Digitalising food production
Digitalisation is a term that bears a different meaning depending on the role and responsibility of who is asked . For managers , the focus is often around the collection and analysis of plant data . Engineers , on the other hand , often consider it more as connecting more sophisticated automation technologies together for greater process and motion control . Both approaches rely on the right technology being deployed on the production line . Here , Stephen Hayes , managing director of Beckhoff UK , explains how food engineers can get started with digitalisation .
The food and beverage industry is one that lends itself nicely to the promised benefits of digitalisation . Whether a food manufacturer wants to reduce food waste in the production process , improve quality control or simply increase efficiency , digital technologies promise a solution . Irrespective of the goal , each outcome stems from the right mix of digital technologies on the production line . Specifically , it all starts with a focus on the communications technology that will underpin digitalisation efforts .
Many digitalisation efforts begin in a fragmented approach , with various areas of a business looking to make their own areas of operation digital . For food manufacturers , it might be that the raw ingredient handling segment has invested in automated equipment and machine vision to control quality more effectively . Alternatively , it may be that a high speed portioning machine has been introduced that can use camera input and recipe data in a separate platform to process foods at different sizes .
Each of these applications may seem distant from one another but they both rely on fast communication of data between systems , whether that is for process and motion control or for data
68 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk to be stored and shared between digital platforms .
Data is the essence of digitalisation , so the first step for engineers embarking on a journey to digital transformation is to plan the optimum way of communicating this data between machines and systems . This means to focus on the communication technologies , namely the fieldbuses , in place first , rather than immediately considering new machinery or equipment investments .
Fieldbus and industrial Ethernet-based systems are often overlooked in the digitalisation process because engineers are already familiar with one or several of them . Although these technologies have been around for many years , there are several that are continually developed and built on open standards to keep up to date with the evolving needs of digital technology . Among these , EtherCAT remains one of the best choices due to its high data rates , low cost and deterministic , synchronous nature .
The use of a fieldbus like EtherCAT is invaluable because it facilitates not only high speed transmission of data for control or collection purposes , but it does so in a highly efficient way . Each telegram of data is transmitted from the master device — which can be either a fieldbus terminal or a single industrial computer terminal with a PC-based control suite — and passes through each
node on a network . Each node takes only the relevant packets of data necessary as the telegram continues to move downstream , eliminating network delays and simplifying synchronous multi-axis control .
With efficient communication of data on networks , it allows engineers to ensure that any new automation or digital systems can perform to a higher standard immediately after setup . This is why it is , in our opinion , the most important first step for any engineer starting to digitalise the factory floor .
Once the communication layer is established , the ideal next steps are to ensure that prospective technology is able to be adequately used by engineers and that it meets the long-term business goals .
Many new digital technologies bring with them a need for specialist skillsets that some engineers may not necessarily have , such as programming in new languages . One option is to hire specialist help for configuring or programming these systems as needed , but a more cost-effective and long-term option is to find means of integrating this technology into familiar environments . Bringing machine vision programming into a PLC environment , such as with Beckhoff ’ s TwinCAT Vision for example , makes it easier for engineers to adjust as needed .
Digitalisation , being a term that encompasses so many technologies and areas , can be a difficult thing to navigate for food engineers starting out . Building digitalisation plans from the ground upwards , by starting at the data communication level , is vital to achieving a successful adoption of new technologies that provide long-term value .
www . beckhoffblog . co . uk