With over thirty years of experience and a diverse industrial background, NovaTech Engineering Services provide knowledgeable and professional engineering resources as needed or as part of a Facets annual support contract.

NovaTech Process Solutions Engineers combine decades of experience in the chemical, brewing, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, biofuels, nuclear materials handling, metals and other industries with continuous training on the latest standards, NovaTech products, and Microsoft software.  Available around the clock and around the world, NovaTech Engineering Services augments our customers’ in-house engineering resources to gain maximum value from their investment in NovaTech and Microsoft technologies.

System Life Planning

System Life Planning optimizes upgrade and maintenance programs to replace components just as their predicted operational life is ending. System Life Planning starts with a comprehensive study of all your system components including field devices, networks, and computer systems. The Mean-Time Between Failure (MTBF) of each of these components is cataloged, fatigue and damage noted, and a predictive maintenance schedule laid out. This ensures that all components are replaced as their operational value is maximized and before they become liabilities.

System Assessment Services

System Assessment Service extends the operational life and efficiency of any process control system by isolating and correcting risk factors to the longevity of system components. NovaTech engineers thoroughly examine all I/O and cabling and evaluate power quality, grounding practices, process and enterprise network architectures, and general plant practices for any existing and potential risk factors to equipment life. Once identified, chronic conditions can be corrected and faulty equipment replaced.  Control Systems Services include DeltaV, Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Provox, Honeywell TDC 2000 & 3000, Foxboro, Modicon, MTL, and of course the D/3^® DCS.

Strategic Automation Planning

Every industry is under constant pressure to reduce waste, improve margins, increase profits, and comply with regulations. But where should you invest your limited resources for maximum return? NovaTech analysts aren’t tied to any particular brand of valve, PLC, transmitter, or other Intelligent Electronic Device (IED), and therefore can evaluate your facility’s opportunities and liabilities more objectively than other DCS vendors. Findings are presented as both a detailed technical analysis and as a high-level, executive summary, complete with recommended actions and projected return on investments.

Network Engineering

Whether building a new network or troubleshooting or expanding an existing one, NovaTech offers a full range of analysis, design, testing, and installation services aimed at keeping your enterprise’s digital backbone functioning at optimal levels. NovaTech’s core competency in protocol emulation – the creation of flawless interfaces between disparate proprietary devices and networks – allows us to interface with standard, legacy, and proprietary networks and devices. As a result, our customers can continue using a greater percentage of their existing hardware and network infrastructure during an upgrade. Network Engineering brings legacy SCADA networks and islands of automation into state-of-the-art, truly open architecture solutions.

Applications Engineering

Applications Engineering combines decades of industry-specific knowledge with expert understanding of the capabilities of the D/3 and other Distributed Control Systems (DCSs). NovaTech Applications Engineers (AEs) have been designing and upgrading DCSs since 1975, and have helped customers re-engineer their manufacturing processes innumerable times over the years, gaining insight and refining their processes with every job. These chemical, electric, mechanical, and software engineers each have more than twenty years of experience in their respective disciplines, and several are former customers.

Sample batch and continuous application experience:

• Multi-Stream and Multi-Batch Chemical Processes
• Process Simulation
• Boiler Control
• Radioactive Waste Processing and Monitoring
• Steel Continuous Casting
• ISA SP88 Flexible Batch Applications
• Multi-Component Distillation
• Fermentation (Brewing and Biochemical)
• Waste Water Processing
• Extrusion
• Oil Seed Extraction
• Sterilization
• Corn Milling
• Brewing
• Ethanol Production
• Pharmaceutical Applications

Hardware Engineering

Skilled NovaTech designers and electrical engineers can design, test, validate, and install custom hardware for any application. While we believe our products to be the finest available, customers have complete freedom when specifying components.

Example Hardware Engineering Services:

• Custom board and cabinet design, construction and testing
• Total integration services for Modicon (200, 800 & Quantum), Allen-Bradley (1771 & Flex), Siemens (Simatic 505 and S7-300) and D/3 (Series 16000 and 8000) I/O
• Custom I/O panel implementation, Nema (1, 12, 4 and 4x), purged systems and intrinsically safe designs
• Custom termination panel designs and implementation, enhanced CableFast and QuickBloc

Systems Engineering

The D/3 DCS is significantly more customizable than other process automation systems. NovaTech Systems Engineers (SEs) help customers take full advantage of these capabilities and develop new features for specialized applications. SEs can also quickly transfer any software applications developed on older versions of the D/3 into a new D/3 system during an upgrade.

Enterprise Software Integration

The D/3 DCS integrates with ERP and third-party software systems in a vertical communications hierarchy. System architectures extend from the lowest levels of control to the highest levels of plant and corporate organizations, for true enterprise-wide information usage.

Power and Grounding Services

Poor power quality (surges, sags, power failures, transients, harmonic distortion, conducted radio frequency energy, chronic high or low line voltages, poor frequency regulation) and inadequate grounding (ground resistance too high, ground leads too long, ground loops between grounding systems, excessive common mode voltages, electrical noise on grounding systems) can affect your production equipment and the digital systems tied to them, leading to data corruption and computer crashes. NovaTech’s Power & Grounding Service begins with a site survey and thorough analysis of your power and grounding systems. We document our findings, design and recommend countermeasures, manage their installation and test their effectiveness.

Additional Engineering Services

• Graphics Development
• System Validation & Commissioning
• System Maintenance
• Project Management
• Cable testing services
• I/O troubleshooting services
• Industrial data communication systems
• Security