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Optimum filling - Siemens solution automates edible oils filling process

Parma, Italy, 2019-Jul-01

CFT S.p.A. develops and builds complete filling plants and packaging lines for a wide range of media including vegetables, beverages and edible oils. Approximately 11.5 million liters of oil are filled daily – it is therefore understandable that CFT needs reliable and efficient processes. The company therefore uses a completely electronic control methodology for the load cells and filling valves on its recently developed rotary filling machine – in other words, it relies on integrated weighing technology from Siemens. This end-to-end solution simplified the plant with respect to temperature fluctuations, filling capacity and variety of oil types. CFT was thus able to increase both the filling capacity of the plants and the filling speed to over 40,000 bottles per hour.

CFT S.p.A. develops and builds complete filling plants and packaging lines for a wide range of media including vegetables, beverages and edible oils. The new rotary filler with Siemens automation allows over 40,000 bottles to be filled per hour.

CFT has always used customized weighing modules on its previous plants. However, integrating these modules into the higher-level automation was often problematic, as was the supply of spare parts. The company therefore opted for end-to-end automation technology from the Siemens Siwarex portfolio for its new rotary filling machine.

The fully electronic controls for the weighing cells and filling valves are based on Siemens Siwarex weighing technology.

Reliable, end-to-end solution

Siwarex WP251 weighing modules control the step motor control for opening and closing the filling valves, thus regulating the flow of liquid. Sinamics G120C drives are used to lift the tank and rotate the monoblock on the ventilation unit. In addition to this, a fail-safe Simatic S7-1513F controller is responsible for the machine logic while the installed Simatic S7-1214C Central Processing Units (CPUs) communicate with a central Simatic S7-1500 controller via the open industrial Ethernet standard Profinet. The Ethernet-based communication network is extremely flexible, very powerful, and guarantees reliable communication with a Scalance XB208 switch and an RCoax antenna as well as a radiating cable installed over the entire circumference of the rotating component.

The end-to-end solution allowed CFT to increase the filling capacity of the plant by 20 percent.

Precise motion control

When filling, so-called screws ensure the correct and synchronized positioning of the bottle beneath the filler heads. These screws are also responsible for ensuring the bottles are not inserted if one of the filler heads is not working correctly. The screws are driven by brushless Simotics 1FK7 servomotors and Sinamics S120 converters. A Simotion D140 Motion Control System provides the motion control while the engineering of the entire automation solution and the free design of the operator interface using the TIA (Totally Integrated Automation) Portal engineering framework are particularly straightforward, as is the operation via a Simatic touch panel.

Quicker, easier and more flexible to operate

With the new automation solution, users of the rotary filling machine benefit from exceptionally straightforward and fast commissioning. The system is very flexible, insensitive to temperature fluctuations, and easy to operate. Thanks to the complete solution from Siemens, CFT was also able to increase the filling capacity by 20 percent and the filling speed to over 40,000 bottles per hour.

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