RX7i GE Series is Moving to Mature Status

January 1, 2016, GE Automation & Control (GEAC) announced that the PACSystems RX7i has officially been moved to Mature status. GEAC Product Manager Connie Chick announced in GE’s notification letter that the RX3i effectively replaces the RX7i, making it the ideal choice for customers and industries who love this series. However, if you decide not to upgrade, how can you continue to ensure your GE PACSystems RX7i series PLCs are fully supported?

At CIMTEC, we’re fully prepared to support the RX7i series’ moving to Mature status. Discover how we can help you maintain your RX7i series and even help you migrate to the new RX3i platform.

Repairs for your RX7i Series Parts

If you’re not planning a RX3i Platform migration in the near future, CIMTEC can support you with repairs for your RX7i series PLC in the meantime. Although production of new parts isn’t scheduled to stop for another two years for your RX7i, this is an excellent opportunity to get new parts and spare parts if you plan on keeping your RX7i for a while. When one of your PLC’s components fails, CIMTEC is here to provide you with quality repairs that work every time. Our IPC-Certified technicians are here to continue supporting your GE RX7i series PLC during the Mature status phase of its life and beyond.

Risk Assessment

Planning on keeping your RX7i series PLC for longer than a couple of years? At CIMTEC, we can assist by conducting a risk assessment to help you and your team discover the risks and challenges of keeping the RX7i series after new parts are no longer available and the series becomes officially discontinued. Learn how you can reduce your risk for downtime and make the most of the lifespan of your GE RX7i with our automation consulting and risk assessment strategies.

Migration to RX3i Platform

With GE’s announcement, you may be planning to migrate to the RX3i platform. The RX3i series is smaller, more capable, and cheaper compared to the RX7i. Update your system and your technology with us. We will work with you to help upgrade your RX7i to the RX3i platform to save you money and reduce risk. We’ve helped thousands of PLC customers migrate to a newer platform and increase productivity. Our consultants are experienced in GE PLC systems and are ready to get your application moving forward. Let CIMTEC help you migrate to the new platform and properly dispose of your RX7i.

What to Do with Your RX7i?

As you consider migrating to the new platform and doing away with your GE PACSystems RX7i, the question remains: what do you do with it? While proper PLC disposal is crucial for the environment, we invite you to let us buy your RX7i’s components. We can even add the value of your old PLC’s components as a credit to your new RX3i upgrade with us. We’ll purchase your parts to keep in our remanufactured stock to keep serving customers who continue to use the RX7i series PLC. In addition to this, if you’ve chosen to upgrade to the RX3i and you have spares sitting around for your RX7i, your new spare parts could increase in value. By selling these parts to us, your GE RX3i PLC upgrade just got easier!

With the GE PACSystems RX7i PLC series being placed in Mature status, it’s time to consider upgrading. CIMTEC can help you every step of the way, from assessing your future risk by keeping the RX7i in addition to helping you migrate to the RX3i platform. Smaller, more versatile, and less expensive than the RX7i, the RX3i series is here to keep your productivity thriving!

4 Types of GE Instrumentation

CIMTEC is excited to announce that we’re now an authorized distributor of GE Measurement and Control Solutions (GE MCS), which features their Sensor and Measurement products. GE Measurement and Control products help you do an array of things in order to keep your processes and applications running smoothly in your business, all with simple, efficient, and highly accurate technology from GE!

The Measurement and Control line of products from GE features sensing devices, measurement instrumentation, and analyzers. All of these will enable you to easily monitor and control all your processes and applications while keeping your place of work secure.

No matter which solutions you’re considering, GE offers a lineup of impressive products to make your job simpler and your workplace easy to monitor yet productive. From thermal validation to ultrasonic measurement, gas analysis, and process control implementation, these solutions work to keep your industry safe while meeting regulations.

Regardless of your industry, CIMTEC is here to provide the best automation consulting and help you discover if GE MCS equipment can make your job easier and your automation systems safer. What are four types of GE instrumentation that we offer?

Flow Meters

Don’t settle for equipment that only works with a certain type of pipe size or flow condition, therefore limiting adaptability. GE offers ultrasonic flow meters that not only take reliable measurements every time, but they’re able to do so with many different pipe sizes and flow conditions. Best of all, these versatile flow meters are maintenance-free. Their measurements are accurate, their features are user-friendly, and GE’s flow meter products are flexible to suit your needs.

These flow meters include fixed-installation or portable ones, depending on your unique needs and industry conditions. They’re designed to be easy to use and adaptable for different conditions. Not sure what type of flow meter would work best for your application needs? Our automation consultants at CIMTEC can sit down with you to determine what you’re looking for and if GE flow meters can fit your business and its needs. With versatility, high accuracy, and zero maintenance, GE flow meter products could be a perfect solution for your business!

Gas Analyzers

The GE MCS line of products offers gas analysis meters in order to make your work environment as safe as possible while also increasing efficiency and improving reactors. These hydrogen, oxygen, and flue gas analyzers work with industry applications to deliver on all types of analysis from O2 combustibles to H2 for hydrogen-cooled generators. Trust your workplace safety to an industry-leading brand that provides accuracy and efficiency all in one with GE MCS.

Regardless of which applications or conditions you have, consider gas analyzers from GE. From the DF-300E group of oxygen analyzers to the oxy.IQ Analyzer—a fuel cell oxygen transmitter—CIMTEC can help you and your business discover how gas analyzers from GE can keep your business safer than ever, boost performance and productivity, and meet regulations.

 Moisture & Humidity Measurement

Need a reliable moisture sensor? GE delivers on analyzers, transmitters, and portable hygrometers with features that’ll deliver on your unique needs as well as your budget. When you need the most sensitive, most stable, and fastest probes to keep your environment ideal, you need GE moisture analyzers. Their moisture generators are designed to be completely accurate with minimal maintenance.

When you need versatile moisture analyzers, humidity calibration systems, and precise levels of water vapor, GE delivers on a variety of solutions to fit your business’ needs with their MCS products. At CIMTEC, our years of experience and expertise are here to guide you through the process of designing an efficient automation system and we’ll work with you to decide which GE moisture analyzer will work best with your system design and unique needs for your industry.

 Pressure & Level Measurement

When you need pressure measurement equipment, you need a reliable brand that you can trust to deliver on controllers, calibrators, and transmitters for all your industry applications. GE has one of the most comprehensive silicon processing facilities around the globe. They convert silicon into sensors and gauges with micromachining, and their engineering teams know how to use different materials and technology to create superior sensors that’ll work with your industry applications.

GE’s pressure and level measurement solutions include temperature calibrators such as those from Druck and portable calibrators to provide you with state-of-the-art communication and data integration. Need intelligent workflow on the move? GE had you in mind when they designed these pressure and level measurement solutions!

Other GE pressure and level measurement products include the DPI 611, DPI 620IS, and the new Druck DPI 620 Genii. GE also offers handheld test tools in order to help you on the go, from digital pressure gauges to the DPI 800/802 series of easy-to-use handheld instruments.

When you need reliable industry controls from a trusted brand, look no further than GE MCS with CIMTEC. Our years of experience combined with our knowledge of GE make us adept at engineering solutions that incorporate the best products into a custom solution for your industry applications. Contact us today to discover how these four types of GE instrumentation can make all the difference in your business!

Proficy 9 License issues

In some situations, the Proficy License Server service gets hung up during the hardware check and fails to find a license. This may cause other Proficy services to stop. These 9 steps should lead to a resolution. 

Resolution

1.       Open the Registry Editor.

2.       Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ccflic

3.       Right-click .ccflic, point to New and select DWORD (32-bit) Value.

4.       Name the new DWORD hw_bypass.

5.       Right-click hw-bypass and select Modify.

6.       In the Edit DWORD dialog box, click the Decimal option and type 1 in the Value data box.

7.       Click OK.

8.       Exit the Registry Editor.

9.       Restart the Proficy Licensing service.

3D Printing’s Possibilities!

           3D printing has arrived and taken the tech community by storm. Here at CIMTEC, we currently have three 3D printers in our office. One of our engineers, Todd, is our 3D printing guru. Todd is usually running several printers for most of the day. Todd loves 3D printers because of how practical the machines are. He explained to me that the practicality of the machines rests in their ability to create an extremely diverse array of objects. Todd claims his personal printer at home is the best investment he has ever made. He explained that his printer makes home improvements easier due to its ability to replace a broken object in minutes. 3D printers may be able to reshape our world. In this post, I will detail how they could.

            3D printers are already able to print organic matter. Some scientists believe that, in coming years, 3D printers will also be able to reproduce human organs. This would be a remarkable feat that could potentially save millions of lives. The technology would be able to use stem cells from the individual to print the organic matter, thereby making the organ specific to the individual.

            This technology is years away, but corporations have already started planning for the possibilities. One such company is L’Oreal, which “is pushing to 3D print skin. The work has huge implications. Most obviously, it will enable L’Oreal to lab test the safety and performance of cosmetic products on 3D bio printed skin. The result will be much more affordably, quickly and easily tested products, throughout the design process – instead of needing to assess their reaction with real bodies or hair before the final stages of testing.” (Leonard King, Forbes)

            The ability to print genetic organs offers the possibility of revolutionizing the beauty business, and more importantly our understanding of human health.

            3D printers have another incredible possibility, replacing the manufacturing of some goods entirely. The digital design schematics for many products are currently available on the web. Most are free of charge while some are for sale at a low price. Printing the exact digital schematics of goods could revolutionize the way we shop. Imagine, if a user wanted a pair of new Nikes, they might only need to buy the digital schematics and then print the shoes in their own home. That is the direction that 3D printers very well could be taking us.

            One thing is certain. 3D printers are here to stay.

CIMTEC Problem Solving

This piece consists of three separate case studies, which highlight the problem-solving ability of CIMTEC. The company names will remain anonymous.

1) Problem / Requirement:

Problems holding tolerances on upstream processes and manual assembly, resulting in high scrap levels of finished products.

Solution: Precision Assembly System

CIMTEC developed an automated assembly using two six-axis robots, with the robot presenting each component to a camera for inspection prior to assembly so out-of-tolerance sub-components would not result in a scrapped final assembly.

Result:

The customer not only achieved huge savings by eliminating the amount of scrap, but also increased overall quality and production by detecting faulty components before final assembly.

2) Problem / Requirement:

Scrap on a multi-layer web line was too high, due to problems with web movement causing poor seals.

Solution: Dynamic Tracking System

CIMTEC engineers provided a system that added cameras to measure the web position in both X and Y axes, with servos to move the press based on data from the camera.

Result:

The accuracy provided by this measurement system resulted in a measurable reduction in scrap, thus increasing product quality. The savings were dramatic, and the customer is moving forward with similar applications on more lines of productions within the facility.

3) Problem/ Requirement:

The company needed to maintain tighter tolerances on steel plate thickness used by their customers in stamping operations.

Solution: Laser Thickness Measurement System

CIMTEC developed and installed laser thickness monitoring to log dimensions and reject out-of-tolerance steel plate. Data derived from logging over time allowed a reduction in plate thickness from the previous manufacturing method.

Result:

The company saved a considerable amount by reducing raw material cost. Data derived from logging over time allowed a reduction in plate thickness from their supplier, saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars.