Synergies made in Italy, in complete safety

ACMI SpA is an Italian company specialized in the production of high technology bottling and packaging lines. The synergy started with Pilz Italia for years has allowed them to take advantage of security&safety services and solutions for their machines, guaranteeing maximum flexibility and productivity.

A world leading manufacturer of high technology bottling and packaging systems for the food and beverage markets, ACMI has patented numerous systems, repeatedly presenting significant innovations for the sector.
Partner of large international groups, ACMI designs, builds, installs and tests complete turnkey lines in all sectors of the food and beverage sectors; in addition to the production of all the machines that make up the end of the line, it manages the engineering and automation of the entire system, serving as the main contractor, thanks to the experience gained in thirty-five years activities.
 
A complete line
ACMI supplied one of the most important Italian mineral water bottlers with the Complete PET line with 44,000 bottles/h, dedicated to the production of 1.5 litre square single-size mineral water bottles.
The blowing-filling block in which the plastic preforms are blown, filled and capped is located at the entrance. After a series of conformity checks (water level and correct application of the cap), the bottles are passed through a drying tunnel, to then be labeled and marked with a laser marker.
A further quality check verifies the correct application of the labels on the bottles, which then reach the Fenix shrinkwrapper, which packages them with shrink film.
In the final part of the line, the Viper handle applicator applies the handles to the individual packs and the Thunder palletiser, equipped with the Twisterbox layer formation system, handles the palletization of the packs, which can be carried out on either a pallet or on a half pallet.
The line ends with the wrapping of the pallets in stretch film by the Vortex and Rocket fixed and rotating pallet wrappers.
The entire system was designed to operate automatically through the supervision of only three operators: one in the blowing-filling area, one dedicated to manual loading of the labels on the labeling machine, the third dedicated to the end of the line.
 
Risk assessment
Pilz Italia has provided a consultancy activity, initially carrying out risk assessments on the individual machines supplied by ACMI (bundler, handle applicator, palletizer, half-pallet winders, half-pallet overlap and whole-pallet wrapper), to then proceed to assess the risks in line; in particular, the interfaces between different machines were analysed and a non-compliance assessment of non-ACMI machines was carried out on a regulatory basis, detecting the risks present and verifying the documentation provided by the other partners. Thanks to a correct planning of the on-site activities carried out between the ACMI and PILZ project managers it was possible to carry out an inspection, which enabled the identification of some non-conformities, promptly highlighted to the various machinery manufacturers involved in the project.
The second inspection made it possible to verify the remediation measures carried out, so as to draw up the validation report of the Essential Requirements for Health and Safety (R.E.S.S.), in accordance with the requirements of the machinery directive 2006/42 / EC. The Technical File and the Instruction and Maintenance Manual for the set of machinery making up the production line was also prepared.
The Pilz risk assessment included the following points:
- identification of the standards and regulations in force;
- determination of machine limits;
- identification of hazards at each stage of the machine’s life;
- risk analysis and assessment;
- identification of strategies and measures for risk reduction.
 
Safety first and foremost
Risk assessments are essential to guarantee the safety of machinery and represent the most effective and convenient way to reduce the risks themselves, linked to the activities carried out both by operators and maintenance technicians of the machines: the lack of a complete analysis can often cause accidents. During the construction, modernization or connection up in series of machines, risk assessment is a fundamental factor in verifying the state of safety achieved and is also a valid tool for identifying any additional protective measures to be implemented.
Gianluca Contesso, Safety Product Manager of the ACMI group commented with real satisfaction: «The risk assessment carried out by Pilz experts is the basis for the safe implementation of our plant, as well as for the identification of appropriate protective measures. Pilz understood very well how to transfer our competence in technical choices related to safety so that we could make good use of them».
Thanks to the use of the PAScal software for the calculation of the Performance level the level of performance obtained for each safety function could be verified: thanks to the simple graphical interface, PAScal allows you to construct security&safety functions through pre-packaged libraries according to the VDMA 66413 library format, speeding up all the evaluation and verification of the Performance Level.

Maximum flexibility with configurable safety sensors and relays
On its machines, ACMI has relied on products supplied by Pilz Italia, in particular the PSEN code sensors, which comply with the highest level of safety in accordance with EN ISO 13849-1 and EN IEC 62061.
Thanks to the RFID transponder technology, the PSENcode coded safety switches combine maximum protection against manipulation with the minimum space requirement. In its version with fully unique coding (high coding), PSEN code guarantees maximum flexibility and ease of use while ensuring easy installation according to EN ISO 14119: 2013.
The safety logic was implemented using the PNOZ mB0 programmable device, which is part of the Pilz PNOZ Multi2 range, guaranteeing maximum safety and above all maximum flexibility.
The possibility of expanding the safety logic and managing advanced safety functions - such as speed control - make the Pilz solution performant and at the same time simple and flexible, ensuring high productivity for ACMI machines.
Through the PNOZ mB0 module, the manufacturer was able to check for emergency procedures, gate sensors, modal selectors and consent devices. The system is configured using the PNOZmulti configurator development software, which features simple and intuitive block programming.
The PNOZ m EF PDPlink expansion module has enabled the creation of a secure network of PDP67 F 8DI ION cards (decentralized input modules with IP67 protection) with which it was possible to go into the field and collect the sensors located in the branches and the various emergency functions. In this way it was possible to optimize the number of cables and increase ease of installation.
The program CRC that guarantees the uniqueness and integrity of the project has been stored in the technical file and can be viewed during the start-up phase of the PNOZ mB0 module together with the name of the project and the date of creation. The online diagnostics via the PNOZmulti configurator allows you to see the status of the safety devices instantly and thanks to the error stack and the diagnostic words it is always possible to immediately identify any problem. The interfacing of the PNOZmB0 system with the automation system of the machine has been completed with the use of the PNOZ m ES Profinet fieldbus with which it is possible to communicate the state of the safety devices enabling a quick and simple identification of the problems.                     

Massima flessibilità con sensori e relè di sicurezza configurabili
Sulle proprie macchine ACMI si è affidata a prodotti forniti da Pilz Italia, in  particolare aii sensori PSEN code, conformi al massimo livello di sicurezza in accordo con la EN ISO 13849-1 e EN IEC 62061.
Grazie alla tecnologia transponder RFID, gli interruttori di sicurezza codificati PSENcode combinano massima protezione da manipolazione unitamente al requisito di spazio minimo. Nella sua versione con codifica pienamente univoca (alta codifica), PSEN code garantisce massima flessibilità e semplicità d’uso garantendo al tempo stesso una facile installazione secondo la EN ISO 14119:2013.
La logica di sicurezza è stata realizzata mediante l’utilizzo del dispositivo programmabile PNOZ mB0, che rientra nella gamma PNOZ Multi2 di Pilz, garantendo la massima sicurezza e soprattutto la massima flessibilità.
La possibilità di espandere la logica di sicurezza e di gestire funzioni di sicurezza evolute - come per esempio il controllo della velocità - rendono la soluzione Pilz performante e al contempo semplice e flessibile, assicurando  alle macchine ACMI un’alta produttività.
Tramite il modulo PNOZ mB0, il costruttore ha potuto controllare funghi di emergenza, sensori delle porte, selettori modali e dispositivi di consenso. La configurazione del sistema avviene tramite il software di sviluppo PNOZmulti configurator, che dispone di una programmazione a blocchi semplice ed intuitiva.
Il modulo di espansione PNOZ m EF PDPlink ha permesso di realizzare una rete sicura di schede PDP67 F 8DI ION (moduli di ingresso decentralizzati con protezione IP67) con le quali è stato possibile andare in campo e raccogliere i sensori delocalizzati degli sportelli e i vari funghi di emergenza. In questo modo è stato possibile ottimizzare il numero di cablaggi e aumentare la facilità di installazione.
Il CRC del programma che garantisce l’univocità e l’integrità del progetto, è stato archiviato all’interno del fascicolo tecnico ed è visualizzabile durante la fase di avvio del modulo PNOZ mB0 assieme al nome del progetto e alla data di creazione.
La diagnostica on line tramite il PNOZmulti configurator permette di vedere lo stato delle sicurezze all’istante e grazie allo stack errori e alle word di diagnostica è sempre possibile individuare immediatamente l’eventuale problema. L’interfacciabilità del sistema PNOZmB0 con il sistema di automazione della macchina è stata completata con l’uso del bus di campo PNOZ m ES Profinet, con il quale è possibile comunicare lo stato delle sicurezze permettendo di identificare le problematiche in maniera veloce e semplice.

ACMI managed the design and installation of the high-performance line, creating the layout of the plant and all the machines of the “dry” part.
To manage high production speeds - moreover with square format bottles that presents a series of criticalities due to the specific conformation - the Fornovo company has used the best technologies available on the market:
● Only one storage pallet positioned at the filling outlet.
● The compact connection, without accumulation tables, between the labeler with double-track exit and the shrinkwrapper (derived, as the name implies, from the pilot project of the “compact line”).
● The Fenix double-track shrinkwrapper with 75 strokes per minute (per runway) with automatic film change system, external reel-box in a safe and ergonomic position and an automatic promotional card insertion system.
● Viper double track electromechanical handle applier with an electronic stepping system (without spacer screws).
● Thunder double-deck mobile palletizer with three-module Twisterbox layer formation system (this is the fastest configuration currently available).
● Wrapping system consisting of two Vortex model fixed pallet wrappers (pre-stretch capacity up to 400%) with top cover, 1000 mm high spool and automatic pre-stretch system, and a Rocket-type rotating blade roller with reel 1,000 mm high. This specific configuration allows the packaging of both 1200x800 pallets and 600x800 half pallets on the main pallet (logistic format required for export).
● Line supervision system by means of a dedicated software that allows, in addition to displaying the operating statistics of the individual machines, to also manage the format change on the entire line by sending the commands to the individual operating panels.