On the New Development and New Features of Digital
Digital packaging machinery can not only provide greater output and greater equipment flexibility, but also add many new features, such as: remote maintenance, integration with the company's ERP system, and evaluation of production data.
Just a few years ago, no one expected the rapid speed of packaging machinery towards digitization. With the increasing speed of the electronic process, there was a need to increase the distribution box. However, when the number of cables required by the bus system can be greatly reduced, coupled with the emergence of distributed computers, it means that there is no need to increase the size of the distribution box. Today, independent distribution boxes are no longer necessary in the packaging industry. Digital packaging machines take up less space than previous mechanical or electromechanical packaging machines.
Automation revolutionizes packaging
The era of automation in the packaging industry began about 20 years ago. At that time, all-mechanical equipment was equipped with a programmable logic controller (PLC) for controlling logic functions and the mechanical power shaft of the drive. However, the flexibility of this first-generation automation device was not satisfactory. Consumer products, especially food, have shorter life cycles and diversified products, inspiring greater demand for equipment flexibility. In the second-generation automation equipment developed later, more and more functions are transferred from the mechanical power shaft to the electronic drive system, and the logic functions are still controlled by the PLC system.
Control and drive technology has proved to be the key technology in the field of packaging machinery structure. Today, the fully electronic third-generation machine has all the advantages of servo technology, while setting a new industry standard. Digital packaging machinery can not only provide greater output and greater equipment flexibility, but also add many new features, such as: remote maintenance, integration with the company's ERP system, and evaluation of production data.
The logic function originally performed by PLC is losing its importance, and now it is the electronic motion function that is dominant. As the requirements for equipment flexibility increase, the number of servo motors also increases. This means that due to different programming languages ??and systems, physical and logical interfaces are no longer required. Since the mid-1990s, some companies have driven the trend of integrated motion control and logic control solutions in the field of packaging machinery.
Data sharing and remote maintenance
Now, in order to cater to different customers' customized packaging machinery, suppliers design controllers differently. Therefore, standardization not only enables different manufacturers to exchange key components, but also frees users from relying on a manufacturer’s proprietary technology. The so-called open control structure will undoubtedly have greater flexibility.
The internationally coordinated automation concept is elaborated by the OMAC (Open Modular Structure Controller) Packaging Machinery Working Group. This working group was initiated by machine users from trademarked product industries. They cooperated with machine manufacturers and technology suppliers within the framework of OMAC. The goal was to make the hardware of the automation system interchangeable within a period of time. The next step should be to coordinate different systems to achieve information transfer between machines and standardize the operating principles.
Another trend is to establish a system solution for communication between automation technology (AT) and information technology (IT), and its standards through data networks. This means that the company's information network and vertical data integration are feasible from the trial, control and production stages. The joint communication standard makes the entire process from diagnosis and remote maintenance to the Internet and logistics (procurement of spare parts) smooth. This means that the information flow from digital packaging machinery can be used for more efficient production, including upstream and downstream business processes.
With the birth of remote maintenance, rapid information exchange saves working time and travel expenses, and mechanical failures can be resolved online, reducing downtime. For example, Bosch’s remote diagnosis enables the error to be checked inside the computer through the servo drive system operation interface. The equipment adjustments required to replace products or packaging materials also require software adjustment through remote prep. The most ideal state is that the digital packaging machine is equipped with a wireless system, which can be connected to an external transmission medium to control the automatic packaging material supply. So far this is only a beautiful ideal.
Strengthen the quality assurance system
With the deepening of the globalization of the market, each country's specific policies and regulations need to be followed, and the quality requirements of the food and pharmaceutical industry have also increased. This also means that the requirements for quality assurance systems (such as automatic image processing) are also The water rises. Optical sensors can capture the details of high-speed mass production processes, which cannot be done manually.
All this means that the quality assurance system will be greatly improved, because the production process is completely monitored and no random spot checks are required. The importance of continuous inspection can be clearly demonstrated in the production of glass bottle containers. Because the caps of reusable bottles sometimes have fragments, making it difficult to open the caps, not to mention that glass fragments may enter the bottle, non-conforming products must be reliably identified and removed from the production line. The optical system with flexible structure and operation interface can meet the needs of inspection.