Integrating Automation for Packaging Processes (Part 2)

Remote HMIs

HMIs play an important role in the connection of machines and the operators using them. However, they can provide much more information than simply displaying the machine’s current operation.

Interfaces can include speech recognition, motion sensors, keyboard and similar peripheral devices in which data from the factory is exchanged. What’s more, most supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software systems can also be integrated on portable devices, meaning anything can become an HMI — whether it’s a screen on a piece of equipment, a laptop or a mobile phone.

These mobile HMIs allow operators to get instant access to HMI information and remotely monitor the application. Closely monitoring production and responding to changing customer needs from anywhere on the factory floor — or in fact, outside of it — improves efficiency of packaging processes.

Sensors for Upgrading

Increasingly, sensors are providing digital outputs instead of traditional analogue. This is important, as it incorporates higher transfer rates, transmitter reliability and self-diagnostic tools. But, what’s the case for sensors in packaging applications?

The main benefit with investing in sensors for automation is that equipment does not have to be upgraded for implementation. For facilities that require several different packaging processes to operate from the same area, using sensors to upgrade equipment is a much more conventional approach than investing in brand new automation for each individual packaging process. For instance, purchasing a six-axis robot for pick and place applications may also require a compatible conveyor for transporting — increasing the spend and footprint of this automation.

Adding sensors to the worst performing machine is another option. This allows plant managers to prove the concept before rolling it out to additional machines, eventually building the factory up in a modular way.

Automating packaging processes hasn’t been a priority for many manufacturers. However, there are a variety of options to do this without breaking the bank. Some as simple as fitting sensors to legacy equipment for more clarity in the process or creating a process that can be changed or investigated remotely.

Automation-mania hasn’t swept the packaging industry as quickly as Beatlemania spread during the 1960s, but it’s certainly gaining momentum. Automation is getting easier, and it is now more practical than ever for any company to implement, and ultimately further, their business goals.

Source: Packagingstrategies