Field mounted trend indicators ensure quality at Kodak

Citation

(1999), "Field mounted trend indicators ensure quality at Kodak", Sensor Review, Vol. 19 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.1999.08719caf.002

Field mounted trend indicators ensure quality at Kodak

Field mounted trend indicators ensure quality at Kodak

Keywords Monitoring

Kodak Limited's film base coating plant at Harrow has been equipped with Trendicators: field mounted low cost paperless recorders from Fairway Automation which plot the history of measured signals and display trends, transients and latest values on rolling liquid crystal screens (see Plate 1).

Plate 1 Kodak Limited's film base coating plant at Harrow has been equipped with Trendicators: field mounted low cost paperless recorders from Fairway Automation which plot the history of measured signals and display trends, transients and latest values on rolling liquid crystal screens.

The instruments are installed on ten of the liquid solution coating lines as part of a bubble detection system. They augment the SCADA system which provides the usual monitor displays in the control room but being local to each line have the advantage of allowing craftsmen to track down and rectify the cause of bubbles which would result in defective product, lost solution and very expensive downtime. The instruments' screens show a rolling bar chart readout of the voltage from the detectors over a period of ten minutes. In practice this gives operators enough time to determine where the problem is located having been alerted by the SCADA alarm which shows on the control room monitors.

Each solution line has two bubble detectors fitted but only one Trendicator. A portable Trendicator has been designed which will plug into the second detection point which is much nearer to the coating heads in an area where permanently installed instruments could affect the light sensitive material. The portable version is powered by a rechargeable battery pack giving ten hours continuous operation. It has a timed out back-light and the input and controls are accessible on the front panel.

In the event of bubbles forming, prompt action is required to cure the problem and avoid expensive waste and downtime. The Trendicators help to reduce the time taken to locate the source of any trouble.