The ability to accurately measure, display and control temperature values is crucial to industrial applications such as plastic extrusion, injection moulding, thermoforming and food processing. Processing plants must therefore consider many features when selecting a temperature controller.
The compact DIN rail RFS single-loop controller from Eurotherm is ideal for use as a slave PID loop to a
programmable logic controller (PLC). Many users prefer to use a single-loop controller to manage each zone of a process. It gives them the ability to link the temperature controllers and zones to a supervisory controller for coordination and remote single-point monitoring.
The RFS combines all of these qualities and more: not only is it cost-effective, but it has fast response times with single point monitoring using the Modbus communication interface, and it has in-built intelligence.
It has been designed using a Smart PID self-tuning algorithm equipped with soft start and a non-linear cooling function specially designed for use on water cooled extruders. The smart tuning automatically adjusts the unit to existing process dynamics to avoid disruption of current operating conditions.
Smart temperature controllers can be programmed to provide a variety of outputs in response to changing conditions. There are three outputs with the RFS providing a heat plus two alarms or heat/cool plus one alarm configuration. A complete set of process protection alarm functions - with high and low limits, and band and deviation - are also included.
All inputs and outputs can be read directly over the Modbus interface and the master can write to RFS outputs not assigned as alarm or status functions, to simplify machine troubleshooting and enable the system to perform remote diagnostics.
The RFS is easily configured using PC wizard software and the parameters can be modified at any time.