Major European Installation Of Real-Time PC-Based Control at Ford in Liverpool
23 July 1998
Steeplechase Announces First Major European Installation Of Hard Real-Time PC-Based Control at Ford in Liverpool, England
Custom Built Assembly Line Reflects the Most Advanced Manufacturing Technology
And In-Process Quality Control Systems in the World
ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 23 -- Steeplechase Software, Inc.(R)
today announced that the Ford Motor Company Halewood Transmission Plant in
Merseyside, England, has launched the iB5 transmission assembly line, a 70-
node modular system using Steeplechase's Visual Logic Controller(TM) (VLC(R))
PC-based control software. The Halewood installation is the first of its kind
within the European community and is currently in full production.
Steeplechase software incorporates state-of-the-art features, ranging from
in-process testing, press force monitoring, and torque control to operator
position pick-up recognition systems. Integration of the VLC provides a
common look and feel to the HMI and a logical user-friendly format to bring
on-line diagnostic and fault-recovery beyond the realm of maintenance
personnel and engineers down to the operator level. These advanced
diagnostics provide operator visual aids, digital images to assist maintenance
in identifying the component area of breakdown, and on-line access to
electrical drawings.
"A lot of new ideas and innovation are included within this line which, to
ome extent, are revolutionary - but that's what is needed to provide best-in-
lass quality for our customers and a world class operating environment for the
ssembly people to work in," said Pat McCorry, Manager of Manufacturing & Plant
ngineering. "We ran an extensive pilot program before making the decision to
ave the new line use PC-based control from Steeplechase, in place of the PLCs
e've traditionally relied on. Plant management and the maintenance team at
alewood realized immediate benefits with the pilot program. Everyone was amazed
hat it only took one week for the development and launch of the pilot project."
The pilot, a bushing press, was installed to judge the benefits of PC-
based control and to give plant maintenance personnel an opportunity to have
hands-on experience with a new technology. The pilot served to demonstrate to
Ford the benefits of using technology previously not available to them with
their older automation systems, including metrics and integrated diagnostic
capabilities. The pilot also demonstrated how Steeplechase could help improve
machine cycle times.
Ingersoll-Rand (Farmington Hills, MI), OEM for the new transmission line,
implemented the modular transmission line at Halewood. In addition to using
the Steeplechase software solution for hard-real time control in a Windows NT
environment, the new line also incorporates Cutler-Hammer industrial computers
and a combination of I/O, including Device Net for discrete control and Data
Logic for RF tag readers. Motion control is provided using the VLC's
integrated motion control and a Motion Engineering, Inc. motion control board.
"The integration of the Steeplechase Visual Logic Controller in
conjunction with Cutler Hammer D720 industrial PC's has allowed Ford to avoid
the proprietary nature of a closed architecture and enabled the maximization
of the diagnostic capabilities of field-bus technology and made real-time
communication with higher level information systems cost effective," states
McCorry.
"Steeplechase worked closely with Ingersoll-Rand at Ford to demonstrate the
enefits of a hard real-time PC-based control strategy over older PLC systems,"
aid Mike Klein, CEO of Steeplechase Software. "Using Steeplechase software,
ord Halewood realized that features like on-line diagnostics and integrated
otion control gave them the power to implement improvements as quickly as they
ere needed."
Based on experience to date, Halewood Transmission is convinced that the
decision to use a PC-based system together with integrated Steeplechase
software is the correct one and the way forward representing a significant
step change in the control and communication of a complex line.
About Steeplechase Software, Inc.
Steeplechase Software, Inc., founded by veterans of the PLC industry, is a
technology leader in hard real-time PC-based controls. The company's primary
product was the first Windows-based system on the market for flowchart
programming, control, simulation, and HMI. Customers include leading
manufacturers in automotive, material handling, assembly machinery, consumer
products, and packaged goods. For the latest information on VLC products,
white papers, partnerships, and sales, visit the Steeplechase web site at
http://www.steeplechase.com.