Product category:
HMIs/Operator Interfaces
News Release from: GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK | Subject: Cimplicity HMI
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 10 November 2000
Control software in action at food
processing site
In its plant in Gleisdorf, Austria, the company Steirerobst produces fruit concentrates for customers all over the world; the software used for control and monitoring is GE Fanuc's Cimplicity HMI
In its plant in Gleisdorf, Austria, the company Steirerobst produces concentrates and other fruit products for customers all over the world The hygienic and top-quality processing of up to 1,000 tonnes of fruit per day requires ingenious logistics as well as a largely automated production process
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 19 Jan 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Steirerobst has grown significantly over recent years.
From 5,000 tonnes of processed fruit in 1991, the yearly volume has increased steadily to reach 30,000 tonnes by mid-2000.
For 2001, the production capacity is expected to be around 40,000 tons.
This is as a result of the "Steirerobst 2000" project to renew the entire production plant.
Rebuilding and new extensions are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year 2000.
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As part of the new IT infrastructure, a totally new Ethernet network providing 100 Mbit/s transmission was installed.
The four DP departments 'Production/ Concentrates', 'Production/ Fruit Processing', 'Laboratory' and 'Administration' are now linked via an optical fibre network, with category 5 cables used within each of the 4 clusters.
An IBM AS/400 serves as central host computer.
The system comprises 70 workstations and monitoring stations, six NT servers and two AS/400 machines.
Each PC in the network is equipped with terminal emulation to provide direct access to the AS/400.
Process control is carried out by GE Fanuc Series 90-30 PLCs, which are integrated into the network just like a PC.
For process control and monitoring, a dedicated redundant NT cluster was created, with two NT servers and an external hard disk array connected to the network.
The software used for control and monitoring is GE Fanuc's Cimplicity HMI.
DP manager Christian Stuppan explained, "We have put into place a fail-safe solution.
All information is gathered by the PLCs in this NT cluster and then forwarded to the AS/400.
Cimplicity HMI is also run on these NT servers.
The level of safety achieved with the redundant NT cluster is 99.5 percent." Production is maintained 24 hours a day in three shifts, so any failure of the control system would create serious problems.
This alone justifies the relatively high expenditure for redundancy.
During production, Cimplicity is used to control and monitor pasteurising and drying processes.
It is also used to monitor the water conditioning, the power generation and the water purification plant.
Under the project "Steirerobst 2000", a double boiling plant with Cimplicity control and monitoring software has increased capacity.
Stuppan continued, "Above all, using and programming the system has proved much easier than with previous systems.
Processes are shown 'live' and can be directly influenced or viewed by way of a touch-screen.
The excellent visualisation allows us to use all the data effectively and eventually also to benefit from savings and improvements." The following advantages distinguish Cimplicity from other control and monitoring solutions...
- comprehensive process backtracking (e.g for special customer requirements).
- precise batch documentation for improved cost accounting and quality assurance.
Each process step can be precisely assigned to the corresponding cost centre.
- all data coming from the PLCs can be forwarded to the AS/400, with very easy selection and programming.
- easy programming option saves (external) costs and increases flexibility.
- forwarding of alarm messages and warnings.
- process visualisation is possible on any screen, not just on one.
In case of a screen failure, work can be resumed immediately using the next one.
Bringing together and efficiently integrating process data, visualisation, databases, redundant servers and the Ethernet network was a big challenge for everyone involved and, given the complexity of the project, something new in Austria.
The plant is now working to everybody's satisfaction.
During production, the automatic process control and visualisation is currently used for food processing only.
Cimplicity will again be used in the next step - to automate fruit concentration. Request a free brochure from GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK ...
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