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CONTROL IN CLASS I/DIV 2 ROOM

CONTROL IN CLASS I/DIV 2 ROOM

CONTROL IN CLASS I/DIV 2 ROOM

(OP)
Hi,

I have an application where I need to control a simple application which needs to read from a bar code scanner and print a process ticket after every cycle. There are 14 stations for this with no more than3 inputs and 2 outputs per station. Every station should have an HMI and store data   for every batch of products.

The complex thing here is that the room where the stations are, is considered a hazardous location class 1/Div 2,group A.

Not considering the kind of room I would solve this by using a very small PLC per station, connected to a main PLC using an open protocol like ethernet to supervise the process, but when you consider other requirements besides control IO, it gets little tricky.

The other option is to use a Panel PC (with labview) to ease the data collection/retrieve, the ticket print and bar code scanner reading. For this, I am considering one of the VersaView from AB or one of the models from Stahl. Both options are very expensive, specially because of the hazardous location requirement.

Need advices from experienced people here, because most of my experience is about machinery control sofware, no really data management.

- How easy is to use bar code scanners with PLC?AB for instance.
- How easy is to collect/retrieve data using a PLC?
- How esay would be to print a process ticket with a PLC?

Or do you think, that given the project requirements is better just to use a PC as I mention before?

Regards

RE: CONTROL IN CLASS I/DIV 2 ROOM

Most app's I've seen of this nature use an AB basic module and communicate RS232 seial ports to label printer and barcode scanner.

David Baird

Sr Controls Designer
EET degree.
Journeyman Electrician.

RE: CONTROL IN CLASS I/DIV 2 ROOM

Check out Red Lion, their HMIs are not so expensive and suitable for location.
http://www.redlion.net/Products.html
I haven't used a bar code reader so I can't help there.
Roy

RE: CONTROL IN CLASS I/DIV 2 ROOM

Print/Apply - if you need a label printed its best downloaded by a PC by ethernet.  Any tracking and triggering by the PLC. and trigger message to host to send message down.

Bar code readers - use AB Point IO over controlnet, use a low impedence cable blackbox eddc for rs232 interface to the scanner

Collecting data - best way is to develop a message interface send a message to a host system, host system collects data.

 

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