xCoupler Applications

xCoupler Module Helps Satisfy the Increasing Demand for Plywood after Natural Disasters

Not only did the hurricanes that ravaged the Southeast strain the supply of plywood and structural panels in that area used for protection and rebuilding, it caused a major shortage throughout the entire United States. To increase availability of various types and sizes of plywood and panels to meet demand, without increasing inventory levels, a major building-products manufacturer needed a better order to production system. To accomplish this, they added real-time links between the company’s Microsoft SQL-based order entry system and plant production and raw materials procurement system. The links enable the plant to respond quickly to specific customer orders while keeping a minimum of finished inventory and raw materials on hand.

Since most of the plant’s plywood and engineered panel production equipment is controlled through Allen-Bradley PACs (Programmable Automation Controllers), plant engineering and IT decided that xCoupler modules from Online Development would enable quick startup of the system with a minimum of cost. The xCoupler hardware modules snap into the PAC chassis and collect manufacturing device data through the PAC’s backplane. An Ethernet port on the module connects it to the SQL database for quick installation. A MSSQL software adapter for the module was chosen to bi-directionally exchange data between manufacturing device data and the SQL database. The entire installation process only required one day, including installation of the Ethernet cable from the hardware module to the database.

Configuring the module to communicate events based on the PAC’s tag state (data), message instruction (logic) or schedule (time) between the manufacturing devices and the database was also quickly accomplished using the module’s WorkBench utility. It features intuitive graphic screens and drag and drop operation to eliminate expensive and time-consuming custom programming.