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Plant Availability and Quality Optimisation

Objetivo

The objective of this project was to develop technology for the efficient integration of process and machine monitoring and diagnostics with the control of discrete parts manufacturing plants at the machine and cell level. It aimed to provide such plants with a degree of fault tolerance through improved control during abnormal or fault conditions, thus maximising plant availability, product quality and operational safety.
The objective of this project was to develop technology for the efficient integration of process and machine monitoring and diagnostics with the control of discrete parts manufacturing plants at the machine and cell level. It aimed to provide such plants with a degree of fault tolerance through improved control during abnormal or fault conditions, thus maximizing plant availability, product quality and operational safety.
An early demonstration of the methodology was made during 1986 using a stand alone milling machine. This was fitted with various sensors, including a unique tactile machine spindle which was designed and built by the consortium. Real time model based diagnostics of the cutting process, as well as of the machine drives, was demonstrated, together with a net based software tool permitting the application of expert knowledge to machine surveillance and action planning. A full scale demonstration of an integrated fault tolerant control system operating with a flexible machining cell was achieved to conclude to project in December 1988. This included the use of a prototype modular data acquisition and analysis computer which has now been commercially exploited. The system operated through a local area network. Cell control was coordinated by an expert cell controller operating on a personal computer (PC).
An early demonstration of the methodology was made during 1986 using a stand-alone milling machine. This was fitted with various sensors, including a unique "tactile" machine spindle which was designed and built by the consortium. Real-time model-based diagnostics of the cutting process, as well as of the machine drives, was demonstrated, together with a net-based software tool permitting the application of expert knowledge to machine surveillance and action planning.
A full-scale demonstration of an integrated fault-tolerant control system operating with a flexible machining cell based in Spain was achieved to conclude the project in December 1988. This included the use of a prototype modular data acquisition and anal ysis computer, designed and built by the consortium, which has now been commercially exploited at other sites. The system operated through a local area network developed by the Spanish partners; cell control was coordinated by an "Expert" cell controller operating on a PC.
Exploitation
Automated monitoring and diagnostics integrated with machine or cell control offers financial benefits due to the reduction in waste, lesser machine damage, and increased productivity through higher machine availability and more efficient rescheduling.Commercial exploitation of the computer hardware and software in the area of real-time process surveillance and diagnostics, and also of the system integration tools, is well advanced.

Tema(s)

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Convocatoria de propuestas

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Régimen de financiación

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Coordinador

Stewart Hughes Ltd
Aportación de la UE
Sin datos
Dirección
Chilworth Manor
SO9 1XB Southampton
Reino Unido

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Coste total
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Participantes (7)