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PAL RETROFIT AND UPGRADE FOR POLYBRITE

Polybrite, a division of DECOMA, which is part of Magna International Inc, awarded PAL the contract to retrofit and upgrade their automatic plating machine for their facility in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

Polybrite, a heritage company of Magna International, specialises in plating on plastics for the automotive industry. Among the items processed at this plant are chrome plated grilles and fascias.

Shane Menchions, Project Manager for Polybrite, indicated that the PAL OSST software system’s flexibility as well as PAL’s ability to understand Polybrite’s requirements were key factors in their decision to award PAL the contract. After several site visits to existing PAL accounts, Mr. Menchions was confident that PAL had the experience and technical support necessary to accommodate Polybrite’s specifications and the demanding timeline of the project.

The scope of the project involved the conversion of two separate machines into one integrated unit by interconnecting the Pre-plate section and the Plating section with an automated shuttle also supplied by PAL and the full electrical retrofit of a total of 8 hoists included the replacing of the existing hoist positioning system with an infrared positioning system. PAL also custom built entire new control cabinets to further ensure the upgrade was ‘state of the art’. Allen Bradley PLC5 was utilized with the integration being accomplished through Device Net.

Rectifiers are controlled from the OSST software through a network known as AIO. Based upon product type, the rectifiers can be operated in either Constant Current or Constant Voltage mode. Multiple rectifier profiles can also be applied while a flightbar is in a particular process tank.

Circulation, dosing and filter pumps are all controlled from the OSST ‘Virtual Switches’ feature. Heating and cooling as well as various spray rinse profiles are also controlled by the operator through the OSST. Logging and registering of alarms were provided as well. The system has the ability to store and retrieve several years worth of data, an important requirement for Polybrite and their customers.

The industry recognised OSST software system has the ability to run in ‘fixed’ as well as ‘random’ loading mode and also provides production schedulers the ability to run a ‘predictive cycle’ function. Technical support via a modem hook-up is also available on a 24/7 basis, offering virtually instantaneous service should the need arise. Finally, the OSST is connected to Polybrite’s internal network, allowing remote users with the proper access level the ability to monitor production and also the ability to make process changes as required.

As more customers look at software upgrades as an alternative to new machines, the experienced software engineers at PAL, in conjunction with the powerful OSST operating system, combine to make a package that pleases everyone from the operator who runs the machine to the CFO who must justify the expenditure.