Patti Engineering has declared the successful conclusion of an automation project at Inman Mills’ South Carolina facility. This is the sixth textile production plant to be upgraded by Patti Engineering. The plant has been retrofitted with customized designed automation technology. Automation is a key aspect for quality enhancement and cost competitiveness, particularly in an industrial setting where margins are comparatively less.
Electrical control system
Inman Mills produces a broad range of fabrics and yarns, while Patti Engineering is a control systems integration firm located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The latter also has offices in Texas and Massachusetts.
Earlier, Inman Mills had bought an autoflow system, which included an outdated electrical control system. The company then sought the help of Patti Engineering to design and set up a sophisticated electrical control system. Latest products such as Steeplechase Visual Logic Controller from Phoenix Contact, PC hardware and Iconics graphical user interface software were used to construct a complete integrated electrical control system. Apart from providing design and installation services, Patti Engineering also offered training to Inman’s management team, maintenance staff and operators to exploit the new system for maximized production.
According to the President of Patti Engineering, Sam Hoff, employing cost effective electrical control system in textile production plants is a specialty of the company. He added that the company was happy to work with Inman Mills.
The firm has worked with other textile producers and has upgraded their existing equipment with latest electrical control systems. Retrofit is a cost-effective option as it enables manufactures to increase their systems’ durability and also allows them to increase accuracy and productivity.
The company has observed that old PC-based control systems employed in other mills included software and hardware that were no longer supported by foreign producers. Automation systems from Patti Engineering include additional features which are not incorporated in the original machine control. Logging databases, configurations and new software programs are included to enhance debug operations. Moreover, GUI’s enhanced functionality and management capability are incorporated to operate the systems more efficiently.
The company also provides online engineering support services that are available round the clock.