William Kane
11 Saxon Rd. Worcester, Massachusetts 01602
Phone: 508-873-1875
E-Mail: bill@kane-automation.com
Senior Controls Engineer with 30 years’ experience designing control systems for capital equipment. Experienced programmer on multiple software platforms, including;
Work Experience
Automation Consultant & freelance PLC programmer
3/2020 to Present.
Providing design and programming services to OEM’s and System Integrators
Senior Control & Software Engineer
IPG Photonics Oxford Ma.
3/2010 – 3/2020
Supervise the electrical and software design of Laser welding and cutting systems. Develop custom CNC motion controls. Program custom HMI’s using LabView, Factory Talk View and C#. Write technical proposals for custom systems. Provide training for sales team and customers.
Project Engineer
9/2007 – 4/2010 EMX Controls Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Design control systems for client companies. Projects include designing and commissioning the controls for a large sterilization chamber for Kraft Foods using Allen Bradley RS Logix and Factory Talk RSView. Designed the controls and developed software for a new vacuum furnace using Siemens Step 7 and WinCC Flexible. Developed software for wire and metal shaping lines in India and South Korea.
Senior Controls Engineer
3/2006 - 9/2007 Mill Lane Engineering, Lowell, Massachusetts
Designed electrical control panels and software for custom high vacuum roll coaters using Siemens Step 7 and WinCC 6.0.
Developed custom recipe, data acquisition and logging programs using National Instruments LabVIEW.
Start up and commission PVD systems at customers’ facilities.
Experience with several PVD processes including: Magnetron Sputtering, Thermal Evaporation, IBAD, Ion Beam Sputtering
System Integrator / Owner
10/2003 - 4/2006 Brierwood Controls Inc., Clinton, Massachusetts
Provided controls and software to update PVD vacuum coaters using LabVIEW, Think and DO with multiple I/O systems.
Developed control system for Laser Assisted Molecular Beam Deposition System using LabVIEW custom I/O.
Designed and installed custom low voltage power supplies for thermal evaporation systems.
Manufacturers Rep for Sigma Instruments and Plasma Surface Engineering.
Senior Controls Engineer
9/1995 - 10/2003 Mill Lane Engineering, Lowell, Massachusetts
Responsible for all areas relating to the design of electrical control panels and software for custom high vacuum coating systems.
Worked with sales representatives and customers to develop technical specifications and scopes of work.
Supervised the construction and installation of equipment on the shop floor and at customers facilities.
Responsible for the hiring and supervision of software engineers and technicians
Panel Shop Supervisor / Sales Engineer
6/1988 - 9/1995 VA Systems (White Electric), Lowell, Massachusetts
Designed, programmed and supervised the construction of adjustable speed drive systems.
Converted the manual drafting system to Auto Cad.
Provided field service for adjustable drive systems in the New England area.
Application Engineer
4/1983 - 6/1987 Vee Arc, Westborough, Massachusetts
Provided technical support to sales.
Trained customers on applying and troubleshooting adjustable speed drives.
Provided back-up support for field service engineers as needed.
Developed specifications and test procedures for modified products.
Skills
Skill Name Skill Level
* Allen Bradley Studio5000 Expert
* Allen Bradley FactoryTalk View Expert
* Auto Cad Intermediate
* LabVIEW Programming Expert
* Siemens TIA Portal Expert
* Beckhoff TwinCAT3 Expert
* Microsoft Office Proficient
* Bus Systems Profibus, DeviceNet, Ethernet/IP, Modbus
11 Saxon Rd. Worcester, Massachusetts 01602
Phone: 508-873-1875
E-Mail: bill@kane-automation.com
Senior Controls Engineer with 30 years’ experience designing control systems for capital equipment. Experienced programmer on multiple software platforms, including;
- Beckhoff TwinCAT
- National Instruments LabVIEW
- ACS Motion Control
- Siemens TIA Portal
- Allen Bradley Studio 5000
- Factorytalk View.
- Experienced with industrial bus systems including EtherCAT, DeviceNet, Profibus, Ethernet/IP and Modbus.
Work Experience
Automation Consultant & freelance PLC programmer
3/2020 to Present.
Providing design and programming services to OEM’s and System Integrators
Senior Control & Software Engineer
IPG Photonics Oxford Ma.
3/2010 – 3/2020
Supervise the electrical and software design of Laser welding and cutting systems. Develop custom CNC motion controls. Program custom HMI’s using LabView, Factory Talk View and C#. Write technical proposals for custom systems. Provide training for sales team and customers.
Project Engineer
9/2007 – 4/2010 EMX Controls Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Design control systems for client companies. Projects include designing and commissioning the controls for a large sterilization chamber for Kraft Foods using Allen Bradley RS Logix and Factory Talk RSView. Designed the controls and developed software for a new vacuum furnace using Siemens Step 7 and WinCC Flexible. Developed software for wire and metal shaping lines in India and South Korea.
Senior Controls Engineer
3/2006 - 9/2007 Mill Lane Engineering, Lowell, Massachusetts
Designed electrical control panels and software for custom high vacuum roll coaters using Siemens Step 7 and WinCC 6.0.
Developed custom recipe, data acquisition and logging programs using National Instruments LabVIEW.
Start up and commission PVD systems at customers’ facilities.
Experience with several PVD processes including: Magnetron Sputtering, Thermal Evaporation, IBAD, Ion Beam Sputtering
System Integrator / Owner
10/2003 - 4/2006 Brierwood Controls Inc., Clinton, Massachusetts
Provided controls and software to update PVD vacuum coaters using LabVIEW, Think and DO with multiple I/O systems.
Developed control system for Laser Assisted Molecular Beam Deposition System using LabVIEW custom I/O.
Designed and installed custom low voltage power supplies for thermal evaporation systems.
Manufacturers Rep for Sigma Instruments and Plasma Surface Engineering.
Senior Controls Engineer
9/1995 - 10/2003 Mill Lane Engineering, Lowell, Massachusetts
Responsible for all areas relating to the design of electrical control panels and software for custom high vacuum coating systems.
Worked with sales representatives and customers to develop technical specifications and scopes of work.
Supervised the construction and installation of equipment on the shop floor and at customers facilities.
Responsible for the hiring and supervision of software engineers and technicians
Panel Shop Supervisor / Sales Engineer
6/1988 - 9/1995 VA Systems (White Electric), Lowell, Massachusetts
Designed, programmed and supervised the construction of adjustable speed drive systems.
Converted the manual drafting system to Auto Cad.
Provided field service for adjustable drive systems in the New England area.
Application Engineer
4/1983 - 6/1987 Vee Arc, Westborough, Massachusetts
Provided technical support to sales.
Trained customers on applying and troubleshooting adjustable speed drives.
Provided back-up support for field service engineers as needed.
Developed specifications and test procedures for modified products.
Skills
Skill Name Skill Level
* Allen Bradley Studio5000 Expert
* Allen Bradley FactoryTalk View Expert
* Auto Cad Intermediate
* LabVIEW Programming Expert
* Siemens TIA Portal Expert
* Beckhoff TwinCAT3 Expert
* Microsoft Office Proficient
* Bus Systems Profibus, DeviceNet, Ethernet/IP, Modbus
Employment and Educational History
The Start:
I graduated from Worcester Vocational High School Electrical Department in 1975. After high school I worked as an apprentice electrician for a short time before entering the US Navy where I attended Engineering Aid School. After the Navy I returned to work as an electrician and acquired my Journeyman's license in 1979. During this time, I became involved in rebuilding machinery for the plastic industry. My drafting skills developed in the Navy and a real interest in automation created opportunities for me to work on the design of control panels for extruders and thermo formers. I enjoyed this work thoroughly and decided to pursue a job in this field.
Foundation:
In 1983 I became employed at Vee-Arc Corporation in Westborough, Massachusetts. Today I consider this job as the foundation for my career as an engineer. Vee-Arc manufactured the first PWM variable frequency drives in the USA. Originally, I was employed as a lead technician to work on building prototype drives as they expanded their product from 3 and 5 horsepower units up through 30 horsepower. This job provided a great learning opportunity. I enrolled in an Electronics Technology course from NRI, and with the support of the engineering staff, available test equipment and related work I was able to expand my education beyond what was covered in the assignments. I quickly became very knowledgeable on the company's product. With my previous work as an industrial electrician I was an asset to the sales department. I was given a new position as Application Engineer.
This was my first job with engineer in the title. This position challenged me in ways that I had not expected. Fortunately, I had a great boss and mentor who always showed confidence in my ability. I worked hard during this time to expand my communication and math skills through reading and home study guides. One task that really allowed me to advance these skills was developing and presenting training seminars. It was not uncommon for me to put on full day seminars at companies like 3M, Dow Chemical and Ford Motor Company. I learned early on the value of preparation.
In late 1986 Vee-Arc was developing a new front end for their drives. The project was consuming the Engineering Managers time and he wanted someone to deal with the day to day management of the engineering department. I was offered the position of Manufacturing Engineering Manager on the condition I would complete a management course. The course was called Fundamentals of Management put on by the CMEA Employers Association. It was two nights a week for six weeks and was held at Wright Line in Worcester.
Training and Work Experience
In 1988 Vee-Arc was sold to Furnace Electric and moved to Milford, Massachusetts. The former Sales Manager had started a systems integration company called VA Systems in Lowell, Massachusetts. I went to work for VA Systems as both the panel shop supervisor and controls engineer. In addition to systems integration, VA Systems was a distributor for GE PLCs and Magnetek Drives. This provided me with the opportunity to attend various training classes and seminars offered to their distributors.
This training included:
Series One and Series Three PLC Programming
Series Six Programming
Basic Module Programming
AC Drive Troubleshooting
During my time at VA Systems the industry was changing from analog boards and control to microprocessors and digital control. To keep pace, I focused most of my learning activity on programming. I became proficient in programming both GE and Allen Bradley PLCs. Other software I taught myself included Auto Cad and SCIL an ANSI C compiler.
In 1995 I went to work for Mill Lane Engineering in Lowell, Massachusetts. Mill Lane was a client company of VA Systems that I had done work for. My first project was for 3M to build a Vacuum System for a laser ablation process for flexible circuit boards. The requirements included an Allen Bradley PLC with a LabView front end. I had never used LabView, so I started a LabView self paced basic training program and purchased several LabView tutorials. Over the next eight years approximately half of the systems we shipped included LabView. Other HMI software packages I used during this time included Wonderware, Intellution fix, Iconics Genesis and Think and Do.
In 1999 I attended training for Microsoft Access in Acton, Massachusetts. I was working on a project that required large multi level recipes. We chose to develop these recipes in Access and integrate them into our control package using the LabView SQL tool kit.
In 2000 we added VIA Electrical to AutoCAD and I attended a week of training in Indianapolis, Indiana. A year or so later VIA was purchased by Autodesk and became AutoCAD Electrical.
In 2006 Mill Lane was building a large vacuum web coating system that required Siemens PLCs and software. I attended a week of training at CCA in Westborough, Massachusetts for both Step 7 and WinCC. The system has been installed and running at American Superconductor in Devens, Massachusetts since 2007
In 2008 EMX Controls sent me to a one-week training course on Siemens Sinamics drives and Simotion Motion controls in Nashville, Tennessee. Following the training I completed two wire shaping lines using Simotion. One is installed at a Samsung Corning plant in South Korea and the other at Indo Schottle in Pune, India. Other systems I completed while at EMX were a food sterilization system for Kraft Foods and a Sapphire crystal growth system for Arc Energy.
For 10 years from 2010 to 2020 I worked at IPG Photonics in systems development department integrating IPG Lasers into a variety of welding, cutting, cladding, and marking systems. Our department was part of Rockwell's Machine builder program. Working with Rockwell as a machine builder gave me access to many of Rockwell training programs. Over this time, I became an expert in Rockwell's RSLogix/Studio 5000.Over this time we developed several CNC based products and Robotic work cells. I was also responsible for developing the software and controls for inhouse designed crystal growth furnaces using Rockwell Allen Bradley PLC and LabView HMI's. Currently there are 12 of these furnaces running.
I hope it gives you a better picture of my work history and education.
The Start:
I graduated from Worcester Vocational High School Electrical Department in 1975. After high school I worked as an apprentice electrician for a short time before entering the US Navy where I attended Engineering Aid School. After the Navy I returned to work as an electrician and acquired my Journeyman's license in 1979. During this time, I became involved in rebuilding machinery for the plastic industry. My drafting skills developed in the Navy and a real interest in automation created opportunities for me to work on the design of control panels for extruders and thermo formers. I enjoyed this work thoroughly and decided to pursue a job in this field.
Foundation:
In 1983 I became employed at Vee-Arc Corporation in Westborough, Massachusetts. Today I consider this job as the foundation for my career as an engineer. Vee-Arc manufactured the first PWM variable frequency drives in the USA. Originally, I was employed as a lead technician to work on building prototype drives as they expanded their product from 3 and 5 horsepower units up through 30 horsepower. This job provided a great learning opportunity. I enrolled in an Electronics Technology course from NRI, and with the support of the engineering staff, available test equipment and related work I was able to expand my education beyond what was covered in the assignments. I quickly became very knowledgeable on the company's product. With my previous work as an industrial electrician I was an asset to the sales department. I was given a new position as Application Engineer.
This was my first job with engineer in the title. This position challenged me in ways that I had not expected. Fortunately, I had a great boss and mentor who always showed confidence in my ability. I worked hard during this time to expand my communication and math skills through reading and home study guides. One task that really allowed me to advance these skills was developing and presenting training seminars. It was not uncommon for me to put on full day seminars at companies like 3M, Dow Chemical and Ford Motor Company. I learned early on the value of preparation.
In late 1986 Vee-Arc was developing a new front end for their drives. The project was consuming the Engineering Managers time and he wanted someone to deal with the day to day management of the engineering department. I was offered the position of Manufacturing Engineering Manager on the condition I would complete a management course. The course was called Fundamentals of Management put on by the CMEA Employers Association. It was two nights a week for six weeks and was held at Wright Line in Worcester.
Training and Work Experience
In 1988 Vee-Arc was sold to Furnace Electric and moved to Milford, Massachusetts. The former Sales Manager had started a systems integration company called VA Systems in Lowell, Massachusetts. I went to work for VA Systems as both the panel shop supervisor and controls engineer. In addition to systems integration, VA Systems was a distributor for GE PLCs and Magnetek Drives. This provided me with the opportunity to attend various training classes and seminars offered to their distributors.
This training included:
Series One and Series Three PLC Programming
Series Six Programming
Basic Module Programming
AC Drive Troubleshooting
During my time at VA Systems the industry was changing from analog boards and control to microprocessors and digital control. To keep pace, I focused most of my learning activity on programming. I became proficient in programming both GE and Allen Bradley PLCs. Other software I taught myself included Auto Cad and SCIL an ANSI C compiler.
In 1995 I went to work for Mill Lane Engineering in Lowell, Massachusetts. Mill Lane was a client company of VA Systems that I had done work for. My first project was for 3M to build a Vacuum System for a laser ablation process for flexible circuit boards. The requirements included an Allen Bradley PLC with a LabView front end. I had never used LabView, so I started a LabView self paced basic training program and purchased several LabView tutorials. Over the next eight years approximately half of the systems we shipped included LabView. Other HMI software packages I used during this time included Wonderware, Intellution fix, Iconics Genesis and Think and Do.
In 1999 I attended training for Microsoft Access in Acton, Massachusetts. I was working on a project that required large multi level recipes. We chose to develop these recipes in Access and integrate them into our control package using the LabView SQL tool kit.
In 2000 we added VIA Electrical to AutoCAD and I attended a week of training in Indianapolis, Indiana. A year or so later VIA was purchased by Autodesk and became AutoCAD Electrical.
In 2006 Mill Lane was building a large vacuum web coating system that required Siemens PLCs and software. I attended a week of training at CCA in Westborough, Massachusetts for both Step 7 and WinCC. The system has been installed and running at American Superconductor in Devens, Massachusetts since 2007
In 2008 EMX Controls sent me to a one-week training course on Siemens Sinamics drives and Simotion Motion controls in Nashville, Tennessee. Following the training I completed two wire shaping lines using Simotion. One is installed at a Samsung Corning plant in South Korea and the other at Indo Schottle in Pune, India. Other systems I completed while at EMX were a food sterilization system for Kraft Foods and a Sapphire crystal growth system for Arc Energy.
For 10 years from 2010 to 2020 I worked at IPG Photonics in systems development department integrating IPG Lasers into a variety of welding, cutting, cladding, and marking systems. Our department was part of Rockwell's Machine builder program. Working with Rockwell as a machine builder gave me access to many of Rockwell training programs. Over this time, I became an expert in Rockwell's RSLogix/Studio 5000.Over this time we developed several CNC based products and Robotic work cells. I was also responsible for developing the software and controls for inhouse designed crystal growth furnaces using Rockwell Allen Bradley PLC and LabView HMI's. Currently there are 12 of these furnaces running.
I hope it gives you a better picture of my work history and education.
