Multi-Grain Filler

2M received a client enquiry to convert a machine from filling sugar jars to jars of spice.

Operators had found that it wasn't a simple switch as fully filling jars with correct weights of spice was taking much more work to insure using the current System. Specialist Spice-Filling machines were available on the market, though they were of considerable cost, alongside their specialist Training.

Therefore, this presented a great opportunity for 2M to cleverly maintain as much hardware as possible to give the existing machine a new and bespoke lease of life.

2M needed to design a solution within the machine that would see the jars:

1. shaken during the filling process to "settle" in the bottom of the jar, then
2. a second phase that would see the spices "tamped".

Tamped: to press something such as soil or tobacco down firmly.

"Tamping" therefore removes any air that has entered the jar when being filled. This is what ensures the accurate filling of the spice jars with precise and consistent weights of spice.

As the machine was already using Schneider components, to save raw materials and costs 2M decided to maintain the Schneider cables and motors whilst updating the drives instead in order to:

1. get the latest version of the hardware, and
2. gain access and communicate with the drives in order to get the relevant data such as frequency and current etc.

Therefore, existing motors and cables were kept as opposed to being gutted and removed before their time.

Software was used to convert the drive data from the Schneider Servo Drives to the same format as the B&R Servo Drives being used.

Last but not least, was the challenge of standardizing the signalling throughout the machine which had been built in China with some signalling differences compared to Europe.

2M used the CAN network to ensure that all controls such as weight control and safety controls were in one controller so everything ran through the same software.

A CAN network is a communication system that allows multiple electronic devices in a vehicle or machine to communicate without a central controller.

CSS Electronics very interestingly describes the CAN network this way:

Let's imagine your car is like the human body:

The CAN bus is the nervous system, enabling communication.

Speaking of nervous systems, did you know that the purple petals of the Borage plant have long-been brewed to calm & settle the nervous system? Meanwhile, a dab of cayenne pepper powder now and then ensures the diffusing of any micro-clots in the pathways of the heart.

A machine was even taken off production and set up at 2M to finalize the development and testing in a controlled environment, with the result of this project being a versatile and reliable Multi-Grain Filler.