We’re your source for automation news. Keep up with the latest industry updates and E Tech employee spotlights, as well as tips and guidance from our manufacturing experts.
Challenge
After producing some of the world’s most famous and flavorful confections for many years, a Northern California candy manufacturer’s aging conveyor system was becoming old, noisy, and obsolete. The existing conveyor system, which had sorted and moved large volumes of product for over a decade, was a line shaft design and was beginning to degrade. The factory was in desperate need of a conveyor system modernization which would increase efficiency, decrease noise and minimize maintenance costs.
Solution
For this project, E Tech Group (AG) used Ignition industrial application software from Inductive Automation and an Allen Bradley controller. The technology for the new conveyor was DC roller controlled. DC rollers are quieter, more energy efficient, and can be controlled more precisely with the set-up of multiple zones per conveyor. This technology allows for a variety of new features to enhance overall operations and reduce wear and tear. As an example, multiple rollers can be started and stopped in sections, and can also start and stop on demand. This enables a more efficient workflow based on capacity and need.
The addition of Ignition Software provided increased visibility to the plant floor, as well as the ability to pull more data via the new Itoh Denki controller. It also enabled AG to create templates for the DC roller controllers which included running data, alarming data and controls.
The upgrade and modernization of the candy manufacturer’s old, outdated conveyor system helped improve overall operational efficiency and enhance the automation processes. AG was able to eliminate the manufacturer’s noisy, worn-out system and modernize their entire conveyor operation with added features that created a quieter operation, extended life, and reduced wear and tear
Quieter Conveyor
Upon installation of the new system, the candy manufacturer noticed an immediate reduction in noise during the operation of the conveyor system.
More Efficiency
With a 24V DC motor nestled inside each roller’s tube, the conveyor system achieved better accumulation (a higher run rate). They also had tighter control of product placement which increased overall efficiencies.
Reduced Maintenance
The old conveyors were always running and had a lot of moving parts that would get worn out and require servicing or replacement. Since the modernization project has been completed, the manufacturer has seen a significant decrease in all service and maintenance costs.
While the Marines require 13 weeks of rigorous basic training in Paris Island, and the Army and Navy demand 10 and 8 weeks respectively, E Tech Group offers 4 weeks of Automation Boot Camp to prepare our recruits to become the best of the best in automation engineering. We like to think our Automation Boot Camp is just as transformative for our recruits, but without the screaming in their face and the exhaustive overnight hikes through the desert. It also produces a more competent and more confident automation engineer or project manager ready to take on the Life Science Industry. A Control Systems Integrator Focused on Continued Education For over 30 years now, we have refined and improved our automation training program into 26 online modules within the company portal. These modules are followed by both recent engineering graduates and experienced engineers learning the peculiarities of the Life Science Industry, and contain embedded quizzes that help them soak in the information. The self-paced program includes topics like: The technical modules our new recruits will complete throughout the course of Automation Bootcamp include: This provides our new automation engineers and future project managers with well-rounded background information and template starting points that will ease life considerably once assigned to a project. Soft skills also include customer relations, team work communication, appropriate documentation of meetings, and the proper follow up of customer needs. Applied Life Sciences Automation Training: Bringing it Into the Real World With the same urgency that the Marines require 3 weeks of intensive, real life target practice with an M16 rifle and live ammunition, E Tech Group provides each recruit with a real batching project with a live PLC (ControlLogix or Siemens S7) and Operator Interface (Wonderware, Factory Talk, WINCC, or Ignition). As a final hurdle, each recruit demonstrates the functionality of their … Continued
E Tech Group is part of an elite group of system integrators achieving the highest level of certification in the Control System Integrator Association’s Certification program and the first to pass its eighth consecutive certification audit as required every three years. Seabrook, NH – October 5, 2021 – E Tech Group, a leading 3-decades-old control system integrator of custom industrial automation and IT solutions with 400+ engineers across the country, today announced the company has successfully renewed its Control Systems Integrators Association (CSIA) Certification. CSIA Certified control system integrators must pass an intensive audit every three years to demonstrate that they meet stringent performance standards. Jose M. Rivera, CEO of the CSIA said, “Congratulations to [E Tech Group] for their successful CSIA re-certification. They lead the pack as the only system integrator with eight consecutive certification rounds to date. I congratulate [E Tech Group] for their leadership and for having made the CSIA Best Practices part of their company culture. Keep it up! By supporting the CSIA Certification program [E Tech Group] is not only advancing their company, they are also elevating the playing field for the entire control systems integration community.” Qualifications of Elite Control System Integrators The intensive CSIA audit process is conducted by an independent third-party consulting firm measuring criteria in general management, financial management, project management, quality management, technical management, human resources, and business development. CSIA Certification ultimately provides benefits to end-users of automation technology by ensuring CSIA Certified control system integrators are financially healthy companies capable of completing projects in a professional and technically sound manner. In addition to being eight-time certified by CSIA, E Tech Group has passed over sixty quality management and validation audits and is both a Rockwell Automation Solution Partner and Siemens Automation Solution Partner. In June of 2020, E Tech Group announced the company had also qualified as an OSI Soft Solution Partner. Some of E Tech Group’s specialized expertise is in the biotech and life sciences industries. The company specializes in complex FDA validated automation systems. We offer coast-to-coast capabilities with multiple locations in the biotech and life science hubs of New England and California. E Tech Group’s 400+ engineers at 18 … Continued
– By Tony Schalk, Functional Safety Engineer (TÜV Rheinland), Automation Systems Engineer, E Technologies Sophisticated companies know that safety is a journey, not a destination. It is a part of their strategic and ongoing growth. As more and more companies look to implement safety programs, questions about budget, time, effort, and feasibility come into play. Larger companies may already employ a safety engineer or even a safety team, with well-established metrics and objectives each year. If you don’t fall into that category, don’t be discouraged. The most important thing you can do on any journey is to start. To begin your safety journey, you start with a risk assessment. In the United States, when an accident originates from machinery, the owner of the machine is responsible for the safety, not just the manufacturer of the machine. This means that if something happens, it’s technically your responsibility. If that doesn’t scare you, it should. The beauty of the risk assessment is that it is your education on what could happen with the machinery in your facility. What you choose to do with your newfound knowledge is up to you; however, in the immortal words of G.I. Joe, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” There are a few caveats. Although companies could self-perform their risk assessments, it isn’t a job that just anyone in your plant can do. A TÜV certification is needed, as well as an understanding of ISO 13849 or IEC 62061 standards. Anyone could pick up the standard and follow the process, but it’s hard to implement a standard and its many details if you’re new to safety. This is where having a safety professional can be very beneficial for efficiency’s sake. He or she can walk into a situation and quickly identify what needs to … Continued
