Technologies used for Malt-O-Meal integrated safety project
Safety PLC, adjustable speed ac drives, motor starters, and energy management software from Rockwell Automation, along with EtherNet/IP communications from ODVA helped reduce downtime and cut costs.
To update its safety system and risk-assessment process, the Malt-O-Meal team turned to long-time automation partner, Rockwell Automation. "We've worked with Rockwell Automation for over 30 years, and really appreciated the in-depth safety knowledge and resources they were able to provide," said Scott Kluegel, manager, corporate electrical engineering, Malt-O-Meal Co. "When we decided to undertake this upgrade project, they were the only company we considered."
For the control system design and implementation, the Malt-O-Meal team partnered with Rockwell Automation and Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork members Werner Electric, a distributor, and Wunderlich-Malec Engineering, a system integrator. Together, they selected an Allen-Bradley GuardLogix integrated safety system, from Rockwell Automation, which allows for both safety and standard control on one platform, and provides an easy path for standardization.
"We're installing the GuardLogix solution on each line as the opportunity presents itself, as our standard maintenance practices and upgrade schedules allow," explained Kluegel.
Malt-O-Meal also is updating its motor control solution to an intelligent motor control solution with integrated safety from Rockwell Automation. The company uses Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 40P adjustable frequency ac drives and PowerFlex 700S ac drives with a safe-off function and standardized motor starters, which communicate to the GuardLogix platform via an EtherNet/IP network from ODVA.
To standardize the risk-assessment process, the Malt-O-Meal team worked directly with the machine safety consulting team at Rockwell Automation.
"The machine safety consulting team met with our team several times to share their experience and best practices," said Kluegel. "We worked with them to customize their standard assessment process to address our specific production environment and safety requirements while driving proactive safety solutions."
The Malt-O-Meal team is already looking ahead to other areas of sustainability they can support in their manufacturing environment. They have started using Rockwell Software RSEnergyMetrix technology to get a baseline on current energy consumption, to help identify areas for possible improvements.
"Rockwell Automation and its partners have always been great technical resources for us as we look to continuously improve our manufacturing processes and deliver the best value possible for our customers. We definitely plan to continue those relationships in the future."
- Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager CFE Media, Control Engineering and Plant Engineering, mhoske(at)cfemedia.com.
Read more about the application and see two more photos: Malt-O-Meal integrates safety, assessment process
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