Reduce changeover time by 65% with guided format changeover solution
Case Study
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Food and beverage manufacturers are now producing an increasingly wide range of products and a variety of packaging types. This trend is forcing the production of smaller batches, which in turn necessitates more frequent adjustments of machine settings to accommodate changing sizes of packaging materials. To remain competitive in today's market, fast and efficient changeovers are essential.
Efficient changeover operations are a challenge in the food and beverage industry, especially when the process is entirely manual. In order to determine whether the changeover process has been carried out completely and correctly, it is necessary to start production and check the parts produced.
With so many variables and influencing factors, a machine may be off line longer than planned in the process; material inputs may also be more expensive than expected.
The problem
Manual processes cause inconsistencies
This was the case for a U.S.-based manufacturer of smoothies, protein bars and infant formula. They discovered that format change times on their carton line fluctuated widely, averaging 90 minutes, but in extreme cases could take up to four hours.
The time required to change parts and set up change points depended largely on one factor: the experience of the staff, and this varied from operator to operator. The cartoner works with five different package sizes, each consisting of 10 change points.The many variables greatly increase the likelihood of errors.
When setting specific distances, operators were guided by markings made on the machines. However, these were very imprecise and left a large margin for error, so distances were set differently depending on the operator. There was no way to determine whether all shift points were in the correct position before resuming production. This often led to product and packaging waste.
Solution
Guided format changeover solution setup for optimised processes
The customer decided to test and then implement Balluff sensor control on the most critical component - the cartoner magazine.
Following the recommendations of Balluff experts, an IO-Link control architecture was installed that meets particularly high hygiene and safety requirements in the wash area.
Connected laser distance sensorsi inductive position sensors detect positions during switching and greatly simplify correct format changes. Network module BNI IO-Link also indicates the functional status of the connected sensors. This provides additional troubleshooting options during maintenance.
An obstacle to overcome: The cartoner's control system proved to be insufficiently up-to-date for the connected IO-Link network module to work with it. A solution was found, however.
The palletiser on the line had a newer control system and could be connected to the IO-Link network module. In this way, the palletiser served as a bridge to the cartoner's control. The output from the network module to the cartoner's PLC indicated whether all settings had been made correctly and the machine was ready for operation. With this solution, all components could be integrated into the existing plant structure without any additional intervention.
Customer benefits
Flawless and efficient format adjustment
After overcoming the final hurdle, the food manufacturer was able to equip the machine with linear position sensors and successfully implement a guided format changeover (Guided Changeover Solution). By using this solution with IO-Link employee workflow has changed. Instead of time-consuming manual testing of the correct settings for each item, the operator now selects the desired format on the HMI. On the display, he sees the set values directly, as well as the current values measured by the connected sensors. In addition, a programmable stack light SmartLight shows the operator the status of the format change. It flashes blue and red when a change is required on the machine and lights up green when all components are in place.
Both the amount of waste and changeover time have been significantly reduced (Changeover has been minimised to 30 minutes - an improvement of at least 65%)! In addition, errors in the changeover process are easier to detect. Machine operators can now easily determine which components are misaligned without unnecessary material runs. Maintenance personnel can use SmartLight to remotely check whether the changeover process was carried out correctly.
The successful introduction of guided format changeover solution encouraged the customer to implement additional machine access control features using RFID technology. Because the IO-Link architecture is modular and easily expanded, the customer easily implemented it without significant effort or the need for a separate control architecture.
Greg Molinaro, director of packaging, food and beverage, Balluff Americas
Keywords
- Case Study
- Efficient production
- IO-Link
- RFID
Author
Balluff Sp. z o.o.
We have been active on the Polish market for more than 25 years. We serve our customers from Pomerania to the Tatra Mountains, providing first-class service and technical support. We are also present online, where we share our knowledge about the latest implementations, industry trends, events or technical aspects of our solutions.
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