Using Cube67 fieldbus with Evolution Power Supplies – increasing run time and system availability.
Conveyor and palletizing systems from Zecchetti Handling Technologies are capable of processing over 60,000 plastic bottles an hour. To increase the machines run-time and add essential diagnostics capabilities, they use Murrelektronik’s Cube67 fieldbus system with IO-Link sensors and the Cube67 Diagnostic Gateway module. In the cabinet, they opted for efficient Evolution Power Supplies ensuring extremely high reliability and continuous 2-phase operation. A perfect combination, enabling Zecchetti engineers to create solutions to meet their customer’s need. About Zecchetti
What moves 1,000 plastic bottles a minute, is over 100 meters long and is made in Italy? A handling machine from Zecchetti! With over 19,000 square meters of production facility, Zecchetti can realize unparalleled handling solutions for their customers all over the world.
Just outside of the city of Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, lies packaging valley. Surrounded by centuries old castles and parmesan cheese manufacturers, this is where the handling technology company Zecchetti is headquartered with over 100 employees. Since 1960, they have been manufacturing turn-key automation systems for empty bottle conveying and palletizing to both glass and plastic bottle producers. They also provide automated warehousing installations for small workpieces, bins and pallets.
But not all their machine lines handle such traditional bottles. The complexity increases when asked to develop systems to handle glass bottles shaped as a high heel, or even a fish. “These are some of the most memorable applications and always present their own fun challenges,” said Luca Facchini, technician at Zecchetti.
The Challenge
Requirements like speed and high run-times are non-negotiable and help strengthen their end customers’ competitive advantage. To tackle these challenges and deliver the best solutions possible, the team of engineers at Zecchetti are continually innovating and working with new technologies. One of the answers for the team is to rely on the modular Cube67 fieldbus I/O system from Murrelektronik. This system was an easy choice for them because they can easily integrate the Diagnostic Gateway module and IO-Link Devices into their automation concepts. Cube is a modular fieldbus system designed for decentralized installation concepts. Its flexibility makes it easy to develop the right solution for any application.
The Project
As their systems are shipped all over the world, Zecchetti opted for the Evolution Power Supplies. Evolution has output voltages ranging from 12 – 48 VDC and UL approval, making it the ideal choice for international use. The price/performance ratio and power boost (50%) was attractive for Zecchetti as Evolution offers all the features required at a very competitive price. The 2-phase continuous operation helps prevent downtime on the power side – so if one side fails, the other side is prepared. Ideal for Zecchettis as their machines run 24/7.
Due to the modular nature of Zecchetti’s machine concept, working with the Cube67 system enables them to simply combine different machine components. Installing Cube67 modules on the machine processing areas makes it easy to connect them during transportation and commissioning. When comparing this installation to single wire solutions, Cube67 saves time and reduces wiring mistakes. Features like plug-in connections and robust and compact design, the Cube67 system offers a valuable cost-benefit ratio across the entire life cycle of a machine. Simplified engineering design, fast machine assembly, error-free commissioning and maximized system run time make for efficient packaging operations.
Because the applications and processes are modular, working with Cube67 helped Zecchetti simplify installations. Integrating IO-Link devices in Cube67 open additional possibilities. Features like adding an additional 20 meters (65 feet) of cable to the IO-Link sensors and the possibility to connect up to 128 IO-Link devices to a single bus module are important to handling customers like Zecchetti because their machines and applications need to fulfill long length requirements.
Relying on the intuitive Murrelektronik Cube67 webserver made it easy for them to integrate IO-Link devices as generic devices because they didn’t need any additional software or interfaces. “It’s intuitive to use and we don’t have to give our teams any additional software training,” said Guido Corradi, technician at Zecchetti. The Cube67 Ethernet/IP bus node’s webserver allows Zecchetti to configure and program the whole Cube67 system quickly and easily. And via the integrated backup function, they can store the configuration and simply upload this to the next machine.
Sixty percent of Zecchetti’s customers use ProfiNet, while forty percent rely on EtherNet/IP. The Cube67 system makes it possible to switch out the bus module without changing the whole system. By simply switching out the bus module, Zecchetti can standardize the placement of the fieldbus modules and adapt the system to a new protcol. “By using Cube67, Zecchetti simplifies their installation while increasing output, which is a key value add for them,” said Daniele Bizzarri, District Manager at Murrelektronik.
Producing glass and PET handling machines for some of the world’s most well-known beverage manufacturers, Zecchetti knows that speed counts. Downtime is critical and can waste valuable raw materials in the automation process. In facilities that handle glass bottles, the handling machines run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week because the hot end of the glass bottle production cannot cool down. Commissioning and testing phases need to be executed as quickly as possible.
To help minimize these potential risk areas, Zecchetti builds the Cube67 Diagnostic Gateway into their conveyor and palletizing applications. The Diagnostic Gateway module provides the most extensive diagnostics without needing any additional programming. It provides a system overview that is browser and platform independent. Zecchetti’s commissioning engineers use the Diagnostic Gateway to detect installation errors at an early phase. The maintenance team at Zecchetti uses it to quickly identify problem areas and test the protocol.
