Posted to News on 25th Sep 2008, 13:12
Complying with OMAC Guidelines and Weihenstephan Standards
Compliance with the OMAC Packaging Guidelines has become ever more important, especially among the major multinational producers of consumer packaged goods. Standardised programming languages, operating modes, states, visualisation, data formats and communication networks enable the horizontal integration of packaging machines into lines as well as the vertical integration of packaging lines with management systems.
The guidelines also provide other benefits, beginning with a consistent basis for user requirement specifications (URS), which, in turn, can shorten development and delivery times. Software reusability and modularity simplify programming as well as operator and maintenance training and support, thereby reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO).
ELAU recognised the relevance of the OMAC Packaging Guidelines for export-oriented packaging machine OEMs early on. Since the foundation of the OMAC Packaging Workgroup, ELAU has participated in its various working groups and was among the first to implement all of the guidelines in its automation system. A software library contains pre-tested, ready-to-use program modules for communication, visualisation, analysis of operating modes, alarm conventions, PackML and ISA tags. Another library provides routines for OMAC-compliant data conversion by means of which data existing in the ELAU template can be converted into PackML tags.
Beverage filling lines
In 2007 ELAU also implemented aspects of the Weihenstephan Standards in its software product that are related to the OMAC Guidelines, being adopted by the beverage industry and receiving interest from the food industry as well. The Weihenstephan Standards for production data acquisition (PDA) in beverage filling lines represent the first viable model for communication between the production machines and production management systems.
The Weihenstephan Standards are an extension of the OMAC guidelines in many respects, so that Weihenstephan-compliant machines automatically conform to the OMAC PackML V2.0 Guideline. However, due to the complexity of the Weihenstephan Standards, this relationship is not reciprocal.
ELAU has already implemented the Weihenstephan Standards in the software libraries of its automation system. The physical interface, as defined in part 1 of the standard, covers communications between machine controls and production management systems. The ELAU libraries provide the functions and services needed for the communication via this interface.
Thanks to programming based on ELAU's template and IEC function block libraries, packaging and filling machines automated with ELAU automatically comply with the Weihenstephan Standards for PDA system communication. The ELAU system is therefore not only suitable for designing new machines, but also for retrofitting existing machinery with production data acquisition systems.
