Control Systems

Snair Company has always excelled in the development and manufacture of user-friendly controls which utilize EXCLUSIVELY OFF-THE-SHELF COMPONENTS. The philosophy that the die caster can always take advantage of local suppliers and service support has given Snair Company the reputation of providing extremely serviceable systems. Industry standard Allen Bradley components eliminate the dependency on the manufacturer so common with other brands.

Currently, two lines of control systems are available for the die casting industry: the D-Series and G-Series. The D-Series was unveiled at the Birmingham, UK exhibition in 1996. Utilizing an industrial grade operator interface terminal (OIT) with a rubberized keypad and function keys, all machine parameters are easily entered and stored. Because of the digital communication between components, all speed potentiometers, all external timers, and all external counters have been eliminated. Thus reducing overall complexity and drastically improving reliability. New high performance DC motor controllers (one for each machine axis) provide speeds and accuracy never before attainable. The following components are standard with the D-Series controller:

Allen Bradley SLC-503
Solid State DC Motor Controllers
High Speed Encoders (machine mounted)
LCD & LED Operator Interface Terminal

The unified appearance and operation of the D-Series controller for the ladling, extracting, and conveying systems further enhance the functionality of the D-Series controller.

The recently developed G-Series controller was unveiled at the GIFA exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany in the summer of 1999. With the advantage of economy, the G-Series will become an ideal platform for organizations new to automation. Future upgrade to the D-Series controller is possible as the pin-out connections are identical. The multi-national symbolic control panel enables quick recognition of all selector switches and pushbuttons. Many of the key features of the D-Series controller was retained in the G-Series including:

Elimination of all external potentiometers, timers, and counters
Use of an operator interface terminal
Use of solid state DC motor controllers
Use of high speed encoders

The G-Series utilizes the new Allen Bradley Micrologix PLC. Unique to the G-Series extractor controller is the ability to integrate the conveyor controls directly into the enclosure to minimize costs and system complexity.