OBSOLESCENCE OF PLC-5 SYSTEM & ITS EXTENDED LIFE CYCLE
Launch in 1986, the PLC-5 series of control system from Allen Bradley became the most reliable brand within many industries due to its extreme robust working & durability in mid & large scale process plants. As per market survey, there must had been more than 500K installations throughout the world. Even after the launch of much advance process control systems like ControlLogix, PlantPAX etc, many of PLC-5 installations have never been considered to migrate on other new control platform in last 10-15 years and still running without any challenges despite announcement of its obsolescence by Rockwell Automation in 2015 because it may have never given any trouble to the plant users.
Since now PLC-5 system is no longer available or supported by its manufacturer Rockwell Automation, but there are globally lots of systems currently in use that run the risk of failure without a reduced-downtime replacement. Its life is limited considering Rockwell is no longer supplying replacement parts for these systems.
Therefore many users are looking either to upgrade these systems or looking for PLC-5 system spares availability with service support.
Upgrading PLC-5 systems can be a tough task for any of its user considering the limited amount of downtime in process and also allocation of budget as well. Hence the implantation of upgrade take several months or years depending upon the budget and size of the system e.g. the level of I/O & network replacement and software integration with a new HMI. So the below questions deserves careful consideration until the up-gradation of PLC-5 system is successfully accomplished:
· If the processor or any other components of PLC-5 System fails, can we have the appropriate quantity of spare available to minimize the process downtime to meet our production obligations?
· Do we have a reliable service provider who can support well on time in case any modification in the system or re-engineering required as per process change requirement?
· Are we putting production at risk because of inability to run the system in the event of a failure?
Therefore, until the migration is finally decided along with financial obligation and its schedule with the production shutdown, the First & foremost is to set an extended life cycle to your aged installation of PLC-5 system.
So now the question comes in mind is “how I would locate and hire a company who can support for an extended life of your PLC-5 installation keeping the worry away from your critical operation.
Up keeping PLC-5 System
It’s crucial of keeping your legacy PLC-5 system unaffected due to obsolescence from the manufacturers. Therefore, the availability of emergency spare parts & services need to be extended beyond the end of life cycle understanding that your PLC-5 control systems installations are the backbone of your critical plant & machine operation.
A Spare part management strategy should involve a process of:
· Identifying spares of legacy equipment like processor, Power supply, communication module, IO module & HMI etc
· Calculating the optimal amount of spare parts depending upon size of the system
· Determining the condition and supply of the spares
· Identifying a trustworthy and timely supplier of legacy spares.
Spare Parts management programs from IndAXonline can help reduce spare & support costs with the know-how to handle the PLC-5 control systems.
Our company IndAXonline an ecommerce portal of www.indaxonline.com is India’s largest online marketplace having stock of more than 50000 products and supporting old installations in more than 10 countries globally. We deal in New, Surplus, Used,
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Phone : +91-9911104090
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