When buying hardware and software for their systems, OEMs need to consider not just which products will do the job, but also those that will make life easiest for their end-user customers. This was the case for copper-winding OEM, Sipro, a winding and assembly solutions manufacturer in Italy. For Sipro, it was critical to make its machines as fast, intuitive and accurate as possible for its end users to operate. The HMI software the company previously employed, while providing efficient machine operation, was not highly graphical, thus making it complex to use. In addition, it had very limited ability to implement process analysis or provide historization. Sipro needed a SCADA-based software to overcome these challenges in order to speed and improve its manufacturing, as well as provide the ability to integrate disparate systems into a single software for maximum customer flexibility.
Sipro conducted an industry-wide analysis of SCADA-based software and selected Movicon SCADA as the most flexible, scalable and easy-to-use solution available. Using the Movicon platform gives Sipro much-needed capabilities it did not have previously, such as the ability to move interpolated axes with up to four motors, to manage timers and counters, command digital outputs and test digital inputs. Most important, the highly intuitive graphics of the Movicon-based system are easy to understand and easy to use for machine operators, as well as provide straightforward manual commands in the units. According to Luca Rovaris of Sipro, “The beautiful, user friendly and eye-catching vector graphics in the Movicon HMI/SCADA set our machines apart in the world of copper winding.”
The Movicon system permits data historization and storage for later evaluation and production reporting and analysis on the machine alarms to detect malfunctions and identify issues. These capabilities allow both accountability and continuous operational improvement. Users can react rapidly to problems during production and respond promptly. The software provides easy and clear recipe management and compilation. The solution also enables analysis and tracing of machine users and all types of variables that could impact the quality of the finished product. Detailed production reports provide rapid identification of the source of product rejects and speed maintenance intervention.
Among Sipro’s first applications of the Movicon-based system was for an electric motor manufacturer. In this case, Sipro employed a main client/server station to communicate with seven programmable logic controllers (PLCs) on the machine, for a total of 50,000 tags, plus client stations located along the line to ensure a good view of the five machine blocks. All devices were connected to each other via an Ethernet network, and CodeSys was the communication driver between the Movicon platform and the PLCs.
The Movicon SCADA platform does allow rapid, easy integration of disparate systems for maximum customer flexibility. As a result of all of its qualities that help differentiate Sipro in the markets they serve, the company continues to integrate the Movicon platform into its systems for customers in a range of industries including automotive, the home appliance sector, hydraulics, and food manufacturing equipment, among others. In addition, the company plans to add the Pro.Lean™ module for OEE analysis in the near future.
Luca Novaris added, “When the Movicon software was employed, the easy and intuitive development environment immediately overcame shortcomings of the old HMI system.”
