Project Introduction: Filtros Tecfil was created in 1953, to develop automotive filters. Located in Guarulhos-SP, Brazil, Tecfil has 1,200 employees, of which 950 work in the factory, which produces 5.5 million filters per month. Currently, the company has all necessary quality certifications required for the automotive market, as ISO/TS16949, ensuring supply to all major car industries, including units outside the country, through exports to over 120 countries in America, Europe and Africa. Before implementing the solution, all production data were controlled manually, with paper forms and Excel spreadsheets. When a machine was not operating, a signal was sent through a synoptic panel. Then a technician would go to the machine to check what happened. But this process took a long time and it wasn’t possible to measure the exact time and reason for stopping. To avoid this loss in productivity, Tecfil sought out the advice of GTR Consultoria, Advantech’s partner in Brazil, to develop an automated solution.

System Requirements:
The solution proposed by GTR Consultoria should control the time of stoppages in equipment, without affecting production and with high reliability on information. Named GTR Olho Vivo, the developed solution performs the acquisition of analog and digital signals through sensors installed on the machine to identify their status (working or stopped). When it is necessary to justify the stoppages time keeping is performed in collectors - a PC with the help of bar code readers or through a HandHeld device. The solution’s wireless and has a compact design, which provides facility in maintenance, robustness and supports adverse working conditions, enabling easy adaptation to different sectors and layouts.

Project Implementation :

ADAM-6050	18-ch Isolated Digital I/O Modbus TCP Module
ADAM-6017	8-ch Isolated Analog Input Modbus TCP Module with 2-ch DO

System Diagram:

System Description:
The solution is composed of two parts: A rack with an ADAM-6050 (18-ch Isolated Digital I/O Modbus TCP Module) and ADAM-6017 (8-ch Isolated Analog Input Modbus TCP Module with 2-ch DO) as its main components, is responsible for the data acquisition, which will be passed to a central server; and software that receives this data, analyzes and converts it to information. This information is transmitted to displays located in strategic production points.

The solution also allows the disclosure of different information in each of the displays connected to the system, allowing different information to be displayed in each display, ensuring that everyone has access to information relevant to their area, and to act promptly in case of failure. The administrator also has the option to receive communications on failures and instability by email or text message. Another important feature is that solution integrates information with ERP/MRP managerial systems, such as: SAP, MicroSiga, DataSUL, BAAN and others.

Conclusion:
This project uses Advantech’s Ethernet-based I/O modules, ADAM-6050 and ADAM-6017, to capture analog and digital signals, and enable its transformation into information that can optimize production. The deployment of the solution was made 2 years ago and Filtros Tecfil has already seen improved results. Since the times are automatically recorded engineers can focus their attention on root cause analysis, identifying priorities and improving managerial strategies, developing action plans for changing results in the short, medium and long term.