IPA

IPA (Institutul de Cercetări și Proiectări pentru Automatizări, the Research and Design Institute for Automation) in Bucharest grew out of the firm „Automatica”, set up in 1960 with three aims: production, research and design, and the installation of automation equipment and plants [1]. In 1961 the Termotehnica firm was absorbed as a production unit associated with the institute, under the name „Automatica”; in 1962 the GUAEIA industrial group (Electrotehnica, Electroaparataj, Electromagnetica and Automatica) was formed, with IPA as its design institute, in the new building at 18 Kalinin Boulevard (Mircea Eliade Boulevard after 1990) [1]. For two years from 1970 it was united with IPET (later Electrouzinproiect), and in 1979 with the computer institute ITC, becoming the central institute IPA TCT until 1984, when ITC left, and 1986, when the telecommunications research and design centre left [1]. Branches were set up in Cluj-Napoca (1976), Bârlad and Alexandria (1978), Galați and Botoșani (1979), Craiova, Iași, Pașcani and Buzău (1980), Brașov, Bacău and Arad (1982), Constanța (1983), Oradea (1984) and Timișoara (1985) [1]. It became a commercial company in 1991; three branches remain, in Cluj-Napoca, Craiova and Galați [1].

Products

In 1960–1965 automation designs used relays, contactors and magnetic amplifiers, and the UNILOG system with germanium transistors, put into production at FEA in 1965, was researched [1]. In 1966–1970 IPA developed the first generation of machine-tool equipment and the USILOG static switching system; FEA completed taking over the Hokushin licence for a unified system of automation elements with germanium transistors, and IPA moved the Hokushin equipment to silicon [1]. In 1971–1975 came the SEROM unified electronic control system with linear integrated circuits, made at FEA, a unified pneumatic control system under a Kent – EGHI licence, made at IEPAM Bârlad, the first NUMEROM numerical control equipment for machine tools and the first electro-hydraulic governors for large hydro turbines, under a French licence (NEYRPI) [1]. In 1976–1980 it developed the ECAROM 800 process control computers, a family of automatic dosing and weighing equipment and the AP 101 and AP 117 programmable controllers [1]. In 1981–1985 it developed the SDC-2050 distributed control system, made at Automatica, the first generation of SICOR industrial robot controllers and the REH-76M electro-hydraulic hydro turbine governor, of its own design [1]. In 1986–1989 followed the MULTIPROM modular hardware and software system, specialised control units for grinding and electrical-discharge machines, the DISTRIPROM distributed control system, the SDM-90 PC-based control system and the THETAROM automatic testers for electronic modules [1]. After 1990 it made families of digital controllers, programmable controllers and automation equipment; since 2000 more than 100 of its projects have received national research funding [1].

The REH-76M was made in 200 units, which equipped 44 hydro power stations, and its ROMRE F04 version was exported to Turkey [2]. With FEA it developed the Felix C32P process computer (1974) and the ECAROM and NUMEROM series [3].