MS
Visual Basic® application brings "User Friendly" Functionality to
OEM Controller
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Delta Tau Controller in Cutler Hammer Pentium Industrial PC, Increased Door Production by 500% | |
| General Overview: A major producer of doors for Home Depot and Lowes had a problem. Their customer needed twice as many architectural metal doors (the doors with sidelights, multiple window panes and crescent windows) during the next 6 months as they had the previous. The door producer had been fabricating these doors using air operated router tables or cutting the special doors by hand. The air operated tables could only cut square cut outs in the door… the customer wanted arcs, sidelights, circles etc. |
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| Solution: Edison to the rescue. Working with the customer we designed, manufactured, and programmed a two (2) axis cutting table in 12 weeks. The system accepts CAD drawings, translates the drawing into G codes and cuts out any shape cut out to an accuracy of 1/16th. Production increased from 100 doors per shift to over 500 doors per shift. |
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| Skills / Capabilities Required
Motion Programming Mechanical / Electrical Design Operator Interface Programming Custom CAD to G code Program Software Integration Hardware Integration |
Products Used: Delta Tau Mini PMAC PAC SCI Servo Motors and Drives Cutler Hammer Industrial PC Warner Enclosed Ball Screws (8ft) Visual Basic Operator Interface |
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Edison Engineering Upgrades Woton
Horizontal CNC Mill | |
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General Overview:
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Original CNC controls with manual |
| Solution: Edison proposed that the machine be retrofit with a Delta Tau 600 CNC controller. This PC based control system allows the customer to use their existing G code programs for part generation and improved their machine accuracy. The Delta Tau NC Verify Lite package allows the customer to see a three-dimensional drawing of the tool path prior to machining the piece. This has reduced incorrectly machined parts. The system was designed with a modem built in to allow Edison to monitor and troubleshoot the system remotely, reducing down time. |
New CNC controls with 15"
Monitor |
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The bottom line: for approximately $35K the customer has upgraded a $200K machine to state of the art performance |
![]() New Backpanel with "Clean" Wiring |
| Skills / Capabilities Required
CNC Motion Programming CNC PLC Programming On-site Electrical Complete Schematics ACAD Drawings Project Management Windows NT programming Modem Communications Remote Monitoring and Troubleshooting | |
| Automated Setup for Boxmaking Equipment Using GE Fanuc PLC, Warner MX2000 6 Axis Motion Controller, 14 Axis of Stepper Control and One Axis of Servo Control | |
| General Overview:
A small OEM envisioned complete automated setup for their corrugated box making equipment. This included the ability to position end stops, side adjustments, slitter heads and roll heights. Edison suggested the use of a stand alone multi-axis controller (MX2000) manufactured by Warner Electric. The GE Fanuc 90-30 communicates set up information to the Warner controller via RS232 communication. To meet this OEM’s needs, Edison supplies the products to provided a turnkey solution. |
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| Skills / Capabilities Required in
Job Overall System Integration including: GE Fanuc PLC Programming Warner MX2000 Motion Programming Eason Operator Interface Programming Drawings Training/ Users Manuals Complete Test |
Products
Used: Warner MX2000 – Multi axis motion controller Warner Stepper Drives – Microstepping drives with up to 1/5000 resolution Lenze Servo Drive GE Fanuc PLC Eason Operator Interface |
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Conveyor
Control and Saw Integration to Increase Throughput 40%
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| General Overview: A high volume producer of metal tubing for the outdoor furniture and gym equipment industries needed to streamline their final cut-to-length process to meet growing customer demands. They also wanted to reduce their manufactured unit cost. The previous operation allowed tubing to moved to the cut-off saw in uncounted bulk quantities requiring an operator to stop the process and count out the needed quantity of tubing, and transfer them to the saw by hand. The end stop used to set cut lengths also required a manual setup. |
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Solution: Edison Engineering developed a process that accumulates the correct number of lengths into an indexer system which automatically sends the correct amount of tubing to the cut-off saw. The end stop was re-designed using a ball screw and linear actuators to automatically position the end stop and raise and lower the stop as needed. The systems operator interface allows setup of each step of the operation and provides production information for reporting. With the added automation, 60% of the work cell labor has been eliminated. The customer anticipates an annual increase in throughput from 15 million pounds per year to 25 million pounds per year. |
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| Skills/Capabilities Required in
Job Operator Interface ProgramminG PLC Programming Motion Programming Mechanical/Electrical Design CAD Development Software Integration Hardware Integration |
Products Used: Cutler-Hammer 1785 (Color Operator Interface) ABB ACS 140 Variable Frequency Drives Allen Bradley SLC 5/03 Modular PLC Cutler-Hammer Industrial Control Products |
| MS Visual Basic® application brings "User Friendly" Functionality to OEM Controller | |
| General Overview:
A local OEM manufacturer of hospital meal preparation systems requested a “user-friendly” interface for their meal systems product. The controller that was used to operate their system could accommodate multi-point RS485 networking with a proprietary protocol. MS Visual Basic® was used to develop a Windows® based application that would provide meal schedule setup and controller configuration functionality; as well as, monitor the controller for proper operation. |
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Personal Computer RS232 - RS485 Converter OEM Controller MS Visual Basic® Skils &
Capabilities: |
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With A Tight Schedule and A Critical Engineering Project, TVA turns to Edison for a Solution | |
| General Overview: The Tennessee Valley Authority was facing a dilemma. The Bull Run Steam Plant was being shut down for a major overhaul. The shutdown had been in the planning stages for months, but no one had addressed the application of variable speed drives on the coal feeder conveyors, one of the most critical components in producing electricity. If the coal feeders quit for more than ten seconds, the boilers shut down and millions of dollars are lost. Most of todays variable frequency drives need at least ten seconds to reboot their processors. Providing a UPS for the entire drive system is too expensive. |
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| Solution: Edison came up with an answer. Using the customers’ existing UPS system, Edison modified the drives so that control power could be supplied separately. This guaranteed that if the power burped, the drive electronics would not. Start up time was less than three seconds. Using encoder feedback, the drive speed is maintained within .01% of commanded speed, resulting in excellent process control. |
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| TVA was not done challenging the Edison staff. In order to conserve floor space and wiring, TVA asked Edison to design the drive systems to fit in a standard MCC, and reduce the lead time from 16 to 18 weeks down to 10. By working closely with Cutler Hammer, Edison was able to customize the MCC in house, with an automatic transfer switch and deliver the final MCC in 8 weeks. Exceeding TVA’s expectations and making sure that the plant could start up on time to deliver power to Tennessee during the hot summer months. | ![]() |
| Skills / Capabilities Required in Job Drive Modification and Programming UL 508 Panel Drawing Updates Startup Assistance |
Products Used: ABB Drives Leeson Motors with Encoders Cutler Hammer MCC Cutler Hammer Automatic Transfer Switch |
| General Overview:
A strong market and increasing competitive demands were driving a local wire manufacturer to increase production with existing equipment. Coil weight was increased by 20%. One piece of equipment that was not holding up was the vertical conveyor responsible for lowering these new large coils into a series of bins for descaling and pretreating. The brakes on the motors were not rated for this load and were failing at an unacceptable rate. |
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| Solution: The customer shared this problem with Edison and together we came up with a solution. New AC motor drive technology allows a motor to be slowed and stopped at full torque by taking energy out of the motor, converting back into AC power and putting it back on the power line. This meant that the hoist could be slowed and stopped without using the brake until after the load was stopped. This fix was put into place, the PLC controlling the system was reprogrammed and the customer has been running ever since. Needless to say, brake failures are almost non-existant. |
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| Skills / Capabilities Required in Job PLC Programming Custom Drive Programming System Tuning System Design Drawings Installation Start-up |
Product and Technologies Used ABB ACS600 Direct Torque Control Drives Bonitron Regerative Units to convert power from motor back to line Modicon PLC for Contro l |
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Edison Engineering Teams with Local
Pump Distributor to Supply Custom Pump Panels on Demand | |
| General
Overview: A pump distributor in Tennessee was faced with a dilemma. How to differentiate themselves from the other suppliers of pump systems? The answer… add value. The pump distributor prides itself in the skill of its salespersons and repair staff, and now has added a new weapon to their sales arsenal. They provide their customer with a total turn key system including the pump and the electrical systems. |
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| Solution: Working closely with the engineering staff at Edison, the pump distributor is able to specify, quote and supply the system all wrapped up in a single package. Even custom systems aren’t a problem and lead times have been reduced. EED feels that this is a great example of a partnership. Both players ending up with an end product much better than either could produce on their own. |
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| Skills / Capabilities Required in
Job Complete Documentation UL 508 Panel Material Specification Fabrication Material Procurement Spare Parts | |
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EED Partners with Local OEM to Provide Value
by Supplying Complete Upper Level Assemblies | |
| General Overview: A major producer of equipment in Middle Tennessee was looking for an electrical supplier who could not only supply electrical products but also assemble those products into a panel. By outsourcing the labor required to assemble and test the panels, the company was able to maximize their own internal resources and concentrate on the engineering, marketing and proprietary processes that made them a leader in their industry. . |
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| Continuing to increase the value of the partnership, EED has begun to offer control suggestions to reduce the cost and increase the capabilities of the existing system. By partnering, this OEM has the advantage of having a whole team of engineers from EED looking out for new technologies and ideas to enhance the existing product. Recently EED engineers noticed a UL discrepancy and brought this to the company’s attention | ![]() |
| Skills / Capabilities Required in Job Build to Print Design Review UL 508 Panels if required Drawing Updates Startup Assistance |
Products Used: AB PLC AB Drives Solid State Relays |