Product category:
Mid-range and Large PLCs
News Release from: Schneider Electric | Subject: PLCs, drives, terminals and AS-i products
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 16 June 2000
Innovative food processing machine goes
AS-i
Modicon and Telemecanique equipment has made a major contribution to an innovative meat handling machine for Tulip International, designed in just five days by machine builder PES
Equipment from the Modicon and Telemecanique brands of Schneider Electric, including programmable controllers, electronic operator display terminals and AS-i products, has made a major contribution to the successful design and manufacture of an innovative meat handling machine for Tulip International, one of the UK's largest and most progressive suppliers of cooked meats and bacon Designed in just five days by specialist machine builder, PES Limited, the new handling machine and its control system are installed in a cold room, where the temperature never rises more than a degree or so above freezing
The machine moves blocks of chilled meat from the cold store to the processing area, and is required to operate continuously for long periods without operator intervention.
Full manual control facilities are, however, needed for cleaning and maintenance purposes.
Working in conjunction with Schneider Electric's expert customer service engineers, and controls specialist, Logic One, PES decided on a control system which incorporates a Modicon TSX Micro programmable controller, a Magelis electronic operator terminal, and Altivar 18 variable speed drives.
An AS-i fieldbus system, with the AS-i master module integrated into the programmable controller, was adopted in place of conventional field wiring.
The Magelis terminal gives the system the capability of displaying clear operator messages in plain English, providing useful savings in the amount of operator training needed.
It also allowed the necessary manual operating facilities to be provided easily and inexpensively, and, since its function is determined solely by software, it provides flexibility for future modifications and enhancements.
The Altivar drives provide precise control over the machine's motors, allowing the moving parts to accelerate rapidly, when necessary, to achieve maximum throughput, yet enabling them to decelerate smoothly and stop precisely when they reach their target positions.
The use of AS-i greatly reduces the amount of field wiring and, by eliminating the need for trunking, with its propensity for trapping dirt, made it much easier to meet Tulip's stringent requirements for hygiene and ease of cleaning.
The Modicon TSX Micro PLC proved a particularly convenient partner for the AS-i system, as devices connect via the integral AS-i master appear, to the program, exactly the same as conventional inputs and outputs.
"We selected Schneider Electric as the main supplier of our control equipment for several reasons," said David Terry, of PES.
"One was that they could offer the full range of equipment we needed, thereby ensuring that we wouldn't have problems with equipment incompatibility, or with divided responsibilities in the event of problems.
Another important reason was that Schneider Electric was prepared to guarantee the correct operation of its equipment at cold-room temperatures." "Of course, we were also influenced by excellent value for money, Schneider Electric's outstanding reputation for product quality, and by the superb technical support the organisation provided at every stage of the project." At the time of writing, the new machine is not yet installed in its final location.
It has, however, undergone exhaustive testing, and has performed faultlessly.
The design and build operations were smooth and trouble-free, and PES is confident that the machine will fully meet Tulip International's stringent requirements for hygiene, performance and reliability.
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