A leading distributor of industrial automation and control products has redeveloped its website and now includes an online catalogue with search facilities.

Routeco, one of the UK’s leading distributors of industrial automation and control products, are pleased to announce the redevelopment of their website - www.routeco.com Designed to keep you up-to-date with the latest industry developments, new products, news, events and special offers, the new Routeco web site has a host of functionality. Features include an online catalogue with search facilities that will locate the product you require. When you have found the product, a sales order or quotation can be placed via our E-Commerce system, the e-commerce facility allows full account functionality such as stock availability, order processing and tracking of existing orders and the ability to view current statements.

The web site also is backed up by comprehensive feedback support so if you need more information just ask.

The news centre of the website features press releases from many of the industry’s leading manufacturers, and application stories from our customers.

Keep an eye on the events page that lists the latest Routeco seminars and Industry exhibitions.

Find out information first, by registering for our ‘In Control’ newsletter, a monthly email highlighting the latest products, news, events and special offers.

Automatic flatness, shape and gauge control, and latest hardware and software, feature in a number of orders for rolling mill upgrades won by IAS, Australia.

Norandal USA signed an agreement with industrial automation Services (IAS) to supply and commission a new mill setup model, new hot edge sprays and improved shape control technology for the Six-High Cold Mill at Huntingdon, Tennessee, USA. The advanced mill setup technology incorporates software and hardware to optimise mill threading operations, reduce end yield losses and in conjunction with the hot edge spray control and upgraded shape control, improve mill throughput. The scope of supply also includes new segmented spray bars, a coolant heater and associated engineering to locate the new equipment.

The integrated solution from IAS incorporates equipment from United States Controls, Schneider filtration systems and Tinker Equipment Company.

Ormet Aluminum Mill Products Corporation, rolling mill Division, Hannibal, Ohio, USA, has signed an agreement with IAS, to design, supply and commission a replacement hydraulic gap control, automatic gauge control, and shape control system for their Bliss 4 high cold mill.

This mill is a key element of the Hannibal Rolling Mill.

The open architecture control system incorporates IAS’s easy to maintain graphical programming interface, and takes advantage of IAS’s considerable process know-how and local support.

The scope of supply also includes new mill mechanical ‘top hats’ to accommodate and protect new Inductosyn position transducers and a new shape roll transducer box interfacing to an existing (Davy) Shape Technology.

Vidimon airbearing roll.

Engineering design, project management, installation assistance, commissioning, operator/maintenance training, and a twelve month online maintenance contract will be executed from IAS’s offices in Pittsburgh, PA.

The integrated solution from IAS incorporates equipment from Shape Technology.

This order further strengthens the relationship with Ormet for whom IAS/Broner carried out the last two mill upgrades.

Ormet Aluminum Mill Products Corporation, Rolling Mill Division, Hannibal, Ohio, USA since placed two additional orders IAS to design, supply and commission replacement control systems on their two stand tandem cold mill and their three stand tandem hot mill.

These two additional orders follow after the recently received single stand cold mill HGC/AGC/AFC upgrade order.

The scope of supply for the 2 stand cold mill is to replace the existing Mannesmann/Broner ‘MARAS’ control with a new IAS system for HGC/AGC and automatic flatness control.

The scope for the 3 stand tandem hot mill is again to replace the existing Mannesmann/Broner ‘MARAS’ control with a new IAS system performing HGC/AGC, along with interstand tension control.

Both control upgrades involve replacing the existing Motorola CPUs with Intel PCs on VME while maintaining the existing I/O cards and interface.

The control code upgrade involves replacing the Sun/Unix based ‘MARAS’ development system with IAS’s Windows based IOWorks graphical development/maintenance environment using ladder logic and function blocks running on VXWorks based realtime Intel CPUs.

An Ethernet based sensor communications device is a simple, inexpensive way to monitor a wide range of sensors using a web-browser over an Intranet or the internet.

Now available from Audon Electronics is the Ethernet based SensorBlock, a simple, inexpensive way to monitor a wide range of sensors using your web-browser over an Intranet or the internet. Each SensorBlock has an embedded temperature sensor and supports four 4-20ma, 0-5V signals, or dry contact input signals-expandable to eight. Moreover, using off-the-shelf transmitters, other types of sensors such as RTDs or thermocouples can be connected to the SensorBlock as well.

The SensorBlock reports ‘real world’ values from the sensors via a conversion function which you specify using the included SensorBlock Configuration Utility.

Supported conversion functions include straight line, quadratic, log, and exponential in addition to the standard thermocouple types (B, C, E, J, K, N, R, S, T).

The SensorBlock comes with a small, built-in webserver which delivers web pages on request for reporting sensor readings in a digital, speedometer, thermometer, or strip chart display.

Power users can develop and download their own web pages to the SensorBlock.

Also available free with the SensorBlock is the WebLogger software, a Windows application that automatically discovers SensorBlocks on your network and logs sensor readings into comma-delimited files.

These files can be used for later reporting and analysis in tools like Microsoft ExcelT and Access.

Weblogger also features real-time graphical chart-style display of SensorBlock data, user-defined logging intervals from sub-second to days and a user-friendly configuration Wizard which walks you through the setup and logging process in a matter of minutes.

The SensorBlock supports Modbus TCP, a popular industrial automation fieldbus standard.

The values for all sensors connected to a SensorBlock can be accessed through standard Modbus TCP read commands.

Sensorblock Modbus TCP support means that the SensorBlock can be accessed through a wide variety of 3rd party packages such as LabVIEW, VEE, Wonderware InTouchT and Advantech StudioT The 114mm x 99mm x 22.5mm SensorBlock simply snaps onto a standard DIN rail, and can accept a wide power supply range of +5V or 8-30V DC.

The SensorBlock is connected to your network by a standard RJ45 LAN connector, whilst sensor and power supply connections are via screw terminals.

Gavin Johnson has rejoined Baldor UK as general manager after a spell as sales director with Baldor’s linear motion products division in California, USA.

Gavin Johnson has been promoted to general manager of Baldor UK. He rejoins the UK company - where he started in 1998 as a sales engineer - after a spell as sales director with Baldor’s linear motion products division in California. Johnson has a degree in mechanical engineering, and has spent his entire career in areas related to motion control and industrial automation.

Starting with a University sponsorship by Land Rover, where he worked primarily in engine testing, he went on to engineering and sales roles with companies including GEC, linear drives and Eurotherm Drives.

Johnson is optimistic about motion control markets, and sees a return to strong growth over the next year, driven largely by the new performance possibilities offered by linear motors.

‘The motion control sector has been bumping along for a while now, but we’re starting to see a lot of development effort, led by sectors such as semiconductor equipment’, says Gavin Johnson.

‘Baldor’s current experience is characterised by engineering-intensive involvement in projects: as the market starts to pick up we expect to see it led by equipment launches emphasising state of the art motion technology, soft- and network-intensive architectures, for example, and linear motion.’ Gavin Johnson takes over from Miles Clee, a former director of Optimised Control Ltd, the developer of the Mint motion language and NextMove motion controllers acquired by Baldor in 1997.

Stephen Brown has been named as general manager at Cincinnati Machine UK and will be taking over from managing director John Bloxham who has announced his retirement with effect from the end of 2003.

Stephen Brown has been named as General Manager at Cincinnati Machine UK. Brown was previously Business Development Director for the Birmingham based manufacturer of vertical machining centres and CNC lathes. He will be taking over from Managing Director John Bloxham who has announced his retirement with effect from the end of 2003.

Brown joined Cincinnati in 1986 as Manufacturing Director and led the team that was responsible for the introduction of the company’s revolutionary Sabre range in 1989.

He has extensive senior management experience with both Cincinnati and other export manufacturing businesses together with significant international business and manufacturing expertise.

He will work alongside John Bloxham through the remainder of 2003 and take over full responsibility at year-end.

Commenting on his new role, Brown said: ‘Cincinnati Machine and the machine tool industry face unparalleled challenges in the months ahead.

I look forward to the challenge not only with relish, but with optimism.’ Brown is married with two daughters and has a degree in metallurgical engineering plus post- graduate management qualifications.

Brown succeeds John Bloxham, Cincinnati’s Managing Director who is retiring after 40 years of service with the company, 30 years of which have been in management positions.

John became Manufacturing Director at the Birmingham operation in 1983 and was appointed Managing Director in 1988.

Commenting on the change of leadership, David Nowicki, Unova’s Vice President of Manufacturing Operations said: ‘John is a significant figure in the UK machine tool industry and will be missed by colleagues and competitors alike.

He has made a major contribution to Cincinnati in his 40 years of service.

He has significantly influenced the strategic direction of the business and has guided the company through good times and bad.

We wish John and his wife a long and enjoyable retirement.’ Cincinnati Machine UK is a subsidiary of Unova industrial automation Systems (IAS), and combines the engineering, manufacturing and business systems infrastructure of two of the machine tool industry’s most respected manufacturers - Cincinnati Machine and Lamb Technicon.

100 point HMI combines ease of use, reliability, flexibility and an open systems architecture in a package that is both upgradeable to SCADA and easily customized.

A typical 100 point HMI for just GBP 400, supported by 130 major drivers and complete with a free development system, is what Citect is offering the system integration market with its new CitectHMIO. Based upon Citect’s award winning SCADA software, the new HMI is the ideal product for price competitive OEMs. It combines ease of use, reliability, flexibility and an open systems architecture in a package that is both upgradeable to SCADA and easily customized to meet individual user requirements.

CitectHMIO is a powerful entry level HMI software, developed specifically for machine, plant and equipment builders who require a flexible, easy-to-use operator interface solution that can be quickly tailored to end user needs.

Using the CitectHMI, OEMs can gain a real competitive advantage by reducing planning, development and commissioning times and consequent time to market.

CitectHMI offers OEMs the benefits of all-in-one functionality with a package that includes essential SCADA functions such as process visualization, alarm processing, trending reporting and statistical process control (SPC).

Designed primarily for standalone applications requiring 100, 300 or 600 I/O points, the software includes a wide variety of driver and connectivity options, up to three of the former being accommodated at any one time from an extensive library extending to 130 named vendors.

In the unlikely event that the driver required is not in the library, then it possible for the OEM to write his own using Citect’s Driver Development Kit.

Complementing CitectHMI’s powerful SCADA functions are features that make the HMI simple to configure and easy to use and customize.

These include Customisable Installation, Online Runtime Language Switching to support global customers, OLE Automation for automated building of graphics pages, CiCode and CitectVBA programming languages, and graphical elements such as Genies, Super Genies and ActiveX objects.

The provision of industry standard graphical symbols, together with pre-configured templates equips the CitectHMI with a clear development package that ensures the expenditure required for product planning and commissioning is reduced to the minimum.

In addition, the integration of customized applications is made easy through the use of CitectVBA and standardised interfaces such as OPC, OLE Automation and ActiveX-Support.

Although essentially a tool for standalone applications, CitectHMI offers the benefits of a scalable solution, in that it can be upgraded easily into full CitectSCADA, one of the world’s leading industrial automation software packages.

The wider possibilities of using CitectHMI are also evident from the connectivity options that enable third party applications to access data from the HMI, seamlessly, to integrate with existing control solutions.

The scope of this access even extends to efficient, long distance monitoring of processes via the Internet.

About Citect - Citect is a worldwide leader in industrial automation and information management.

The company’s CitectSCADA and Plant2Business software are complemented by professional services, customer support and training.

These solutions are enhanced by strong partner programs and are sold in numerous industries, including water and waste water, facilities monitoring, gas pipelines, mining, dairy, food processing, pharmaceutical, and power distribution.

The power, flexibility and scaleability of SCADA systems bring manufacturers improved productivity, more efficient process control, improved product quality and integration with business systems.

The power, flexibility and scaleability of CitectSCADA enable manufacturers in all types of industries worldwide to maximise the competitiveness of their operations, through improved productivity, more efficient process control, improved product quality and integration with existing business systems. CitectSCADA is an extremely fast, ready to use system with all features, protocols and over 100 drivers included. It offers ultimate flexibility to handle the smallest to the largest tasks (450,000 I/O +) across all industry types - process, manufacturing, mining, petrochemical, aerospace, oil and gas, water treatment, power distribution (etc) - while maintaining the highest performance and reliability to safeguard production.

The ideal tool to improve productivity, CitectSCADA is designed with DCS style multi-level redundancy, which is easy to configure and can be incorporated at all levels.

The significance of this for the user is the ability to tolerate hardware failure anywhere in a system, with no loss of functionality, performance, communication or system reliability.

At the same time as safeguarding production, CitectSCADA also helps to maintain and improve manufacturing excellence.

The package is a vital tool for analysing and ensuring the quality of manufactured products using such high level functions as statistical process control (SPC) and advanced statistical alarms that enable plant personnel to predict and limit deviations of process parameters before they occur.

The task of competing in highly competitive global markets is also made easier through the deployment of a centralised CitectSCADA system.

The enhanced control of operations the system provides enables users to significantly reduce their operating and maintenance costs.

In addition, fewer personnel are required to monitor field equipment in remote locations, resulting in increased operator effectiveness, improved efficiency and savings in operational costs.

In today’s fast moving business environment CitectSCADA equips users against the costly effects of changing market demands, courtesy of a flexible and scaleable architecture that adapts and grows effortlessly.

This provides the power to resize a system - up or down - without having to modify any of the system hardware or software.

As a result, system architectures grow to meet changing user requirements, while preserving initial capital investments.

The case for employing CitectSCADA as a business improver is further strengthened by the ability of the package to integrate easily with existing business systems.

The key to this integration is Citect Plant2Business, an easy-to-use platform that allows data to be shared.

In addition, Citect’s Industrial Information Management (IIM) analysis applications allow real-time information to be aggregated and presented, improving decision-making processes and significantly increasing business performance.

Ensuring that any investment in CitectSCADA is both safe and secure is a dedicated team of experts, Citect Professional Services (CPS), that provide professional services, customer support and training.

CPS is made up of highly specialized engineers, all of which offer the best integration services to meet user requirements.

These engineers work strategically with Citect’s impressive global network of over 500 sales and integration partner companies to provide leading edge industrial automation and information management solutions.

In addition, highly experienced technical support staff provide users of Citect products with the most up-to-date, quality support and services.

A global system of choice - although new to the UK market, CitectSCADA is already the HMI/SCADA manufacturing automation system of choice for many successful global manufacturers.

These include Alcoa, General Motors, NASA, Urenco, Baoshan Steel, BHP Billiton, Pratt and Whitney, BP Solar, WMC Resources, BMW, Nestle, Mars Confectionery and Shell Oil, to name but a few.

About Citect - Citect is a worldwide leader in industrial automation and information management.

The company’s CitectSCADA, Plant2Business and IIM solutions are complemented by professional services, customer support and training.

These solutions are enhanced by strong partner programs and are sold in numerous industries, including water and waste water, facilities monitoring, gas pipelines, mining, dairy, food processing, pharmaceutical, and power distribution.

A customised CNC is believed the most user-friendly, reliable and highly specified CNC on the market, and is available with a range vertical machining centres.

Cincinnati Machine has announced the introduction of Siemens Sinumerik 810D Powerline CNC controls onto its range of Arrow Series2 vertical machining centres. Developed jointly by Cincinnati and Siemens Engineers, the customised Sinumerik 810D Powerline is the most user-friendly, reliable and highly specified CNC control on the market, and is ideal for machine operators of all levels of CNC knowledge. Cincinnati and Siemens have worked together to develop an array of user-friendly features, aimed at reducing the complexity of CNC programming for those with little or no knowledge of DIN/ISO language.

Single key press functions within the Cincinnati ‘Machine Tool Builders’ (MTB) panel take the operator to the relevant wizard screen, with conversational dialogue requesting actions from the operator.

Results from the wizard screens can then be inputted directly into the program, which can be viewed on-screen in graphical format.

Unique wizard screens such as ‘Set Tool Length’, ‘Set Tram Surface’ (familiar to Cincinnati users - datum for the tool length setting operation), ‘Auto Machine On’ and ‘Alarm Help’ aid the operator with graphical displays and on-screen help, greatly reducing set-up time and maximising spindle up-times.

Dynamic help displays are available during input screens, eliminating the requirement for documentation at the machine.

A calculator is available within the input masks on the control, aiding speed of programming and includes the facility to input directly into the program to eliminate the risk of keying errors.

The Split Screen Editor function enables the operator to easily copy and paste between two open programs.

This can save time switching between programs and ensures accurate transfer of code.

The highly innovative and user-friendly Shopfloor programming package ‘ShopMill’ from Siemens is included as standard on the 810D by Cincinnati.

A dialogue-based system, tailored for machine operators requirements, ShopMill saves time and money on training, programming and production time.

On-screen graphical simulation and 3D view is available, with a function for automatic calculation of programming time, to optimise machining processes.

Functions within the software such as Dynamic workpiece Display helps to avoid incorrect inputs by displaying the complete workpiece to scale, and Automatic Residual Material Detection saves time by machining with the optimum tool.

DIN/ISO programming is available on the control for experienced operators conversant in CNC programming.

For mould and die users, the Siemens Sinumerik 810D Powerline is an ideal solution.

Many features combine to give shorter machining times, higher path accuracy, higher machining speeds and improved surface finish.

Look ahead acceleration / deceleration across block boundaries shortens the machining time through optimum velocity control.

The Compressor function achieves higher machining speeds through internal reduction in block processing time, via online-conversion of G1 blocks into Polynomials.

Cincinnati standard features on the Sinumerik 810D Powerline include: ‘ShopMill’ Shopfloor programming, Ethernet communications, 64MB part program storage, floppy drive interface, USB interface for keypad or mouse, measuring cycles, tool management, additional ‘M’ codes and temperature compensation.

The Cincinnati Arrow Series2 range of vertical machining centres is available in four models, from 510 mm to 1270 mm in X-axis.

18.5kW (S6-40%) spindle power is available on Arrow VMCs fitted with Sinumerik 810D Powerline, with up to 12,500 rpm spindle speed.

Acceleration / deceleration is up to 6m/secý and rapid traverse rates in all axes is up to 36m/min.

The Sinumerik 810D Powerline is integrated with Simodrive 611D digital drives for enhanced reliability, is enabled for optional 5-axis machining and 4 axes of contouring interpolation.

Arrow Series2 Vertical Machining Centres are also available with GE Fanuc 18i-MB and Heidenhain iTNC 530 CNC Controls.

Cincinnati Machine UK is a subsidiary of UNOVA industrial automation Systems (IAS), and combines the engineering, manufacturing and business systems infrastructure of two of the machine tool industry’s most respected manufacturers - Cincinnati Machine and Lamb Technicon.

Cincinnati Lamb, of Unova Industrial Automation Systems, has formed a strategic alliance agreement with China’s Shenyang Machine Tool Co.

Cincinnati Lamb, of Unova industrial automation Systems, has formed a strategic alliance agreement with China’s Shenyang Machine Tool Co. to cooperate on future business opportunities globally. The new alliance expands Cincinnati Lamb’s and Shenyang’s capacity for supplying machine tools and systems to China’s rapidly expanding manufacturing industry.

The agreement also provides a competitive advantage for growing incremental business in markets outside of China by utilizing the expertise, resources and experience of both businesses.

The companies will collaborate by sharing technical information and process knowledge while leveraging Cincinnati Lamb’s system integration, assembly, qualification and installation expertise, with Shenyang’s manufacturing, sales and service capabilities.

Shenyang Machine Tool Co.

is the largest manufacturer of machine tools in China, having supplied over 450,000 machines to China’s manufacturing industry.

The company builds over 300 varieties of machine tools, controls and accessories.

It has 120 sales offices in China as well as an international presence.

Shenyang’s modern machine tool factories and support network are strategically located to serve the diverse manufacturing industry in China.

Prior to the 2002 merger of Cincinnati Machine and Lamb Technicon, both companies had done business in the Chinese market, according to Jim Herrman, Corporate Senior Vice President and Group Executive, Unova Industrial Automation Systems.

Lamb has produced high-production machines for China’s automotive manufacturing industry in the past, while Cincinnati has remained the brand of choice for aerospace solutions for more than two decades.

‘We expect this alliance to open many new opportunities for both Cincinnati Lamb and Shenyang,’ said Herrman.

‘Shenyang has a reputation for machine tool excellence within China.

This alliance best utilizes the strengths and capabilities of both companies to serve the needs of China’s rapidly growing manufacturing industry while creating new efficiencies that can be beneficial to manufacturers anywhere in the world.’ The Chairman of the Shenyang machine tool company Co., Chen Huiren said, ‘The alliance between the Shenyang Machine Tool Company and Cincinnati Lamb provides more opportunities for both parties.

It will have a promising future.

The closer tie of the two strong companies will benefit both parties in the domestic China market and the world markets.’ Mr.Chen also emphasized that the alliance was following the world trend of collaboration among manufacturers.

The latest version of industrial automation software features a new facility that lets you instantly replay the action from any display.

The latest version of Prodigy industrial automation software features a new facility that lets you instantly replay the action from any display. Whether you want an aid for fault diagnosis, post event analysis and investigation, plant commissioning or user training then the Display Replay facility is ideal. Using video recorder style controls Display Replay lets you pause, rewind and forward or reverse play the action from any display, making event replay fast and easy.

Playback can be in real-time or event time mode and full control over playback speed allows you to speed up or slow down the action.

To make it easy to identify each action as it occurs a detailed event list can be displayed on screen during playback.

Finding the event period you want to replay is as simple as inputting the date and time or selecting a batch from the batch database.

Any display from any time period can be replayed and you can also move freely between different displays.

Display Replay is available in version 7 of Prodigy.

Users of earlier versions can add the facility simply by upgrading to the latest version.

Prodigy is widely used for industrial monitoring control and automation applications and combines all the facilities needed for HMI, SCADA and DCS in one integrated package.

In addition to the standard SCADA functionality it offers an extensive range of dedicated facilities including SPC, Downtime monitoring, Expert Data System, Multigraph, On line Maintenance, etc.