Continuing our pattern from the past few years, in the month of August, we’re focusing on one of our favorite technology partners, Opto 22!

With the recent release of our Heat Treat Power Pack, we thought now would be an excellent time to discuss how the groov EPIC and groov RIO platforms are cost-effective, powerful solutions for equipment automation in heat treat facilities.

Please keep reading to learn our reasons for choosing Opto 22 as the foundation for a powerful automation system. If you want even more examples, Opto 22 has additional detailed case studies on their site. These case studies include one for the largest rotary furnace facility in the US, and another for a large castings foundry in Jalisco Mexico.

Lower Total Cost of Ownership with Opto 22

Compared to many of their, competitors the total cost of ownership of an Opto 22 groov system is low.

There are costs for the hardware itself, and costs to install it. That’s it. You don’t need to buy software licensing to program the PLC logic. You don’t need to buy a separate Firewall or VPN device to gain secure access into your system. You don’t need to buy a panel PC to collect data or run your process. You can even implement recipe management, database integrations, and more with the software and tools included with the groov EPIC platform!

Using the groov View visualization package gives you access to familiar and typical operator interfaces and dashboards, and you can access the system on mobile devices with no additional licensing required. Unlike other SCADA platforms, groov View runs directly on the groov EPIC processor, and is included in the price of the PLC. You won’t need to worry about additional costs for get your system up and running.

Incredible Connectivity and Data Capabilities with groov

If you can dream up a communication protocol in manufacturing, odds are Opto 22 can speak the language. Seriously, the amount of scrolling needed to reach the end of the compatible protocols page makes the communication capabilities of any other hardware manufacturer look paltry by comparison.

Typically, when we implement a groov system our go to protocol is MQTT, and sometimes Sparkplug B. Of course, many times we are integrating with an Ignition system, so MQTT is easy to use for our entire deployment. It also simplifies implementing Unified Namespaces which can be a great tool as your system scales.

As you would hope in manufacturing (where Modbus was the original communication protocol), rest assured that the groov platform supports it out of the box. We can think of at least one other major company that doesn’t offer that capability in their flagship hardware offering!

We also like to leverage Node-RED on our Opto 22 deployments, especially when using groov View for the HMI. It opens up a whole host of amazing integrations we can use. Node-RED blurs the lines around what is possible with an HMI running on PLC hardware when combined with groov View. Databases and APIs are easily integrated using Node-RED. And if you want to consider the Art of the Possible, Opto 22 has even included an API directly in the groov hardware line which you can directly access in Ignition’s scripting engine using our open source tools!

Supply Chain, Support, and Service

Compared to other popular PLC brands, another reason we love working with Opto 22 is their commitment to customer service. They make sure that people can get their hardware in a reasonable time frame, and provide outstanding support for everything they sell.

Some of our customers have standardized on brands that since the pandemic have taken longer and longer to deliver after purchase. Multiple projects have had the lead time on an analog output card extend to a whopping nine months—after it was estimated at only 3-4 weeks at the time of purchase. Unfortunately in this example the long-delayed analog output card was the final piece of the panel required to commission the project.

This would not have happened with Opto 22. In our experience they have either met or exceeded their lead time estimations. While they have been impacted by the chip shortage and occasionally some products aren’t always in stock, Opto 22 still has the quickest turn around time of any vendor we have spoken to over the last few years.

Another benefit is the Opto 22 business model (at least in the US) is that you are directly working with them. There are no distributors acting as middlemen driving up costs, no convoluted support requests, or lead time frustrations. Instead, you’ll work with the Opto 22 team. They stand by their products, and they support you at every step of the way.

As a testament to how supportive they are, when a couple of Corso Systems employees made a cross-country trek from Bakersfield, CA to Washington DC at the conclusion of a project, Benson Hougland loaded them up with a crate full of Opto 22 hardware and various sensors, including a GPS module which helped us track the whole trip!

As an added bonus for many American Manufacturing companies, Opto 22 is Made in the U.S.A.

Wrapping Up

For heat treat processes where cost is an ever present concern, Opto 22 is a great option. You can set up your equipment with cutting edge technology, built-in HMI software, the ability to collect data on your entire process, and the peace of mind from having a system you can use for the life of your equipment.

As your system grows, you can leverage your initial investment since it can grow with you into even the most complex enterprise level deployments.

Just like choosing Corso Systems to help manage and implement your heat treat automation systems is a great choice, Opto 22 has the Corso Systems stamp of approval as the right hardware choice for any industrial automation application. If you want more information on how we can help you implement automation for your facility, and how Opto 22 can help solve any problems you may have, please reach out and let us know!