As part of its efforts to improve internal production processes, HANON SYSTEMS decided to monitor and record inspections of its product, the so-called “Chiller.” Another goal of the solution was to prevent the accidental mix-up of inspection fixtures, known as “Checkers,” during the inspection process.
Customer Request
Therefore, the proper selection of the Checker for the connected and inspected chiller must be monitored throughout the entire cycle. The operator will end the inspection cycle by pressing a button on the control station. After a successful inspection, a label is printed, which the employee affixes to the inspected chiller and scans its code, triggering the completion of the entire inspection cycle. Depending on customer requirements, the labels will contain both 1D and 2D codes, depending on the type of chiller being inspected. If a label is printed incorrectly, it must be possible to reprint that label. At the same time, the application must also check for duplicate printed codes and offer the option to export data to .xls and .csv files.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SOLUTION
Software for collecting data during chiller inspections
Based on the requirements analysis, a solution was proposed for data collection and checker monitoring using a newly developed application that fully meets the customer’s requirements. The application is installed on an industrial PC with a touchscreen. The software is secured by requiring users to log in using a personal RFID card through a two-factor authentication process.
The administrator can configure application settings, add and edit lists of users, chillers, checkers, and errors, export data, and edit print formats. Users can only perform routine inspection processes and cannot change these settings.
Given that the product undergoes further processing, durable plastic labels were designed for the Chillers and Checkers, and the labels are printed using a HONEYWELL thermal transfer printer. Code verification on both the Checker and the Chiller will be performed using a ZEBRA handheld scanner . The accuracy of the Checker for the selected Chiller will be monitored throughout the entire cycle using a stationary KEYENCE scanner. The presence of the chiller in the Checker during the cycle will be monitored by an inductive sensor.
In the first step, the user selects the Chiller model to be inspected. This is followed by verification that the Checker is compatible with the selected Chiller model by automatically scanning the Checker’s code with a Keyence barcode scanner. In the next step, the operator must scan the code from the previous test and insert the Chiller into the Checker, which is automatically verified by the built-in inductive sensor in the Checker. The operator is notified of each step on the screen by a large icon corresponding to that step in the sequence of operations, highlighted in a distinct color. After the test is complete, the operator presses the hardware OK button or the NG button for a failed test.
If the test is successful, the final label is printed. The operator scans the code on the label to verify its readability and the accuracy of the printed data, and the program saves the results of the check to the database with an “OK” status. If the test fails, the program displays an error menu; after the operator identifies the error type, a new record with an “error” status is written to the database, and a new cycle begins.
Label Printing
The labels are printed on an industrial thermal transfer printer that combines sufficient performance with high-quality construction. This printer was also selected because of its wide range of features. During implementation, the function for peeling off printed labels was utilized, as well as the ability to define and save multiple print formats in the printer’s simple DPL language.