Hi,

I'm a software engineer and today I have an offer to monitor a production line of water bottles (get machines efficiency, quality, availability, compute OEE in real time and display the machines on a HMI screen). I have a very basic knowledge in automation field but this is a very good opportunity for me and hopefully i will find an answer here and develop a strategy to do this project.

My client have a very modern production line and almost all machines are Sidel (www.sidel.com) with a Siemens s7-400 (all plcs are connected with each other by a Ethernet cable) but he doesn't have a control room or HMI screens (don't question me why). my question is, what is the correct thing to do?

1. Should i try to get with my client the plc/machine configurations and documentation provided by the machine manufacturer and the engineering company that configures the plcs? (if my client contact the company that develops the initial project will this company "stole" my project?)

2. Connect to the Plc and try to figure out where the variables are? (I don't know if this is possible, maybe I will never find the correct variables)

3. Install my own sensors/plc and get the variables? (is this too complicated?)

These are the possible solutions that I can think, but I'm not a specialist and appreciate any suggestions. I'm sure that automation companies have a default strategy with this kind of project.

Thanks.

 

I would suggest that the kinds of questions you are asking indicate to me that this kind of project is way beyond your capabilities.

--
Bob

 

I would agree with Bob.....It would certainly be a disservice to your customer to learn on his dime and time. In any case, it is certainly beyond the scope of this list to describe all the in's and out's of such a project. I would suggest going to some of the information / technical presentations given by the various OEE software suppliers. There are quite a few of them out there...and they are very eager to present you their products.

Cheers

Gerald Beaudoin