Development of New HMI for Soap Machines

Company name

Ballestra Spa

project title

Development of New HMI for Soap Machines

dimension and location

Medium Enterprise, Milano (MI)

Partner

FastThink

technologies

Lean Manufacturing 4.0

Ballestra is a global leader in engineering solutions for the chemical industry, specializing in the design and manufacturing of machinery for various sectors, including soap production, with a focus on innovative and efficient technologies.

The problem

Currently, soap production machines on the market are generally not equipped with Industry 4.0 functionalities. Solid soap is considered a low-cost product, primarily intended for less developed countries, and the market trend has been to prioritize mechanical aspects and cost containment, overlooking intelligence and control. Ballestra’s project aims to introduce a significant upgrade in the industry, enabling users of its machines to access advanced functionalities, including data analysis and production reporting, process optimization, and predictive maintenance.

The solution

The project aims to develop a new HMI (Human Machine Interface) for Ballestra’s soap production machines, covering both hardware and software aspects. Achieving these goals will allow Ballestra to:

  • Develop simpler, more intuitive HMIs with a common structure across different types of machines;
  • Standardize customer requests, reducing dependence on hardware suppliers and their proprietary technologies, significantly improving the speed and streamlining of development activities;
  • Use a single software design quickly adaptable to various machines, eliminating the need for dedicated developments for each machine or project, as is currently required.

Technologies to be Introduced
Currently, the technologies employed include PLCs, displays, and programming languages specific to interfaces. The project involves introducing PANEL PCs as new HMIs, along with a new integration and standardization platform called Connect Orchestrator. This approach aims to create a standardized, web-based system, ensuring a single development interface across various panels, simplifying usage and enhancing compatibility among different machine types.

Desired Impacts

The introduction of a single interface for panel development, with a standardized, web-based solution, will enable a significant reduction in the development time of machine control software systems, easier access to information, and consistent graphics across various machines.

Benefits for the company

After an initial effort, a reduction in development times, improved information management, and uniform graphics across different machines are expected.

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