In addition to increased flexibility and performance, food and beverage processors are seeking packaging machines that foster food safety, machine safety, reliability and lower energy usage while providing data collection systems that not only monitor line performance but also track maintenance. And, because no system is an island, the packaging machine’s control system has to communicate horizontally with other devices on the line (e.g., robot controllers and motion/position controllers) and vertically with MES and ERP software systems. The good news is that communication is markedly improving over what existed in the not-so-distant past.
If you were an auto manufacturer 25 years ago trying to automate an assembly line, you were faced with several automation and robotics systems that simply didn’t talk to one another, notably referred to as “islands of automation.” Today, if you’re planning a completely automated packaging line, you’ll find the process a lot smoother—though not perfect—due to 25 years of experience that machine builders, system integrators, controls and robot manufacturers and component suppliers have chalked up.