Control system upgrades for machines and production lines.
The machine still does its job, but the PLC is obsolete, spares are hard to find and nobody has the program. We replace the controls and keep the machine. Bought it overseas? See imported machines.
What an upgrade involves
Most upgrades are one machine or one production line, with one or two PLCs. The controller is only part of the job.
- A new PLC and operator screen, with the program rewritten or converted.
- A new control panel, or the old one reworked, by a licensed panel builder.
- Drives, sensors and safety circuits replaced where they are obsolete or not to standard.
- New electrical drawings.
- Installation by your electrician, or one we bring in.
- Commissioning, operator training and a backup you keep.
Mechanical work and guarding stay with your fitter or the machine's supplier. We tell them what the controls need and plan the changeover with them.
How it runs
- Site visit. We look at the machine, the panel, and whatever drawings and backups exist.
- Quote. A written scope and price, with the hardware listed and what's not included.
- Build and test. The panel is built and the program tested on the bench before anything is switched off.
- Changeover. In a planned shutdown. Where the plant can't stop, the new panel goes in beside the old one and is cut over in stages.
The usual candidates are Siemens S5 and S7-300, Allen-Bradley PLC-5, SLC 500 and MicroLogix, and older PanelView screens. We also work on Schneider, Omron and Unitronics. Where it suits, we fit our own controller, JasperX.
A whole plant: start with an audit
For a site with several machines or lines, where the question is what to replace first.
- Each machine and line: what controls it, how old it is, and whether the maker still supports it.
- Spares and program backups: what exists and what doesn't.
- What to replace first, with rough costs spread over two or three years.
- A written report within two weeks, with a one-page summary for the budget meeting.
| Size | Effort |
|---|---|
| A few machines or one line | 1 day on site, 1.5 days writing up |
| A plant with several lines | 2 days on site, 3 days writing up |
Fixed price. Bigger sites are quoted after a walk-through. Ask for the one-page offer with prices. The audit doesn't include the upgrade itself, or taking backups where that needs a shutdown.
Imported machines that don't meet Australian standards
The machine arrived with no drawings, basic control gear and emergency stops that don't meet the standard here, and your electrician won't sign it off. We bring the controls and safety up to AS/NZS 4024 and AS/NZS 60204.1.
What we usually find
- Emergency stops wired through the normal control circuit, with no safety relay.
- Guards and doors with no interlocks.
- Unapproved control gear, undersized protection and no drawings.
- A locked PLC program, and a screen in another language.
The mechanical side is usually fine.
How it works
- Assessment. A day on the machine, then a report with photos: what's dangerous, what's non-compliant, what's fine. It comes with a fixed price for the fix.
- The fix. Safety circuit, replacement control gear, drawings, program changes, and a screen in English.
- Test and document. Every safety function tested and recorded, in a file for your electrician, an inspector or an insurer.
| Item | Effort |
|---|---|
| Assessment and report | 1 day on site, 1 day writing up |
| The fix | Quoted from the report. Typically one to three weeks of engineering, plus the panel builder and electrician |
Ask for the one-page offer with the price. Not included: mechanical guarding, which your fitter makes to the report; licensed electrical work, which your electrician does to our drawings; and third-party certification where it's required. We prepare the file for it.
Before you buy the next one: send us the supplier's quote and electrical drawings, and we'll tell you what it will take to make it compliant here.
- Benchtop line, EcoSurfacesSecond-hand imported machines with no documentation. New panels and safety circuits to Australian standards, and one control system for the whole line. Read more
- Autoclave, PROKAn imported autoclave brought up to Australian standards: electrical upgrades, safety modifications, and the controls and screen adjusted for production.
Recent upgrades
- Rail drop table, Pacific NationalAn obsolete PLC replaced with a Siemens S7-1200. 96 IO points moved across, the machine re-documented, operators trained. Read more
- EPA upgrade, Biodiesel AustraliaLevel switches and alarms added to the storage and reaction tanks. Design, PLC, supply, installation and commissioning, inside a planned shutdown. Read more
- Production tanks, MunzingNew controls for the production tanks: staged temperature control, variable-speed mixing, and operation from a tablet on the plant floor. Read more
- Dredge, Port of NewcastleAir-conditioning controls replaced before a fixed sailing date. Bench tested, then installed and commissioned on board in three days.
Tell us what the machine is and what controls it now. Photos of the panel help. Or call 0401 434 787.