I. Case background
S.P.A.M.I, specializing in the production of pharmaceutical glass containers, has developed an inspection system to improve the quality of glassware, using quality control techniques to check the quality of semi-finished glass tubes to be screened for the final product. The system consists of a visual inspection system (NoVIS) for continuous temperature measurement and digital image processing (called CLEANER), which is capable of detecting and removing glass defects as small as a few microns in the final product. The following equipment is installed along the entire production line: Downstream of the forming machine is the conveyor belt, where the dimensional measurement images are analyzed and processed by means of intelligent cameras to ensure a complete inspection of the dimensions and appearance of the glass containers.
Stable quality control and excellent R&D capability are the keys to SPAMI's prominence. Pharmaceutical companies' standard product requirements are often different from those of pilot products, and S.P.A.M.I planned a production system that could be adjusted to meet different customization needs. The system is controlled by a Siemens PLC with Profibus communication. S.P.A.M.I needed a solution that could communicate the smart camera with Profibus.
II. Solutions
S.P.A.M.I. chose Anybus X Gateway as the communication solution. Since S.P.A.M.I. has a wide range of control systems, they needed to select a solution that would universally support different protocols. With the Anybus gateway, S.P.A.M.I easily solved the problem of connecting equipment to different communication networks, and in the future, S.P.A.M.I plans to add more cameras to strengthen the detection network. In order to do this, S.P.A.M.I needs to utilize the widely used features of the Anybus gateway to communicate with other control systems.
Anybus has a wide range of product lines, can support almost any communication protocol connection conversion, with a high degree of flexibility. S.P.A.M.I needs to install cameras at different points on the production line to achieve thorough monitoring and inspection quality, using Anybus gateway can be configured to the system simply and with half the effort.
III. Effectiveness
- Instant connectivity to Ethernet and fieldbus networks
- Fast Configuration, No Programming Required
- Flexibility to connect to other communication networks in the future
