Problem:
This automotive manufacturer produces minivans and utilizes a state of the art automated welding line for chassis construction. The weld line supervisor was interested in reducing down time caused by faults.
Solution:
This application called for a pair of Data Masters NEMA 4 LED Displays communicating directly with the existing PLC. This provided two-way visibility at distances of up to 150 feet. These large displays provided a means for the line tender to immediately identify and correct the problem, without having to walk to the weld lines control station, and then walk to the machine fault location.
Data Source:
The serial command string included message attributes like color, scrolling, and flashing. The displays communicated directly to the PLC's serially over RS485 one-second transmission rates.
ROI:
Lost revenue costs, associated with downtime, were determined to exceed $2,500 per minute. The displays allowed the machine tender to quickly identify and correct the faults. The average downtime for each of the approximate three incidents per day was reduced from six minutes to four minutes. This six-minute per day savings represented $15,000 in additional revenue resulting in a less than one day return on investment.