Textiles Go Hi Tech

Textile manufacturing was once one of the great industries of New England. A testament to this heyday in Maine are the giant brick mill buildings of Lewiston, Saco, Waterville, Brunswick, etc. Those days are gone, but just like the mill buildings have been renewed, so too has the textile industry, at least to a degree. But instead of cotton and wool, these companies are using high-tech fibers and manufacturing methods. One of these manufacturers recently reached out to AEC Engineering for assistance. Some of their equipment, which was originally purchased overseas, had old components that had become unreliable. Parts were hard to find and unsupported, and the programming was obsolete. With the help of some partners in the industry, AEC Engineering was able to assemble the resources to re-write the code to a current PLC platform, create a new touch-screen operator interface, upgrade the servo drives, and develop a plan to perform the work in a manner to not interrupt production. If your production controls need to be updated, let us know and we’d be happy to take a look.