Anybus Baking machines User Guide
- June 7, 2024
- Anybus
Table of Contents
Case study:
Baking machines
Effects:
Wireless communication between the main machine and cabinet.
No need for expensive slip rings.
No wear and tear.
“We have saved quite a bit of money on not having to use expensive slip rings
and we did not have to run a single cable.”
Andreas Kisch
General Manager
Softtek
Wireless technology makes life easier in the bakery
How Austrian machine builder Softtec got rid of cables and cut down costs
when building an automation system at a bakery in Sweden.
The Swedish bakery Östras bröd has been baking bread since 1899. But just
because you have long traditions doesn’t mean you can’t use new technology.
The bakery’s brand new baking machine has a state-of-the-art controlling
system built on Siemens controls – and wireless technology from HMS Industrial
Networks. The machine builder is Austrian Softtec who specializes in
innovative automation solutions for bakeries.
The problem
The baking machine consists of several large cylinder-shaped containers which
hold the dough during the process. The cylinders are slowly spinning around
like a carousel which makes it possible to fill them with flour and water,
but it also makes wiring cumbersome. Also, the controlling cabinet is on the
other side of the room which complicates wiring even further.
The solution
To solve this issue, Softech installed the Anybus Wireless Bolt solution from
HMS. The Anybus Wireless Bolt establishes a very reliable wireless connection
via Bluetooth or Wireless LAN for up to 100 meters. The top part of the
Wireless Bolt is mounted onto the exterior, while the bottom is on the inside
connecting to the machine (via Ethernet).
From Bolt
to Bolt. An Anybus Wireless Bolt is mounted on the top of the baking machine
(left) and communicates via Bluetooth to another Wireless Bolt on the top of
the controlling cabinet (right). communicates via Bluetooth to another
Wireless Bolt on the top of the controlling cabinet (right).
In the case of Softtec’s baking machine, the Wireless Bolt is used as cable
replacement from the machine to the main controlling cabinet on the other side
of the room. Softtek has mounted one Wireless Bolt on the top of the baking
machine, and another Wireless Bolt on the top of the control cabinet, about 10
meters away.
“The alternative to using wireless communication here, would be to use slip
rings,” says Andreas Kisch at Softtek. “But everything that moves and turns
wears its own after a while so we decided to go with a wireless solution that
does not require any maintenance.”
Bluetooth communication
Data is sent between the two Wireless Bolts via Bluetooth. Softtek first tried
using WLAN but found out that the busy environment in the bakery (with lots of
other radio traffic and stainless steel to reflect radio waves) was better
suited for Bluetooth communication.
As Bluetooth uses narrow frequency band channels and
On the inside. The Wireless Bolt communicates with the machine via Ethernet (PROFINET).
actively switches frequency to find a good connection, it is often best if a
robust and stable connection is needed, while WLAN is better for large data
transfer.
Since it is a Siemens-based control system, the communication is handled using
PROFINET I/O. Bluetooth is the preferred choice for I/O communication via
ROFINET so that was also another reason to use Bluetooth. The I/O data cycle
time was set to 64 milliseconds.
A reliable solution for future use
Soon, the new baking machine will be making bread for the citizens of Southern
Sweden. And Softtec has found a wireless solution that they can definitely
rely n on their future installations around the world.
“The installation process was pretty much plugged and play,” says Andreas
Kisch. “We got a little bit of help from HMS, they walked us through the
process, and it as uite easy. In the end, we have saved quite a bit of money
on not having to use expensive slip rings and we did not have to run a single
cable.”
HMS Industrial Networks develops and manufactures state-of-the-art hardware and software for industrial communication. Products are marketed under the brand names Anybus, Ewon and Ixxat. HMS was founded in 1988, is headquartered in Halmstad, Sweden and is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange n Stockholm, ISIN-code: SE0002136242.
Part No: MMA629 Version 2 07/2020 – © HMS Industrial Networks – All rights
reserved – HMS reserves the right to make modifications without prior notice.