Six rice cake production machines
Controls development and overall project coordination for six rice cake press/puffing machines. The mechanical concept was based on existing equipment; the controls were developed from scratch.
Client task
Develop controls for six rice cake machines using an existing mechanical concept and a common software platform.
My responsibility
I coordinated the project, developed the control concept, PLC/HMI software, hydraulic and pneumatic control and temperature regulation, and tested and commissioned all six machines.
Result
Six machines commissioned with a common controls platform, temperature regulation, operator diagnostics and reusable software.
Technical solution and scope
Scope and equipment
Siemens S7-1200, later S7-1200 G2, HMI and physical operator buttons. Each machine included one hydraulic motor, five hydraulic valves, six pneumatic valves and two PID-controlled temperature zones.
Production cycle
Each machine was capable of producing six cakes per approximately 10-second cycle. This is cycle capability, not a guaranteed sustained production rate.
My responsibility
I coordinated the project and developed the control concept, PLC architecture/software, HMI, hydraulic/pneumatic sequences and temperature control. I handled integration, testing and commissioning of all six machines. A third-party supplier assembled the control cabinets.
Reusable software
All six machines shared a common PLC software foundation, with step-based sequences, state monitoring, alarms and HMI logging. Later revisions improved structure, readability and scalability.
Safety
Safety functions were implemented using dedicated hardware. The standard PLC program receives safety-system status only; it does not execute the safety functions.
Result
Six operational machines with a common controls platform, temperature regulation, operator diagnostics and reusable software architecture. The original mechanical concept is not attributed to this controls project.
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