Auto-Soft Automation Software Systems is a system integrator based in Utah, USA, that specializes in real-time computer control for manufacturing and distribution. Services include software, hardware, and systems integration. Their clients include American Airlines, Daifuku USA, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, GM, HP and Motorola, to name but a few.

“We were installing a Pentium/Solaris system in a new semi-conductor fabrication plant for a Korean Semi- Conductor manufacturer”, says Vee Butterfield, Project Manager for Auto-Soft. Our system controls the movement and storage of cassettes, each holding up to 25 million silicon wafers, which are processed into semiconductors.

The semi-conductor plant has 45 “stockers” - storage rooms where silicon wafers are stored between the processes that turn them into semi-conductors. Each stocker is associated with a separate process. The plant is a clean room environment with state-of-the-art robotics automating many of the processes.

We used Perle SX-Host cards and eight port terminal adapters to support the communications between the servers and the process controllers handling the robotic equipment.

Our existing I/O supplier didn’t support Solaris, and I recommended Perle (previously known as Perle Specialix) because of previous good experiences with the company.

We were under tremendous pressure from the customer to get our communications system back on line so that they could continue with plant start up.

Perle worked closely with us and sure enough everything came back on line according to schedule.

We intend to design in Perle and Solaris for future systems, confident in the knowledge that we are dealing with a high-principled and service-oriented company.