Growing Plants in Venezuela
Recently, a new customer from Venezuela found our website through an internet search and emailed us for help designing a control system. He didn't know exactly what he wanted but he was able to describe his greenhouse and the problem he was facing. One of our application engineers, through a series of emails, was able to determine that he needed to turn on and off several heaters that control the temperature of plant containers. This helps achieve optimal growing conditions for the plants.
Typically when we do work for plants, it's an assembly plant or a factory of some kind. We're not usually involved with greenhouses and we wouldn't welcome a quiz on photosynthesis. But we're very adept at controlling heaters and interfacing with existing equipment and that's what this customer needed.
The application was well suited for the Vision 130 controller from Unitronics because of the small amount of I/O and the need for a display of some kind for setup and parameter changes. Though the program was simple, a PLC seemed like a wise choice because the panel would be leaving the country. On-site wiring changes to the panel would have been a nightmare but using a PLC would ensure that any changes could be made electronically via email.
A quick delivery was also important on this job. Since we had all the components in stock, we were able to design, build, document and ship the completed control system in one week. To date, we've never spoken with or physically met with this customer - all communication has taken place through email. We finished our work quickly and leave the rest to photosynthesis...
We draw your attention to this application because we want you to know that you don't need to understand the technical details of what you need in order for us to design your control system. Our engineers are good at drawing information from you and using that information to design the most reliable and cost-effective system possible. |
