In my current role as a Control Systems Engineer at InvTech, my primary responsibility is to ensure the reliability and safety of our automated production machinery. On one occasion, we noticed inconsistencies in product quality due to fluctuations in a control system governing a significant portion of the assembly line.
I diagnosed the control loop, finding an incorrectly configured PID controller. After determining the issue, I reprogrammed and tuned the controller to optimize it for our production process, using both simulation and on-site testing.
As a result of these adjustments, not only did we improve product consistency by 30%, but also eliminated safety risks associated with unplanned machine shutdowns that may have affected personnel nearby. This experience underlined how critical a well-implemented and managed control system is to both production quality and workplace safety.