16 OPTIMA CONTROL SOLUTIONS OPTIMA CONTROL SOLUTIONS
Pulp Paper & Logistics
Robotics solve labelling problems
Collaborati on between a robot supplier and a system integrator has solved a labelling problem at a UK paper mill. PPL reports
a collaborati on between KUKA Roboti cs and Opti ma Control Soluti ons that could lead to a number of other similar projects at the facility. The Flintshire-based mill had been facing serious problems with the functi oning of one its roboti c labelling systems for fi nished paper rolls. The line’s automati on engineer
A
explained the background: “Over the last couple of years our label applicator robot had becoming increasingly unreliable, resulti ng in a number of breakdowns which we cannot accept. If we experience an eight-hour downti me event, it can lead to the mill stopping producti on.” His conclusion was that the
deteriorati ng reliability of the robot was criti cal and warranted investment in a replacement.
September 2012
n automated labelling system has been successfully installed at UK paper mill in
Engineers at the paper maker
approached a number of roboti cs companies with a user requirement specifi cati on for a new robot. Germany’s KUKA Robots most
closely matched their brief for capabiliti es and cost. Mark Fisher, project engineer at KUKA Roboti cs, explained: “Being cost competi ti ve was an obvious key factor in winning the contract, but we also off ered bett er overall value for the customer together with excellent customer support throughout the project.” KUKA Robots employed a 3G
router soluti on and ensured that remote robot diagnosti cs are possible by using LogMeIn (a remote control desktop website). According to Fisher, the most challenging part of the project was calculati ng the arc the robot had to take relati ve to the roll diameter and width sent over the bus by the PLC. The installati on and
commissioning of the robot
was carried out by Opti ma Control Soluti ons Ltd, a UK expert independent automati on company. Opti ma had to integrate the
new robot with the existi ng machine control system. The mill’s automati on engineer said: “We had complete confi dence in the company’s experti se – KUKA recommended Opti ma as the best system integrator out there. Their joint off ering was within our budget and with their excellent reputati on we had no doubts that they would do a great job.” Stephen Carradice, Opti ma’s
system design engineer, explained that his main tasks were to engineer and commission the robot control soft ware and to arrange integrati on between the existi ng Siemens S7 PLC and the new robot controls using a Profi Bus communicati ons interface. “Stephen’s technical competence
was extremely good he was very thorough,” said the mill’s engineer.
“Steve had only 12 hours to complete the complex installati on and he managed to complete the job very successfully within that very limited ti me frame.” Summerising the overall benefi ts
resulti ng from this project, the automati on engineer said: “Improved reliability was the main aim for us; the robot is now functi oning 100 per cent of the ti me so we can claim the whole project to be a success. It is criti cally important for us to maximise our machine upti mes and KUKA’s soluti on is fully delivering on its promise. A number of other automati on projects are planned and we are looking forward to working with Opti ma and KUKA Robots again.” More informati on from Opti ma
Control Soluti ons Limited, Capricorn Park, Blakewater Road, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 5QR, UK. Tel: 44 1254 272829. Fax: 44 1254 272826. Web: www. opti
macs.com
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