Case Study
Silk Screen Printing
Project:
Ono Sokki TN550 Silk Screen Printing Machine Upgrade
Client: D.J. Circuits Ltd, located in Harrogate, operates two Ono Sokki TN550 Fully Automatic Screen Printing Machines.
History: The TN550 machines at D.J. Circuits Ltd were equipped with obsolete and non-supportable components. To address this, Silchester Control Systems Ltd, in collaboration with Yaskawa, conducted a design study to propose a replacement schedule and method for key control system components.
"The upgrade provided better performance and local support, ensuring the continued efficient operation of our screen printing machines."
- D.J. Circuits Ltd
Solution
The project aimed to upgrade the TN550 machines by replacing outdated components with modern, supportable ones. The key objectives included:
- Replacing the existing TN-115 Image Processing Alignment System, TN-155 System Controller, and Omron I/O Rack with a Cognex Vision System, TSX Schneider Unity Premium PLC, and TSX Schneider Magelis HMI.
- Designing the PLC I/O Rack to connect directly to the new PLC with minimal production downtime.
- Configuring the PLC control system and HMI to replicate current machine operations.
- Replacing Yaskawa Servo Drives and Motors with Sigma V Servo Drives and Motors, and an MP2300 controller.
- Configuring the new Cognex Vision System to send coordinate information via Ethernet to the Yaskawa control system for alignment adjustments.
The project began with reverse engineering and creating a Functional Design Specification (FDS) due to the unavailability of the original source code. After approval, the configuration of control system components, removal and installation of new systems, I/O checking, and full commissioning and validation testing were carried out.
Results
The upgrade resulted in:
- Improved performance in speed and accuracy.
- Replacement of obsolete equipment.
- Local ongoing support from a UK company for control system components.
- Potential for implementing control system functional improvements.
The successful operation of the first machine led to the same upgrade being applied to the second TN550 machine on site.
Silchester Control Systems
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