Problem:
This plant extrudes synthetic fiber onto threaded spools at a rate of 2,500 ft./min. When the thread winding tension exceeds the fibers elastic strength, the resultant thread break causes costly downtime and production waste. The plant manager wanted to present tension information real-time to his extrusion departments employees so that they could make necessary process modifications before a thread rupture occurs.
Solution:
This application solution included a Data Masters LED Display located on both sides of the production area. Employees were able to easily monitor the thread process tension from multiple areas within their department instantaneously. In addition to thread tension, line speed, and spool buildup, information was also displayed in various colors, based on level of importance.
Data Source:
Tension monitors were placed in strategic locations on the extrusion lines and fed data back to an Allen-Bradley PLC-5/20 processor. This data was communicated to the LED Displays serially at a one-second-update rate.
ROI:
This application reduced thread breaks from three per day to one per day. Each break required twenty minutes to rethread the spools. Estimated production rates for this facility per line was $12,000 per hour. The reduction of two breaks per day represented $8,000 per day. The displays paid for themselves in less than two days.