Driving Productivity & Efficiency with ABB Automation

A leading wire manufacturer aimed to modernize its high-carbon and GI wire drawing process to achieve higher speeds, improved quality, and enhanced operator safety. The existing system was unable to meet modern production demands, leading to inefficiencies and operational risks.

The Challenge The plant was operating legacy pulley-type wire drawing machines, which posed significant limitations: • Manual tension control became ineffective beyond 6 m/s • Frequent wire breakage (“snapping”) causing: o High scrap generation o Production losses o Operator safety risks (whiplash incidents) • Inability to maintain tight tolerances of ±0.005 mm • Target requirement: Achieve 20–25 m/s high-speed drawing

The Solution Advanced PLC-Based Distributed Automation with Master-Slave Drive Architecture A high-performance automation system was engineered using ABB PLCs and VFDs, incorporating real-time motion synchronization and intelligent control. Key Features Implemented

Closed-Loop Tension Control (Dancer Arm with PID) • High-resolution dancer arms installed at each drum • Continuous feedback to PLC (sampling rate ~1000 Hz) • Instant correction of tension variations
Electronic Line Synchronization • All drives interconnected via high-speed industrial communication (EtherCAT / Profinet) • Achieved microsecond-level synchronization across 8–10 drawing drums • Seamless start-stop and acceleration control
Automatic Die Wear Monitoring • PLC-based torque monitoring detects die degradation • Predictive alerts for maintenance before quality deviation
Constant Surface Speed Control • Automatic RPM adjustment based on spool diameter growth • Ensures consistent linear speed and uniform wire quality
Integrated Safety System • PLC-integrated safety logic with: o Slow-down zones o Light curtain protection • Significant reduction in operator risk

Results & Impact • Production Speed: Increased from 6 m/s to 16 m/s (~170% improvement) • Wire Breakage: Reduced from 15 incidents per shift to <1 per shift • Energy Efficiency: ~12% savings using
regenerative VFD technology • Safety: Substantial improvement with automated protection systems
Technical Architecture Parameter Implementation Control Strategy PID + Feedforward Control Communication EtherCAT (high-speed motion control) HMI Real-time tension trends & production monitoring Drives ABB VFDs with Safe Torque Off (STO) Controller High-performance PLC / Motion Controller

Key Takeaway High-speed wire drawing demands millisecond-level precision. The success of this project was driven by high-speed PLC processing capability combined with synchronized drive control, enabling stable operations at elevated speeds.