Today I would like to share with you the case of ACMI SpA, an Italian company dedicated to the production of high-end filling and packaging lines, to see how they do safety protection for the canning production line.
First of all, let’s start with their process…
The mineral water bottling line is capable of filling 44,000 1.5 liter rectangular bottles per hour. To ensure that the system operates smoothly and efficiently at very high speeds, the entire process must be monitored for safety and effectiveness.
Risk Assessment of Complex Processes
Thanks to the automation of the production line, only three operators are needed for a whole huge filling production line. A is responsible for the blower and filler area, B is responsible for the manual loading of the labels into the labeller, and C is responsible for the process steps at the end of the line.
Different machines will inevitably have some risks in the process of linked operation. In order to avoid these risks and protect operators, ACMI consulted Pilz, hoping that all equipment (such as conveyors, codes, etc.) stacker and storage machine, etc.) for inspection and risk assessment of various parts and interfaces. Pilz checked and recorded various risks in the life cycle of the machine on site, and based on this, it conducted a risk assessment and drafted strategies and protective measures to reduce production risks.
“Pilz’s risk assessment is the basis for us to determine the appropriate protective measures. Pilz’s expertise in machinery safety gives us peace of mind,” says Gianluca Contesso, Safety Product Manager at ACMI.
Maximum flexibility in production: Safety controllers are at the heart
In the retrofitted ACMI line, the safety functions are monitored by the configurable small controller PNOZmulti 2. The non-contact safety switch PSENcode installed on the safety door of the production line meets the highest safety requirements of EN ISO 13849-1 and EN IEC 62061, reaching PLe and SILCL 3. The non-contact safety switch PSENcode mounted on a safety gate meets the highest safety requirements. Integrated analysis and standard interfaces mean that safety switches are “compatible” with products from other manufacturers.
With the tools in hand, it is easy to monitor the production line
Usually, when making a plan, the configuration of the sensor is quite troublesome. If the configuration of the sensor is not reasonable in the early stage of design, it is often necessary to order a large number of additional accessories, resulting in an increase in the overall project cost. PNOZmulti Configurator provides customers with intuitive software and hardware parameters, which simplifies the selection and installation process from the source. After scientific configuration, the number of accessories such as cables will be greatly reduced. In addition, online diagnostics via the PNOZmulti Configurator configurator can directly view the status of the protection device, and field operators can immediately discover problems such as error stacks and diagnostic data and deal with them in a timely manner.
After a series of risk assessments and improvements in safety measures, the entire production process is now safer and smoother, and there is no longer any need to worry about operators being exposed to risks.
The Links: 3BSE025255R1 ACS880-01-045A-3