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22 MACHINERY UPDATE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 www.machineryupdate.co.uk Installation News Machine controller achieves savings at print system plant Print system producer Ricoh is set to create links between its UK toner cartridge production and refill operations and a factory level database, using Omron control technology that allows two-way real-time communications for the first time. Production at the Ricoh UK plant in Telford will have fast and direct access via Omron’s NJ-series machine automation controller to a new plantwide database which senior engineer Richard Aston and his team have spent a year putting together. “I have been developing and proving an NJ controller on site over the past 12 months or so, to the point where it’s ready to deploy,” says Aston. As for the database, he adds: “Product traceability is key to our manufacturing processes, not only its robustness, but also the speed in which we can access the key information to ensure we make the right business decisions. “Being able to offer this type of technology back to our parent company in Japan is also a key driver to ensure our Japanese colleagues can access the data they need as quickly and efficiently as possible,” he says. Up to now, individual PLCs on Ricoh’s production lines have had to be individually, and laboriously, updated with new product information. But in the future, code readers and vision systems will be able to not only check individual components against set product recipes in the database, but also actively update that database with fresh information, saving tens of thousands of pounds and months of development. “It’s a big shift for us moving to Omron’s NJ,” says From Ricoh’s UK factory, the new controller interrogates and ‘pushes’ data back to the product database Aston. “It’s a new capability for the controller to be able to query and ‘push’ information to the database. In the past, it’s always been a case of the server accessing individual PLCs to collect data, not the other way around.” Manufacturing on average 15,000 cartridges per month, there are 12 different variants – including shape and colour – for the toner cartridges used with Ricoh’s ProTM LP5100S range of printers. The component parts for each cartridge are shipped from Japan with QR codes to identify both the unique serial number and part number. They must also be matched with the correct colour and formulation of toner. Ricoh’s first application of the NJ controller is at this stage, off the line but, says Aston the ultimate plan is to be able to manage the machine completely remotely, without the need for a physical datasheet and without the production team needing to intervene. Currently, the average time taken to select a recipe is 30 seconds, but with Omron’s HMI makes troubleshooting and maintenance tasks intuitive the new system it will be instantaneous and will also remove the possibility of selecting and running the wrong product. The second application of NJ controller technology is planned for the opposite end of the product lifecycle, once used cartridges are returned to the plant for refilling. “These cartridges have a relatively high value, and we’re increasingly looking at maximising recycling opportunities,” explains Aston. “But if we are going to have a recycling process, it has to be robust as products must perform in no way differently to that of non-recycled products.” When the serial number is scanned, the NJ will query the database for item-specific data and based on this data, the controller makes what amounts to a split-second decision as to whether the cartridge should progress to refilling or be rejected. T 0870 752 0861 W www.industrial.omron.co.uk
www.machineryupdate.co.uk JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 MACHINERY UPDATE 23 Blueberry quality is ensured by speedy but also gentle handling ATomra Primus-D optical belt sorter is providing accurate quality monitoring of blueberries at UK soft fruit grower S&A Produce, and has played a key role in enabling the company to pack the product in house, thereby greatly increasing throughput and cost efficiencies. Supplied by Tomra’s agent Stein Solutions, this was the first UK installation of the sorter and while S&A initially projected a payback on investment on the new line of three years, the company says that larger throughput volumes means this is now likely to be under two years. In the last five years, S&A has seen blueberries grow phenomenally in popularity and it now accounts for some 30% of its business. To meet this demand, S&A sources the product from all areas of the world, according to the seasons, in order to ensure year round supply to its customers. Initially the blueberries were imported prepacked S&A Produce believes the Tomra Primus-D optical belt sorter offers ‘best in class’ solution for its berries and then quality inspected and labelled before being distributed but now, each bulk container from abroad contains about 20 tonnes of blueberries as opposed to just three tonnes of prepacked product. At S&A’s packing operation in Marden, near Hereford, the blueberries are packed and sealed into trays. Prior to this, the Tomra Primus-D sorter uses colour cameras to spot discoloured product and advanced laser technology to detect soft berries. Berries are passed under the cameras and lasers on an O-ring belt and those that are rejected are air blasted onto a cross conveyor above the line. This system ensures gentle handling of the product throughout the operation so that the packed berries maintain their firmness. The Primus-D can handle up to 3.6 tonnes of blueberries an hour, enabling it to feed two tray sealing lines. T 07787 568307 W www.stein-solutions.co.uk
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