Data Acquisition System

Online monitoring of process parameters in the manufacturing sector is critical in ensuring quality of products. This also avoids expensive deviations that are generally identified either at the end of the manufacturing process or after a time delay.

Most modern manufacturing lines have control and instrumentation that monitor the set parameters and raise an alarm when there is a deviation. In the current trend of increased productivity and higher volumes, it is increasingly difficult to identify deviations online with machine control systems that are generally not designed with this purpose in mind.

An integrated data acquisition system that continuously acquires critical data and compares it with the set and past levels can provide a quick and comprehensive input to supervisors and engineers in understanding deviations and taking corrective actions.

MELSS has worked with a range of data acquisition systems. The following are the components of a general data acquisition system:

  1. Instrument & sensors
    • Physical parameters (temperature, illumination, noise , vibration)
    • Mechanical (strain/stress, energy, pressure)
    • Dimensional parameter (length/thickness, angle)
    • Chemical parameter (pH, turbidity, conductivity, etc.)
    • Electrical parameters (power, voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, noise)
  2. Control system
    • Microcontroller
    • PLC
    • PC – IPC/commercial
    • PXI – National Instruments
  3. HMI & interface
    • Interface protocol (RS-232c, 485, USB, ethernet, PXI, PCI etc.)
    • HMI (monitor, panel, touch screen etc.)
  4. Software
    • National Instruments LabVIEW
    • MELSS custom developed
    • Third party software

MELSS has experience in implementing 100s of data acquisition systems with combinations of the above four major components. With our expertise, we are in a position to advise and recommend suitable sensors for the given application requirement to our customers.