AJ Johnson

Expertise

AJ Johnson's focus is the design, development, and implementation of process control systems for industrial automation. He has experience working with a variety of manufacturing processes, especially in the metals industry, such as smelting, casting, hot and cold rolling, non-destructive testing, and quality assurance. In addition to his work in the US, projects have also included installations in Spain, Germany, Italy, UK, Russia, and Thailand.

TelePro Experience

AJ's work has included the following:

  • Modernization of a number of hot and cold aluminum rolling mills, in some cases simply migrating existing control code to an upgraded hardware architecture, and in others, implementing completely new control technology.
  • Software development for an ultrasonic inspection system used to evaluate metal plate used by the aerospace industry.
  • Development of a vibro-acoustic slag detection system now installed in a number of steel casting facilities worldwide.
  • Development of a debit card system designed to replace the coin vending previously used in washing machines and dryers in commercial laundromats. This automation system is now installed at over 500 locations within the US and Canada.
  • Numerous smaller projects to develop communications drivers for various devices, including:
    • Atmospheric data collection devices
    • Laser and x-ray thickness measuring gauges
    • Allen-Bradley, Automax, and GE PLCs
    • A/D, D/A, and digital input/output devices
    • VMIC reflective memory

In addition, AJ has worked to develop a number of TelePro's own products, including:

  • The TSentry Real-Time Windows Control System Platform, a software suite that provides the basic framework required to implement a deterministic, real-time control system and allows users to quickly develop and debug their own custom software applications.
  • The TSecurity software package, which provides a centralized and easy-to-use interface for managing security within multi-user applications.
  • The Spectrum Profile and Shape Model (SPS), a modeling package used to analyze, develop, and implement control systems for rolling mills.
  • The Virtual Entry Gauge/Encoderless Eccentricity Compensation (VEG/EE) system, an advanced signal processing and feedback control system designed to eliminate periodic disturbances in the gauge of rolled metal.

Prior Experience

Previously AJ worked as a research assistant for the Photonic Systems Group at the University of Illinois. There he studied digital signal processing, control systems, and computer tomography. His thesis work was in the development of post-processing algorithms for three-dimensional digital imaging.

Education

B.S./Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, 1998
M.S./Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, 1999

Professional Engineer Registration

  • 2002, Illinois