SMC has commissioned T and G Compressor Services of Daventry to design and install a compressor house and compressed air network for its new £12 million expanded manufacturing site.Having commissioned T and G compressor Services of Daventry to design and install a compressor house and compressed air network for its new £12 million expanded manufacturing site, SMC Pneumatics (UK) Ltd were well aware of the magnitude of the house management task that had been set. The demanding requirements of SMC's existing manufacturing, inspection, warehouse and exhibition areas needed to be met without risk of failure, but the system also needed to be flexible enough to meet the company's growth expectations, ensuring that the current high levels of customer service are maintained in the future. Following the installation of not one but two Fluidair Rotopak compressors, and over 4000 metres of three-inch and two-inch pipework, the system then needed to be tested for air purity and pressure drop across the site.
Bob Farr, Facilities Manager for SMC Pneumatics (UK) Ltd, believes it would have been difficult for the installation to have been completed more smoothly.
"Extensive testing has shown that the end result of the project is zero pressure drop from one side of the factory to the other, and maintenance of air that is of better than breathable quality."
However, accuracy and efficiency can create other, unforeseen problems.
The compressor house was operating on a "Master and Slave" system, whereby the "Master" compressor works to compensate for air usage.
With such a system, if air pressure then begins to subsequently fall, the "Slave" compressor is automatically activated.
In the authentic usage situation, it was discovered that the "Slave" compressor was only actually been activated first thing each morning, during start-up of the system.
Therefore, in order to evenly distribute wear-and-tear, it was concluded that compressor use should be alternated, thus providing a more balanced service schedule.
Having envisaged that a small control system would be required, Control System Design Engineer Mark Brinsley knew that the team would not have to look too far.
"Having recently introduced PneuAlpha to SMC's already extensive product range, we were confident that the 'in-house' product would perform this function perfectly."
Prior to the introduction of PneuAlpha, SMC's compressors were started and shut down manually.
They therefore remained running for 24 hours at a time, even though out-of-hours workload was minimal.
At this stage, the automatic switchover, to ensure even running schedule, had not yet been introduced.
Apart from being significantly more cost-effective than a PLC controller, PneuAlpha also offers a wide range of features.
This provides additional efficiency and cost-saving benefits.
At SMC, the Timer Control now automatically operates the system to run between 8.00am and 8.30pm each working day.
Although the compressors remain 'live' at all times; they only operate if and when the delivery pressure switches indicate a demand.
The units are also now switched off over weekends and holiday periods.
The "Master and Slave" alternation running time is monitored, and after half of each service life the principle compressor is switched.
SMC's compressor control system now incorporates the PneuAlpha controller, which is housed within a 300 x 150 x 120mm enclosure.
The software written offers the following benefits - Timer Control, Master and Slave Alternation, Manual Over-ride, Service Warning Lamps, Lamp Test Functions, Work Done Hour Count Function and Date and Clock Function.
As Bob Farr concludes, "PneuAlpha is a low cost controller that comes with its own user-friendly software.
This enables programs to be easily written for a vast array of applications, irrespective of the demands of the specific situation.
These levels of simplicity, flexibility and value are without equal."