Design and Prototyping of an Electronic Circuit Board Controller for an Outdoor Furnace

SteelTech Incorporated是一家总部位于马尼托巴省的中小企业，拥有在加拿大各地销售的HeatMasterss户外炉品牌。该公司为寻求能源独立的客户生产生物质加热替代品。该炉的g系列，容量大约为4,000至10,000平方英尺的加热空间范围，是一种相对较新的产品，被公认为行业的旗舰炉。该炉目前主要使用基于可编程逻辑控制器（plc）的数字系统来操作传感器和控制炉。然而，由于输入/输出（I/O）能力有限，目前的电子设备和plc不能用于额外的传感器和整体控制系统的未来改进。为客户的便利性，易用性和附加功能而改进产品性能受到当前电子设计的限制。SteelTech正在寻求一种强大的电子和控制系统解决方案，以更低的成本实现所需的产品改进。

SteelTech Incorporated is a Manitoba-based SME and the owner of the HeatMasterss brand of outdoor furnaces sold across Canada. The company manufactures biomass heating alternatives for customers seeking energy independence. The G-series of the furnace, with a capacity for an approximate heating space range of 4,000 to 10,000 square feet, is a relatively new product recognized as the flagship furnace of the industry. This furnace currently uses a digital system primarily based on Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) to operate the sensors and control the furnace. However, the current electronics and PLCs are not scaled for additional sensors and future improvements in the overall control system because of the limited number of input/output (I/O) capability. Improvements in product performance for customers' convenience, ease of use and additional functionalities become limited by the current electronics design. SteelTech is seeking a robust solution for the electronics and control systems that will allow the desired product improvements at lower costs. Achieving this objective would require a significant level of research. SteelTech conducted some initial review in-house and have determined that replacing the current PLCs with a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) would provide the robustness required for additional sensors, standardizing the control system and lowering the overall cost. Meanwhile, the company does not have the in-house research capacity for PCB design and programming, embedded systems and sensors integration, as required. Therefore, SteelTech is collaborating with the Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM) at Red River College for the development of a new electronic circuitry that will replace the current PLCs. The overall project objective is to design and manufacture a working prototype of a newly designed PCB with on-the-board controllers that will be suitable for implementing on the HeatMasterss G-series. The TACAM team will deploy capabilities and expertise in PCB design, computing languages (C++ and Python), sensors, programing of human-machine interface (HMI), fabrication techniques and systems integration to deliver this project. SteelTech is a successful Manitoba SME with a significant amount of commitment to innovation. The company has a demonstrated capacity to implement the results of this research through commercialization. Once commercialized, there is capacity for mass manufacturing the PCB locally in Manitoba through organizations such as Price Electronics and Parker Hannifin. The TACAM and SteelTech teams are looking forward to expanding knowledge in embedded systems and electronics. The knowledge gained will be of benefit to students, researchers and faculty working on the project and will be useful for further research.