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Adjusting metal structures for Profibus


Increasing digitalisation in many manufacturing companies has lead to the complexity of ICE systems being more complex. This can quickly transcend the expected routine of a control system required by a customer. The following example shows how, with good teamwork, a heat treatment furnace for metals, not only saves space, but also became part of a digital production network.

Metals create a fascinating universe on an atomic level. In a regular lattice structure, atomic levels flow back and forth or they block each other’s way and wedge against one another making them almost unbreakable. With alloys and heat treatment, humans attempt to create the respectively desired characteristics in the right amounts. A work step is an essential part of this and, from the first forging, the principle has remained the same: mechanical processing as well as controlled and defined heating and cooling.

This change to the inner structure of metals and alloys brings out different characteristics: Surface hardness, temperature resistance, stability or ductility. A materials scientist is rarely satisfied by reaching a goal; they mostly have to decide on a compromise. The basics haven’t changed in hundreds of years, which explains the great importance that processes such as curing, quenching, carburisation, nitrification or tempering still have for industrial uses until today. Alongside this, experts in this area have been formed over decades. One such example is Wilhelm Alte GmbH, which was formed right after the Second World War.

Whilst, in the beginning, classic heat treatment was the primary concern, the range of services offered today has become much more expansive, including being recently expanded by new processes such as laser-beam hardening and laser deposit welding with different powders.
 


​​​​​​​With modern ICE equipment

For 50 years, Wilhelm Alte has not only been treating metals, but has also built industrial furnaces and systems on request. The list of requested and produced products is just as long. It ranges from conveyor belt systems to oscillating hearth furnaces for tempering or annealing. Industrial furnaces are heated with both gas and electricity, and are always fitted with cut-off, measuring and regulation technologies.
An industrial furnace is not normally a highly complex ICE system. Depending on its use, it is usually a good combination of a temperature sensor, performance regulator and control panel. Nevertheless, the increasing variables and complexity in customers’ manufacturing companies means increased challenges for the 80-employee company in Sauerland.

“We usually build and fit the control cabinets ourselves and also program the controls since we value the depth of manufacture”, says Bernd Junior, Electrics Manager at Wilhelm Alte. However, there may be circumstances in which a heavy order book in combination with complex designs leads us to involve external partners. “There were a few tricky situations with a project at the end of last year”, said Junior. Time pressure alongside new technologies: that’s when Schultze Erbse came into play.

The request came from VDM Metals, a global supplier of solutions, products and services of high-performing metal materials such as nickle or cobalt alloys, and special stainless steels which are used in many sectors from the automobile industry to oil and gas. Detlef Potrafke, who is responsible for systems technology at VDM, explained: “From time to time we have to update our furnaces since the walls drop or other signs of ageing occur. With one of the youngest new acquisitions, we wanted to fulfil several aspects at once and we contracted our long-term supplier, Wilhelm Alte”. In order to save space during production, two furnaces should be merged into one and “instead of the usual individually-operated single regulators, according to the contract, all digital signals should be brought into a central Siemens SPS”, said Potrafke. The background is that the manager at VDM Metals can see all zones in all furnaces centrally, quickly recognise errors and solve them. On top of this, it is also important to be able to control that each individual job is carried out as per the regulations for internal auditing.
 

​​​​​​​Addressing the Thyristo controller

A routine job at first glance. The desired wire firmness is determined by the interaction of winding and unwinding, the removal of lubricant and the temperature profile of the furnace which is to be set. All parameters are controlled by the user. “As usual, we have set the circuit diagram and the switchboard construction ourselves with this furnace. However, the customer expected to be able to control the furnace with a Siemens touch panel and a special Siemens SPS with a digital log. This was new for us and at a time when we all had our hands full”, said Bernd Junior from Wilhem Alte about the situation.

In order to save time and our nerves, the programming of the regulator, the panel and the control was to be taken over by itsme Schultz+Erbse. An S7-1500 was ordered for the data transfer, which communicates with the furnace’s regulator via Profibus. Mohammed Alj, Technical Consultant for industrial automation at itsme Schultz+Erbse, took on the project. It was new for him as well, since controlling multiple Thyristor controllers, which are used to control the power consumption of the furnace, is not an easy task.

The background: A Thyristor controller reduces the effectiveness of the AC voltage by lowering the sinusoidal patterns of the voltage at the end of every half oscillation, since it activates the change of voltage only after a set amount of time from start up.
 

Two furnaces in one

Alj then looked after the fact that the necessary programs were up to date via the Siemens TIA portal and that they were installed on a stable-running computer. The next step was to design the process in the furnace and to install the communication panel with the Thyristor controller. “The two chambers with two temperature zones were designed to be controlled separately”, said Alj. “So that the Thyristor controlled could communicate via the profibus, we had to rework the addressing. In the end, we solved the communication of both these components by installing a special inverter”.

​​​​​​​For the seamless definition and declaration of the variables, access control and allocation of rights, good teamwork on a tight schedule was required, which led to detailed documentation. “The project wasn’t free of problems, but together we did a great job”, laughs Junior while adding: “Mr Alj was a great help during the project. If it gets complicated again, I would involve Schultz+Erbse again”.

As a provisional conclusion of the project, Wilhelm Alte employees are attending a multi-level training course covering basic aspects of the TIA Portal S7 offered by Schultz+Erbse. A project with two equally happy partners and one happy user, Potrafke: “Seamless teamwork with good solutions on the sidelines. All our expectations for the visualisation were implemented effectively by Schultz+Erbse, and the colleagues were trained quickly and competently. That’s what makes work fun”.




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