Thin Clients for the Factory Floor Control System Retrofit
A flour mill was having issues with its legacy PC-based control system. Cybertrol created a new HMI thin client system to reduce the cost of ownership while increasing uptime and allowing for faster system implementation.
Challenge
Intermittent faults were causing downtime and missing documentation made troubleshooting difficult. The PC was unreliable and any problems forced the operators to run the plant manually while the PC was restarted. Old software made modification difficult and there was no migration path, making it almost impossible to make significant changes in the process.
Solution
Cybertrol specified two Windows terminal servers and thin clients for the operator workstations. The solution featured:
- Touch screen display for fast and intuitive operator controls
- Connection to corporate network through firewall for access to remote support and corporate databases
- Two workstations connected to each server
- Location of servers in a back office rack where they are protected from dust, vibration, and temperatures of the factory floor
- Real-time support through high-speed VPN connection
- Replacement time reduced to minutes rather than hours
Results
The mill’s efficiency increased as administrators had more control and better data than before. Operators could now focus on products and quality with full confidence the plant would continue to run in the event of a hardware failure. The plant is future-proofed with the ability to migrate and update in the event of a process change.
