Supervisory system makes extensive use of Windows

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team May 12, 2006

Eurotherm is to supply a replacement extrusion press supervisory system at Special Metals Wiggin.

Eurotherm is to supply a replacement extrusion press supervisory system (ESS) at Special Metals Wiggin (SMW).

SMW, located in Hereford, UK is a major manufacturer of a wide selection of high performance nickel based alloys in the form of rod, bar, sheet, strip, section, tubing and wire products.

The manufacturing processes involve melting, primary hot working, hot rolling, cold rolling and cold drawing, generally categorised as metal forming processes.

Production is usually carried out against customer orders, hence the environment is primarily batch manufacturing.

The 5650 ton extrusion press and associated furnaces for preheating are critical to dealing with approximately 75% of the SMW product range.

The extrusion press is supported by six batch furnaces for preheating of the raw product (billets) before extrusion can take place.

Charging patterns are created to show the positioning of the billets in each furnace, depending on the size of the billet, type of furnace and required discharge order.

The benefits to SMW of operating the extrusion press using a supervisory system as opposed to manual operation are: improved quality; increased productivity; and increased product yield.

The existing extrusion press supervisory system supplied these benefits by providing functions that deliver: compliance to standard operating procedures; efficient use of plant; effective use of labour; association of specific events with a product for full traceability (real time recording); search and retrieval of historical data; recording of product quality and associated events; process analysis and quality performance measurement; and continuous improvement in process, product quality and efficiency.

Richard Jones, Section Leader, Systems Development Section and the SMW Project Manager said: "It was important that we selected the right company to replace the existing extrusion press supervisory system".

"We invited several companies to tender for the contract and on receiving the tenders we carried out an extensive review of each tender".

"The review culminated in a shortlist of potential vendors who we assessed by visiting them, meeting their key people and visiting their reference sites".

"Eurotherm was selected as our preferred vendor because their proposal, experience in our industry, and the positive feedback received from their major customers met all our requirements for the development and support of the new system".

Eurotherm proposed a replacement extrusion press supervisory system based on a blend of standard, configurable, and off the shelf windows software that will be augmented with bespoke Microsoft Windows services and broadly comprises: Microsoft Windows 2000 SQL Server; EurothermSuite Operation Server and Viewer Clients; EurothermSuite Information Manager; Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services; OPC servers and clients; Microsoft Windows services; and Microsoft Windows forms applications.

Eurotherm selected this architecture as the most appropriate solution to SMW's requirements, as it provided: the Scada system but, most importantly, the middleware link between the shop floor and the MES/MIS business layer; an open system environment with portable and future proof hardware; and cost efficiency.