21 April – During the past two weeks our installation engineers Evert-Jan, Joep and Roelof, have been working at the FAMAG-Neitraco plant in Bunnik. Their assignment has been the installation of a control system in a machine that produces aluminum holders for tea lights. ELMA Systems has a long history in designing, assembling, installing and commissioning the control system for this specific machine. The crucial component being automated is the press for the extrusion of the tea lights from their foil.
Control System
The complete machine is controlled by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). ELMA’s software engineers have developed the application software. Electrical motors are the driving units within the machine, and are set up and controlled by frequency and servo drives.
The control panel is mounted on a mobile console and features a special HMI touch-screen. The start-up screen the operator has access to 15 sub-menus, featuring all the machine’s settings.
Using the touch-screen display the complete setup of the machine can be configured: the decoiling functions, the through-put speed and the settings for the extrusion press. By means of a separate code it is possible to render and adjust the alarm functions.
The physical integration of ELMA’s control system on the FAMAG machine happens in the Bunnik plant. From the initial building, to the wiringing and the commissioning. This saves a significant time when installing the complete machine at the plant of the end customer.
About FAMAG
For almost 50 years FAMAG – now part of the Neitraco group – has been a well-known player in the field of mechanical engineering, metal working and tooling. Matocapco is FAMAG’s special line of machines and tools that enable a lean and mean way of producing caps and containers such as tea light cups, bottle caps and foil containers.