Industrial Automation

Industrial Automation

Industrial Automation Division:

Prototype Express’s industrial automation division since 1994 has been involved with the development of a low cost factory monitoring system called Prototype Express’s FMS allowing a graphical view of factory floor, instant reports of the production data and statistics with remote access to this information.

Prototype Express’s FMS

The distributed network of PC’s and 8051 family of microcontroller boards, gather production information from all corners of the factory floor real time. Minimum sets of interface and communication boards allow the collection of information in Prototype Express’s FMS system.

Samples of interface boards designed by Prototype Express:

Taking 150 engineering months to develop, great effort has gone in to designing this system with a proprietary hierarchical noise immunity architecture in order for the system and circuits to operate reliably under the most severe industrial noise with proven reliability. A backup computer serves both as an extra terminal for data viewing and as an added security to prevent data loss due to computer component failure. Extra information such as the workers database and some machine settings, spare parts and results of tests in laboratory are entered manually via another computer terminal.

Features and capabilities:

  • Up to 256 nodes (machine or terminal) can be connected to this system expandable to up to 512.
  • Proprietary hierarchical noise immune architecture.
  • Instant access to all machine status, speed, production etc. graphically on the computer monitor.
  • Remote access allows viewing of factory floor and down loading of all production information through a modem link.
  • Production reports are available in tabular or graphical form.
  • The user can view a more detailed information of each machine by simply clicking the computer mouse on the machine of interest. In this case a window is opened showing a more detailed information on the machine.

All the latest changes in the status, speed, efficiency and production of all the machinery in the factory is displayed graphically and it is brought together on the desktop of the factory management. In addition various kind of reports such as production, efficiency, faults, worker productivity, spare parts etc. are also available to both the factory management on site and remotely on the factory headquarters through a modem link.

Prototype Express’s FMS for all factories, all industries:

Although this system has been designed for textile industry but it can easily be adapted to plants in other industries. Building management system where status of lighting, air-conditioning, activity sensors, lifts and elevators, gates and entrances can be centrally monitored and controlled is another major application where this system can be of great benefit.