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Building Interconnectional Factories with Advantech Wireless Infrastructure for Nan-Ya Plastics

13.12.2017
Market:                           Factory Automation
Industrial Application:     Multi-site wireless infrastructure
Location:                        Taoyuan, Taiwan  

Introduction

Founded in 1958, Nan-Ya Plastics Corporation (NYP) is the No.1 manufacturer of secondary plastics, No.2 for copper clad laminates, No.4 for mono ethylene glycol, and No.6 for polyester fibers worldwide. With more than 11,000 employees and capital of US$2.6 billion, NYP’s consolidated annual revenue for 2016 was US$9.15 billion. As one of the world's largest manufacturers in terms of production capacity, NYP has long been committed to Industry 4.0 practices, aiming at sustainable business development as well as social wealth and prosperity. 




Project Intention

NYP intends to link all its manufacturing data across multiple sites to its control center, enabling around-the-clock real-time monitoring of data. By collecting production line operation status and machine condition data in its Taoyuan campus, NYP can enhance its overall equipment effectiveness, shorten its time to market, and make its business environmentally friendly.

Challenges and Requirements

Operating in the plastic manufacturing industry for more than 50 years, NYP has many existing machines and wired network infrastructure that needed to be integrated. However, the company did not initially plan to install wired infrastructure between buildings, which made each factory building work in isolation. Connecting each isolated network system without discarding current equipment became the major focus of this project.  

To become a future-proof, upgrade-ready manufacturer, NYP was determined to use a wireless bridge solution to establish interbuilding connectivity so that the central control room could monitor all data acquired from dozens of PLCs. For this, there are a few requirements and restrictions that required consideration:

  1. Wi-Fi access points (APs) to be placed on top of each manufacturing building, all of which ranged from one to seven floors in height.
  2. Transmission distances ranged from 30 to 500 m.
  3. High-level wireless signal and device security to prevent attacks from hackers.
  4. High IP rating to protect against dust and humidity.

Solution

Each factory site has its own Ethernet switch, which is connected to PLCs for data acquisition and transmission. The acquired data are sent via a wireless AP/client to the control center, where operators can monitor and manage the factory status and performance. Since some factories are already have a fiber network deployed, a media converter was adopted to convert from copper to fiber, allowing for longer-distance data transmission. 

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Features, Advantages and Benefits

Ruggdized

1. IP55 rating against dust and moisture 

2. Lightning proof

Secured

1. WPA2 wireless encryption and authentication

2. Access control + lock to AP MAC to prevent intrusion from unauthorized Wi-Fi devices

Upgrade Ready

1. Wireless deployment allows for instant device add-in or removal.

2.  High transmission distance ranges from 30 to 500 m

Advantech’s EKI-6332, an industrial Wi-Fi AP client, has as IP55 rating, meaning that it can operate under high-humidity conditions. The software supports WPA2 wireless encryption and authentication, access control, and lock to AP MAC, blocking unidentified users and unauthorized Wi-Fi devices from accessing confidential data. The wireless deployment and long transmission distance ensure that NYP is always prepared for future upgrades, which is critical considering the high probability of campus reinforcement and business expansion. 

Why Advantech?

Expert Services

1. Advantech’s reputation and commitment to Industry 4.0

2. Proper product recommendations matching customer requirements

3. Site survey services

4. Wireless topology consultancy

Advantech provides not only rugged and secured products, but also an upgrade-ready integration solution and high-quality services. Based on years of experience and commitment to Industry 4.0 practices, Advantech’s ICG team has focused on every detail to provide NYP with the optimal solution.      

Conclusion

Advantech’s team of experts in industrial networking applications successfully provided NYP a tailor-made integration solution that formed the previously isolated factories into a complete network system. The enhanced control, monitoring, and management network infrastructure has assisted NYP in realizing its position as a company focused on future sustainability.       

Product Information

EKI-6332

IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi AP/Client

1. IP55 rating protects against water intrusion.

2. External RP-SMA connectors for 2T2R antenna.

3. High output powerMIMO 802.11n 2x2

4. Passive 24-V PoE

5. WPA/WPA2-Enterprise encryption for a highly secure wireless network

6. WEP/WPA/WPA2/ IEEE 802.1 x authentication support

7. Supports STP and IGMP snooping

EKI-5525LI

5FE Unmanaged Ethernet Switch

1. Communicates with network management systems via SNMP

2. Wide operating temperature range (40~75°C)

3. Wide power input range (8.4~52.8 VDC)    

4. Supports redundant power input (12~48 VDC) and P-Fail relay


Read More

EKI-2541MI

Industrial Media Converter

1. 1 x 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port with RJ45 connector.

2. 1 x 100 Mbps multi-mode/single-mode S- type fiber port.

3. Supports redundant 12~48 VDC power input.

4. DIN rail and panel mount options.

5. Supports a wide operating temperature range (-40~75'C)


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Intelligent factory connectivity of the future

Edited by
Kuei Lang 郎閣揆
kuei.lang@advantech.com.tw
Industrial IoT Group Marketing

Jimmy Cooper