Orion's pharmaceutical production facility in Espoo is embracing renewed automation by incorporating electromechanical cylinders.
Over the years, the factory has seen a substantial rise in production capacity. The decision to upgrade the tablet mass production line became topical a couple of years ago as the operations were running at a high capacity. Currently, the tablet mass production line operates in an interrupted three-shift model, running five days a week.
According to Production Engineer Janne Tuominen, an alternative to pneumatic cylinders was sought especially to prevent production downtime due to cylinder breakage. An equipment breakdown could cause not only the loss of work shifts but also the loss of a production batch if the manufactured tablet mass must be discarded.
Orion was looking for a maintenance-free alternative to the pneumatic shaker for the tablet mass line. After exploring options, an electromechanical actuator (EMA) was chosen and Norrhydro was selected as a partner to provide the solution. While EMA had not been used in production before, it was seamlessly integrated into the real production environment and a test run could begin.
The main function of the shaker cylinder is to shake tablet mass from the filter of the device during the manufacturing process. The cylinder is driven within the optimal operating range set for the process. The cylinder also serves as a washing arm when the fluid bed granulator is washed between production batches and for this, the entire stroke of the cylinder is used. Adjustability and precise control are unquestionable advantages of the electric cylinder, which enables even more precise targeting of the washing process.
The EMA cylinder is controlled by Orion's DCS software, provided by Insta Automation Oy, ensuring efficient operation within the tablet mass production line. “A Siemens G120C frequency converter-controlled motor and a Kübler absolute encoder via Profinet. The absolute encoder sets the operating range for the cylinder, which is further verified by separate inductive sensors at the cylinder's end positions. This prevents the cylinder from being damaged”, explains Project Manager Tommi Nättilä from Insta Automation Oy.
The advantage of the EMA shaker cylinder connected to the DCS system is the extensive data collection, which includes for example the following:
- engine torque and current values
- shaker cylinder speed
- number and duration of shaking cycles
- extensive fault reports, e.g. equipment failures and communication breakdowns
Initial testing in Orion's busy production has already displayed promising results in a short period. "The replacement to "electric cylinder" (EMA) has met our needs and expectations well and has worked as it should, without unnecessary breaks or maintenance", says Janne Tuominen.
The user experience has also led to small modification ideas for the cylinder to serve its purpose even better since there was no prior experience using an electric cylinder in this application. Norrhydro's engineering implemented the proposed modifications already for the next delivery of EMA cylinders to Orion's factory.
Orion's Production Engineer Janne Tuominen and Automation Engineer Juha Anttonen participated in testing the new EMA cylinders at the Norrhydro production facility in Rovaniemi. During testing, the functionality of the mechanical side was inspected, and the implemented modifications were verified.
Concrete plans at Orion are already in place for the installation of another EMA during the upcoming maintenance shutdown.
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