Fabrication Shop - PLC Programming, Industrial Controls, Machine And Tool Design

Packager

In September 2000 3D Farms contracted with our customer to refurbish a packaging machine. Our customer provides custom baking and packaging of various food products. They had purchased some used equipment at an economical price and they wanted to rebuild and improve that equipment but still retain the economic price.

SCOPE: Rebuild and rewire a 1977 model SASIB packaging machine with the following objectives:

A.) Upgrade the packager to make it production worthy.

B.) Integrate the packager with various support equipment and conveyors.

C.) Provide controls that will allow the packager and support equipment to run automatically, semi-automatically and manually.

When the packager was taken out of production most of the wiring was destroyed. In the process of removal, storage and transportation most of the controls were lost and / or separated from the packager. Some of the photo-electric sensors that remained on the machine were obsolete. The main drive motor on the packager was a TB Wood’s DC motor. The Wood’s motor was no longer supported by the factory. The vacuum source for the carton magazine picker was scavenged from the machine.

RESULTS: The electrical cabinets, conduit and wiring that remained on the packager were removed. The obsolete photo-electric sensors were replaced. The sensors were standardized to Banner OSBFX photo-electric sensors. The standardization will allow fewer replacement parts to be stocked at the plant. The Wood’s motor was replaced with an Allen Bradley AC motor and frequency drive. A programmable logic controller (PLC programming) was installed to control the packager and integrate the various support equipment. The PLC programming was installed in a separate electrical cabinet from the motor starters. The two cabinets are remote to the packager frame to allow for easier access to both the packager and cabinets. A Gast venturi type vacuum generator was added for a vacuum source.

The packager programmable logic controller (PLC programming) controls not only the packager but the various support equipment including the following:

a.) vibratory feeders

b.) bin conveyor (frequency drive)

c.) sifter conveyor (frequency drive)

d.) elevator conveyor

Although the Ishida scale is a stand alone machine it works in conjunction with the packager. The PLC provides communication with the Ishida scale. It provides a signal to the scale indicating when to dump. The PLC also receives a signal from the scale indicating either a successful dump or various alarms.

The Slautterback glue machine is a stand alone machine. It has an ET-24 pattern controller that provides control of the glue machine pattern and duration. The glue machine can be upgraded to provide ready interlock signal to the PLC.

The packager operates in conjunction with the Ishida scale in either automatic mode or semi-automatic mode. When in automatic mode the packager takes flat boxes from the carton magazine, folds and glues the bottom, dumps product from the scale into the box and then folds and glues the top of the box. In automatic mode the production rate can be varied from about 20 cartons per minute to over 60 cartons per minute. (We have actually folded boxes at 120 cartons per minute.) The feed of the product from the storage bins to the scales is controlled by the PLC with input from a photo-electric sensor at the scale’s inlet chute.

When the packaging line is operating in semi-automatic mode the packager does not operate, product is dumped from the scale into a bag or box held by the operator. Again the feed of the product from the storage bin is controlled by the PLC. Any part of the packaging line can be operated manually with the exception of the bin conveyor and sifter.