Introduction

The Temperature Control library package contains several parts and is overall designed for the demand of advanced temperature control for critical processes. It needs precise temperature control and e.g. adaptive tuning for ease of handling and changing environmental or process conditions.

The package consists of the following components:

  • Libraries:
    • TECT_TEMP_CONTROL_AC500_V24 library
    • ADCTRL_AC500_V24 library (internal, automatically referenced and loaded)
    • TECT_EXT_AC500_V24 library (internal, automatically referenced and loaded)
  • One example project, consisting of four examples (incl. one advanced CB610 Panel project)
  • Documentation
  • License code for starting the licensing procedure

Examples for use can be found in many different applications, where processing at controlled temperature levels has to be done, e.g. in extrusion and plastics but also in food & beverage or chemical applications. Especially demanding are extrusion applications, where you can find many temperature zones (up to 50) in different parts of the machinery and the overall process. For those system there will also be requirement of handling several zones in a group and several groups in a system in a structured way.

These processes require typically precise temperature control and therefore require PID instead of simple 2- or 3-point control. For example, plastics processing and especially extrusion requires the temperature to be controlled within +/- 0.5 degrees Celsius. High temp deviation can deteriorate the product quality. As PID settings need to be different, depending on the temperature zone’s position along the process, e.g. the extruder screw, the adaptive option helps greatly.

Lots of machines are still using costly and difficult to setup dedicated and decentralized temperature controllers, i.e. separate controller for each zone. Due to this approach, it is not possible centrally monitoring, controlling and using data acquisition or alarm handling in a simple way. Often even the PID settings of the temperature zones need to be changed, based on the currently produced product. The decentralized system takes a much long time to make these settings and needs more attendance and skilled persons during the production.

Main Purpose of TECT_TEMP_CONTROL_AC500_V24 Library

TECT_TEMP_CONTROL_AC500_V24 Library gives centralized control of all the temperature zones using AC500 PLC.

TECT_TEMP_CONTROL_AC500_V24 is the main library, which provides the centralized control and auxiliary functions for all the temp zones. It also provides the AutoTune functionality for the individual zones and includes differentiation for the often different heating and cooling behavior. The blocks of this library internally call blocks of two other internal libraries (added automatically).

As this library provides centralized control, also Log and recipe functions are implemented for better user interaction and data collection. Process data can be logged on SD cardin “csv” format, which can process further for better understanding and monitoring of the system. The RECIPE function helps to store/select parameters setting for the different products.

This library also provides the option of a simplified interface to HMI´s for the CP600 Panels, which allows in a structured, modular and simple way the configuration and monitoring of all temperature zones.