Quality Assurance in Magnet Production
Delphin TopMessage Provides Data Acquisition and Evaluation
CHESTERLAND OH - CAS DataLoggers recently provided the data acquisition and evaluation solution for a magnet producer which needed to increase manufacturing quality and thereby decrease the need for expensive reworking. The factory's permanent magnets were used in many fields, for example in the auto industry, in sensor technology and in medical applications. The manufacture of these magnets required several specialized processes such as powder processing, pressing, sintering, and then the actual manufacture. It was critical to manufacture the magnets to the correct precision to reduce the need for any reworking as far as possible. Sintering was a major factor here because the process could easily create a loss of up to 25%, dependent on the magnets' density prior to sintering, so that during the pressing procedure, great care was needed to achieve a uniform green density rather than just a true to size product. Establishing the weight of the various magnet components was difficult. The weighing machine's RS232 port was already being used to serially transmit weights to regulate the press, and analog interfaces were out of the question due to their lack of precision. The task was then how to access the weighing machine's data without interfering with existing data streams. Therefore it was necessary to record and monitor the most important processing parameters such as weights and pressing force, which demanded a modern universal system for data acquisition, monitoring and evaluation which could process different types of signal, including analog and serial. Their ideal system also had to be PLC compatible and linkable to an existing weighing system.
Management installed a Delphin TopMessage data acquisition system along with ProfiSignal software for trends and analysis. In just one day of onsite training and installation, users had already performed a basic configuration so that an initial analysis of the pressing process could be undertaken. Delphin's ProfiSignal software was instrumental in producing initial trend output. For the day to day data acquisition and monitoring it was decided that default values such as weights, press capacities etc., along with their tolerance values, should be input by the user via an input mask. Using ProfiSignal, factory personnel could now create whatever they required onscreen. The input of default values as well as online and offline computations proved to be no problem using ProfiSignal. All required functions could be put into practice despite the users having no specialist IT knowledge, and the user-friendly TopMessage system was easy for the entire team to pick up.
The Delphin TopMessage hardware and ProfiSignal software formed a complete system which simply and effectively met the requirements of the magnet manufacturer. The Profibus DP and RS232 interfaces, as well as the universal analog and digital input/outputs, enabled all the necessary
information to be acquired and processed within the same database. Virtual channels enabled the TopMessage to perform process monitoring, calculations and control operations--all independently and without the need for PC support. Real time data acquisition, monitoring and (when necessary) response were especially important in the magnet production's high-speed processes. Additionally, the TopMessage's internal datalogger guaranteed data security even in the event of a network or PC failure.
Delphin's ProfiSignal software performed several tasks. For example, it served as the interface between user and equipment, while the input masks provided the TopMessage device with the required process parameters and header data. External data could also be imported/exported using the OBDC/SQL interfaces. Another task was the long-term archiving and analysis of measurement data: an integrated Dataservice enabled the unrestricted recording of data which could then be used for the evaluation and reporting for any time period.
Soon the system was developed to the extent that the manufacturer could record all the required data as well as simultaneously compute and display densities. The production management were able to access the data from their office at any time using the TopMessage's connection to the company's network. Evaluation could then take place at a glance and at any point within the process. Eventually two additional presses were equipped with TopMessage systems and their own PCs, followed by a marked improvement in quality due to the monitoring system and the press operators' ability to respond more quickly. The systems immediately revealed any changes taking place within the process and also provided an overview of the data in A4 format. ProfiSignal also automatically produced reports which could be used in the event of returns to determine whether the problem actually occurred within the pressing process.
Personnel from the pressing workshop explained, "After a long search we eventually discovered Delphin's TopMessage devices and ProfiSignal software for the acquisition, monitoring and recording of process data. After familiarizing ourselves with the software we were able to quickly configure and set up the system ourselves."
For more information on the Delphin TopMessage Data Acquisition System, other advanced Delphin systems, or to find the ideal solution for your application-specific needs, contact a CAS Data Logger Applications Specialist at (800) 956-4437 or visit the website at www.DataLoggerInc.com.
Contact Information:
CAS DataLoggers, Inc.
12628 Chillicothe Road
Chesterland, Ohio 44026
(440) 729-2570
(800) 956-4437
sales@dataloggerinc.com
http://www.dataloggerinc.com
