Packaging machine online

The times when machine diagnosis was only possible on site are finally over. Worldwide access to machine data is requested. The new controller e from ifm electronic builds the bridge between AS-interface and the internet. The company NOBA Verbandmittel monitors its production machines worldwide via the internet.

The company in Wetter on the Ruhr produces, among others, bandages and gauze swabs for the medical sector. Every day up to 500,000 units are produced and wrapped in sterile packaging. The entire production process is subject to very strict and internationally standardised regulations. The production takes place in special clean rooms.

The deep-drawing packaging machines from NOBA mainly process plastic film. First of all, a deep-drawing tool forms packaging trays for the product. When the swabs have been fed into the trays, film from a reel is used for sterile sealing. Afterwards the separate trays are cut out of the film. All sensors and actuators are connected to the controller via the AS-i bus. "Wiring the system by means of AS-i saved us around 50 h compared to conventional wiring. Thanks to AS-i, future extensions can be carried out easily and flexibly", says Michael Rohe, technical director at NOBA.
The system contains a number of drives for lifting and lowering the tools and for transporting the film or the packaging trays. The controlling is carried out via "SmartLogic". This AS-i logic module receives a machine command from the central controller and then independently controls the motors. This also includes the processing of the encoder signals for position feedback. Safety dampers and e-stops also are connected via AS-interface. The AS-i standard "Safety at Work" guarantees monitoring according to safety category 4.

Most important element: Controller e

The entire packaging system is controlled by a single AS-i controller. The controller e from ifm electronic is designed as dual master and offers connection options for up to 248 sensors and 186 actuators on both AS-i lines. Analogue data from the temperature, pressure or flow sensors are also passed on to the controller via the AS-i two-wire cable.
A special feature is the integrated Ethernet gateway: it connects the controller to the existing corporate network. The controller is now easily accessible via its IP address and has virtually its own "homepage". A web server is integrated into the controller to process and visualise the data. Programming is done in html. Advantage for the user: it is possible to access the machine data - even worldwide - via the TCP/IP protocol of a standard internet Explorer. The firewall of the corporate network as well as additional password queries protect the system against unauthorised access.

Support Worldwide

NOBA develops and fabricates the deep-drawing packaging machines not only for own needs. In the context of joint ventures the company in the Ruhr area also exports the machines to partner companies all over the world. Here the system's internet connection can prove its advantages.
Michael Rohe explains the special problems: "Communication abroad with the operator of the system on site often proves to be difficult. It might take a couple of days to localise and eliminate a fault via e-mail. And it easily adds up to 8,000 euros to assign technical personnel around the globe, not to speak of the enormous amount of time. Therefore we only took into consideration a solution that allows machine maintenance from Germany. Here the cross-platform Ethernet connection offers a fair number of options." In the event of a failure the technical staff can log into the machine via the internet. A special remote software as in conventional solutions is not necessary. A common web browser is sufficient. Thus, if requested, the technical staff also can connect them to the system's controller for example in an internet café or even via a mobile phone and an internet capable PDA. Machine parameters as well as current measured values from the different sensors will be displayed. Log files save important measured values and allow a targeted fault analysis. If requested, it is now possible to modify machine parameters or trigger specific system functions. For a better overview, a corresponding visualisation in HTML code can be stored on the web server of the controller e. For this, a 1.4 megabyte memory is available.

Special Case Cleanroom

Not only for worldwide support but also on site the remote access offers a decisive advantage for diagnosis especially in this application. "The system is placed in a cleanroom. For hygienic reasons protective clothing, helmets and masks are compulsory. A hygiene sluice is to be passed before one can enter the room. Thus, entering is only possible with a certain level of input and each time takes around 10 minutes", explains Michael Rohe. Therefore it proves to be an advantage that the technical staff can access the system completely from outside. They can localise the fault on the computer via the diagnostic data and, if necessary, directly take the corresponding replacement part or tool with them when they enter the cleanroom. Whether in Wetter on the Ruhr or around the globe: remote access is an essential automation requirement. Thanks to web technology, AS-interface and consequently every single sensor of the system are accessible from all over the globe. This enables fast diagnosis - online from every place in the world.

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Controller e Ethernet

The controller e Ethernet is a stand-alone PLC according to IEC 61131-3 for AS-interface according to version 2.1. The integrated 10/100 Mbaud Ethernet interface serves for programming, set-up and diagnosis with Modbus on TCP and TCP/IP being supported. The controller e supports the automatic data exchange to analogue slaves with the profile S-7.3.x. Up to 248 analogue channels can be processed. Slaves with a larger data amount according to profile S-7.4.x also are detected. The full graphic backlit display can be freely programmed by the user. Thus system-specific messages, temperatures, levels, etc. can be visualised. An additional operating panel often can be dispensed with. The PLC memory for the user program is 128 kwords.

AC1317 - AS-i Ethernet / IP Controller E