Remote monitoring and assistance, and digital optimization for temperature control in food processes
Containment and teleworking measures resulting from the pandemic are complicating the maintenance of normal production capacity for many players in the agri-food sector. The decision to impose teleworking on a machine operator or industrial site operator has far-reaching consequences. Even when everything else is at a standstill, product manufacturing must continue.
Last year, the food industry made progress in dematerialization, which would have taken several years under normal circumstances. This has had a major impact on temperature control. Systems operating 24 hours a day must record the main parameters of the entire production process in order to comply with hygiene and traceability regulations. Here are just a few examples: the temperature of grinders for chocolate production, the temperature of baths or screws in extrusion plants for pasta or confectionery, the temperature of double-walled tanks (often with agitators) for tempering fluids, the temperature of pipes for transporting various semi-finished or finished products and, increasingly, the temperature of large reactors used in a wide range of processes, from sugar production to the natural flavors used in various foods.
Any deviation from the norm (temperature, alarms, etc.) must immediately trigger the necessary corrective action, especially when no-one is physically near the system. The need for remote assistance for maintenance technicians and continuous optimization of the entire production site must also be taken into account.
Regloplas AG offers a range of solutions for its temperature control devices and cooling systems (from -20 to 350°C and from 3 to 80 kW heat output) to help its customers make the most of this evolution by dematerializing temperature control in the food industry.
The new Regloplas RT200 control system with integrated OPC UA server offers flexible dematerialization for production processes. The central concept of dematerialization is based on the exchange of data from all processes and machines over the network, and their transmission to higher-level IT systems (MES, ERP, PPS, etc.).
All machines, equipment and peripheral systems involved in the production process communicate with each other. The result is real-time optimization, leading to higher productivity, reduced downtime, greater machine capacity and superior product quality.
Regloplas' modular range of temperature control devices offers further advantages:
- Lower costs than in-house solutions (produced in small quantities),
- Continuous, trouble-free use as part of a new or upgraded system,
- Technical improvement and increased reliability through the use of a device manufactured by a temperature control specialist.
Reducing integration costs, Regloplas' high-performance, flexible temperature control solutions are just as attractive to industrial plant operators as they are to process operators. "Regloplas AG is constantly developing its offerings and technical expertise for these users. In addition to economic considerations, the aim is to be able to contribute to improving the hygiene, quality and sustainability of agri-food processes", says the company.
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www.regloplas.com