Efco computer upgrades

Efco Furnaces Limited has launched a number of upgrade initiatives aimed at ensuring that users of its glass tempering machines will continue to enjoy efficient and trouble free operation.

The company’s first initiative is a replacement operator interface screen and software package which comprises a Windows based panel mounted industrials computer with keyboard and mouse running Efco’s latest system software. Recipes are no longer identified by a meaningless number but as a descriptive test filename and hundreds of them can be created.

A single mouse click or key press is sufficient to load a selected recipe. Additional screens have been incorporated giving more information on the condition of the plant and control over the quality of the glass. Pyrometric data in graphical format assists in quality control. Enhanced and simplified fault alarm pages, set-up pages and machine condition pages ensure that the operator is in full knowledge of the plant status.

The second optional upgrade is a System PLC Upgrade. Advisable for all machines built prior to 2002, the system PLC used inside the electrical panel of older Efco machines is now entering its obsolescent phase. If a module fails, a lengthy production downtime may result while a replacement is sought, or worse, if a replacement is unavailable.

Obsolescence also means that the cost of replacement components will spiral. Efco has available a Siemens S7 PLC as a replacement which has the machine software embedded on the new platform. The new PLC has parts which will be ex-stock and universally available for many years to come.