Application Stories

Faced with completing one of the largest projects in its history, Canyon Rock, a Northern California quarry, used a system integrator and universal programming software to meet deadlines, save programming time through reusability of code, simplify training, and enable diagnostics to determine failures anywhere on any device. The company knew success depended on making major changes to its operations—and making them quickly—using automation and software that could replicate success in subsequent phases of the project. It would have to double production to meet the specifications of the bid it had just won. The success of the phased approach turned largely on the implementation of Profinet, the newly applied communications architecture. "Before this project, the plant had no network," Schulz pointed out. "Once we rolled out a backbone for the entire plant, and put all components on a common network, the PLCs could talk to the HMIs which could talk to the VFDs and the motor monitoring devices."

Astec, widely recognized as the largest U.S. producer of asphalt manufacturing plants, is increasingly turning to automation technologies to optimize plant energy use, reduce waste, and speed its assembly process. “Our control systems use Profibus or Profinet for networking because of its ease of troubleshooting and fast connections,” said Mark Chambers, who added that Astec is increasingly moving toward standard use of Profinet because of its greater bandwidth capabilities and speed.

Remanufacturing and updating a three-stage lathe was more beneficial than purchasing a new modern machine. Everything was already in place; it just needed updated drives and hydraulic systems.