Products used: Packaging company machine retrofit

In a machine retrofit, annual operating costs decreased more than 25% with use of AutomationDirect ProSense vacuum pressure transmitters, DirectLogic DL06 PLCs, Durapulse variable frequency drives, and C-more HMI. See related application story.

By Charles Landry June 11, 2013

In a retrofit to improve efficiency of wicket-style bag-making machines, the Trinity Packaging plant in Pueblo, Colo., used AutomationDirect ProSense vacuum pressure transmitters, DirectLogic DL06 PLCs, and Durapulse variable frequency drives for the control and monitoring system.

AutomationDirect C-more HMI touchscreen panel displays and helps with data interpretation. An Ethernet card in the DL06 PLC communicates to the C-more touchscreen HMI.

Drives communicate directly with the HMI using the Modbus protocol. Use of Modbus protocol eliminated wiring and associated costs, avoiding the need to buy analog sensors to send current, rpm, and other readings to the C-more HMI, which transmits that information digitally from each drive to the HMI.

Images and specifications are available on the plant floor from the HMI touchscreen. A new project to use the latest AutomationDirect PLCs is underway to upgrade Trinity’s older equipment in other parts of the plant.

About the company

Trinity Packaging Corp. is a privately held family business. Founded in 1917 as a paper bag converter, Trinity Packaging installed its first plastics extruder in 1979. Since then it has expanded its focus to include the flexible films market, enabling the company to offer a wider variety of products. The company has three plant locations in the U.S. that manufacture plastic products for a broad base of American customers in a wide range of industries.

– Charles Landry is maintenance manager, Trinity Packaging Corp. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager CFE Media, Control Engineering and Plant Engineering, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

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Learn more about machine retrofit details below.

www.trinitypackaging.com 

www.automationdirect.com