Page 43 - Packaging News magazine March_April 2023

“The confectionery industry demands optimum efficiency,” Rocca explains. “You can’t just stop a 1500 ppm line. Our adage is: ‘never stop the line unnecessarily and be as efficient as possible when it is running’. And this counts as double, as phase two of this project will see another line going in.”
According to Chris Rabago, direc- tor of manufacturing at Hawaiian Host: “Cama established confidence with our team by taking a collaborative approach on finding the best solutions to our
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top-level priorities. Clear communica- tion and collaboration was essential, as equipment projects have a high number of variables, and it’s critical that an open dialogue exist around cost/benefit solu- tions, as well as build decisions that may impact the equipment capabilities in the future. In respect to the technology, we look for an intuitive user interface, simple changeovers, and remote service support, which is especially important to our Hawaii-based production facili- ties, as it is often a challenge to quickly bring technicians onsite.”
DIGITALISED DEMANDS
The variables in this project demand a digitalised solution, which Cama has developed over the last five years.
“This line benefits from our full Industry 4.0 offering and is one of the first to deploy our new AI-driven line supervisor software,” Rocca tells PKN. “And to keep uptime to an absolute maximum, it exploits our ‘tool-less’ RFID-managed changeover solution and an automated gripper system, both of which help deliver some of the fastest batch-swap routines in the industry.”
Naked chocolate pro3ducts
The digitalised approach also makes operator training, machine interactions and maintenance routines simpler, thanks to immersive augmented real- ity (AR). All operational parameters are collected, collated and disbursed using a centralised PC, which can share instructions and alarms to tab- lets, the PC also monitors energy consumption as part of a sustainability package, which is also supported by the machines ability to handle and package trays made from sustainable materials.
“This is a fantastic deployment of our entire package,” Rocca con- cludes, “from mechanical design, through advanced electromechanical automation solutions from Rockwell Automation, and onto AR and AI to deliver even greater efficiencies and ease of use. As I have said, the confec- tionery industry demands maximum efficiency and we have to make sure that none of our technology is a weak link in the bigger process. In fact, in the majority of applications, our machines tend to be governed by up and down- stream processes. It is our goal to never limit line speed in any industry.” ■
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pkn Chris a5 130x 193.indd 1 WWW.PACKAGINGNEWS.COM.AU
08/08/2022 14:39:01 MARCH – APRIL 2023 ❙ 43
ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION