Smart Engineering Saves Space and Time

As a global leader in providing packaging solutions in the food and pharmaceutical segment, Bosch Packaging, Goa, India supplies horizontal form fill and seal machines primarily to the bakery and confectionery industries. The company plans to gratify the omnipresent and ever-growing demands from the Indian packaging market through Bosch Packaging’s Goa facility with its fully equipped R&D facility, engineering and after-sale support, and sophisticated assembly shop floor to build machines with advanced technology.

The designing of customized projects poses the distinct challenge of containing a common engineering component which can be reutilised in other similar projects. This is a challenge that engineers at in Goa, India are all too familiar with.

Often, for their customized line solutions, Bosch Packaging is required to design a Product Distribution System (PDS) to feed product into down-stream wrapper lines. The time required to engineer these systems is a significant factor impacting project delivery schedules. The biggest challenge is to have a common engineered solution that can be re-used for various similar projects.

The challenges imposed due to the variability of customized project demands include:

1. Variation in line speed
2. Variation in total number of downstream flow wraps
3. Variation in each of flow wrap speed and dynamics of flow wrap
4. Protection of IP while automation applied to PDS solution

Bosch Packaging, Goa, India found that while the engineering time spent for each project was huge, maintaining consistency in the application code over various projects was also a challenge, and thereby impacted maintainability.

Another area of concern was the high installation time. This drawback occurred due to the limitation of handling data over higher number of nodes (drives) which existed in the MODBUS communication network.

Reducing Packaging Machine Manufacturing Time

For one of their customized line solutions, Bosch Packaging, Goa, India worked with Rockwell Automation to deliver the automation system. Application experts from Rockwell Automation carried out detailed discussions and in-depth analyses with the aid of the efficient engineering team of Bosch Packaging. This yielded irrefutably positive results: it revealed the challenges faced in building a PDS and led to a broad definition of a system that Bosch Packaging, Goa, India wished to achieve.

The KPIs of the control system for PDS are listed below:

1. To engineer a configurable solution considering variability and functionality of the following: Main conveyor line speed and number of wrapper lines down the line; Downstream wrapper line speeds and interruptions; Creating a stand-by at wrapper line and; Scalability of architecture, based on line speed (VFD-based or motion-based).

2. To encapsulate application code in a template including; Creating an application library, with section wise control, where machine builders can configure the code by using key selections; Adopting a modular code structure, to ensure code re-usability, while addressing various custom variants and; Creating application specific function blocks (add-on instructions)

3. To ensure IP protection of application code by using different levels of protection in Studio 5000 Logix Designer.

4. To adopt a strong communication network (Ethernet/IP) to leverage the benefits and lay the foundation for the future: Ethernet/IP is an industry standard and a popular choice across industries.

To achieve the defined objectives, Rockwell Automation proposed a solution based on: CompactLogix L3 controllers; PowerFlex 525 AC Drives, with an embedded Ethernet/IP port and Safe Torque-Off; POINT I/O family of Distributed IOs and Stratix Ethernet switches.

As a result of the solution, Bosch Packaging, Goa, India reduced their engineering time by 50 percent on average to deliver similar projects, as well as greatly simplifying their architecture. Furthermore, the company’s latest solutions now help to position themselves better for the future, enabling them to deliver The Connected Enterprise®.

Saving Space and Improving Efficiency

Smart engineering can also help save space and improve performance for manufacturers with limited space in many diverse industries, including automotive and tire, textile and consumer packaged goods. Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) and stationary racking for production and warehousing are effective solutions for tight spaces.

An OEM based in India specializes in these systems and has developed an effective vertical storage system with tray extractor arrangements operated by a console. With the space constraints in urban areas and facilities, the vertical storage system improves storage ratios and has substantial applications across various industries.

With this application: Trays are stacked in racks which can move up to two floors (24 meters); An operator keys in the tray number to be retrieved and the retrieval system moves to the respective rack number and retrieves the tray; Once retrieved, the tray is brought down and moved on to the table for operator to pick the parts from bins; When the operator wants to pick another tray, the retrieval system puts the first tray back in designated spot, and retrieves the next tray.

Whenever items have to be stored with effective usage of space and retrieved quickly, the vertical storage system provides the optimal, efficient solution: It offers up to 80 percent faster retrieval times than normal shelving; allows for smooth movement of trays for sorting fragile products; features adjustable tray positioning in access opening for ergonomic loading and unloading; and reduces personnel costs by reducing picking time.

The solution includes: the 1769 CompactLogix L3x controllers; the 1734 POINT I/O; PowerFlex 525 AC with embedded EtherNet/IP communications, USB programming, and standard safety features; PowerFlex 525 AC; and PanelView Plus 7 graphic terminals.

Resulting in improved performance and lead time while also optimizing retrieval time for endusers – the system also offers the right level of global service and support by Rockwell Automation to improve customer satisfaction through lifecycle support.