August 2018System Integration & Control Systems Design
Infrabaker International (Infrabaker) develops, builds and markets infrared ovens for food preparation. In response to a special customer request, the company had to reengineer its existing concept to enable the defrosting of frozen fish, which required infrared radiation not only from above but also from below. When it came to the control system, drives and safety of the new oven model, Infrabaker opted to use components from Siemens.
Technology deployed in the new solution includes an integrated drive system (IDS) and engineering in the TIA (totally integrated automation) Portal, which allows the company to benefit from greater efficiency, improved reliability and lower engineering costs.
The major advantage of preparing foods using infrared technology is that this gentle cooking method does not destroy valuable nutrients. Working in cooperation with fine sheet metal specialist Wegra, Infrabaker had developed a series of modular design infrared ovens which allowed the standard model to be extended as required. However, this approach was not adequate to meet the needs of All Freez, a fish and shellfish wholesaler looking for a way of defrosting its products efficiently without compromising their nutritional value. Not only were the dimensions of the standard ovens too big for All Freez, the company also required a solution that could be flexibly deployed in different locations without the need to dismantle and reassemble it. In addition, the standard solution did not allow the fish to be heated as required from above and below simultaneously. Infrabaker took all these requirements into account and then went to work on the development and implementation of a mobile, compact new oven.
Integrated solution for greater efficiency
From the beginning, the developers were in no doubt that they would be using the integrated portfolio of solutions from Siemens to implement the new oven. The radiation intensity of the infrared lamps is controlled by the Siplus HCS (heating control system), while the IDS comprises Sinamics V90 and Sinamics G120C converters. The individual components are connected over a Simatic ET 200SP distributed I/O to a Simatic S7-1500 control system, operated from a user-friendly safety and comfort panel. The equipment is rounded off by a Scalance S615 VPN router to ensure optimum network security, allowing Infrabaker to track the status of the devices remotely and intervene if required.
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