Fieldbus & Industrial Networking


Techmach improves accuracy with Beckhoff Automation

November 2011 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking

The weighing division is expanding rapidly thanks to advanced control automation technology.

Leading feed milling equipment provider, Techmach, has improved its machine control using state-of-the-art automation technology supplied by Beckhoff Automation’s South African office.

Techmach has been a specialist for more than 30 years in custom-built equipment and machinery for feed milling applications such as maize, flour and animal feed. In 2009, the Johannesburg based company decided to expand its footprint by establishing a dedicated automatic weighing division, however, this depended on the availability of a more accurate control platform.

Techmach’s John Barclay: “The company realised it had to think outside the box and go beyond anything it had done before, so we decided to approach Beckhoff to find out more PC-based control. We discovered that the flexibility of the Beckhoff technology would enable us to customise our application software to each client’s unique specifications and this is exactly what we were looking for.”

Barclay says that using the Beckhoff technology would also provide global connectivity to all of its machines, enabling the company to be aware of a breakdown or service requirement well before the user. “The advanced technology offered by Beckhoff has enabled Techmach to alert itself, through cellular, Internet and 3G connections, to any abuse, mismanagement or failure of a machine. Ultimately, this ensures that we can provide our clients with the highest standard of after-sales service and technical support.”

Managing director of Beckhoff Automation in South Africa, Conrad Muller, explains that Beckhoff supplied compact industrial computers and Ethernet-based bus products that connect directly to the Techmach load cells, as well as to other digital and analogue inputs and outputs. “Techmach required a new approach to automation with more functionality and visual displays. After taking their needs into consideration, we built a list of features that were customised to suit the company’s machinery. Our goal is always to increase our customer’s product design capabilities and decrease the time to market, without increasing the costs.”

Barclay says the after-sales and technical support from Beckhoff South Africa has been of the highest standards. “Beckhoff displayed great commitment and ensured that an expert was available to provide us with support regardless of the time of day. The high quality of the automation technology has given us no major headaches to date, resulting in Techmach and Beckhoff South Africa developing a strong working relationship over the past two years.”

Muller explains how Beckhoff assisted Techmach engineers with the software design and development. “Beckhoff acted as a consultant specialist thereby allowing Techmach to focus on the design work, while we assisted with the customisation and modular approach. What is more, Beckhoff offered 24-hour customer support in addition to the training required.”

“The automated weighing division at Techmach has grown at a rapid rate since we adopted the Beckhoff technology,” says Barclay. “South Africa is catching up with international trends. I believe that the online automation of processes will become standard in the industry as it eliminates the risks of human error and other problems related to manual labour.”

For more information contact Kenneth McPherson, Beckhoff Automation, +27 (0)11 795 2898, [email protected] , www.beckhoff.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Comprehensive solutions for the food and beverage sector
RS South Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
RS South Africa is reinforcing its commitment to the country’s dynamic food and beverage sector, backed by a comprehensive portfolio of over 800 000 products, extensive technical expertise and end-to-end service capabilities.

Read more...
PC-based control for a food capsule and pod packaging machine
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice
For TME, a machine builder specialising in the packaging of powdered foods, Beckhoff’s PC-based control technology offers unlimited opportunities when it comes to performance and innovative capacity in terms of flexibility, scalability and openness.

Read more...
Case History 198: Cascade control overcomes valve problems
Michael Brown Control Engineering Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
A large petrochemical refinery asked me to perform an audit on several critical base layer control loops. This article deals with a problem found on a valve controlling the flow of fuel to a heat exchanger.

Read more...
Improved networking technology for fire and gas detection
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Critical alarm and event management technology supplier, Omniflex has worked with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation to upgrade equipment providing digital and analogue signals for its safety critical fire and gas alarm systems.

Read more...
Multi-touch panel generation in a smart design
Beckhoff Automation Operator Interfaces, Switches & Relays
Following over 25 years of successful in-house panel production and 12 years of expertise in multi-touch design, Beckhoff is bringing out a new smart panel design, the Next multi-touch panel generation.

Read more...
Next-generation PLC technology with advanced chatbot functionality
Beckhoff Automation IT in Manufacturing
Beckhoff is taking automation technology to the next level with TwinCAT PLC++. Both engineering and runtime are noticeably faster, without compromising on TwinCAT’s signature strengths of seamless integration, compatibility and openness.

Read more...
German Chancellor visits Beckhoff at Hannover Messe
Beckhoff Automation News
As part of the traditional Hannover Messe opening tour, Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz visited German company, Beckhoff Automation. Hans Beckhoff, managing director and owner of Beckhoff Automation, presented his company and its comprehensive expertise in the field of software and AI.

Read more...
PC-based control for fertiliser
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
On a farm in the USA, valuable ammonia is extracted from slurry and processed into ammonium sulphate. NSI Byosis has transformed this complex process into a flexible modular system. This modular approach requires an automation solution with flexible scalability in both hardware and software, which this Dutch company has found in PC-based control from Beckhoff.

Read more...
Loop signature 28: Things to consider when tuning.
Michael Brown Control Engineering Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
I was giving a course at a remote mine in the middle of the Namibian desert. We were discussing tuning responses, and as I always do on my courses, I mentioned that in my opinion ¼ amplitude damped tuning is not desirable, and is in fact not good.

Read more...
New modules for distributed integration of intrinsically safe signals
Beckhoff Automation IS & Ex
Beckhoff provides a compact acquisition solution for intrinsically safe signals up to zone 0/20 with the IP67-protected EtherCAT Box modules of the EPX series.

Read more...