Modular solution approach for safe, complete packaging plant and machinery worldwide

By OEM Update Editorial April 6, 2022 7:16 pm

Servo drive technology for packaging from Pilz stands for safe, energy-efficient automation solutions.

Industrie 4.0 has reached the packaging industry: as well as issues such as intelligent networking, customising and smart factory, the current drivers are product safety, sustainability and internationalisation. High-performance automation and safety concepts are in demand where so many things are quite literally in motion. The automation company Pilz offers a portfolio of products, solutions and services tailored to the industry, covering sensor, control and drive technology, plus visualisation. Both plant manufacturers and operators benefit from one-stop concepts that are scalable and flexible. 

Packaging 4.0 

Flexible and modular solutions have long been an issue in the packaging industry. Fast cycle times, maximum reliability and the shortest possible downtimes are still the top priorities in the requirement specification. The sector is occasionally driven by marketing trends and must react to changing customer requirements quickly and with innovative solutions. Product manufacturers are demanding that packaging is more environmentally friendly or recyclable; increasingly stricter regulations apply to the food industry in terms of product quality and safety. What’s more, internationalisation brings with it special demands; numerous country-specific regulations and standards need to be taken into account. 

Industrie 4.0 creates new packaging scenarios 

In the packaging industry too, the aim is for production to up the pace, converge with the IT world and turn individual customer requirements into reality. This development requires intelligent factories with digitally networked systems in which humans, IT systems, automation components and machinery communicate with each other. Smart products know the individual production steps and guide themselves autonomously through the plant. Intelligent plant modules sign off from service when they are not needed in the normal production process. Individualised packaging solutions will be cheap to manufacture in future; networked packaging plants with real-time communication react quickly to customer requirements. 

Safety and packaging hand in hand 

In the highly automated packaging industry, the issue of safety for man and machine will continue to play a significant role in future. There is a wide spectrum between the small standalone, operator-loaded machine that packs components in film and the fully automated plant that packages foodstuffs at one second intervals in three cycles, ready for dispatch. Many machines are still dependent on human collaboration, particularly when feeding parts in and out. Safe HRC systems (human-robot collaboration) will become increasingly significant in future, on the end of packaging lines for storage and order picking or in pick and place applications, for example. Humans and robots complement each other perfectly, working together without guards, free from risk. 

Packaging plants demand scalable solutions 

One characteristic of the packaging sector is a large number of guard locking devices, covers, flaps and drives. Behind this lies a higher than average risk potential. For many years Pilz has been a reliable automation and safety partner for the packaging industry, with a comprehensive range of products, solutions and services for sensor, control and drive technology plus visualisation. Whether it’s a new development, a modification to the material infeed or a complete plant relaunch: Pilz offers products and scalable solutions for all situations, supplemented by a wide-ranging consulting and services package. This includes the risk assessment and safety concept, through to CE marking of packaging machines. 

One global philosophy and quality for a worldwide standard 

Pilz operates globally. With safety and international compliance services from Pilz, customers can gain an advantage in global competition, particularly when exporting machinery. 

Comprehensive packaging portfolio 

Efficient packaging solutions go hand in hand with a high level of automation. The Machinery Directive places basic demands on the functional safety of packaging machines. In practice it comes down to the harmonisation of safety and automation. This is particularly true when the machine needs to be fitted or maintained. At product level Pilz offers a wide range of safe sensor technology for the primary, secondary and end packaging process, which meets international standards. In detail these include safety switches to monitor positions and guards, optical sensors such as light beam devices or the innovative 3D camera system SafetyEye, which often mean you can dispense with the fences that impede productivity. 

Custom-made protection for danger zones 

When it comes to protecting guards, customers can choose between the safety gate systems PSENslock, PSENmlock – for safe interlocking and safe guard locking – and PSENsgate, depending on performance and robustness requirements. They provide reliable monitoring of gates in safety fences, as well as covers and flaps. With plug-in cables they are simple and quick to install and meet all the requirements of EN ISO 14119. The multifunctional light beam devices PSENopt provide safe access to danger zones on packaging plants. It is possible to implement muting, blanking or cascading with one and the same light beam device. PSENopt is ideal for adapting to the application environment, enabling packaging processes to be designed efficiently. Commissioning and operation is simple and fast with the corresponding software PSENopt Configurator. Pilz also offers special sensors and PDP67 modules in hygienic design for use in the food industry or special sensor technology for potentially explosive areas. 

Servo drive technology for packaging 

Driven or on-board axes raise safety-related questions on packaging machines in production and set-up mode. Servo drive technology from Pilz stands for safe, energy-efficient automation solutions. Against the background of open, modular drive concepts, servo motors from Pilz and the universal servo amplifier PMCtendo are easily integrated into the existing plant environment. With the servo amplifiers PMCtendo DD5 from Pilz, motors can be controlled more quickly, more simply and with greater precision via a Profinet connection. As a result, Pilz is creating the conditions for Industrie 4.0”. 

Increased safety thanks to user-friendly operation 

The operating mode selector switch PITmode stands for intelligent safety in the packaging industry. It controls access authorisation and the choice of operating mode, i.e. safety and security in one device. A transponder key defines who is permitted to drive the axes on a packaging machine in safe setup mode, for example. As each key is individually coded, manipulations are virtually excluded. The operating mode selector switch is particularly suitable for packaging plants that use a range of different control sequences and operating modes. 

PITestop comes into play where modular packaging plants with various operating concepts are involved: the innovative E-STOP pushbutton can be safely activated or deactivated as required in accordance with ISO 13850 and uses illumination to show that it is participating in the system. PITestop active can be activated electrically and is integrated within the safety circuit. The E-STOP no longer needs to be deactivated manually. Inactive machine parts can be shut down, saving costs and energy, without the need to cover inactive E-STOP pushbuttons. So in conjunction with the control systems PNOZmulti or the automation system PSS 4000, flexible safety concepts are easy to implement. The operating mode on interlinked machines can be switched more quickly. 

Compact packaging 

Whether you have a stand-alone machine or an interlinked packaging plant: modular, configurable control and automation systems from Pilz are used where there are multiple safety related signals. For cost reasons too: for example, the configurable safety system PNOZmulti 2 is cost effective from just three safety functions; it is already in use in numerous packaging machines, alongside its predecessor the PNOZmulti. PNOZmulti 2 can be expanded at will; being modular it can grow with the requirements and size of the machine. In addition to monitoring safety functions such as emergency stop, safety gates or light beam devices, it can also perform control functions on a packaging machine thanks to its logic functions. Configuration is simple and intuitive with the software tool PNOZmulti Configurator. 

Safe packaging with a single system 

On large, interlinked packaging plants with high flexibility and expandability requirements, the automation system PSS 4000 for safety and automation offers maximum modularity and diversity of function. It can be adapted individually to the respective requirements, with controllers available in various performance ratings for both safety and automation tasks, numerous I/O modules, plus visualisation and engineering software. In practice the application is distributed over several control head units and numerous functionalities are transferred to the periphery. Essentially, however, the plant remains a single project and is managed as such; the complexity is “concealed” from the user. With PSS 4000 it is also possible to connect and synchronise several equitable controllers in accordance with the MultiMaster principle. Programming and configuration takes place centrally for all network subscribers via the software platform PAS4000. With the web-based visualisation software PASvisu, plant manufacturers and users have a full view of the project at all times. The project is clear and easy to handle, individual customer wishes can be integrated quickly and flexibly at any time. The automation system PSS 4000 combines the requirements of safety and automation in one system, creating the basis for efficient Industrie 4.0 solutions. 

Services complete the package 

Pilz today is a recognised, reliable supplier of machinery safety services, for both domestic and international companies. With more than thirty years of experience in the industry, Pilz offers practicable answers to all questions relating to safety, whether general or industry-specific. The services package is geared to customer requirements, determining and assessing risks, accompanying the complete engineering process and undertaking CE marking in accordance with the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, thus creating international legal certainty.