motan offers uninterruptible control system for material management in AI era
The central theme of motan Taicang Co., Ltd. at CHINAPLAS will be an uninterruptible control system for smart material management.
As we transition into the AI era, equipment must be capable of delivering more data, necessitating the addition of more sensors to facilitate AI learning. With the demand for increased data comes a heightened need for system reliability. Any system failure can lead not only to production losses but also to data loss, underscoring the growing necessity for uninterruptible control system.
A drying system comprises a dryer and drying bins. Currently, the most common control systems in the market utilize a single CPU, either in the form of a PLC or a standalone board computer located within the dryer, with all sensors wired directly to the dryer's control input. The dryer's output then regulates the heater in the drying bin.
However, this type of drying system has notable limitations: it is challenging to install on-site and difficult to expand. Typically, one dryer can support only four to five drying bins. Furthermore, if the CPU in the dryer fails, the entire drying system becomes inoperative.
To connect more drying bins, the control system must be modified. Currently, signals are routed to a remote input and output (I/O) board in each drying bin, which then connects to the CPU in the dryer via a device-level network typically operating at 125 to 256 kbps. This configuration allows for the addition of more drying bins and simplifies installation. However, the overall number of bins is constrained by the capabilities of the controller in the dryer and the slow network speed.
In addition, expanding functionality within the bins is challenging due to the limitations of the remote I/O board. As before, if the CPU in the main dryer fails, the entire drying system becomes non-operational.
In the AI era, vast amounts of information are required for self-learning, necessitating an increased number of sensors to provide comprehensive data. To simplify this process, motan has integrated a CPU into each drying bin. This CPU features expandable I/O capabilities and can control the heater and airflow while collecting data on temperatures, weight, energy consumption, and more. The manufacturing execution system (MES) can access all data from each individual drying bin.
Meanwhile, the independent CPU allows each drying bin to connect seamlessly with conveying units, enabling closer integration between systems. This structure lays the groundwork for an uninterruptible control system.
motan offers an uninterruptible control system for smart material management.
As drying bins become smarter and more independent from the dryer, a crucial question arises: what happens if the dryer breaks down? In that case, the entire drying system would still be affected. This challenge led motan to develop modular dryers.
The dryer is no longer a single unit; it is now composed of individual modules. Each module delivers 450 cubic meters of dry air and features its own CPU, allowing it to automatically adjust based on the total dry air requirements of all the bins. To ensure redundancy, only one additional module is needed instead of a complete dryer.
On the conveying side, motan offers a modular blower system where each blower serves as a backup for the others, providing an uninterrupted conveying system.
An uninterruptible control system also requires a reliable network. motan employs an optical fiber ring network in its system, which is immune to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) noise. The ring network enhances redundancy and helps prevent cable breakage.
If a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system is required for the factory, a data center is essential for collecting all data from the equipment within the system. What happens if the data center fails? motan provides double or even triple redundancy in the data center, making the company the first in the market to offer this feature.
Booth: 4.1F42
