Horlick, an experienced manufacturer of industrial control panels, has worked on several projects with TevTech LLC, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of custom vacuum furnaces. The goal of one such project was to provide PLC-base control panels to the end customer, an Asia-based major manufacturer of ceramic products.
This project was one of a number of deliveries that TevTech has supplied to this customer over several years. TevTech initially supplied this customer with a control system that was needed to replace one that was outdated as part of a facility relocation project. The control panel was integrated with existing equipment as a part of an overhaul. To support the customer’s business, TevTech supplied six new systems complete with custom control packages provided by Horlick. This project used as a “utility panel” to monitor and control all of the auxiliary, support and safety equipment within the customer’s complete facility.
Established in 1994, TevTech LLC produces industrial processing equipment, mainly high temperature vacuum furnaces. The furnaces are used in applications including chemical vapor deposition and infiltration, sintering, de-binding, purification and graphitization.
Horlick is one of TevTech’s strategic suppliers. The two companies have been working together for more than 12 years.
“Horlick is very easy to work with: they have cost effective solutions with good lead times, they are flexible, continually improving designs, and they provide good support,” said Jim MacDonald, TevTech’s Managing Partner.
The products that TevTech ships are typically custom-designed to the client’s specific needs. TevTech’s control requirements typically have certain features in common, but the design of the control panel will vary depending on the exact specifications provided by a particular customer.
Jim continued, “Typically, the control panel specifications are finalized towards the end of the product build cycle, so Horlick needs to be able to respond in a timely fashion in order for us to meet our commitments to our customers.”
The high temperature vacuum furnaces provided by TevTech are a complete system that involves the following as a minimum:
- Vacuum pumps
- Gas flow control and monitoring
- Transmitters, RTD’s and switches used for control and automation
- Support equipment
- Utilities interface
- Safety interlocks
The control panel design incorporates all of these items. TevTech provides specific project documentation that includes a PID or (Process and Instrumentation Diagram), an Instrument List and a Control Specification. Horlick takes the information contained in these documents and utilizes it to complete the electrical design of the control system.
The control panels that Horlick provides for TevTech typically include an Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) to control the process. The standard system also typically includes an industrial computer that serves as the HMI (Human Machine Interface). The HMI is where the information with respect to the state of the process is displayed and it is also the place where the operator can implement specific control instructions. By using an industrial computer as the HMI, TevTech is also able to log data and trends and store specific information in Windows-based programs.
About TevTech
Established in 1994, TevTech LLC designs and manufactures custom vacuum furnaces, providing materials processing solutions to the Advanced Materials manufacturing market. TevTech’s team has the unique combination of vacuum furnace operation, design and manufacturing experience enabling them to excel in the identification of opportunities for improvement and effective materials processing solutions. Their philosophy is for long term partnerships and their success depends upon their customers’ success.
TevTech’s design team can provide turnkey high temperature vacuum furnace and support equipment that embodies a proper engineered solution for your materials processing requirement. Located in Billerica, MA, TevTech’s capabilities include recipe-driven automated control systems, ASME certified tube welders, chamber fabrication utilizing ASME WPSs and factory acceptance testing.
