Problem

An optical lens manufacturer needed to monitor and control two valves using an Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), but two issues were hampering the project. First, although both valves sat only a short distance -- 100 feet -- away from the PLC, walls, pipes, and other obstructions were in the way, making the cost of running cable to and from the equipment prohibitive. Second, the wireless control solutions the manufacturer had tried in the past had failed, either because the signal was not robust enough to overcome variable frequency drives that permeated the environment, or because the radio signals had otherwise interfered with sensitive equipment.

The manufacturer needed a cost-effective I/O solution that would allow operators to move information reliably within the complex facility, yet not jam the hair-trigger equipment. He turned to OMNEX.

OMNEX Trusted Wireless™ Solution

OMNEX’s  Trusted Wireless™ FHSS RAD-ISM-900-DATA-BD-BUS two-way radio transceiver, with built-in AB DF1 I/O protocol was the answer. One RAD-ISM-900-DATA-BD-BUS was quickly and easily installed on the PLC and another on the valves, allowing the PLC to monitor and control the valves wirelessly, across the distance, and through the walls in spite of the interference generated by variable frequency drives in the area. Moreover, the RAD-ISM-900-DATA-BD-BUS, designed to be used in the presence of sensitive equipment, didn’t set-off the facility’s machines unlike previous wireless products the manufacturer had tried. Within hours the manufacturer had a solution to a problem he’d been struggling with for months.

Advantage

A complex, exacting manufacturing facility provides an ideal environment for OMNEX FHSS monitor and control solutions. In this case, the RAD-ISM-900-DATA-BD-BUS technology took advantage of obstructive conditions by keeping packets of data and baud rates at a minimum where they should be, since monitoring and control only requires bytes of information. This allows the technology to devote more energy to sending data, increasing the likelihood that signals will blast through pipes and walls. In fact, even in radio signal laden environments, an OMNEX Trusted Wireless™ signal will never drop. Rather, it rapidly hops from available frequency to frequency in an allotted bandwidth, perpetually sending and capturing data in real-time, overcoming frequency interference, ensuring endless connections, a productive workplace, and peace of mind.