THE SOLUTION:

Always one for a challenge, side by side with our trusted mechanical contractors, we painfully worked through the schematic drawings, the field wiring and the plc logic. By a process of elimination, using a methodical and logical mindset, we forced or bypassed  plc inputs, limit switches,  sensors and push buttons, and then added additional cabling to work out exactly how the machine should operate. For cost and timeframe reasons, the client decided that  replacing the entire PLC out, was not a viable option short term (but likely a future option for upgrades) so we  opted instead to take the primary PLC outputs and feed them into our own  PLC with a simple custom program to make the necessary minor end changes required to give the desired control, monitoring and feedback via a custom programmed HMI screen.

The customer was extremally grateful for our willingness to assist, and our persistence and  prioritization of their project so that we  met the deadline and budget.