CONTROL | TECHNOLOGY
Digital revolution: better plastic extrusion control
Equipment from full extrusion lines to small ancillaries can benefit from digital control – which brings benefits such as higher productivity and the ability to monitor energy use
Main image: Davis-Stand- ard’s Epic IV supervisory control system adds connec- tivity to its
cloud-based DS Activ-Check
In the digital age, control systems have become ever-more central to the operation of industrial machinery. Extrusion systems are no different, and many – including ancillary equipment – are often under heavy digital control. Theurer, for instance, has helped machinery manufacturer Windmöller & Hölscher (W&H) to develop a plug-and-play concept for the Ruby Connect 4 Flow connectivity module – which digitises the manual order process at the machine. This enables W&H machines to be networked with Theurer’s C3 ERP/MIS software via Ruby. Ruby is an IoT system for optimising packaging
production with regard to the digitalisation of the value chain. By improving parameters, it can raise productivity and quality. Thanks to data-based error detection and alarms in real time, packaging production can also become more efficient. “Through this cooperation, Ruby will be net-
worked even more efficiently,” said Stefan Brink- meier, product manager for Connect 4 Flow at W&H. “This saves time, avoids errors and ensures
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maximum transparency as well as production control.” The aim is to create a standardised solution both for the digital transfer from C3 to the W&H systems and back again. This means that job data and machine settings, as well as production feedback, are transmitted digitally. This enables press specialists to prepare the job with all relevant parameters, such as temperatures and web tensions, from their office. Data is then sent digitally to the job level of the various presses. Once there, the next job is selected from the list and all the press parameters are set at the touch of a button. Overall, it means there is less integration effort during installation, the level of automation can be directly increased and human error settings can be reduced. Tobias Theurer, managing director of Theurer,
added: “The automatic and bidirectional transmis- sion of job data creates a closed loop in the sense of an Industry 4.0 specific to the printing and packaging industry.”
� March 2023 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 37
IMAGE: DAVIS-STANDARD
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