Hydraulics & Pneumatics November/December 2022

www.hpmag.co.uk HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS November/December 2022 21 carried out at the PLC. This can extend the time to resolve any problems or complete a maintenance task. Bürkert has taken the concept of local diagnostics to the next level with its Type 8647 and Type 8652 pneumatic valve islands by providing on-board diagnostics and messages via an LCD screen which is located on each channel. This means, for example, that a blue indicator light, which highlights a maintenance issue, can be quickly identified and resolved by reviewing the additional information provided by the LCS screen. Local information This additional information is also very useful during installation and commissioning work. The ability to access diagnostic information locally can significantly reduce the time required to complete an installation. An over-reliance on the HMI to provide all the system information means that installers and plant operators need more time to identify issues and find the root cause. To compound the situation, the PLC will only pass on warnings or alerts about circuits or problems that it has been programmed for. Normally, this would be done during the commissioning process, but there are opportunities for some warnings to be overlooked or new equipment may not be fully integrated. Furthermore, unless all of the codes from the control valves and sensors have been correctly interpreted in the PLC, this information may be missing or misidentified. Rather than interrogating the PLC or repeatedly going back to the HMI to read the messages, the best solution is to use local diagnostics as a quicker route to identify any issues and getting them resolved. www.burkert.co.uk