All-in-one PLC + HMI for test system shortens time to market

Vapor Systems Technologies, Inc of Springboro, OH, USA manufactures hoses, breakaways, whip hoses, nozzles and almost any hanging hardware attached to pumps (dispensers) for gasoline (gas, petroleum or diesel). One of the company's goals was to test its nozzles through 1,000,000 cycles, which would equal about 17 years of normal operation. In the past, VST was never able to test its nozzles for long periods due to their inefficient tester that could only test one nozzle at a time. Patrick Elam of Vapor Systems Technologies explains: "It was extremely slow, and very unreliable. We would only run it during business hours for fear of breaking down and other damages. This old tester was big, bulky and very difficult to move. I wanted the new tester to be smaller and more compact, so if the sales department wanted to take it with them to a petroleum show, they could."

The Unitronics Vision V350-35-TR20 all-in-one PLC and HMI was an excellent fit for this task. Elam states: "Our old tester required 120V AC to operate, and was not reliable. It would burn up relays, sensors and blow fuses regularly. We were always afraid to let it run past business hours because if it failed under load, it could burn up a pump. The V350-35-TR20 runs on 24V DC, and is reliable and safe." It is also compact, with its 3.5inch colour touchscreen and onboard/expandable I/O.

Once the programming was complete the tester was run for over two months continuously, with zero failures and zero damage to any of the electronic components. Within three months VST was able to hit its 1,000,000 cycle mark.

Elam concludes: "Unitronics proved to be a time saver. We were never able to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year (if we chose). The amount of money we saved from R&D time and not having to replace burned up components regularly, more than made up the cost of purchasing the V350-35-TR20. Plus by reaching our 1,000,000 cycle target, we were able to exceed our qualification test and put the finished product out in the market faster. Simple to program, reliable, and very affordable; what more could you want?"

Follow the link for more information about the Unitronics Vision V350 series of all-in-one PLC + HMI controllers.