AFA Systems out of Toronto is a leading provider of Custom Designed Automation Solutions for a variety of applications including case packing and palletizing. Through the innovative use of servo drives and automation, AFA creates an environment where machine parameters become part of the packaging recipe. Each time a different product comes to the machine, the packaging patterns and mechanical stops are changed via touchscreen and the PLC program. AFA finds it makes good financial sense to employ the COSY (COmmunication made eaSY) system from eWon in their machine design. It’s an industrial VPN router that offers easy remote access across the Internet to machines out in the field.
According to David Langen, AFA’s Electrical Engineer, “In the past, the complexity and importance of each machine required commissioning at the customer facility. New systems required two engineering technicians; one who specialized in the mechanics of the machine and another with background in the automation application. Invariably, the automation specialist spent much of the time waiting for and reacting to mechanical changes.”
The eWON device allows AFA Systems to send just a single mechanically focused person out for the startup. “It takes 1-3 weeks to commission a new machine. With travel costs running in the thousands of dollars per trip, it just made sense for us to apply the COSY system to our machines and do the final automation tuning from our location here in Toronto,” says Langen.
But new machine applications aren’t the only use of eWON at AFA. According to Langen, “Our experience with eWON has been so positive that we regularly offer the product to customers requesting field visits. When a customer calls, I will give them a quick estimate of the cost of a trip to their area, which includes airfare, rental car, hotel and living expenses. I then provide the option of sending a COSY system along with wiring and installation instructions. The installation is simple and the eWON alternative is always a better value for the customer. We can almost always make the needed adjustment from here.”
