automation of belt curing process using plc · of v-belt autoclave curing . ... fig 3shows t he...

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ICNSCET19- International Conference on New Scientific Creations in

Engineering and Technology

AUTOMATION OF BELT CURING PROCESS USING PLC

Take veegrip belts Pvt. Ltd., as an example

PrithiviRaj1, Kalyanasundaram

2, Prasanabalaji

3

1EIE,KCET

2EIE,KCET

3EIE,KCET

Abstract— This paper mainly focuses on the technical improvement of curing system in the v-belt

manufacturing industry of Veegrip Pvt. Ltd. Based on the analysis of many experimental data and

under the consideration of economic benefit, a series of theoretical indicators are concluded , and it's

favourable for realizing perfect production .The main aim of this project is to automate the process

of V-belt autoclave curing . Through the automation we can reduce man power and improve the

accuracy and perfectness.PLC applications are extensively used in manufacturing industries to

control the process, so In this project we use VERSAMAX PLC for control solenoids, autoclave’s

cap and to maintain the temperature, pressure in the autoclave.

Keywords— Automation,Programmable Logic Controller,curing.

I. INTRODUCTION

Application of programmable logic control (PLC) is widely used on the control

systems in the many field engineering such as automotive, aviation, food processing and other

industries. PLC is simply program to control many automatic activity, easy to use, flexible and

others. PLC using the ladder program to solve and regulated the control system component. In

this project, PLC is used to automate the v belt autoclave curing process. Curing is the process of

applying pressure to the belt in a mould in order to give it its final shape, and applying heat energy

to stimulate the chemical reaction between the rubber and other materials. Temperatures are in the

area of 160 °C with pressures around 170psi. This heat results in chemical and physical changes in

the rubber compounds. Belts are cured for a certain duration of time depending on the type of belts.

Under-cured belts will result in lack of adhesion of components and results in failed belts. So, it is

essential to keep track of the temperature and pressure applied during the curing process and alert

the operator if there is a change in the applied temperature or pressure. Manual control of different

valves and autoclave’s cap is difficult and the process requires continuous monitoring and control of

temperature and pressure. so we are going to do automation with PLC for automate the curing

process by means of programmable thermostat, pressure switch, proximity switch, solenoids and

push pull actuator.

II. OVERVIEW OF V-BELT MANUFACTURING

The manufacturing process flow of the vulcanizer It’s manufacturing process flow shown in

Fig. 1.(take the 1800tons for example) The vulcanizing board need to be heated to 160 degree

1st International Conference on New Scientific Creations in Engineering and Technology (ICNSCET-19)

International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER)

Special Issue; March - 2019 [ISSN: 2455-1457]


and maintained the degree for 20 minutes after being charged from the autoclave, then cooling

water should be poured into the vulcanizing board immediately. Usually,the time for cooling is

from 0 to15 minutes ,and then pattern drawling and discharging can begain when the temperature

is already below 60 degree.

Fig. 1 manufacturing process flow

III. LITERATURE REVIEW

PLC and the SCADA systems are widely used in most industrial processes e.g. chemical

industries, steel manufacturing, power generations, etc. Automated level control systems using PLC,

SCADA are used ubiquitously in industrial applications. To prevent industrial accidents by

overfilling of any open container, to prevent overfilling of any closed container thereby creating

overpressure condition. Therefore, process control industrial applications requires effective supervise

level control in multiple tanks.

A paper on the design of bottle filling plant using PLC wherein a bottle filling and capping operation

takes place in a synchronized manner. The user can input the desired volume of liquid to fill in the

bottles. The entire system is more flexible and time saving [3]. Another application in which

microcontroller based automated system was developed. The developed system improved the

performance by reducing the time delay using fast switching transistors. The system was tested for

electro pneumatic and electro hydraulic systems resulting in faster time response and stable duty

cycle [4].

A PLC based monitoring and control scheme for a three-phase induction motor suggested that PLC

can be used in automation industries involving control of induction motor. A control program was

developed, through which PLC continuously monitored the inputs and activated the outputs

accordingly. A current sensor was employed for load current feedback, a speed sensor for speed

feedback, and an additional current sensor was attached to stator circuits. The speed control of motor

achieved through PLC gave the system high accuracy in speed regulation at constant speed for

variable load operation. The efficiency of the induction motor system fed by an inverter was

increased appreciably by using PLC. At high speeds and loads, the efficiency of PLC-controlled

system is increased up to 10–12% [6].

IV. PROPOSAL IDEA

In v-belt autoclave curing several process work in a sequential fashion, in this stage PLCs

are used to maintain the temperature, pressure, flow and curing time. Fig 3shows the schematic block

diagram . Initially the cap of autoclave is kept open. When proximity sensor sense the metal mould

then it will check the status of pressure. If the pressure is less than 160 psi , an indication will be

given to the operator.





Once when the operating pressure attains , the pressure will flow through valve V2 for 20 seconds as

curing time. While curing if the temperature gets higher than set point the process will be stopped

until normal temperature attains. Once the curing is done, pressure inside the autoclave gets released

through v4 and the cap will be opened.

Fig.2 Schematic diagram

3.1 PLC based curing system

In this project we use GE FanucVersaMax Nano PLC IC200NDD101 has six 24Vdc inputs and

four DC transistor outputs. It uses +24Vdc nominal input power for PLC operation. The four

transistor output circuits can be used to switch devices like valves, lamps or contactors. External

fusing should be provided to protect the outputs. Fast fuses are recommended. The outputs can be

configured as regular outputs or as outputs controlled by the High-Speed Counters. Then can also be

used as Pulse Train and/or Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) outputs. All outputs are isolated between

field and logic and are switching positive voltage. The outputs have one common incoming supply

(VC) and one common ground (COM). The outputs are able to drive high inrush currents (8 times

the rated current) and are protected against negative voltage pulses. This makes it possible to switch

lamps and inductive loads.

Fig.3 Block diagram Fig.4 PLC system

The sequence of processes in curing is achieved as follows

� Before passing the steam into line, pressure range will be checked.

� An indication will be given to operator if the pressure range is low.

� Once when the pressure satisfies the set point the proximity senses the presence of mould.

� When proximity sensor sense the metal mould, a period of 5 seconds will be considered as

loading time.





� After the cap gets closed, steam will be allowed through autoclave.

Here the temperature of the steam is checked. Once the temperature range satisfies the set point

the process will be continued, else the process will be held unless the required temperature

attains. After the curing time over, the excess steam in autoclave is released to atmosphere and

the cap will be opened.

FIG. 5 FLOW CHART

3.2 Simulation and results





Fig.6 Ladder diagram

TABLLE 1 ADDRESSING

3.2.1 Description

%I0001 is an address proximity switch. When the proximity sense the mould, control signal

flows to the valves. %I0002 is an low pressure switch, if it is high it does not allows the steam inside

autoclave and indicates the pressure is low. %I0003 is a thermostat switch, it is high when the

temperature is high. The coil %Q0002,%Q0003,%Q0004 are connected to solenoids, they are

switched to ‘high’ or ‘low’ depends upon the control signal from PLC.%Q0001 Is the address of

push pull solenoid used for opening or closing the autoclave’s cap. Simulation is not possible in GE

Fanuc .so we use Schneider product simulation software.

From the Fig 6 the ladder diagram shows the overall process involved in the project. Here, inputs are

called as contacts and the outputs are called as coils.

Initially the coil Q3 is energized. when the proximity sense the mould , timersT1&T4 is ON. The

preset value of the timer T1 is 10sec which is the loading and unloading time for mould. Preset value

timer T4 is 5sec which is the time delay for autoclave cap closing.

IV CONCLUSION The proposed method of curing process automation was done using PLC and VersaPro software.

It can reduce or eliminate the manpower in the process of V-belt curing. Our research idea

specifically designed for Veegrip Belts Pvt Ltd. We hope the proposed idea can make a great change

in that process and can give a benefit of reducing the manpower, operating cost and improve the

accuracy.This method of curing the belt by automation will provide more accurate result on its

process and production. This helps in maintain the shift 24/7 with regular interval. Although the PLC

is a programmable one , any modification in future process can be made easier.An overall labor cost

can be minimized and helps in improving the quality of the belt because there won’t be any human

error. This process doesn’t any involve any harmful chemical reaction so it is an eco-friendly

process.

REFERENCES

[1]. Ma Shuying, C. Lidong, Shi Lei, Liu Shengtao, Z. Liang, L. Shiguang, “Design of the temperature control system of

solar cell lamination machine”, IEEE, pp. 506-509, Vol. 3, 2010.

[2]. S. Kalaivani, M. Jagadeeswari, “PLC and SCADA Based Effective Boiler Automation System for Thermal Power

Plant”, International journal of advanced research in computer engineering & technology, pp. 1653-1657, Vol. 4, Issue 4,

April 2015.

OUTPUT SYMBOL

Push pull solenoid %Q0001

Solenoid valve 1 %Q0002

solenoid valve 2 %Q0003

Solenoid valve 3 %Q0004

INPUT SYMBOL

Proximity sensor %I0001

Thermostat %I0002

Low pressure switch %I0003





[3]. S. Das, S. Dutta, A. Sarkar, S. Kar, “Recognition and Disposal of Faulty Bottles in a Bottle Filling Industry Using

PLC and Producing Human Machine Interface by SCADA”, International Refereed Journal of Engineering and Science

(IRJES), pp. 18-23, ISSN 2319-183X, Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2014.

[4]. K. Ali, R. Ghoni, A. N. Abdalla, “Advanced Control of Hybrid-PLC System”, International conference on modelling

optimization and computing, pp. 218-225, ISSN 1877-7058, June 2012.

[5] Lu Jinyan,Mu Wei and Li Lezhong,vol.36.pp. 46-73,Nov 2006

[6]. Maria G. Ioannides, “Design and Implementation of PLC-Based Monitoring Control System for Induction Motor”,

IEEE transactions on energy conversion, pp. 469-476, ISSN 0885-8969, Vol. 19, No. 3, Sept. 2004.

automation of belt curing process using plc · of v-belt autoclave curing . ... fig 3shows t he...

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