Kepware Solution Chronicles™

Kepware Solution Chronicles assist our customers in the process control and industrial automation industries where the use of Kepware products can enhance the resulting system architectures. To produce chronicles, inside technical sales and support personnel provide remote business analysis and evaluation services. These free remote consulting services in the field of computer hardware and software are also made available to system integrators requiring assistance with complex application requirements. We want to hear from you! We are always looking for unique and interesting ways our products are used in your applications. If you have one, tell us about it through stories@kepware.com. Also See Kepware News & Sightings on the Web (Articles and links that feature our communication software) Sandia National Labs uses Kepware in Well Testing Application Sandia National Labs needed to develop a system to show compliance with pollution standard and to track possible Transuranic (elements with atomic numbers greater than 92) waste flows in groundwater. Their solution consisted on the combination of several products, Wonderware for the SCADA, Sixnet for the I/O and Kepware for communications. ... read more Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Monitoring with SCADA This is an example of a typical, large water company, serving the water and wastewater needs of over 300,000. On an annual basis, the company manages over 94,000 Acre Feet of water, enough to cover their entire territory under almost 10 inches of water. The system relies on automation spread out over 100s of remote sites, from sewage lift stations to 1000 foot or more deep fresh water wells. This part of the country is far from flat, and the distribution of remote sites requires a vast network of Fiber Optics, wire and radio technology. ... read more A Bright Idea! Using Kepware in Solar (Photovoltaic) Production This is a highly competitive and secretive market. Improving yield, quality and efficiency in photovoltaic production can make a great difference in the scalability of the process. Equipment communications is essential to knowing what is going on. A new manufacturer of high performance thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules is scaling up their proprietary semiconductor technology for low cost high volume manufacturing. The modules will be deployed in large scale solar PV power plants and will efficiently tap into the vast energy potential of the sun. They will produce environmentally friendly renewable electricity that is economically competitive with electric power generated from conventional fossil fuels. ... read more ASU Gets Greener through Visibility As the old adage says, if you don't measure it, you can't control it. That is the fundamental principle behind Arizona State University's energy monitoring system. At ASU they take it one large step further - they show it off to the world. Energy costs are a major factor in Arizona, both in the summer and the winter. ASU is the equivalent of a small city, with a population of 69,000 . In our world of Greener Thinking, Universities play an important role in educating the citizens of the future. ASU takes this responsibility very seriously. ... read more Improving Data Center Efficiency Means Talking to Everything The mission critical environment of a data center for Fortune 50 financial companies requires the highest degree of infrastructure reliability. Thousands of computers use large quantities of electricity, creating lots of heat that as a result takes more power to extract and keep the data center cool - and operating efficiently. Caspian Technology Concepts, headquartered in Milwaukee Wisconsin, is in the business of designing, building, monitoring and maintaining exactly this type of data center for one of their customers in the financial industry. ... read more American Ingenuity is Alive and Well Briggs and Stratton, the world's leading manufacturer of air-cooled engines, was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI. Their brands include Ferris, Simplicity, Snapper, Giant Vac, and Murray and today, Briggs and Stratton owns 60 - 70% market share. As with most manufacturers, quality and efficiency in manufacturing is high on the watch list. Briggs and Stratton has a number of manufacturing facilities with different processes for manufacturing. Some production lines have dedicated production; others change over due to seasonal or demand fluctuations. In all cases however ... read more Turkish Steel Mill Rolls Outs Affordable Solutions to Improve Processes and Keep Production Flowing iSDEMiR a full scale Iron and Steel plant specializing in pig iron, billets, slabs, wire rods, coil and hot rolling roll located in Turkey was facing a huge automation project with many control systems and processes needing to be streamlined. With so much disparate equipment scattered throughout the mill, there needed to be a way to manage and monitor all of the data. ASP Otomasyon, an established Turkish integrator, took on the task. With years of experience in industrial production, ASP Otomasyon, was able to approach the situation with unique and affordable solutions to improve processes and keep production flowing. ... read more Neteon Technologies Pulls Out the Big Guns for Network Monitoring Neteon Technologies out of East Brunswick, New Jersey, specializing in Industrial Ethernet, Serial Connectivity and Fiber to Ethernet solutions was asked by their client, a large military base, to upgrade their legacy fiber Ethernet network. The military base had been collecting HVAC facility related data from multiple PLCs over their existing fiber Ethernet network and wanted to achieve the following improvement ... read more Kepware's LinkMaster covers the Paper Plants Problem!... The Georgia Pacific paper mill in Yalova, Turkey was faced with a few problems at their plant. In the water treatment portion of the paper plant they were was using a Siemens PLC and they needed to feed data into an ABB Advant OCS. At first, the paper mill was requesting to connect in a classic way, with a Siemens PLC to an ABB Advant OCS using Profibus. This type of Profibus connection tends to be very costly and time consuming to set up. The Profibus connection, with all the programming requirements, coupled with the problem of the DCS controller ... read more PET project: Kepware integrates plant equipment with single OPC server Amcor PET Packaging, a division of Amcor Ltd., and a world leader in innovative packaging solutions, is the organization's largest business segment, representing approximately 40 percent of revenue. As the world's largest PET container supplier, the division's staff of more than 5,300 people is spread over 63 manufacturing operations in 12 countries. From the birth of PET and its first polymer containers for soft drinks, Amcor has continually pushed the boundaries of PET packaging with its solutions for longer shelf life, higher temperature filling, and unique shapes. ... read more ROV.NET Applications - Problems and Solutions The environment is appalling, dealing with the massive pressures found 5 kilometres underwater is only a part of it. Construction work in places like the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico go on all year round. Weather conditions on the surface are often bad and even subsea, the visibility is often measured in a few inches. Surface operations in the splash zone can see a five ton machine thrown around like a toy. Currents can exceed 3 knots and operators (Pilots) may need to weave their way around steel and rope downlines from the vessels, scaffold poles and debris lying on the seabed. Opening an electronics pod in a snow blizzard is always fun. ... read more Hudson Scenic Studios - Drops the Ball with Kepware Hudson is one of the largest full service production and scenic fabrication companies serving the professional entertainment community since 1980. Hudson has provided precision automation systems that lower the Times Square New Year's Eve ball, bring the Lady of the Lake up from the depths in Monty Pythons' Spamalot, and allowed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to swoop over audiences heads. Hudson has the technical expertise that brings the biggest shows to Broadway and takes them on tour, and the award-winning scenic fabrication, automation, and lighting that transform themed casinos, restaurants, and amusement parks into world-class destinations. ... read more Energy Analysis Monitoring Systems - Foiling Excessive Energy Consumption Unless you have been in a cave over the last few months, energy consumption and costs have taken over the nation's conscience. Our shrinking industrial base must be wise consumers of our resources such as gas and electricity to remain competitive. Within the metals industries, in particular Aluminum manufacturing, large amounts of gas and electricity are required to generate end product. Deadline Solutions, Inc. has come up with a solution to provide reporting and trending of natural gas usage within the Aluminum industry. In order to accomplish these goals, two key variables need to be harvested ... read more Integrating Proprietary Serial and Ethernet Devices with SCADA/HMI systems If developers don't have the time or expertise to write their own drivers, they should consider using the Kepware User-Configurable (U-CON) driver. To write a driver, or not to write a driver? Developers don't usually have a choice if a driver isn't available, but new tools are making the job easier. An experienced Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) integrator explains how one such tool is speeding up the process of integrating OLE for Process Control (OPC) hardware ... read more Kepware Drives Automation to New Heights May 23, 2008 - An interview with John Haydock, Control Systems Engineering Manager at Rea Magnet Wire, an End User of Kepware Communications Software. EnterpriseInnovator spoke with John Haydock, Control Systems Engineering Manager with Rea Magnet Wire. Rea Magnet Wire makes wire, as it has since the 1930s -- and as such, it needs to maintain its competitive edge by using new technologies, and streamlining its production processes. Its main product is film insulated magnet wire, which is copper or aluminum wire with an insulating layer on it that is thin and temperature-resistant. It's used in winding wire coils that are used to create magnetic fields used in motors, transformers, and electronic devices ... read more Data Center Solves Communication Problem during Branch Circuit Monitoring System Implementation With over 1,900 customers in 39 data centers in 10 countries, Equinix is the global leader in network-neutral data centers. Their customer list is a virtual who's who of network providers, large content companies, and enterprises, including MSN, Verizon, AT&T and Comcast Google, PayPal, IBM, Electronic Arts, and YouTube. These customers rely on Equinix's Internet Business eXchange (IBX) data centers to keep their mission-critical applications running securely and reliably. Inside an IBX center, Equinix provides customers colocation space, reliable power and connectivity to over 300 networks, including all the major global Internet Service Providers (ISP) and international carriers. Customers are putting an enormous trust level in Equinix's ability to support their systems, many of which are the customers' primary revenue source ... read more EVSystems "prescribes" OPC in recent Pharmaceutical Applications EVSystems Data Solutions is a system integrator, allowing customers to connect SCADA and automation systems to their operation, business and information systems. Services include: Data Historian implementation and integration, SCADA Design and optimization, System architecture evaluations and consulting, Multi-platform integration, and Custom software and Relational Database design and development. EVSystems was recently contracted by GE Sensing to develop an I/O driver for a cryogenic tank monitoring application. The customer was installing 50 Cryogenic tanks; each would be monitored and controlled with TEC 2000 / 3000 controllers by MVE Bio-Medical, Chart Industries, Inc. The controllers support a robust ASCII protocol over RS-485. EVSystems would need to develop a driver that could support this ASCII protocol but easily integrate with the GE Labwatch™ system that would be monitoring the tanks. The application had several challenges ... read more Automotive Solution Provider "Validates" with OPC Advanced Production Systems, Inc. (APS) is a solution provider based in Louisville, Kentucky. APS has been providing solutions to the manufacturing industry since 1986 and is now positioned to help manufacturers and their associated trading partners capitalize on emerging economic and technological trends in manufacturing. Typical APS solutions have an emphasis on, 1) optimizing and automating manufacturing operations and processes, and 2) enhancing front-line employee productivity through better information flow and communication systems. A few of the manufacturing strategies APS focuses on include: Lean Manufacturing, Real-time Data Collection, Error-Proofing, Traceability, Product Quality Tracking, OEE Analysis and Process/Machine Automation ... read more Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. 'Pumped' over OPC for System Simulation & Training Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (APSC) is the operator of one of the largest pipeline systems in the world. The Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) stretches 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope through rugged and beautiful terrain to Valdez the northernmost ice-free port in North America. Since TAPS startup in 1977 APSC has successfully transported over 15-billion barrels of oil through the pipeline. In a recent project to enhance the TAPS automation architecture and provide the capability to remotely operate the 800-mile system, APSC identified that the installation of new equipment ... read more Automotive Manufacturer chooses OPC-based products for Secure Data Exchange A leading automotive manufacturer desired to maximize supply chain efficiency in their newest automotive manufacturing facility in North America. With twenty-one of their key suppliers located in close proximity to the main plant, work-in-process buffers were very short. Real-time data exchange between the automation systems of suppliers and the manufacturer was essential so the solution would need to be highly reliable and would need to securely pass data through a firewall. The manufacturer worked with solution consultants from ACE Technologies, Inc. of Rochester Hills Michigan to identify the following design issues ... read more Proton Energy leverages OPC to 'Plug In' to Error & Warning Data Proton Energy Systems and Northern Power, both wholly owned subsidiaries of Distributed Energy Systems (Nasdaq: DESC) were designing and building a hydrogen fueling station to be installed in New York State. The system would generate hydrogen on site from electricity and water using Proton Energy Systems' H-Series electrolyzer (hydrogen generator). To track hydrogen production and energy consumption, Northern Power would use its own SmartView® Monitoring System, which has OPC-based connectivity. Gathering OPC-based data would be handled by Kepware's OPC Server, KEPServerEX. KEPServerEX with Modbus drivers would collect data from a set of power meters and the hydrogen generator, which has a proprietary ... read more AMT Chooses a 'Cooler' Solution with OPC Advanced Monitoring Technologies Inc. (AMT) provides cost effective control solutions with energy-saving control logic for refrigeration plants and ice arenas. They are on the cutting edge of energy-saving technology and were recognized by Canada's National Research Council in 2003 as a finalist for the Canadian Innovation Award for Sustainable Development. AMT's TechCold refrigeration system has two main purposes: - to cause a substantial reduction in energy consumption and demand. - to provide a standardized system that is common to all ... read more CRG Logics, Inc. 'blends' well with OPC CRG Logics, Inc an OEM supplying auxiliary blending and material handling equipment for the plastics industry specializes in integrated, PLC-based control of continuous loss in weight gravimetric blending systems. They have a line of Simplicity series vibratory feeder continuous gravimetric blenders but also provide PLC-based control retrofits of blenders produced by other manufacturers. Regardless of whether it is a new system or retrofit, CRG Logics, Inc. knew customers wanted reliable equipment that is simple to operate, yet accurate and affordable. To meet customer needs CRG engineers chose to incorporate standards-based products in their software system architecture. ... read more EVermont's Hydrogen Fueling Station makes 'Efficient' use of OPC EVermont is a nonprofit R&D organization working with engineering firms, energy companies and vehicle manufacturers to spearhead design, development and evaluation of new technologies and to integrate existing technologies into alternatively fueled vehicles. Proton Energy Systems and Northern Power, both wholly owned subsidiaries of Distributed Energy Systems (Nasdaq: DESC), were contracted by EVermont to build an advanced demonstration hydrogen fueling station in Burlington, VT. The project was partially funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's Hydrogen Program. ... read more SCHMIDT Technology ServoPress and PRC4000 with Kepware OPC Server SCHMIDT Technology Corp. a wholly owned subsidiary of SCHMIDT Technology - Germany, offers a comprehensive line of precision Manual, Air-Powered, and Hydro-Pneumatic presses for manufacturing industries in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. With its most recent introduction of (5) five ServoPress Models, certain challenges were presented to the SCHMIDT Technology control engineering staff in how to communicate electronic data between control systems. The SCHMIDT Technology PRC4000 6-axis ServoPress controller is an "open source" logic and servo control unit that provides sequencing, calculating, process monitoring, SPC, and motion control, as well as a built-in HMI. ... read more The 118 WallyPower - a fast pleasure Yacht 'Onboard' with OPC Wally is a Monaco based shipbuilder known for some of the finest sailing and power vessels in the world. The 118 WallyPower is one of the fastest pleasure yachts over 100' in the world. With a normal cruising speed of over 60 knots (70 mph!) this boat challenges the concepts of traditional nautical travel. Three Vericor Power Systems TF-50 Gas Turbine Engines that are rated for 5,600 horsepower and weigh approximately 1,500 pounds, power the 118 Wallypower. With  a combined total of 16,800 horsepower she travels the sea with impressive speed, power, and comfort. ... read more