10193 HMI Upgrades
Summary & Goals
A food manufacturing facility in the Dallas area was nearly fully automated using mostly current hardware, primarily from Allen-Bradley. Some of its older systems, however, used obsolete HMI hardware on an obsolete network. They no longer had the programming software, and spare hardware was limited. The Logicon Group was tasked with replacing this hardware with current technology, providing the same control and monitoring that the obsolete HMIs did, while providing enhanced graphics and, in some cases, more control and monitoring.
Detail
Three Allen-Bradley PanelView 1200 and one Allen-Bradley PanelView 900 HMI screens needed to be upgraded to current hardware. The existing HMI hardware and PV1200 software was no longer supported by the manufacturer, and the customer no longer had the programming software for the units. The customer also had very little spare hardware.
The Logicon Group connected the PanelView 1200 units to Allen-Bradley PLC5 systems using Allen-Bradley Remote I/O protocol. Two of the systems were bulk ingredient delivery systems, and the other was an ammonia refrigeration system. The Logicon Group obtained Allen-Bradley PanelBuilder 1400 software and installed it on an existing Windows NT workstation. The PV1200 programs were converted to PV1400 programs, making them viewable to determine existing screen operation and data tags used. Logicon then created new HMI applications using RSView ME Studio. The screen graphics were significantly enhanced and enlarged for easier use. Additional control options were provided on the ammonia system HMI. At the time, the customer did not want to invest in upgrading the PLC5 systems to Ethernet. Therefore, the replacement HMIs were connected to the PLC5s via direct Allen-Bradley DH+ connections. The PLC programs were edited as needed to work with the new screens. Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 1250 units were chosen as replacements.
Logicon used the PanelView 900 unit to control operation of a dough mixer. This unit communicated with an SLC 5/04 Summary and Customer Goals A food manufacturing facility in the Dallas area was nearly fully automated using mostly current hardware, primarily from Allen-Bradley. Some of its older systems, however, used obsolete HMI hardware on an obsolete network. They no longer had the programming software, and spare hardware was limited. The Logicon Group was tasked with replacing this hardware with current technology, providing the same control and monitoring that the obsolete HMIs did, while providing enhanced graphics and, in some cases, more control and monitoring. Hardware, Software & Networks • Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 1250 and RSView ME Studio software • Allen-Bradley PLC5/SLC PLCs and RSLogix 5/500 Software • Allen-Bradley PanelView 900/1200 and PanelBuilder32/PanelBuilder1400 software processor. The processor was upgraded to an SLC 5/05 to allow for Ethernet communication. The PV900 was replaced with an Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 1250. The Logicon Group converted the existing PV900 program directly from Allen-Bradley PanelBuilder 32 software to RSView ME Studio software. From that point, the only modifications were data-tag-related in order to achieve communication with the PLC. The graphics were left unchanged so that the operator would not require retraining.
The Logicon Group provided the replacement HMIs, PLC/ HMI programming, electrical installation and was also onsite for installation and start-up support.
Results
The Logicon Group provided Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus replacement HMIs to replace four obsolete Allen-Bradley PanelView 900 and 1200 units, placing the new HMIs on more relevant networks as needed. The customer now has current hardware that can be supported by their software licenses and the manufacturer if needed. The customer also now has the ability and the software to edit the HMIs as needed. Since the completion of this project, the customer has made additional HMI screen modifications to some of the systems, modifications that would not have been possible without the upgrades.