CANopen in toffee production
Source: CAN Newsletter, September 2004
Klöckner Hänsel Processing (KHP) has been supplying processing systems and packaging machines for the confectionery industry for over ninety years. KHP has operations worldwide in collaboration with several agents. The ability to combine process modules enables individual customer production requirements to be fulfilled entirely. A system for toffee production at Toffee Tec, in Boizenburg consists of the feed system, weighing system, several cookers, tempering system, extruder and packaging machines. The aim of the automation solution is to increase productivity and maximize flexibility - whilst still maintaining the same high level of quality.
The raw materials are taken from their outdoor silos using the Contigrav 1030 weighing system, the core of the automation system. The Contigrav supplies several high-performance stir cookers simultaneously with different recipes and with the appropriate stirring and cooking parameters. During the subsequent tempering stage, the liquid finished product turns into a soft and viscous substance that can be processed further. The extruder machines, the Stradas, guide the shaped extruded material to the cutting and packaging machines.
The Contigrav 1030 central metering and weighing system of the JellyStar 2012 cooking machine is controlled using a 15-inch HMI-PLC, and processes liquid, powder and granular materials. All HMIs come with CANopen and Ethernet interfaces on board. In this process, a high degree of precision is required for applying the recipe for jelly or fondant products. The technical system supplied and the weighing processor control allow up to five recipes to be run simultaneously.
