Ethernet local area network (LAN) of the line.Through the HMI, it is possible to select a camera and view the images captured by the camera as a video stream directly into the SCADA software.

The IP cameras enable a single operator to moni­tor and control the complete production line from a single location. Also, Auto-Bake staff can monitor the equipment and the process from a remote location. Support is greatly improved, as it enables staff to see what is happening in the plant without actually being there. Assistance in resolving issues with equip­ment can be provided, together with advice on the baking process and ways to adjust the Auto-Bake oven to create the desired product.

With Wonderware's bundled InTouch HMI soft­ware and Touch Panel Computer solution, Auto­Bake can put its customers first by providing com­plete turnkey installations that improve flexibility and consistency, increase plant uptime, improve diagnos­tics and reduce workload. • For more information, contact Wonderware, at www.wonderware.com.