Computer use for total control of the electron processing system

The architecture of a dedicated 32 bit 68000 VME based microprocessor control system for continuous electron beam processing machine control is described. The modes of operation are discussed with particular attention to fault isolation and announcement, and accelerator conditioning. The incorporation within software of the knowledge and decision making process of an experienced test engineer allows the formerly tedious and error prone accelerator conditioning task to proceed completely automatically. Comparisons from an operator's and maintenance technician's viewpoints are made with analog, digital, and programmable controllers. The implementation of the microprocessor controller in a production machine is shown and test results and installation results are presented. The extendability of the architecture to integrate control of peripheral connected equipment is demonstrated by an installed system where the electron beam controller also controls the operation of the complete coating line. Provisions for integration into factory-wide host computer or networked systems are also described. (author)