Trutime: Dynamic Plating Line Contro lO'Brien|Source

About Automated Crane Controls

Trutime is an innovative solution meant to replace conventional fixed timeways found in complex plating lines.

At O’Brien|Source, approximately half of our crane-related tasks involve plating lines. With experience spanning from Detroit to Thailand, we recognize the numerous distinct and essential demands of these systems, which include scheduling software, accurate positioning, and drive selection and tuning. Since our company’s inception, Plating and Pickling lines have been key areas of expertise. To enhance efficiency, our engineers developed Trutime, a dynamic scheduling software specifically for managing cranes in plating line settings.

How it Operates

Trutime oversees the flow of products throughout any wet-process line. This includes processes such as Plating, Anodizing, Pickling, Cleaning, and even Cooking! All scheduling and related process automation is conducted using a standard PLC. Operator interfaces are provided through standard HMI software like FactoryTalk View, Ignition, or WinCC. The PLC collects data for process management and part traceability, which is then stored in SQL Server to generate detailed traceability and quality reports. Trutime offers three timing models that are implemented as needed based on the specific application. These include a Fully-Scheduled Dynamic Timeway solution, a Fixed-Timeway option, and a highly adaptable “Bidding” System for processes where processing times may vary while the part is being treated. One example of this is “Plating-to-Weight.” Trutime utilizes O’Brien|Source’s proprietary “Trumotion” technology for swift and accurate crane positioning, and O’Brien|Source’s “No-Sway” technology mitigates motion-induced load swing. This results in enhanced crane performance, improved productivity, and complete part traceability.

Load Documentation

The Trutime Historian delivers comprehensive and detailed reporting for complete traceability on loads, as well as historical trends for all significant process variables. Trutime’s preconfigured reports allow customers to search for a specific load and “drill down” to examine detailed tank time data, enabling them to view process trends for the precise duration the load was in a particular tank. Standard production reports are available by shift, day, week, and month. The Trutime Historian is “Open,” providing customers with a straightforward method to create custom reports as needed, using SQL Reporting services or other standard SQL reporting tools.

Slip Recovery

In the event that our system detects a slip in the timeway, it is capable of recapturing that lost time. The system evaluates each crane’s activity, and if it identifies a slip, it seeks an opportunity to recover that time. The system scans all schedules to find areas where load soak times can be minimized without breaching their minimum required times. The entire schedule will be adjusted to recover the slip within a single scan of the PLC.

To learn more, watch this more in-depth video.