THE CHALLENGE
Crown Control System engineers were requested to provide assistance in the commissioning of the control system for the new Range Rover production line. Our engineers were first required to thoroughly familiarise themselves with the control specification. The controller specified was Siemens S7 using the optional S7 Graph package. The S7 controllers were connected to computer based MMI units via ethernet.
THE SOLUTION
Pilz safety PLCs were used for safety critical devices such as safety gates and light guards. Inputs and outputs were connected to an Inter-bus field-bus system. The connection back to the S7 PLC’s was through fibre-optic cables to eliminate electrical interference from welding.
KUKA robots were specified for welding and automatic panel handling. The original software was written by a German sub-contractor. Crown engineers were required to try to standardise the machine-specific software, as the original specification provided insufficient application-specific detail. This involved developing and installing standard function blocks across the site. Crown Control Systems were also tasked with providing the data required for the Management Information System (MIS). The process involved developing the specification to meet Land Rover’s requirements, detailed liaison with the MIS contractor GE Fanuc, liaison with the PLC contractor and final commissioning of the system.
THE RESULT
A scrap part handling system was requested by Land Rover after the Range Rover plant had started full production. Crown Control Systems were required to develop the specification, write the software and commission the system to Land Rover’s satisfaction.