Temperature Test Stand

A major aerospace manufacturer has an automated materials testing system which was programmed by the original equipment manufacturer utilizing a Unitronics Unistream PLC. However, the system had many programming issues that were preventing consistent running and the data collection logic was incomplete.
Maskine worked with the client as they ran the machine to fully understand the programming issues, then corrected them to allow smooth unattended running. Additional hardware was added and programmed to allow the system to meet test specifications. At the same time, the clunky and confusing user interface was simplified.
Maskine also implemented data collection. First, the PLC was setup to collect data samples into Excel tables. Multiple types of data was collected into different Excel files per part tested. Second, Maskine developed a Microsoft VB .NET application to communicate with the Unistream PLC and two GigE cameras. The application receives triggers from the PLC, then triggers camera capture and saves images of each specimen tested with overlaid text to correlate the image to the specimen being photographed and the data entries in the Excel files.
At the end, the client was able to run the machine unattended 24/5 rather than just 8 hours a day. This allowed much more testing to take place. In addition, data collected on each test allows for thorough diagnosis despite running the machine unattended.