SUCCESS STORY
Robust and Fail-safe PROFINET Switches in Practical Use
Future-proof machine networks: Anyone who builds machines and plants with a very long operating life, like Erema, always has the future in mind.
In a study quoted by the BVSE Plastics Recycling Association, the management consultancy McKinsey expects 80 percent more plastic waste worldwide in the current decade by 2030. So there is no question: global consumption of plastics has been growing rapidly for years - and with it the need for efficient recycling plants, especially as recycling rates are rising in many markets. Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H. has also grown up with this development: started in 1983 as a pioneer in the industry, the company headquartered in Ansfelden near Linz in Austria is today the world market leader in the development and manufacture of plastics recycling machines and system components.
International customers appreciate the products of the technology leader. The robustness of their systems is particularly important for recyclers. After all, they should run reliably for many years under the industry-specific harsh operating conditions and reliably guarantee the best results.
Future-proof Industrial Ethernet
Against this background, the manufacturer converted the control technology for all systems delivered since then from Profibus to future-proof Industrial Ethernet about three years ago; more precisely, to Profinet, because about 95 percent of the controllers used are Siemens products. The challenge here was to be able to set up the machine networks cleanly on a Profinet basis. The use of Profinet switches was already decided at this point in the decision-making process, because as network components they are basically best suited for the specific requirements of Profinet. This means: With a transmission speed of 100MB/s, for example, they regenerate signals, receive them and forward them in a targeted manner. However, the question of the appropriate model was initially open.
„Our target group attaches great importance to the longevity of their equipment. So it doesn't always have to be the latest technology, but it must function well and sustainably. What we install today must still meet all requirements in 15 or 20 years.“
Markus Steininger-Arbeithuber Software Engineer at Erema
These Helmholz Products are in use at Erema
Decision for Helmholz
The answer was to come from a comprehensive supplier analysis in the area of Profinet components. Among the companies analyzed was Helmholz, known and appreciated as a supplier of memory cards for the Simatic S7-1200/1500 controller series. Nevertheless, Helmholz had to reassert itself as a supplier of Profinet switches within the scope of the market analysis - and ultimately convinced. Steininger-Arbeithuber cites as the main reason for the decision: "The Helmholz switches work." And this is by no means a matter of course in the competitive environment, as the numerous practical tests in the course of the market analysis had shown.
Other arguments in favor of the Helmholz products were their compact design and user-friendliness. They can therefore be installed in a space-saving manner, are easy to integrate and can be easily configured. And last but not least - in view of around 300 new machines per year - the good price/performance ratio was also an important criterion. In concrete terms, managed Profinet switches are used, as standard in the 8-port variant (for connection with eight network nodes) and also with 16 ports for larger machines. "They primarily take care of the logical structure of our machine networks," says Steininger-Arbeithuber, describing the main task of the intelligent components. 'Logical' in this context means that the switches allow the network to be set up analogously to the individual functions. This not only ensures optimized data distribution and stable network operation, but also brings advantages in terms of cabling, which from a practitioner's point of view are as follows: "Thanks to the logical structure of the network, I don't have to run the cables through the entire machine. This saves time and money during installation and at the same time increases reliability during subsequent operation of the machine."
The plastic recycling machines are primarily designed for durability in order to produce consistent results over the years.
Practical experience and a look to the future
In fact, the Profinet switches from Helmholz also prove to be robust and fail-safe in practical operation. The experience of customers has also been positive. If a switch were to fail, the machine would immediately come to a standstill, but this only happens extremely rarely. At the same time, Erema already has its sights set on the next development steps. For example, with the support of Helmholz and its Austrian sales partner Buxbaum, the company is currently testing the secure and efficient integration of a machine network into a higher-level production network via the Industrial Ethernet Bridge and Firewall Wall IE. Because one thing is certain, according to software engineer Markus Steininger-Arbeithuber: "Network technology will become even more important in the future."
