Echo Automation

DEC International

Summary:

DEC International, a leading pharmaceutical company, identified the need for an advanced batch mixing tool to elevate the precision and efficiency of their pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. The key challenges involved achieving accurate temperature control, shear rate regulation, and torque measurement during the mixing of pharmaceutical compounds. The project’s objectives were to overcome these challenges through innovative tool design and implementation.

Solution:

The Echo team successfully designed and constructed an automation control circuit tailored to meet the specific requirements of our esteemed customer. This involved seamlessly integrating Variable Speed Drives (VSD) and smart thermocouples with a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) through the implementation of the Modbus communication protocol. The Human-Machine Interface (HMI) was meticulously programmed to display real-time variables such as shaft torque, speed, and temperature trends. Notably, the system includes an automated feature that effortlessly converts these trends into CSV spreadsheets, facilitating convenient providing data downloads to a USB drive for streamlined customer data management. This comprehensive solution underscores our commitment to delivering sophisticated and efficient automation solutions tailored to our clients’ needs.

Achievement:

*To accurately control the speed of the drive (with slow reverse jog option)

*To accurately control and monitor the temperture

*To read and record ‘torque vs time’ (1s resolution) from the drive, with graphical real time illustration

*To read and record ‘temperature vs time’ (1s resolution) from the thermocouple, with graphical real time illustration

*To read and record ‘speed vs time’ (1s resolution) from the drive, with graphical real time illustration

*Motor cutoff at max torque to protect drive