We design and create production lines in various sectors and are active in their ongoing development
Supplying control systems for process plants is part of DSG Automation's core business. To be able to manage the project from A to Z, DSG Automation collaborate with leading companies in the respective target sectors, while keeping the engineering and design side of the business in-house and maintaining the role of main contractor in their dealings with the customer.
The definition of the programmable controllers and operating interfaces, in conjunction with the peripheral cards and inserted in a distributed network architecture, lays down the guidelines for the main technological solution for automating the production process, consequent on the analytical stage.
The next step for DSG Automation in creating the required solution consists in electrical design in full compliance with reference standards, engineering and the development of software applications for the field section and HMI – SCADA section using the main software tools. The project team - made up of electrical, electronic and software engineers - work closely together in a coordinated manner to rationalize and develop a reliable, effective solution.
The design developed thus far in theory only is implemented and given physical form with the creation of the distribution boards and on-board electrical system.
The supply and "delivery" of the required solution to the customer is completed when the control system is installed and put into service on site by highly specialized engineers in full compliance with the functional test parameters laid down at the contract stage.
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Consolidated experience in supplying control systems |
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A-to-Z management of the project delivered |
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Analysis and development of solutions adopted in conjunction with the customer |
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Proposal of innovative and functional technological solutions |
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Swift and reliable system installation and start-up |
Cereal product drying and processing plants (food industry) The customer brief was to be able to process and dry cereal products while guaranteeing process traceability by storing production data in a relational database. DSG Automation met the challenge by developing and installing control systems based on Siemens SCADA and PLCs that, when installed in different facilities, would communicate with a server/client structure, sending production data to be stored in a relational database. The whole structure was installed in the Veneto region, in Italy's Northeast, in 2003 and subsequently extended to meet the customer's later requirements.
Cracker and biscuit drying lines (food industry) The control system delivered has been designed to manage an oven with gas burners for baking and drying crackers and biscuits. The system was installed in Friuli and the control system features a distributed architecture based on various separate Mitsubishi PLCs and operator interfaces for the individual zones of the oven because of the need for continuous duty locally. A central control system was instead installed to provide total remote control and comprises Mitsubishi PLCs and supervision panel that communicates with the local PLCs and acquires production data from them.
Aluminium part and wheel manufacturing systems (automotive industry) The aluminium wheel manufacturing systems consist of individual units that forge the wheels by means of what is termed a "low pressure" technique. The individual units are each managed by a local control system based on Siemens PLCs and touchscreen industrial PC, which reside in distribution boards that meet relevant local UL/CSA standards. Manufacturing aluminium parts and wheels entails using highly reliable industrial and electrical components given the variables (temperature of the raw material processed and pressure) in play. The individual units produce wheels and parts 24/7 and production data are stored and traced in a relational database that resides on a server/client structure. This structure is Ethernet connected to local industrial PCs, thus enabling analysis of the whole facility's manufacturing processes. The whole control architecture described, both electrical and software, has been developed and installed by DSG Automation in a number of facilities in North and Central America.
Panel handling and conveying lines (timber industry) The customer brief was to be able to produce furniture of various kinds, in different sizes and colours, with a work sequence that did not need to be pre-arranged. The aim of the control system delivered by DSG Automation was to optimize production runs launched by the operator and, based on the ensuing processing, to determine the work sequences for the various items of equipment making up the manufacturing process. The electronic management of the process involves distributing the required resources to remote-controlled distribution boards that are connected through a Profibus network to the central PLC. The inverters and power drives responsible for moving the panels horizontally and vertically are also connected through a Profibus network to control the individual units and provide diagnostics for each. The section devoted to the operator interface and communication with the company servers was developed by DSG Automation based on a custom language and distributed over 8 different units structured around a client/server architecture incorporating production data storage in a relational database.
Aluminium wheel handling robot (handling industry) This control system is connected to the application developed for wheel manufacturing systems. A Cartesian robot is installed on various local forging units and has the job of handling the wheel produced and managing the subsequent visual inspection and, where applicable, cooling stage. To meet the customer's demands, DSG Automation developed and installed control systems in Mexico based on Siemens PLCs to manage the Cartesian axis movement system and relevant automation applied, as well as the communication side for communication with the local units via Ethernet.
Electricity cogeneration plants (energy sector) The brief was to automate the control system for the engine producing electricity by exploiting thermal energy. The natural consequence of the application is the recording, for fiscal purposes, of the amount of electricity produced and used to serve the user systems. The application that was developed is based on a mini-DCS, produced by Ascon, connected to Hakko operator interfaces. The application was prototyped for a feedstuff factory in the Veneto region and then applied to other businesses also based in Northern Italy.
Waste treatment and conveying lines (environmental sector) The control system delivered manages the handling of dry waste by means of Siemens PLCs and relevant cards distributed over a Profibus network, while operator interfacing requirements are met with a suitable panel, again from Siemens. The control system manages the feeding and unloading of waste treatment machines and is installed in the Veneto region.
| References in other sectors |
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| Chemical industry | Automotive and transport industry |
| Batch plants for resin production | Aluminium part and wheel manufacturing systems |
| Automatic vehicle parking systems | |
| Food industry | |
| Cereal product drying and processing plants |
Timber industry |
| Milk skimming systems | Panel handling and conveying lines |
| Grain and cereal processing plants | |
| Cracker and biscuit drying lines | Glass industry |
| Flat glass curving systems | |
| Water treatment - environmental sector | |
| Waste treatment and conveying lines | Handling industry |
| Aluminium wheel handling robot | |
| Energy sector | |
| Electricity cogeneration plants | Paper mills |
| Paper coating systems | |
| Roll packaging systems | |
The final part of the service is the 24/7 customer support: this service ensures that the customer enjoys uninterrupted production for the entire life of the system installed.
The immediate, problem-solving response to customer requests - regarding systems and automated devices supplied either by DSG Automation or by third parties - is given by the team of specialized engineers offering a worldwide service
For strategically important or particularly critical production processes, special support agreements and coordinated targeted preventive maintenance measures are arranged between DSG Automation and their partners.
