Process Solutions, Inc. Solutions through Analysis, Design, Innovation

20 N. Plains Industrial Rd, Ste 5, Wallingford, CT 06492
Phone: 1.800.240.0399    Fax: 1.203.265.1362

Automatic Gauge Control (AGC) Systems

Improving Mill Performance through Accurate Control of Tolerances PSI's revolutionary IMPACT AGC system is setting new standards in the area of quality control. High performance is the outcome, but it starts with a simple design loaded with features and flexibility.

All IMPACT systems are based upon industry standard PLC's using high-speed motion controllers for critical control loops. HMI¹s are implemented in the Windows environment using standard industry quality PCs and terminals.

Features

• Combined mass flow, feed-forward, feedback, elongation, and force control modes
• Optional gap control and "gaugemeter" modes
• System frequency response up to 20 Hz
• Fixed 3-5 mS AGC scan time, independent of mill speed and PLC scan time
• 14-16 bit analog input resolution for thickness gauges and pressure transducers
• 32x strip length encoder input interpolation available
• Payoff length encoder input for payoff mass flow
• Drive system interface via common hardware and software protocols
• Pass schedule storage, retrieval, and modeling software available
• Capability of unified operator interface for AGC, drive system, thickness gauges, etc.
• Fault enunciation and logging
• Network SPC data collection and logging
• Entry/Exit FFT thickness analysis
• Remote VPN or dial-up access for service

Simplicity -IMPACT uses standard industrial-rated components, eliminating the custom and proprietary electronics of traditional AGC systems. A minimum of hardware is used, making the system highly reliable and easy to maintain.

Superiority -Digital Signal Processing (DSP) techniques give IMPACT 10 times the scan rate and 32 times the input resolution of traditional systems. The application software blends hundreds of minute corrections per second with smoothing algorithms, which improves tolerances greatly and also increases the life of hydraulic and mechanical components. PSI-equipped mills out-perform "traditional AGC" based mills by cutting thickness deviations in half.

Flexibility -Customized for each customer application, IMPACT can combine functions of drive control, SPC, etc. The software is user configurable for a wide range of functions-setup screens, reports, remote monitoring, real time data collection, and more.

Serviceability -Since each IMPACT system is PLC and PC based, most plant engineers and technicians are already familiar with the components and are comfortable working with them. Should the need arise, PSI has 24/7 technical support, both by telephone and on-line. In the unlikely case that a Service Representative is required to go to the site, we are fully staffed with highly capable personnel