PLC FIeld I/O Panel Experiences, 1998 Process Control, Electrical & Info. Conference Proceedings

Beginning in the late 1970’s, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) started to change the way pulp and paper mills implement electrical control schemes. Electrical Engineers have continually tried to improve their Field I/O Panels, the interface point between the PLC and the field devices, to make them more standard, quicker to build, and easier to troubleshoot. This paper will discuss the evolution of Field I/O Panels at Consolidated Papers and show how changing technology and hindsight have led to the creation of a Field I/O Panel that takes into account the needs of all persons involved with design, construction and maintenance of these panels.

Starting with the earliest panels designed in 1978, through the newest panels designed in 1996, there have been a number of changes leading up to our current standard PLC panel. Included in this paper will be a discussion of the following items: technology advances and maintenance needs that drove the panel designs from one stage to the next, an overview of CPI’s current standard PLC panel, and a discussion of the environmental, space, and application issues that impact the design of PLC panels. Additionally, there will be an overview of the PLC panel changes that were implemented as part of two recent PLC retrofits to show how we are applying this knowledge to retrofits as well as new installations.