Flying Shear Automation Migration — Piping Factory, Benin

Flying Shear Automation Migration — Piping Factory, Benin

Full migration from a Siemens S7-300 to a Delta AS200 PLC for a high-speed flying shear cutting system in a continuous piping production factory — delivering precise cut-to-length operations with improved reliability and lower long-term ownership costs.

Matrix EA completed a full migration of the flying shear automation system at a continuous piping production factory in the Republic of Benin. The Flying Shear is a critical high-speed cutting machine that performs precise cut-to-length operations on moving pipe material without stopping the production line. The aging Siemens SIMATIC S7-300 PLC and its associated drives were replaced with a modern Delta AS200 compact modular PLC, Delta HMI, and servo drives. The scope of work included reverse engineering of the existing control logic and I/O mapping, full hardware replacement (PLC, HMI, drives, and encoders), and complete software redevelopment — implementing flying shear-specific functions including electronic camming (E-CAM), synchronization with line speed, precise cut timing, dynamic length control, fault handling, and safety interlocks. Commissioning was completed with minimal production interruption. The upgraded system delivers consistent, high-quality pipe cutting performance with faster scan times, better diagnostics, readily available spare parts, and an intuitive operator interface supporting recipe management, real-time alarms, and production reporting.