Multipacks managed (better) with Ethercat

The Beckhoff and EtherCAT PC based control platform enable an increase in production speed, reducing control cabinet space by 20%: this was experienced in the field by PakTech, producer of study plastic handles that turn packs or bundles into packaging handy for storage and transportation.

Bundling plastic containers or PET bottles with small handles is simple, effective and saves materials and represents an environmentally-friendly solution for consumers. Jim Borg, founder of the Eugene, Oregon, USA-based PakTech and Oregon Precision Industries, Inc., developed a company from this idea. PakTech produces the most diverse carrying solutions for all kinds of containers for food, beverages, cleaning agents, body care products and more. The company’s services range from the design and manufacture of the handles (using an injection molding process), and the optional attachment of barcode labels… The switch to a Beckhoff PC- and EtherCAT-based control platform has helped bring PakTech an enormous increase in production speed while reducing space requirements in the control cabinet by an impressive 20%.

The advantages of a PC based contro
The packaging market is constantly under pricing pressures. Therefore, in order to remain competitive, PakTech sought a control solution for its handle application machinery that was not only elegant and powerful, but also inexpensive.
«We needed to expand our control ability while reducing our costs - which we couldn’t do with a separate servo platform and PLC platform such as those we had used in the past» explains Dan Shook, Director of Operations at PakTech. «What we envisaged on one hand was greater openness of the controller. We also sought a user interface that was specific to our type of equipment so that the look and feel would be the same across different PakTech platforms».
Since PakTech has used a Husky injection molding machine with Beckhoff PC control to manufacture the plastic handles for several years, the decision was made quickly: «Through Husky - states Dan Shook - we see that the brand of PC-based control technology from Beckhoff is well-thought out, tested in the field for several years and is trouble-free. In this way we can ideally support our customers with the presence onsite of our maintenance staff, while lowering maintenance costs for both».

PC unites PLC and data management on one platform
The PakTech systems usually integrate with a conveyor. After the machine has detected the product on the conveyor, the plastic handles are applied to two or more plastic containers by means of a pick-and-place robot, so that they are firmly connected with one another. The correct application of the handles is subsequently checked and the products then move downstream for further packaging steps. The machine also communicates line speed to other systems in the plant.The PC-based controller also allows us to provide machine information to the customers’ ERP systems.
For the MPA60 multi-purpose applicator, which fits handles to 60 cases per minute, PakTech uses a CX1020 Embedded PC with the TwinCAT NC PTP automation software for PLC and Motion Control as the control platform.
Visualization is accomplished using the Beckhoff CP6201 Control Panel and TwinCAT PLC HMI. Alternatively, PakTech also uses the C6920 Compact Industrial PC with Intel. Core™ Duo depending on the application. EtherCAT is used as the high speed communication bus. Whereas the EtherCAT I/O Terminals in IP 20 protection are accommodated in the control cabinet, the robust IP 67 EtherCAT Box modules are used directly on the machine and around the robot arm. For the motion system, PakTech uses the AX5000 series EtherCAT drives and servomotors from the AM3052 series.
«The CX1020 Embedded PC was selected because it’s a flexible DIN Rail mounted controller and with its 1 GHz processor; it’s a very powerful device for automation. The CX1020 also provides a direct backplane connection to EtherCAT I/O terminals».
The machine-mountable EtherCAT Box I/O solution enabled PakTech to meet the requirements for high performance networking and data acquisition in the field to various areas of the machines. «In the past – Shook states - all our I/O was centralized and we had a great deal of wiring back and forth to the field. EtherCAT Box I/O has eliminated this and the related costs and time required. With EtherCAT and PC-based control we can implement the motion and logic in the same controller».

PakTech systems include one-touch operation, easy to set up controls and tool-less changeovers. «It cut our required training time in half for our customers because time previously had to be spent in the plant training the maintenance technician on how to navigate through the previous system. Now, the navigation is essentially as simple as pushing a button on the machine» says Dan Shook. One more argument with which to convince our customers about this new control concept, the operations head declares.
This was a technological leap forward for PakTech and, naturally, it helped reduce required electrical panel space to a considerable degree. Affordable, high performance packaging machine control is within reach.

The EtherCAT Box solution used by Paktech satisfies the high performance requisites and at the same time enables data capture in the various zones of the plant.
PakTech expects an additional gain in efficiency as a result of using the PC based control system. «We’re confident we’ll maintain 99% efficiency with installed machines and we’re expecting a 20 % improvement in reliability over our previous design» Shook summarizes. «Today we have 20% more control cabinet space to accommodate additional hardware requests from customers».            

1) PakTech applies plastic handles up to 12 packs/min
2) AX5000 used by PakTech