Specialized component tagging

[testsubject]

To all,

I recently changed jobs and the way that they tag components is based on the conveyor everything is attached to (i.e., Conveyor 1 would be 1C, the VFD would be 1VFD, the photo eyes would be 1PE1, 1PE2, Solenoids would be 1SV1, 1SV2….) To further muddy the waters, there is a motor controller that can control 2 motors per controller so its tag would be 1Z1/2, 1Z3/4, etc.

Has anyone come across this type of tagging and if so, where you able to automate it? I am really wrestling with this one.

I am currently not using ACE but I would assume the solution would work with 2016 and above.

Thanks in advance,

[TRLitsey]

Hi there,

Not sure if this will help but here goes. At a job I had some time back the device tags were driven by the mechanical engineers.  They had a method for designing a machine as a series of assemblies.  So the infeed conveyor would be assembly 100 and all devices on that assembly would be in a 100 series such as 100PE, 101PE, 100SOL etc.  We were free to label the inside of the electrical enclosures more or less.  If the conveyor had a motor like 100MTR the drive in the enclosure would have to be 100DRV.  If it was a device in the enclosure exclusive to the controls we could name it as we wished.  The next step in the machine process, say part inspection and orientation would be assembly 200 and the next step would be assembly 300 and so on

The wires were automated using the sheet and reference number but I never found a way to automate the device tags. The one good thing was that the mechanical group had to write a formal machine specification document.  In that document the machine processes would be described in great detail for each assembly.  All devices with the specific tag, description, and detailed function would be called out.  In a Word document it was easy to extract/create a table in the format of tag, description, other details, it would look like 101PE / Product Present Infeed Station 1 / Photo Reflective.  That list could be copy/paste directly into a wdd file so I could pick from the list for my device tags.  Not the best but at least I did not have to struggle with what the best description for the device would be, that was already done for me.

One other thing I should point out, the document had to be agreed to by both mechanical and the controls group. The controls group used the tag and description in their software exactly as they appeared in the schematic so it had to be within the format they used.  They typically wanted;  tag = number then letters, description = no more than 25 character’s and no special character’s.

Well, that is how it was done across the street. Hope you find something that works for you.

Good luck

[ccad2509 · Accepted solution]

Ok here goes

If you use the installation location codes in ACADE you can define

 The conveyor as an location so

Conveyor 1 becomes +1

Conveyor 2 becomes +2

Conveyor 2 becomes +3

Then everything associated with the conveyor will have that prefix

Then you can use the standard numbering format for devices

So PE1 becomes +1-PE1 PE2 becomes +1-PE2

The controllers can be +1-Z1 and +1-Z2

These numbering methods are fairly common

I’m currently working on a project that has over 300 installation zones that are broken down by production line and process

So it works out like this

=Line1+Process1-Tag

=Line2+Process1-Tag

=Line1+Process5-Tag

Find attached an old mechanical overview of a robot cell

=A1 was the MCC section of the main panel

=A2 was the main PLC

=A3.1 /A3.2 /A3.3 were remote panels with PLC's

And it goes on each installation code was pre-defined and each location code was pre-defined so you ended up with predefined functions

This way a whole car factory was designed using standard blocks of information

[testsubject]

CCAd2509,

I am used to using location codes but I used them for Enclosure 1, JBox 1, etc. 

I like what you suggest. Thanks for the insight.

[CAD-ICE]

Hi Bob,

Have you concidered taking use of the replacable parameters %A (Section) or %B (Sub Section) where %A or %B referres to the conveyor or whatever component on that system?

By setting the component tagging format to"%A%F%N" and setting the Section pararmeter in the drawing properties to "1" your problem is solved for conveyor system 1. Then you can copy your design for conveyor 1 to conveyor 2 and change the section attribute of the copied dwg´s to "2" and retag and you are on your way 

I hope this helps you somewhat.

Regards, Gary

[ccad2509]

Hello Gary

yep yours could work as well

FYI Inst loc codes are not an electrical specific numbering method it’s based around an old DIN standard for breaking down processes into logical chunks

It may be worth Bob floating the idea with mechanical so the tagging system can be uniform across both disciplines

I have a Siemen’s document dated June 96 explaining this concept

Bob I have also worked on a project where the numbering system was based inside the panel i.e

+PLC was the PLC Section

+VSD1 was VSD 1 in the panel

+Safety was all the safety relays

+field was all the field terminal blocks

+Power was the power distribution

Etc etc etc