Case Studies

Bread Factory assembly line.

Bread Factory Automation Using Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

Posted in Consumer Goods, Food and Beverage, HMI and SCADA, Manufacturing Automation and Intelligence, PLC Programming

Summary

DMC worked with an established bread company to commission a modernized, automated bread making system. The client had all OEM machines and controls equipment installed and ready for production but still required programming support to automate the system. The system contained numerous conveyors, cylinders, pan loading sections, and heaters. The end result was that the client could control and monitor the entire bread making system from a single HMI.

Conveyor to Oven Infeed

Conveyor to the Oven Infeed

Dough traveling to Oven Infeed

Dough traveling to Oven Infeed

Oven Outfeed Exit Conveyor System

Oven Outfeed Exit Conveyor System

Solution

DMC began by verifying the existing hardware and wiring while working with outside electricians to resolve any issues discovered.  DMC then developed logic for the system in TwinCAT3 to run on a single Beckhoff CX2040 which communicated to remote modules distributed throughout the factory floor. This was an improvement from the previous set up which ran logic locally for each system and had no master control.  The DMC Boston office developed the PLC code on site while the DMC Chicago office aided in offsite PLC development and the HMI in Iconics.

DMC worked with the client during the testing phases and adjusted settings to improve system performance. The system was designed to interface with and control numerous OEM systems, and DMC left the client with a system ready for existing manufacturing needs while also ready to integrate with future subsystems.

Learn more about DMC's experience with Beckhoff and TwinCAT3.

Customer Benefits

  • DMC helped the customer improve their production capabilities
    • Improved product quality by eliminating process variables
    • Increased plant capacity
    • Decreased labor cost
    • Standardization of recipes
  • DMC provided local support, resulting in a rapid response and an immediate first-person understanding of the issues at hand
  • DMC used both local and remote offices to accelerate development time and keep travel costs low

Technologies