Overview
Caterpillar deployed PlantWatch for a robotic piston rod station retrofit. The system controls a dot peen marker for permanent serialization, a vision system for mark quality inspection, and OCR verification to confirm the marked serial matches the database record — all within an existing robotic cell.
PlantWatch Functions Used
- RS232 communication to dot peen marking controller
- Ethernet IP integration with vision inspection camera
- OCR verification via vision system
- OPC connectivity to existing PLC for cell handshaking
- Logic Wizard for mark-inspect-verify sequence control
- Graphics for operator interface and reject handling
Results
The retrofit was completed without modifying the existing PLC program. PlantWatch sits alongside the robot controller, orchestrating the marking and inspection sequence through OPC handshakes. Every piston rod now carries a permanent Data Matrix code linked to its full manufacturing history in the SQL database.