by Staff | Feb 1, 2013 | Control Systems, CSI, Motion Control, Programming
THE MYSTERY A barrel manufacturer called ACES with a problem: The heads that formed the beads of the barrels had started moving inconsistently and roughly enough that when they stopped the whole machine would jerk. Just two years earlier ACES had installed a brand new...
by Staff | Jan 25, 2013 | Control Systems, CSI, Furnaces and Ovens, Motion Control
THE MYSTERY A customer called ACES to the scene of a drop bottom furnace, which was used to fabricate aircraft detail parts and components. Like all drop bottom furnaces this one was equipped with a parts basket that was lowered from the underside of the furnace into...
by Staff | Sep 16, 2012 | Control Systems, CSI, Municipal Water
THE MYSTERY One of ACES’s municipal water customers had an issue with the external display for an ultrasonic sensor, which sits above a tank and measures the liquid level. The unit was displaying a fault and the customer could not get it to reset. THE CLUES One of the...
by Staff | Sep 9, 2012 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI, Oil and Gas
THE MYSTERY An aircraft manufacturer was experiencing intermittent problems with one of their fuel tank valves: It would work fine for a while and then randomly give a fail-to-close alarm. THE CLUES The first day the Control Systems Inspector (CSI) visited the plant,...
by Staff | Jul 26, 2012 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI, Furnaces and Ovens, Yaskawa VFDs
THE MYSTERY An aircraft parts manufacturer had an aluminum heat treat oven that wasn’t meeting its surveys. The customer surmised that what the oven needed was more airflow, and they called ACES to make the adjustment. THE CLUES The fan was running 500 rpm, and being...
