As packaging lines become faster, more flexible and format-intensive, SOMIC Packaging, Inc. has developed a new system to help automated secondary packaging machines be more productive and efficient.
The SOMIC Digital Services troubleshooting duo of Eagle and Connect, which combines machine sequence video with diagnostic data, will be demonstrated on the high performance SOMIC 434 case packer in booth N-4740 at PACK EXPO International. The new SOMIC 202 platform will also make its North American introduction during the October 18-21 event at McCormick Place in Chicago.
The compact SOMIC 202 will be demonstrated in the booth, and it offers brand owners and manufacturers the right entry-level machine for the automated, shelf-ready packaging market. The standard model processes RSC cases or flat blanks and is engineered to produce up to 20 cartons per minute.
The SOMIC 434 platform is popular with customers for its flexibility and more. Available as a case packer, tray or wraparound machine which also handles 2-piece cartons, this efficient system can produce up to 32 cycles per minutes with an almost unlimited number of format options. By providing automatic format adjustments in many areas, it results in more production uptime.
Bringing Video-based Diagnostics to Case Packing Support
For high-speed, end-of-line systems like the SOMIC 434, the gap between the fault code and the root cause matters. It can mean longer troubleshooting calls, repeated attempts to reproduce an intermittent condition, or a where a service technician spends the first hours of a support case simply gathering basic information.
SOMIC Eagle and SOMIC Connect addresses the diagnostic gap two ways. Three years in the making, Eagle is a highly effective, multi-camera issue tracking system and Connect is a digital service function which securely shares select diagnostic information. The systems are designed to give SOMIC customer support technicians and plant maintenance teams a better view of recent machine sequences when needed.
Matthias Wander, SOMIC’s Director of R&D who will lead the system demonstrations at PACK EXPO, said development began after examining what digital service could be built into a machine without requiring customers to connect production equipment to the open internet. At Interpack 2023, the R&D team installed a basic camera on a machine in the booth and used the HMI to display live video feeds. Customers responded positively to the concept and it since been fine tuned.
“When the machine stops, video recordings are triggered. You have the video, the fault information and numbers, and the corresponding downtime all in one system,” said Wander.
He explained that depending on the machine size and configuration, SOMIC Eagle uses five or six cameras positioned above the critical areas of the case packer. The cameras are aimed at locations where product movement, carton handling, or machine transfers are most like to determine what happens next.
With traditional troubleshooting, a sensor may tell the control system something is wrong at a specific point. Wander acknowledged what it does not usually show is how the problem developed. “The sensor itself can only say there is an issue there, but you are not able to able to have a look at what happened.”
That’s why the typical views SOMIC Eagle provide include product infeed, areas where products are transferred into cartons, and where jams or interruptions may occur. The cameras are triggered by the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) where the machine raises an error and stops. Wander pointed out the system typically captures a compact video sequence around the event, about ten seconds before and five seconds after, depending on machine size and application.
Wander also said one of the more practical engineering decisions behind Eagle and Connect is the system does not rely on external cloud service or continuous internet connection to operate. SOMIC installs an industrial PC in a machine and the software runs locally. The video and issuer information is then stored directly on that device.
“Our major customers in the food and pharma industries do not want any form of internet connection to the machine itself. They are highly cautious about the risks of ransomware or cybersecurity attacks,” explained Wander about external access to production equipment.
SOMIC Connect uses an emailed-based approach when a customer chooses to share information. The system compresses the relevant video, attaches diagnostic data such as PLC and HMI logs and error information, then encrypts the package and sends it securely through the customer’s local email server. Many large customers have internal email infrastructure protected by company firewalls, thus giving SOMIC a way to move diagnostic information to service personnel without requiring direct internet access.
SOMIC Eagle and Connect are available across all SOMIC machine types, including all new 202, 323 and 434 platforms or as a retrofit. Attendees are encouraged to ask for a personal demonstration in booth N-4740.