10 Sect. 4 1/4" TG IS-machine
Heye Servo Dual Motor Shears
10 Sect. 4 1/4" TG IS-machine
Ardagh Group’s Knottingley glass container facility in the UK is benefitting from the recent conversion of an existing production line to Simotion® servo drive and FMT control technology.
Glassmachinery, Plants & Accessories 1/2021: Maximising the advantages of process visualisation
The highly flexible control system is based on the future-proof, multi axis Simotion® drive system from Siemens. Independently operating visualisation and real-time control is enabled delivering simplified access to all production data parameters and system error reports.
Enhanced reliability of the electronic components in combination with the application of a compact servo motor with robust resolver guarantee resilient, non-stop operation. If control components need to be changed, complicated programming is not necessary because the configuration data is stored on a memory board. When control is initiated, the data is automatically transferred. Hence, commissioning times and downtimes during servicing are minimised, whilst the staff training requirements are reduced.
Retrofitting the Simotion® and FMT IS-machine control at the Knottingley glass plant was combined with Heye’s expert technicians installing a series of advanced glass container production technologies as part of the project. This included the installation of a 3inch triple gob feeder mechanism as well as the Heye servo dual motor shears (type 2323, 3in triple gob). Along with 10-section crane rail equipment, the installation further featured replacement blank side valve blocks, the Heye 2157 servo pusher system, a Heye three axis servo lehr loader (type 4206), hot end reject equipment and Heye process control. A Simotion® IS conveyor and ware transfer conversion kit was also supplied, together with a Simotion® cross conveyor conversion kit. The Heye Simotion® Servodrive System is designed for nine drives and features two control cabinets.
Julie Watson, Director of Operations at Ardagh Glass Knottingley, confirms successful commissioning of the project in close co-operation with Heye personnel, both before and during installation: “We are delighted with the good teamwork between Ardagh and Heye staff. The upgrade of our IS machine and equipment will lead us to the next level of high-end technology”. Now, the glassmaker is looking forward to maximising the benefits of using process visualisation within the production process.
® = Simotion is a registered trademark of Siemens