In plant operation, personnel deployments on site may be time-consuming and awkward in some situations. This also applies to adjusting and maintaining control valves, which are often difficult to access. Valves can now be controlled remotely using the Type 8049 positioner from Schubert & Salzer. It’s all made possible by IO-Link.
Previously, it was unavoidable that control valve adjustments had to be made manually. These interventions took time and could result in unnecessarily long downtime of the plant, which had a negative impact on productivity. But this really is an anachronism in this age of comprehensive automation. In addition, predictive maintenance is increasingly becoming established as a standard in the maintenance of plants. However, predictive maintenance is only possible if there is a data connection between the control components and the higher-level control system.
Bachofen technology partner Schubert & Salzer has taken the disadvantages of manual access to control valves as an opportunity to upgrade its proven Type 8049 pneumatic positioner and to equip it with an IO-Link. This means that the relevant valve data is available to plant operators in real time. You can change the various parameters of the control valves from the controller. Physical access to the plant by maintenance and service technicians is a thing of the past.
The positioner featuring IO-Link is also a door opener for predictive maintenance. Since the IO-Link detects and transmits minimal faults in the valves, the fault can be rectified before the valve fails completely. Preventive maintenance increases process reliability and plant availability many times over.
The IO-Link also reduces malfunctions of the system that can result from manual intervention. The coded M12 connector makes it impossible to connect the components incorrectly. In addition, the positioner, which has had an intelligence upgrade thanks to IO-Link, simplifies the parameter assignment process using plug and play. It is therefore not possible for incorrect parameters to be read in.
The Type 8049 positioner with IO-Link sees valve specialist Schubert & Salzer launch an attractive new product. Bachofen’s application know-how ensures that this brings the greatest possible benefit to the user.