A new record for distributed control (sidebar)

How distributed control spreads the burden

These two control cabinets show two of the 126 micro PLCs on the line, each the size of a common house brick. The PLC on the lef
These two control cabinets show two of the 126 micro PLCs on the line, each the size of a common house brick. The PLC on the lef

Valley Media's original labeling/sortation/collation line is 300' L and contains literally thousands of photoeyes, motors, proximity switches, pushers, actuators, alarms, lights, and other components that make up the guts of the line. By contrast, the "average" packaging machine-say, a case packer-may be less than 20' L and may contain no more than a handful of such devices, or a couple dozen at most.

Yet both the line and a single machine share the same distinction: each is controlled by a single controller. While the original line runs successfully, Valley's experience shows that a single, centralized control for such a big job has its drawbacks (see main story).

So when the time came for Valley to order another line from Dorner, the manufacturing/systems integration firm rethought the controls after Valley communicated some of the improvements it would like to see.

Says John Kordic, senior vice president of operations: "They took that feedback and did their brainstorming on how to solve it and improve the line, and they came up with this [idea of distributed control]."

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