Packaging OEMs are faced with meeting continuously rising consumer demands at the same time keeping costs in control. B&R OEM Solution Package for Vertical Form, Fill and Seal machine (ospVFFS) enables machine builders to meet various industry standards, reduces engineering effort, achieves higher performance, reduces total cost of ownership and significantly reduces time to market.
“ospVFFS is an out-of-the-box, configurable, ready-to-use and scalable software solution for VFFS machines,” says Dinesh Mungi, branch head at B&R, Pune. “We call it an out-of-the-box solution because the solution comes as a ready-made box that consists of drives, controls and motors. VFFS machine manufacturers don’t have to bother about software development. They just have to do the configuration, instead of programming, using the HMI, and the VFFS machine is ready to run. The whole process is similar to configuring a smartphone.”
Launched in August 2020, the ospVFFS solution has already garnered quite a good response, shared Mungi. The ospVFFS allows machine builders to configure a VFFS machine with different options in as little as 30 minutes. This not only improves machine performance but also enables a shorter time-to-market. In addition, the configurable solution is Industry 4.0 ready, with web-based diagnostics and secure IT connectivity – via integrated OPC UA.
“The solution offers higher productivity, meets Industry 4.0 and OMAC PackML requirements, the possibility of fast troubleshooting with reduced maintenance, a highly flexible solution (plug, configure, run), and the highest software quality, along with OPC UA readiness for superior IT connectivity. It also helps OEMs to save R&D and software development costs and increase deployment speeds, without impacting quality or customer service,” Mungi said.
“If you look at today’s scenario, you will see that machine building has changed beyond recognition and become highly complex. What is getting even more complex in machine building is the software – the control algorithm. With an increasing demand for newer options and features on machines, software development is getting highly complex. Hence, OEMs see the solution as a great advantage as they don’t have to keep multiple software sources and backups. Also, from the training point of view, they understand that since it is a common HMI, it is easy for any operator to work on any machine. The specialized training part is also reduced. The diagnostic capability of ospVFFS eases out the after-sales services. You can get an accurate diagnosis, which in turn can reduce your customer downtime. Hence they get more satisfied customers,” explains Mungi.
Mungi highlighted that the solution is capable of meeting today’s vastly different user requirements. “It is developed in such a way that it can fit into any VFSS machines present in the market today. Another important advantage for the OEMs is that they are not required to build their machine according to the solution. Rather, the machine design is complemented by our solution.”
Mungi added that B&R has taken into consideration all combinations and types of VFSS machines manufactured in the market while developing the ospVFFS solution. This makes ospVFSS fit into any VFFS machine easily. “For example, a VFSS machine has an unwinder which typically comes in three formats – servo-driven unwinder where you have a complete servo-driven torque control; VFD control where you just put a VFD and based on a sensor you adjust; third, it is a clutch brake mechanism. Since ospVFSS supports all three, OEMs have to just configure the solution based on the type of unwinder being used in the machine,” he explained. “And, since the solution is scalable, machine manufacturers can choose from a single-axis control up to seven-axis control. The solution is configurable right from the basic VFSS machines to high-end machines.”
Speaking about the market, Mungi said that today customers are not only looking for machines with faster configuration but also the convenience of switching between packet sizes and that too at high speed. Earlier, customers were complacent even if the machine installation took months; however, today customers are unwilling to wait even for an extra day to finish the installation and start production.