News Release:
Holliston, MA … Abbess Instruments, a global provider of quality, vacuum systems with optional easy-to-use process control and data logging, now offers “Climb & Dive” profiling functionality as an upgrade to its PC Touch Screen Package:
Abbess works in a cooperative fashion to customize automation to a customer’s process, and to ensure the system configuration meets production needs. Such upgrade options (to manually operated systems) include:
- A Vacuum Cycle Controller (VCC) that can be used to automate some or all of the control functions via panel-mounted buttons and indicators.
- A VCC controlled by a PC with a user-specified Graphical User Interface (GUI) operated through a touch-screen (as illustrated here). Quality Control requirements are met by automatically monitoring, data-logging, and displaying the environment. In addition to pressure and/or thermal profiling, alarm, and other status messages, can also be optionally programmed to be sent to the operator’s smartphone.
Figure 1 PC Touch Screen Package with simple “Climb & Dive”, and thermal profiling integrated with vacuum system.
Figure 2 “Climb & Dive” and/or thermal profiling upgrade options
Abbess offers a wide portfolio of vacuum systems to suit customer needs in addressing DOT and FAA ASTM test requirements, including with “Climb & Dive” and/or thermal profiling upgrade options. Simulated altitudes of up to 100,000 ft / 19miles / 30km (pressures ≥10-4 Torr) are feasible depending on the vacuum system ordered.
Profiling uses state-of-the art pressure and temp control techniques accessing full potential of temperature PID controllers/tuning. The Touch Screen GUI pressure profile offers a variety of display options: Torr, ft, m.
Figure 3: Touch Screen GUI offers display options
Both ‘simple’ & ‘complex’ profiling produces linear “Climb & Dive” in Torr. The “Climb & Dive” sample illustrations given here are of ‘simple’ profiling: The system operates in Torr; any values the operator inputs as feet are converted by the system for monitoring and control purposes. All ramps are linear in Torr, but non-linear in ft or meters (the average ft or m ramp rates achieved are those set by the operator).
Figure 4: A simulated “Climb” in altitude presents as a drop/dive in Torr: i.e. pressure drops as altitude increases. In ‘complex’ profiling, Abbess software accesses full PID functionality (throughout the full ramp) to achieve linear “Climb & Dive” also in ft and m.
Successfully address DOT and FAA ASTM test requirements in Abbess Instruments’ vacuum systems upgraded with a “Climb & Dive” PC Touch screen package.
Abbess Instruments’ vacuum systems are delivered with industry- leading lead time.
