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We
programmed and commissioned a smoked meat processing line in Saskatchewan. Used primarily
for cooking hotdogs with an application of a natural or artificial smoke, this
line has made it possible to achieve a continuous process (as opposed to
standard batch houses where the product must be manually loaded/unloaded from
each cooking and cooling process).
The line is controlled by an Allen-Bradley SLC 5/05 PLC Processor and an
Industrial PC running RSView in a Windows NT environment. The two communicate
using Ethernet protocol which allows for very fast update times (10 Mbaud).
All machine functions are controlled and monitored by the PLC while the IPC is
used as an operator interface (through a touchscreen) to set conditions, monitor
values, etc. The system has been set up to automatically create activity
logs, data logs and exception reports giving the customer the opportunity to
strictly monitor the process. In addition, the system is configured to allow
dialup from a remote location. This allows us to monitor and/or
troubleshoot the process in real time from here in Whitby.
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